As a Scummy Omega, I Ran Away with the Baby - Chapter 32

Mom.

What right did she even have to bring up that word?

In the five years since their separation, she had imagined their reunion countless times—whether willingly or unwillingly. No matter the version she played out in her mind, it always ended in resentment, quarrels, mutual loathing, or, at worst, a sharp hostility that wished misfortune upon the other.

Exes meeting again were bound to see red, weren’t they?

But Bai Qingqiu remained calm. She quietly handed her a tissue, her fingertips still chilled from holding an iced Americano.

“Here. Wipe your tears.”

Her tone was light, almost accompanied by an inaudible sigh.

“You don’t blame me?”

Gu Yining didn’t take the tissue. Instead, she lifted her gaze to the face across from her—already serene, already distant. Her palms tightened involuntarily.

“Blame you for what?”

As though she’d just heard a ridiculous joke, Bai Qingqiu’s lips curved into a smile devoid of warmth, her voice carrying only cold mockery.

“Between you and me, there’s nothing left. Even if I wanted to blame you, in what capacity could I? With what reason?”

The words fell like a bucket of ice water over her, dousing the restless emotions that had surged ever since she began to suspect Bai Xia’s true identity.

Of course.

Bai Qingqiu had always been the clearest-minded of the two.

She was then, and she still was now.

Gu Yining met Bai Qingqiu’s gaze. That unmasked indifference stung like fire, burning against her own heated cheeks. Five years had passed, and she was still that same self-deluded fool.

Five years ago, she fancied herself someone who mattered.

Five years later, she still deceived herself into thinking she was something.

The defenses she had painstakingly forged over five years—her detachment, her composure—collapsed the instant they faced each other, as if ice meeting open flame.

“Thank you.”

After a long silence, Gu Yining lowered her eyes, her voice soft, concealing everything swirling beneath it.

“There’s nothing to thank me for. Xiaxia’s probably getting impatient. I’ll go on ahead.”

With that, Bai Qingqiu stood, brushed past her, and walked quickly out of the narrow room—never once looking back.

Gu Yining’s open palm slowly curled into a fist.

Bai Xia, of course, had no idea what had transpired between the adults. All she knew was that her mother had abandoned her just now. So when Bai Qingqiu took her from the staff’s arms, the little girl’s face was still scrunched up in a stubborn pout.

“Bad Mommy!” The little one clenched her fists and turned her head sharply away, refusing to meet her eyes.

“Still angry? Aren’t you happy that Mommy came to see you? Didn’t you miss me?”

The string of questions left the little girl stunned, her face flushing red as she struggled for an answer. In the end, she simply folded her arms across her chest, huffed loudly, and turned aside.

Even the staff trailing with the camera crew couldn’t help but smile at her dramatics.

“Mommy apologizes. I promise I’ll never leave you again without asking Xiaxia first, okay?” Bai Qingqiu softened her voice, lowering her head to coax her.

The little one stayed silent, cheeks puffed, her small face resolutely averted. But her eyes rolled back and forth before sneaking a few sidelong glances at her mother.

Such tiny tricks couldn’t possibly escape Bai Qingqiu’s notice.

So young, and already so stubborn—who on earth had she gotten that from?

Bai Qingqiu sighed, shifting the little girl in her arms to hold her more securely.

“Then tell me, does Xiaxia want to go find Auntie, or play with Mommy?”

“Mommy.”

This was the easiest choice of all. The little girl whipped around at once, throwing her arms tightly around her neck as though terrified she might disappear the next second.

Well, it seemed Xiaxia hadn’t been bought off by a few minutes of indulgence.

But still, “Tell Mommy—do you like that Auntie?”

The question slipped out with a quiet breath, tinged with a nervousness even she didn’t quite understand.

And at that exact moment, Gu Yining happened to overhear. Before she could even process the words, she had already slipped behind the equipment and the cameramen, hiding herself from view.