Chapter 54: The Omega Abandoned After a One-Night Stand (11)
“After the new suppression collar design was launched, this quarter’s patent fees have already covered all of last year’s experimental expenses—”
In a bright office, a lab technician in a white coat was excitedly reporting the laboratory’s quarterly performance to Su Mingxiu.
Su Mingxiu, as the investor and head of the largest research team in this laboratory, had resigned from Renxin Hospital three years ago. In the three years since taking over the laboratory,
Not only had she purchased the surrounding area to expand the biological laboratory and established a related company to handle the laboratory’s collaborations with the industry, but she had also significantly enhanced its reputation.
Initially, this laboratory was just a temporary facility for international collaboration in brain research. The original owner was more famous abroad.
But through three years of research with the team on the various functions of the system, Su Mingxiu had helped the Federation achieve breakthroughs in social life and many other fields. As a result, the Federation’s laboratory now surpassed its foreign counterpart in reputation.
Oh, right.
She had also officially renamed the laboratory to “Future Biological Laboratory.”
The project the lab technician was currently reporting on was a product developed by imitating the system’s connection and binding functions after they had cracked its firewall. This high-tech bio-lock could be locked and unlocked by binding it to the owner’s brainwaves.
Many industries in the Federation had adopted this technology. This bio-lock could maximize the security of any object. After being applied to Omega suppression collar designs earlier this year, it had significantly improved the safety of Omegas and reduced accidents caused by malfunctioning collars in public places.
The person sitting behind the desk faced away from the technician, her figure hidden by the shadow of the curtains. Her hands were clasped together, her downcast eyes concealing those overly beautiful eyes, only allowing a glimpse of her long, thick eyelashes and the faint mole at the corner of her eye.
But even a glimpse of her profile was breathtakingly beautiful.
Su Mingxiu was currently holding a paper-thin screen, browsing the latest news and information. Hearing the report,
She, who had no concept of money, only asked after the researcher finished speaking, as if remembering something: “Can the S1 project modify commands yet?”
The researcher broke out in a cold sweat. He knew that all the achievements the laboratory had made so far were insignificant. What the boss, who provided the resources and funding for their development, truly needed was something else.
“We can only decipher a small portion of the code. Its material and source code are too complex…” He explained on behalf of the S1 project team.
Su Mingxiu nodded, understanding that this meant there was no progress yet. She gestured for the researcher to leave.
After the office door closed, remembering something, Su Mingxiu said: “System, what’s on my schedule for today?”
The smart TV in the room turned on at her command, the screen displaying the calendar connected to her computer. Below each date was a dense list of appointments.
The TV’s speakers spoke reluctantly:
“Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary celebration of Jingui High School. You are invited to attend. Based on the weather forecast and traffic conditions, combined with your travel preferences, a first-class ticket on flight M567 has been booked for you, departing at 10:50 AM tomorrow. It is recommended that you leave your residence at 8:00 AM.”
After reciting this emotionlessly, the voice switched to her phone on the desk: “Even if you modify my commands, it’s only a part of me that’s bound to you in this world. If you fail the mission, or if you die without completing it, your soul will still be judged after leaving this world—”
“Noisy.”
Su Mingxiu propped her head on her hand and said with a smile: “Mute for ten hours.”
The chattering TV and phone instantly fell silent.
This was also one of the byproducts of the laboratory’s research. Transferring a small portion of the system’s code to smart devices could significantly advance existing artificial intelligence technology.
And the first thing Su Mingxiu did after extracting this part of the system was to implant a core command of loyalty.
***
It was the season of osmanthus blossoms again.
It was the start of the new school year for primary, middle, and high schools in the city. Red banners were hung on campuses, parents and children with backpacks and suitcases were everywhere, and the fragrance of osmanthus trees planted along the roads filled the air.
Jingui High School.
A girl in a thin black jacket hurried past a tree, her hat accidentally caught by a branch, showering her with fragrant osmanthus flowers.
But she was oblivious. Her slender legs, clad in light blue jeans, moved quickly as she spoke into her phone: “We need to send someone from each class to collect the new textbooks, right?”
After a brief conversation, she hung up the phone, glanced at the time, and, calculating the distance to the classroom, quickened her pace, heading towards the building ahead.
Finally, under the curious gazes of the students already in the classroom, she walked onto the podium, picked up a blue marker, and wrote two characters on the whiteboard with bold strokes:
Chu Ruan.
“Hello everyone, I’m Chu Ruan, the homeroom teacher for Class 2, Grade 1. I’ll be teaching Chinese. I hope we can all get along well this school year.”
The students had been looking at the necklace-like object on her jacket, almost blending in with the fabric, thinking that this teacher must be a cute Omega. But when they realized she was the homeroom teacher, their gazes shifted between her face and the blue characters on the whiteboard.
Ruan (Soft)?
