I Marked My Arch-Nemesis Omega - Chapter 27

“The Empire’s Tool” wasn’t actually referring to just one person, but rather a group of people. Over the past few years, Sheng Yu had already driven away over a dozen “tools.” The current one was the seventeenth, named Lu Yuanzheng, who had been her liaison for the past two years.

This man had been dug out of the ruins by Sheng Yu’s father years ago, and his name was also given by him—a rather casual one at that. Since he was found during an expedition, he was named Lu Yuanzheng. At sixteen, Lu Yuanzheng presented as an Alpha, and Sheng Yu’s father, recognizing his potential, kept him in his own unit.

Not long after Sheng Yu’s father’s incident, this man was rapidly promoted several times. Over the years, he climbed even higher, now holding the rank of colonel. His rise through the ranks was as fast as a rocket. While no one could deny that Lu Yuanzheng had indeed contributed greatly to the empire in recent years, his promotion speed was still unusually fast compared to others.

Sheng Yu didn’t want to harbor malicious speculation about his promotions, but she couldn’t help it. None of the other members from her father’s unit had received such favorable treatment, and Lu Yuanzheng hadn’t even been the most outstanding among them back then.

What exactly Lu Yuanzheng had done, Sheng Yu didn’t know—and likely never would.

He arrived quickly.

Probably because he’d been called in during his leave, his expression was visibly unpleasant, though he tried to suppress it.

Sheng Yu thanked the sister who had lent her the neural interface once more before walking toward Lu Yuanzheng.

Before her father’s incident, the two of them had been on decent terms. Sheng Yu’s father had even brought him home for meals.

Sheng Yu’s mother had liked him too, treating him like a son. But now, she had completely cut ties with Lu Yuanzheng. If he ever appeared in front of her, she’d probably rush over and strangle him.

“Why are you here?”

“Someone accused me of taking banned stimulants,” Sheng Yu said, looking out the window. “Got sent to the juvenile detention center.”

Lu Yuanzheng frowned. “Why would they suspect you?”

“Because she’s an Alpha but couldn’t beat me, and then refused to accept the fact that she’s just trash,” Sheng Yu replied nonchalantly.

Lu Yuanzheng: “…”

Not surprising in the slightest.

“By the way, I should tell you something. In a month, you’ll have a new liaison,” Lu Yuanzheng said.

“Oh, so having a colonel like you as my liaison was really overkill, huh?”

Lu Yuanzheng glanced at her, lips pressed together as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

“How’s your mother?”

“Don’t know. I don’t go home much,” Sheng Yu replied.

Lu Yuanzheng fell silent again. “There’s new movement from the higher-ups. I might be stationed at the border from now on.”

“Is that something you’re allowed to tell me?” Sheng Yu tilted her head, rapping her knuckles twice against the window frame.

Lu Yuanzheng realized that when he wasn’t face-to-face with Sheng Yu, he could be more casual. But right now, he couldn’t relax at all. “I’ll help you settle your presentation before I leave. The condition is your father’s notes.”

“Not happening,” Sheng Yu said, staring ahead. “Pick something else.”

“Or the cipher he left behind.”

“I can give you one string,” Sheng Yu said. “I haven’t cracked it yet, so there’s no decryption method.”

“Fine.”

“I’ll give it to you once everything is settled,” Sheng Yu said.

Sheng Yu arrived at school, quickly got out of the car, and walked off without even greeting Lu Yuanzheng.

It happened to be between classes, and others were surprised to see her.

“That fast?”

“Of course it was fast—because I didn’t do anything wrong,” Sheng Yu replied. She spotted Song Qing in the crowd, who was also looking at her. However, after giving Sheng Yu a once-over, Song Qing walked away.

“Is Yin Sheng insane? How could she randomly accuse someone of taking banned substances?”

“Who knows… She’s probably lost it. Since she couldn’t get back at Song Qing, dragging Sheng Yu down was the next best thing.”

…

Sheng Yu walked past the crowd, uninterested in their gossip.

Back in the classroom, she sat down, her gaze distant.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” Fu Lian glanced at her. “Didn’t everything turn out fine? Why do you look so terrible?”

“I’m tired,” Sheng Yu said before slumping onto the desk.

Zhang Yunsu brought over some food and placed it on Sheng Yu’s desk. “Did you eat lunch?”

“No,” Sheng Yu lifted her head.

“Eat something before you sleep,” Zhang Yunsu nudged the bread toward her.

“Thanks.” Sheng Yu didn’t refuse. She had been ignoring her hunger until now.

“Everything okay now?”

“I’m fine, but Yin Sheng isn’t. I’m suing her. If the juvenile detention center doesn’t give me a clear answer, I’ll sue them too,” Sheng Yu said.

“You’re really going all out,” Fu Lian remarked from the side.

Sheng Yu shot him an annoyed look. “If I wasn’t going to stir things up, why would I have called Song Li over?”

