Does An Inferior Omega Also Have To Marry First, Then Fall In Love? - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Days Passed Like This

After a few days, Ji Qingyu gradually adapted to the pace of life here. The pressure in Jiang City was low, and the rhythm was slow. He had been watching old men play Chinese chess for the past two days.

Sometimes he thought of Lin Ying. If she were still here, she would love Jiang City; it was so warm.

God is unfair, not giving good people more chances. But who is to say what makes a person good or bad? Lin Ying worked hard all her life, strong, protecting Ji Qingyu, yet she was so cruel to herself, never thinking of loving herself more. In the end, she met with such an inconclusive end.

Ji Qingyu hoped that if there was an afterlife, Lin Ying could be reborn as an Alpha, spared from this almost cruel gender curse. Though he knew this was just another form of escapism and weakness…

Shaking off these sudden emotions, Ji Qingyu went to attend the rehearsal for Yu Yue’s new stage play. He watched the entire process sitting next to the director.

The stage was spacious. Everyone under the spotlights was immersed in the drama. Yu Yue was a girl full of energy. Watching her, Ji Qingyu’s mood brightened.

He listened to each character speak, taking notes. His cup of warm water with goji berries sat beside him. Before he knew it, night had fallen.

Yu Yue and the others insisted on taking Ji Qingyu out for dinner at a home-style restaurant where the stir-fried eel shreds were the best dish.

The heavy pressure Ji Qingyu had been carrying for a long time dissipated considerably. The small room was warm and beautifully decorated, with a fire gently burning in the fireplace.

Yu Yue quietly approached him, holding a beer. She looked slightly drunk, her voice hushed: “Teacher Xiaoyu, what’s going on with you and your husband? Look at Weibo.”

Given Yu Yue’s personality, she had probably held it in all day and finally mustered the courage to ask under the influence of alcohol.

“We broke up,” Ji Qingyu stated the fact.

“No, Teacher Xiaoyu, why? Last time backstage, his eyes never left you! You don’t know, he even came to ask me how you were doing when writing songs, if your throat was uncomfortable, and if you were in a bad mood when you were with us. My jaw almost dropped! I thought he was a very cold person, but he was rambling to me for so long,” Yu Yue rattled off a long sequence of sentences.

“Relationship matters are just like that,” Ji Qingyu didn’t expect Fu Han to have done such a thing. He said stiffly, “Let’s not talk about this. Change the subject.”

“Oh…” Yu Yue quietly went back to her seat and ate, looking like she was about to burst.

Ji Qingyu felt like smiling, but he sighed inwardly, then slowly said: “Alright, then ask everything all at once.”

Yu Yue immediately leaned in again: “I’m just curious. The internet is in an uproar about your brother and your husband. Haven’t you seen it?”

“I uninstalled Weibo,” Ji Qingyu said quietly. “And he’s not doing it for me. When it comes to business, the more weaknesses he finds in his opponent, the more advantageous it is for him and the group.”

“Is that so?” Yu Yue frowned and said softly, “But I feel like…”

“Okay.” The fireplace crackled. The rest of the crew were noisy, talking and laughing hysterically about something. Ji Qingyu was infected by the atmosphere and smiled too, his body gradually relaxing.

He was draped in a blanket; he had been feeling cold lately. He reached out and picked up a crab for Yu Yue, trying to interrupt her: “How did you end up being his spokesperson?”

“Then… you two really won’t have anything to do with each other anymore?” Yu Yue asked quietly, sounding a little regretful. “He’s so handsome. So many people must like him. He cares about you so much…”

“Well… actually, there was nothing between us to begin with. He’ll be fine without me.” Ji Qingyu said this, but the stir-fried eel shreds in front of him suddenly didn’t taste very good anymore. They seemed greasy, and he put down his chopsticks.

“Alright,” Yu Yue was an outsider after all and didn’t know what truly happened. “Anyway, I’m on your side no matter what.”

To hear this from a young woman he only had a working relationship with, and had only collaborated with once, Ji Qingyu was touched. This kind of spontaneous kindness was rare in his past life, making his heart feel warm.

Halfway through the meal, Ji Qingyu drank two glasses of water, barely suppressing the urge to vomit. He decided he should see a doctor tomorrow.

His phone rang right then.

He looked down. It was Luo Sheng. Ji Qingyu answered. The voice on the other end was serious: “Qingyu, you don’t know anything about the news?”

Why was everyone asking him if he knew something? Ji Qingyu felt puzzled, but he asked, “What happened?”

“Fu Han came looking for me, asking if I knew where you were. He’s been targeting the Ji family this whole time. Ji Deyong was so cornered he forced Ji Ran to apologize to him.”

Such a thing happened! Ji Qingyu was stunned for a long time, surprised. No wonder Yu Yue felt sorry for him; Fu Han certainly seemed to have lingering feelings. But Ji Qingyu didn’t believe it. Fu Han was just momentarily regretful, thinking that a compliant, sensible Omega like him, whom he could easily manipulate, was hard to find.

“And then…” Luo Sheng paused. “Fu Han came to see me and asked if I knew where you went.”

