I Really Didn't Intend to Pick Up the Black Lotus Omega - Chapter 26

The night was still, the oppressive heat clinging to the air, refusing to dissipate.

 

In the distance, the roar of motorcycles shattered the suffocating silence, as if trying to detonate the stifling night.

 

No one can truly define whether alcohol is good or bad.

 

Just like now, with no moral restraint holding her back, Yu Qing closed her eyes the moment Jiang Nianyu’s lips met hers.

 

The harsh glare of the streetlights illuminated Yu Qing’s eyelashes, turning each strand golden as they trembled gently in the nonexistent breeze.

 

Where did I read that you’re supposed to close your eyes when kissing? Yu Qing couldn’t remember. She was tipsy, and trying to recall anything at this moment was futile.

 

Her memory had never been particularly sharp; she often forgot books she’d read soon after finishing them.

 

But she desperately hoped she wouldn’t forget tonight.

 

Their moist lips brushed softly against each other in the humid air, every delicate tremor amplified by the stillness.

 

Jiang Nianyu’s lips were actually a bit cool, especially on this sweltering summer night. The moment they touched Yu Qing’s, her nerves erupted into a frenzy, her bl00d surging with heat as if about to ignite.

 

Having read countless comic books and novels, Yu Qing realized that nothing could compare to the visceral thrill of experiencing something firsthand.

 

Imagination, it seemed, truly varied in depth, and so did understanding.

 

That night, some learned instinctively, while others remained as dense as wood.

 

Yu Qing leaned stiffly against the lamppost, yet her body felt strangely limp from the alcohol, from head to toe.

 

The coolness on her lips vanished instantly, leaving only the warmth of Jiang Nianyu’s breath, tinged with alcohol, pressing relentlessly against her own.

 

The motorcycle’s engine roar faded into the distance. The night wind carried Jiang Nianyu’s long hair, wrapping strands around Yu Qing’s face.

 

This woman had learned instinctively. From the moment Yu Qing texted that she wouldn’t be home for dinner, Jiang Nianyu’s stomach had been gnawing with hunger.

 

Perhaps those who had lost their memories were purer, more attuned to their primal desires.

 

Jiang Nianyu didn’t hesitate to confront her true desires.

 

She had feared her own baseness would taint Yu Qing’s purity.

 

But now, Yu Qing was surrounded by others—her parents, relatives, and especially that sister who filled Jiang Nianyu with hostility.

 

“Mmm…”

 

A sharp pain shot through Yu Qing’s lips, and she couldn’t suppress a soft moan.

 

Jiang Nianyu’s lowered gaze flickered slightly. She reached out and gently cupped Yu Qing’s cheek.

 

Her lips pressed lightly against Yu Qing’s, her teeth softly grinding against the inside of Yu Qing’s mouth. Meanwhile, her fingers delicately stroked Yu Qing’s cheek, a tender yet cunning gesture, soothing the pained furrow between her brows.

 

Jiang Nianyu felt that even the touch of her fingers on Yu Qing’s skin could be considered a kiss.

 

The alcohol amplified Yu Qing’s senses. As if searching for solid ground, she reached out and gripped Jiang Nianyu’s arm.

 

Her slender, bony fingers moved with Jiang Nianyu’s caresses, rubbing and pressing against her skin with a sensation even more exquisite than anything she had read in books.

 

The cicadas chirped sparsely, making the night feel exceptionally still.

 

The world seemed to shrink to just the two of them, the wind intertwining with their ragged breaths, circling endlessly.

 

In her hazy state, Yu Qing couldn’t tell if she had reciprocated Jiang Nianyu’s advances. She lowered her head and nuzzled against Jiang Nianyu’s lips like an animal.

 

Though this was her first kiss, with no prior experience for comparison, she knew she loved this feeling more than anything.

 

I love it so much.

 

I love it so much.

 

 

A flurry of words filled the drunken Beta’s mind, bubbling like beer foam.

 

Finally, Yu Qing seemed to remember why they had kissed. As she parted from Jiang Nianyu, she gently smacked her lips together, savoring the lingering taste.

 

Jiang Nianyu, who also remembered the reason for their kiss, subtly caught her breath and whispered, “Was there?”

 

Shame, arriving late, flushed Yu Qing’s cheeks just as Jiang Nianyu asked the question.

 

Exposed, Yu Qing felt her face grow warm, unable to pinpoint the source of her embarrassment, her heart pounding wildly.

