I Really Didn't Intend to Pick Up the Black Lotus Omega - Chapter 5

“……!”

The little girl scrambled out of the hospital room on all fours, her eyes wide with terror, yet her throat unable to utter a sound.

She fled haphazardly, her panic blinding her to her surroundings. She didn’t even notice the person approaching and collided head-on with them.

“Ouch!” Yu Qing clutched the breakfast she was carrying, bracing herself against the impact to avoid dropping it.

Before she could even register what had bumped into her, a small figure scrambled to its feet and fled in a panic.

The girl’s pigtails, tied with butterfly ribbons, whipped through the corridor as she bolted away. Yu Qing immediately recognized her as the same girl from the previous day.

“What’s going on?” Yu Qing muttered to herself, just as the Head Nurse approached, heading toward the hospital room.

Seeing Yu Qing, the Head Nurse called her over. “Xiao Yu!”

“Head Nurse,” Yu Qing replied, hurrying over with the breakfast in hand.

“The police will be here this morning. I’ll take them to your ‘Miss Unknown’ first. Make sure everything goes smoothly,” the Head Nurse instructed.

“Huh?” Yu Qing was taken aback by this news, momentarily forgetting to correct the Head Nurse that Miss Unknown wasn’t “hers.”

“What’s wrong? You look troubled,” the Head Nurse said, noticing the rare look of hesitation on Yu Qing’s face.

“It’s nothing really…” Yu Qing stammered.

After enjoying two days off over the weekend, Yu Qing had completely forgotten that she still had to work in this world.

By the time she realized it was Monday, it was already too late. She hurriedly opened her phone to request leave, only to discover that her original self had already taken all her remaining annual leave for the year, starting from Friday.

Yu Qing felt a pang of sympathy for herself, knowing she would face relentless exploitation by the company in the second half of the year, with no vacation days left.

Still, the prospect of resting until Wednesday before returning to work felt incredibly liberating.

Originally, Yu Qing had planned to go home today to check if her original self had left any work notes or materials, hoping to prepare for her return on Wednesday.

But plans rarely survive first contact…

Never mind, she thought. I should focus on this unknown lady’s situation first.

With that, Yu Qing shook her head and said, “It’s nothing. I’ll wait for the police to arrive.”

“Alright,” the Head Nurse smiled, patting Yu Qing’s shoulder. She had grown quite fond of this helpful Beta girl.

Yu Qing had been delayed on the way back, but she knew Jiang Nianyu must be awake by now.

She excitedly raised the items in her hands, showing them off as soon as she entered the room. “I’m back! I got you hot and sour soup and lotus leaf porridge to go.”

“I went early today, and the cafeteria still had steamed meat buns. They’re supposed to be really good, so I bought a few for you to try too.”

Yu Qing always spoke with a cheerful smile, her fair face bathed in sunlight.

Sometimes she was too casual, chattering away without noticing Jiang Nianyu’s gaze fixed intently on her from the bed, as if glued to her.

Having been lost and found again, how could anyone not cling tightly?

“A small cake?” Though Yu Qing was usually carefree, she couldn’t help but notice the cake on the table as she arranged breakfast.

Jiang Nianyu’s expression froze at the question, unsure if the trembling was from the shadows of the trees outside or from her own hand.

A faint red mark ran across her loosely clenched palm, and the bandage supporting her left hand was crumpled, as if anxiety were spreading.

“The little girl from yesterday… she just came to apologize,” Jiang Nianyu said softly.

“Oh, really? That’s rare,” Yu Qing remarked casually, recalling the girl who had bumped into her and run away.

It seemed likely that the apology had been forced upon her by her mother. After reluctantly apologizing, her pride had gotten the better of her, causing her to burst into tears and run away.

Yu Qing, thinking simply, quickly moved on. “So, would you like some cake or my lotus leaf porridge?”

Jiang Nianyu didn’t even let Yu Qing finish. She pushed the cake aside and pulled the lotus leaf porridge closer, silently conveying her preference through action.

