The Omega Who Canceled the Engagement Ended Up Falling for Me - Chapter 8

Xu Qing thought that showing up to work at 2:30 AM was eccentric enough, but as she passed the Section Chief’s office, she saw that the lights were actually still on, and a sliver of eerie light was leaking through the half-closed door.

It was 2:30 in the morning! Had a superior forgotten to turn off the lights and lock the door?

Curiosity got the better of Xu Qing, and she pushed the door open. The heavy, old door let out a sharp “creak” that made her heart race with trepidation. She saw the office was empty, yet the Section Chief’s computer screen was still glowing.

The massive office building was plunged into a hollow silence; the corridor was pitch black, and the atmosphere was grim and terrifying. Xu Qing could hear the frantic thumping of her own heart. After carefully checking the interior of the office and turning to leave, she suddenly slammed into a dark shadow. Right where the shadow’s face should be, there were two terrifying light sources.

Xu Qing gasped, her body recoiling and bumping against the door. Utilizing the light from the office, she finally saw clearly what was standing behind her—

The light sources turned out to be reflections from eyeglass lenses. Although the facial features were distorted by the light, the characteristic dull look in the eyes was unmistakable. Xu Qing looked at him and said cautiously, “…Leader?”

“Oh, it’s you, Xiao Xu. You scared the life out of me; I thought it was a thief,” the middle-aged man, nearing fifty with pale skin, said with a smile that revealed a row of uneven teeth as he clutched his chest. “What are you doing here instead of sleeping at home in the middle of the night?”

In the darkness, Xu Qing’s pupils were wide. After steadying her emotions, she said, “The report you assigned me two days ago—I hadn’t finished it yet, so I came to the office to work overtime.”

“Hmm,” the man checked his glowing digital watch, his eyes widening in surprise. “Coming to the office to work at this hour… Xiao Xu, your sense of responsibility toward your work is truly admirable!”

Xu Qing gave a forced laugh. “Not at all. You are still in the office working late into the night, Leader. You lead by example; naturally, we should look up to you as a role model and work hard.”

“Oh, it’s not what you think at all!” The man hitched up his waistband, looking as though he had just returned from the restroom. He walked past Xu Qing, plopped down onto the leather sofa in the office, and said with a face full of dejection, “My wife picked a fight with me and won’t let me go home. I had nowhere else to go, so I’m staying overnight at the office. It’ll be the death of me!”

Xu Qing laughed inwardly, but on the surface, she acted shocked. “Isn’t the Leader’s wife being a bit excessive?!”

“Sigh, exactly! That’s why I really envy you unmarried young people now; you’re so free. Look at me? I haven’t been home for three days, and not a single person in the house speaks up for me. All they do all day is nag me—saying I’m nearly fifty and still just a Section Chief, and that I’ll still be a Section Chief until I retire. Others get villas as benefits, but I only get a small flat. The whole family just uses me as a punching bag,” the man said, grabbing a blanket and reclining on the sofa. He picked up a thermos from the floor, took a sip of water, and gave a simple, honest laugh. “Really, I shouldn’t be telling you all this, but my heart is bitter, and I’m hurting too.”

Xu Qing: “…”

“In our time, we came to this unit right after graduating from junior college, unlike now where the minimum requirement is a Master’s degree. You even studied abroad. If even young people like you can’t find a way out, what can someone like me achieve after working a lifetime? If I had known, I would have bought more houses when I was young; only when you have more money can you hold your head high. It really is like that.” The man placed his glasses beside the sofa, as if he had just spoken a series of sleep-talk, and fell asleep immediately upon lying down.

Xu Qing closed the door for him and returned to her own office to start slacking off.

After everything that had happened that day, she wasn’t sleepy at all. She brewed a cup of coffee, found a movie, and began to enjoy herself.

The office internet was terrible and the computer was laggy. A movie that should have taken two hours to finish wasn’t even done by dawn.

Xu Qing felt a bit irritated. She had reported more than once to her superiors that the office computers were too old and severely affected work efficiency, but perhaps because her rank was too low, the higher-ups stubbornly refused to upgrade her configuration.

She had thought about spending her own money to replace it, but that didn’t follow official procedures, and she would have to worry about being found out, so she had never taken action.

In the morning, while no one was around, Xu Qing intended to take a nap. But just as she lay back in her chair, she couldn’t help but think of the Omega girl living in her house. If she encountered an emergency at home, she would surely call her, wouldn’t she?

Even just a thank-you call upon waking up would be nice.

Xu Qing checked her phone every half hour. Because of this, she didn’t rest well at all, and dark circles formed under her eyes.

“Xiao Xu, still writing the report?” the Section Chief said as he walked in, looking refreshed. He exclaimed, “Goodness, you’ve developed panda eyes from staying up. You truly are dedicated!”

Xu Qing replied dizzily, “Aren’t I?”

The man looked at her with a smile and handed over a form.

“Didn’t you mention wanting to change your computer before? I managed to get a fixed asset application form for you. Fill in whatever configuration you want, and I’ll take it to the superiors for a signature. It will definitely be approved this time!”

Having been on the job for two months, this was the first time Xu Qing had received such treatment. She was momentarily stunned. “Thank you, Leader.”

“What’s there to thank? You work so diligently; this is what you deserve.” The man leaned in and whispered, “Don’t tell anyone else what I said last night about my wife. I was exhausted to death and just talking nonsense!”

Xu Qing smiled sweetly. “Understood!”

“Hard work pays off, keep it up! Send me the report once it’s finished.”

“Will do!”

Sneaking into the office to slack off at night, discovering a superior’s secret, being praised for diligence, and getting a new computer—could this be a streak of luck?

