The Green Tea Omega Has Turned Bad - Chapter 21

Their hands were clasped together, palms pressed against each other, as a scorching heat quietly spread through their fingertips.

Shang Wandong looked at Yan Xia in silence. The afterglow of the sunset cast an orange-red warmth over Yan Xia’s fair face, and that light fell into her eyes, evolving into subtle threads of emotion.

Yan Xia’s heart skipped a beat, thinking the other girl was about to say something to spoil the mood again. But Shang Wandong said nothing; she simply stared at her fixedly for a moment before releasing her hand.

The warmth in her palm was brushed by the wind, leaving behind only a regrettable chill.

“Let’s go back.” Shang Wandong turned her head away, her voice sounding a bit scratchy as she took the lead.

Yan Xia: …That’s it?

Nothing happened, and she wasn’t shot down. For a moment, she actually felt quite unaccustomed to it.

She jogged from behind to catch up with Shang Wandong: “Sister!”

Shang Wandong kept her head down and didn’t look at her, only letting out a heavy “Mhm” through her nose.

Yan Xia’s heart stirred, and a wild thought suddenly surfaced.

She ran in front of Shang Wandong and pressed down on the other’s shoulders, fixing her in place.

Then she reached out both hands, carefully cupping the other’s chin and gently tilting it upward.

Shang Wandong was forced to raise her head. Her expression was calm, but the area around her eyes was faintly red.

Yan Xia’s eyes widened, and she asked in a flustered, disbelieving tone: “You… were you crying?”

“No,” Shang Wandong said hoarsely. “The wind was strong just now; some sand got in.”

The wind on the playground at dusk was indeed strong. But Yan Xia remained skeptical and asked, “…Do you want me to blow on it for you?”

“No need.” Shang Wandong rubbed her reddened eyes with the back of her hand and said softly, “Let’s hurry back.”

Seeing that she was indeed alright, Yan Xia gave an affirmative response and walked by Shang Wandong’s side, frequently glancing at her with deep concern.

System: “Host, don’t worry. It’s just sand in the eyes.”

Yan Xia said hesitantly: “But I feel like the look she gave me earlier… was a bit strange.”

“What kind of look?” the System asked curiously. “I feel like it was no different from usual.”

“Hard to say,” Yan Xia murmured, recalling the moment Shang Wandong looked at her.

It seemed… it seemed like a kind of indescribable, deep sadness that made one sink into that speechless atmosphere, unable to help but feel sad along with her.

The System was dismissive: “You must have seen wrong. She’s just an NPC; she won’t have too many complex emotions.”

Yan Xia didn’t quite agree: “I think she is no different from a human being.”

The System fell silent for a moment and suddenly said: “Host, I advise you not to have too many fantasies about the NPCs here, especially the targets of the conquest. They are just a set of algorithms written into a program; they aren’t worth investing emotion in.”

When it said this, its mechanical voice sounded exceptionally cold.

Yan Xia bit her lip: “What if she has awakened self-awareness? Perhaps you should perform a Turing test on the NPCs here…” Just like in Detroit: Become Human.

“Host, you are a STEM student. You should be very clear that artificial intelligence possessing self-awareness is forever a pipe dream,” the System said. “What’s more, the NPCs here are just a pile of data.”

Yan Xia was speechless.

She looked at Shang Wandong beside her, her fingers curling unconsciously.

She understood the logic she couldn’t stay here, couldn’t produce feelings, couldn’t fall in love with Shang Wandong, because she eventually had to return to the real world… even if the people and scenery here were so real they were beyond reproach.

But she still couldn’t help but harbor a sliver of hope. If only she could meet Shang Wandong in the real world too.

Yan Siqiu had been hit with setbacks for several days, but today she finally regained her spirit. All the way home, she openly and secretly showed off to Shang Wandong about her decent midterm results, like a courting peacock flaunting its tail feathers.

Yan Xia could see that Shang Wandong’s spirits weren’t high and her desire to speak was low, but since she was usually like this, Yan Siqiu didn’t notice anything wrong.

“Second Sister, how did you do on the exam then?” After talking a lot, Yan Siqiu turned the spearhead toward Yan Xia and asked, “I hope someone didn’t hand in a blank paper again?”

Yan Xia smiled: “I finished writing everything this time.”

Yan Siqiu huffed and said disdainfully: “I bet you just wrote random things. I heard people saying you made a bet with the homeroom teacher to get into the top ten?”

“Yeah,” Yan Xia said. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Yan Siqiu thought she was just acting tough: “Tch, who would believe that!”

