Top-Tier Omega: Chasing Alpha to the Crematorium – Chapter 16
by Little PandaJealousy
Song Qingpei took Song Song upstairs. They had only been playing for a short while when Song Song stopped.
She tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed like two little squiggly earthworms, an expression of sorrow that didn’t match her age.
“Songsong, what’s wrong? Is it not fun?”
Song Song shook her head and looked up. “Mama, do you hate Mommy?”
Song Qingpei instinctively denied it. “Mama doesn’t…”
“Don’t lie. Lying doesn’t make you a good chi… a good parent!”
The words caught in Song Qingpei’s throat.
She hadn’t wanted the adults’ relationship to affect her daughter’s upbringing, but after spending this time together, she realized it was impossible to pretend everything was fine with Ming Yu. Besides, Song Song was very sensitive to emotions. Her deliberate concealment seemed to have backfired.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have hidden it from the start.
Seeing her mother hang her head in silence, Song Song tugged at her sleeve, her big eyes blinking nervously. “Mama, say something. Don’t scare Songsong.”
Looking into her daughter’s perceptive eyes, Song Qingpei felt a pang of guilt.
She steeled herself and told the truth. “Songsong, Mama doesn’t like your mommy, but that doesn’t change the fact that we both love you.”
Song Song was confused. “Why don’t you like Mommy?”
Faced with her daughter’s question, Song Qingpei couldn’t find a way to explain. But she didn’t want to brush her off again. After a moment’s hesitation, she tried to simplify their conflict so her daughter could understand.
“Because she wronged Mama and won’t apologize. She has a bad temper, and she doesn’t correct her mistakes. That’s why Mama doesn’t like her.” After a pause, Song Qingpei added, “Songsong, don’t be like that, okay?”
“Okay. Songsong is a good girl who corrects her mistakes.”
Song Song nodded earnestly, then tilted her head again, looking troubled. “So, if Mommy apologizes, Mama will like her again, right?”
“Songsong, it’s not as simple as an apology.”
Song Qingpei looked distressed, truly at a loss for how to communicate this to her.
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted them.
It was Butler Su’s voice. “Miss Song, it’s time for the Little Miss’s lesson.”
At the mention of lessons, Song Song’s face scrunched up like a bitter melon. “Wuwuwu~ I don’t want lessons. Mama, Songsong doesn’t want to go to class~”
“No. When it’s time for class, you have to go.”
Song Qingpei firmly rejected the little one’s wheedling, went to open the door, and handed Song Song over to Butler Su.
As Butler Su took Song Song, he looked at Song Qingpei with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something but was holding back.
His probing gaze made Song Qingpei very uncomfortable. “Butler Su, if you have something to say, please say it directly,” she said bluntly.
Only then did Butler Su speak. “Miss Song, because of the argument with you this morning, the Admiral went to the military headquarters without even eating breakfast. You may not know this, but the Admiral’s stomach isn’t very good…”
“I know. So what?”
Song Qingpei’s slightly angry interruption made Butler Su stare at her, stunned.
No one knew that when she had first found Ming Yu, the woman had been covered in injuries, on the verge of death at any moment. She had exhausted every means to coax her to eat.
Thinking of it now only made her heart turn cold. Was she supposed to worry about her precious Admiral’s mood now?
This was too much. There was no such logic in this world.
Realizing she had lost her composure, Song Qingpei took a deep breath to calm herself. “Butler Su, not eating is her own business. It has nothing to do with me. You should go talk to Ming Yu.”
Butler Su was good at reading people. Sensing her anger, he quickly dropped the subject.
“Miss Song, I overstepped. I’ll take the Little Miss to her lesson now.”
“Bye-bye, Mama!”
Song Song waved with a pained look on her face. Song Qingpei forced a smile and watched them leave.
The moment they were gone, her expression turned grim. She probably couldn’t stay here much longer.
Song Qingpei returned to her room and opened a job-seeking app, preparing to find work.
But this was Planet Lan. With her qualifications, finding a job wouldn’t be easy.