This sudden display of capriciousness made the usually reserved and overly obedient Jiang Nianyu seem unexpectedly vibrant.

Yu Qing smiled and opened her own hot and sour soup.

Warm sunlight streamed through the window, and wisps of steam rose from their bowls, painting a cozy scene of a Beta and Omega sharing a meal.

Jiang Nianyu took a small sip of the porridge. Her eyes, hidden behind the rising steam, subtly lifted to meet Yu Qing’s gaze. The delicate fragrance of lotus leaves carried the Beta’s scent…

“Chirp—!”

The cicada’s incessant chirping was as annoying now as it had been in the past. Suddenly, a crowd of children flooded Jiang Nianyu’s mind.

They swarmed around her in a noisy circle, trapping her in the center.

“Ugly freak! Skinny monkey!”

“You barely eat anything. Give me your lunch today!”

“Look, you pinched a cross into my arm! I’m going to pinch one into yours too!”

Stimulated by the little girl’s words, the word “Shelter,” painted in crooked red letters, hung crookedly in Jiang Nianyu’s memory.

Her left arm burned with pain. The so-called “cross” the girl had pinched into her flesh looked more like deliberate scratches made with her fingernails, each bead of bl00d clinging to Jiang Nianyu’s delicate skin.

Why was children’s cruelty always so sudden and inexplicable?

Like the children at the Shelter, like the little girl who had inexplicably provoked her.

Jiang Nianyu couldn’t understand it. She instinctively tightened her grip on the spoon in her hand.

Yu Qing, having witnessed this gesture yesterday, immediately grew wary. “What is it? Is another memory surfacing?”

“Does it matter?”

Yu Qing’s voice startled Jiang Nianyu’s anxiety to the surface.

She looked up, her gaze fixed on Yu Qing. “My memories… the things I’ve forgotten.”

As Jiang Nianyu spoke, a layer of melancholy veiled her usually composed face, as if she were on the verge of tears.

Omegas were more emotionally sensitive than other secondary genders, and even minor changes could unsettle them.

Especially amnesia.

Yu Qing felt a pang of guilt, realizing that her frequent inquiries about whether the nameless young woman had regained her memories might have been pressuring her.

“That’s not true,” Yu Qing said, shaking her head to dismiss Jiang Nianyu’s worries. “Even if you’ve forgotten your past, you’re still you. Even if you can’t remember your name, you’re still Miss Unknown. I know who you are.”

Jiang Nianyu, her face pale, looked across at Yu Qing, who was staring intently at her. In Yu Qing’s concerned eyes, she saw only her own reflection—nothing but herself. A flicker of reassurance washed over Jiang Nianyu.

Noticing Jiang Nianyu’s improved mood, Yu Qing asked, “Would you like to eat some more?”

Jiang Nianyu nodded silently.

But the delicate fragrance of the lotus leaf carried a bitter undertone, making the food taste bland.

Yu Qing said she knew who Jiang Nianyu was. Yet Jiang Nianyu herself had no idea what kind of person she truly was.

She had held the little girl’s neck in her hand—so soft, so fragile. With just a slight squeeze, the girl’s smug face had instantly flushed crimson, her cries ugly and desperate.

Jiang Nianyu had no idea where she had learned such techniques. Looking at her suspended left hand, she felt a surge of fear.

If Yu Qing knew what she had just done to that little girl, how would she react?

Jiang Nianyu’s gaze furtively drifted across Yu Qing’s face. Her usually cool eyes now concealed a damp, shadowy darkness, their depths inscrutable.

It was best to let this incident pass, best if neither of them ever mentioned it again.

After breakfast, the morning sun gradually filled the hospital room.

Jiang Nianyu leaned against her pillow, flipping through a book Yu Qing had brought her, anticipating another leisurely morning.

Just then, the curtains around her bed were pulled open from the outside.

Two uniformed police officers, accompanied by the Head Nurse, stood before Jiang Nianyu. As they showed their badges, they informed her, “Hello, we’re police officers from the South City Detachment. We need to register your personal information and ask you some questions about the explosion two days ago.”

