Top-Tier Omega: Chasing Alpha to the Crematorium – Chapter 81
by Little PandaConsenting to the Marriage
Ming Yu sat in the study, staring fixedly at the communicator in front of her.
A month had passed without any news. The encrypted channel was so quiet it felt as if it didn’t even exist.
“Mommy!”
A crisp, childish voice approached from a distance, accompanied by the pat, pat, pat of little footsteps.
Before Ming Yu could adjust her expression, a warm little bundle crashed into her embrace. Song Song looked up, her large, dark, shining eyes filled with anticipation. “Mommy, are you thinking about Mama?”
Ming Yu’s nose pricked with emotion, and she instinctively hugged her daughter tighter. “Mmh.”
“I really miss Mama too.” Song Song tugged at the buttons on Ming Yu’s military uniform with her small hands and whispered, “When is Mama coming back?”
A sharp pang pierced Ming Yu’s chest.
Gently stroking the crown of her daughter’s head, she murmured, “Very soon. Mama… Mama will be back very soon.”
“How soon is very soon? Tomorrow?” Song Song pressed relentlessly, gesturing with her tiny hands. “Or the day after tomorrow? I really, really miss Mama…”
How could Ming Yu not feel the same?
Suppressing the prickling sting in her eyes, Ming Yu spoke as if comforting Song Song, though she was also comforting herself.
“Song Song, Mama… will be back very soon.”
Song Song’s shoulders slumped. “Mmh… Mommy, I really miss Mama. She hasn’t even called us once. Does Mama not miss us?”
Hearing her daughter’s words, Ming Yu felt an even more bitter ache swell in her chest.
For a moment, she had no idea what to say or do.
“Admiral,” Butler Su’s voice called out from the doorway, timely interrupting the heartbreaking topic. “Lieutenant General Zhan has arrived. She says it is urgent.”
Ming Yu cast an almost grateful look at Butler Su. “Please show her into the study.”
She gently set Song Song down on the floor and smoothed out her military uniform, which her daughter had rumpled. “Song Song, be good and go have something to eat with Grandma Su, okay? Mommy has work to discuss.”
Though reluctant, Song Song nodded obediently. “Then Mommy, remember to tell Mama that I miss her so much, and tell her to come back quickly, okay?”
“Alright, Mommy will get Mama to come back quickly.”
“Then Mommy, go ahead with your work. I’m going.”
Song Song finished speaking with sweet compliance, then turned and skipped away.
The moment the study door clicked shut, the smile Ming Yu had forced herself to wear instantly collapsed.
She raised a hand to press against her temple, where a dull ache throbbed. Ever since Song Qingpei left, these headaches had become a frequent occurrence. The doctor had attributed them to excessive mental strain.
Before Ming Yu could even catch her breath, a furious shout rang out.
“Ming Yu!”
Zhan Nansheng burst into the room.
Her military uniform was in disarray, her hair was unkempt, and heavy dark circles shadowed her eyes, making her look like an entirely different person from her usual immaculate self.
The instant she entered, she rushed to the desk and demanded harshly, “Ming Yu, what on earth are you waiting for?!”
Ming Yu slowly raised her head, her gaze sharp as a blade. “Zhan Nansheng, watch your tone.”
“What tone?!” Zhan Nansheng’s voice was hoarse, her eyes shot with blood. “Wu Lan was a fool to trust you! She believed you had a way to get her out, but look at you now! You haven’t made a single move!”
Unperturbed, Ming Yu replied calmly, “Wu Lan’s situation depends entirely on your father. Since you have not given him what he wants, he naturally won’t release Wu Lan so easily.”
“What do you mean by that?” Zhan Nansheng leaned forward abruptly, her face twisted with frustration. “I beg him every single day! But it doesn’t work at all.”
“Begging?” Ming Yu interrupted with a cold laugh. “You know what kind of person your father is better than I do. If begging worked, your mother wouldn’t have died back then.”
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Zhan Nansheng’s head.
