I Really Didn't Intend to Pick Up the Black Lotus Omega - Chapter 13

A sharp cicada’s cry suddenly pierced the sky, like a guilty startle.

The office building’s glass walls stood firm, and in the quiet cubicles, one could hear the sound of breathing.

Yu Qing held her breath the moment she heard the words.

As a Beta who couldn’t smell pheromones, how could she have known that spending time with an Omega would leave their scent on her?

She instinctively raised her arm and sniffed it intently.

But all she could detect was the cold air from the central air conditioning.

“Is… is there?” Yu Qing feigned composure.

Gong Ning smiled. “Do you think my Alpha nose is just for show? How could I mistake such a strong Omega scent?”

Under the bright daylight, Yu Qing’s forced calm was glaringly obvious.

Gong Ning, confident in her assessment, casually pulled a portable spray from her bag and spritzed Yu Qing. “Alright, you don’t have to make it so awkward. If you don’t want to tell me, I won’t pry. Just take this.”

She pressed the spray into Yu Qing’s hand. “After each encounter, an Omega’s pheromones inevitably linger on the other person. It’s an invisible mark. That’s why Alphas always carry a bottle of this spray.”

“You’re a Beta, you wouldn’t understand. I get it.”

What had she squandered?

What was she supposed to not understand?

When had Jiang Nianyu left her scent on Yu Qing, marking her?

Yu Qing stared at the small bottle in her hand, suddenly feeling the metal container burn against her skin. “It’s not what you think…”

“Yu Qing, I noticed a discrepancy in the reimbursement report you submitted to Director Chen last week. Are you aware of it?”

Just as Yu Qing was about to explain to Gong Ning, someone knocked on her cubicle wall.

She looked up to see a smiling woman standing tall and looking down at her with an air of superiority.

Yu Qing immediately recognized her as Alan, a junior accountant who often worked with their team.

Yu Qing had reviewed the original owner’s work schedule the previous day and noticed this task. She’d found it odd that a coder like herself would be responsible for running errands for the director.

A suspicion formed in Yu Qing’s mind as she looked at Alan. Smiling, she replied, “I wasn’t aware of any issues. The reimbursement was approved, right?”

“It was approved. But there’s one entry that’s a bit vague. I was rushing to leave that day, but later I realized Director Chen’s business trip might qualify as a team-building activity for your group, right?” Alan said.

Whether it qualified or not wasn’t up to Yu Qing, a mere employee, to decide.

Yu Qing didn’t take the bait, feigning ignorance. “Really? I wasn’t aware of that.”

Alan, surprised by Yu Qing’s response, pressed further, “Didn’t you prepare the reimbursement materials for Director Chen?”

“I just wrote whatever Director Chen told me to. I don’t know anything else,” Yu Qing replied with an innocent expression, portraying herself as a detached recording machine, oblivious to anything beyond her immediate tasks.

Yu Qing had seen this tactic countless times during her previous life working in the corporate world.

If she had engaged, Alan would have seized the opportunity to dump this already-completed but now needing revisions—a task that would surely displease Director Chen—onto Yu Qing, forcing her to clean up Alan’s mess and make things easier for Alan’s month-end accounting.

No wonder Gong Ning had called her “obedient” earlier.

The original Yu Qing, likely due to her inexperience during her first year at the company, had probably fallen into many such traps.

Who knew how many of these thankless tasks had been dumped on her?

Could it be that the original Yu Qing had been so exhausted from this year’s workload that she had used her favorite bath bomb and taken all her annual leave?

Tragically, she hadn’t even gotten to enjoy a single day of it before Yu Qing’s consciousness had transmigrated into her body.

Yu Qing felt a pang of sympathy for the twenty-four-year-old girl whose life she had inherited, and her resolve hardened:

No more cleaning up messes or running errands that aren’t my responsibility. They won’t be dumping any more of that on me!

Alan was completely taken aback by Yu Qing’s evasive, “I don’t know anything” response.

Alan watched the young woman before her, no longer the timid girl who would anxiously accept any task she assigned, dancing to her tune. For a moment, she was at a loss for what to do.

In the end, she had no choice but to concede, not forgetting to offer Yu Qing a favor: “Then I’ll go find Director Chen myself. You just got back from vacation, so don’t bother.”

“Okay,” Yu Qing replied with a practiced, professional smile, watching Alan’s defeated figure retreat without acknowledging the gesture.

Gong Ning’s cookies are more practical than her favors, she thought.

“Nice work, Yu Qing! You’ve finally graduated!” Gong Ning exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she watched Yu Qing’s entire exchange with Alan.

Impressed by the young woman’s growth, she eagerly unwrapped a cookie for her. “I told you, this is how you should act. The workplace isn’t about being obedient; it’s about making yourself valued. Here, have some more.”

Yu Qing looked at the cookie, marveling at the original Yu Qing’s good fortune.

If only I’d had a mentor like Gong Ning when I started working, she thought. I could have avoided so many mistakes.

The delicate strawberry jam coated Yu Qing’s throat, smoothly shifting the conversation to a new topic.

Yet as she savored the strawberry aroma, she inexplicably found herself thinking of the Omega at home who loved strawberries.

I washed a bowl of strawberries for Jiang Nianyu this morning and left them on the kitchen counter before leaving. I wonder if she saw them.

Jiang Nianyu saw it.

The bowl was piled high with bright red strawberries, looking fresh and delicious.

With no one else at home, Jiang Nianyu stood before the bowl, as docile as a rabbit.