 

But her actions spoke truthfully.

 

As she spoke, she shook her head at Jiang Nianyu.

 

Both seemed to have forgotten Yu Qing was a Beta.

 

Some had genuinely forgotten, while others had deliberately chosen to ignore it.

 

Jiang Nianyu’s fingers brushed Yu Qing’s cheek. “Want to try again next time?” she asked.

 

No conditions, no weighing of pros and cons.

 

The word “yes” flashed through Yu Qing’s mind, and she nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

 

It was hard to tell whether the alcohol was making her react faster or slowing her thoughts down.

 

The wind brushed past Yu Qing’s lips, bringing a brief moment of coolness to her slightly parted breath.

 

She suddenly snapped back to awareness, focusing on Jiang Nianyu’s presence. “But… how did you find me here?”

 

Jiang Nianyu chuckled, relieved that Yu Qing had finally asked. “Lianlian has a tracking device.”

 

“I saw you staying at the bar for so long and couldn’t help but worry.”

 

Jiang Nianyu spoke earnestly.

 

No one else could see her private concerns.

 

Standing under the bright streetlights, she appeared to Yu Qing as…

 

Perhaps Yu Qing’s amnesia made her even more inclined to believe it.

 

Yu Qing accepted the explanation. She slowly sat up, remembering that she had indeed installed the tracking device on Lianlian for Jiang Nianyu.

 

At the time, she had intended it as a way to monitor Jiang Nianyu’s location, just in case.

 

No wonder Jiang Nianyu always managed to have dinner ready right when she got home.

 

So that’s how it was.

 

The tool Yu Qing had never used had been turned against her by Jiang Nianyu.

 

Yu Qing suddenly smiled.

 

A hint of pride lifted her chin, her eyes curving into crescents. “Jiang Nianyu, do you like my little robot dog? Isn’t my programming amazing?”

 

“I do,” Jiang Nianyu nodded, never stingy with praise for Yu Qing. “A-Qing’s programming is truly exceptional.”

 

But this generosity was exactly what Yu Qing had been longing for, waiting for so patiently.

 

After all this time, Yu Qing finally heard the praise she deserved.

 

Something deep inside her stirred, and a single tear suddenly welled up in her eye.

 

Her chest swelled, and she couldn’t quite tell if she was crying from sadness or laughing from pride. “I am really amazing! My algorithms are the best in the group. Even the Chief Programmer wants to collaborate with me!”

 

As she spoke, more tears streamed down her face.

 

She stubbornly met Jiang Nianyu’s gaze, her eyes fixed on the tree behind her. Tears swirled in her eyes like stars that refused to fall.

 

“Why didn’t you ever praise me?”

 

“Why can’t anyone see me?”

 

“I want to clink glasses and celebrate too.”

 

By the end of her words, Yu Qing’s tears finally gave way, falling with a soft plop onto Jiang Nianyu’s fingers, which were still holding hers.

 

I don’t understand.

 

Jiang Nianyu’s eyes were initially blank.

 

She couldn’t grasp why Yu Qing had suddenly become so sorrowful, even after Yu Qing had poured out her feelings of loneliness.

 

It was as if Jiang Nianyu’s mind lacked the programming to empathize with such emotions.

 

Until Yu Qing’s tears reflected in her pupils.

 

The warm droplets landed on her skin, weightless.

 

Yet Jiang Nianyu felt as if she had been struck by something heavy.

 

That single, tiny tear threatened to drown her.

 

“When we get home, I’ll prepare a celebratory drink for us to clink glasses with, okay?”

 

Jiang Nianyu lifted the hand holding Yu Qing’s, bringing it to her lips within Yu Qing’s line of sight. She kissed the hand still wet with Yu Qing’s tears, staining her lips with a crystalline sheen.

 

Yu Qing’s eyes trembled violently.

 

She didn’t believe her tears were pure; her inferiority complex was laid bare in her eyes, impossible to conceal.

 

“Dirty,” she murmured, reflexively pulling her hand away.

 

But Jiang Nianyu didn’t release her.

 

She gazed up at Yu Qing, her tongue tracing the path of the tears with gentle kisses.

 

She kissed the back of Yu Qing’s hand, then each of her fingers.

 

Then her knuckles, the hollow of her palm.

 

Through these actions, she conveyed her indifference.

 

She didn’t consider these tears dirty in the slightest.

