Chapter 42: “Are You An Omega?” p1
The next day, as soon as the alarm rang, Ming Fei, who had already made plans for the day, got out of bed and washed up without delay, like a robot receiving a command.
Then, she picked up the sleepy Ming Zaozao and tied her hair while Zaozao washed up.
After getting dressed in the cloakroom, Ming Fei went downstairs with Ming Zaozao and left a message for Zhu Yiqiao on the third floor through 0619.
Because of the Yuan Xiu matter, and Ming Zaozao’s upcoming regular physical examination, Ming Fei had made an appointment for a full checkup at the First Hospital in the city center last night after sending a message to Zhu Yiqiao.
On the way from the living room to the garage, the cold wind instantly blew away Ming Zaozao’s sleepiness.
“Mommy~”
Ming Fei responded softly: “Mm?”
Ming Zaozao buried her face in Ming Fei’s neck and yawned.
“Baby is not cold, is Mommy cold?”
Ming Fei’s lips curved upwards: “No.”
“Mommy learned the magic of not being afraid of the cold!”
Ming Fei’s eyes crinkled with laughter: “Then what magic has Zaozao learned recently?”
The mother and daughter chatted innocently. Arriving at the garage, the black self-driving car quickly headed towards its destination.
Although it was a public holiday, medical staff were still working in some clinics at the hospital. According to the labor law of the Independent State of Yi Meng, these medical staff received five times the normal salary on public holidays and also enjoyed legal rest rights, with their working hours reduced by an hour and a half.
The examinations in the physical examination room were mostly assisted by intelligent robots, and there were very few medical staff on duty.
Because some tests required fasting, Ming Fei postponed breakfast by half an hour. But perhaps because they woke up early, Ming Zaozao’s stomach grumbled as soon as she finished the first test.
But she was very well-behaved, neither crying nor making a fuss. Even when pricked by a needle, she just hugged Ming Fei tightly, her round eyes like polished black glass.
After completing all the fasting blood tests as quickly as possible, Ming Fei took Ming Zaozao to the restaurant where her friend Li Xing had made a reservation.
As soon as they entered the restaurant, Ming Zaozao’s stomach grumbled again.
She touched her deflated belly and asked Ming Fei, puzzled,
“Is Mommy hungry?”
Ming Fei wasn’t actually hungry, but she nodded to appease her: “My tummy grumbled too, just a little quieter.”
Ming Zaozao believed her: “Then let’s hurry upstairs!”
“Okay.”
Guided by the hotel’s service robot, they went up to the private room 808 on the eighth floor. The door slowly opened, and Ming Zaozao immediately saw her favorite jujube cake on the dining table.
She happily ran towards Li Xing.
“Auntie Xing!”
The room temperature was comfortable. Ming Fei followed a few steps behind, taking off her coat and scarf and hanging them on the coat rack before walking towards the dining table.
Li Xing was rolling up Ming Zaozao’s sleeves. Seeing her friend approaching, her gossip senses tingled.
“Teacher Xiao Fei looks very happy~”
Ming Fei sat opposite them and, as usual, tried to change the subject: “How are things going with you and Secretary-General Wei recently?”
“Same as usual.” Li Xing said with a smile, “Still trying to change the subject with me?”
Ming Fei smiled sheepishly: “Let’s eat breakfast, Zaozao is hungry.”
The two chatted casually. Ming Zaozao was the most focused eater, her deflated belly regaining its roundness, her eyes brighter than they had been at the hospital.
After finishing her food, she tapped away on the display screen of her smartwatch, prompting Li Xing to ask,
“Zaozao, are you chatting with the robot at home?”
Ming Zaozao shook her head: “It’s Pretty Auntie!”
After saying that, she took off the smartwatch, unfolded the foldable display screen, turned it towards the two adults, and showed them her chat with Zhu Yiqiao.
[Zaozao: [Little lamb eating grass.gif]]
[Auntie: Zaozao, eat your fill.]
[Zaozao: [Two little bears hugging.gif]]
[Zaozao: [Sun comes out, fishing.gif]]
[Auntie: Zaozao, do you want to go fishing?]
[Zaozao: [Strawberry bear nodding.gif]]
[Auntie: I’ve asked 0619 to prepare.]
Seeing the screen full of emoji exchanges, Li Xing smiled: “Chief Judge Zhu is quite patient, chatting with Zaozao so enthusiastically.”
Ming Zaozao nodded: “Auntie is good to Baby!”
Ming Fei, having just finished her porridge, put down her spoon and looked over.
Ming Zaozao got down from her chair, hopped over to Ming Fei, and said in a childish voice,
“Mommy, can Baby add a few more for you?”
The so-called “add” referred to adding emojis. Ming Zaozao loved using these cartoon emojis. Whenever she received text messages from her mother or aunties, she would convert them to voice and then reply with emojis.
Sometimes it was voice messages, but more often than not, it was cartoon emojis that clearly expressed the meaning.
