I Really Didn't Intend to Pick Up the Black Lotus Omega - Chapter 47

“Sister!”

The entrance to the weekend academy was crowded with parents picking up their children after school, their cars blocking the road into a gridlock.

Amidst the clamor of adults doting on their children, a child’s pure, clear voice stood out.

Yu Qing walked past the heartwarming scene, a flicker of envy crossing her usually expressionless face.

She didn’t hear the child’s call, which was drowned out by the noise, but when she looked up, she saw a little girl standing under a large Chinese scholar tree across the road, waving and bouncing excitedly.

It was her younger sister, Yu Zeyuan.

Perhaps because Yu Qing had raised her since childhood, Yu Zeyuan was much more attached to her than to their adoptive parents, who were self-centered and calculating.

In middle school, they used to walk home together every day. Now that Yu Qing was in high school, Yu Zeyuan would come to pick her up after school on Fridays.

Elementary school let out early, and Yu Zeyuan still had her backpack on. She must have been waiting for Yu Qing for quite a while, her two pigtails drooping slightly.

“Yuanyuan,” Yu Qing said, surprised, as she walked over and took her sister’s small hand. “Aren’t you hot? Why didn’t you go home and drop off your backpack first?”

Yu Zeyuan was visibly nervous. “Because… because I have something important to tell you, Sister!”

“What is it?” Seeing Yu Zeyuan’s anxious expression, Yu Qing immediately tensed up, assuming it had something to do with their adoptive parents.

Unexpectedly, Yu Zeyuan pulled a book from her bulging backpack and told Yu Qing, “My deskmate brought this book today. There’s a character in it with the same name as you. She said you absolutely have to memorize the plot because you might get transmigrated into the book due to having the same name!”

Yu Zeyuan spoke with earnest sincerity, her eyes fixed on Yu Qing with palpable worry.

Yu Qing burst out laughing, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. “That’s just a story to scare kids. How could anyone actually transmigrate into a book in the real world?”

“It’s true!” Yu Zeyuan insisted, shoving the book into Yu Qing’s arms. “Sister, you have to read it! Better yet, memorize it! Mom says you have the best memory—you can definitely do it, right?”

In the golden light of the setting sun, Yu Zeyuan’s eyes shone with hopeful anticipation.

Yu Qing didn’t know how to explain the absurdity of the situation to Yu Zeyuan. She figured the girl was just anxious and confused.

A gentle breeze rustled through the roadside trees, intertwining Yu Qing’s shadow with Yu Zeyuan’s.

Yu Qing thought about how the sisters only got to see each other one day a week now. A child as young as Yu Zeyuan would probably forget all about this if Yu Qing just promised to play something else with her on the weekend.

“Okay, I’ll read it when I get home,” Yu Qing said, already planning to temporarily appease Yu Zeyuan.

She casually tossed the book into her backpack, not taking it as seriously as she had pretended.

This kind of book is barely worth a glance, she thought. There’s no way I’d ever memorize it.

With a crisp stroke of her pen, Yu Qing completed the final problem on her math exam.

She calmly flipped to the answer key. The answer was correct, and her calculations were flawless.

“A-Qing, you’re such a genius!”

Satisfied, Yu Qing decided to relax before tackling the English exam.

The bright desk lamp illuminated her book-laden desk, the monotonous colors appearing somewhat dull.

Her gaze swept across the surface, and a gaudy cover immediately caught her eye—the book Yu Zeyuan had given her after school.

Yu Qing’s eyes lingered on it for a few seconds. Remembering Yu Zeyuan’s anxious expression, she decided to open it after all.

She wanted to see what kind of person “she” was in this book, what kind of life “she” led.

The night wind had grown fierce, as if trying to overlap the timelines of the world.

Sixteen-year-old Yu Qing, gazing at the swaying leaves outside her window, only felt the cool breeze making the summer night less stifling. She didn’t consider that the rustling sound resembled pages turning before her eyes.

Meanwhile, fifteen-year-old Yu Qing stood beneath the dappled shadows of trees, vaguely recalling the contents of the book her younger sister had slipped into her hands.

In truth, the novel contained very few plot points directly related to her name.

The book vividly depicted how seventeen-year-old Jiang Nianyu, after being betrayed by others and falling into the depths of despair, rose from being an outcast of the Jiang Family to reclaim her place. She cut down every obstacle in her path, slaying gods and Buddhas alike, all while falling in love with Shen Ting, the Alpha who accompanied her on this journey.

Yu Qing’s first appearance occurred when Jiang Nianyu, having achieved her initial victory upon returning to the Jiang Family, drunkenly recalled her name.

At that moment, Jiang Nianyu stood on the rooftop, recounting to Shen Ting how she had been framed by the Si Family, lost her memory, and wandered aimlessly.

She told Shen Ting that Yu Qing was a Beta who had died for her.

Or rather, she was the Beta Jiang Nianyu had killed.

Jiang Nianyu felt guilt.

Pain.

And shed tears over it.

