Chapter 59: The Omega Abandoned After a One-Night Stand (16)
The vinegar was the last ingredient to be added to the stir-fried potato shreds. Chu Ruan practically glanced at Su Mingxiu after every drop, worried that she wouldn’t get the amount right.
Only when the Alpha chuckled and said “That’s enough” did she turn off the heat and transfer the potato shreds to a plate.
The atmosphere in the kitchen couldn’t be more harmonious. The final dishes were steamed meatballs, stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, and a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Even though the potato shreds were slightly burnt due to the initial high heat, the meatball filling was unevenly shaped, and the tomatoes in the scrambled eggs seemed a bit undercooked—
This was Chu Ruan’s best performance yet.
Before setting the dishes on the table, she took advantage of Su Mingxiu turning around and quickly took a bite of each dish, confirming that the taste was acceptable. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The person who turned around, holding a paper towel dispenser, glanced at the Omega across from her and chuckled. “Were you… sneaking a taste?”
Chu Ruan’s eyes widened, and she immediately shook her head vigorously. But a paper towel was pressed against her lips. When she came back to her senses, seeing the oil stain on the towel, she quickly snatched it away, her face flushed red, and crumpled it into a ball. “I wasn’t…” I wasn’t sneaking a taste.
But the person sitting across from her only smiled and said: “It’s alright, go ahead and eat.”
The little kitten, caught red-handed, had no way to defend herself. She could only pick up her chopsticks and angrily stab a piece of scrambled egg.
Su Mingxiu looked at the band-aids on her fingers, the bloodstains already dried and flaky. After finishing her meal, she offered: “I’ll wash the dishes.”
“No need!”
Chu Ruan ate even faster than her. After all, she was used to having her meals interrupted by various tasks. So she had developed the habit of eating quickly.
As Su Mingxiu put down her chopsticks, Chu Ruan habitually started clearing the table, but her wrist was held down by Su Mingxiu. Her voice was still gentle: “Please get the first aid kit, Teacher Chu. Let’s change the band-aids on your hand and see how serious it is.”
Actually, the Omega still wanted to argue.
Like how she shouldn’t let a guest do chores.
But hearing Su Mingxiu’s words, she unconsciously obeyed, silently leaving the table and instinctively searching for the first aid kit.
***
Su Mingxiu unbuttoned her suit jacket, gathered the dishes, and walked towards the living room, removing her gloves and casually putting them in her pocket.
Reaching Chu Ruan, she held out her hand. Her slender, jade-like fingers were presented before Chu Ruan’s eyes. After staring at them for a long time, she finally realized what Su Mingxiu meant and placed her hand, with the band-aids removed, on Su Mingxiu’s palm.
Compared to Su Mingxiu’s flawless fingers, Chu Ruan felt that her own hands were ugly, her fingers short and stubby, with red burn marks. She immediately looked away, not wanting to see the stark contrast.
She even tried to pull her hand back.
But Su Mingxiu caught it. “Don’t move.”
The person half-squatting down looked for burn ointment in the first aid kit. Thankfully, it was decent. She looked up at the person on the sofa. “It’s good that you treated it in time, but you should avoid touching the blisters after applying the ointment. Now that they’re popped, doesn’t it hurt?”
Of course it hurt.
Chu Ruan had been trying to avoid writing on the board during her morning classes. But the workload was there, no matter how careful she was, it was useless. She rubbed her nose with her left hand and replied softly: “I can do it myself, I’ll be careful.”
Just like those patients who dismissed their doctors.
Su Mingxiu did let go of her hand, but as she picked up the ointment with a cotton swab, she said casually: “If you don’t treat popped blisters properly, they’re very likely to leave scars.”
“Uh…” Chu Ruan silently offered her hand again, mumbling three words, her face and ears burning red. “Please help me.”
But the Alpha only handed her the cotton swab with the ointment and said with a playful smile: “Didn’t Teacher Chu say you could do it yourself just now?”
If this were before, Chu Ruan would have snatched the cotton swab without hesitation, not caring about the consequences, she definitely wouldn’t back down now.
But in the years they had been apart, she had learned the consequences of acting tough when she didn’t know her limits.
Even though she felt so embarrassed that she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself, Chu Ruan still forced herself to continue: “Just now… I was wrong.”
“Please, Dr. Su…”
Her face was redder than a tomato, her voice softer than a mosquito’s buzz. Especially the word “please,” uttered in a barely audible tone. But her pouting lips were even more adorable than her words.
