When the Stand-in O Differentiated into an A - Chapter 1

“Hello, miss, how much sugar would you like, and would you like to add any toppings?”

Qiao Xi looked down at the price list for toppings on the milk tea menu. The cheap ones weren’t her favorites, and she couldn’t afford the expensive ones.

She looked up with an embarrassed smile. “Um, no thanks. Oh, and I want it with full sugar. Please remember to give me a coaster.”

…

“Okay, your milk tea is ready. Have a nice day!”

Qiao Xi took the milk tea and pulled her pink cow-print suitcase away from the counter. After buying it, she glanced at her phone’s balance: ¥200.

She held back the urge to cry and found a quiet park bench. She took out her straw, poked it into the milk tea cup, and started slurping.

But after a few sips, tears streamed down her face. She took a tissue from her pocket and wiped her nose.

Today was the most unlucky day since she finished school. She woke up this morning in her soft, comfortable bed, only to be kicked out by noon because she couldn’t pay rent.

Qiao Xi sobbed while slurping her bubble tea. “Seriously, I told you to give me a few more days, but life just mercilessly beat me up.”

After a few more sips, Qiao Xi couldn’t drink anymore. The full-sugar milk tea was too sweet. She usually ordered it with 70% sugar. But she was broke, and this might be the last cup she could afford all month, so she figured the extra sugar would serve as breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

She cried so hard that passersby, seeing this girl with long hair and denim overalls, assumed she had been dumped by her boyfriend.

Just as Qiao Xi finished wiping her nose and was about to stand up to find the cheapest guesthouse she could, a flyer blew onto her face.

She picked it up. It said, “Hiring a Professional Stand-in. Room, Board, and Excellent Pay Included.” It went on with a bunch of great benefits. Qiao Xi just glanced at it, crumpled it into a ball with the tissue she’d just used, and tossed it into a trash can.

She had seen countless scam ads like this. The contents of this one were even less reliable than becoming a celebrity’s assistant, which at least guaranteed room and board.

Qiao Xi found a cheap hotel. One night would cost her half of her remaining money. This was the cheapest place she could find in the city, and she only had this much money left. The rest would be for a taxi to her new job tomorrow.

Even though she was so poor she was close to setting up a street stall, she was relieved that her new job tomorrow included food and lodging. This thought made her gulp down the overly sweet milk tea. To not waste the pearls at the bottom, she even tore off the film and slurped the last few pearls into her mouth.

The hotel room was small, but it had a shower. After her shower, Qiao Xi texted her friend: [I got kicked out by my landlord today. Good thing I start a new job tomorrow, or I’d be crashing at your place.]

A short while later, her friend, saved as Wang Yangyang, replied: [We had a good run. Don’t come here.]

Qiao Xi: [How can you be so heartless? What if I really end up on the streets one day? I won’t even know the way home. I’ll just call the police and tell them to drop me off at your house!]

Wang Yangyang: [I suggest a mental asylum. They provide food, lodging, and people to take care of you. It’s much better than setting up a stall under a bridge.]

Qiao Xi sent a few emoji’s of her beating up Wang Yangyang, then slyly added: [I’m not kidding. I only have 100 yuan left on me. Good sis, can you lend me some?]

Wang Yangyang: [Good sis, I just paid my rent and have exactly one yuan more than you. Wanna eat dirt together? The soil here has a lot of variety, you can have a different kind for every meal.]

Qiao Xi: […]

Sigh. Qiao Xi had hoped to borrow some money from her best friend to get by, but it turned out Wang Yangyang was just as broke as she was.

She was silent for a moment before sending another message: [I’m going to my new company tomorrow. If I get lost, remember to come find me.]

Wang Yangyang sent a laughing emoji: [You don’t know how to use GPS?]

Qiao Xi: [Anything can happen, you know? I’m so pretty and cute, who knows what kind of trouble I might get into?]

Wang Yangyang sent an eye-rolling emoji: [Please. You’re not some highly sought-after omega. What kind of trouble would you get into? At most, someone might kidnap you and sell you by the pound. Don’t worry, I’ll attend your funeral.]

Qiao Xi saw Wang Yangyang’s message and got defensive: [Don’t talk nonsense! My mom had my fortune told, and she said I’d differentiate into an omega that everyone loves!]

Wang Yangyang: [A twenty-something who still hasn’t differentiated into an omega?]

