The Reborn Scummy A and the Sickly O Got Together - Chapter 33

Qin Yan’s contact information was sent to Luo Mingyue. She had been sitting on the floor for so long that her legs had gone numb. When her phone chimed with the notification, she didn’t check it immediately after all, her phone buzzed with messages all day long.

In her past life, Luo Mingyue hadn’t been particularly social, but her upbringing and the flawed personality it had instilled in her made it impossible for her to refuse others. As a result, her chat list was filled with hundreds of people she had only met once.

Back then, if not for the fact that her replies were always polite yet distant upon closer inspection, she might have wasted every waking hour just chatting.

Now, reborn, she couldn’t even be bothered to humor people she barely knew or had no interest in knowing. She let the messages pile up, and if they turned out to be nothing more than vapid invitations to eat, drink, and gossip, she ignored them outright.

The tactic worked wonders. Within days, most people stopped messaging her, and the constant pings dwindled to just a few occasional alerts.

The old Luo Mingyue would have considered this behavior terribly rude. But now, she couldn’t help but wonder how many of those messages had been mass-sent in the first place.

In her past life, she had foolishly insisted on being the one to send the last reply in every conversation.

Her people-pleasing nature had been like an incurable disease, always fearing awkward silences, always worrying whether her words might upset someone else, never once stopping to ask herself if she was happy.

Had she ever truly enjoyed a single day in that past life?

The Third Miss Lu never visited without an agenda, and she certainly didn’t bother respecting her daughter’s privacy. She pushed the door open without warning and startled at the sight of her daughter curled up beneath the windowsill like an ostrich. “Hah! What are you doing? Roleplaying as an autistic person for fun?”

Luo Mingyue lifted her heavy head unsteadily and stared at her mother. “Do you have something to order me to do again?”

The Third Miss Lu scoffed. “Must you phrase it like that? Can’t I just come to see you?”

But then her eyes gleamed, and she smiled sweetly. “Actually, I do have some good news for you. First, sit properly in a chair, what kind of behavior is this, sitting on the floor?”

The girl, who had been huddled in a ball, slowly unfurled herself and stood. To the Third Miss Lu, it was like watching a dumpling transform into a praying mantis, those long limbs stretching out as her beautiful daughter swayed unsteadily before plopping into a chair, her dark eyes silently fixed on her.

“Those legs are making me dizzy. How are they so long?” the Third Miss Lu muttered before beaming again. “You’re eighteen now. It’s time to get you out there socializing, meeting people who match your status.”

“People who match my status?” Luo Mingyue let out a soft, mocking laugh. “And what kind of people would that be?”

The Third Miss Lu pretended not to catch the sarcasm and chirped, “Naturally, someone from a family no less prestigious than the Lu family. Last Friday’s banquet wasn’t for nothing, Lu Jia was the one who ended up humiliated anyway. The internet already knows she’s just a distant branch relative. Our family was kind enough to take her in, and the PR team’s already spun the narrative. The public’s praising us for our generosity.”

“So Lu Jia’s reputation is doomed no matter what.” The long-legged girl in the chair nodded. “Tell me, Mother, if something like this happens again, will I be the one sacrificed next?”

“Why worry about things that haven’t happened yet?” Third Miss Lu frowned, her smile vanishing. “Besides, is reputation really that important?”

Her words left the room in stunned silence.

Third Miss Lu covered her mouth, then added belatedly after a long pause: “Not that reputation should be completely disregarded either. Becoming universally despised would naturally be unacceptable.”

As she tried to steer the conversation elsewhere, her supposedly well-mannered but meek daughter suddenly called out: “Mom.”

Third Miss Lu flared up in anger: “I’m not that old yet!”

Luo Mingyue murmured to herself: “Thinking about it now, I should learn from you. What’s wrong with being thick-skinned? What’s wrong with being selfish?”

Third Miss Lu was so infuriated by this rebellious remark that her mouth nearly twisted to her ears, when her daughter suddenly beamed: “You don’t love me, but thankfully you don’t. That’s why you can live so freely.”

Third Miss Lu should have been angry, yet for some reason she felt guilty instead.

Fleetingly, she recalled when this girl was first born, that tiny infant sucking her thumb, a soft little bundle nestling in her arms.

Back then, her heart had overflowed with tenderness, believing this to be the most precious little creature in all the world.

Looking back, it wasn’t that she had never loved this child. She had simply loved herself more.

Luo Mingyue had already taken out her phone, unlocking it absently. A message arrived from the black-and-white landscape photo pinned at the top. Still dazed, she opened it to find a contact card and an unreadably neutral message: This is Qin Yan. Some things are better said to him directly.