Soft and pink, like rose-flavored jelly.
Su Mingxiu didn’t push her too far. Seeing that the Omega had made some progress, she decided to stop there. She took Chu Ruan’s hand and treated her wound gently and carefully.
The familiar scene reminded Chu Ruan of the time she had confronted a bag snatcher with Zhao Chun’er a few years ago. Back then, she had been taken to the hospital and refused to cooperate with Su Mingxiu, resulting in a harsh lesson with hydrogen peroxide—
She had been forced to apologize.
But as long as she was honest, Su Mingxiu would put away her mischievousness and treat her gently.
“Done.”
After carefully applying a new band-aid, avoiding the wound, Su Mingxiu stood up, threw the packaging into the trash can, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
Chu Ruan came back to her senses, seeing the neatly applied band-aid on her finger. She vaguely remembered that she hadn’t felt any discomfort while Su Mingxiu was treating her wound. She looked towards the kitchen, her gaze fixed on the person washing dishes, thinking absentmindedly:
Does she treat everyone like this, or… only me?
***
“Thank you for the hospitality, Teacher Chu.”
1:30 PM.
After finishing the fruit after their meal, Su Mingxiu noticed that Chu Ruan was about to leave, so she followed her out. She said with a smile, then added: “Next time you’re free, I’ll invite you to my place. You can pre-order the dishes.”
Chu Ruan looked at her, stunned. She knew she should politely decline. After all, she hadn’t done anything to help Su Mingxiu. Instead, Su Mingxiu had done more for her. But…
She was afraid that if she refused, she wouldn’t have another chance to see Su Mingxiu again.
She pursed her lips and quickly smiled back, like a white sunflower by the roadside, pure and adorable. “Okay.”
Su Mingxiu walked towards her car, under Chu Ruan’s lingering gaze. Before she could unlock the door, she received a call. “Hello?”
Standing under the sunlight, Su Mingxiu listened to the caller’s request, pondered for a moment, and agreed readily: “Okay.”
“No problem, next Saturday, right?”
“It’s my duty as a citizen of the Federation to assist the police in bringing these criminals to justice.”
***
“Hello?”
This Friday, Chu Ruan, who was supervising evening self-study in the classroom, saw an incoming call. In the silent classroom, only the sound of the air conditioner’s fan blades could be heard. She picked up her phone and walked out into the hallway.
It was Zhao Chun’er calling.
“Teacher Chu, are you free tomorrow night?” Zhao Chun’er’s voice was full of excitement, her mood seemingly very good.
Chu Ruan, however, seriously considered her question. After a moment, she replied: “I have an academic forum to attend in the city tomorrow morning, but I’m free in the evening. Do you have any plans?”
The person on the other end grumbled with dissatisfaction, then, remembering how Chu Ruan had been working overtime every day since starting at Jingui High School, rarely even resting on weekends, she said dejectedly: “Forget it, I knew you wouldn’t remember. It’s my birthday tomorrow, and I’m celebrating at a friend’s new bar in the evening. Chu Ruan, if you dare to be late or stand me up, you’re dead!”
Chu Ruan was startled. Without even hanging up the phone, she opened her calendar and saw the marked event. She tapped her head, then picked up the phone again and apologized with a forced smile.
“I didn’t forget! It’s just not time yet, right?”
After making her excuse, she added in a low voice: “I’ll be there. I’m supervising evening self-study now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Is there anything you want as a gift?”
“No!” Zhao Chun’er said. “Just bring yourself.”
Because of this call, Chu Ruan actually spent some time that night opening her wardrobe and looking for something to wear to her friend’s birthday party.
She couldn’t just wear her everyday clothes to school.
After rummaging for a while, she finally found a dress she had worn to the graduation party at Willowleaf University. The beige fabric wasn’t smooth, it looked like it was pieced together from white rose petals, with occasional gold thread accents that added a touch of sparkle.
The dress was cinched at the waist and reached her knees. The asymmetrical collar revealed one shoulder, a design that combined both cuteness and sexiness.
Saturday arrived.
After attending the conference, Chu Ruan went straight to a nearby mall and picked out a newly released pheromone perfume for Zhao Chun’er. She returned home, changed into her dress, put on some makeup, and headed towards the location Zhao Chun’er had sent her.
