After Clinging to a Big Shot, the Pitiful Omega Got Pregnant - Chapter 23

It was the weekend. Although the small plaza wasn’t as crowded as the shopping mall, it was still livelier than on weekdays.

Around nine o’clock in the evening, Ji Xia had already sold half of his bread. Several regular customers who had added him on WeChat had come specially to buy from him, which made Ji Xia feel very touched.

With more people coming and going, the crowd separated Ji Xia from Zheng Qiufang, and that oppressive gaze disappeared. Ji Xia finally breathed a little easier.

It wasn’t until nearly midnight, after being urged several times by Butler Xu, that Ji Xia reluctantly packed up his stall. There were still three bags of bread left unsold—he had lost a few dozen yuan.

As he was loading his things onto his e-scooter, planning to wake up earlier the next day to bake more bread so he could set up his stall earlier and avoid waste, someone suddenly shouted in front of him:

“A pregnant woman has fainted!”

The few people still left in the plaza stirred in alarm.

Ji Xia’s heart skipped. He quickly scanned the surroundings but couldn’t see Zheng Qiufang anywhere. The spot where people were now gathering was exactly where Zheng Qiufang had been standing earlier.

“This looks serious! Someone call an ambulance!”

“Why don’t you call? You’re afraid of being scammed? You think we’re not?”

…

Before Ji Xia even thought about it, his body had already pushed him forward into the crowd.

He saw Zheng Qiufang lying on the ground, face contorted in pain, looking to be in very bad shape.

A stranger grabbed his arm and urged, “Hey, kid, I saw you talking to her this afternoon—you know her, right? Hurry and get her to the hospital, or it’ll be too late.”

Although Ji Xia wanted nothing to do with Zheng Qiufang, the situation was urgent. He couldn’t just walk away. He told himself it was no different from helping any stranger who fainted.

He stepped forward and helped the woman up.

Zheng Qiufang’s eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze, however, was clear.

She gripped Ji Xia’s hand tightly and said, “Xia Xia, Mama feels awful.”

Ji Xia avoided her eyes. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

The stranger said, “Kid, I’ve got a car right here. Let me drive you. A pregnant woman fainting could be serious—she can’t be jostled around.”

Ji Xia was flustered and, hearing the offer, immediately thanked him. Supporting Zheng Qiufang, he followed the man toward a car parked nearby.

The man handed Ji Xia a bottle of water before starting the engine.

Ji Xia thanked him again, opened the bottle, and gave Zheng Qiufang a sip.

“Thank you, Xia Xia.”

Leaning against the seat, Zheng Qiufang held his hand, and the resentment in her eyes slowly faded.

After a while, Ji Xia said quietly, “Even if you were a stranger, I’d still take you to the hospital.”

Zheng Qiufang whispered, “Xia Xia, everything Mama does is for your own good.”

Ji Xia didn’t understand what she meant and ignored her.

But she went on: “Mama gave birth to you so beautiful—you can win the love of more rich men.”

Ji Xia frowned, sensing something was wrong. “You—”

Before he could finish, Zheng Qiufang suddenly lunged at him. Completely unprepared, Ji Xia was caught off guard as she pressed a handkerchief over his mouth and nose.

A sharp chemical smell filled his lungs. Ji Xia struggled with all his strength, but Zheng Qiufang’s grip was frighteningly strong. He couldn’t break free. His consciousness began to blur. He still heard her voice:

“Don’t blame Mama. Mama had no choice.”

As his mind sank into darkness, Ji Xia thought—was he being dragged back into the original plot again?

This time he was so far away from Mr. Fu, and Mr. Fu hated him again… he couldn’t escape…

In the top-floor CEO office of Fu Corporation’s Kyoto headquarters, a phone’s vibration cut through the silence. Still working, Fu Yuan glanced at the screen before answering.

“Young Master, Young Master Ji is missing. The two bodyguards tailing him were shaken off.”

Fu Yuan’s brows furrowed sharply, his dark eyes turning cold. He spat out one word in a chilling voice:

“Useless!”

The Royal Mona Lisa was a colossal vessel with thirty-five decks, built at a cost of over seven billion yuan. It had been a gift from the previous head of the Qiao family to his partner.

Over the years, its purpose had shifted.

On the surface, its role was similar to the Qiu family’s charity galas—giving unmarried Alphas and Omegas a chance to meet and interact, perhaps even to kindle sparks of love during the week-long voyage.

But in reality, the Royal Mona Lisa’s true purpose was to provide the elite Alphas of high society with a way to handpick Omegas they favored.

Naturally, any Alpha who had access to the Royal Mona Lisa was unimaginably wealthy, good-looking, and an elite among elites. And their requirements for Omegas were simple—young and beautiful.

Thus, the cruise’s twice-yearly voyages, each lasting a week, remained in extremely high demand despite the exorbitant ticket prices.

Especially this time—rumor had it that both Qiao family head Qiao Mubai and Fu family head Fu Yuan would be on board. Ticket prices had skyrocketed, and seats were nearly impossible to get.

Ordinary Omegas would go into debt just for the chance to board and try their luck. Upper-class Omega ladies and young masters, of course, wouldn’t miss such an opportunity either.

Who wouldn’t want to latch onto a powerful Alpha and rise to the top?