She stumbled back two paces, her face instantly draining of color. “How… how do you know about…”
“That is not important.” Ming Yu stood up, walked around the desk, and stopped in front of Zhan Nansheng. “What is important is what your father needs most right now.”
Zhan Nansheng stared at her in silence.
“An alliance through marriage,” Ming Yu said, enunciating each word. “Hasn’t your father always wanted to secure the support of the Qin family?”
“Agree to marry Qin Shuang?” Zhan Nansheng’s voice pitched up sharply. “Impossible! Wu Lan…”
“She will understand,” Ming Yu interrupted calmly. “This is the only condition that will make Zhan Li relent. Or…” She paused slightly. “Would you rather keep watching Wu Lan be tortured by your father?”
Zhan Nansheng’s pupils contracted violently. It was as if all the strength had been drained from her body, and she collapsed onto the sofa.
“No… No matter what, Wu Lan… Nothing must happen to her.”
Seeing her uncharacteristic loss of composure, Ming Yu’s expression softened slightly. She did not want to see anything happen to Wu Lan either; both her intuition and Wu Lan’s past actions indicated that Wu Lan bore no ill will toward Qingpei.
If she were forced into a direct confrontation with Zhan Li, Wu Lan would be a powerful ally.
At this thought, Ming Yu offered a rare hint on her own initiative. “It is merely acting out a play. Set a wedding date. Once your father releases Wu Lan, we will find a way for you to flee the wedding.”
Zhan Nansheng snapped her head up. “You will help me?”
Ming Yu hesitated briefly, then gave her word: “Rest assured. Once Wu Lan is released, I will find a way to arrange for you both to leave.”
A spark of hope flared in Zhan Nansheng’s eyes, only to quickly dim. “My father won’t be fooled so easily… He will definitely have us monitored…”
“So this play must be performed convincingly.” Ming Yu looked at her, seemingly waiting for her to take a stand.
Zhan Nansheng remained silent for a long time.
Ming Yu did not speak either.
The study plunged into a dead silence, broken only by the steady tick, tick of the antique wall clock.
Ming Yu turned it over in her mind. This play had to be performed with Zhan Nansheng’s full cooperation. After all, once this farce was over, the relationship between Zhan Li and the Qin family would inevitably grow tense, which might directly threaten Zhan Li’s presidency.
If it were her, she would likely never do such a thing.
But this eldest miss, Zhan Nansheng, was not a rational person. There was no guaranteeing her emotions wouldn’t get the better of her…
Before Ming Yu could finish her train of thought, she heard Zhan Nansheng speak. “Ming Yu, why are you helping us?” Her eyes were filled with scrutiny. “You know exactly how high the risks are.”
Ming Yu’s gaze drifted to the family portrait on the desk—it was one she and Song Qingpei had taken with Song Song during the school’s Children’s Day. In the photo, Song Qingpei held their daughter in her arms, her smile as bright as sunshine.
“Perhaps…” Ming Yu sighed softly, her words half-true, half-veiled. “It is because I understand better than anyone the taste of loving someone you cannot have.”
Following her gaze, Zhan Nansheng seemed to understand. Ultimately, she said, “Fine. I will tell my father that I agree to marry Qin Shuang.”
“Do not worry. I promise I will see you both safely away,” Ming Yu vowed solemnly.
“I believe you,” Zhan Nansheng said, her tone as abrasive as ever. “Though I can’t stand the sight of you, I still trust your abilities.”
Ming Yu paid no mind to her sharp tongue, not even speaking a word.
Having reached an agreement, Zhan Nansheng turned and departed.
The moment the study door closed, Ming Yu went completely limp.
Supporting herself against the edge of the desk, she was suddenly seized by a wave of dizziness. Sensing a faint, subtle movement in her womb, she instinctively placed a hand over her already slightly rounded lower abdomen.
“Be good, baby,” she murmured softly. “We will wait for Mama to come back together…”
Ming Yu stared blankly out the window, the faint shimmer of tears at the corners of her eyes betraying the turmoil in her heart.
Taking a deep breath, she once again activated her communicator and pulled up the encrypted channel.
