Sang Ying watched Ding Han get into the car, close the door, and fasten her seatbelt. The entire sequence of actions was quick and fluid. Resigned, Sang Ying had no choice but to open the car door and get in as well.
Xia Tingwang sat on her left. Between them was the armrest console. The distance was neither too far nor too close, yet Sang Ying could still smell the fragrance of her hair.
There were four people in the car, three of whom were Alphas. Even though Xia Tingwang was wearing a bite-suppressant collar that completely locked away her pheromones, the sweet, soft scent characteristic of an Omega still drifted faintly past the tip of Sang Ying’s nose.
This was not the first time she had been in a car with Xia Tingwang, but before today, Sang Ying had never felt much about it.
Today, however, her mind simply would not settle. She even wanted to sit closer so she could smell that scent more clearly. To keep her heart from fluttering, Sang Ying kept her head turned to the right.
The car window reflected her own face, and she suddenly became calm.
Aside from this face, what else did she have to offer?
She was a senior university student with no job and a bleak future, and she still had an elderly, frail Omega father at home who needed to be cared for.
What could possibly make her worth being liked by an outstanding Omega like Xia Tingwang?
It was probably just an illusion.
When they got out of the car, Sang Ying said to Xia Tingwang, “Thank you, President Xia. It is not necessary to go through the trouble of driving us from now on.”
Before she went to sleep that night, Sang Ying received a private message from “Yinyin77”: “The hydrating mask is effective.”
Sang Ying’s mood finally recovered slightly. She checked the time; it was already past midnight.
【I am glad it works. If you use five boxes in a row, the improvement in skin dehydration will be obvious. It is getting late, please rest well.】
VW only required live streaming twice a week. Having signed a contract with Xia Tingwang, Sang Ying could no longer stream on her own to sell her own products. Fortunately, final exams were approaching, so Sang Ying spent the days she was not streaming reviewing her coursework in the library.
As a senior, she did not have many classes. Sang Ying had spent most of her time building “Qingdeng.” From the initial chemical research to choosing raw materials, selecting factories, conducting experiments, and designing packaging, she and Ding Han had done everything themselves.
Only when she started reviewing did she realize how little she had learned this semester. Fortunately, her fundamental knowledge was solid, and after borrowing notes from classmates and self-studying, she managed to understand most of the material.
When she returned the notes, her classmate asked her if she wanted to go for dinner. Sang Ying refused, but the Omega classmate blocked her path. “I lent you my notes; are you not going to thank me?”
Sang Ying thought for a moment. “Do you need any facial masks? I can give you one.”
The classmate rolled her eyes. “I do not want any masks. Just treat me to a meal, and that will do.”
“Okay, but Ding Han will be there too.”
“Do not call Ding Han. Just the two of us.”
“That would probably be inappropriate. I have already made plans to eat with Ding Han tonight.”
The Omega classmate pursed her lips. “Then how about tomorrow night?”
“That is also planned,” Sang Ying said.
The classmate gave a resentful look toward Ding Han, who was not far away, and walked off clutching the notes. Ding Han walked over, rubbing the back of her neck. “If this keeps up, I will become the public enemy of all Omegas sooner or later.”
Sang Ying smiled, packed up her textbooks, and left the library.
As they walked out the library door, Ding Han shouted, “Damn it!”
It was snowing—a mix of rain and snow. Winter in Wen City was always like this: first a bout of sleet, then pure snow. With the snow, Wen City finally had a wintry atmosphere.
“When it snows, you have to eat hot pot.” Ding Han pulled up the hood of her down jacket. “Let us go, let us go. I will treat you to hot pot.”
Sang Ying did not move. “Do you have an umbrella?”
“No,” Ding Han replied airily.
“We would be soaked before we even made it out of the school gate.”
The sleet was falling quite heavily. Getting drenched in the middle of winter was not worth it, so Ding Han abandoned the idea of hot pot. “Let us go to the cafeteria for spicy soup.”
