After Clinging to a Big Shot, the Pitiful Omega Got Pregnant - Chapter 22

Ji Xia felt a soft warmth brush across his lips. It was light, like a feather sweeping over them, ticklish in a way that somehow spread all the way to his heart.

He knew what it was, and in an instant his whole face turned red like a shrimp.

Pressing his lips together, he opened his eyes, which were still moist from the water, and looked at the Alpha. In his gaze was an unrecognized hint of joy. Very softly, he called out, “Mr. Fu.”

But Fu Yuan turned his eyes away and said coolly, “It’s late. Go rest.”

The little bubbles of joy in Ji Xia’s heart instantly burst one by one under the Alpha’s cold demeanor. His delight deflated. He nodded obediently.

Fu Yuan carried him ashore, set him by the pool, and left.

The Alpha’s back soon disappeared behind the glass doors.

Ji Xia stared at the line of wet footprints stretching into the distance and asked the system in a low voice, “Tong, why is Mr. Fu upset?”

【Host, according to the data, Fu Yuan’s favorability is still steadily rising. He’s not upset.】

Ji Xia bit his lip. But he knew—after Fu Yuan kissed him, he wasn’t happy anymore. He lifted his hand to touch his lips, wondering if it was because he wasn’t good at kissing that Mr. Fu became upset.

From that night on, Ji Xia didn’t see Fu Yuan for several days.

Mr. Fu’s work seemed to have grown busy again. He came home very late, and sometimes didn’t return at all, staying overnight at the office.

Ji Xia spent his days making bread and selling it at his stall. By the time he came home, he was so exhausted that his head hit the pillow and he slept until dawn. By the time he woke, Fu Yuan had already left for work. He couldn’t even see him.

Ji Xia missed Mr. Fu very much, and he also wanted to apologize.

So that night, he specially set an alarm.

At one in the morning, the alarm went off, dragging Ji Xia out of sleep.

Rubbing his eyes, his ears twitched—he caught the sound of an engine rumbling outside, unusually clear in the silent night.

He immediately jumped out of bed and ran barefoot to the window, lifting a corner of the curtain. Right then, he saw the Alpha stepping out of his car.

His lips curved unconsciously. He went back to the bedside, grabbed a little bunny-print gland-care patch from the nightstand, then happily ran downstairs.

He’d forgotten to wear shoes; his bare feet made barely a sound against the floor.

Just as he reached the stairs, he froze when he heard voices from the entryway.

“Master, did Young Master Ji do something to anger you? He’s pure and innocent by nature. If he did something wrong, it surely wasn’t with bad intentions.”

“You’ve overstepped, Uncle Xu.”

“Forgive me, Master.”

“Cancel next month’s cruise trip. Don’t bother packing anymore.”

“Master!”

“Go.”

The voices and footsteps were drawing nearer. Ji Xia froze where he stood, and suddenly he was face-to-face with Fu Yuan.

The Alpha gave him a cool glance, said nothing, and walked straight past him upstairs.

The spark of joy in Ji Xia’s eyes instantly dimmed. As Fu Yuan brushed past, he couldn’t help but softly call out, “Mr. Fu.” His voice was gentle, with a faint tremble. “Please don’t be mad at me. I’m sorry.”

Fu Yuan paused, then said, “You don’t need to apologize. It’s my problem. Go back to sleep.”

His footsteps faded away. Ji Xia stayed frozen on the spot, lost and unsure.

Butler Xu sighed quietly. “Young Master Ji, please rest early.”

Ji Xia nodded listlessly and went back to his room. This time, though, his steps were far heavier than when he came down. Lying in bed again, he couldn’t sleep no matter how he tried.

The thought that Mr. Fu disliked him left a heavy ache in his chest. He tossed and turned.

The days trickled by like that. Although Ji Xia wasn’t thrown out of the villa, his interactions with Fu Yuan grew fewer and fewer.

He tried a few little ideas to ease Mr. Fu’s supposed dislike of him, but Fu Yuan’s reactions always stayed cold.

He even consulted Dr. Chen, who told him that if President Fu didn’t want to see him, he should avoid provoking him and just wait some time.

Ji Xia took the advice seriously and, for the next half month, didn’t try to block Fu Yuan’s way anymore.

Only when his alarm rang in the middle of the night would he secretly get up, pull back a corner of the curtain, and steal a glance at Mr. Fu.

This continued until Ji Xia’s glands began to swell and burn.

Dr. Chen had explained before that this was a sign of the heat period approaching, and had reminded him a few days ago to be extra careful.

Now Ji Xia had a perfect excuse to approach Mr. Fu. But at the same time, he was terrified. If he asked for a mark, would Mr. Fu reject him? Would he end up despising him even more?

Because of this worry, Ji Xia hesitated and never acted.

