FENG LANG
Three full seconds passed, and she was still wrapped around my arm like a koala. I cleared my throat to grab her attention.
"Miss Miyue" She looked up at me in confusion, as if wondering if she was the one I was talking to. "My arm" I stated, giving my arm a little shake.
"Oh." She said, before finally unwrapping herself. I frowned as I took in a breath. There was no scent, and I was certain of it. Not an animal scent. Not a human scent. So what made that noise? I wondered.
That was when I noticed the sound of an extra heartbeat. Unlike everyone else's, this one was faint. Very faint, making it very easy to miss. But once I focused on it, I could hear it clearly.
Suspicion brewed in my head.
I turned to the chairman's daughter with a curious glance. A curiosity which only piqued when she refused to meet my eyes. Was she hiding something? I took one step forward but she suddenly rushed in front of me, arms spread apart.
Scoff! Like that could stop me.
"Lang gao, hold on." Now, I really wanted to know what was in there. Quickly, I sidestepped her, making my way through the archway, into the kitchen. "No! Wait—" I immediately came to a stop.
It was crouched underneath the kitchen island, hair wet from what I bet used to be the content of the now broken bowl whose pieces were scattered on the kitchen floor. Milk trailed down its forehead, dripping down its chin, and there were flakes of cereal wedges between it strands.
Its skin, deathly pale. Like pancake batter. At first glance, it was frail, weak. Like it could break just from a touch.
Its head was bent. It didn't dare look up. Its messy hair covered most of its forehead, even its eyes were barely visible underneath the mass. Its hands, mainly skin and bones, came up to pull more of its hair into its face, as it shivered, either from the cold, or from our presence. It finally made sense why I couldn't smell anybody around.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"Lang gao, I can explain—"
"What's a Z-gen Omega doing in your kitchen?" The words were out of my mouth before I could filter the amount of distaste I asked with.
"Uhh… The truth is—" she began again.
"Your family does not have any Z-gen Omega registered, as far as I remember." I turned to her "Or do you?"
She slowly shook her head. Then released a sigh.
"So—"
"It's a stray!" She declared.
There was a sharp intake of breath from underneath the kitchen island, and she immediately threw a quick glance at the omega. It curled into itself even further, almost resembling a ball.
"We found it years ago on a family trip. And my father, being so kind, decided to adopt it. Unofficially."
Her eyes softened. "We couldn't leave the poor thing out there all alone and helpless."
'Helpless', she said. The image of a bony hand wrapped around a gun, and a finger pulling the trigger flitted through my mind. Those vile emotionless creatures couldn't be farther from the word 'helpless'.
I sneered.
"Wutao!" She whispered loudly. The Z-Gen Omega flinched, its head hitting the island as a result. It whimpered in pain. Pathetic. "What are you doing down there? Get up."
'Wutao.' A perfect fit for such a creature.
Slowly, it slid out, straightening to its full height. My heart skipped a beat, and I slowly breathed out.—I guessed in reaction to being so close to a Z-Gen Omega, after all these years.— It was taller than I expected. At least, 5'11. And … male. M-spec Z-Gen Omegas existed?
It squirmed underneath my unwavering gaze, its hands unable to stay at its side as it shook uncontrollably. It's breathing got heavier and quicker. Like it was hyperventilating. Not so much that it was cause for alarm, though.
Its eyes looked everywhere, but at Mulan and I, as it shifted on its bare feet.
Black t-shirt with grey sweat pants. At some point, it looked back at me through the curtain of its hair. But immediately shut its eyes when we locked gazes.
"And why is it not registered?" I asked, when I didn't see any branding on its body.
She curved her lips. " Father thought it'd be best if it didn't have any ownership, so it could be free, like a normal person."
In more accurate words, chairman Xu didn't want his family image tarnished from association. I knew peopple like chairman Xu—my own father, was people like chairman Xu—and they never did anything solely for someone else's benefit.
Although owning a Z-Gen omega, especially very rare type as this M-spec —which I had only just found out existed— showed a sign of wealth for people of the middle and upper middle class, it was different for the rest of us in the top 1% of the country.
We stood for purity. It was the only road to sovereignty in our circle, and owning a Z-gen omega defeated that purpose. They were the filths of our society, after all.
If a power hungry man like chairman Xu chose to adopt this Z-gen Omega—putting his reputation on the line— then, there had to be something more to it. Something that made more sense than the 'taking it off the streets' nonsense his daughter was spewing. And I wouldn't be Feng Lang if I didn't get to the bottom of it.
There was no doubt that me seeing this 'secret' of his was a mistake that shouldn't have happened. One that I planned to use every bit of to my advantage.
"J-J-Jie …" it started, and my head whipped to its face. I blinked. Why did its voice sound so familiar? It's eyes widened at my sudden movement, and it brought its voice to a whisper. "I'm I'm sorry, Jie. I came for… came for food."
"Don't apologize, Wutao. It's fine. Go to your room" it nodded, and as quickly as its scrawny legs could managed, it shuffled out of the kitchen.
As I watched it walk away, there was a small tinge in my chest. Then it tightened. I saw an image of my father on the wet floor, blood pooling underneath him. I quickly blinked the image away.
We both stared at the empty archway for a while after it left, lost in thought. Then the chairman's daughter turned with a … I think 'face split' would be a better description than the word 'smile'.
"I'll get a maid to clean this up." She let out a nervous laugh, as she began to walk towards the large fridge, and I grunted. "So what would you like to drink? Water, juice—"
"Miss Mushu." I called, and she stopped in her tracks. Although she didn't face me, I continued. "I'm sure you know what this development means for…"
"Lang gao." She whipped around. "Please don't tell my father you saw it. I'm begging you."
I inclined my head. "Don't worry, I won't" and she visibly relaxed. Of course I wasn't going to waste such precious leverage. "But…" she tensed again, and I smirked in amusement. "I'm sure you already know the purpose of my visit isn't merely business..."
Her chest heaved, and she released a shaky breath. "Yes, Lang gao. It's for us to get to know each other better… Because we'll be engaged soon."
"Good" I nodded, and her face lit up. "I'll leave it to you, then."
"Leave what?"
"Telling your father that it's no longer happening" I answered cooly, straightening my suit.
"Wait, what?"
I paused. "Surely, you didn't expect our engagement to go through after this revelation…"
"But but—" She stuttered.
"Miss Meixin. Trust me, It's for the best" I said, pulling the most convincing face possible.
"But, I love you." She whispered, looking totally crestfallen. Goodness! That took a lot not to burst into laughter. Her lips quivered, as she went on with her childish nonsense. "I've loved you for a while. Ever since you gave me that rose in high school." I did what? I sighed. I really didn't have time for this.
"Pity." I responded, turning around to make my way out of the kitchen. "I'm leaving. I trust you can come up with an excuse for that as well?" I didn't wait for her response.
"I'm not giving up, Lang gao!" She called after me. "I'll make you love me back!" I scoffed. Like that was my first time ever hearing that statement.
I pulled out my phone. Dialing Chen Yu's number as I stepped into the hallway. He answered after the first ring.
"Chen Yu"
"Ready the car, we're leaving." There was a surprised pause.
"What about chairman Xu? And your father."
"Don't worry about that. I think I have something that is going to benefit Chairman Feng Zhenhai more than marrying off his only son." I breathed into the phone before ending the call with a beep.