The Scumbag Omega Chases After Platonic Love - Chapter 10

Early morning sunlight climbed the branches, tickling Nai Bing’s eyelashes as she gradually awoke from sleep. She lazily padded to the balcony and stretched.

The city’s splendor unfolded before her, offering an unobstructed view of the vast plains. The azure sky seemed within reach, its boundless expanse stretching endlessly. A gentle breeze whispered in her ear, carrying the soft murmur of nature.

In that moment, she thought there could be no greater comfort than this.

The local real estate market ranked among the top five nationwide. The only reason she could afford the cheap rent when sharing an apartment with roommates was because the landlord had been previously complained about. Getting a good deal by associating with Yi Zhanying was essentially freeloading, even though she had her own ulterior motives.

Beep! Someone pressed the doorbell outside. Nai Bing eagerly rushed to answer, “Yingying…”

But it wasn’t Yingying. Instead, she saw Li Qianxi, her childhood sweetheart whom she hadn’t seen in years. “Hello…”

Her heart felt a mix of confusion and unease. After all, the years between adolescence and now were a blank slate. Time had flowed relentlessly, and neither of them was the innocent child they once were.

“May I come in?” Li Qianxi asked.

“Please do.” Nai Bing stepped aside to let her in, immediately busying herself with making tea.

As two cups of Longjing tea sat before them, Nai Bing wondered how Li Qianxi had found her. “Did you know I lived here?” she asked.

“You could find out about this with a simple search,” Li Qianxi said, taking a sip of the Longjing tea Nai Bing had brewed. She glanced around the room and smiled. “Could it be that you’re being kept by someone?”

“No!” Nai Bing immediately denied it.

“Even if not, you can’t escape the ambiguous relationship,” Li Qianxi stated bluntly. After a moment of contemplation, she asked slowly, “Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”

Nai Bing fell silent for a moment. Of course she wanted to ask. She wanted to know where her friend had gone all these years, why there had been no contact, what had happened.

“What have you been doing since you turned fifteen?”

“After we moved from the countryside, my parents sent me to a psychiatric hospital.”

“Huh?” Nai Bing was startled, nearly spitting out her tea. “Why… was your condition that severe? That doesn’t make sense! I never saw any signs of it!”

“I only felt better when you were around,” Li Qianxi said, her gaze unwavering. After a long pause, she sighed. “Actually, the hospital wasn’t as bad as you might think. Regular routines, reading, writing, taking medication as prescribed. It helped me gradually recover.”

Nai Bing knew all this, but Li Qianxi’s casual explanation felt strange. Each word was like a pebble piercing her heart. The more Li Qianxi tried to gloss over things, the more it seemed she was hiding deep pain.

“Qianxi, we’re still friends. If anything is bothering you, you can still talk to me like before,” she offered comfort.

“Me too, I want to be your friend.” Li Qianxi’s smile was radiant. She hesitated, then asked, “What’s your relationship with that woman?”

“Yingying? We’re friends. She’s the older sister of my university classmate,” Nai Bing answered truthfully.

“Hmm, so you’ve made new friends now. You’re no longer just mine.”

Seeing Li Qianxi nod thoughtfully, her eyes reflecting loneliness and disappointment, Nai Bing tried to comfort her again. “You’re in the entertainment industry now, with so many fans. Making friends should be easy, right? There are plenty of people who want to get close to you.”

“But everyone approaches me with an agenda. I can’t trust them. I don’t feel safe.”

“Qianxi, you need to learn to trust,” Nai Bing advised gently.

“Mm, I know you work in a therapy clinic. I might even come there for an appointment someday.”

Later, they planned to go out for lunch at a Chinese restaurant, choosing the most secluded corner. Nai Bing noticed Li Qianxi casually remove her mask, showing no concern about being recognized.

“Aren’t you afraid of running into paparazzi?” she whispered while ordering.

“I’m used to it,” Li Qianxi replied, looking genuinely bewildered.

“What would you like? I’ve ordered garlic chives with pork, pumpkin soup, and okra. Would you like cold-stirred wood ear mushrooms? They also have shredded chicken salad.” Nai Bing remembered Li Qianxi’s favorite dishes.

“Yes!” Li Qianxi’s mood instantly brightened.

******

Meanwhile, Yi Zhanying was helping her younger sister review graduate-level mathematics over the weekend. The dense formulas and symbols gave her a headache; she couldn’t understand a thing and couldn’t help but marvel at her sister’s intelligence.

“Xiao Qi, you’re already this age,” she asked softly. “Have you never had a crush?”

“Not interested. Studying keeps me plenty busy.”

“I just worry you might get bored being alone,” Yi Zhanying said, thinking of their elusive mother who only managed to call home once a month. Obsessed with vegetarianism, religious devotion, and her career, their mother rarely paid attention to her children.

“I’m perfectly content on my own,” Yi Mingqi replied, her tone growing impatient. Hearing the rhythmic tapping of her sister’s phone keyboard beside her, she abruptly set down her pen and said coldly, “Sis, stay away from me.”

“Did I bother you? Fine.” Yi Zhanying moved to sit on the sofa at the back.

