I Marked My Arch-Nemesis Omega - Chapter 21

When Song Qing sent a message in the evening, Sheng Yu was sitting on the floor watching a movie. A kitten was curled up on her lap, already asleep, occasionally letting out tiny snores, looking utterly content while its paws clung to Sheng Yu’s pants.

Song Qing: What are you going to do with the cat when you go to school?

Sheng Yu: No idea.

Song Qing frowned slightly.

Song Qing: ???

Sheng Yu: Just leave some food at home. Five days should be fine.

Sheng Yu scratched the kitten’s neck. It stirred slightly, its eyes opening just a sliver before closing again.

Song Qing: The kitten is still so small… You can’t just…

Sheng Yu: Ugh, I bought it on impulse. It was just too cute.

Song Qing: Sheng Yu, since you bought it, you have to take responsibility for it.

Sheng Yu: I want to, but can I bring it to school? Does the school rules say anything about pets?

Song Qing thought for a moment.

Song Qing: The school rules don’t, but the dorm regulations do.

Sheng Yu: Then I’ll just have to leave it at home. No other choice.

Song Qing: …

Sheng Yu: By the way, your office seems pretty big. But if it’s inconvenient, you can just say no.

Sheng Yu snapped a photo of the kitten on her lap and sent it to Song Qing.

Song Qing: …

The kitten was adorable, but it also looked so fragile.

Song Qing: Fine…

Sheng Yu was a little surprised. She had only mentioned it casually—she hadn’t expected Song Qing to actually agree.

Sheng Yu: So, can I return the housekeeping robot I bought?

Song Qing: ???

Song Qing: Didn’t you say you didn’t know what to do?

Sheng Yu: I don’t know what to do, but the housekeeping robot does.

Song Qing: …

She didn’t know how to argue with that.

Sheng Yu: Well, even though the housekeeping robot is great, I’m still a little worried. Thank goodness the student council president is beautiful, kind, and compassionate—letting me bring the cat to school.

Song Qing felt like she had accidentally fallen into some kind of trap.

The housekeeping robot had arrived that morning. Sheng Yu had splurged on a high-end humanoid model—a tall, beautiful older sister with realistic skin that felt and even had the warmth of a real person. It had a wide range of functions: laundry, cooking, cleaning, pet care, and even simple daily conversations.

Its default name was “Model 827,” and Sheng Yu hadn’t bothered to change it.

But the kitten didn’t seem to like the robot much. It always avoided 827, refusing to even glance at it even when 827 waved a cat toy. The only time it approached was when 827 was feeding it.

Though Song Qing felt she had been tricked, she still went to the office on Sunday to prepare in advance. She was actually looking forward to it a little.

When Sheng Yu heard that Song Qing had already set up some basic supplies, she assumed it would just be a cat bed and food bowl at most. But when she brought the kitten over on Monday morning, the first thing she saw was a massive cat tree taking up an entire wall.

Sheng Yu: ???

She pulled out her tablet and checked the messages again.

Song Qing: You can bring the cat over tomorrow. I’ve already made some simple preparations.

Sheng Yu stared at the word “simple,” wondering if her perception had gone wrong somewhere—not just about the cat tree, but also the assortment of toys.

The cat indeed wasn’t shy. As soon as Sheng Yu set it down on the floor, it immediately dashed toward the cat toys without a single glance back at her.

“You’re early,” Song Qing said as she pushed the door open and walked in.

“Yeah,” Sheng Yu replied, arms crossed as she watched the cat.

“Did you give it a name?” Song Qing asked.

“No. Don’t feel like it.”

Song Qing looked at her. “Why not?”

“Naming it would feel like establishing a deeper connection,” Sheng Yu said. “Seems unnecessary.”

“You’re quite particular,” Song Qing remarked before walking over to the cat and crouching down.

The kitten hid behind the cat tree, watching Song Qing motionlessly, as if observing her.

Sheng Yu also approached, looking at it. The kitten glanced at her, then suddenly darted to her feet, clawing at her pant leg in an attempt to climb up.

Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow. She had initially thought the cat wasn’t afraid of people, but it turned out—it just wasn’t afraid of her.

She picked the kitten up and whispered, “All these things were bought for you by the student council president. You can let her pet you a little—no need to be scared of her. But don’t get too attached, because once I graduate in a year, we won’t see her again. Even if you miss her, I won’t be able to take you to her.”

Song Qing: “…”

Then Sheng Yu handed the kitten to Song Qing, who froze for a moment before quickly taking it. She gently stroked its fur, her movements careful, her entire demeanor softening.

“You should head back to class. You’ll be late,” Song Qing said, checking the time.

Sheng Yu scoffed. “Don’t you have to go too?”

This time, Song Qing didn’t wait for Sheng Yu to say more. Expressionless, she stated matter-of-factly, “I’m the student council president. I have privileges.”

Sheng Yu: “…”

“Tch.”