The two ran quickly to the nearest cafeteria. Sang Ying shook the water off her clothes and took out her phone, which had been vibrating incessantly.
“Xia Tingwang” flashed on the screen.
Sang Ying’s heart skipped a beat. The next live stream was not for two days, and she could not think of any reason Xia Tingwang would need to contact her other than work.
Ding Han leaned in to peek at the phone. “I cannot afford to offend this Omega, so I will go ahead and order the food. I will pick something out for you.”
“I will have the same as you.” Sang Ying handed her books to her and walked to a quiet corner of the corridor to answer the phone. “President Xia.”
“Are you at school?” Xia Tingwang asked.
“Yes.”
“I am at the North Gate. Come out for a moment.”
The rain was getting heavier, and it would take at least fifteen minutes to run from here to the North Gate. Sang Ying said, “I am in the cafeteria, and I did not bring an umbrella.”
“Which cafeteria?”
“The Second Cafeteria.”
There was an “hmm” from the other end. “That is a bit far. Alright, wait for me.”
Before Sang Ying could clarify the situation, the call was hung up. Xia Tingwang’s tone made it sound as if she were very familiar with Wen University. A few minutes later, a black SUV pulled up to the entrance of the cafeteria.
Zhuang Yan stepped out of the driver’s seat, opened a large black umbrella, and opened the rear door.
Xia Tingwang stepped out of the car, leaning on Zhuang Yan’s arm. She had her long hair tied in a high ponytail and was wearing a white short-cut down jacket, looking quite cute.
Her arrival drew the gaze of many students. Ignoring the attention, Xia Tingwang walked toward Sang Ying in her high heels.
“Do you know how to drive?” Xia Tingwang asked.
“I have a license.” She did, but she had not had a chance to drive since getting it.
Xia Tingwang reached out her hand. Zhuang Yan placed the car keys in her palm. Xia Tingwang moved her wrist toward Sang Ying. “This car is for you to drive.”
The rain was drizzling, and people were bustling about. Xia Tingwang stood on the step below Sang Ying. Sang Ying reached out and grabbed Xia Tingwang’s arm.
Caught off guard, Xia Tingwang was pulled forward. Sang Ying steadied her with her other hand, pulling her up onto the steps, standing under the eaves where the rain could not reach them.
The scent of fresh mint wafted toward her. Xia Tingwang sniffed; it smelled wonderful.
Sang Ying let go. “I do not really know how to drive.”
“You will learn once you drive more.” Xia Tingwang tucked the keys into Sang Ying’s pocket. Sang Ying reached in, but as she touched the keys, Xia Tingwang pressed her hand down over them. “It is for the company, to make your commute easier. If you refuse, I will drive you myself every night.”
Between the two options, Sang Ying accepted the car.
Seeing her objective achieved, Xia Tingwang curled the corners of her lips slightly. “Come on, let us go eat. You are driving.”
“I already ordered…” Sang Ying pointed to the cafeteria behind her. “Spicy soup.”
“Spicy soup?” Xia Tingwang asked, sounding perplexed.
When she sat in the cafeteria and saw the large red bowl in front of Sang Ying filled with all sorts of ingredients, she frowned. “This is spicy soup?”
Xia Tingwang was baffled. “All these things are put together? Why do you not go eat hot pot instead? The flavor is better.”
“Spicy soup is more convenient,” Sang Ying said. “It is very delicious. Would you like a bowl?”
The cafeteria was noisy, and with the rain outside, the floor was damp and mixed with mud. Xia Tingwang twisted her brows at the environment, and her appetite vanished completely.
When she had attended Wen University, she had never once stepped foot in a cafeteria. She had no idea the environment inside was so dirty and chaotic.
“I am not hungry,” Xia Tingwang said.