Yet Yu Qing’s existence ultimately posed no obstacle to Jiang Nianyu and Shen Ting’s destined union.

Yu Qing served merely as a foil—one of the few virtuous figures meant to highlight the black lotus-like Omega’s rare moments of kindness, to emphasize that Jiang Nianyu, despite her manipulative nature, possessed loyalty and compassion, and to allow the Alpha to glimpse the cold-hearted Omega’s vulnerable side, soothing her wounds.

From birth, she had been nothing more than a tool.

To her adoptive parents, she was a means to an end.

To Yu Qingyun, she was a pawn in a larger game.

It seemed so.

“Zhi—!!”

The cicada’s shrill cry pierced Yu Qing’s eardrums, stinging her until she frowned deeply.

She noticed Liaoliao beside her, staring at her with a strange expression. Liaoliao’s lips moved as if she were trying to say something, but Yu Qing couldn’t hear a word.

An insignificant person.

The words were spoken in such a flat, emotionless tone.

She knew this person so well that she didn’t even need to ask her to say it aloud.

So, it was Mi Mi…

Zhou Zheng’s vintage Beetle slowly approached, its horn giving a gentle “beep-beep” to the figure standing in the shade.

Yu Qing turned her head, and it felt as if a thousand arrows had pierced her skull, making the world spin violently around her.

Thud.

“Yu Qing!”

Amid Liaoliao’s panicked cries, Yu Qing suddenly fainted.

Beep… beep… beep…

The steady rhythm of the medical monitor in the hospital room was reassuring, while the air was constantly cleansed by disinfectant.

Yet this excessive cleanliness felt unsettling, like someone too perfect who seemed less real, as if hiding unspeakable secrets.

…

A silent breath slowly escaped Yu Qing’s lips as she regained consciousness. Sensing the brightness of the lights, she struggled to open her heavy eyelids, gazing at the familiar surroundings without surprise or confusion.

This was Yu Qing’s third visit to the hospital this week.

She recognized the environment and even the scent instantly.

“Qingqing! You’re finally awake!”

But Yu Qing hadn’t anticipated that the usual quiet of the hospital room wouldn’t last long.

Zhou Zheng’s voice suddenly rang in her ears.

A tear-streaked face, like a ghostly apparition, sprang into view from the lower left corner of her vision.

Yu Qing jumped in fright, and Liaoliao, standing nearby, noticed a sharp fluctuation on the monitor.

“Teacher Zhou, what… what’s wrong?” Yu Qing’s lips were pale, whether from Zhou Zheng’s sudden appearance or something else.

“You suddenly fainted, so we brought you to the hospital,” Liaoliao said, holding Zhou Zheng back while simultaneously updating Yu Qing on what had happened during her unconsciousness. “The tests showed you had acute ventricular tachycardia. You need to avoid stimulants like coffee and alcohol, get enough sleep, and stop overthinking things.”

The words sounded familiar, like the warning signs before a programmer’s sudden death.

Yu Qing felt like she had just told herself a dark joke, her shoulders twitching involuntarily.

Just once, before she was pulled into a tight embrace.

Zhou Zheng wept dramatically, tears streaming down his face. “Waaah! I thought my loud car horn had scared you to death! Waaah, Qingqing, you’re only fifteen! How could you have ventricular tachycardia already? You absolutely must take care of your body…”

After spending so much time with Liaoliao, who was more machine than human, Zhou Zheng’s excessive vitality left Yu Qing feeling utterly bewildered.

Finding Zhou Zheng’s reaction utterly overblown, Yu Qing struggled to lift her restrained arm and patted her shoulder. “I’m fine, really. Don’t be so upset. I’m perfectly healthy now, aren’t I?”

“After you recover, you need to exercise regularly,” Liaoliao added from the side. “Betas aren’t as physically strong as Alphas, so you’ll have to keep up with my intensity.”

Although Liaoliao always spoke this way, Yu Qing was used to it.

Yet for some reason, hearing the words “Beta” and “Alpha” now brought an uncontrollable wave of melancholy.

She knew she was a Beta.

But she wondered if her Beta status was also meant to reduce conflict between Alphas and Omegas.

After all, in the ABO world, being a Beta sounded utterly uncompetitive.

“You seem troubled,” Zhou Zheng observed, his voice soft as he watched Yu Qing from the side.

Startled by his keen perception, Yu Qing abruptly looked up.

She was indeed troubled. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak them.

In the end, Yu Qing, Zhou Zheng, and Liaoliao weren’t truly friends.

Having just left the hotel, she felt she couldn’t intrude on the familiar intimacy between the other two.

She used to have people she shared such intimacy with.

She used to have people she could confide in like this…

Should she insert a “used to” into that sentence?

“A-Qing.”

A familiar voice cut through Yu Qing’s thoughts, drifting neither too close nor too far.

Yu Qing instinctively turned toward the sound, her gaze naturally lifting toward the doorway.

As expected, Jiang Nianyu stood there.

She seemed slightly breathless, still panting softly even after reaching the entrance.

