Top-Tier Omega: Chasing Alpha to the Crematorium – Chapter 10
by Little PandaStepmother?
Song Qingpei, who had been used and then swept out the door, cursed herself ten thousand times in her heart.
So damn cheap.
She had actually been thrown into a state of bewilderment, her heart in turmoil, just because Ming Yu had kissed her. It was utterly, boundlessly cheap. And if you act this cheap, who else is she going to bully but you?
She sank into a deep state of self-loathing. Even returning to her room and gazing at her daughter’s sweet, sleeping face couldn’t soothe her heart. Instead, it only made her more anxious.
She had a faint feeling that this was only the beginning and that more trouble was waiting for her.
Song Qingpei suffered from insomnia, not sleeping a wink all night.
Just as she finally felt a bit drowsy in the early morning, she was startled awake by a knock on the door. She forced her eyes open and saw that Song Song had also just woken up. The little girl was draped over her, humming and nuzzling against her.
She had no choice but to peel Song Song off her body and, fighting her exhaustion, go open the door.
Outside stood a young maid in uniform. She said politely, “Miss Song, breakfast is ready. The Admiral asked me to call you and the Little Miss down to eat.”
“No, thank you. I’m not hungry.”
Song Qingpei was about to close the door and go back to catch up on sleep.
But the maid stopped her, repeating just as courteously, “I’m sorry, but the Admiral has given an order. The Little Miss must come down to eat on time.”
Already exhausted, Song Qingpei couldn’t hold back her temper. “I’m not hungry right now, and I don’t want to eat. You can just go back and tell Ming Yu that.” The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She shouldn’t have taken her anger out on someone else.
But the maid seemed not to have heard, mechanically repeating her previous words. “Miss Song, the Admiral has given an order. The Little Miss must come down to eat on time.”
“I said I don’t want to eat right now…”
Her voice rose sharply, but before she could finish, she was interrupted by Butler Su, who had been drawn by the noise.
“Miss Song, you may choose not to eat, but the Little Miss must eat on time. This is the Admiral’s order. Starting today, the Little Miss must begin to get used to her new life.”
A profound sense of powerlessness washed over Song Qingpei, gradually turning into anger. Yet, this anger had nowhere to go. After all, this was Ming Yu’s territory; she had no right to resist.
Ultimately, she couldn’t bear to let Song Song face this unknown life alone. Song Qingpei could only drag her weary body back inside, get Song Song ready, and carry her out the door.
Outside, Butler Su and the maid were still waiting respectfully. The atmosphere was utterly oppressive.
The thought that Song Song’s future would be spent in such a cold, impersonal environment made Song Qingpei worry. She was afraid her daughter would develop a personality like Ming Yu’s—arrogant and self-important1, with no regard for the lives of others.
Carrying Song Song, she went downstairs, passing through the long corridor and the main hall before reaching the dining room.
The dining room was enormous. The dining table, over two meters long, was already laden with more than a dozen different dishes, and maids were still bringing out more. Ming Yu sat there, quietly eating from her own plate the entire time, not even bothering to look up.
Only when she saw Song Song did an almost imperceptible smile touch her lips.
The memory of last night’s events made Song Qingpei’s anger flare. She pretended not to see the woman and carried Song Song toward the table, where a maid had already pulled out a chair for her.
“Thank you,” she said out of habit.
Ming Yu lifted her gaze to glance at her. “There’s no need to say thank you,” she said coolly. “This is their job.”
Song Qingpei’s movements paused. “It’s basic courtesy,” she retorted.
“Then I’m afraid you’ll run out of courtesy.”
At first, Song Qingpei thought Ming Yu was mocking her. But then, the maids standing by proceeded to place utensils for her and her daughter, fold their napkins, and begin portioning out food according to nutritional balance. Their service was meticulous to the extreme.
Song Qingpei was speechless.
She truly would run out of “thank yous.” She finally understood that Ming Yu was merely stating a fact.
Even so, her simple upbringing made it impossible for her to get used to this kind of life, with its clear class divisions. Before she even started eating, she felt a profound pressure that made the food taste like sawdust.
Song Song was still young and felt little restraint. Instead, she was filled with curiosity.
She waved her little hands, wanting to eat this one moment and taste that the next.
When she ate something particularly delicious, she would dance with joy. “Mama~, you eath this, sho yummy~”
“This shwimp is sho yummy too~”
“Sho, sho yummy~”
Song Qingpei couldn’t help but smile, playing along with her and occasionally tasting a bite of food that Song Song offered.
By the end, she didn’t even need to get her own food. Song Song would take a bite of something and then pass it to her, the two of them working in perfect harmony.
Across the table, Ming Yu’s expression grew darker and darker. Her brows furrowed, and as if she could bear it no longer, she uttered the words, “No talking while eating.”2
Song Song, who was happily eating with her cheeks puffed out, asked, “Mommy, what did you shay?”
“She’s telling you to eat more,” Song Qingpei said, wiping the corner of Song Song’s mouth. She looked at Ming Yu and explained, “Song Song is still little. It’s normal for her to be a bit lively.”