Sheng Yu looked at the kitten, still stiff despite clinging to Song Qing. “I’m off to class. I’ll come see you when I have time.”

The kitten meowed twice at her, waving a paw and straining its head toward Sheng Yu as she walked out. Once the door closed, it let out another plaintive “meow,” its voice sounding almost mournful.

“I’m not a bad person,” Song Qing said softly. Seeing the kitten uncomfortable, she set it back on the floor.

The kitten immediately retreated behind the cat tree again, refusing to come any closer.

Song Qing watched it helplessly.

After checking the time, she adjusted the room temperature to a comfortable level, closed the glass partition of the area, gave the kitten a few more glances, and left the office.

On her way from the office to the classroom building, Song Qing was met with countless stares—some malicious, some gleeful, some pitying, some just waiting for a spectacle.

The moment she entered the classroom, all eyes turned to her.

Everyone from their school had been eliminated on the second day, but because Song Qing had been eliminated in just half a day, the others didn’t seem as humiliated. As a result, they faced little criticism—only Song Qing was left at the center of the storm.

Song Qing took out her textbook and sat down at her seat.

“Song Qing, do you know what people online are saying about our school now?” Qian Wei, sitting diagonally in front of her, asked.

Song Qing ignored him, lowering her head to read.

Qian Wei hated nothing more than Song Qing’s arrogant demeanor. “They’re saying all the Alphas at our school are useless, Song Qing. Don’t you feel any guilt for making us look like this?”

“Even if I made it to the end, it wouldn’t prove you’re not useless. So, when I get eliminated has nothing to do with whether you’re a failure or not,” Song Qing said, looking up at Qian Wei. “You usually can’t last eight minutes against me in a fight. So… if people call you useless, it’s probably your own fault.”

“What do you mean by that?” Qian Wei slammed the table and stood up.

“Exactly what I said.” Song Qing met his gaze. Truth be told, her mood hadn’t been great these past few days either. She wasn’t some untouchable deity—she had emotions too. With so many people cursing and blaming her, even if she told herself a hundred times to ignore them, it was impossible to remain completely unaffected.

“Alright, Qian Wei, better to lean on a big tree for shade. She’s from the Song family, after all. Say any more, and the student council president might just transfer you out by tomorrow,” Yin Sheng chimed in.

“Think you can just do whatever you want? The Song family lost face because of her this time. Their members usually place in the top three,” Qian Wei sneered.

Liao Keke gripped her pen and glanced at Song Qing’s back. “Stop it… The president must be feeling awful enough as it is. If you’re so angry, why didn’t you work harder and make it into the top five yourselves?”

“Liao Keke, what, trying to cozy up to Song Qing like Sheng Yu?” Yin Sheng turned to her with a mocking smile.

“I was just saying what I thought—”

“Liao Keke, don’t think getting selected by the First Imperial Military Academy means you can rest easy. Not all chosen Alphas make it through enrollment smoothly, you know.”

Liao Keke paled and lowered her head, falling silent.

“That’s enough,” Song Qing said irritably, glaring at Yin Sheng.

Yin Sheng covered her mouth, feigning innocence as she met Song Qing’s gaze.

Song Qing clenched her fists.

“Oh? You’re not actually thinking of hitting me, are you?”

Song Qing slowly uncurled her fingers, closing her eyes and forcing herself to calm down.

The teacher walked in, took one look at the tense atmosphere, and sighed. She was convinced teaching this class would shave twenty years off her life.

At lunch, Sheng Yu was surprised not to see Song Qing in the cafeteria. After a moment’s thought, she bought a bread roll and headed to Song Qing’s office.

Song Qing sat outside the glass enclosure, watching the cat play with a ball of yarn. Half a protein bar lay beside her.

“You’re eating that for lunch?” Sheng Yu asked.

“Yeah.” Song Qing glanced back at her.

“Why aren’t you inside?”

“It’s scared of me,” Song Qing replied.

Sheng Yu tossed the bread to her and entered the enclosure. The kitten scampered over, and Sheng Yu picked it up, sitting across from Song Qing.

“Thanks,” Song Qing said.

“Don’t mention it. It’s my cat you’re looking after, after all.”

The kitten patted Sheng Yu’s face before wriggling free and curling up in her lap, quickly dozing off.

“What happened?” Sheng Yu idly stroked the cat’s ears.

“Nothing.”

Sheng Yu looked up at her. “Okay.”

The office fell silent in an instant. Song Qing nibbled on her bread while watching the cat on Sheng Yu’s lap.

Sheng Yu let out a yawn, picked up the cat, and placed it back in its bed. “Alright, I’m heading out then.”

“Mm.”

The cat woke up, its tail curling around Sheng Yu’s wrist. She gave it a gentle pat on the head before stepping out.

Outside, Sheng Yu stopped a random student from the student council and glanced at their name tag—likely someone from Song Qing’s class. She flashed a smile, pointed upstairs, and softened her voice. “Hi, I was wondering—did anything happen to Song Qing on her way to school this morning?”