Chapter 55: The Omega Abandoned After a One-Night Stand (12)
As Su Mingxiu sat down in the cool director’s office, a faint scent of osmanthus lingered in her nose.
Perhaps because she had been enveloped by the Omega’s sweet fragrance before, Su Mingxiu was particularly sensitive to Chu Ruan’s scent.
Even after years of separation, she could still accurately detect the other party’s suppressed pheromones at such close proximity, mixed with the scent of osmanthus flowers from her hoodie, creating an even more alluring fragrance.
Steam rose from the freshly brewed tea, the gradually spreading aroma dispersing the lingering floral scent. Su Mingxiu quickly regained her composure, thinking that her performance shouldn’t have disappointed the protagonist.
After all, Chu Ruan had been so eager to escape this marriage a few years ago. She shouldn’t want Su Mingxiu to reappear in her life and cause trouble.
“Dr. Su.”
While waiting for the water to boil, Director Zou first expressed his welcome on behalf of the school, showering Su Mingxiu with exaggerated praise and flattery. Unfortunately, Su Mingxiu had no interest in listening to an old man’s compliments and interrupted him in time.
“Director Zou, you misunderstand. I accepted this invitation for two reasons: firstly, to give back to my alma mater, and secondly, for some personal reasons.”
Some time ago, the Su family had mentioned in their family group chat that a younger member had been accepted into her alma mater.
But her parents were too busy with work, constantly traveling for business, and couldn’t even accompany their child to school for the start of the new semester.
Coincidentally, Jingui High School had also invited Su Mingxiu to this year’s opening ceremony. They asked her to check on their niece and see if she was adapting well to school life if she had time.
These words were just courtesy. In reality, with the Su family’s current background, they could easily send an assistant to assess the school’s facilities and teaching staff.
However, because Su Mingxiu had been developing her business far from the city for the past few years and had made Future Biology so successful, they wanted the younger generation to get closer to her, hoping for her support in the future.
Su Mingxiu knew the importance of reciprocation, having enjoyed the resources provided by the Su family to achieve her current success.
Now, she briefly explained her purpose to Director Zou. After receiving the list of new students, she successfully found the name in Class 1, Grade 1—
Su Xinyan.
Director Zou, understanding her intentions, poured her a cup of tea. Seeing the scorching sun outside, thinking about how the Su family’s child was currently enduring the heat with the other students, he suggested with a smile: “Why don’t I call Student Su over? Having a role model like you as an elder, I believe she will definitely grow into an outstanding student in the future.”
Hearing this, Su Mingxiu raised her eyes slightly, a faint smile in her eyes. She replied half-jokingly: “Is that convenient?”
“Of course,” Director Zou gave her an even more perfect excuse. “School officially starts tomorrow, and there’s a flag-raising ceremony. Student Su Xinyan was admitted with the highest score in her year. I was just about to ask her to give a speech under the national flag.”
Su Mingxiu didn’t object.
***
When Su Xinyan arrived at the office, Director Zou tactfully left the room for the aunt and niece, excusing himself to catch those students who were skipping the assembly.
The little girl in a white school uniform still had a baby face. She walked to the tea table and looked at Su Mingxiu with surprise. “Auntie?”
In the original owner’s memories, this little niece had always been a sucker for beautiful people. She had inherited her parents’ good genes and was particularly fond of beauties. During past Chinese New Year celebrations, she would always cling to Su Mingxiu, even declaring that her aunt was the most beautiful person in the world.
Su Mingxiu hadn’t been back for the past three years. The adolescent child had grown taller and matured both physically and mentally. Although Su Xinyan was happy, she was also a bit reserved, not daring to jump into Su Mingxiu’s arms like she used to.
But thinking about Su Mingxiu’s speech on the stage earlier, she felt a sense of pride. She felt that her aunt was even more radiant than she remembered. If it weren’t for the unfamiliar environment, she would definitely brag about her family’s treasure to everyone.
“You’ve grown taller.” Su Mingxiu beckoned her to sit on the chair beside her. Whether it was because of their blood ties or the girl’s endearing personality, she felt a sense of closeness to Su Xinyan.
Sensing the familiar warmth in her aunt’s eyes, Su Xinyan became less nervous. But before she could even warm up her seat, she leaned closer to Su Mingxiu and whispered mysteriously: “Auntie, you know what? Our Chinese teacher looks a lot like your fiancée.”
“Hmm?”
“Look,” Su Xinyan took out her phone and showed her a photo sent by a friend from Class 2. “This is our Chinese teacher, she’s also the homeroom teacher for the class next door. Doesn’t she look a lot like your fiancée?”
Actually, the little girl had only heard about this from her family and had briefly seen a photo.
