Chapter 61 Misty Waves (Part 1)

Chapter 61: Smoke and Waves (Part 1)

Lin Bo overheard those Alphas discussing her again.

Outside the conference room where she was about to be officially appointed as the Chief Kinetic Design Engineer of the Peace Dove Group.

They were either praising or insulting her beauty, speculating about her relationship with Ji Sixin, expressing disdain and anger, or voicing resentment and prejudice. They said she was, after all, an Omega, and the day would come when she would accept a mark. In the end, she would merely become an appendage to some Alpha, staying at home to fulfill her duties as a wife.

Pathetic.

Before stepping through the door, she was still thinking: these short-sighted fools were living twenty years in the past. Inhibitors could be used for life now. How could these talentless, unremarkable people even be worthy...

Lin Bo all but kicked the door open.

Her long, wavy hair, naturally gentle and charming, cascaded over her little black dress in a soft brown hue. But the expression on her face looked like she wanted to devour someone. She had kicked the door so hard that one of the diamond flowers on her high heels fell off.

Tsk. The Omega lifted her slender, fair calf, looking at the exquisite, beautiful shoe with disdain. "I wonder if hitting someone with this could crack their skull?"

A dead silence fell over the room, stunned by her outrageous comment. Almost no one dared to look up at her.

Lin Bo swept a cold gaze over these high-ranking executives, partners, and specially appointed experts of the group—all a bunch of ugly... The word "freaks" stuck in her throat.

Seated on the west side of the round table was a young man. His neat, simple white shirt was tucked into black trousers, a style similar to almost everyone else present.

On the day her pheromone manifestation test confirmed it as Pearl Jasmine, Lin Bo received a multisensory postcard sent by a classmate traveling in another city-state.

It was the first unseen landscape she had experienced since the formal application of sensory communication.

A coastal cliff, green grass, seagulls swooping past the camera lens. A small white flower swayed before the lens. Her friends had written an amazed question: "Doesn't it look like your jasmine pheromone? Do you see it? The soul says it likes such a clean habitat."

A bunch of artsy women. Jasmine flowers are small, but not *that* small, right? Who wants to be a little white wildflower like that? Its soul wants to swim freely in the ocean, not cling to a cliffside.

Lin Bo thought, *What the hell am I looking at? I'm going for my manifestation test.*

The man closed the laptop in front of him, sitting very straight with a long neck where faint blue veins were visible. Across the many people, he met Lin Bo's gaze openly, nodding and smiling at her. The corners of his eyes, misty like peach blossoms, held a familiar color.

It was the porcelain white chosen by the Peace Dove Group.

Clean yet warm, vast yet inclusive. He was beautiful, just like her Peace Dove Group.

Lin Bo thought, *I see it now.*

His name was Song Xingyan.

Very young, he didn't say much, but always maintained a gentle expression.

The moment Lin Bo's appointment as Chief Engineer was announced, apart from Ji Sixin, only Song Xingyan was the first to applaud.

His applause wasn't enthusiastic, the sound of it ordinary, but the appreciation and recognition in his eyes were sincere.

Lin Bo looked down at the meeting minutes and participant list, finding Song Xingyan's name.

Song Xingyan, 23 years old, male Alpha, Senior Computer Expert, Developer of the Sensory Communication Network... Lin Bo couldn't help but look up at him again. So, the coastline she had seen was thanks to Song Xingyan.

A secret flower broke through the soil. Lin Bo's face remained cold, but her consciousness had already flown to the sea.

The proud Omega was unwilling to admit it was love at first sight.

She hated Alphas who thought Omegas were just pretty, fragile vases, yet she loved beautiful clothes and jewelry. She despised the complacency and foolishness of Alphas, yet she was drawn to the brightness and clarity of this one Alpha.

Because the communication network system needed to be integrated into the personal transporters, Song Xingyan became a specially appointed expert, based long-term at the Peace Dove Group and working alongside Lin Bo.

There was a senior Omega engineer in the same team, already a father. His Alpha was serving in the military at the border and wouldn't be discharged for another year. The man often struggled to balance family and work alone and wasn't comfortable leaving his child with the hired nanny.

Lin Bo allowed him to bring his less-than-two-year-old toddler to the company. The Omega was very grateful.

That day, as usual, he brought the child to work and happened to run into a data error that needed immediate troubleshooting with Lin Bo.

The Omega held the child with one arm while looking at the computer with Lin Bo. The little one, ignored by his father, opened his mouth and started wailing loudly, the noise disturbing everyone.

"Omegas should just stay home and raise kids properly. Couldn't he just take leave? Does he have to do this? It's so disruptive."

"Yeah, it's not like our transporters can't continue development without him. Can't he have some self-awareness?"

"This is why I hate working with Omegas. Always so much trouble."

The man's face flushed red with embarrassment, his eyes welling up with tears. Holding the child, he apologized repeatedly, somewhat at a loss as he lowered his head to soothe the baby, genuinely considering asking for leave.

*I want to hit someone.* Slap them senseless first, then talk reason. It always works against arrogant Alphas.

Lin Bo rolled her neck, quickly tying up her hair with the leather cord in her hand in two or three moves. She patted her colleague's shoulder and picked up a hardcover book from the table.