The screen was still completely empty. No new messages, no coordinates—only a suffocating silence.
She had no idea where Song Qingpei was or whether she was safe, but she had to believe. She had to believe in that promise, and believe that they would eventually be reunited.
“Qingpei…” Her fingertips lightly brushed the cold glass of the screen. “You must return safely.”
On the other side.
Zhan Nansheng stood outside the door of the Presidential Palace study, her fingers hovering in midair, hesitating to knock.
Exhaling a long breath, she kept her back beneath her military uniform ramrod straight, as if this alone could summon a few more ounces of courage.
As if sensing her presence, Zhan Li’s deep voice echoed from within the room. “Come in. What does it look like, standing out there?”
She pushed the door open and entered. Zhan Li stood with his back to her in front of a panoramic window, his frame erect. Though past fifty, he still exuded an air of inviolable authority.
“Father,” Zhan Nansheng said, her voice somewhat dry. “I have made my decision.”
Zhan Li turned slowly, his hawk-like gaze landing on his daughter. “Oh?”
“I agree to marry Qin Shuang,” she said, emphasizing every single word. “But you must release Wu Lan.”
Zhan Li’s gaze chilled instantly, his disappointment almost turning palpable. “Nansheng, you are the daughter of Zhan Li and the future successor to the presidency, yet you have lost your mind to this extent over a mere Alpha. You have truly disappointed me.”
“Father!” Zhan Nansheng snapped her head up, a stubborn light flashing in her eyes. “Back then, didn’t you also, for the sake of Mother—”
“Silence!” Zhan Li cut her off sharply, veins bulging at his temples. “What is Wu Lan even worth? A wolf-hearted, dog-lunged wretch1 like her does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as your mother!”
Zhan Nansheng’s chest heaved violently as she fought to keep her rage in check. “You do not understand the real her at all.”
“I have no need to understand,” Zhan Li sneered. “Two weeks from now, you and Qin Shuang will hold your wedding. As for Wu Lan…” He deliberately dragged out his words, “I will release her on the day of the wedding.”
“What?” Zhan Nansheng’s expression shifted drastically. “That is too long. Can you not—”
“No. It must be after the wedding has concluded.” Zhan Li narrowed his eyes. “Of course, if any accidents happen during the wedding…”
His unfinished words were thick with menace.
She should have known all along that her father would never relent so easily.
“Fine. I agree,” Zhan Nansheng finally agreed through gritted teeth.
As Zhan Nansheng turned to leave, Zhan Li’s voice drifted from behind her. “Nansheng, put away those petty schemes of yours. Do not disappoint me.”
Her steps paused. She did not look back, the sound of her military boots against the marble floor sounding exceptionally heavy.
Inside the interrogation room, Wu Lan sat upon a cold metal chair, the nerve inhibitors on her wrists occasionally crackling with flashes of blue electricity. She was far thinner than she had been three months ago, her face gaunt, yet her dark eyes remained as bright as ever.
The display screen on the wall was broadcasting Zhan Nansheng’s engagement interview.
“Qin Shuang and I have known each other for many years and share a mutual admiration…” Zhan Nansheng’s voice came through the speaker, as flat and emotionless as still water. “I look forward to our wedding.”
The corner of Wu Lan’s mouth curled into a self-deprecating smirk.
She had known all along that Zhan Nansheng would agree, but she had not expected it to happen so soon.
Sensing a watchful eye, Wu Lan smiled toward the empty interrogation room. “Have you seen enough, Acting Director Chen?”
Behind the one-way glass, Chen Duo pressed the communication button with a dark, sullen face. “You are as sharp as ever, Director Wu. Congratulations. Once the wedding is over, you will have the ‘honor’ of being reassigned to the Sirius System.” He placed a deliberate, heavy emphasis on the word ‘honor.’ “Of course, that is assuming the wedding proceeds without a hitch.”
Wu Lan closed her eyes, ignoring the man’s provocation.
She knew Zhan Nansheng all too well. That stubborn eldest miss would never submit easily. This wedding was destined to be anything but peaceful.
And she herself only needed to wait patiently.
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