Initially, she had been quite curious, planning to wait until Su Mingxiu brought her fiancée home during the holidays so she could see what kind of celestial being was worthy of her aunt. But after waiting and waiting, her gossip fire had died down, and she hadn’t seen Su Mingxiu’s fiancée.
It was already impressive that she could still vaguely remember Chu Ruan’s appearance.
Su Mingxiu only smiled without saying anything. To prevent the little girl from continuing to talk about Chu Ruan, she wanted to ask about the other teachers.
But as her gaze swept over Su Xinyan, she inadvertently noticed a mark on the girl’s neck, visible above her collar. She asked subconsciously:
“What’s that on your neck?”
Su Xinyan instinctively touched her neck, then realized something and smiled at her aunt: “It’s a suppression tattoo sticker, for Omegas. My friend brought it back from abroad during summer vacation. Of course, Auntie, your company’s products are the best. I just wanted to try something new, don’t worry, after I finish using this, I’ll still be your most loyal customer.”
Such sweet talk at such a young age, Su Mingxiu couldn’t help but chuckle.
She had been spending most of her time in the laboratory, and there were no Omegas around her, so she wasn’t aware that such things existed abroad. She decided to have someone bring some back for her to study the materials.
But whether it was because she had mentioned it or something else, Su Xinyan kept touching her neck during their conversation, catching Su Mingxiu’s attention.
“What’s wrong?”
“It feels a bit itchy…” Su Xinyan scratched absentmindedly, then put down her hand and asked her aunt eagerly: “You haven’t been back for so long. I heard that the food in Jingui’s cafeteria is terrible. For the sake of your niece who’s about to suffer for days, why don’t you take me out for a good meal after school?”
Su Mingxiu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she shifted her gaze and saw the red mark on Su Xinyan’s neck, which was even slightly raised on her fair skin. She frowned.
“Where’s the school infirmary?”
“Huh?”
***
“Ah!”
On the playground.
A student with poor physical constitution, after listening to the speeches under the scorching sun for too long, fainted.
A few teachers rushed over, dispersing the students who wanted to watch the commotion. Finally, the homeroom teacher and the PE teacher carried the student to the infirmary.
The unfortunate student happened to be from Class 2, Grade 1. Chu Ruan arrived at the infirmary first and knocked on the closed wooden door. “Knock, knock, is the school doctor in? A student—”
Before she could finish speaking, the door was pulled open from inside. She was suddenly met with those alluring eyes, and she couldn’t help but freeze.
She hadn’t expected to see Su Mingxiu again so soon.
“The school doctor is out, I’m borrowing the infirmary,” Su Mingxiu explained calmly, not as surprised as Chu Ruan. “What happened to the student?”
At this moment, the PE teacher hurried over, carrying the student on his back. His voice overshadowed Chu Ruan’s: “A student fainted! It seems like heatstroke, please take a look!”
Jingui High School had recruited many new teachers this year. The PE teacher didn’t even recognize all the homeroom teachers, let alone the rarely seen school doctor.
Moreover, he had been busy patrolling earlier and wasn’t interested in the celebrities invited by the school. So he didn’t recognize Su Mingxiu at all.
Su Mingxiu stepped aside, letting him carry the student inside and place them on a bed behind a curtain.
A weak voice came from behind the curtain: “Auntie?”
“Yes, just wait a moment.” After checking the fainted student’s pupillary response, pulse, and heartbeat, Su Mingxiu disinfected her stethoscope with a wet wipe and placed it on the table beside her. She said to the PE teacher: “It’s heatstroke. They just need to rest in a cool, ventilated place and replenish their electrolytes.”
Hearing this, the PE teacher waved his hand and walked out, pointing at Chu Ruan who was still there. “She’s the student’s homeroom teacher, you can tell her.”
Chu Ruan, suddenly meeting Su Mingxiu’s gaze, felt awkward, not knowing where to put her hands. After a while, she squeezed out a sentence: “T-thank you?”
At this moment…
The curtain beside them was pulled open, and a fair face peeked out. Meeting Chu Ruan’s gaze, the girl said: “Eh, Teacher Chu?”
Chu Ruan found her familiar, but she wasn’t from her class. So she was stunned. Su Xinyan, however, introduced herself cheerfully. Halfway through, she saw Su Mingxiu approaching and quickly turned her gaze, looking at her aunt pitifully like a little dove, cooing with a sad expression: “Auntie, Auntie, my neck is still itchy, why is this medicine so slow?”
“Serves you right,” Su Mingxiu said, preparing an injection for another student. She didn’t even look back. “Who told you to be so careless and use something you don’t even know the origin of?”