She was an orphan. After being adopted by her foster mother, she had wandered the stars with her and had no legal Star Alliance identity. Later, by a strange twist of fate, she saved Ming Yu. After they had a child, she wanted to provide a stable life for them, so she found a way to obtain legal status on a fringe planet and earned a junior repair technician certificate.
She filled out her job application information and sent it out aimlessly to many companies. But because her technician certificate was such a low level, all her applications were like a clay ox entering the sea1—they vanished without a trace.
The lack of response was disheartening, but she could only continue to cast a wide net with her resume.
Unexpectedly, a mech R&D company called Blue Sea actually contacted her, enthusiastically inviting her for an interview.
Seeing as none of her other applications had received a reply, Song Qingpei decided to go and see, just to try her luck.
But when she arrived, she learned that this company, Blue Sea, was actually very famous. They primarily repaired the highest-grade combat mechs. She couldn’t help but sigh. The HR department must have made a mistake to invite her for an interview.
Sigh. She had run a white trip again.2
To her surprise, the receptionist greeted her warmly. “Song Qingpei, correct? You’re here to apply for the mech repair technician position. Please follow me.”
She was a low-grade A with very low Mental Strength. How could she possibly repair mechs?
Song Qingpei knew her own limits and quickly waved her hands. “No, no, that’s not necessary. There’s been a mistake. I’m just a low-grade A with only a junior repair technician certificate. I’m not qualified to apply for a combat mech repair position. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
She apologized dejectedly and turned to leave.
“Wait.”
A pleasant female voice suddenly stopped her.
Song Qingpei turned around in surprise. A beautiful woman in a white suit was walking toward her, holding a resume. “You’re Song Qingpei, here to apply for the mech repair technician position, correct?”
Song Qingpei froze for a second, then asked instinctively, “And you are?”
The woman’s eyes held a smile as she gazed at her. “I am the head of Blue Sea’s mech repair department, Murong Ruixue.”
Murong Ruixue?
Song Qingpei was stunned, completely baffled as to why someone of her stature would stop her.
She hurried to explain, “Um, you’ve misunderstood. My Mental Strength is very poor…”
Murong Ruixue cut her off firmly. “No, Miss Song. You are exceptional.”
But Song Qingpei, who had a very clear understanding of her own abilities, couldn’t bring herself to believe her. “You’ve really made a mistake,” she said frankly. “I only have a junior repair technician certificate. It’s impossible for me to handle combat mech repair…”
“Nothing is impossible. Please trust my professional judgment.”
Murong Ruixue raised a slender, pale hand and brushed back a strand of her wavy brown hair, giving Song Qingpei a dazzling smile full of charm.
Song Qingpei was dumbfounded. “But my test results say I’m a low-grade A…”
“Then there must have been a problem with the testing equipment.”
Song Qingpei was speechless.
She felt that something was strange, but for a moment, she couldn’t put her finger on what was wrong.
Not wanting to get tangled in this topic any longer, she politely excused herself. “I’m sorry for the trouble. I really can’t do it. I’ll be going now.”
It wasn’t until she reached the elevator doors that Murong Ruixue spoke again, her voice unhurried. “Miss Song, why sell yourself short? Believe me, as long as you’re willing to work hard, you can definitely become a qualified senior mech repair technician.”
Song Qingpei froze, her steps halting.
She turned to look at the woman, completely unable to guess her intentions.
Murong Ruixue smiled at her. “Miss Song, even a so-called low-grade A can have very strong Mental Strength. Why not give yourself a chance?”
Song Qingpei looked at her in disbelief. “Really?”
“Of course,” Murong Ruixue said, full of confidence.
Song Qingpei hesitated for a few seconds.
Murong Ruixue smiled. “Miss Song, what is there to hesitate about? You have nothing to lose. Why not give yourself a chance?”
In the end, her strong desire for success made Song Qingpei nod. “I… I’m willing to try.”
