After the Top Idol Omega and I Started Living Together - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The night breeze gently stirred the hanging strands of hair, and the scent of alcohol lingered.

Lu Zhao’s face felt cool yet warm. Sheng Jingyu held her face lightly, her fingers brushing softly against Lu Zhao’s skin. Each touch brewed warmth in the summer night.

The summer heat blazed, so they chose thin clothing.

Sheng Jingyu sat beside Lu Zhao. The cotton garment revealed light filtering from the mansion. The finely woven fabric connected to a piece of beige lace, like sheer gauze, faintly showing the skin below her collarbone.

It was delicate, snowy white, exuding a fragrant softness on her slender frame.

Lu Zhao’s eyes froze for a moment, then she lifted her gaze.

She restrained herself from looking away, yet she could not escape.

Lu Zhao curled into an unsafe position under the corridor. The shadow cast on the wall enveloped her small figure tightly. They sat too close. The scent of green grapes brushed Lu Zhao’s lips, and the alcohol in her throat carried the dry, bitter taste of absinthe.

Sheng Jingyu still held Lu Zhao’s face, gazing at her silently.

The night made her glowing eyes calm and profound. The gray-silver color was faint under the light, clouded as if covering her usual clarity, adding a touch of tenderness.

It seemed to guide someone to do something in such a moment.

Lu Zhao slowly raised her eyes. Her gaze fell on a pair of thin lips.

Those lips, pale in color, seemed to keep others at a distance. Yet now, they were so close.

As if grapes ripened in the breeze, the sea surged with the wind.

Her mind swirled, her heart fluttered.

Lu Zhao thought she should kiss her.

She thought she could kiss her.

One inch, one inch closer…

The faint moonlight watched the shadows leaning against the wall draw nearer.

“Crash!”

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound came from the kitchen, as if something shattered.

Whether startled or awakened by the noise, Lu Zhao and Sheng Jingyu abruptly parted from the vanishing distance.

Their eyes flickered. Lu Zhao avoided Sheng Jingyu’s direct gaze and shouted toward the house, “Chenchen, what happened?”

“Ah Zhao… I dropped a plate,” Chenchen’s voice trembled slightly.

Looking through the glass door, she squatted on the ground, looking aggrieved.

Countless white porcelain shards scattered on the floor. Chenchen clutched her hand. It was unclear if the liquid on the ground was her bl00d or hotpot broth.

Lu Zhao stood up immediately and instructed, “Don’t move yet. I’ll get the first-aid kit!”

But as she started to leave, her steps paused.

Almost instinctively, Lu Zhao glanced back at Sheng Jingyu.

Sheng Jingyu still sat on the corridor. The night breeze fluttered her skirt. The hand that had touched Lu Zhao’s face was now withdrawn.

It was as if nothing had happened.

But how could something that happened be forgotten so quickly?

Lu Zhao looked at Sheng Jingyu. Sheng Jingyu looked at Lu Zhao.

Both harbored their own thoughts. Neither spoke first.

After an unknown time, perhaps just a fleeting glance, Lu Zhao broke the silence, “I’m going now, Teacher.”

Her voice held no fluctuation. Sheng Jingyu’s hand gesture was equally calm.

Her raised hand looked as usual, instructing, “Be careful when cleaning the shards.”

“Hmm.” Lu Zhao nodded, then stepped back indoors.

Insects chirped softly in the grass, humming in the night.

The light from the house faded in the darkness. Sheng Jingyu looked up at Lu Zhao’s departing figure, her brows slightly furrowed.

She couldn’t tell if she felt relieved that Chenchen interrupted them or regretful.

Was it because of Alpha’s attraction to her?

Or was it for some other reason…

As if to forget what happened, Lu Zhao cleaned the shards quickly and efficiently.

The scene, which looked alarming with red stains, was not a big issue. It was all spilled hotpot broth, with only a few drops of Chenchen’s bl00d.

Chenchen’s earlier reaction came from being startled by her own mistake.

The wound on her hand was a small cut from picking up the broken dishes too quickly. A bandage would suffice.

“Don’t carry so many things at once next time,” Lu Zhao said, packing the first-aid kit, her eyes showing slight helplessness as she instructed Chenchen.

“I just wanted to finish quickly and leave,” Chenchen said softly.

“Why rush to leave?” Lu Zhao asked, confused, as she cleared the dining table.

Chenchen leaned close to Lu Zhao and said bluntly, “Of course, I didn’t want to disturb you and Miss Sheng.”

“Us?” Perhaps feeling guilty, Lu Zhao’s voice lacked confidence. “What could you disturb between us?”

“Miss Sheng just touched your face!” Chenchen gestured beside Lu Zhao, her voice excited. “When have you ever let someone touch your face? Does Miss Sheng seem like someone who touches faces?”

Lu Zhao paused while holding a plate, feeling unprecedented nervousness. “You saw that?”

“Yeah,” Chenchen said softly, her voice tinged with grievance. “How else did I drop the plate?”

She was truly afraid of interrupting something, becoming a glaring third wheel.

Yet, she still disturbed Ah Zhao and Miss Sheng’s moment. Nothing she prepared for mentally happened.

What a great sin.

“There’s nothing between me and Teacher, Chenchen,” Lu Zhao said.

As Chenchen repented inwardly, Lu Zhao’s low voice reached her ears.

Lu Zhao continued clearing the plates, her movements as swift as before, as if nothing had happened.

