Chapter 55

“Yi Fei is dead.”

A few days later, Lin Chen received a call from Mu Huo and learned the news.

After hanging up, she stood frozen for a long while. When Yi Fei had said they would meet again soon, Lin Chen was already planning how she would catch her and not let her escape—how she would demand to know why she had done those things. Now, this person had died just like that, leaving her with nothing but unanswered questions and lingering resentment.

She knew that abandoned factory; it was the place Yi Fei had first taken her to meet the people from the Organization. There, they had spoken at length about their visions for the future and their dissatisfaction with the present.

Yun Qi must have received the news immediately, but she hadn’t told her.

Mu Huo mentioned that Yi Fei’s body was also at the Research Institute. Seemingly having learned a lesson from the incident at the military headquarters, the people guarding the perimeter this time were all from Grand Duke Yun Lan’s side.

Perhaps because of this news, Lin Chen was listless all day, frequently spacing out. She nearly fell while walking down the stairs; the butler, seeing this, hovered nearby, urging her to sit and rest.

The butler assumed this was related to Jin Mo, who had come looking for trouble a few days prior. She hadn’t let that Omega in, but she hadn’t expected the woman to call the Madam directly and arrogantly demand to “seek justice” from the Grand Duke. As for why the emotional distress only surfaced today, the butler figured the Madam had been waiting for the Duke to offer an explanation, but the Duke had returned home these past few days acting as if nothing had happened, leaving the Madam disappointed.

The butler felt she had failed the Old Duke, the Old Madam, and Lin Chen’s mother—who had also been a gentle lady. If the elders were still around, Yun Qi would surely still be that well-behaved, sensible child from years ago. Thinking of that sudden fire and the loss of the Old Duke and his wife made the butler’s heart ache.

Fortunately, the Grand Duke seemed to have matured lately, changing bit by bit.

Contrary to the butler’s thoughts, Lin Chen felt no discomfort regarding Jin Mo’s words. She actually felt an impulse to laugh. How had the “her” in that dream lost a child to such a stupid Omega? To Lin Chen, the woman’s frantic behavior seemed like the final, pathetic howl of someone cornered.

When Yun Qi returned, she immediately felt the butler’s gaze. It seemed to carry a hint of… condemnation?

The Omega’s expression was also flat, appearing not particularly happy. However, the moment she saw Yun Qi, a faint smile appeared on her face. She looked exceptionally well-behaved, like a little rabbit.

Little rabbit?

Yun Qi suddenly remembered—hadn’t she promised to buy a Holland Lop to keep the snowy owl company?

Looking at the owl running madly across the floor, Yun Qi felt a pang of guilt. Lately, she hadn’t had time to take the owl out, and Lin Chen rarely went out now that she was pregnant. The bird must be bored staying at home. I’ll pick one out once I’m back in the bedroom, Yun Qi thought.

“Are you hiding something from me?” The Omega, who had been staring at her with a light smile, suddenly spoke.

The butler stood behind Lin Chen, staring at Yun Qi as if providing moral support for her.

I even let her see my phone; how could I be hiding anything? A trace of grievance rose in Yun Qi’s heart. She had been incredibly busy lately. Her uncle had likely sensed something and was investigating those cases previously dismissed as accidental deaths. Yun Qi saw it all but said nothing—nor could she. The fall of the Empire was an inevitable conclusion.

Her uncle and aunt were very much in love, and her uncle didn’t have that Alpha-superiority complex toward Omegas or Betas. Even if the Empire fell, he would live well. She would find a way to detach him from the Empire to keep him away from the war; a rotting existence would eventually meet its end, but a man like her uncle shouldn’t be dragged into hell with it.

“Have you remembered?” Seeing Yun Qi’s confused expression, Lin Chen asked again.

“What would I have to hide from you?” the Alpha countered, her tone sarcastic.

This sentence could be interpreted in two ways: one, that their relationship was so good that she had no secrets; or two, that she simply didn’t care about Lin Chen and didn’t mind what she knew. Lin Chen chose the first interpretation; the butler behind her chose the second.

As the look of condemnation in the butler’s eyes deepened, Yun Qi heard the long-awaited notification of her Scum Value increasing. The Omega said no more after that, lowering her head to eat quietly. Lin Xi sat nearby and tugged on her mama’s hand; the Omega stroked her hair gently.

Because Lin Chen stopped speaking, the dining table became quite silent, making the snowy owl—which was currently cosplaying as a “cooing chicken” and running laps—stand out even more.

“I remember I once said I would give Xi’er a Holland Lop,” the Alpha said slowly, pretending not to notice the owl suddenly puffing out its feathers.

“Mm-hm!” Lin Xi nodded toward her mother, her face flushing with excitement.

“Coo-coo!” The owl knew it—Yun Qi had no good intentions when she looked at it earlier. It didn’t want a Holland Lop coming to steal its snacks; one snow-white cutie in the house was enough!