“Excellent.” Murong Ruixue’s smile grew even brighter. “Come, let’s do a Mental Strength test first.”
“Okay.”
Song Qingpei followed her into the elevator and up to the top floor.
They entered a room behind a heavy, silver-gray metal door. The space inside was enormous, like a small laboratory.
Murong Ruixue lifted her wrist and keyed in a code.
The metal door slid open slowly. The light from within was so bright that Song Qingpei couldn’t open her eyes. It took a long moment for them to adjust.
“This is the Mental Strength testing room.”
The spacious, brightly lit room was fully equipped with all kinds of facilities, all of them top-of-the-line. One glance was enough to see its extraordinary value.
“Sit here, and we’ll do the Mental Strength test first.”
Murong Ruixue pointed to a spot and patiently explained the basics, like how to regulate the output of her Mental Strength. Then she instructed, “Miss Song, please release your Mental Strength. We will begin the test now.”
“Okay.”
Song Qingpei did as she was told.
Vmmm—
A ripple spread out, forming a small wave pattern on the testing console.
Murong Ruixue immediately stepped forward to carefully examine her Mental Strength data. She couldn’t help but be shocked by the glaring letters on the screen—
It was actually SSS!!!
The Star Alliance’s testing for Mental Strength was basically the same as for pheromones. The levels were Low-grade, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS. The lowest, Low-grade, had almost no Mental Strength and could only perform menial jobs. C- to A-rank individuals could hold relatively high-level jobs and formed the backbone of society.
S-rank was the dividing line. Only those who reached S-rank were qualified to pilot a mech. From S to SS, and then to SSS, the gap between each level was the distance between sky and earth.
As for SSS-rank Mental Strength, there were probably fewer than ten such people in the entire Star Alliance.
Even Murong Ruixue, who had been hailed as a genius since childhood, only had SS-rank Mental Strength. She felt an indescribable mix of shock and joy, thinking to herself, As expected of the most successful test subject.
Seeing Murong Ruixue staring at the results with a calm expression, Song Qingpei’s mood grew even more complicated.
After her experience with Li Man’s test, she really didn’t want to be disappointed again.
Noticing the anxiety in her eyes, Murong Ruixue pulled her thoughts back. For various reasons, she didn’t tell Song Qingpei the real test results. Instead, she chose a compromise.
She smiled. “Congratulations. Your Mental Strength can reach S-rank. You are qualified to be a combat mech repair technician.”
“S-rank?” Song Qingpei was stunned. It took her a long moment to process it. “How is that possible?”
While Song Qingpei was still in a daze, Murong Ruixue quickly modified the test results and handed them to her. “See? I wouldn’t lie to you, would I?”
Song Qingpei took the results with trembling hands, ecstatic and at a loss for how to express her feelings.
Taking advantage of her daze, Murong Ruixue seized the opportunity. “Miss Song, you completely meet our hiring requirements. Why don’t you sign the contract now? You can start work tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
Song Qingpei dumbly took the pen, but a final shred of reason stopped her. “Isn’t this a bit too fast? I…”
Murong Ruixue realized she had indeed been too hasty. Fearing Song Qingpei would become suspicious, she quickly said, “It’s fine, no rush. I’ll have someone show you around first.”
For the rest of the day, Song Qingpei was so stunned by the high-end technology she encountered that she completely lost track of time.
When Ming Yu returned home after her military meeting, she frowned upon learning that Song Qingpei wasn’t back yet.
It was already nine o’clock at night. What was that woman doing? She hadn’t run away again, had she?
For a moment, she even felt a flicker of panic.
Forcefully suppressing the complex emotions in her heart, she turned to look for Song Song, only to find her on a video call with Song Qingpei, who was saying she would be home soon. Only then did Ming Yu let out a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief.
“Mama, come back soon. Songsong will wait for you.”
Song Song hung up the phone and finally saw Ming Yu standing in the doorway.
She blinked, her little face turning serious as she looked at Ming Yu. “Mommy, a good parent has to correct their mistakes.”
Ming Yu paused. “What?”