For a moment, Luo Mingyue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Her first ever chat with Miss Feng in this lifetime, and it was to add Qin Yan as a friend.

She’d originally felt some guilt toward Qin Yan, but now, seeing his anime profile picture on the contact card, she found it utterly grating.

She’d once imagined that if she ever messaged Miss Feng, it might start with a simple hello, or perhaps a carefully shared poem. Never had she expected it to be about adding another alpha as a friend.

Beside her, Third Miss Lu displayed a rare resurgence of maternal instinct. With genuine emotion, she said: “You must have heard of the Zhang family in new energy. When I played cards with Mrs. Zhang last Friday, she brought her AO children to our house. Their omega daughter often mentions you.”

“Make time this Friday to meet the girl, whether for a movie, shopping, or just chatting over food.” Third Miss Lu issued her command. “It’s not as if you’re reaching above your station, but do show some alpha initiative. With a face like yours, don’t waste it being a mere ornament.”

Luo Mingyue nodded perfunctorily and added Qin Yan. With him, there was no need for hesitation or agonizing over the first message to send.

Seeing her nod, Third Miss Lu took out her phone: “I’ll send you the girl’s contact card. Add her and mind your manners, understand?”

Luo Mingyue sent Qin Yan a message: This is Luo Mingyue.

Another contact card arrived. Only after adding the person her mother had recommended did she realize: “You’re setting me up on a blind date?”

Her mother replied disapprovingly: “Must you put it that way? Making new friends is always good. Whether it’s a date or not, you’d better make a good impression.”

Unfortunately, it was too late. Miss Zhang had already accepted the request instantly. Before Luo Mingyue could say anything, the young girl had already sent a message: “Are you Sister Luo Mingyue? I was just about to add you, what a coincidence!”She followed up with a heart emoji [heart].”jpg].

The only downside was that the girl’s profile picture, like Qin Yan’s, was an anime-style avatar. Right now, Luo Mingyue felt complicated emotions whenever she saw anime-style profile pictures.

She replied with just two words: “Hello.”

The girl had already sent the details the restaurant, location, and time inviting her to dinner on Friday.

Just as she was about to politely decline, Third Miss Lu glanced at her phone and remarked, “The 27th floor of Dingmao Hotel on Friday? So formal. Even I’m invited?”

Luo Mingyue froze. Third Miss Lu gave her a sidelong glance. “The Zhang family is old-fashioned, but this isn’t just for you. Their eldest son has returned from abroad, this is a welcome banquet. Care to guess who else is invited?”

Luo Mingyue only said, “If I’m just there as a background character, I’ll decline.”

Third Miss Lu weighed her words. “Three families are invited ours, with you and me but the real purpose is to set up their eldest son with Feng Baiming. The dinner on Friday is mainly for those two to meet.”

“If you don’t want to go, just arrange a separate meeting with the Zhang girl,” Third Miss Lu frowned. “They’re using the excuse of ‘young people making things lively,’ but it’s obvious they prioritize their eldest alpha son.”

Luo Mingyue quickly typed a reply to the girl before responding, “I’ve already accepted. Will you still be going on Friday, Mother?”

Third Miss Lu looked even more bewildered. “Weren’t you just saying you’d refuse? Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Never mind. Go if you want.” Third Miss Lu scrutinized her daughter from head to toe. “Even if you’re not the main attraction, carry yourself with confidence that day.”

Third Miss Lu had only come to relay this one matter. Once finished, she never lingered a moment longer in her daughter’s presence.

As a child, Luo Mingyue had yearned for her mother’s attention and affection, resenting her selfishness and indifference.

But this time, watching her mother leave, Luo Mingyue thought differently. Third Miss Lu might not have been a good mother, but she was someone who truly didn’t care about others’ opinions.

A person is first and foremost an individual, gender comes after. Her mother paid no mind to the distinctions of ABO dynamics, nor did she care how others viewed her flamboyant, carefree lifestyle. Luo Mingyue used to believe, as her grandmother often said, that her mother was nothing more than a failed omega.

Yet while her grandmother spent her days meticulously scheming and scowling at everyone, even her own sons and daughters, who were exhausted from their struggles while being suspected of coveting the family’s wealth and power her mother, whom her grandmother despised, lived without a care, happy every day.

Perhaps this was the way of those who lived unapologetically for themselves. If they were failures, why did they seem to enjoy life more often than not, with far fewer worries?

Qin Yan didn’t reply to Luo Mingyue until that evening. He wasn’t a foolish alpha, he had already realized that Luo Mingyue had deliberately provoked him that day.

They started a voice call, and Luo Mingyue admitted her intentions before apologizing.

Qin Yan, however, burst out laughing. “Why are you apologizing? What did you do wrong? Unless you’re the one who hired the online trolls to smear me?”