However, a bird has no rights in this house. None of the adults present paid any mind to its disgruntled hooting. Lin Xi noticed, but after studying the rabbit-raising manual for so long, her love for the creature had only deepened. Thinking of a future where she could hold the owl in her left hand and pet a bunny with her right made her so happy she simply had to pretend she didn’t understand the owl’s protest.

“Coo, coo.” Picked up by Lin Xi, the owl leaned against her weakly, cooing to act spoiled.

“Xiao Xue is very welcoming to a new partner too.”

“Coo-coo!” The owl flapped its wings in protest.

“Xiao Xue is so excited it’s started flapping its wings.”

Because she had the system translating, Yun Qi found the “chicken and duck talk” between the two quite funny. All the adults saw that Lin Xi was teasing the owl; only the owl itself thought she truly misunderstood and kept trying to explain.

Glancing at a certain Omega who was secretly snickering, Yun Qi felt puzzled. The Omega was so well-behaved, yet how did Lin Xi turn out so “black-bellied” (mischievous)? Yes, black-bellied. She used to think Xi’er was a quiet, introverted child, but after seeing her tease the owl several times, she discovered her true nature.

When considering the source of Lin Xi’s mischievousness, Yun Qi immediately ruled herself out. She felt she had a serious personality and didn’t enjoy teasing people—completely forgetting how she used to pull the Omega’s blankets or poke her face while she was sleeping.

Perhaps because the interaction between the owl and Lin Xi was so full of innocence, the Alpha couldn’t help but curve her lips slightly. Upon realizing the Omega was watching her and smiling, the Alpha pursed her lips and reverted to her expressionless mask.

With Lin Xi’s attention occupied by the owl, she stopped clinging to her mama, so Lin Chen kept her eyes on Yun Qi. She was already full; the butler had likely misunderstood something and prepared a massive amount of delicious food for her earlier. Thinking about Yi Fei, she had eaten quite a lot without realizing it. Now at dinner, even though the food was exquisite and suited for a pregnant woman, she couldn’t eat much.

She loved the current atmosphere. Xi’er was carefree, showing her naughty childhood side while teasing the owl; the Alpha was unconsciously smiling at their daughter; and there were no other Omegas the Alpha had brought home. It was truly wonderful. Then there was the butler—from her, Lin Chen felt a warmth similar to her own mother. Though the butler always looked stern and fierce, she had a very gentle soul. Lin Chen still remembered how the butler always prepared treats for her when she visited as a child.

“If you aren’t eating, go upstairs,” the Alpha said, putting her bowl down with a loud thud that startled the playing owl and Lin Xi into silence.

Except the Alpha’s ears were bright red, leaving her with zero deterrent power.

Lin Xi was startled at first, but then she saw her mama touching her own ear in a signal. She noticed her mother’s ears were indeed red, standing out vividly against her fair skin, yet the owner remained oblivious, thinking she was maintaining her image perfectly.

“Understood.” While Lin Xi went back to playing with the owl, Lin Chen stuck her tongue out at Yun Qi. She didn’t go upstairs; she stayed in her seat, but she stopped staring at the Alpha so directly.

Though she still felt a lingering gaze, Yun Qi pretended not to notice and accelerated her eating. She didn’t want to have to snap at the Omega again.

Once Lin Xi finished eating, Lin Chen had the butler stolen contenttake her back to her room. Now, only the two of them remained.

“Yi Fei…” the Omega said, her voice somewhat conflicted.

Hearing the familiar name, Yun Qi looked up. “Who told you?” Her first thought was Jin Mo—had she said something she shouldn’t have? But she quickly dismissed it; Jin Mo wouldn’t know.

“Is she gone?” The Omega didn’t answer; her expression was complex. Yun Qi could understand—it’s a terrible feeling when a close friend suddenly frames you and then dies before ever explaining why.

“Yes,” the Alpha nodded casually.

“How did she die?” After a moment of hesitation, Lin Chen asked.

“Organ failure…” Yun Qi repeated what the Research Institute had told her.

Lin Chen began to understand why Yi Fei had said, “You were right.” Lin Chen had always insisted those drugs would have side effects, but logically, it shouldn’t have been this fast. Otherwise, they would have discovered it during experimentation. Moreover, when Yi Fei called the other day, she had been coughing constantly; her health was already poor then. Had she done something else during this period?

The Omega’s expression shifted through various emotions, making Yun Qi feel a bit of heartache. She wanted to go over and give this distressed “big rabbit” a proper hug.

As she was lost in thought, Lin Chen felt a wave of warmth on the top of her head.

“Let’s go up.” The Alpha withdrew her hand, acting as if she had just casually patted her partner to remind her to go to the bedroom—as if she had just happened to pat the top of her head, and just happened to let her hand linger there for so long.

“Alright.”

Though she didn’t know why the Alpha was being so “tsundere,” Lin Chen quickly lunged forward. If the Alpha was too shy to act, then she would simply provide the opportunity herself.