Ming Fei opened her phone and let her daughter add emojis: “Okay.”
“Mm-hmm!” Ming Zaozao looked up. “Baby will add moving ones for Mommy, a little bunny rolling around, so cute!”
Ming Fei stroked her little head: “Thank you, Zaozao.”
Room 808 had an excellent view. Sitting by the window on the right side, one could see the chilly Lake Gabe, the Saint Youla Flame Seed statue leading to the main urban area, and the North Harbor Hover Bridge spanning two nearby suburban areas.
Xi He City, the capital, was vast and expansive like a chessboard, and these easily recognizable natural landscapes and man-made structures were important pieces on the board.
Ming Fei looked around for a moment and was about to take a picture with her phone when she remembered that Ming Zaozao was still holding her phone.
She leaned closer to Ming Zaozao: “Zaozao.”
“Mommy!”
Ming Zaozao turned the phone to show her: “Mommy, look, Baby added so many for you!”
Ming Fei’s gaze shifted to the chat page.
[[Little rabbit eating carrots.gif]]
[[Little rabbit very angry.gif]]
[Zhu Yiqiao: What’s wrong?]
Seeing Zhu Yiqiao’s reply after receiving the two animated emojis, Ming Fei froze.
Then—
[[Puppy secretly peeking.gif]]
[[Puppy angrily bumping into you.gif]]
[Zhu Yiqiao: Zaozao?]
[Zhu Yiqiao: Have you finished breakfast?]
These animated emojis were all very cute, vastly different from the smiling emoji Ming Fei had frequently used a few months ago. She originally thought she had gotten used to these cartoon emojis, but seeing Zhu Yiqiao’s replies, she still felt a little embarrassed.
The tips of her ears even turned slightly pink.
She played a cartoon on her smartwatch, and Ming Zaozao’s attention was immediately captured, completely immersed in the cartoon world.
Meanwhile, she picked up her phone and explained to Zhu Yiqiao, her long eyelashes casting curved shadows beneath her eyes.
[Sorry, I disturbed you just now.]
[Zaozao is testing the newly added emojis. She’s already finished breakfast. I’ll take her back after the rest of the checkup.]
Looking at the sent message, Ming Fei hesitated for a moment, then added a static emoji she already had.
[[Kitten bowing apologetically.jpg]]
Before receiving a reply, Ming Fei heard her friend’s teasing voice.
“What is Teacher Xiao Fei doing?”
Ming Fei gave a brief explanation, her peripheral vision never leaving the chat page.
As a lecturer at Q University’s Philosophy Department, Li Xing’s area of expertise was classical philosophy. She suddenly looked at her friend Ming Fei seriously and said thoughtfully,
“Have I ever told you about Ferenya?”
Although Ming Fei wasn’t interested in philosophy, she had heard her friend mention many famous philosophers, and she believed that reading and learning more was necessary, because those whose names were recorded in compulsory courses must be shining stars in the history of human progress.
But she had never heard of this Ferenya.
“No,” she said.
Li Xing rested her chin on her clasped hands and said with interest, “The name Ferenya doesn’t appear in classical philosophy textbooks. She liked to study ethics and was once a university music teacher. She and her partner, Avabini, were rivals since childhood.”
“They confirmed their relationship at 20 and got married at 22.”
“Guess how Ferenya usually addressed her in Avabini’s letters?”
Hearing this, Ming Fei was a little puzzled, but she didn’t interrupt her friend’s enthusiasm. After some thought, she said a few common terms of endearment.
“Wrong.”
“Incorrect.”
“Unfortunately, still wrong.”
After several attempts were rejected, the answer to this question gradually aroused Ming Fei’s curiosity.
She tried again: “Could it be… Jiejie?”
Li Xing shook her head: “No.”
“Ferenya, who was extremely serious in the eyes of her students, was as obedient as a student in front of Avabini. She even addressed her lover as—Teacher.”
Li Xing teased, “When you replied to Chief Judge Zhu just now, you looked like a student called upon by the teacher. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought you were chatting with your own teacher.”
Ming Fei’s ears felt hot, and she suddenly remembered what had happened last night.
She thought, facing a fool who hadn’t taken specialized physiology classes and didn’t know anything, Zhu Yiqiao not only said she would teach her but also guided her step by step. These actions did… resemble a teacher.
Her phone suddenly vibrated, and Ming Fei looked down.
[Zhu Yiqiao: Apology accepted, but the kitten doesn’t need to bow.]
Inside the villa area, several kilometers away from the First Hospital.
After the highly secure door opened automatically, a flamboyant, red, modified hovercar drove into the garage.
Xue Xun took off her ruby-studded glasses. As soon as she poked her head out, she saw 0619.
0619 said, “Long time no see, Ms. Xue. Although the roses in the garden have withered after three months, your beauty is even more—”
Xue Xun got out of the car gracefully: “Stop, switch personality modes.”
When it spoke again, 0619’s tone was clearly much calmer: “Okay, please follow me.”
“Mm.”
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