As a Scummy Omega, I Ran Away with the Baby - Chapter 18

“Got it.”

Gu Yining raised her hand and gently touched the spot where she’d been bitten. She nodded obediently, her brows and eyes drawn in, pretending to be as docile as a little kitten.

“Does it hurt?”

Bai Qingqiu frowned at the sight, her fingertip brushing lightly against the faint bite mark on Gu Yining’s cheek as she asked in a low voice, “Does it still hurt now?”

They were very close. Bai Qingqiu’s long lashes, carrying the faint fragrance of magnolia that lingered on her, brushed against Gu Yining’s skin without meaning to—tickling, feather-light, landing directly at the tenderest part of her heart.

Her pulse leapt wildly, and Gu Yining struggled to suppress the restless pounding. She pressed her lips together, shook her head, and silently put some distance between them before managing to speak.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

The husky tone of her own voice startled her. Afraid Bai Qingqiu might notice something amiss, she quickly forced herself to change the subject under the weight of Bai Qingqiu’s gentle, guilt-tinged gaze.

“Hong-jie spoke to me today.”

“What did she say?”

As expected, Bai Qingqiu’s attention immediately shifted.

“Nothing much—just some scolding, really. I guess this whole mess was troublesome to deal with, so she vented on me.”

Bai Qingqiu: “…”

She opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but in the end said nothing.

Gu Yining waited patiently. When she saw that Bai Qingqiu truly didn’t intend to speak, she went on.

“I wasn’t going to bother you with such trivial nonsense, but she insisted I tell you. So—here I am, humoring her.”

She shrugged lightly.

“You really are something.”

Bai Qingqiu sighed helplessly, her brows curving in indulgence. There was no trace of reproach in her tone—only fond exasperation.

“She also told me to ask if you could return my scarf and the accounts on the other platforms. Otherwise, she said I’d have to step in myself and clarify things.”

Gu Yining felt at ease enough to speak without hesitation.

But Bai Qingqiu’s smiling expression stilled at her words, sinking into a more solemn cast. After a long pause, she spoke slowly.

“…Hong-jie is right. Don’t go against her. Leave the matter entirely to the company.”

“But those are my accounts. I was set up. And now I can’t even speak up for myself? I understand the company has its reasons, but is it really fair to cut me off completely? At least talk to me first before stripping me of my voice!”

Gu Yining couldn’t keep the impatience out of her tone.

The whole situation already made her feel like a fool—someone toyed with at will. The humiliation burned. And now, she couldn’t even speak for herself. Outsiders could trample her as they pleased, and even her own company treated her like a puppet, pulling her strings however they liked.

Her teeth sank into her lip in anger, but when she lifted her gaze, she found only Bai Qingqiu’s calm eyes watching her—like one might regard a child fussing noisily over a toy.

The fire in her chest guttered out at once.

Of course. Between Hong-jie and herself, Bai Qingqiu would never choose her. Hong-jie was a company veteran—powerful, respected. And she? Just a plaything. Her feelings weighed nothing.

If she pressed further, she would only seem petty and immature.

“I was just saying. I know how it is.” Gu Yining lowered her head, lips pressed tight. “Sorry. I was just… upset.”

“It’s alright, I understand. You’re like a child—quick to flare up, quick to cool down.” Bai Qingqiu smiled and drew her into her arms.

Gu Yining hesitated, but after a moment, she lifted her hand and rested it lightly against Bai Qingqiu’s back.

Yes. A child.

Only children were foolish enough to think themselves important, to reach for things that never truly belonged to them. Behind Bai Qingqiu’s back, unseen, Gu Yining curved her lips into a smile—warm in shape, but utterly devoid of warmth.

“With that kind of temper… what if you were to become a mother one day?”

Bai Qingqiu spoke suddenly.

“I don’t plan on having kids. Too much trouble, too much crying. You wouldn’t want children either, would you? Isn’t it more meaningful to spend that time in meetings, figuring out how to raise the company’s stock price, than in raising a child?”

Gu Yining blinked, finding the remark oddly out of place—like the sort of lecture one might expect from an elder.

But then, Bai Qingqiu already thought of her as a child, so perhaps it wasn’t surprising.

“…Of course.”

After a moment’s pause, Bai Qingqiu replied.