Realizing these were the strawberries Yu Qing had prepared for her, she picked the top one and slowly popped it into her mouth.

The Omega’s sharp teeth pierced the strawberry’s delicate skin. As its juicy sweetness flooded Jiang Nianyu’s mouth, her dormant taste buds seemed to awaken.

The carefully washed fruit still carried Yu Qing’s scent—clean and gentle, like a piece of glass candy without artificial sweeteners.

Jiang Nianyu savored the flavor, her tongue slowly tracing the strawberry-stained corners of her lips, ensuring not a single drop of the taste was wasted.

So satisfying.

Yet not quite enough.

After devouring most of the strawberries in the kitchen, Jiang Nianyu began to feel a pang of reluctance.

Clutching the glass bowl, she walked out into the living room. Through the window, she saw lush greenery swaying in the breeze, sunlight bathing the spacious, high-ceilinged room. A corner of the beige blanket draped onto the carpet, creating a scene of cozy comfort that resembled a painting.

Yet it was precisely this warmth that stirred a sense of unease within Jiang Nianyu.

She gazed silently at the scene, her lowered eyelashes betraying a cold indifference to such domestic bliss.

Until the wind blew in.

Yu Qing’s laundry, drying on the balcony, billowed and settled.

The clean skirt swayed with the scent of the wind, like seaweed or feathers, drifting into Jiang Nianyu’s line of sight.

Her listless eyes suddenly lit up.

Unlike the pajamas Yu Qing had given her the day before, Jiang Nianyu could clearly smell Yu Qing’s scent on these freshly washed clothes.

If only I could get closer, she thought.

The shadow on the wall resembled the hand that had hovered hesitantly near Yu Qing’s lips that night, lingering in indecision.

Reason restrained Jiang Nianyu, urging her to suppress these strange thoughts and avoid desecrating the sincerity of someone who had been so genuine with her.

Yet the glands at the back of her neck throbbed rebelliously, inciting and tempting their mistress.

Go ahead and smell them.

It’s just a sniff. What harm could it do?

The cool glass bowl couldn’t extinguish the growing heat in Jiang Nianyu’s palms. She walked to the balcony and tilted her head back.

The wind lifted her loose, dark hair, the strands swirling like tangled threads.

The air carried a sweet, soapy fragrance.

Yu Qing’s scent lingered in Jiang Nianyu’s hair, slowly caressing it before finally drifting away.

Jiang Nianyu gazed at the clothes before her, her lips pressed together, moving back and forth slowly, heavily, as if savoring the lingering scent that had recently clung to them.

Even better than strawberries.

The sun leaned against the window frame, its rays fixed on the shadow cast by the skirt’s hem.

Jiang Nianyu bit her lip, her lowered eyes remaining unlit by the sunlight, brimming with a dampness.

I want… so badly.

The uncontrollable desire from yesterday reignited within her.

Or perhaps it had never truly been extinguished.

Yu Qing’s ice packs had only provided temporary relief. Without suppressants, an Omega’s heat cycle could flare up repeatedly.

The warm breeze carried waves of heat into the room, and Jiang Nianyu’s cheeks flushed visibly.

Her breathing grew heavier.

Swish!

A sound cut through the air.

Yu Qing’s skirt slipped from its hanger, completely covering Jiang Nianyu’s head.

So much of Yu Qing’s scent.

I want to hold them all in my arms…

The thoughts that had overwhelmed her yesterday now flooded back into Jiang Nianyu’s mind.

She clutched Yu Qing’s skirt in her hands, crumpling it into countless wrinkles.

Not enough.

I want more…

As the sun hung low in the lower right corner of the window, evening descended.

Car taillights began to flicker frequently on the street outside, and the subway cars were packed like sardine cans.

Exhausted shadows stretched beneath the corridor lights as Yu Qing feigned ignorance, deftly handling countless colleagues who tried to assign her both internal and external tasks. Finally, her first day at work came to an end.

She had never realized how draining interpersonal interactions could be. Feeling pity for the original owner of this body, she also resented her lack of assertiveness.

You should just say “no” to things you’re uncomfortable with or don’t want to do!

Gong Ning had been right. These people wouldn’t see her as kind or capable; they would only see her as someone easily bullied, someone they could take advantage of.

“Sigh.”

Before entering her apartment, Yu Qing exhaled all the day’s frustrations.

Now that she had a second person living with her, she couldn’t let her loathsome job contaminate Jiang Nianyu’s space.

With this thought, she composed herself, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

To her surprise, she wasn’t greeted by bright lights and puppy-like enthusiasm.

The small room was eerily quiet, even somewhat dim and cold since the lights hadn’t been turned on.

The setting sun cast a faint glow through the balcony’s floor-to-ceiling windows, making the glass bowl filled with strawberries resemble a small lamp.

Yu Qing frowned slightly, fearing something might have happened to Jiang Nianyu again.

But as she stepped into the living room, she noticed her clothes, which had been drying, were now piled on the floor.

These clothes hadn’t been blown down by the wind; no gust, however strong, could have neatly piled all of them onto the living room carpet, forming such a perfectly cozy little nest.

Suddenly, the world fell silent.

The empty clothes rack swayed in the breeze, its shadow swaying silently.

Within this fortress of her own clothes, Yu Qing spotted Jiang Nianyu fast asleep.

Her body was curled slightly, her long legs bare and pale.

She was wearing and clutching Yu Qing’s shirts.