Unexpectedly, Yan Xia put on a hurt expression and said in a small voice: “Siqiu, did I do something wrong? Why do you keep questioning me?”

Yan Siqiu froze, immediately getting a layer of goosebumps: “You why are you suddenly acting so pitiful?”

Yan Xia’s voice trembled: “Is it that you don’t want me to do well?”

“I never said that…” Yan Siqiu’s voice gradually grew quieter.

She saw Yan Xia with her eyes half-cast down, her curled eyelashes trembling, and her long fingers tightly gripping the edge of the car seat. The whole person looked soft and fragile, as if she would cry in the next second because of a single sentence.

Yan Siqiu opened her mouth in a daze, actually feeling a few points of guilt for a moment.

Could it be that she really didn’t do well? Why did she suddenly become such a crybaby?

Even the driver couldn’t help but look at the rearview mirror with concern.

Yan Siqiu choked out: “Fine, fine, I won’t say anything, okay?”

Yan Xia instantly retracted her performance and looked up at her with a gentle smile: “Sister is so well-behaved.”

Yan Siqiu: “…”

Entering the villa, the Maserati slowly came to a stop. Yan Siqiu quickly opened the car door and walked away with great strides, as if fleeing a plague god to get away from Yan Xia.

Yan Xia followed behind with a smile, walking side-by-side with Shang Wandong.

The redness in Shang Wandong’s eyes had subsided. She appeared absent-minded; she didn’t respond much when Yan Xia spoke to her, as if she were constantly lost in thought.

Walking into the villa, the living room was somehow filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Zhao Daimann, who had been missing for several days, was actually sitting on the sofa in the living room with a smile on her face.

Yan Xia saw a woman sitting beside her, and the two were chatting happily.

“Wandong, look who’s back?” Zhao Daimann saw the two approaching and greeted them with a smile.

Shang Wandong stopped her pace abruptly.

The woman also stood up. Her figure was tall and thin, her temperament elegant and cold. Her deep features were seventy to eighty percent similar to Shang Wandong’s.

“Wandong.” Her voice was clear and cold, and the expression on her face was also indifferent. “Long time no see.”

Shang Wandong was expressionless: “…Mom.”

She looked very calm, but Yan Xia noticed that Shang Wandong’s fingers were already clenched tightly together, her knuckles turning a ghastly bluish-white.

Yan Xia was privately shocked.

In the original book, there wasn’t a very detailed description of Shang Wandong’s family background. She remembered Shang Wandong’s mother was a resolute and vigorous female Alpha named Shang Ruyun, born from a prestigious family. The elder Shang family had three children in total; Shang Ruyun was the eldest daughter and an Alpha, so she became the rightful heir of the Shang family.

Such a powerful woman had instead married an obscure Omega and given birth to Shang Wandong.

The couple had focused on operating overseas markets since Shang Wandong was born and rarely returned to the country. They hadn’t given her much care, so Shang Wandong’s childhood was not as fulfilling as that of other children.

Seeing Shang Wandong’s current emotional state was wrong, Yan Xia felt worried and couldn’t help but call out: “Sister?”

Shang Wandong suddenly snapped back to her senses and lowered her head to change her shoes: “It’s nothing.”

She loosened her fingers; several deep nail marks were left in her palm.

“It’s rare for Ruyun to come back once. I specifically told the cook to prepare many good dishes.” Zhao Daimann didn’t notice the undercurrents over there; her face was piled with smiles as she said happily, “A long-awaited reunion must be celebrated properly.”

Shang Ruyun gave a thin smile and didn’t decline: “Good, tonight we won’t return until we’re drunk.”

A few people took their seats. As usual, Yan Xia sat beside Shang Wandong.

Shang Ruyun also took a seat; naturally, she sat on the other side of Shang Wandong.

Yan Xia noticed that Shang Wandong’s body stiffened for a moment before returning to normal.

This was the first time she had seen Shang Wandong act so abnormally. She couldn’t help but feel worried.

Had something happened between Shang Wandong and her mother? Maybe I just happened to forget this part of the plot.

Yan Xia thought for a moment, reached her right hand under the table, and gently poked Shang Wandong’s left hand.

Shang Wandong was startled and glanced sideways slightly. She suddenly felt her fingertips being touched carefully, and then squeezed very lightly, as if being swept over by a gentle feather.

Shang Wandong’s heart softened all at once.

She saw Yan Xia turn her head and say to her silently: Don’t be afraid.

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