Jiang Nianyu looked momentarily bewildered. Before she could turn her head, Yu Qing stepped to her side, reassuring her, “Just some simple questions. If you can’t remember, just shake your head. No one will pressure you.”

“Exactly,” the Head Nurse chimed in. “If you don’t remember, don’t answer. We’re registering your information to help find your family. Don’t be nervous.”

“I understand,” Jiang Nianyu replied.

Sunlight streamed across her face as she silently closed the book in her hands. She had no bookmark; her thumb, pressed between the pages, served as her marker.

“What’s your name?”

She shook her head.

“Age?”

She shook her head again.

“Do you remember the names of any family members?”

She shook her head.

“Where were you when the explosion occurred?”

She shook her head.

The police asked Jiang Nianyu many questions, but all they got were shakes of her head.

Jiang Nianyu’s beautiful eyes, like those of a bluebird, were cold and empty, as if nothing could penetrate them.

“This is going to be difficult,” one officer muttered.

“We still hope you’ll make an effort to help find her family,” the Head Nurse pleaded.

“If you can’t remember anything, who would want you? Of course you’d end up in the Shelter.”

A little girl’s voice suddenly cut through the conversation between the Head Nurse and the police, freezing Jiang Nianyu’s gaze.

“It’s alright,” Yu Qing said, her hand gently brushing Jiang Nianyu’s hair again.

Jiang Nianyu looked up at Yu Qing, her eyes softening as Yu Qing smiled at her.

A sense of security, like a greedy beast, made Jiang Nianyu crave more of this Beta’s scent.

If only I could have her all to myself.

In the end, the police gained nothing. They took a photo of Jiang Nianyu and moved on to interview other victims affected by the explosion.

Yu Qing glanced at the Head Nurse’s disappointed expression and sighed.

Recovering memories couldn’t be rushed. The unknown woman’s injuries would take another ten days or two weeks to heal. They would have to take things slowly.

In truth, the unknown woman wasn’t the only one in this ward who had lost her memories.

Yu Qing still knew nothing about the company she was supposed to start working at the day after tomorrow.

That’s the real emergency.

Yu Qing revived her earlier plan for the day. After seeing the police off, she felt it was time to go home. “Miss Unknown, may I request to go home today?”

Jiang Nianyu, who had just breathed a sigh of relief as the police left, tensed up again at Yu Qing’s words. “You’re leaving?”

Yu Qing nodded. “Yes, some project documents are at home that I need to review before work on Wednesday.”

The exchange caused Jiang Nianyu’s head to slowly droop.

She had only planned her life as far as what to eat with Yu Qing tomorrow morning, while Yu Qing had casually mentioned Wednesday, and work.

She should have realized Yu Qing had her own life.

In this hospital room, she was the only one who had lost her memories.

“When will you be back?” Jiang Nianyu asked, her voice flat, almost devoid of emotion.

“Tomorrow morning, I think,” Yu Qing said thoughtfully.

“Really?” Jiang Nianyu’s eyes brightened slightly, earnestly seeking reassurance.

If it was just half a day, she could endure it.

“Of course,” Yu Qing nodded without hesitation.

With Jiang Nianyu’s consent, Yu Qing began packing her belongings.

However, the grilled meat she had packed the day before had been soaked through by the rain and discarded. All she had left to pack was her crossbody bag.

“I’m leaving now,” Yu Qing said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and waving goodbye to Jiang Nianyu with her usual smile.

“See you tomorrow,” Jiang Nianyu replied, awkwardly mimicking the gesture. Her eyes remained fixed on Yu Qing’s retreating figure as she turned away.

From the bedside to the hospital room, and finally to the closing door.

The police had drawn back the hospital curtains, and no one bothered to close them again. As Jiang Nianyu watched Yu Qing leave, she saw the full view of the room for the first time.

Piles of medicine jars and crowded figures.

She couldn’t tell who was throwing a tantrum or who was pleading.

