The Omega Who Canceled the Engagement Ended Up Falling for Me - Chapter 2

While waiting for a red light, Xu Qing glanced at a notification popping up on her watch. A strangely long text message caught her attention, but before she could read it closely, the car behind her honked, urging her to move. Xu Qing muttered an apology, twisted the throttle hard, and accelerated her motorcycle.

From that brief glance, she had only caught words like “Sorry” and “Farewell forever.” The profile picture looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t for the life of her remember who it was. Perhaps it was just a mass-sent message?

Some mass messages used provocative language just to grab attention. For example, they might start with: “I’m sorry! This is the last time I’ll ever contact you!”

The middle would say: “To be precise, it’s the last time I’ll contact you in 2023.”

And the end would add: “Happy New Year! We must stay close as glue in the coming year! Please continue to visit our little shop!”

Combined, it formed a long, dramatic essay.

With this analysis, Xu Qing’s mind cleared. She stopped taking the text to heart and turned her thoughts to the trouble awaiting her at home.

In a flash, she arrived at the apartment complex where her parents lived.

On workdays, Xu Qing usually lived alone in a house in the suburbs; she only returned to her parents’ place on weekends or under special circumstances. Today fell into the latter of the latter categories.

At three in the afternoon, her mother, Ms. Min Se, had called with great gravity, instructing her to head straight home after work.

“What is it?” Xu Qing had a premonition it involved that “fiancée,” perhaps a formal announcement that her days as a bachelorette were coming to an end.

“I’ll tell you when you get home,” Ms. Min had said, as forceful and efficient as ever.

“Can’t you tell me over the phone?” Xu Qing tried one last struggle, but the line went dead as she spoke.

Ms. Min Se always had a habit of hanging up immediately after delivering her instructions, as if she were afraid of wasting phone charges.

Xu Qing felt more and more like a marionette on a string, while her parents sat back with satisfaction, enjoying the process of manipulation and taking her obedience for granted.

In fact, right after graduation, Xu Qing had planned to stay abroad and had even secured an offer from a multinational architectural firm. But at the critical moment, Ms. Min sent an emergency call telling her to return home.

The reason Ms. Min gave back then was that she had a terminal illness and didn’t have much time left; she insisted on seeing her daughter one last time.

Xu Qing was lured back to the country just like that. She was then branded with various labels of being unfilial, and relatives from all sides took turns lecturing her.

“Always thinking about how great it is abroad—have you forgotten your name? Where your roots are?”

“Your parents raised you all this way, and you’re in such a hurry to abandon them?”

“What sense of belonging do you have abroad? Do you enjoy being discriminated against?”

“With your family’s connections, we can easily arrange a stable government position for you. Isn’t that better than being abroad?”

“And there’s your marriage partner; they’ve been waiting for you all this time!”

Xu Qing never took their nonsense seriously. Fortunately, she possessed a naturally indifferent temperament and held no great obsession with staying abroad. Thus, she repeatedly deferred to her elders and prepared herself for the eventuality of married life.

She heard that her fiancée was a spoiled and unruly young lady, a high-maintenance socialite who was difficult to serve.

Xu Qing was actually a bit curious to see who would win if that spoiled heiress clashed with the formidable Ms. Min.

Her hand hesitated before the doorbell. It suddenly occurred to Xu Qing: could that heiress already be inside the house?

She pulled out her phone to check her reflection.

Messy hair, face completely bare of makeup.

Perfect. Xu Qing decisively pressed the bell.

The housekeeper opened the door. Xu Qing was immediately shocked by the striking large yellow and white funeral wreath in the living room. “Is someone having a funeral?!”

Ms. Min, dressed in a black suit, walked out and glared at her.

Xu Qing smiled. “Ms. Min, you’re looking quite scary.”

“How can you still laugh?” Min Se said coldly. “Go change your clothes, wash your face, and put on some makeup. We’re going to the Fu residence in a bit.”

Xu Qing’s smile froze. “That sister from the Fu family… her mother…?”

Min Se nodded. “The burial was yesterday.”

Xu Qing was stunned. Min Se urged her, “Quickly, what are you standing there for?”

Those few sentences conveyed too much information. Xu Qing needed a moment to sort through it.

The burial was yesterday, yet Ms. Min was only now notifying her to visit the Fu house. Knowing Ms. Min’s character, she likely hadn’t even heard the news of Mother Fu’s passing until today.

This meant the Fu family hadn’t held a large funeral, nor had they invited their future in-laws. Notifying them only after the burial was complete—did this imply the Fu family didn’t hold the Xu family in very high regard?

If that were the case, was there any hope left for this marriage?

After cleaning herself up, Xu Qing followed Ms. Min, carrying the wreath. She probed, “Why did the Fu family wait until after the burial to say anything?”

After a long silence, Min Se said, “The situation in the Fu family is complicated. Chairman Fu and his original wife’s relationship had long since collapsed. Aside from the one you’re engaged to, the Fu family has two illegitimate children. You’ll understand once we get there.”

Xu Qing: “…So Chairman Fu intentionally kept the funeral quiet?”

Min Se sneered. “I heard he’s busy preparing to marry his mistress.”

“It seems that young lady’s life isn’t easy either,” Xu Qing sighed.

Min Se narrowed her eyes, filled with ambition. “When we get there, perform well. We’re going to bring that young lady back to live at our house.”

Xu Qing: “…I’ll do my best.”

Though she personally felt this was unrealistic—would an Omega woman who had just lost her mother move into a stranger’s house so easily?

In front of the Fu family villa, the fountain danced to music and lights. Under the reflection of the water, the luxury cars parked in the yard shone even brighter. From the magnificent hall, the sound of people talking and laughing drifted out. At first glance, one might think the host was throwing a party.

