After Marking the Omega Officer Who Was Pretending to Be an Alpha - Chapter 7

“Sorry.”

After listening, Shao Enzhuo’s first reaction was to lower her head slightly and apologize to Ren Qiruo. “I didn’t know your mother…”

Seeing that the atmosphere had suddenly become a little heavy, Ren Qiruo smiled and patted Shao Enzhuo on the shoulder. “It’s fine. You don’t have to pity me. I came to terms with my mom leaving a long time ago.”

“But…” Shao Enzhuo suddenly felt that something seemed off. “How do you have two mothers?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it.

She had almost forgotten that this was an ABO apocalyptic world, different from the real world. Two women could also have children together here. Now Ren Qiruo was definitely going to treat her like a monster again.

The next second,

Ren Qiruo indeed revealed a strange and extremely confused expression. “You… why would you ask me that?”

“I don’t know what happened to me some time ago. One morning, I woke up and suddenly lost my memory. I forgot almost everything about the Capital of Hope,” Shao Enzhuo could only helplessly use the terrible excuse of amnesia to brush it off. “So I…”

Even if she said she was not from this world,

Ren Qiruo probably would not believe her.

“You said you lost your memory?” Ren Qiruo’s eyes flickered slightly, and she raised her brows. “You really don’t remember anything?”

Shao Enzhuo answered without changing her expression. “Mm.”

“Since you lost your memory, you can ask me anything you want to know. As long as I know it, I’ll tell you,” Ren Qiruo said. She did not doubt the truth of Shao Enzhuo’s amnesia and believed her unconditionally. “You helped me today, so you’re my benefactor. From now on… can I call you Ah Zhuo?”

Ren Qiruo could be considered the first friend Shao Enzhuo had made after coming to the Capital of Hope. She had no objections.

“Mm.”

“Oh right, do you want a steamed bun?” As Ren Qiruo spoke, she pulled open her collar and took out several steamed buns from inside her clothes. She smiled and handed them to Shao Enzhuo. “Here, Ah Zhuo. These are the steamed buns you bought. Thank you so much.”

“I already ate before I went out.” Shao Enzhuo pushed Ren Qiruo’s hand back. “You eat them. I’m not hungry.”

Ren Qiruo then put the steamed buns back inside her clothes.

Shao Enzhuo asked, “Why aren’t you eating?”

“I have to bring these steamed buns back for my stepmother. My stepmother also hasn’t eaten anything for a long time.” Ren Qiruo tidied her collar, then looked at Shao Enzhuo with a relaxed expression and asked, “Ah Zhuo, are you going somewhere?”

“I’m planning to go to the Science and Technology Hall for a genetic test,” Shao Enzhuo said slowly. “Do you know how to get there?”

“You’re going to the Science and Technology Hall? I can take you there directly, but I have to go home first,” Ren Qiruo said, looking straight into Shao Enzhuo’s eyes. “Ah Zhuo, are you in a hurry to go right now?”

Shao Enzhuo shook her head. “I’m not in a hurry.”

“Then why don’t you come home with me first? After that, I’ll take you to the Science and Technology Hall. How about that?” Ren Qiruo said with some excitement. “Wherever you want to go, I’ll take you there.”

Shao Enzhuo thought that since Ren Qiruo was someone born and raised in this world, having Ren Qiruo show her around the city and explain some things she could not understand was also a good idea. So she nodded and agreed. “Okay, then let’s go to your house first.”

Ren Qiruo warmly and intimately linked arms with Shao Enzhuo.

“Let’s go.”

—

Brilliant sunlight spilled across the ground, shining with a golden glow.

The wind blew past.

Shao Enzhuo followed Ren Qiruo through street after street and alley after alley, walking against the wind. Finally, they entered a five-story residential building. Ren Qiruo seemed to be an easygoing chatterbox who quickly got familiar with people. Her mouth barely stopped talking along the way.

The two of them went upstairs together.

Ren Qiruo linked arms with Shao Enzhuo and brought her to the second floor. She walked to the door, suddenly stopped, then slowly turned her head to look at Shao Enzhuo. “Ah Zhuo, can you promise me one thing?”

Shao Enzhuo met Ren Qiruo’s gaze. “What is it?”

“When I go out, I always tell my stepmother that I’m going outside to work and look for something to do. But recently, those farms haven’t been hiring people anymore. My stepmother doesn’t know about this, and I don’t want her to worry about me,” Ren Qiruo said, pressing her lips together and casting Shao Enzhuo a pleading look. “Can you help me keep it a secret?”

Shao Enzhuo understood what Ren Qiruo meant. “I can.”

Ren Qiruo smiled very sweetly.

“Thank you, Ah Zhuo. You’re so kind.”

Shao Enzhuo shrugged.

Ren Qiruo took a key out of her pocket, unlocked the door, then pushed it open and led Shao Enzhuo inside. “Ah Zhuo, this is my home. Welcome to my home.”

Shao Enzhuo walked in and looked around at the surroundings.

Two bedrooms and one living room.

The house was probably around fifty or sixty square meters. The furniture in the living room was all made of wood. The curtains swayed left and right in the breeze blowing in. Sunlight streamed through the window, making the living room look very bright and spacious.

“Qiruo, you’re back.”

A woman’s extremely weak voice came from the bedroom.

Ren Qiruo immediately responded.

“Mm, Stepmom, I’m back.”

She took Shao Enzhuo’s hand and walked toward the room.

