What to Do if You Mess With an Omega? - Chapter 5

“Welcome—”

The shop assistant’s beaming smile faltered slightly when she caught sight of Ning Hanzhu trailing behind the elegant lady, her expression nearly slipping. “Hello, how can we assist you?”

Xu Yuqing lifted her chin slightly. “Call your manager.”

Ning Hanzhu couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the mecha’s cold, sleek surface, its smooth, graceful lines radiating power.

Ning Qianqian craned her neck, barely able to see one of its massive legs. “Wow, it’s so big!”

It looked majestic and imposing.

When the manager hurried over, his eyes first landed on Ning Hanzhu, dressed in shabby clothes, and her little beggar-like sister. “Who let them in? Didn’t I say we don’t welcome people like this—”

Then he saw Xu Yuqing, her noble air impossible to conceal.

Xu Yuqing’s cold gaze flicked to the nameplate on his chest. “I didn’t know the Luo family’s people had learned to judge others by their appearance. Does the second young miss of the Luo family know some are using her name to bully others?”

The manager’s legs buckled, nearly dropping him to his knees.

Outsiders thought these businesses belonged to the Luo family’s eldest young master, but only a few knew who truly held the reins.

He’d overheard it once when his uncle was drunk, finding it hard to believe. The second young miss of the Luo family, a spoiled Omega, was their real boss.

And very few knew this. Someone like Ning Hanzhu, an ordinary resident of Alpha Star, probably wouldn’t even know who the Luo family’s eldest young master was, let alone that he was a formidable Alpha.

But this woman not only knew but spoke as if she were intimately familiar with their boss.

Sweat beaded on the manager’s forehead. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have taken those small bribes. “Dear lady, this is a huge misunderstanding.”

Ning Hanzhu saw the usually arrogant manager trembling like a sieve before Xu Yuqing. “Don’t listen to him. There’s no misunderstanding. Last time, they framed me and fired me, even issued a warning.”

Xu Yuqing raised an eyebrow.

The original owner had always dreamed of owning a mecha like this. She collected odd materials and thought a big shop like this wouldn’t skimp on wages, so she’d tried to get a job here.

Any job would do.

She was quick, smart, and skilled at identifying materials, quickly catching the eye of the shop’s mecha repair technician. But after two days of enthusiastic work, she was fired for allegedly stealing materials.

“That happened?”

“Yeah, this Mr. Luo personally handled it. I even had to pay a hefty material fee.”

It drained nearly all her savings. Every time the original owner thought she could work hard to support her sister, a bucket of ice water would douse her hopes, chilling her to the bone.

Being repeatedly fired like this had ruined her reputation, making it impossible to find decent work.

It was quite a lamentable tale.

Xu Yuqing could hear the trace of resentment and grievance in Ning Hanzhu’s voice. Life was hard enough for the sisters, yet they were still bullied like this. She sneered, “How interesting. I bet the second young miss hasn’t heard such an amusing story. Maybe she should.”

Luo Wu panicked. “No, I can explain.”

He didn’t care if Xu Yuqing was bluffing. He’d worked hard to reach this position and couldn’t risk it. He blurted out, “She offended someone. They paid us to find a reason to fire her, accusing her of theft, ideally getting her locked up.”

Ning Hanzhu, “!!!”

No wonder the original owner’s life was so tough—someone was sabotaging her.

Xu Yuqing pocketed her optical computer. “Go on.”

Luo Wu didn’t care about anything else now. “Later, someone pleaded with me, so I let it slide, only making you pay a small material fee.”

Ning Hanzhu was furious. “So I should thank you? That fee drained all my savings and forced me to borrow more.”

Even if she didn’t end up in jail, it nearly cost her half her life.

Luo Wu didn’t dare offend her further, eager to settle things. He hadn’t expected the consequences to hit so fast and hard. “You’re right, I was wrong. I’m willing to pay triple the amount as compensation. Is that acceptable?”

“Triple?”

“Triple to buy my reputation? Mr. Luo, aren’t you dreaming a bit too big?”

Xu Yuqing nodded in agreement.

Luo Wu glanced at her nervously. “Then name a solution. If it’s within my power, I’ll make it happen.”

Ning Hanzhu asked, “Who paid you to frame me?”

Luo Wu hesitated.

“Do you want to discuss this with the second young miss herself?”

“No, no, I never met them. The money came through my subordinates.” Seeing their skeptical faces, he immediately offered to fetch the culprit. “Please, move to the lounge. I’ll give you both a proper resolution today.”

He hurried off.

The Luo family’s lounge was elegantly decorated, with a bouquet of blue moons on the table. To make guests feel at home, a robot attendant by the sofa offered post-meal coffee at the press of a button.

Ning Qianqian, who’d never seen such a cute robot, eagerly climbed down from Ning Hanzhu to greet it.

