My Childhood Friend, Who Is An Omega, Has Become My Personal Secretary - Chapter 54

Oh, no! It had already been stained a pale red.

Ji Zeyuan was still agonizing over which gown to try on first when a shop assistant suddenly rushed into the fitting room, panicked. “Boss, that…”

The assistant’s words cut off abruptly as she glanced pointedly at Ji Zeyuan. After two seconds of confusion, Ji Zeyuan realized something was wrong and immediately bolted out of the fitting room, returning to the area where Zhang Linen had just been changing.

The sight of the absolute mess on the floor and the destroyed wedding dress made Ji Zeyuan’s knees go weak.

Pick up the phone, pick up the phone, pick up the phone, please pick up…

Ji Zeyuan hurried out of the shop, dialling Zhang Linen’s number repeatedly. Outside, the traffic surged past in a blur. She looked left and right, but the bustling, noisy downtown crowds had already swallowed Zhang Linen’s figure.

Why?

Wasn’t everything going well? What happened so suddenly?

Ji Zeyuan had come in secret today, so she hadn’t brought a driver. The keyhole of her car seemed blocked, refusing to let the key slide in. After several failed attempts, she threw the keys aside in a fit of rage and hammered her fists against the steering wheel, venting all her frustration on the innocent object.

The sound of tires rolling over the road drifted by with the wind. A few minutes later, Ji Zeyuan calmed the storm in her heart, leaned over, and picked up the keys she had flung away.

She inserted the key and was about to start the ignition when a thought flashed through her mind. She turned it off, pulled out her phone, and dialed Ji Cheng’s number.

The phone rang for a few seconds before connecting. Ji Cheng’s voice came through: “Xiao Yuan.”

Ji Zeyuan steadied her emotions, trying her best not to let the anxiety show in her voice. She asked, “Dad, what is Linen’s new address?”

Ji Cheng’s response was entirely unexpected.

“Did she move? She didn’t tell me.”

At that moment, all sound and vision seemed to dissolve into nothingness.

Ji Cheng seemed to say something else afterward, but Ji Zeyuan didn’t hear it. Her ears were filled with a sharp, piercing tinnitus, an endless ringing as if the entire world were sounding an alarm of its own destruction.

Half an hour later, Ji Zeyuan called a driver to take the wheel; she no longer had the strength to hold the steering wheel herself.

Regarding the paternity test from eight years ago—though there was no name signed on it, Zhang Linen already had the answer in her heart.

The scarlet seal flashed back in her mind, four words tearing her delusions to shreds.

Identification Conclusion: Confirmed Biological Relation.

Everything made sense now. Why Ji Zeyuan had suddenly left without a word eight years ago; why she refused to answer even a single phone call after leaving.

It turned out that as early as eight years ago, Ji Zeyuan already knew everything.

“Miss, your pheromone state seems very unstable. Do you need me to take you to the hospital?” the taxi driver asked with a frown.

Zhang Linen stared vacantly out the window, her voice as light as a feather. “No need.”

You could have just told me earlier.

I would have given you anything.

When she got out of the car, Zhang Linen nearly collapsed. She steadied herself against the fence of the residential complex, her eyes falling on the lush green shrubs.

I’m so tired. Maybe I should just lie down right here.

Because she didn’t know where Zhang Linen lived, Ji Zeyuan had nowhere to look. She could only drive around aimlessly like a headless fly.

She searched all afternoon, her thoughts racing. She even began to think this was a deliberate act of revenge by Zhang Linen—retaliation for her disappearance eight years ago.

The irony was that once Ji Zeyuan considered it might be revenge, she actually felt a bit more at ease.

She deserved it.

Zhang Linen had no friends; those who might know her whereabouts were few and far between—or rather, non-existent.

Driving aimlessly, Ji Zeyuan unconsciously circled back to the old apartment building where Zhang Linen used to live.

She looked up from her car. Every household had its lights on, except for Zhang Linen’s unit, which remained dark.

In a daze, Ji Zeyuan seemed to see Zhang Linen standing by the window upstairs, waving at her.

Back in their school days, Zhang Linen would always wait for her at the door. Ji Zeyuan’s room was on the second floor; sometimes, if she overslept and knew Zhang Linen was waiting, she would pull open the window and shout down: “Linen, why don’t you come up and wait for me!”

But Zhang Linen had a strong sense of boundaries. It wasn’t that she was distant from Ji Zeyuan, but as the daughter of the housekeeper, she was always cautious and meticulous when staying at the Ji house. For instance, she never casually entered the second-floor rooms—those belonged to the masters.

Even if Ji Zeyuan insisted she stay the night, she would only stay in the first-floor guest room. However, every time Zhang Linen slept in the guest room, Ji Zeyuan would stay there with her.

Suddenly, someone tapped on the car window. Ji Zeyuan snapped out of her memories and lowered the glass. A Beta woman was standing there.

“Are you looking for someone?” the woman asked.

Ji Zeyuan gave a bitter smile and nodded. “But the person I’m looking for isn’t here anymore.”

The woman offered a look of sympathy and pointed to a large moving truck nearby, where workers were busily hauling items. “I’m sorry, but could you move a bit? I’m moving in, and your spot is blocking the hallway access.”

Ji Zeyuan said, “Sorry, I’ll leave right away.”

The woman replied, “Thanks for cooperating. We’ll be done soon.”

Ji Zeyuan didn’t respond further and backed her car up.

The woman moving in began directing the workers: “Thanks, everyone! Hard work. I’ll treat you to a meal later.”

One of the workers laughed. “We’re just busy trying to finish and go home. Thanks for the offer, boss.”

As they chatted and joked, Ji Zeyuan suddenly felt like a voyeuristic creep. She silently withdrew her gaze, intending to drive away.

