Top-Tier Omega: Chasing Alpha to the Crematorium – Chapter 15
by Little PandaI’m Not Worthy!
The next day.
Song Song sat up in bed, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She raised a hand and casually wiped away the drool that had escaped in her dreams.
Song Qingpei opened her eyes to this exact scene, and her heart felt like it was melting.
She reached out, pulled Song Song into a tight hug, and kissed her smooth little cheek. All the unhappiness from the night before instantly vanished.
“Mama~”
Song Song wrapped her arms around Song Qingpei’s neck and snuggled her small face against her.
Holding her daughter, Song Qingpei recalled the sight of her wiping away drool and smiled. “What did Songsong dream about last night? It must have been delicious to make you drool like that.”
At the mention of her dream, Song Song’s eyes lit up.
“Mama, can we have your fishy noodles today? Songsong really wants to eat them~”
She even licked her lips as she spoke.
Song Qingpei tweaked Song Song’s nose, her expression full of doting affection, then helped her get out of bed to wash up.
After they were ready, Song Qingpei carried Song Song downstairs. They had woken up very early, and the maids were still busy with their own tasks. When they saw the two of them, they all wore looks of deep respect.
Song Qingpei was still not used to being the center of such attention. Steeling herself, she found the Head Cook and asked if they had any Black Tiger Fish, explaining that she wanted to borrow the kitchen to make some noodles.
The Head Cook looked troubled. “Well… Miss Song, you should probably ask Butler Su about that.”
Song Qingpei sighed in frustration. She didn’t even have the freedom to cook a meal.
She had no choice but to find Butler Su. Fortunately, when he learned that it was Song Song who wanted to eat, he immediately had someone arrange for the ingredients. After a great deal of effort, they finally found the Black Tiger Fish she needed.
Song Qingpei thanked him, set Song Song down in the Living Room, and headed straight for the kitchen.
“Miss Song, let me handle that for you. The scales of a Black Tiger Fish are hard and sharp; it’s easy to cut your fingers,” the Head Cook said quickly, seeing Song Qingpei preparing to process the fish herself.
“It’s fine. I’ve done this often. I have experience.”
Song Qingpei expertly grabbed the flopping Black Tiger Fish. In a few deft movements, she had gutted the fish, removed the bones, and begun slicing the fillets, stunning the cook who stood beside her.
“Miss Song, your movements are so swift.”
No one knew that back when she was a wanderer, she would often risk catching Black Tiger Fish herself. She had been injured several times doing it, her hands left bloody and pierced, all to develop such efficient skill.
Song Qingpei didn’t elaborate on her past hardships. She just gave a faint smile and started boiling the noodles.
She had made this dish countless times. Soon, the fragrant Black Tiger Fish Topped Noodles were ready.
But out of habit, she had still prepared three portions.
Song Qingpei looked at the three bowls of noodles arranged before her and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. She really had to break this bad habit.
Just then, Song Song came running over, drawn by the aroma. “Mama, is it not ready yet? Songsong’s tummy is hungry.”
Song Song entered the kitchen and saw her mother staring blankly at the fragrant noodles. She reached out and shook Song Qingpei’s arm.
Snapping back to reality, Song Qingpei told Song Song to go wait in the Dining Room.
She quickly brought the noodles to the table. So what if there was an extra portion? At worst, she would just eat it all herself and be a little stuffed.
Faced with the beautiful and aromatic noodles, Song Song couldn’t wait to dig in.
As the two were happily eating, the sound of someone coming downstairs drew their attention.
Ming Yu was dressed today in a white Admiral’s uniform. A black insignia, the mark of her rank, was pinned to her collar. A black belt cinched her slender waist, and she wore military boots. In her hand, she held a pair of white gloves she hadn’t yet put on.
Song Qingpei froze for a second, then quickly looked away and went back to eating.
Song Song turned to see Ming Yu, her face breaking into a wide smile. “Mommy, Mama made fishy noodles today, and they’re super yummy! Come and try some!”
Hearing Song Song’s words, Ming Yu paused and turned her gaze to Song Qingpei.
But the person across from her didn’t even lift her eyes, let alone speak to her.
Ming Yu suppressed her anger and sat down at the table. She looked at the bowl of noodles before her, piled high with perfectly deboned fish fillets, just like Song Song’s.
Then she turned to look at Song Qingpei’s bowl, and she froze completely.
Song Qingpei’s bowl contained only a fish head and the scattered bits of meat clinging to the fish bones. The noodles seemed to have been drizzled with some fish broth. It was just like back when she hadn’t recovered her memory, when Song Qingpei would always save the meat from the belly of the Black Tiger Fish for her and Song Song.
The scene felt as if it were from another lifetime.2 The memories she had forcibly forgotten seemed to be slowly resurfacing.
The feeling left her a little panicked.
All along, in her world, anyone who approached her had the same ulterior motives—whether for money or power, they always wanted something.
Thinking of what Song Qingpei had said last night, her thoughts grew even more chaotic.
Ming Yu opened her mouth, trying to take the initiative to say something to Song Qingpei, but Song Qingpei was completely absorbed in her food. It was hard to tell if she hadn’t noticed Ming Yu’s gaze or was just pretending not to.