Yesterday she was the version of herself getting fined by traffic police, getting dumped by her fiancée, and being ruthlessly criticized by Ms. Min, but starting today, things were becoming different.

Xu Qing prepared to fill out the form. After researching equipment for a while, she unconsciously typed two characters into a search box: Bai Lu (White Dew).

One of the twenty-four solar terms, the third term of autumn.

What a beautiful name.

Xu Qing instinctively glanced at her phone—

Why hasn’t she contacted me yet?

At 5:05 PM, Ms. Min’s call was never late. Timing it exactly to Xu Qing’s clock-out time, she demanded that she come home.

“I have things to do; I’m not coming back tonight,” Xu Qing said.

“What things do you have? Is your work not finished?” Ms. Min asked aggressively. “If work isn’t finished, it can wait until the next day. But what should be done about a fiancée who eloped with someone else?!”

Xu Qing replied indifferently, “What can be done? Naturally, I wish them the best.”

“Have you lost your mind? That was your fiancée; don’t you know how to fight for her? How did I end up with such a spineless daughter?” Min Se said angrily. “When you were born, they determined you would be an Alpha, so I always raised you like a son. Xu Qing, you have always been obedient and never disappointed us. If others find out your fiancée ran away with someone else and it spreads to your office, how will your colleagues mock you?”

Xu Qing gave a faint smile. “Then let them mock me. Is being married necessarily so good? Isn’t my current state quite fine? Even if I don’t get married, it doesn’t matter. Besides, I’m still young; I’m sure to meet someone I like…”

“I can’t talk sense into you over the phone. Don’t give me these excuses. Come straight home after work. Your father and I are waiting for you, and your uncle is here too, discussing how to give you an explanation. Get yourself home now!” After saying her piece, Min Se hung up abruptly.

Xu Qing’s “I’m not going” fell on deaf ears. Utterly helpless, she sighed where she stood.

Must I always be so submissive to them?

Constantly yielding to their wishes, letting them enjoy the pleasure of manipulating their child, letting them save face in front of relatives and outsiders?

But other than that, what else could be done?

The matter of that young lady would have to be resolved sooner or later anyway; Xu Qing also hoped to settle things with them once and for all.

Just as she was planning to head over, a message popped up on her phone, making her heart skip a beat.

A message from an unknown number:

“Hello, I am Bai Lu, the one you looked after last night. I am very grateful to you for letting me stay at your place. Do you have time now? If possible, I would like to treat you to a meal.”

Xu Qing replied almost instantly: “Sure, what time?”

— “Whatever time is convenient for you?”

Xu Qing: “Any time is fine for me. How about seven o’clock? I’ll pick you up.”

After sending this message, she waited about ten minutes before the other party replied: “Okay, I’ll wait for you downstairs in the neighborhood.”

Xu Qing’s anxious heart finally settled. She reviewed the messages she sent repeatedly, summarizing a few points to remind herself:

First, don’t reply too fast; don’t let the other party think you’ve been waiting for her.

Second, keep the text as brief as possible; must not be overly proactive.

The time was only 5:23 PM. If Xu Qing rode her bike over, she would arrive by six, so why did she suggest seven?

What should she do to kill an hour?

Ahhh!

Additionally, point number three:

Never arrive too early for a date; don’t let the other party think you care too much.

I’ll head to the mall first and pick out a gift to bring along, Xu Qing thought. But as she stepped out of the office gates, she discovered—

Traffic police?!

Damn it, are the traffic police living at their office entrance now? They don’t fine people anywhere else, but they specifically catch people at this intersection?

She had no choice but to experience the evening rush hour on the Shengyuan City subway. After watching two fully loaded trains pass by, she saw that time was running out and had to steel herself to squeeze onto the third one.

After a transfer, it was nearly seven o’clock by the time she exited the subway station.

Xu Qing had never imagined she could be late even with such a large time cushion. She started sprinting the moment she left the station.

At exactly seven, a call came in. Xu Qing answered and hurriedly apologized, “I’m almost there, just wait a bit longer, I just got out of the subway station.”

“I just got out of the subway too,” Fu Shuang’s voice was soft and gentle. “Sister, are you wearing a white vertical-striped shirt today?”

Xu Qing stopped and looked around with her phone raised, searching for her.

Fu Shuang had her hair in a high ponytail today and wore a chiffon shirt; she looked refreshed and capable, as if she had grown up several years overnight.

She was right behind Xu Qing, carrying various bags, waving at her. “I saw you run past and thought I might have recognized the wrong person.”

Her panicked and disheveled state had been seen. Xu Qing forced herself to appear calm. “I was afraid you were waiting for me.”

“It’s okay,” Fu Shuang said in a delicate voice. “I was the one who thought I was going to be late. Luckily, I ran into you here.”

Seeing Fu Shuang carrying a laptop bag and a bag that looked like it contained daily necessities, Xu Qing took the initiative to say, “Is it heavy? Let me carry it for you.”

“Thank you,” Fu Shuang said. “Someone stepped on my foot on the subway, so I can’t walk very fast. Please bear with me.”

Xu Qing simply took everything she was carrying and holding, finally accepting a yellow backpack.

Something moved inside the transparent glass section of the backpack.

Xu Qing was so startled she nearly dropped it.

“It’s the cat I’m raising,” Fu Shuang said gently. “Please be very careful, don’t drop him.”

Xu Qing: “…”

“How did the cat get on the subway?” Xu Qing couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

“I begged the security guard, and he let me sneak it in,” Fu Shuang said. “There are still many good people in this world.”

Seeing this posture of moving her entire life’s belongings, Xu Qing was momentarily stunned.

There were indeed many “good old people” in this world, but Xu Qing didn’t want to become one of them.