After seeing that message, Qiao Xi turned off her phone. Forget it. Wang Yangyang was a total dog, and nothing good ever came out of her mouth. It was better to just go to sleep so she could get to work early tomorrow.

Qiao Xi hadn’t been sleeping well lately. The stress of finding a job and a place to live was getting to her. It took her a full three minutes to fall asleep. Usually, she was out the moment her head hit the pillow.

In her dream, Qiao Xi saw herself differentiate into a gentle, cute, and beautiful omega, surrounded by countless handsome alphas trying to court her.

That’s right, becoming a cute and beautiful omega had always been Qiao Xi’s dream. She had a gentle and playful personality from a young age, and all her childhood friends liked her. But later, all the girls she played with differentiated, and she remained a plain old beta. Qiao Xi loved the feeling of being the center of attention, so she wanted to differentiate into a captivating omega to attract pretty girls.

“Hehe… pretty girls…” Qiao Xi was lost in her beautiful dream, but it was suddenly interrupted by a ringing alarm.

She frowned, reached out to turn it off, and quickly got up to pack her things and head to the company in a taxi.

Although her new job was in the city center, the address had a lot of winding streets.

It didn’t matter, though. Thankfully, her new job came with room and board, so she wouldn’t have to worry about her livelihood for now.

Qiao Xi pulled her suitcase and took the elevator up to the twelfth floor. The company was located in a commercial building, with the third, eleventh, and twelfth floors belonging to them.

Just as she was waiting for the HR manager to assign her a position and an apartment, the manager suddenly said to her, “Miss Qiao, I’m so sorry, but the position we discussed last week was filled two days ago. So…”

Qiao Xi had arrived full of hope, but the manager’s words hit her like a bolt of lightning. She and her suitcase stood there in a daze for a long time, then she looked at the person. “Manager… didn’t we have a deal? I was supposed to start today. You can’t go back on your word!”

The HR manager looked troubled. “I’m very sorry, Miss Qiao, but that position has been filled. With your qualifications, you can find a better job. Our company has been shortsighted. Please leave.”

What?! How could they do this?!

Qiao Xi was furious. She pointed at the person. “We agreed on the job, and I’m here today. How can you break your promise? And even if you decided not to hire me, you should have at least told me in advance! Do you know I spent nearly a hundred yuan on a taxi to get here!”

When Qiao Xi said this, the employees inside looked over through the glass. When she felt their stares, she suddenly looked down in shame and embarrassment.

“I’m very sorry for not telling you beforehand. If you’re that upset about it, we can reimburse you for the taxi fare.” The HR manager said, pulling a crisp one-hundred yuan bill from their wallet.

Qiao Xi’s voice suddenly rose. “What is this, playing with me? I don’t need your taxi money! Your company is on my blacklist, and I never want to see you again!”

With that, Qiao Xi angrily grabbed her suitcase and turned to leave.

Even though she was broke, she wouldn’t lose her pride. Especially not to a company that was so dishonest. Qiao Xi walked into the elevator with a stony expression, and people on the way moved aside for her.

She walked out of the building with a serious face, then immediately regretted her bravado. She only had five yuan left. How was she supposed to get back?

Qiao Xi’s eyes welled up with tears. She took out her phone, and it showed only 5% battery. Another thunderclap. Her world went black.

Right, she had forgotten to charge her phone last night!

Qiao Xi quickly called Wang Yangyang to come and save her, but she called once, twice… until her phone died, and Wang Yangyang never picked up.

The job that promised food and lodging was gone, she had only five yuan, her phone was dead, and she was in an unfamiliar place… Qiao Xi felt like her life had hit rock bottom.

As she passed a small food stall, she saw that a jianbing guozi (a Chinese street crepe) was exactly five yuan. She felt her stomach rumble. She put her phone in her pocket to warm it up for a moment, then turned it on to see it had 2% battery.

She quickly bought a jianbing guozi with the last of her power. She took the hot crepe and sat down on a stool, eating it. She didn’t know why, but she started to cry, her tears falling like a broken string of pearls.

It’s okay, something will work out. Just finish this jianbing guozi first.

As Qiao Xi sobbed and ate, the woman who sold her the crepe noticed the girl crying. She frowned slightly. Since there were no customers at the moment, she grabbed a bottle of iced black tea and walked over.

“Hey, little one, is the crepe so good it’s making you cry?”