“I meant, don’t get this close to me in the future. It’s really irritating,” Yi Mingqi said, a clear preference for solitude in her voice. “Besides, you’re the one with such a terrible track record in relationships, and you wonder why I’m not interested in dating. Haven’t I just grown tired of witnessing all your messy love affairs?”

After speaking, Yi Zhanying turned her back and ignored Nai Bing completely.

Truthfully, their relationship wasn’t as close as sisters. Yi Zhanying always tried to get closer to Nai Bing, only to be rebuffed each time. It was only recently, thanks to Nai Bing acting as a mediator, that their interactions had improved slightly.

Left with no choice, Nai Bing decided to take a walk. Her WeChat message to Yi Zhanying went unanswered, so she wandered alone from afternoon until dusk.

It wasn’t until after she’d seen off Li Qianxi that Nai Bing noticed the unread messages. Several carefully composed landscape photos followed by one taken inside a nearby bookstore, showing a cup of red bean milk tea with two straws.

“The shop assistant gave me an extra straw,” Yi Zhanying wrote, appending an emoji of a smiling face with a heart-shaped tail.

Nai Bing couldn’t help but smile. She’d been worried that her long silence might have upset Yi Zhanying, but it seemed she was perfectly fine. She decided to head straight to the milk tea shop. When she arrived, Yi Zhanying was gazing out the window, absorbed in thought. Noticing Nai Bing, she waved enthusiastically.

“Have you been here long?” Nai Bing asked with a smile, not realizing her grin was brighter than usual.

“Did something fun happen? You seem so happy,” Yi Zhanying replied calmly, her eyes fixed intently on Nai Bing.

“Actually…”

Yi Zhanying was genuinely happy just seeing Xiao Bing, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. The feeling was too strange—being emotionally affected by someone else. Psychologically, it was a dependent fondness born from close proximity, an involuntary joy she couldn’t suppress.

This involuntary inclination also sounded alarm bells in her heart, as her feelings for Xiao Bing grew stronger.

As they casually strolled through the streets, Yi Zhanying noticed a hole in the boat shoes Xiao Bing was wearing. The girl, however, remained oblivious, striding with innocent, joyful steps. Yi Zhanying wondered how to tactfully point it out, knowing bluntly mentioning it would hurt Xiao Bing’s pride.

“Yingying, how did you become a department manager just three years after graduating from your undergraduate program?” Nai Bing asked curiously. In many modern corporations, department managers were equivalent to directors, and Nai Bing, who admired strength, was eager to understand how such capable people achieved their positions.

“I started from the bottom as a sales representative and worked my way up step by step. I’m quite good at dealing with people, so later I transferred to the planning department.” Yi Zhanying glanced at the shoes again and noticed the shoelace was loose. What if she trips and falls? she worried with every step Xiao Bing took.

“Wait, don’t leave yet,” Yi Zhanying said, tugging on Nai Bing’s sleeve to stop her. Suddenly, she bent down and gently tied Nai Bing’s shoelaces right there in the street.

“You…” Nai Bing’s heart raced. The gesture felt incredibly intimate, and with so many people passing by and glancing over, she could feel their eyes on them.

Nai Bing lowered her head, watching the woman’s gentle movements as she tied the laces with delicate care. Her cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment.

“Two butterfly bows,” Yi Zhanying said, standing up. She resisted the urge to ruffle Nai Bing’s hair, but only just.

“Thank you, Yingying…”

“Don’t mention it. It was just a small gesture.” After a moment’s hesitation, she tentatively reached out to pat Nai Bing’s head. Eh? She didn’t resist.

“Want to try the claw machine?” Yi Zhanying suggested as they passed a shopping mall.

“Sure!” Nai Bing replied cheerfully.

Yi Zhanying scanned the QR code to recharge 200R, then tried the game herself. The claw was a bit loose. “Want to give it a try, sis?”

To be honest, she’d never played one of these before. Facing the unfamiliar machine, she fumbled with the controls at first, but the mechanics were simple enough to pick up quickly. She glanced at the beautiful woman beside her, who seemed to be watching with eager anticipation. If I could just manage to grab something and give it to her…

“Try this one, the hooked ones are easier to catch. One more time! Awesome!” Despite repeated failures, Yi Zhanying remained patient, encouraging Nai Bing with occasional claps and praise.

Though Nai Bing hadn’t caught even a single hair, she felt like a precious morsel being pampered, surrounded by a comforting atmosphere. No matter where she turned, Yi Zhanying was always there.

As dusk approached, streetlights flickered into life, casting a hazy, ethereal glow. The colored lights danced across Yi Zhanying’s profile, adding a dreamy romance to the scene.

“Yingying, what does it feel like to love someone?” Nai Bing asked.

“Truthfully, I’m not sure. I used to think love was a kind of intoxicating, almost hypnotic feeling, but that sensation doesn’t last,” Yi Zhanying said, gazing at the gentle night sky. “But with you, it’s different. It’s not just a fleeting crush; it’s a genuine desire to take care of you.”

She kept emphasizing “taking care.” Could it be that her overwhelming empathy made her pity me? In psychology, some people derive their self-worth from others’ gratitude and praise, from being needed.

But Yingying isn’t like that. So why does she love? Why does she need love?

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