A bolder student looked at her and asked: “Teacher, can we have your contact information?”
Chu Ruan looked at the student. After a few seconds, a smile suddenly appeared on her face. “Sure.”
Omegas were naturally delicate and beautiful. Her smile, pure and charming, bloomed like a lotus, captivating the hearts of these high school students who were just beginning to understand the concepts of beauty and ugliness.
The next moment, her expression changed abruptly. She announced with a straight face: “But before I give you my contact information, let me go over the school rules and regulations, including the content of our regular discipline inspections—”
“The third student from the left in the eighth row, Xu Sheng, right? Your bangs are covering your eyebrows. I hope that when you come to school tomorrow, your hair length will meet the standards.”
Saying this, she picked up a pair of brand new scissors from under the podium, looked at the student who had just asked for her contact information, and said coldly: “Of course, I wouldn’t mind giving you a haircut myself tomorrow.”
“Click.”
The sound of the scissors closing was particularly clear in the suddenly silent classroom.
“Now, I’ll give you my contact information. I hope you won’t need it only when you’ve done something wrong outside of school.”
The ink of the words “Chu Ruan” on the whiteboard had long dried, but whether it was because the blue ink had been contaminated or the marker was old, the dried ink had a faint reddish tint.
Chu Ruan turned around and wrote down her phone number next to her name.
Coupled with her sharp, sword-like handwriting and the metallic glint of the scissors reflecting on her face, all the students felt a chill down their spines.
—Damn.
Where was the “softness” in this homeroom teacher?
***
Jingui High School gave each class a whole morning for the teachers and students to get acquainted. In the afternoon, all the grades and classes had to gather for a school-organized assembly.
Because this batch of students happened to coincide with the school’s anniversary celebration, the assembly not only invited leaders and honorary principals, but also successful alumni who had made contributions to society.
And at the end, there was even a safety awareness lecture.
They tried to make the students’ first day at Jingui High School a meaningful one, instilling some useful knowledge in their minds, be it life goals, motivation for improvement, or at the very least, the ability to protect themselves in case of danger and live well in society.
While organizing her students to go to the playground, Chu Ruan was still thinking about the upcoming class representative selection, the content of the grade director’s meeting a few days ago, the lesson plans she needed to prepare for tonight, and so on.
In short, when she finally sat down beside her class, a pamphlet was suddenly thrust into her arms by the homeroom teacher next door.
The students, having already been given a taste of her strictness, were all very well-behaved. Even those who were secretly playing with their phones or whispering to each other, as long as they didn’t disrupt the speaker on stage, the homeroom teachers turned a blind eye.
Chu Ruan looked at the pamphlet in confusion, then heard the teacher beside her say: “Do you know Future Biology?”
Of course.
Chu Ruan instinctively reached for her neck. The new product launched by this laboratory had quickly replaced the outdated suppression collars, driving those unreliable products with malfunctioning fingerprint locks or suppression effects out of the market.
Moreover, the design of the new collars was diverse. Not only were there versions with simulated skin, but also many cute and sexy designs. Notably, they still retained the simplest black version for pharmacies, allowing all Omegas to adapt quickly.
She heard that the company behind this laboratory was even going public this year.
But what did this have to do with the assembly they were about to attend?
Her eyes widened slightly. Under the knowing gaze of the Class 1 homeroom teacher, she asked in surprise: “You mean this laboratory’s—”
“Yes,” the other teacher opened the pamphlet that had been distributed to each class, pointing at the face on the cover, which was still beautiful even with the ordinary printing. “The investor of this laboratory is actually such a young and beautiful Alpha, unexpected, right?”
“Alphas truly have superior genes. Look at all these awards and doctorate degrees. My goodness, is this what a genius’s brain looks like? Successful in every field? Neurosurgery, psychology, computer science…”
“I wonder if she was the top scorer in the college entrance exam back then?”
As her colleague gushed with admiration, Chu Ruan’s hand, resting on her suppression collar, suddenly flew away. Her gaze was fixed on the pamphlet, or rather, on the familiar face.
Since that day three years ago, when Su Mingxiu said they didn’t need to see each other anymore, she had completely disappeared from Chu Ruan’s life.
Chu Ruan hadn’t even seen any other members of the Su family.
During those three years apart, she hadn’t wasted the protection Su Mingxiu had given her. Using her status as the “fiancée of the Su family’s legitimate heir,” she cut ties with the Chu family and found a decent job with her own abilities. In the process of studying and finding a job, she had been deceived and learned many lessons.
When she thought she was finally ready for the inevitable cancellation of their engagement, she had imagined many scenarios. For example, when they met again, she would apologize to Su Mingxiu for her blind hostility towards Alphas back then, and for her foolishness in misjudging people.