“Mama said she hates you.” Song Song’s face was stern. “You wronged Mama, and Mama is very angry. So you have to go apologize. Then Mama will forgive you and not hate you, you know?”
Ming Yu’s expression darkened. “Your mama told you that?”
“Mama said she doesn’t want to talk to you.” Song Song shook her head helplessly and gave her a little push. “Mommy, hurry up and go apologize~”
A flicker of hesitation crossed Ming Yu’s eyes.
She had wronged Song Qingpei over the Seduction Perfume and had even slapped her. It was true that she had been impulsive.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about apologizing, but… when she remembered Song Qingpei’s attitude that morning, she was unwilling to bow her head.
Her pride and dignity wouldn’t allow her to be so humble.
Seeing that she wasn’t moving, Song Song huffed in a tiny, indignant voice, “Mommy, if you don’t correct your mistake and you make Mama angry, I won’t talk to you either!”
Ming Yu was speechless.
“I’ll wait for your mama to come back. You go to bed early.”
“Okay! You have to apologize!”
“Go, Mommy, go!”
Song Song made a cheering gesture, then closed the door and obediently went to her bedroom to rest.
But Ming Yu’s mind was far from calm. She sat alone on the sofa in the Great Hall, the silence so profound you could hear a pin drop, and her thoughts grew more and more chaotic.
For the first time, she seriously asked herself: what was she going to do about Song Qingpei?
Her original plan had been to keep her around for now, and once Song Song was used to her, she would find a way to get rid of Song Qingpei. But now… what Song Qingpei had said to her that night had truly made her waver.
She said she really loved her, and it sounded true. To drive her away so cruelly would be a bit ‘not close to human feelings’.
It was my fault for wrongly accusing her, Ming Yu reasoned with herself. I might as well lower my head and give her a way out. As long as this woman takes good care of Songsong and is content with her lot and keeps to herself, it’s not like I can’t keep her around…
Click.
The sound of the door opening cut through Ming Yu’s thoughts.
Song Qingpei appeared, dressed in a light beige professional suit. Her long hair was tied up, and she wore light makeup. The overall effect was both elegant and capable.
She walked in with a light step, and was startled to see Ming Yu.
She was in a genuinely good mood today and didn’t want Ming Yu to ruin it, so she spoke pleasantly. “What are you doing sitting here? Is Songsong asleep?”
“She’s asleep.”
Ming Yu glanced at her coolly, her tone flat. “I was waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me for what?” Song Qingpei was taken aback.
Ming Yu’s face was a tight mask. Her lips parted, but the words “I’m sorry” simply wouldn’t come out.
Song Qingpei gave her a baffled look. Seeing her sour expression and her silence, she mentally grumbled, Crazy.
She moved past Ming Yu to head upstairs. “I’m so tired. I’m going to rest.”
She had barely taken a step when Ming Yu suddenly grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. The pull sent Song Qingpei stumbling, nearly falling into her arms. She steadied herself by grabbing Ming Yu’s wrist.
Song Qingpei looked up at her, annoyed. “What are you doing?”
Ming Yu’s gaze shifted slightly away from their locked eyes. She looked down and said in a low voice, “I’m sor—”
Before she could finish, their proximity allowed the unfamiliar scent of another Omega’s pheromones on Song Qingpei to suddenly hit her nose. Ming Yu froze, her reason instantly vanishing. It was as if she’d been possessed by an Omega who had just caught their wife cheating. The apology was completely thrown beyond the ninth heaven.3
She gripped Song Qingpei’s shoulders, her voice a nearly hysterical roar. “Song Qingpei, where did you go tonight?!”
Footnotes
- The idiom ‘a clay ox enters the sea’ (níniú rù hǎi) describes something that disappears completely, never to be seen again, like a statue made of clay dissolving in water.
- ‘Bái pǎo yī tàng’ is a common phrase meaning to make a trip in vain or for no result.
- An idiom for something being completely forgotten or cast aside (jiǔxiāoyúnwài).
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