“Thanks for today.”

“What did you say?”

Xu Yuqing’s fingers toyed with the blue moon bouquet, teasing the poor buds like a cat with a toy. She smiled. “Didn’t hear you. Say it again.”

Ning Hanzhu suspected she was doing it on purpose but had no proof.

She turned away, but her gaze soon followed Xu Yuqing’s delicate fingers, their pink tips gently peeling back the flower petals one by one. “You’re going to ruin it.”

Xu Yuqing glanced at her casually. “Aren’t flowers meant to be played with? The prettier they are, the more fun it is to ruin them, right? I thought all Alphas liked that.”

What did this have to do with Alphas?

Ning Hanzhu suspected she had a huge bias against Alphas, but as an Alpha herself, she dryly defended, “Not all Alphas are like that. I, for one, don’t enjoy destroying beauty. I like appreciating it.”

Appreciating beauty could lift the mood.

Xu Yuqing raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I’m cruel?”

Ning Hanzhu, “…”

As they debated who was the cruel one, Luo Wu finally dragged someone in. “This is the guy. He took the money and had the gall to bribe me.”

With a scapegoat, he washed his hands clean.

Luo Wu scolded, “Hurry up and tell the ladies everything.”

The man, knowing he wouldn’t get off easy without spilling, dropped to his knees, tears and snot streaming as he confessed.

He was a lecher.

He had a thing for other people’s wives. While fooling around with one, her Alpha husband caught them. The Alpha, a thug, planned to sell him to a mining colony. But upon learning he worked for the Luo family, the Alpha demanded he do this job.

Luo Wu’s reaction was bigger than Ning Hanzhu’s. “You told me it was just someone slipping you money, that you had no choice, and that they were powerful, so we should do them a small favor.”

The man looked miserable. “If I didn’t say that, would you have agreed?”

They nearly came to blows.

Xu Yuqing tapped the table lightly with her finger.

From his words, Ning Hanzhu pieced together a name. “So, who’s this person who was going to sell you to the mines?”

“I don’t know exactly. I heard people call him Uncle Wild.”

The name matched the arrogant figure from her memories who’d warned them. Ning Hanzhu had suspected him, but hadn’t realized he was still targeting them after all these years.

Seeing Ning Hanzhu zone out after hearing the name, Xu Yuqing waved the two men away.

She was tired of watching dogs fight dogs.

When Ning Hanzhu came to, only the three of them remained in the lounge.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“I don’t know.”

Xu Yuqing was at a loss for words.

Ning Hanzhu didn’t know much about Uncle Wild. In the original owner’s memories, he was a treacherous subordinate who, taking advantage of the Ning family’s exile of the sisters, stole the last of their parents’ wealth, destroyed her optical computer, and left her and Ning Qianqian to wander the streets.

If not for kind strangers, they might’ve died.

Ning Hanzhu wanted to settle this score for the original owner. “This needs careful planning. I’ll dig into who he really is to deal with him properly.”

Xu Yuqing propped her chin elegantly. “You’re the most interesting person I’ve met on Alpha Star. Don’t die too soon.”

Ning Hanzhu, “…”

Uncle Wild could wait, but compensation couldn’t. Ning Hanzhu was someone who’d bow for money.

Poverty was the root of all evil.

If the original owner had had money, she could’ve afforded resources to survive differentiation.

With that thought, Ning Hanzhu flashed a textbook-perfect smile. Xu Yuqing felt a chill, goosebumps rising. “Your smile’s so sleazy.”

Ning Hanzhu, “?”

She rubbed her face. “Is it?”

Xu Yuqing said, “Yes, like a convict in an interstellar prison.”

Ning Hanzhu’s mouth twitched, her smile fading.

Xu Yuqing stifled a laugh. “What’s on your mind?”

Ning Hanzhu switched to another professional smile. “Beautiful Beta lady, you’re worldly. Can you give me advice? Like, how do I make an outrageous demand without completely offending them?”

An outrageous demand?

Xu Yuqing couldn’t hold it in, bursting into laughter.

She took charge of the compensation talks, effortlessly turning triple into tenfold, plus a decorative mecha from the shop.

When she handed Ning Hanzhu the key, Ning Hanzhu couldn’t believe it. She’d thought five times would be a stretch. Seeing Luo Wu escort them out, his smile so stiff it nearly twitched, she felt a rush of satisfaction.

She gave Xu Yuqing a thumbs-up, showering her with compliments. “You’re the real deal. The best negotiator I’ve ever seen. Amazing, just amazing.”

Ning Qianqian, who’d been playing with the robot, eating cake, and drinking milk, had no idea what they were talking about.

But she mimicked the thumbs-up, praising earnestly, “Pretty lady’s the best, best, best!”

Xu Yuqing’s lips curved slightly.

It was just empty flattery.

But she didn’t mind—her mood lifted.