Just then, one of the workers wiped his sweat and remarked, “People in this building love our company. The person upstairs moved out a month ago, and they used us too.”

Ji Zeyuan’s hand, about to start the engine, stopped instantly.

The woman laughed. “Your company is famous; good service is expected.”

The worker continued, “That girl didn’t have many things, but she had an incredible amount of medicine. Packed an entire crate full of it.”

“Where did she go?”

Ji Zeyuan rushed forward abruptly, asking urgently. Everyone was startled.

“The person you just mentioned who moved out a month ago—was it from 402?”

The worker looked Ji Zeyuan up and down, noting her expensive clothing. He glanced at his colleague and asked, “Who are you to her?”

Ji Zeyuan pulled her phone from her pocket, wanting to find the photos she had taken today of Zhang Linen in the wedding dress. When she opened her album, the first photo was the picture of the paternity test. The photos of them together were nowhere to be found.

In an instant, as if struck by lightning, Ji Zeyuan froze on the spot.

“We have to get back to work,” the mover said.

This sentence pulled Ji Zeyuan’s remaining sanity back. She steadied herself and flipped through an older album to find a high school photo of her and Zhang Linen. “She… she is my sister. We had a fight, so…”

Ji Zeyuan’s nose began to sting, and she fought back the sob in her throat. “She’s not in good health, and I’m afraid something will happen to her. Can you please tell me where you moved her to? I’ll give you as much money as you want.”

The worker waved his hands dismissively. “Hey, you’re acting strange. Even if you give me money, I can’t just expose a customer’s privacy. Do you want me to lose my job?”

The client standing nearby chimed in, “She showed you the photo, didn’t she? Just check if it’s the same person.”

The mover squinted and studied the photo for a moment, then pursed his lips. “It is her. But I can’t help you; we have so many customers every day, I don’t remember exactly where everyone goes.”

A wave of despair surged through Ji Zeyuan. She swayed unsteadily, her voice nearly a plea. “Could you please try to remember? Or maybe if there was a landmark nearby, anything…”

Before she could finish, Ji Zeyuan lowered her head. She couldn’t hold it back—she cried.

Ji Zeyuan’s mind was a mess. While she was desperate to find Zhang Linen, she was also thinking of one thing: Did Zhang Linen see that photo of the paternity test?

Did she leave so suddenly because she saw that the date on the test was from eight years ago?

Does she think I knew the truth all along and deliberately chose to hide it? Is she heartbroken?

If I can’t find her, will she hide from me for the rest of her life?

The group was taken aback by Ji Zeyuan’s state. One of the workers nudged the first man and whispered, “She doesn’t look like she’s lying. It should be in the app, right? Just help her out. If it’s real, you’re doing a good deed.”

The worker looked hesitant, struggled with the idea for a moment, and finally said, “Alright.”

“Give me your QR code for the payment,” Ji Zeyuan said after getting the address.

A colleague teased, “He’s going to give you money! Remember to treat us to dinner when you get it.”

The worker smoothed back his long hair and smiled. He didn’t refuse, openly displaying his QR code.

When the transfer went through and he saw the massive sum, the worker’s face paled in shock. “No, no, this is too much, I can’t take this. I’ll send it back to you.”

“Thank you,” Ji Zeyuan said simply. Without another word, she immediately drove off toward the address.

All the way there, Ji Zeyuan kept the pedal to the floor. Fortunately, there wasn’t much traffic on that road, or her speed would have surely caused an accident.

So stupid.

Ji Zeyuan scolded herself in her heart. She should have explained it to Zhang Linen much earlier; otherwise, this never would have happened today.

The tears had flowed so much that her eyes were stinging and sore, but she didn’t have time to wipe them. She just kept charging ahead, hoping to see Zhang Linen as soon as possible.

How much pain must Zhang Linen have felt when she saw that paternity test?

It took about forty minutes for Ji Zeyuan to reach the address on the GPS. The place was very remote, essentially out in the middle of nowhere. The only “perk” was that there was a hospital nearby.

But no one stays sick all the time; why choose a place so close to a hospital?

In less than five minutes, Ji Zeyuan found the door. But when she actually stood before it, she hesitated.

No lights were on inside. It was quite late now; Zhang Linen might already be asleep.

Ji Zeyuan hesitated, her hand raised. She considered not disturbing her and just sleeping in the car until morning.

With that thought, Ji Zeyuan placed her hand longingly against the door. The moment her fingertips touched the surface, the door creaked open with a “greeeaak.”

It wasn’t locked?

Ji Zeyuan frowned. How dangerous is it to not lock the door so late at night?

The layout of this house was similar to the old one—an open kitchen and living room right at the entrance. After opening the door, she could see a faint light, likely coming from the bathroom, because Ji Zeyuan could also hear the sound of splashing water.

Ji Zeyuan entered and closed the door behind her. She opened the shoe cabinet, but there wasn’t a single pair of slippers inside. She decided to stand by the door and call out: “Linen.”

Zhang Linen didn’t answer. Ji Zeyuan figured she couldn’t hear because she was showering, so she raised her voice: “Linen, it’s me.”

Still no response. Ji Zeyuan sighed softly, thinking: If she wants to blame me for getting the floor dirty, let her blame me.

She stepped inside. The bathroom was right next to the living room. The door was open, so as soon as Ji Zeyuan walked past and turned, everything was laid bare to her sight.

The bathtub was full, but the water was still overflowing, spilling onto the floor. The water wasn’t clear—it was a pale, translucent red.

Zhang Linen’s face was deathly pale, her black hair soaked, her eyes closed as she lay in the tub. She was wearing only one of Ji Zeyuan’s white shirts.

Oh, no—it had already been stained a pale red.