It was a bustling bar. Even though it was just dusk, it was already packed. The DJ’s music, mixed with heavy metal, allowed people who usually suppressed their personalities at work to release their stress on the dance floor.
Chu Ruan lowered her head, typing on her phone to ask Zhao Chun’er for her exact location.
But before she could take a few steps, a cocktail was thrust in front of her. A tall Alpha raised an eyebrow at her. “May I have the honor of buying you a drink?”
His gaze was full of suggestive hints, blatantly scanning Chu Ruan’s delicate collarbone and round shoulders. But he knew this wasn’t the Omega’s most alluring form.
He had caught a glimpse of her from behind earlier, and the black lotus blooming on her fair skin was what truly captivated him. But now, seeing her face, he was pleasantly surprised.
Someone with such a sexy back actually had such a pure and innocent face. It was like an angel and a devil combined, both purity and allure embodied in one person—
How could he be so lucky to encounter such a perfect Omega?
“Sorry,” Chu Ruan didn’t even look at him. She walked around the drink and said politely: “I’m looking for my friend, I’m not interested in drinking right now.”
“How can I become your friend then?” The other party persisted.
At the same time, more people noticed Chu Ruan. The Omega, walking under the colorful lights, was like a lamb that had wandered into a pack of wolves, instantly attracting the attention of many predators.
Chu Ruan felt disgusted. Seizing the opportunity while a few of them were arguing amongst themselves, she quickly slipped away and headed towards the bathroom, deciding to have her friends come and get her.
***
Meanwhile…
Inside a private room.
Several Betas and Omegas were looking at the woman sitting in the center of the booth with infatuated gazes. Her face, free of makeup yet still stunningly beautiful, seemed like the Creator’s most perfect masterpiece.
Especially now, wearing a black mini dress, they all felt that this was the best-designed piece of clothing they had ever seen.
It wasn’t that the dress was particularly special—
It was simply because the person wearing it was so exceptional that even a few pieces of fabric looked beautiful on her.
They whispered amongst themselves, but not having received any instructions, they didn’t dare to approach her directly. They could only communicate with their eyes until a clear voice came through their earpieces.
The next moment.
They rushed towards the Alpha, one after another. Some poured her drinks, some asked if she wanted company. The last one, looking around, boldly sat on her lap and reached out to hug her neck. Finding that she wasn’t reprimanded, the person smiled sweetly and leaned closer, praising: “You’re truly the most beautiful guest I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh?” Su Mingxiu looked at her calmly, as if oblivious to their flattery. She only responded with a casual hum.
“It’s true,” the woman sitting on her lap said, her body soft and pliant as she leaned against Su Mingxiu. “Especially this mole, it’s so sexy.”
Saying this, her throat moved slightly, as if wanting to leave her mark on this beautiful face.
But this time, as soon as she moved, her chin was caught. Those deep, unfathomable black eyes looked at her.
Even though they reflected her image, the Omega felt a chill run down her spine. Then, that heavenly voice rang out: “Don’t move.”
Su Mingxiu’s lips curved into a slow smile as she stared into the other person’s eyes. “I didn’t give you the right to offend me—”
The person sitting on her lap was initially excited by this intense gaze. But soon, her body stiffened, as if she had seen something terrifying in Su Mingxiu’s eyes. After a few seconds, she screamed and fell off Su Mingxiu’s lap.
But the illusion didn’t disappear.
Even after falling off the booth and cowering in a corner, she couldn’t break free from her panicked state, startling her companions.
Even the Alpha who was about to be taken advantage of put on a surprised expression and asked politely, meeting the gazes of the others: “Does your friend… have some kind of illness?”
Soon, someone entered the room from outside and pulled the terrified person in the corner away.
A Beta took her place, but they were wary of Su Mingxiu’s warning earlier. So they only sat beside Su Mingxiu, holding a freshly poured drink, and said with a flattering smile:
“I apologize for that, she might not have had enough rest today and isn’t in a good mental state.”
“I’ll drink this as an apology, please don’t be angry.”
As the door opened and closed—
Someone in the hallway accidentally glanced inside.
Su Mingxiu looked over casually, her gaze lingering for less than a second before she looked away. She raised her hand and caressed the face that had leaned closer, a faint smile reappearing on her lips.
***
“Ruanruan? What are you thinking about?”