 

A warm breeze brushed across Yu Qing’s hand, the skin Jiang Nianyu had kissed burning like fire.

 

Yu Qing watched Jiang Nianyu continue to kiss the tear-streaked skin, her eyes wavering. The night air had diluted the lingering scent of alcohol, leaving only the crushing weight of her inferiority complex.

 

“No,” Yu Qing’s voice was so soft it nearly vanished into the dust.

 

Speaking of tears and summer, Yu Qing recalled her past: “I was kicked out of my family home right after graduating at eighteen. That summer was scorching. The rented room was on the top floor, damp and stuffy, and I was constantly covered in a sticky, foul-smelling sweat.”

 

“But it wasn’t just me. Everyone and everything reeked of the same stench. I truly hated that smell.”

 

As she spoke, Yu Qing instinctively withdrew her hand.

 

She clenched her hand tightly, as if struggling to contain something overwhelming that threatened to burst from her chest. “I used to think they treated me that way because I wasn’t their biological child.”

 

“But why would they treat their own flesh and bl00d with such discrimination?”

 

Yu Qing’s hand tightened into a fist, her voice strained until her throat ached, and her heart throbbed with a dull ache.

 

Jiang Nianyu listened, utterly bewildered.

 

Explaining would require delving into the stories of two worlds, which Jiang Nianyu couldn’t possibly understand.

 

But seeing Yu Qing’s distress made her own heart ache.

 

Jiang Nianyu realized that the child abandoned by her mother wasn’t alone in her suffering.

 

 

The wind swayed gently as Jiang Nianyu’s taxi glided down the deserted highway in the distance.

 

Jiang Nianyu, still unfamiliar with smartphone operation, had accidentally booked the most expensive model.

 

The alcohol aggressively suppressed Yu Qing’s negative emotions, leaving her dizzy and oblivious to the type of car Jiang Nianyu had hailed.

 

Thus, she didn’t notice Jiang Nianyu expertly adjust the seat after helping her into the car, even raising the partition between the front and rear compartments.

 

The driver, no longer surprised by someone booking such a luxurious ride at this hour, discreetly activated the car’s premium features.

 

A gentle breeze from the air conditioning enveloped Yu Qing in warmth. Leaning back against the seat, she gazed out the window and saw countless stars shimmering through the iron-walled city.

 

“Such beautiful stars,” Yu Qing murmured, her eyes drawn to the brightest one, which glowed blue.

 

She reached out to pinch and squeeze the star, the cool sensation spreading from her fingertips throughout her body.

 

Finally, she collapsed into the “star’s” embrace.

 

Years later, during a mountain hike with friends, Yu Qing realized that the “stars” she had seen that night were merely streetlights.

 

Yet even so, she still believed it was the most beautiful nightscape she had ever witnessed in this world.

 

“The best…” Yu Qing mumbled, stumbling after Jiang Nianyu’s footsteps as they staggered upstairs.

 

Jiang Nianyu pushed the door open with one hand and guided Yu Qing into the house with the other. “Are you feeling unwell? Should I help you to the bathroom?”

 

Yu Qing refused.

 

Head bowed, she stumbled into the house, refusing to admit her own distress. “I’m fine. I’m just sad for her.”

 

“But what about you?” Jiang Nianyu asked, puzzled.

 

Who was “her”?

 

Yu Qingyun?

 

Siqing?

 

Or someone Jiang Nianyu didn’t know?

 

Jiang Nianyu thought Yu Qing was too good to be sad for anyone else.

 

Her possessiveness flared.

 

“Aren’t you sad?”

 

Yu Qing’s eyes drifted out of focus as she heard the question.

 

She realized she had long forgotten what sadness felt like. Even if she were sad, it wouldn’t help her live any better.

 

“If she’s not sad, I’m not sad either,” Yu Qing said, pointing to her chest with a silly grin.

 

Under the night sky, Jiang Nianyu’s expression suddenly turned icy.

 

She exhaled softly and gripped Yu Qing’s arm tightly. “It’s alright.”

 

The words were spoken so softly that almost no one could have heard them.

 

Yet they carried immense weight. Yu Qing felt herself pressed against the kitchen cabinets, the foyer light glaringly bright.

 

She clearly saw Jiang Nianyu lean in closer.

 

As Jiang Nianyu kissed her again, she whispered in her ear, “I’ll be sad for you.”