The wind tugged at her open shirt, flipping up a corner of the hem. This was a far cry from the outfit Yu Qing had seen her wearing at the hotel.

For a fleeting moment, Yu Qing desperately wished she had been mistaken.

She even tried to convince herself: Look, she’s still wearing your clothes. Even if she has amnesia, she wouldn’t have gone out to buy such an expensive dress, would she?

But the truth from the book remained etched in her mind, undeniable.

Her initial dismissiveness now served as the most direct evidence against her.

“Your phone kept ringing at the hospital. It rang several times, so I answered it for you,” Zhou Zheng spoke up, breaking the silence.

His voice reminded Yu Qing of the others present. Suppressing her swirling thoughts, she thanked him, “Thank you for your trouble, Teacher Zhou.”

“It was no trouble at all,” Zhou Zheng replied with a smile and a wave of his hand.

Far more perceptive than Liaoliao, she noticed Jiang Nianyu’s breathless, worried expression and immediately pulled Liaoliao up from her seat. “Then we won’t disturb you any longer. We’ll be going now.”

Zhou Zheng spoke quickly, pulling Liaoliao away just as swiftly.

The door opened and closed, and in an instant, only Yu Qing and Jiang Nianyu remained in the room.

Whether Jiang Nianyu noticed the change in Yu Qing’s expression was unclear. As soon as Zhou Zheng and Liaoliao had left, she approached Yu Qing.

Her baby-blue eyes met Yu Qing’s gaze, and without a word, she meticulously scanned Yu Qing’s hands, feet, and body.

Yu Qing knew Jiang Nianyu was anxiously checking if she was alright.

Moonlight crept silently through the neatly aligned window, casting a dim glow across the room.

Suddenly, Yu Qing didn’t want to simply tell Jiang Nianyu that she was fine.

She watched Jiang Nianyu’s anxious expression with detached interest, selfishly wanting to see her worry, to see her care.

But then, Jiang Nianyu reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from Yu Qing’s cheek.

In that spot, there was a tiny, almost imperceptible scratch.

It looked like it had been caused by a shrub branch near the flowerbed when she had fallen.

If one hadn’t examined it closely, it would have gone unnoticed.

But Jiang Nianyu had spotted it.

“It’s broken.”

Her tongue flicked against her teeth, her warm breath drifting leisurely onto Yu Qing’s nose.

Yu Qing was startled by this sudden movement. In the soft lamplight, Jiang Nianyu’s cold eyes—the same ones Yu Qing had glimpsed briefly at the hotel—seemed unusually gentle.

Their eyes met, and Yu Qing realized she still couldn’t defy her own nature.

Even though she loathed the plot she had just remembered, her heart still pounded wildly at this moment of closeness with Jiang Nianyu.

Am I really just an insignificant person?

Yu Qing clenched her fist lightly, feeling that this wasn’t right.

She stubbornly turned her head away, trying to avoid Jiang Nianyu’s intimate touch.

But as she moved, she worried about hurting Jiang Nianyu’s feelings. She quickly came up with an excuse: “Do you want some cake?”

That was the promise they had made that afternoon.

Jiang Nianyu followed Yu Qing’s gaze to the beautiful pink box on the bedside table and immediately nodded. “Okay!”

Hearing this, Yu Qing tilted her head slightly and reached for the box.

But when she opened it, she found a jumbled mess of misshapen mini-cakes. The delicate cream had lost its form, and sliced strawberries were haphazardly stuck into what remained of the cakes’ bodies.

The meticulously prepared mini-cakes she had made had ended up a complete disaster.

All because she had suddenly fainted.

All because she had remembered a story she should have kept buried.

“Never mind,” Yu Qing murmured, her voice heavy as if something had sunk in her chest, causing her to lower her gaze.

As she stared at the mess in the narrow box, images of Jiang Nianyu’s fleeting, illusory life from the novel flashed through her mind.

Did she even need to imagine it? Hadn’t she just witnessed it at the hotel entrance?

The wind rustled fallen leaves, yet Jiang Nianyu remained untouched by the slightest speck of dust.

Her voice pierced through the bodyguard’s human wall and the setting sun, like a mirage woven by the twilight—clear, cold, and distant, making it seem unreal.

Yu Qing stared at the scattered cream that had suddenly attacked her fingers when she opened the box.

Though icy cold, it felt like a searing burn against her deep-seated insecurities.

“You won’t eat it,” Yu Qing said flatly, about to close the box and throw away the small cake she had brought for Jiang Nianyu.

But before she could finish the motion, Jiang Nianyu’s voice rang out.

“I will.”

It was such a straightforward statement, yet the added emphasis transformed it entirely.

It sounded exceptionally gentle, exceptionally comforting.

Yu Qing was still reeling from Jiang Nianyu’s response when she felt her hand being taken.

Those cream-covered fingers were deliberately grasped and, without hesitation, brought to those pale, bl00d-red lips.

Jiang Nianyu’s tongue curled around the cream on Yu Qing’s finger, and she remarked, “Very sweet.”