As a Scummy Omega, I Ran Away with the Baby - Chapter 14

“Go to sleep.”

Bai Qingqiu made no mention of the conversation she had overheard in the hallway. Instead, she all but forced Gu Yining under the covers, tucking her in snugly, and fixed her with an unwavering gaze.

“I’ll watch you.”

The message was clear—Gu Yining wasn’t allowed to close her eyes without her approval.

Faced with such stubborn insistence, Gu Yining had no choice but to obey. She pouted slightly, then closed her eyes in quiet compliance.

Bai Qingqiu turned onto her side, propping her chin on her hand, and looked at the woman lying next to her. In her eyes, unawares even to herself, was a gentleness that lingered, tender and deep.

The room was dark, lit only by the cool wash of moonlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Guided by that dim light, Bai Qingqiu lifted a hand and traced the outlines of the other’s face with her fingertips—brows thick and neat, nose small and delicate, jawline smooth and defined.

“So much like…”

Her eyes darkened. Even that stubborn expression was uncannily similar to that person.

A soft sigh escaped her lips.

But spoiling Gu Yining was not about molding her into Bei Nanyan’s likeness—not about turning her into someone who locked every secret away and carried her burdens alone, until gloom consumed her as it once had Bei Nanyan.

What Bai Qingqiu cherished most was Gu Yining’s silly, cheerful reliance on her.

As long as she was here, Gu Yining had nothing to fear.

Anyone who upset her, who brought her sorrow—no matter how capable they were—had no place in the company.

Compared to Gu Yining, what were others worth? Competent people could be found anywhere; if one left, another could always be hired.

But Gu Yining was one of a kind.

And that was something Gu Yining never needed to know. All she had to do was enjoy the happiness Bai Qingqiu gave her—be carefree, be the Gu Yining she adored.

Bai Qingqiu bent down, her long hair falling forward, concealing the emotions flickering across her face. She gazed intently at the peacefully sleeping Gu Yining, lips curving faintly as she whispered:

“Goodnight.”

She brushed a cautious kiss against her forehead, then turned away and lay down with her back to her.

What she couldn’t see was the tremor in Gu Yining’s lashes, and the single tear that slipped silently from the corner of her eye.

________________________________________

“I’m heading out.”

The voice was faint, blurred by drowsiness, but Bai Qingqiu stirred awake. For a moment she caught only the fleeting glimpse of Gu Yining’s retreating figure before the door closed.

It seemed her mood had already recovered. Relieved, Bai Qingqiu leaned back against the headboard, sitting in silence as she gathered her thoughts.

She would have a word with Sister Hong later, make sure she understood her place. If she didn’t…

And tomorrow night, there was Director Qian’s dinner…

Her hand drifted down, resting against the flat plane of her stomach. Fingers brushed warm skin with a mixture of reluctance and sorrow, a bitterness welling in her chest.

If you’re truly there, I’m sorry, baby.

Because compared to you, your mommy is more important to me than anything.

I don’t know how to be a mother. But I want to learn—learn to be her other half, before I can ever try to be yours.

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Gu Yining knew well enough that the way she left the house was little more than running away.

Last night, when Bai Qingqiu had murmured “So much like”, she thought she would crumble again—thought her heart would collapse under the weight of it, like before. But she hadn’t.

What she felt instead was relief. The heaviness that had bound her for so long suddenly lifted. She hadn’t misunderstood Bai Qingqiu. She hadn’t been wrong about her.

She really had been nothing more than a stand-in, all these years.

Those four years of warmth—yes, they had been real. Yet now, looking back, they only mocked her, mocked how foolishly she had clung to her own delusions. No matter how much she loved, how much she gave, she had only ever been living as someone else’s shadow.

Her tears fell for herself—for the woman who knew she was a substitute, yet still couldn’t resist the false gentleness Bai Qingqiu offered.

There had never been Gu Yining and Bai Qingqiu.

Only Bei Nanyan’s substitute—and Bai Qingqiu.