Zhao Chun’er, who had brought Chu Ruan back to their booth, noticed that she was still lost in thought. She nudged her gently, handed her a glass of milk, and said with a smile: “I know you’re a teacher and have to set a good example. Look, you should have seen the bartender’s expression when I asked for milk, it was like he was about to call security and check my ID.”
Chu Ruan forced a smile, trying to erase the scene from her mind. She told herself that her engagement with Su Mingxiu was practically nonexistent, and it was a good thing that the other party wasn’t paying attention to her. She should be happy.
But her smile was incredibly bitter.
Zhao Chun’er couldn’t help but ask: “Ruanruan, why do you look like you just found out your lover is cheating but have to pretend to be happy?”
“Ah!” Chu Ruan exclaimed: “No!”
She quickly shook her head and handed over the gift bag she had brought. “Happy birthday! Don’t say such things!”
Seeing that she couldn’t get anything out of Chu Ruan, Zhao Chun’er dropped the subject and happily accepted the gift. She introduced Chu Ruan to the other friends who had come, and they chatted and drank merrily, cut the cake, and even hit the dance floor when the mood struck.
Chu Ruan sat in a corner, holding a plate of cake, her fork unconsciously poking at a strawberry. But the strawberry slipped and slid in the white cream, evading her fork.
Her expression became even more distant.
She glanced at the private room she had passed by earlier from time to time, her thoughts wandering. After a while, she finished the cake in one go, put down the plate, and wanted to say hello to her friend, but she couldn’t find Zhao Chun’er. She could only walk towards the private room with a determined look.
She had made up her mind.
Although their engagement was about to be dissolved soon, Su Mingxiu should still be considerate. At least… she shouldn’t be flirting with others right in front of her.
She had her pride too!
The angry Omega walked over, already thinking about what she would say after barging in. But to her surprise, she saw a police cordon. A police officer smiled at her and said: “We’re handling a case, please don’t approach.”
“Excuse me.”
Chu Ruan turned and left. After walking a few steps, she suddenly thought, if something had happened here, where did Su Mingxiu go? Was she okay?
The main hall would be cleared out soon, right?
Her barely sorted thoughts were disrupted again, and she bumped into someone.
“Sorry…”
Chu Ruan straightened up, about to continue walking with her head down, when the buckle on her waist was caught by a hand. That familiar, pleasant voice reached her ears, as elegant as a viola: “Where are you going, Teacher Chu?”
The Omega immediately came back to her senses and looked up, meeting those alluring eyes. Noticing that Su Mingxiu’s fingers were hooked onto her dress, she swatted her hand away without hesitation.
“Don’t touch me.”
She had just seen Su Mingxiu touching countless people’s faces with those gloves.
Dirty!
Su Mingxiu withdrew her hand and raised an eyebrow, as if confused about why she had angered Chu Ruan again.
Seeing that Chu Ruan hadn’t seen anything unnecessary, Su Mingxiu greeted her and was about to leave. But just as she turned around, her skirt was grabbed.
She could only turn back calmly and heard the Omega, who had just been disgusted by her, squeeze out a sentence: “You… didn’t you say you wanted to treat me to dinner? I happen to be free now.”
Those pitch-black eyes looked at her deeply, a hint of amusement dancing in them.
Su Mingxiu chuckled softly, turning back to face Chu Ruan. After staring at her for a moment, she asked: “Just want to have dinner?”
“Uh…” Chu Ruan bit her lip and didn’t answer.
The Alpha standing before her suddenly removed her gloves and tossed them into a nearby trash can. Her fair fingertips glowed faintly in the dim lighting of the bar, like the finest white jade.
The noisy music in the bar had stopped at some point.
Now, those jade-like fingers gently lifted Chu Ruan’s chin, tilting her head up. Looking at that stubborn face, Su Mingxiu leaned closer, her seductive voice reaching Chu Ruan’s ears: “Ruanruan, I’ll give you another chance.”
“Think carefully, what do you really want?”
Chu Ruan unconsciously bit her lower lip.
Looking at Su Mingxiu’s beautiful face at such close range, her heartbeat quickened, her pupils constricting and dilating. In a daze, she suddenly remembered that this was the second time Su Mingxiu had called her so intimately.
—The first time was on the bed in the master bedroom, the night they first met.
Countless past intimate scenes flashed before her eyes. Chu Ruan’s lips moved slightly, as if she was drowning in a wave of emotions. After a long while, she could only parrot Su Mingxiu’s words clumsily: “Want…”
Want what?
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