The two entered the bedroom together.

They saw a woman lying on the bed, so thin her bones showed and her eye sockets were sunken. The woman’s lips were dry, cracked, and pale. Her cheeks were so thin there was almost no flesh on them. She looked as if she had been tortured by illness and was barely holding on, making people’s hearts clench just from looking at her.

“Stepmom, I brought a friend back,” Ren Qiruo said, pulling Shao Enzhuo to Ren Yiyao. “Her name is Shao Enzhuo. She’s a friend I just met today.”

Shao Enzhuo’s brows and eyes curved gently as she greeted her very obediently. “Auntie, hello. I’m Shao Enzhuo.”

Ren Yiyao slowly nodded. “Hello.”

Her voice was very weak.

It sounded as if speaking was extremely difficult for her.

Ren Qiruo pulled Shao Enzhuo to sit on a chair beside the bed. “Ah Zhuo, sit here first. I’ll go get something.”

Shao Enzhuo said, “Okay.”

Ren Qiruo suddenly turned back and asked, “Ah Zhuo, do you want water?”

Shao Enzhuo said, “I’m not thirsty.”

Only then did Ren Qiruo leave.

Shao Enzhuo quietly watched the skeletal Ren Yiyao lying on the bed. Her gaze unconsciously moved downward and landed on Ren Yiyao’s withered, bony arm. She saw that Ren Yiyao wore a silver ring on her left wrist. It was exactly the same as the silver rings she had seen on the street. Many questions immediately surfaced in her heart.

Why was Ren Qiruo’s mother also wearing a silver ring?

What exactly was this silver ring?

A short while later, Ren Qiruo walked in carrying a plate of steamed buns and a cup of steaming hot water. She placed them on the bedside table and said, “Mom, these are steamed buns I bought with the wages I earned from working this morning. Hurry and eat.”

After speaking, she gently helped Ren Yiyao sit up. Ren Qiruo picked up a pillow from the bed and carefully placed it behind Ren Yiyao. Then she picked up a steamed bun and put it in Ren Yiyao’s hand.

Ren Yiyao held the steamed bun and took a small bite.

Ren Qiruo asked, “Stepmom, is the steamed bun good?”

“Mm, it’s good,” Ren Yiyao said, chewing the steamed bun in her hand very slowly. “Qiruo, you should eat one too.”

Ren Qiruo revealed a sweet smile and said softly,

“Stepmom, I already ate. You eat.”

Ren Yiyao looked at Shao Enzhuo, who was sitting silently to the side, and asked weakly, “Does Xiao Zhuo want a steamed bun?”

“Auntie, I already ate.” Shao Enzhuo quickly glanced at Ren Qiruo sitting beside the bed. “You eat.”

Ren Yiyao stopped speaking and focused on eating the steamed bun.

—

When they came out of the residential building, the sun was shining brightly.

The breeze threaded through the alley.

“Ah Zhuo, I’ll take you to the Science and Technology Hall now,” Ren Qiruo said, looking to be in a very good mood. She glanced at Shao Enzhuo beside her and casually asked, “Did you bring your identity plate?”

Shao Enzhuo asked, “What’s an identity plate?”

“Everyone has an identity plate. If you want to go to the Science and Technology Hall for a genetic test, you’ll need to use your identity plate.” Seeing Shao Enzhuo’s confused expression, Ren Qiruo knew that Shao Enzhuo definitely had not brought it. “Ah Zhuo, did you not bring your identity plate?”

Shao Enzhuo: “…”

Why had she never heard Shao Lanzhi mention anything about an identity plate? Did Shao Lanzhi forget to tell her? Somewhat at a loss, she scratched her head. “What happens if I didn’t bring my identity plate? Will they not let me do the genetic test?”

“It doesn’t really matter if you didn’t bring it,” Ren Qiruo said, linking arms with Shao Enzhuo and walking forward. “If you had an identity plate before, you can just get a new one reissued at the Science and Technology Hall. At most, you’ll get scolded.”

Shao Enzhuo: “…”

Then she could only get scolded.

As Shao Enzhuo walked, she thought about the silver ring. She silently glanced at Ren Qiruo and could not help asking, “Qiruo, what’s the silver ring your mother wears on her wrist?”

“That silver ring is a restriction ring,” Ren Qiruo answered calmly. “Every Omega has to wear a restriction ring.”

Shao Enzhuo asked, “Why do Omegas have to wear restriction rings?”

“The restriction ring means all Alphas are forbidden from approaching Omegas,” Ren Qiruo explained composedly while looking ahead. “Once an Alpha has intimate contact with an Omega, the restriction ring will sense the Alpha’s aura, light up red, and sound an alarm. Then the people from the City Guard Department will know.”

Before Shao Enzhuo could speak, Ren Qiruo continued, “Ah Zhuo, I’m guessing you must have forgotten why too, right?”

Shao Enzhuo indeed did not know.

However, she clearly remembered the synopsis printed in Dawn. “Is it to monitor Omegas?”

“That’s right. Omegas don’t have the freedom to fall in love, nor do they have the right or qualifications to love freely. Omegas must wear restriction rings for their entire lives. Only after death will the restriction ring be removed. And they can only be assigned by the Hope Organization to Alphas who have made contributions,” Ren Qiruo said, slowly lifting her head and meeting Shao Enzhuo’s gaze. “In other words, to the vanguards we both respect and fear.”