On many nights, when she felt discouraged and disheartened, she would grit her teeth and persevere, telling herself that she would face Su Mingxiu calmly when they met again. Chu Ruan hoped that even without the engagement, she would have the confidence to stand before Su Mingxiu as an equal and talk to her.
“Teachers and students of Jingui High School, hello everyone.”
The speaker’s introduction, droning on in the late summer heat, finally stopped. It was replaced by an exceptionally pleasant voice, as gentle as a spring breeze.
Many students in front seemed to be relieved from the heat by this voice. A commotion arose from somewhere, and soon, some bolder students even stood up, trying to get a better look at the speaker.
Gasps and exclamations came from the crowd. Some, lacking vocabulary, even resorted to swearing to express their amazement at this beautiful and charismatic Alpha boss lady.
The commotion forced the homeroom teachers to stand up and maintain order.
Only Chu Ruan remained seated, motionless. She also looked towards the cool and shaded stage, wanting to get a clear look at the speaker.
But it was too far away.
The afternoon sun was scorching, the golden disk hanging high in the sky, casting its golden light on the world, bringing about an unexpected reunion that Chu Ruan had never imagined.
Sweat trickled down her temples, but she didn’t even bother wiping it away. She sat there, stunned, a faint smile appearing on her lips, mocking her own naiveté.
—All her preparations over the past three years had been in vain.
In this reunion, she couldn’t even take a step towards Su Mingxiu. The other person was like the sun in the sky, shining even brighter than before. Everyone could only look up in awe.
And Chu Ruan had once had the chance to stand beside the sun, but she didn’t understand its brilliance back then. Only today, under the sunlight, looking down at her own shadow, did she realize that compared to Su Mingxiu, she was just a speck of dust among countless others.
Even if she had been noticed before, it was only because the light had briefly illuminated her fleeting existence.
***
Su Mingxiu’s speech wasn’t long. Because of its brevity, the speeches that followed seemed even more tedious and unbearable.
Students kept using the excuse of going to the bathroom, only to disappear for a long time. Seeing seven or eight students missing from her class, Chu Ruan, as the homeroom teacher, had to go out and find them.
After catching a few unfamiliar faces in school uniforms in various corners of the campus, Chu Ruan finally bumped into the grade director at the entrance of the bathroom.
The old Beta, with two frown lines on his face, always stern towards both teachers and students, was now smiling brighter than the chrysanthemums in the flower market. He was even bowing and scraping at the bathroom entrance, seemingly welcoming some distinguished guest.
With him guarding the area, no student dared to linger around.
Chu Ruan slowed down, intending to greet him and leave. But then, she saw a tall figure emerge from the bathroom, their voice carrying a hint of amusement: “Director Zou, I don’t think this is a good place for a conversation.”
“Of course, of course, Dr. Su, please allow me to address you as such—”
Director Zou realized his impoliteness and quickly took two steps back. He was also an educator, but he was in an administrative position. He had a natural instinct for sniffing out opportunities and recognized that this was the capable heir of the Su family in the city. He wouldn’t let go of even this small chance to show his diligence.
He reluctantly tore his gaze away from Su Mingxiu and was about to lead her away when he saw the figure not far away. He couldn’t help but be stunned. “Teacher Chu?”
His thick eyebrows, under his receding hairline, furrowed, forming an inverted “V”. Director Zou clearly didn’t understand why Chu Ruan wasn’t watching her class on the playground at this hour and was wandering around here.
Could it be that she was also trying to slack off because it was too hot?
These Omega teachers nowadays are truly delicate.
He thought, about to reprimand her, but the person who had just left the bathroom spoke before he could, glancing towards Chu Ruan: “Who?”
“Oh, a new teacher who just joined our school, teaching Grade 1.”
Director Zou, half a step behind her, offered to invite her to his office for tea and explained casually.
They walked towards Chu Ruan, one in front, the other behind.
Logic told her that she should turn around and leave now to avoid unnecessary greetings and awkwardness. But Chu Ruan was frozen in place, her feet rooted to the ground, her gaze drawn to those alluring eyes, unable to look away.
Seeing the dark blue pinstripe suit with a starry design, her heartbeat quickened.
What should she say?
Long time no see?
Hello?
Countless polite greetings flashed through Chu Ruan’s mind, but she didn’t know which one was appropriate for this situation. But the tall Alpha reached her in just a few breaths.
So close that she could smell the faint scent of mint.
The next moment—
Su Mingxiu brushed past her.
Without a single word.
Like strangers passing each other on the street.
Chu Ruan even saw a star-shaped golden cufflink on her neatly folded sleeve, a perfect match for the dark blue suit.
She turned sideways, watching Su Mingxiu’s retreating figure, her expression stiff.
Was she crazy?
Chu Ruan lowered her eyes and looked at her outstretched hand. For a moment, she had actually wanted to pluck that star off Su Mingxiu’s sleeve?
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