She didn't want to dirty her hands.

Lin Bo had a ferocious expression completely at odds with her water-like, gentle appearance. She didn't like arguing with people; for dealing with certain scum, beating them up was more effective.

But Song Xingyan suddenly stepped forward, blocking her path.

He carried a pleasant scent of coffee, rich and lingering, deliberately restrained to only a faint, sophisticated aroma.

Lin Bo was taken aback, seeing a reassuring smile appear on Song Xingyan's face.

Was he... comforting her?

Song Xingyan passed by her, walked up to the Omega, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and extended his hands. "Let me hold him. Engineer Sun, you finish your work first. I happen to have nothing urgent on my side right now."

The Omega paused, somewhat at a loss.

"I'm very good with children, don't worry." Some people naturally had that kind of power; when they spoke, you felt safe.

The man sniffed and handed the crying toddler over to him.

Song Xingyan held the child professionally, playing with him gently and patiently. Although the baby was still crying, the sound had diminished significantly.

Lin Bo walked over with a wooden expression, belatedly using her own Talent to soothe the little one.

The child soon stopped crying, opening her round, adorable eyes wide.

Those who had been criticizing instantly had nothing to say, only muttering quietly, "How can an Alpha take care of a child? Such simple tasks should be left to Omegas."

"Why can't an Alpha take care of a child?" Song Xingyan turned around holding the infant, his expression still gentle. "Isn't taking care of a child simple? Can you do it? If you can't even handle something as simple as childcare, are you really capable of participating in transporter design?"

His voice was light, like cold brew coffee. "If I can do it, surely all the Alphas present here can too? Or, can you all do what Engineer Sun here does? How about we switch?" After saying this, he paused slightly, bowing his head with a respectful and reverent posture. "Chief Engineer Lin, what do you think?"

Lin Bo's expression didn't change. She silently put down the book in her hand, her voice tinged with disdain. "That makes sense. How about this: from now on, Engineer Sun and I will exchange work content with all of you. We'll review the results in a week. Those who pass will naturally be happy, proving our group's employees are all-rounders. I'll personally subsidize a five percent bonus for each of you."

She walked closer to those few men in her high heels, suddenly smiling enchantingly. "If the review is not passed or the work cannot be completed, then the Alpha who fails to complete their tasks will not only bear the full losses of the project but also face suspension. What do you all think?"

The few Alphas who had spoken shook in their boots.

They dared not offend Lin Bo, knowing the actual authority she wielded, and they had no understanding whatsoever of the sections Lin Bo and Engineer Sun led and were responsible for, always only able to follow assignments to get their work done.

The kinetic design of the Peace Dove could be said to be Lin Bo's sole achievement, with Engineer Sun playing a key supporting role.

Most importantly, every R&D cost invested by the Ji Group was more than they could ever hope to repay in their lifetimes.

"N-no, that won't be necessary."

"Why not?" Song Xingyan walked over, holding the child. "You're right, this project could indeed continue without Engineer Sun, then it should be able to continue without *you all* too, right? However, Engineer Sun can both do his job well and take good care of his child. Even if those things seem simple, I think he truly is talented. Alphas aren't *less capable* than Omegas, are they? And I heard your company's CEO Ji raised his child alone. Hmm? Is CEO Ji an Omega?"

"Dr. Song makes a good point." Lin Bo played along with him. "It seems our CEO Ji doesn't know his gender has been misidentified by his employees. After all, only Omegas take care of children—I really ought to have a word with him about that. However, my team doesn't need incompetent people. At the very least, they should be like Xiao Sun here, capable of completing their own work, doing others' work, and handling some simple tasks. What do you all think?"

Others couldn't help but laugh, while those talkative Alphas were already panicking, terrified that the blame for offending the big boss would fall on them. They hastily bowed ninety degrees to Engineer Sun to apologize.

The small commotion died down. Song Xingyan acknowledged Engineer Sun's gratitude with a smile, then continued walking without a care, holding the child and soothing it to sleep.

"Sorry, Chief Engineer Lin, I just borrowed your and CEO Ji's authority earlier."

Lin Bo didn't speak, only gently shook her head. "Thank you, just now..." She somewhat awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear. "If you hadn't stopped me, it might have ended with calling security, right?"

Song Xingyan smiled, his eyes brimming with irrepressible joy. "Some people's weak spot isn't in their flesh, but in their interests and pride. Only when their interests are threatened and their pride is trampled underfoot will they realize their mistakes. There's about a thirty percent chance they'll change their mindset. Though it's low, it's more satisfying than fighting."

Lin Bo looked up at him in surprise, feeling her heart pounding wildly, almost out of control.

"I hope to see you one day standing at the very top, whether as a leader or a ruler. Beautiful and formidable people make others submit." Song Xingyan's expression remained normal, but his ears were slightly red. He looked down at the child in his arms. "I wonder if you're free tonight? Can I buy you a flat white?"

Lin Bo thought, her jasmine flowers, in clusters and patches, pure white and fragrant, were all blooming together.

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Memories of Mom and Dad are coming up, tear-jerker warning QAQ