She had already scanned it with the system—
The material of the suppression tattoo sticker on Su Xinyan’s neck was terrible. It was just flashy to appeal to young children. Omega skin was delicate, especially near the gland. Now that she was having an allergic reaction, it would be troublesome to treat.
After giving her some temporary treatment in the infirmary, Su Mingxiu planned to excuse her from school and take her to a specialized hospital for a checkup.
The Su family rarely had Omegas, and Su Xinyan was practically treated as a treasure by the entire family. The infirmary’s equipment was limited, and no matter how experienced Su Mingxiu was, she didn’t dare to jump to conclusions.
Hearing her aunt’s casual reprimand, the little girl behind the curtain slumped dejectedly, feeling that her plan for a good meal tonight had been ruined.
Thinking of this, Su Xinyan reached up to scratch the tattoo sticker on her neck in frustration, just as Su Mingxiu turned around after finishing treating the student with heatstroke. “Don’t touch it, I’ll take care of it later. Do you have a suppression collar?”
The infirmary had some, but perhaps because few students needed them, they were locked up with other valuable medicines.
“No.”
Su Xinyan shook her head carelessly again.
At this moment, Chu Ruan, who had been watching them silently, said tentatively: “I have one, do you need it now?”
Before Su Mingxiu could answer, her niece smiled at Chu Ruan cheerfully: “Thank you, Teacher Chu! You’re such a good person!”
Chu Ruan: “…”
She felt a strange mix of emotions.
But seeing that Su Mingxiu didn’t object, she stood up and walked out. As she left, she heard Su Mingxiu asking Su Xinyan if she had any more of those suppression tattoo stickers, saying she wanted to study them. The little girl replied in her innocent voice: “No, this one lasts for a month. I was planning to bring a suppression collar next time I go home.”
***
Five minutes later.
Chu Ruan returned to the infirmary and handed something to Su Mingxiu—
An unopened pheromone suppression collar and a set of Omega suppression tattoo stickers. Before the other person could ask, she explained softly: “My friend also brought me this new product when she went abroad. I forgot to take it out of my bag. I wonder if it can help you?”
As she spoke, Chu Ruan’s gaze was fixed on Su Mingxiu’s sleeve.
Standing so close, she could even clearly see the pinstripes on Su Mingxiu’s dark blue suit. They were made of thin silver threads, understated yet luxurious, perfectly complementing the golden star on her cufflink.
She had seen many people wear suits, but she couldn’t think of anyone who looked better in them than Su Mingxiu.
Chu Ruan’s thoughts wandered. She couldn’t explain her current feelings towards Su Mingxiu. Was it caution? Guilt? Regret? Inferiority?
Perhaps it was a mix of all these emotions.
She thought she had adjusted her mentality, but standing before Su Mingxiu again, Chu Ruan realized that she couldn’t suppress the turmoil in her heart.
Until…
Those gloved fingertips brushed against her cheek, picking up a small cluster of osmanthus flowers as they withdrew.
Chu Ruan looked up in a daze, her gaze meeting those deep, gentle, and mysterious eyes. “I wanted to tell you earlier, Teacher Chu, you have something on your clothes, didn’t you notice?”
Before Chu Ruan could answer, Su Mingxiu casually placed the osmanthus flowers on the table beside her, took the items from Chu Ruan’s hand, and thanked her sincerely.
Then, she asked where the homeroom teacher for Class 1 was, saying she wanted to excuse Su Xinyan from school.
Chu Ruan answered instinctively. After that faint mint fragrance left, she still hadn’t recovered from the previous encounter.
The scene of sharing that meal with Su Mingxiu three years ago, and the osmanthus cake she had taken with her, flashed before her eyes.
Then, she thought of Su Mingxiu holding the osmanthus flowers in her fingertips.
Three years ago, she had bitten those gloves. The material was thin, and it felt cold against her skin.
“Teacher Chu?”
Su Xinyan, lying on the bed behind the curtain, had been observing her for a while. Seeing her sitting there alone, her face flushed, she couldn’t help but call out to her.
“Ah!” Chu Ruan snapped out of her thoughts, her gaze meeting the student’s. Her eyes quickly cleared, and she forced herself to push away those lingering images and emotions. “What’s wrong?”
Su Mingxiu’s niece tilted her head and smiled at her with an inexplicable smugness, her cute canine teeth faintly visible. “Is my aunt… beautiful?”
Huh?
Chu Ruan blinked rapidly, not knowing how to answer at first. Then, she realized that she couldn’t discuss such things in front of a student. She pursed her lips and remained silent.
Not receiving an answer, Student Su wasn’t discouraged. Instead, she probed further: “Did you two… know each other before?”
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