As Jiang Nianyu surveyed the room, countless eyes turned to scrutinize her.

Those probing, invasive gazes filled her with dread.

In this completely unfamiliar environment, she knew nothing and recognized no one.

It was at that moment that Jiang Nianyu truly grasped the reality of her amnesia.

The people here smelled awful.

Their voices were grating.

“Yu Qing…”

Jiang Nianyu’s mind kept flashing with that name, as if she couldn’t stop it. She had never felt time pass so slowly.

She tried to calm herself, but the book she had been reading lay unfinished, stuck on the page she had just opened.

Then, a memory suddenly surfaced in her mind:

“Mommy will come pick you up tomorrow morning. Be good and wait for me, okay?”

“Stop waiting. No one’s coming to get you. You’ll be living at the Shelter from now on. Do you understand?!”

The woman’s gentle hand brushed against little Jiang Nianyu’s cheek, offering warmth while delivering a fatal blow.

The Shelter teacher’s massive shadow loomed over Jiang Nianyu, who was lingering at the entrance. With a swift motion, the teacher yanked her to the ground.

Liar.

That’s what everyone said when they abandoned their puppies.

You promised to take care of me.

You promised you knew I needed you.

—”Your sister doesn’t even know your name. What does she want you for?”

“Patient in bed 4!”

The Head Nurse’s urgent cry was followed by the sound of bare feet slapping against the floor, pat-pat-pat, echoing through the ward and down the corridor.

Without warning, Jiang Nianyu leaped out of bed, her dangling arm pressed against her heart, thump-thump-thump against her chest.

As she rushed through the disinfectant-tinged air, Jiang Nianyu heard her heartbeat pounding a hundred times louder than usual.

Can Miss Unknown take care of herself? I’m really worried.

Was this decision too hasty? Should I stay with her another night?

But what about work? Should I just give it up?

Honestly, as the kind person who found Miss Unknown, I could have simply taken her to the hospital and left. I didn’t need to stay this long.

I can’t let someone else disrupt my future, Yu Qing.

Besides, who do you think everyone is? Someone who transmigrated here like you?

Miss Unknown is a native of this world. She definitely has her own family and friends.

Once she regains her memories, she won’t need you anymore. Don’t get too full of yourself.

As noon approached, the scorching sun made Yu Qing’s head spin.

Her mind was consumed by thoughts of Miss Unknown. She walked in fits and starts, dawdling for hours before finally leaving the hospital ward building.

Along the way, Yu Qing recited every logical argument she could think of to herself.

By the time she had thoroughly analyzed her situation, she felt clear-headed but utterly dejected.

Miss Unknown only needed her when she was called Miss Unknown.

But once she had her own name—

“Wait!”

“Wait!”

In the stifling heat, urgent calls pierced through the ears of people whose minds were dulled by the sun.

Yu Qing couldn’t help but mentally retort, If you’re calling someone, just saying “wait” is useless. You need to call their name…

“Yu Qing! Wait!”

Instantly, Yu Qing stopped in her tracks.

No way, she thought silently as she turned around. The figure she knew so well rushed toward her.

Caught completely off guard, Yu Qing struggled to believe her eyes.

The sunlight bleached Jiang Nianyu’s blue-and-white hospital gown into a blinding white glare. Her slinged arm hung limply, and she looked like she might collapse at any moment. Her gauze-wrapped face was deathly pale, but her eyes were rimmed with red.

“Jiang Nianyu,” Yu Qing said.

Omegas were never athletic, and Jiang Nianyu was running so hard and fast that she was gasping for breath, her voice strained and off-key.

Yu Qing froze momentarily at the sound, her heart suddenly pounding violently against her chest.

“My name is Jiang Nianyu!”

The merciless sun beat down on Jiang Nianyu’s face, forcing tears from her eyes. She looked up at Yu Qing, her usually cold gaze now filled with pleading as she clutched Yu Qing’s clothes tighter. “Now that you know my name… please don’t abandon me.”