Sang Ying did not press her and dove into her meal. The spicy soup at the Second Cafeteria was one of the foods she and Ding Han loved—it was cheap, affordable, and most importantly, they could get a lot of ingredients, and the taste was quite good.
A full bowl only cost a little over ten yuan.
“Sang Ying?” A girl asked in a surprised tone. “You said you were having dinner with Ding Han tonight, and you meant here in the cafeteria?”
Sang Ying looked up. It was Wang Feifei, the Omega classmate who had borrowed her notes. What a coincidence.
Wang Feifei stood behind Xia Tingwang and plopped down next to her, staring at her. “Which department are you from?”
Xia Tingwang did not even turn her eyes, ignoring the question.
Wang Feifei scrutinized Xia Tingwang, slapped the table, and said, “Sang Ying, you like this type? Heavy makeup.”
“Wang Feifei…” Sang Ying interrupted her. “What would you like to eat? My treat.”
The dinner Wang Feifei had envisioned was not in this crowded, public cafeteria, but at least she would be with Sang Ying. She said, “I will have what you are having.”
“Sure. Do you want it spicy?”
“Extra spicy and extra numbing.”
Sang Ying stood up. After thinking for a second, she asked Xia Tingwang, “The crisp cakes here are very good. Would you like to try one?”
Xia Tingwang was about to shake her head when her stomach grumbled twice. “Is it clean?”
“It is.”
“Alright.”
Sang Ying went to the window to order. Wang Feifei rested one hand on the table and sized up Xia Tingwang. Xia Tingwang sat perfectly straight, her temperament distinguished. With the makeup on, her age was hard to tell, and her earrings were the latest fall and winter release from the T brand. She could not tell if they were authentic or a high-quality imitation.
She bit her lip and glanced at Ding Han, who had just finished eating. “Hey, Ding Han, let us switch seats.”
It was a four-person table. Ding Han was sitting next to Sang Ying, while Xia Tingwang was directly across from her. Wang Feifei’s seat was diagonal to Sang Ying.
Ding Han wiped her mouth. One was a classmate, the other was her boss. Without a second of hesitation, she chose to stay in front of her boss. After all, she was determined to become the best wingman for Sang Ying and Xia Tingwang.
“No,” Ding Han said.
“You—” Wang Feifei was momentarily speechless. She softened her attitude, using the coquettish tone peculiar to Omegas. “Let us switch, good sister.”
This “good sister” did not scare Ding Han, but it did cause Xia Tingwang to turn her head and look at Wang Feifei for the first time.
Wang Feifei widened her eyes, reaching out to shake Ding Han’s arm gently. “Just switch, okay?”
Ding Han raised both hands. “Do not try to charm me. I am impervious to your tactics.”
Wang Feifei was furious. “It serves you right that you do not have an Omega, and no Omega is chasing you either.”
Sang Ying returned with a tray, placing the bowl of spicy soup in front of Wang Feifei. There was a plastic bag containing the crisp cake and a plastic bowl of soup left on the tray. Sang Ying said, “The plastic bag is clean; I specifically asked for disposable gloves. The bowl is also clean, so please feel free to eat.”
The crisp cake was not big, about the size of an adult’s hand. Xia Tingwang caught the scent of the savory, numbing seasoning, and her mood brightened. Sang Ying was thoughtful and attentive in a way that exceeded her expectations.
She put on the disposable gloves, picked up the cake, and took a bite. It was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, fragrant with every bite.
She had never eaten in an environment like this. In the past, let alone eating, she would not even have stepped inside.
“You should have some soup too…” Sang Ying said. “Mutton soup goes well with the crisp cake.”
Xia Tingwang obediently took a sip. The fresh taste of the mutton soup paired with the cake was actually quite interesting.
She smiled. “It is delicious.”
Wang Feifei looked on gloomily at the two, biting down hard on a slice of lotus root. Ding Han pursed her lips. Sang Ying was just a blockhead; she did not even realize that she was being more attentive to Xia Tingwang than she was to anyone else.