“I didn’t participate in any online discussions,” Luo Mingyue immediately clarified.

“But I’m truly sorry for the consequences that followed. I only wanted to get back at Lu Jia, I never expected you’d get caught in the crossfire.”

The usually aloof alpha fell silent for several long minutes in the vast nightscape of Shangjing. If not for the faint sound of breathing through the receiver, Luo Mingyue would have thought he had hung up.

“Actually, I should thank you,” he finally said. “If you hadn’t repeatedly pointed out that Lu Jia was stringing along multiple alphas and hinted at those photos, I might have foolishly confessed to her in public that Friday. I had prepared quite the spectacle, bribed the person in charge of your school’s PA system, even enlisted my friends to back me up… You saw the setup, though it turned from a confession into an interrogation.”

“…I admit the aftermath hasn’t exactly been a success. Netizens have dubbed me the ‘Cuckold King’, apparently, getting duped so easily by a manipulative omega means I’m no genius.”

Luo Mingyue could only repeat, “I’m sorry. There should’ve been a better way to keep you out of this.”

“…Luo Mingyue, you say you were retaliating against Lu Jia, but you never explained why. Yet I think you understand, when vengeance consumes you, does it matter if you lose eight thousand while the enemy loses ten thousand?”

“The moment I decided to destroy Lu Jia, I was prepared to go down with her. Otherwise, how could it even be called revenge?”

The young alpha’s voice was clear and steady in the darkness, devoid of hatred.

This chilled Luo Mingyue more than anger ever could. Without hesitation, she countered, “Lu Jia got what she deserved, but you shouldn’t ruin yourself over someone like her! It’s not worth it!”

“Qin Yan, you’re a good person. Don’t throw yourself away for a petty schemer like Lu Jia!”

He only laughed softly. “When hatred fills your mind and revenge becomes your sole purpose, who has room left to weigh worth?”

“I thought you’d understand me. Your apologies insult me, they imply I’m some pitiable victim.”

Qin Yan said nothing more. As Luo Mingyue clutched the disconnected phone, she realized her guilt stemmed not from his suffering online abuse, but from witnessing how deeply he’d spiraled into obsession.

Rather than sacrificing his future over someone like Lu Jia, the best revenge would be living brilliantly excelling, thriving, pursuing his dreams with unshaken resolve, becoming ten thousand times happier than Lu Jia could ever be. That would be true retribution.

She reopened the grayscale landscape photo on her screen and, in the dead of night, sent Feng Baiming her first message this lifetime: Miss Feng… did I still make a mistake?

Feng Baiming rarely slept with her phone unmuted, but the notification woke her.

Qin Yan had barely ended his call when Feng Baiming’s number flashed on his screen. Their childhood ties made her something of an elder sister figure, one he still humored.

He answered bluntly: “You’re calling about Luo Mingyue.”

The other party didn’t deny it, and Qin Yan made no attempt to hide their conversation. After listening, Feng Baiming heard Qin Yan comment, “Luo Mingyue could never be a bad person. I think… Lu Jia is going to have a hard time in the future.”

Feng Baiming asked, “Is being a bad person something worth praising?”

Qin Yan replied, “If being kind in this world only brings misfortune, then why not be a bad person?”

“Then would you want to become someone like Lu Jia?”

Qin Yan immediately retorted disdainfully, “I would never become someone like Lu Jia.”

“Don’t let yourself become the kind of person you despise the most,” Feng Baiming sighed late at night. “Lu Jia isn’t worth you turning into a narrow-minded person, and you shouldn’t stop believing in love because of this.”

After a moment of silence, Qin Yan said, “Baiming, I know you well enough to understand you’re different from other omegas. But others aren’t like you, they’re just chasing after vanity, and they don’t have the same moral standards.”

“I’m not some paragon of virtue either,” Qin Yan mocked. “Besides, you’ve been mediating between me and Luo Mingyue over this matter. Are you really doing it for my sake?”

“Baiming, you’ve been paying too much attention to Luo Mingyue.”

I’ve read all your comments. The flaws in this story are quite obvious. Next, I’ll work on “The Obsessive and Ruthless Boss’s Dark Transformation (Transmigration Novel)” to practice pacing (fidgets fingers).

As for my personal take on revenge, the best revenge is always living a life a hundred times better than theirs, leaving them in the dust (lol).

A friend once asked me how to get back at an ex after a breakup. I told her to keep living her best life eat, drink, have fun, stay positive, and post on social media about all the amazing places she’s visiting and delicious food she’s enjoying. That would be the ultimate revenge.

Sure enough, her ex messaged her within days, sourly remarking, “You seem to be doing just fine without me.”

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