But Chenchen didn’t believe it. She leaned under Lu Zhao’s face. “Really nothing?”

Maybe nothing.

Maybe something.

Lu Zhao could hide it from Chenchen, from Sheng Jingyu, but not from herself.

She had indeed been moved by Sheng Jingyu’s sudden closeness.

She wanted to kiss her.

If Chenchen hadn’t clumsily dropped the plate, she might have done it.

A thread in her heart tugged tightly, urging her to suppress it.

Her delicate eyelashes fell like cicada wings, then lifted again. Lu Zhao said, “If it’s just Teacher, Miss Sheng will always be here.”

Chenchen didn’t understand. “Why?”

“Because she’s my teacher,” Lu Zhao said, seeing clearly. Her obscure thoughts were tangled with obsession. “In all subordinate relationships, only the student can push boundaries. Even if the teacher later rejects the student, the student can still pursue relentlessly.”

Lu Zhao didn’t know what she wanted from her relationship with Sheng Jingyu, but she knew she didn’t want to lose her.

Until she could see everything clearly with certainty, she wouldn’t act rashly and ruin their relationship.

She had lost too much, so even trying to gain something required caution.

If her footing wasn’t steady, she wouldn’t move forward and disrupt the balance.

She wasn’t perfect, nor brave enough.

She couldn’t let go.

Chenchen listened and suddenly said out of nowhere, “So much feeling~”

Lu Zhao frowned. “What feeling?”

“Like in novels,” Chenchen explained excitedly. “Crazy Alpha, frail Omega, clearly the subordinate but acting superior, clearly the superior but acting subordinate. It’s super shippable!”

Lu Zhao heard Chenchen’s description of her role and felt disdain. “Chenchen, what kind of novels do you usually read?”

“Just those kinds…” Chenchen said vaguely, her voice trailing off. “And in the novels I read, you and Miss Sheng should’ve already reached life’s great harmony.”

Lu Zhao opened the dishwasher and didn’t hear clearly. She turned and asked, “What did you say?”

“Huh? Nothing…” Chenchen knew if Lu Zhao heard her, she’d get a flick on the forehead. She quickly changed the topic. “Hey, Ah Zhao! This plate doesn’t go in that slot. That slot’s for pots!”

“You’re right.” Lu Zhao noticed too and swapped the plate and pot before the machine started.

Watching Lu Zhao squat by the dishwasher, observing it run, Chenchen brought her a glass of water and returned to their dinner conversation. “Ah Zhao, by the way, today was just a simple live stream screenshot video, and your response was so good. I think you might go viral when it airs.”

This gave Chenchen some expectations for the future, but also some confusion. She couldn’t help discussing with Lu Zhao. “If we really make it big with this show, have you thought about where to go after your contract with Tomorrow Star ends?”

Lu Zhao paused, seeming to consider seriously. “Honestly, I kind of want to see if I can join Vinyl Music. Teacher Zhou Huanyin is close with Jing Yuan. I’m wondering if I can use her connection to get an introduction.”

Chenchen thought it sounded promising. “I think it’s doable! Zhou Huanyin really likes you! Didn’t you see how much she wanted you on her team?”

Though nothing was certain, Chenchen and Lu Zhao started dreaming together.

Lu Zhao smiled at Chenchen’s excitement for her and shared good news. “Then, would you like to be my manager?”

“Really?” Chenchen couldn’t believe her ears.

Though Chen Ruozhi was Lu Zhao’s manager, Chenchen had been more of a manager than an assistant these past two years.

Lu Zhao saw Chenchen’s efforts and was willing to promote her. “Of course. I’ll pay you more, double what you get now.”

“Long live Ah Zhao!!” Chenchen cheered, full of enthusiasm. “Our Ah Zhao will soar! Crush those who tripped you up before! Add an extra zero to my salary!”

Lu Zhao heard Chenchen’s flattery mixed with personal gain and playfully tapped her forehead. “Ambitious.”

“Forget one zero. If Jing Yuan notices me in the future, I’ll add two zeros,” Lu Zhao said, her face lighting up with a radiant smile.

At some point, she began to have hope for that unseen future, like a blazing flame, urging her to chase it faster.

She wanted to prove she was worth choosing.

The next day, thick clouds covered the sky, a rare overcast morning in summer.

No harsh sunlight streamed through the curtains. Lu Zhao still slept, buried in her pillow.

“Buzz buzz buzz…”

Her phone vibrated untimely by the pillow, rhythmically incessant.

Yesterday’s audition was a huge success, so Sheng Jingyu gave Lu Zhao a rare day off. It couldn’t be an early class alarm.

It had to be a call.

So early in the morning.

Lu Zhao frowned tightly, reluctantly putting the phone to her ear. She drawled lazily, clearly annoyed at the caller. “This early in the morning, who is it?”

“It’s me.”

The man’s voice, not particularly friendly, came through the phone, sounding equally reluctant.

Lu Zhao’s eyes snapped open.

She glanced at the phone’s caller ID. “Chen Idiot” flashed clearly on the screen.

Getting a call from him so early was worse than a night of nightmares.

Lu Zhao’s sleepiness vanished. She asked warily, “What does Mr. Chen want with me so early, when he’s not busy with other things?”

Chen Ruozhi had no time for pleasantries or roundabout talk. He ordered her directly, like giving a notice, “I need to see you. Come to the company later. We’ll talk in person.”