“He seemed to be in a really bad state and said many irrelevant things. He’s convinced the child you’re carrying is his,” Luo Sheng said. “I couldn’t help it. I slapped him…”

Ji Qingyu’s heart sank. His chopsticks paused in mid-air. He stood up, pulled open the door, and walked out of the room to hear more clearly. “Then, is he alright? I really didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

Ji Qingyu thought that a person like Fu Han would only have emotional turmoil for a couple of days before indifferently returning to his own life. Fu Han didn’t particularly care about anything and certainly didn’t need others to worry about him.

This time, it was Luo Sheng who fell silent.

“Qingyu, I’m his mother. I owe him a lot. I failed to raise him well. But, Uncle still wants to ask, is there really no chance between you two anymore?” Luo Sheng continued, “He and I have a very distant relationship. He’s hardly sought me out since we reconnected, only sending people to monitor my hospital visits. He used to cling to me when he was little. This is the biggest emotional fluctuation I’ve ever seen in him. He asked me if I had seen you with anyone else, and he also asked if he was becoming more and more like Fu Yunbai.”

The scent of grass in the air intensified. Ji Qingyu felt his heart being squeezed, a tingling pain in his bones.

“Xiaoyu, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. I told him.”

“Told him what?” Ji Qingyu’s reaction was still slow, his speech stuttering. There was some mud by the wall, which got smeared on Ji Qingyu’s pants. He thought, he was wearing linen today; it probably wouldn’t wash out easily.

“I told him that the reason you left him wasn’t because of some third party, but because of your mother…” Luo Sheng paused mid-sentence. “I’m sorry, Qingyu, but I feel he shouldn’t be kept completely in the dark. He should also learn a lesson.”

Ji Qingyu paused, almost able to picture Luo Sheng scolding Fu Han. Seeing someone so arrogant being reprimanded wasn’t actually what he wanted.

He just wanted to have no further contact with Fu Han.

“He asked me why you didn’t tell him anything. I said it was probably because you could never establish trust with him,” Luo Sheng paused. “He asked a lot more questions, asking if you would have left even if your mother recovered, and if you would leave him no matter what. I thought the answer was yes, so I told him that.”

The lights in the restaurant were bright, casting a warm glow on his profile. Ji Qingyu blinked.

“He left right after I finished speaking. I don’t know what he’s doing now. Maybe he’s investigating the past incident, or maybe… I don’t know. But Xiaoyu, I’ve never seen him like this,” Luo Sheng said. “I still have some selfish motives. I know I should apologize to you, but I don’t want him to remain clueless. Maybe telling him will make him very sad, but better a short sharp shock than prolonged pain.”

Outside the restaurant, there was a long river. The stream flowed quietly, silently running through the water town. Jiang City’s autumn melted into a state of tranquility. Perhaps Ji Qingyu had been out for too long. Yu Yue followed him out with a blanket and draped it over his shoulders.

“What’s wrong? Teacher Xiaoyu? Ji Qingyu?” Yu Yue waved her hand in front of Ji Qingyu’s eyes. She was pretty, and her eyes were especially bright. “Did I say something out of line just now? I think you’re so good, and your decisions must have your own reasons. I was just gossiping. You’re not unhappy, are you?”

“No.” Ji Qingyu said a few more words to Luo Sheng, indicating that everything was fine. After all, he was so far away that even with Fu Han’s power, it wouldn’t be easy to find him. He hung up the phone and returned to the private room with Yu Yue.

After eating crab and eel, he felt like having a drink. Perhaps just a glass of warm wine wouldn’t hurt, but he only took one sip before feeling unwell.

The baby hadn’t had any peculiar reactions these past few days, so why was it suddenly acting up again? He frowned. His stomach was cramping, and he felt nauseous. He truly couldn’t endure it anymore.

He used being unwell as an excuse, stood up, and took his leave early. He refused Yu Yue’s offer to walk him home with a wave of his hand.

Night had fallen deep outside the door. There were a few potted plants placed in the corners of the restaurant wall. Few shops were still open. The nightlife here wasn’t bustling, and pedestrians were sparse.

Ji Qingyu lowered his head and unlocked his phone. He had been the subject of gossip all day, yet the protagonist himself was completely ignorant. He wondered if he should download Weibo again, but he was afraid of breaking his long-lost peace. In the end, he gave up.

He missed Lin Ying a little. He suddenly remembered that the chat history on his old WeChat account had not been cleared. He quickly switched back. Fortunately, there was a fifteen-day cancellation period. He saved all the chat records and sat by the roadside, reading them repeatedly.

He was interrupted by a voice message popping up. Ji Qingyu looked at the familiar name, almost perplexed.

Why did Fu Han keep trying to reach him?

Ji Qingyu felt helpless. The voice call rang once, then a second time. It was endless, and it annoyed him a little. Was Fu Han the type to be relentless?

He looked at the account with the “99+” unread messages but didn’t have the courage to open the red dot. He simply tapped delete, removing the chat box along with all of Fu Han’s words. He was a soft-hearted person, but no matter what anyone said, he was unwilling to compromise on this matter any further.