After Transmigrating Into A Novel, Not Only Did I Become An Omega, But I Also Provoked The Male Lead’s Mother - Chapter 48

Ling Jixiao, completely oblivious to Qin Yue’s anger, was already preoccupied with the gift Qin Yue had given her.

As soon as she got into the car, she eagerly opened the small cloth pouch.

Inside was a bracelet woven in a wheat-ear pattern, adorned with a smooth, round agate bead. The design was simple yet elegant.

The agate bead wasn’t large, its crimson hue as fiery as a torch. Its smooth, jade-like texture revealed it wasn’t a cheap imitation, yet it wasn’t an exceptionally high-quality gem either. Though Ling Jixiao wasn’t well-versed in jewelry, her experience with luxury items allowed her to discern that this agate bead must have been quite expensive for Qin Yue.

The red agate represented auspiciousness and joy, symbolizing the warding off of evil spirits and a long, healthy life.

Ling Jixiao’s lips curved into a smile as she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. She gazed at it for a long time, then took several photos from different angles with her phone and sent them all to Qin Yue.

Qin Yue didn’t respond. Ling Jixiao guessed she might be busy and drove back home.

Back in her dorm room, after tidying up, Qin Yue felt her anger and bitterness subside a little.

Thinking it through, she realized she couldn’t really blame Ling Jixiao. After all, Li Nuonuo had asked about her relationship with Ling Jixiao before, and Qin Yue had simply said Ling Jixiao was just an acquaintance, “just a Sister she knew.”

Though Ling Jixiao had once expressed interest in her, Qin Yue had rejected her. Besides, Ling Jixiao was single now, and even if they exchanged contact information, Qin Yue had no reason to stop her.

Frustrated, Qin Yue sat down on the edge of her bed and noticed the Lover’s Knot hanging above it. She’d brought the knot Ling Jixiao had given her to the dorm when she started school.

The Lover’s Knot hung above the bed, the Little Peach swaying gently, its presence ever-present.

Qin Yue knew she couldn’t blame anyone else; she could only stew in her silent frustration.

Bai Zhi watched Li Nuonuo carry a basin of clothes out to the laundry room to wash them in the machine. Hurrying over to Qin Yue, she asked anxiously, “Yueyue, what do you think about this?”

“What do you mean?” Qin Yue didn’t immediately grasp Bai Zhi’s question. Her fingertip tapped the Lover’s Knot, watching it sway back and forth, her mind filled with images of Ling Jixiao.

Bai Zhi sighed and sat down in Qin Yue’s chair, looking up at her roommate lying on the bed. “You and your ‘Sister Jixiao’—didn’t you say she liked you? Now that Nuonuo is trying to pursue her, are you really not bothered at all?”

Qin Yue pursed her lips, withdrew her hand, and buried her face in the quilt, her muffled voice sounding somewhat stifled. “If she likes me, do I have to stop her from having romantic relationships? I’m not that possessive.”

“You really don’t like her?” Bai Zhi asked, her voice dripping with gossip.

Qin Yue glanced at Bai Zhi through the railing. “What about you? How’s it going with your secretary ‘sister’?”

Come on, let’s gossip together!

A flicker of discomfort crossed Bai Zhi’s face. “Well, I just… I haven’t found the right opportunity to see her yet.”

“Oh, what if she gets a boyfriend over the New Year?” Qin Yue teased, relishing the thought.

“Impossible!” Bai Zhi protested loudly, but her voice faltered as doubt crept in, murmuring almost inaudibly, “No way… If she really did, then I… I…”

Bai Zhi trailed off, her face teetering on the verge of tears.

Qin Yue sighed, adopting a serious tone. “Bai Zhi, summon that thick-skinned spirit of yours!”

“Get lost!” Bai Zhi said with a laugh, her voice tinged with exasperation. Qin Yue’s interruption had managed to dispel much of the sourness in her heart. She sighed deeply. “Yueyue, things got pretty tense between her and me the other day. I… I feel too embarrassed to face her now…”

Qin Yue wasn’t sure how to comfort her.

“Ah…” The two of them continued to sigh in their dorm room.

Just then, Qin Yue’s phone started buzzing incessantly. She opened it to find a string of photos from Ling Jixiao—different angles of a bracelet.

“Pfft!” Qin Yue couldn’t suppress a chuckle. The more she interacted with Ling Jixiao, the more she realized how childish the woman could be.

Bai Zhi leaned over, her voice soft and probing. “Qin Yue, are you sure you don’t have feelings for her?”

Qin Yue cleared her throat awkwardly. “What are you talking about?!”

Bai Zhi roared and lunged at Qin Yue. “Qin Yue, are you even a real friend?! If you’re upset, we share the burden together! You can’t just bask in your sweetness while I’m miserable!”

“Aah!” Qin Yue scrambled to escape as the two of them tumbled into a playful brawl.

*******

In March, the school organized a “Famous Figures Learning Month” to promote the spirit of famous figures among teenagers.

The school called on students to volunteer for street cleaning, picking up cigarette butts, and required each class to send one student to participate in the school’s “Famous Figures Spirit” speech contest.

Qin Yue wasn’t good at public speaking and didn’t want to volunteer. She needed to work part-time to earn money and had no spare time. But the counselor said volunteering would earn academic credits. Hearing this, Bai Zhi immediately dragged Qin Yue to sign up.

On a weekend, sacrificing a day’s wages to sweep the streets—Qin Yue would never have done it if it weren’t for the academic credits.

After the snow a few days earlier, the weather gradually warmed up, and spring arrived. Everything began to revive.