Perhaps it was a party, celebrating the departure of the original wife and the arrival of the new one.

Xu Qing got out of the car holding the funeral wreath, feeling like a ghost from the underworld who had wandered into a lavish gala. She looked around, feeling completely out of place in this luxury villa.

“Stop looking,” Min Se reminded her. “Watch your posture.”

Xu Qing gave a faint smile. Her gaze landed on a young girl standing by the foyer who was staring at her blankly.

Is it her?

Impossible. How could a pampered heiress living in a luxury villa have such a timid appearance?

Maybe the rumors were false, and the heiress was just a “Cinderella” being bullied by a stepmother and siblings?

At this thought, Xu Qing’s brow furrowed slightly, but she quickly adjusted her expression and sent a warm, gentle smile toward the girl at the door.

The girl was clearly startled. She stared back blankly for a long moment before her face turned red and she fled in a panic.

“Is that her?” Xu Qing whispered to Ms. Min.

“It’s too dark, I didn’t see clearly,” Min Se cleared her throat. “I haven’t seen that child in a while; I don’t remember her face well.”

Xu Qing: “Huh?”

Even the usually reliable Ms. Min had moments of uncertainty?

Min Se remained calm. “It’s fine. We’ll know in a moment.”

The arrival of the two took the Fu family completely by surprise.

“In… In-laws?” The real estate tycoon Fu Hengxi was lying on the sofa; he struggled to sit up. “What wind blew you here?”

Everyone in the room stood up, except for two teenagers who were fighting over a piece of cake. They ignored the guests, engaged in an irritating argument.

Fu Hengxi glanced displeasedly at the two teens. The beautiful woman in a formal dress beside him immediately stood up, snatched the cake away, and sternly silenced them in a low voice.

Min Se looked solemn, her tone measured. “I’ve come at a bad time and disturbed you. I didn’t get the news until this afternoon.”

“Oh, it’s fine. The matters have already been settled,” Fu Hengxi smiled. He sized up Xu Qing and said with a relaxed air, “Dr. Xu is back from abroad?”

A dozen gazes converged on Xu Qing, filled with curiosity and scrutiny. She remained calm, her eyes bright. She spoke warmly, “I returned not long ago.”

She didn’t say much, but she was elegant and pleasing to the eye.

Someone in the room chuckled.

Xu Qing followed the sound and saw a quirky girl with short hair, smiling at her with a peculiar look.

Could it be her?

Xu Qing returned the smile.

The other girl pulled a face.

Definitely not.

An heiress in a tragic situation wouldn’t have the mood to play around like that.

Holding the wreath, Xu Qing looked at the various expressions in the room and couldn’t see a single person who looked sad.

She frowned, thinking back to the disheveled girl outside.

Poor Cinderella—had she been relegated to the point where she wasn’t even allowed in the living room?

While her thoughts drifted, Fu Hengxi exchanged a few more pleasantries with Min Se. His accent carried the heavy, coarse tone of a rural nouveau riche. One second he was laughing, and the next he barked at the woman who was scolding the teenagers: “Why are you just standing there? Don’t you know to serve tea to the guests?!”

The others stood and laughed, clearly enjoying the woman’s embarrassment. Yet the woman’s composure was excellent. Far from feeling humiliated, she swayed her hips, waved her hand, and said with a laugh, “Fine. If you’re going to order me around like that, are you tacitly admitting I’m the mistress of the house now?”

Impressive.

As expected of a survivor who had fought her way to the top—not only could she endure humiliation, but her mind worked fast.

Xu Qing sighed inwardly.

She wanted to drop the wreath and leave, but she was still somewhat concerned about that pitiful fiancée.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Min Se’s expression shifting between dark and light. Xu Qing thought to herself—

Ms. Min is about to explode.

The previous mistress was just buried, and this shameless woman is acting so arrogantly?

At first glance, one might think the previous wife hadn’t died of cancer, but had been provoked to death by this woman.

Slap her, scold her, hurl the wreath right into her face. Xu Qing watched Ms. Min expectantly, subtly moving the wreath closer to her mother so she could pick it up and throw it at any moment.

She knew Ms. Min’s face too well. It was turning blue; a world war was definitely about to break out.

But in the next second, Ms. Min gave her a live demonstration of “changing face” and swallowing her pride. She smiled at Fu Hengxi. “In-law, there’s no need for tea. We’re leaving right away.”

Xu Qing: “…” Sigh, how boring!

Fu Hengxi: “Since you’re here, sit for a while before you go!”

Min Se declined and prepared to leave, maintaining a facade of harmony. Even if she was angry, this was someone else’s family business; it wasn’t her place to intervene.

Seeing Xu Qing still standing there, Min Se tugged at her sleeve, urging her to leave.

Xu Qing set down the wreath. As she stood up, she scanned the room once more: Fu Hengxi was full of smiles, his mistress was looking down at her nails, the two illegitimate sons were happily eating cake, and the other guests were either watching the drama or throwing fawning smiles her way. In this place, no one mourned the dead; they only thought of the interests right in front of them.

Xu Qing hadn’t intended to make a scene here. She was a complete stranger to the rumored fiancée. At the end of the day, the marriage was just a transaction of interests with no emotional foundation. Moreover, the tenet of her education in the Xu family was: It is better to do nothing than to do something wrong.

What kind of nonsensical logic was that? Even Ms. Min was the same—claiming to have a deep friendship with the deceased, yet in the end, she didn’t dare say a word!

Ultimately, the Xu family and the Fu family were no different; they were all just a bunch of sophisticated egoists.

Meeting the gazes of the crowd, Xu Qing spoke up. Her clear, moist voice echoed in the living room:

“Where is Fu Shuang?”

As her words fell, the crowd looked at one another with hidden motives, their expressions shifting unpredictably.