Feeling ignored, Ming Yu grew displeased. She spoke, her tone a little stiff. “Why the sudden urge to make Black Tiger Fish?”
“Song Song wanted to eat it, so I made it.”
Song Qingpei didn’t even look up. She hadn’t wanted to answer, but she feared Ming Yu would use it as an excuse to pick a fight,3 so she gave a perfunctory reply.
Ming Yu was taken aback by her cold, dismissive attitude.
And while she was stunned, Song Qingpei had already finished her bowl of noodles. She looked up and saw Ming Yu staring at the other bowl, neither eating nor speaking, her expression difficult to read.
A nameless fire4 ignited within her. This woman is probably cursing me out in her head right now. Something like, ‘a low-grade A like her isn’t worthy of cooking for me!’ Or maybe she thinks I’m playing the emotion card5 to make her soften up! Or that this is some kind of self-injury ploy6 to get her attention!
Song Qingpei decided to just reach out and take the bowl in front of Ming Yu to eat it herself.
Ming Yu, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to see Song Qingpei about to take her bowl. She instinctively reached out and slapped Song Qingpei’s hand away.
SLAP—
With a sharp crack, Song Qingpei instantly pulled her hand back.
A stinging pain flared across the back of her hand. She looked at Ming Yu, her eyes filled with fury. “What are you doing?”
Ming Yu’s elegant brows furrowed. “Who gave you permission to touch my food?”
The question made Song Qingpei laugh with rage.
“I made these noodles. Why can’t I touch them?”
Ming Yu’s eyes were fixed on Song Qingpei. She frowned. “You made an extra bowl. Wasn’t it for me?”
Song Qingpei cursed herself internally. From now on, I have to break this habit of making three of everything. Out loud, she said coldly, “You’re thinking too much. I simply wanted a second bowl.”
At those words, Ming Yu’s face turned ashen. Was she saying that Ming Yu was being presumptuous?7
“Song Qingpei, don’t go too far.”
Song Qingpei couldn’t be bothered with her. She reached for the noodles again. As if to deliberately defy her, Ming Yu sneered, pulled the bowl in front of herself, picked up her chopsticks, and stirred the noodles twice, looking as if she were about to eat.
Song Qingpei was speechless.
“Mama, Mommy, don’t fight!”
Song Song looked worried. It seemed like her mama and mommy didn’t get along very well.
“Songsong, we’re not fighting. Mama will feed you.”
Song Qingpei ignored Ming Yu and went to Song Song’s side, coaxing her to eat.
Having been lost in thought so many times this morning, Ming Yu felt increasingly panicked. The memories she had deliberately forgotten were becoming clearer as they were made real before her eyes.
And when she thought of Song Qingpei saying she loved her last night, her mind became even more of a mess.
She unconsciously tightened her grip on her chopsticks. When the familiar taste of the noodles filled her mouth, an inexplicable flutter stirred in her heart, and she was struck by a sudden impulse.
Perhaps she could give Song Qingpei a chance. A chance to get close to her.
“Song Qingpei, I think we should have a proper talk,” Ming Yu said, taking the initiative.
Song Qingpei looked up at her suspiciously but didn’t reply, clearly waiting for her to continue.
Ming Yu stroked her chin, feigning a casual air, and said in a tone dripping with charity, “I can… try to believe what you said yesterday. I’ll give you a chance. As long as you pass my test…”
“Oh, thank you so much!”
This time, Song Qingpei truly laughed from anger. She abruptly pushed her chair back. “Songsong, are you finished eating?”
Song Song patted her belly and nodded dazedly. “Hic! Songsong is full.”
“Then let’s go.”
Song Qingpei immediately took Song Song’s hand to leave.
Being completely ignored, Ming Yu finally lost her temper. She slammed her hand on the table. “Song Qingpei, are you even listening to me?”
Song Qingpei’s reaction to her fury was still faint. “I heard you. I’m not worthy.”
With that, she led Song Song straight upstairs.
Watching Song Qingpei’s departing figure, Ming Yu’s face turned livid with rage, her chest heaving violently. She took several deep breaths before she could force down the anger in her heart.
Without eating another bite, she rose and left in a fury.
Footnotes
- Original: xiǎo chán māo, literally ‘little greedy cat,’ an affectionate way to call a child a glutton.
- Original: huǎngrúgéshì, an idiom describing the feeling that a past event is so distant it feels like it happened in another life.
- Original: zhǎo chá, literally ‘to find fault,’ a common phrase for deliberately looking for trouble or provoking an argument.
- ‘Wúmínghuǒ’ or ‘nameless fire’ is a term for a sudden burst of anger that seems to come from nowhere.
- ‘Playing the emotion card’ (dǎ gǎnqíng pái) is a phrase for manipulating a situation by appealing to someone’s feelings or past relationship.
- The ‘kǔròu jì’ or ‘self-injury ploy’ is one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, a classic Chinese text on strategy. It involves harming oneself to deceive an opponent or win their sympathy.
- Original: zìzuò duōqíng, an idiom for mistakenly believing one’s feelings are reciprocated; to be full of oneself.
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