Qin Yue now needed to wear a mask and carry medication when she went out, since she had developed mild asthma. She was afraid of allergies during this season of blooming flowers.

It was only March, and many flowers hadn’t bloomed yet. Besides, the roses that triggered Qin Yue’s allergies were mostly confined to flower shops, and the pollen from street flowers didn’t disperse into the air, leaving Qin Yue unaffected. As long as she avoided flower shops, she’d be fine.

Qin Yue and Bai Zhi were randomly assigned to clean up cigarette butts and sweep the streets in a certain area. Coincidentally, they ended up on the same street where Qin Yue worked at the coffee shop.

The employees at the coffee shop all knew Qin Yue. Led by the Boss, they gathered on the street to watch Qin Yue sweeping.

“Xiao Qin, did you take time off just to sweep the street in front of my shop?” the Boss teased.

Qin Yue couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “Brother Wang, stop teasing me!”

After finishing her section of the street, Qin Yue looked up and realized Bai Zhi had disappeared. She walked around, scanning the area. After crossing the road, she spotted Bai Zhi standing dumbfounded next to a large office building.

“What are you looking at?” Qin Yue asked, hurrying over.

“It’s nothing,” Bai Zhi said, snapping out of her daze and shaking her head slightly, a hint of melancholy in her expression.

Qin Yue followed Bai Zhi’s gaze and froze. The sign above the building read “Minghui Group.”

Bai Zhi had simply caught sight of this familiar place and been reminded of the time she waited here for Su Yao, stirring old memories.

“Little miss, here to wait for someone again?” the security guard at the entrance asked.

Only then did Bai Zhi notice that the guard on duty today was the same one who had helped her call Su Yao that day.

“No, I…” Bai Zhi opened her mouth, and for a moment, she almost hoped Su Yao would appear. As nostalgia overwhelmed her rational mind, she ultimately didn’t voice her refusal.

The guard, aware that Bai Zhi knew Su Yao, gladly dialed the company’s internal line to reach her again.

“Wow, you even know the security guards here!” Qin Yue whispered in amazement.

“It’s not like that,” Bai Zhi replied, a little embarrassed. “I just made a strong impression on him during my last visit!”

******

When Su Yao answered the phone, she was a little dazed.

When she returned home that day, she discovered that Bai Zhi’s belongings had vanished. The guest room was spotless, as if Bai Zhi’s stay had been nothing more than a dream.

At first, Su Yao thought of Bai Zhi as a fleeting visitor. After such an incident, she figured that once Bai Zhi left, they would never meet again, and she wouldn’t have to think about her anymore. But as time passed, Su Yao realized she was starting to miss her.

She had once lived alone in this house without feeling anything, but after Bai Zhi left, she suddenly felt the house was much emptier.

When Su Yao returned home, there was no Bai Zhi to greet her with a warm smile. The dining room was empty of Bai Zhi’s freshly cooked, steaming dishes. Mealtime was silent, lacking Bai Zhi’s cheerful chatter. Watching TV was dull, without Bai Zhi’s grumbling complaints. And before bedtime, there was no soft “Goodnight, Sister” from Bai Zhi.

Habits are truly terrifying things. Su Yao hadn’t realized how quickly she’d grown so accustomed to Bai Zhi’s presence in just a few days.

She retreated to her bedroom, sat on her sofa, then lay down on her bed. Her mind involuntarily replayed every little moment they’d shared. Bai Zhi’s bright smile grew clearer in her mind, and the sweet sound of Bai Zhi calling her “Sister” seemed to still echo in her ears.

Su Yao took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on something else.

After the New Year, buried in work, Su Yao gradually managed to forget Bai Zhi and return to her old life. Now, the security guard downstairs was calling to say a girl was looking for her.

How familiar this scene felt.

Su Yao remembered the last time she’d received such a call. She’d gone downstairs, then brought Bai Zhi back home.

Last time, their parting had been awkward. Su Yao wasn’t sure if she should see Bai Zhi again.

Taking a deep breath, Su Yao hesitated for a moment, then walked out of her office and headed toward the elevator.

Regardless of the reason, since they came looking for her, it must be important.

Su Yao stepped out of the elevator and walked to the main entrance, where she saw Bai Zhi and Qin Yue.

In this skyscraper filled with white-collar professionals, the two stood out like sore thumbs.

Bai Zhi wore loose-fitting clothes, her hair tied back casually, and a mask covering her face. She carried a large black trash bag in one hand and a long metal tongs in the other.

Qin Yue, also wearing a mask and hat, had white gloves on both hands and held a large broom commonly used by sanitation workers.

Su Yao stared, speechless. Did these two just go out trash picking?

Bai Zhi glanced at Su Yao, visibly uncomfortable. She lowered her gaze, trying to make herself invisible, yet worried Su Yao wouldn’t notice her, her eyes kept darting back to Su Yao.

In stark contrast to Bai Zhi’s shyness, Qin Yue waved cheerfully. “Hello, Secretary Su!”

“Miss Qin,” Su Yao nodded, her tone laced with confusion. “What brings you here?”

Qin Yue’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “We’re working hard to build a civilized city, Secretary Su. Do you need any help?”

Bai Zhi’s mother only helped you this far!

Su Yao adjusted her black-framed glasses and didn’t answer Qin Yue’s question. Instead, she calmly took out her phone and made a call. “CEO Ling, Miss Qin says she wants to apply for a cleaning position at the company. She’s downstairs right now.”

Qin Yue: “!!! I didn’t! I didn’t! Don’t make things up!”

Support After Transmigrating Into A Novel, Not Only Did I Become An Omega, But I Also Provoked The Male Lead’s Mother