Fu Lian: “…”

“I didn’t expect you to know Song Li, though. She’s even more impressive in person than in photos,” Zhang Yunsu sighed. “I really admire her.”

Sheng Yu took a sip of milk.

“But by doing this, aren’t you making a permanent enemy of the Yin family?”

“Whether I sue her or not, we’re already enemies,” Sheng Yu said. “So it doesn’t matter.”

Zhang Yunsu fell silent.

Sheng Yu hadn’t slept well that night, her mind replaying the video her father had left her over and over.

By morning, she was utterly exhausted. She struggled to get up but ultimately failed, sleeping straight through until noon.

Of course, if Song Qing hadn’t come to her dorm, she might have slept until the afternoon.

“Do you need something?” Sheng Yu asked weakly, looking at Song Qing.

Song Qing frowned. “Are you sick?”

“No, just didn’t sleep well.” Sheng Yu sat down on a chair, leaning back as she watched Song Qing.

“Oh.” Song Qing nodded, glanced at her again, then placed the food she’d bought on the table.

Sheng Yu rubbed her temples. “So what’s this about? Did you come just to bring me lunch? I find that hard to believe.”

“I’ve brought you food plenty of times before.”

“Yeah, but that was because I asked you to. This time, you did it on your own,” Sheng Yu said, opening the food container and eyeing Song Qing. “So what’s the deal? Unsolicited kindness—there’s always an ulterior motive.”

Song Qing: “…”

“Are you here to ask me to write a self-criticism?”

“Your roommate asked for sick leave on your behalf,” Song Qing said.

“You’re not really here just to bring me food, are you…” Sheng Yu still couldn’t believe it. Her relationship with Song Qing wasn’t close enough for that.

Watching Sheng Yu’s skeptical expression, Song Qing sighed helplessly. “I found out about your plans to hold Yin Sheng accountable. The Yin family reached out to the Song family.”

“Huh?”

“Since Song Li came from our family, the Yins think the Songs should take responsibility,” Song Qing explained. “They also approached me, hoping I’d help Yin Sheng.”

Sheng Yu smirked. “Do they know what Yin Sheng did to you?”

“They do. But they think it was just childish squabbling, nothing serious. They even wanted me to retrieve the documents that sent Yin Sheng to juvenile detention.” Song Qing’s expression remained blank.

Sheng Yu let out a louder scoff. “Figures. The whole Yin family is like that—no wonder Yin Sheng turned out the way she did.”

“So, what did you say?”

“Of course I refused. Though the Song family wanted me to compromise for the sake of benefits.” Song Qing gave a faint smile. “But this school is still under my jurisdiction.”

“Doesn’t that mean you’ve offended the Yins?”

“Not really.” Song Qing’s tone carried a hint of mockery. “Our families were only ever connected by mutual interests. Besides, the Songs aren’t afraid of the Yins—I doubt they care enough to force me to back down.”

“Still the same old president,” Sheng Yu remarked between bites.

Song Qing fell silent. Sheng Yu glanced at her again. “So, why are you really here? Just to deliver food and chat?”

Song Qing: “…”

She really found Sheng Yu insufferable.

“I ran into your roommates in the cafeteria. They said you hadn’t eaten yet. Since I finished early, I offered to bring your meal.” Song Qing kept her face impassive.

“Really?” Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow. “What a model president—so kindhearted and generous.”

Song Qing sensed the sarcasm but didn’t react. Arguing with Sheng Yu was pointless—she never played fair.

“There’s one more thing.”

“Hmm?” Sheng Yu looked at her.

“Since you went to juvenile detention yesterday but skipped today, people are speculating whether Yin Sheng’s side injected you with something.”

Sheng Yu chuckled. “Their imaginations are wild.”

“So, are you going to class this afternoon?”

“Nope.” Sheng Yu shot her a look.

Song Qing had only asked out of courtesy.

“President, you can leave now.” Sheng Yu wiped her mouth. “I’m done eating.”

“Mm.”

“Actually, I have a question too.” Sheng Yu grinned at her.

That smile made Song Qing uneasy.

“If some Omega hadn’t eaten, would you also risk delivering food to them?” Sheng Yu asked.

Song Qing: “…”

“I don’t usually deliver meals. Today was just a coincidence.”

“Oh.” Sheng Yu nodded sweetly. “Well, thank you so much, President.”

Song Qing: “…”

What was she even implying?

Sheng Yu—the most incomprehensible creature in the world.

“I’m leaving.” Afraid Sheng Yu might say something even stranger, Song Qing turned and walked out without waiting for a reply.

After stepping out, Song Qing realized she could have left much earlier. After all, her only task was to deliver the meal—there was no need to stay and watch her eat. She also couldn’t understand why she had said so much.

Once Sheng Yu had eaten her fill, she climbed back into bed, yawned, and spent a long time trying to fall asleep—but sleep never came.

She wasn’t sure whether she was genuinely well-rested or simply too disturbed by the earlier interruption to drift off.