“She is already three and a half. She must understand basic table manners.”
“Song Song has never lived in an environment like this. You have to give her time to get used to it.”
“And what is the reason for that?” Ming Yu looked at her and sneered.
Seeing that she was about to bring up old grievances again, Song Qingpei wisely chose not to get entangled in the issue. Instead, she tried to reason with her. “I know you hold a grudge, but don’t take it out on the child…”
“I am not taking it out on her.”
Ming Yu’s expression was grave. With rare patience, she explained, “Song Qingpei, there is half a month until kindergarten starts. Song Song must learn all the necessary skills within this period. Otherwise, she will have a hard time fitting in and might even be ostracized. What do you want her to do then?”
Song Qingpei was stunned for a moment.
She hadn’t considered this problem, and she was even more surprised that Ming Yu could have thought of these things so carefully. She had to admit, it was a very real issue.
Her next words, therefore, lacked some conviction. “I admit you have a point, but this can’t be accomplished overnight. We have to give Song Song some time.”
“But she doesn’t have any more time,” Ming Yu pointed out, cutting right to the heart of the matter.
“But…” Song Qingpei said anxiously.
“No buts.”
Ming Yu’s patience lasted only for a moment before she became unyielding. “I have already arranged for an etiquette teacher for Song Song. Starting today, a professional teacher will instruct her. During this time, I hope you will cooperate and not be the one to hold her back.”
“Fine, I understand.”
Song Qingpei was powerless to refuse. She also understood that Ming Yu genuinely had Song Song’s best interests at heart.
Beside her, Song Song was still eating joyfully, completely unaware of the tense atmosphere between the two adults. She offered a half-eaten piece of food to Song Qingpei, but Ming Yu saw and stopped her with a stern expression. “Song Song, you cannot give others food that you have already bitten. That is very impolite.”
“Buth… the teacher shaid we have to share.” Song Song blinked her big eyes, looking at Song Qingpei in confusion. “Wight, Mama?”
Song Qingpei was at a loss.
She chose to pass this problem to its originator, gesturing to Song Song, “Ask your Mommy.”
“Mommy?”
Song Song’s voice was sweet and childish as she continued to blink her confused eyes at Ming Yu.
Ming Yu’s face was calm as she explained seriously, “Don’t share something you’ve already bitten. You should give others a new piece, understand?”
“Oh.”
Song Song seemed to accept this explanation with a baffled look.
But not long after, her behavior remained the same. She offered a steamed dumpling she had just taken a bite of. “Mommy, this is sho sho yummy, do you want to eath?”
Sigh, she really has a short memory.
Song Qingpei quickly reached out to stop her, but to her surprise, Ming Yu actually leaned forward compliantly and bit off the other half of the dumpling. She chewed it a few times with a composed expression and swallowed with a hint of a smile.
This surreal scene left Song Qingpei completely dumbfounded. She couldn’t help but suspect that Ming Yu was avenging a private wrong under the guise of public duty—that she had just lectured them so righteously because Song Song hadn’t fed her, and she was jealous of their mother-daughter intimacy.
She couldn’t help but let out a derisive snort. “Hah. People shouldn’t have such double standards.”
Ming Yu was completely unmoved by her passive-aggressive remark.
She even patched the rule she had just made, once again telling Song Song seriously that only very close people could share the same piece of food. And as for who qualified as “very close people,” the Admiral naturally added herself to the list.
Song Qingpei was speechless.
Song Song nodded with a look of partial understanding and fed Ming Yu another bite. Unsurprisingly, Ming Yu ate it just as calmly and even smiled as she patted Song Song’s little head.
Just as the two of them were having a nice moment, Ming Yu’s phone suddenly rang.
She glanced at it, and the smile on her face instantly turned to ice. Her mood soured visibly.
Seeing this, Song Qingpei tactfully took Song Song into her arms.
“Make sure Song Song finishes her meal, then have her start her lessons.”
After giving the order to Butler Su, Ming Yu stood up while answering the phone. Because she was close, Song Qingpei could faintly overhear some of the conversation.
“A-Yu, you’re back. Why didn’t you tell Mom?”
“Busy. Didn’t have time.”
“Alright, Mom knows you’re busy. But you’re not young anymore, you can’t put off marriage any longer. Your Auntie Song’s daughter just came back. Come over for dinner tonight. It’ll be a good chance for you two to meet and get to know each other.”
“I know…”
As Ming Yu stood up and walked away, her voice gradually faded.
Song Qingpei froze.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered that Ming Yu would find an Alpha she liked and get married again. She just never thought it would be so soon, or that Ming Yu would discuss it so openly in front of her and their daughter.
For a moment, she couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.
But a much heavier worry took root. What if Ming Yu really did find a stepmother for Song Song now?
Footnotes
- The original idiom is ‘weiwoduzun,’ literally ‘I alone am the honored one.’ It describes someone who is extremely arrogant and acts as if they are the center of the universe.
- The original phrase is ‘shi bu yan,’ a classical rule of etiquette from the Analects of Confucius, literally meaning ‘eat, no talk.’
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