The swelling and burning in his glands grew worse, and he knew he couldn’t drag it out much longer.

Slumped over at his stall, he stared blankly at the chat screen with Mr. Fu. It was filled almost entirely with his own messages, reporting the day’s bread sales and transferring money.

On Mr. Fu’s side, there were only the transfer receipts.

Ji Xia debated whether to say it over WeChat. That way, even if he was rejected, at least it wouldn’t feel as unbearable.

He stared at the line of text he had typed, dazed. Just then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed someone standing at his stall. His attention slipped, and his finger twitched—sending the message before he could stop it.

But by then he had no time to care about the message, because when he looked up, his face froze. His lips pressed into a thin line.

He quickly turned his eyes away, refusing to look at the person.

“Xia Xia.”

Zheng Qiufang clutched the hem of her shirt with bony fingers, nervously calling his nickname in a small voice.

She was very thin, dressed in a worn striped shirt—likely Ji Chenguo’s, much too big for her. Her belly bulged slightly, as though a ball had been tucked under the fabric. It looked a little ridiculous.

Ji Xia ignored her, speaking coldly without looking at her. “If you’re not buying anything, please don’t interfere with my business.”

Zheng Qiufang’s sallow face twisted with panic. Her hoarse voice trembled.

“Xia Xia, Mom knows you resent me. But I really had no choice. I’m useless, I couldn’t protect you. Your father gambled away all the money, and he hasn’t been home in months. Your little brother and I are starving. I had no choice but to come find you… Xia Xia, forgive Mom, please?”

Ji Xia bit down hard on his lip until he tasted bl00d.

All his life, this was the sentence he had heard most often—“Mom really had no choice.”

When Ji Chenguo beat him bloody, he begged Zheng Qiufang to take him away. When she secretly stole the money he had earned to give it to Ji Chenguo, she said the same thing.

She told him not to hate his father, told him to accept his fate—and in the end, she helped Ji Chenguo sell him off.

The memories made his chest ache unbearably. He didn’t want to remember, didn’t want to speak of it.

He had started a new life. They had nothing to do with him anymore.

His eyes reddened, but he hardened his heart. “Half a million. You already took the money. We have nothing to do with each other now. You’re not my mother.”

Zheng Qiufang covered her mouth, crying. A trace of resentment flickered in her expression.

“Xia Xia, how can you be so cruel?! I stayed with Ji Chenguo and suffered so much just for you. Why can’t you understand me? Now your life is so good, you even run a little business. Why can’t you help your mother? Do you want to watch your mom and your little brother starve to death?”

Disappointment filled Ji Xia’s eyes. He didn’t want to say another word.

Packing up the unsold bread, he closed the stall and loaded the things onto his little electric scooter.

That scooter had cost him all his savings. With a foundation in bicycling and a couple days of practice with Butler Xu, he managed to ride it on his own.

He ignored the woman’s crying and accusations, revved the scooter, and sped away. He just wanted to get far away, to go home.

His mood was terribly low. The swelling and burning in his glands made him even more uncomfortable.

Back at the villa, he took a shower and lay face-down on the bed, his chest so tight it felt suffocating. He missed Mr. Fu so much. He stayed there, straining to hear any sound from outside.

But the whole night passed in silence. The message he had sent also sank like a stone, with no reply.

Ji Xia understood—this was Mr. Fu’s silent rejection.

The next day, sleepless Ji Xia forced himself up at five and made twice the usual amount of bread.

He realized he might not be able to stay in the villa much longer. Before he was thrown out, he had to save as much money as possible. When the time came, he could settle down in some small town far from Kyoto.

Peeling open a gland-care patch, he skillfully applied it. Only then did the burning ease.

He skipped lunch and left early. To avoid Zheng Qiufang, he switched to a new spot. His business would surely suffer, but he truly didn’t want to see her again.

Yet it was as if Zheng Qiufang had a radar for him. The moment Ji Xia finished setting up, she appeared, her face now marked with fresh red fingerprints.

“Xia Xia, rent a place for Mom and give me 3,000 yuan a month. Then I won’t bother you again.”

Her bloodshot eyes stared at him as she spoke.

Ji Xia’s expression was flat. “I have no money, and I have nothing to do with you. Please move.”

Zheng Qiufang sneered, “No money? Don’t lie to me. That shirt on your back costs over ten thousand. You’ve latched onto a CEO, living in a billion-yuan villa. Mom only wants three thousand. How can you be so heartless? You’ve made it big, and now you won’t care about your own mother?”

Ji Xia shut his mouth, unwilling to speak further.

Zheng Qiufang muttered, “I didn’t want this either. But you—you forced me.”

Ji Xia didn’t understand what she meant, and continued to ignore her.

She walked away, but she didn’t leave entirely. Instead, she lingered at a distance, watching him from not too far away.