On the deck of the Royal Mona Lisa, Fu Su stood looking down coldly at the excited young Omegas boarding the ship.

Footsteps approached behind him.

Fu Su didn’t turn around—he already knew who it was.

Zhao Kuo, in a sharp suit, walked up with an impatient expression.

Standing an arm’s length away, Zhao Kuo glanced at the Omegas boarding and said indifferently, “Say what you need. I’m busy.”

Fu Su wasn’t used to Zhao Kuo being anything but obedient to him. The sudden change put him off-balance, and he frowned. Still, he knew what he wanted, so he held back his temper.

“Tomorrow night’s cruise event—I want your help. I’m after Qiao Mubai.”

Zhao Kuo sneered. He had chased Fu Su for years, always treated with cold distance. So it turned out the reason wasn’t that he wasn’t good enough—Fu Su already had someone else in mind.

Mockingly, he said, “So Fu Shao’s too good to play aloof now? Throwing yourself at him like that won’t move Qiao at all.”

The vein in Fu Su’s forehead throbbed. Of course he knew he couldn’t be too hasty.

But after losing Xu Ancheng and Zhao Kuo from his “fishpond,” he had to quickly secure a higher-quality Alpha. Qiao Mubai, the head of the Qiao family, was the best option.

And this was his last chance. The age cap for Omegas boarding was under twenty-five. If he missed this voyage, it would be hard to get close to Qiao Mubai again.

So he swallowed his pride and asked Zhao Kuo for help.

He exhaled heavily, his voice cold. “No need to worry about anything else. I only need your help.”

Zhao Kuo smirked, his tone rough. “Not interested. Find someone else, Fu Shao.”

But Fu Su had expected this. He wouldn’t have come unprepared. He pulled out his phone and held it out.

Zhao Kuo frowned but took it.

The moment he saw the photo on the screen, his face went cold. “What did you do to Xia Xia?”

A faint smile tugged at Fu Su’s lips as he retrieved his phone. “As long as you help me, he’ll be fine. I’ll even tell you where he is. Consider it a gift for our cooperation.”

Zhao Kuo glared at him with dark, venomous eyes. He hadn’t expected his long-admired “white moonlight” to be so cruel—using such a tactic just to force his hand.

But with Ji Xia in Fu Su’s grasp, he had no choice.

“Fine. Tomorrow night, I’ll help you.”

Seeing Zhao Kuo bow to him left Fu Su smug. His father’s plan really was brilliant—killing two birds with one stone. Not only would it help him get Qiao Mubai, but it would also remove that country-bred Omega from Fu Yuan’s side.

Even if Fu Yuan retaliated later, blame would fall on that woman and Zhao Kuo, not on him.

After giving Zhao Kuo a gesture to keep in touch, Fu Su turned and left the deck.

At eight o’clock that evening, the Royal Mona Lisa raised anchor and set sail.

Under the black night sky, the giant ship cut through the deep sea, carrying 188 top Alphas and 710 young, beautiful Omegas on the second voyage of the year.

Three hours later, a luxury helicopter descended on the top-deck helipad—the cruise’s only missing guest had arrived.

Fu Yuan, in a sharp black suit, stepped out of the aircraft.

His expression was ice-cold, his entire aura brimming with dangerous hostility.

The Qiao family’s butler, already waiting, bowed respectfully. “President Fu, this way please. President Qiao has been expecting you.”

Fu Yuan followed the butler into the elevator, which brought him to the sixth floor and into a lavish suite.

On the ornate European-style sofa sat a strikingly handsome Alpha. When Fu Yuan entered, the man immediately rose, grinning broadly as he extended his hand.

“President Fu, what an honor to have you here!”

Fu Yuan shook his hand briefly and got straight to the point. “I came here to ask a favor. My Omega has been kidnapped onto this ship. I want President Qiao’s help finding him. There will be a generous reward.”

Qiao Mubai raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. The reward itself was tempting enough, but Fu Yuan’s Omega intrigued him even more.

Everyone in their circle knew that Fu Yuan despised Omegas, had sworn never to marry or have children. Just how stunning must this Omega be to make Fu Yuan obsessed?

Qiao Mubai, born rebellious, loved nothing more than stealing what others prized most.

Who wouldn’t want to taste Fu Yuan’s Omega—even just for one night?

Feigning regret, he said, “Sorry, President Fu. Unless you can tell me your Omega’s room number and name, I don’t have the authority to search. Business is business—I can’t ruin our reputation, can I?”

Fu Yuan’s eyes darkened at the obvious evasion, but this was Qiao’s territory. He had no men with him. Forcing matters would only backfire.

“Since President Qiao values reputation so highly, I have nothing more to say. I only hope there never comes a day when you’ll need Fu’s help.”

Qiao Mubai smiled. “It’s not that I don’t want to help—it’s just difficult. But think: if someone kidnapped your Omega here, they must be under an ordinary identity. That means your Omega will be at tomorrow’s cruise event. President Fu, you should attend. Otherwise, another Alpha might snatch him away.”

He signaled with his eyes, and the butler presented a golden envelope.

Fu Yuan opened it. Inside was a magnetic card embossed with raised letters: Forest of Elves.

Sliding the card between his fingers, Fu Yuan turned and left.

Behind him, Qiao Mubai called, “I hope President Fu enjoys himself tomorrow night—and finds the Omega he desires.”