Transmigrated And Became An Omega [ABO]

Unwilling to give up, Shi Yue returned to the art exhibition with Leng Yanmi after wandering around nearby for a while.

It was now 5:30 PM, less than an hour before closing time. After circling the venue twice, Shi Yue still hadn't spotted Wu Xuan again. She sighed, thinking she might leave empty-handed today. But just then, a staff member approached her and reminded her, "Each guest at the exhibition has the opportunity to purchase one of the artworks."

"We can buy the pieces on display?" Shi Yue confirmed.

"Yes," the staff member replied with a polite smile. "We've already applied a discount on the prices, as a token of appreciation from Ms. Wu Xuan to all her guests."

Remembering the painting of the veiled girl, Shi Yue took Leng Yanmi's hand and led her back to that corner.

Because the location was quite secluded, the plump figure in the painting lay quietly on her silk carpet, awaiting admiration that never came, as if her beauty and worth were truly concealed by the thin veil over her face. Shi Yue felt sorry for her, but also relieved—this meant she wouldn't have to compete with anyone else for it.

"I want this one."

"Okay." Leng Yanmi nodded naturally, signaling the staff member in the blue uniform nearby with a glance. "Please pack it up."

The staff member quickly stepped forward to package the painting. However, as he was placing it in a protective cover, a little girl suddenly rushed over from nowhere.

The little girl shoved the staff member with all her might, but since she was small and weak, it had little effect.

Realizing her initial approach had failed, she immediately switched tactics, shouting fiercely, "Don't touch my painting!"

The staff member was taken aback, looking at Shi Yue and Leng Yanmi with a confused expression.

Shi Yue walked over to the little girl, squatting down to meet her eye level. "Sweetie, why do you say that painting is yours?"

"It just is!" The girl pouted, her cheeks puffing out.

Shi Yue spread her hands, trying to reason with her. "The person in charge here told me that every guest at the exhibition can choose one painting to purchase. This is the one I picked. If you can't give me a good reason, I'm going to take it with me."

"No way!" The little girl clenched her fists like an angry little beast.

"Did you reserve this painting in advance?" Shi Yue asked.

"No..." The staff member, who was packing the painting, answered instead. "I'm in charge of this section, and before you two, no one had shown any interest in buying this painting."

"Pack it up," Leng Yanmi instructed the staff to continue.

The little girl was about to cause more trouble, so Shi Yue simply picked her up.

"Why do you say that painting is yours?" She began to coax the child. "If you can explain it clearly, Auntie will give it to you, okay?"

The girl finally began to calm down at her words. She looked at the painting, which was halfway packed, and the part with the veiled woman's face was still exposed.

"Because..." She bit her lip and looked at Shi Yue. "That's my mom."

"Your mom?" Shi Yue took a moment to process this. "You mean the woman in the painting, the model?"

"Yes." The little girl nodded.

Shi Yue continued, "Where is she now?"

The girl seemed only four or five years old, so it would be necessary to find her parents to sort this out. If the painting really meant that much to them, Shi Yue could let it go.

But when asked this question, the girl looked downcast and shook her head.

Leng Yanmi came over, showing Shi Yue a photo she had found on her phone. "She seems to be Wu Xuan's daughter," she explained before asking the girl, "Your name is Wu Miuya, right?"

The little girl replied, "I'm Xiaoya."

Shi Yue chuckled and patted her head. "Where's your mom? Why did she leave you running around at the exhibition alone?"

"...She went out." The little girl fiddled with the hem of her dress. "I don't know where she went."

"No other adults are with you?"

The girl fell silent.

Shi Yue and Leng Yanmi exchanged glances.

The exhibition was inside a museum, which wasn't too crowded, but a little girl this young wandering around without supervision could easily get lost.

After a brief exchange, they decided to have Leng Yanmi send a message to Wu Xuan explaining the situation. Then, they took the little girl out to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

Out of the somber exhibition and into the open air, the girl visibly perked up. She hopped along the way, her pigtails swaying back and forth. By the time they reached the restaurant of her choice, the pigtails were nearly undone.

Since there was a wait, Shi Yue used the small gifts the restaurant provided to braid Wu Miuya's hair.

While she did this, the little girl shared some information. She was supposed to be picked up from kindergarten at 4:30 PM, and the driver had dropped her off at the exhibition before quickly leaving. If everything had gone according to plan, she would have stayed by Wu Xuan's side.

But Wu Xuan apparently hadn't communicated properly with the driver and wasn't at the exhibition, leaving the girl bewildered among strangers.

"Is the woman in the painting really your mom?" Shi Yue's curiosity was piqued.

She had researched Wu Xuan before and hadn't heard of any confirmed partner.

"Yes!" The girl nodded firmly.

Holding up a princess mirror to see the braids Shi Yue had carefully made for her, the girl grinned from ear to ear before running off to the nearby play area.

Leng Yanmi approached Shi Yue. "...Why are you so concerned about a kid?"

"Is this concern?" Shi Yue raised her head and asked in confusion.

Leng Yanmi furrowed her brows slightly, as if recalling some unpleasant memory. "Kids are troublesome."

"Hahaha." Shi Yue stood up. "Are you talking about Leng Mingchuan?"

"...It's not just him," Leng Yanmi said.

"Shhh—" Shi Yue put a finger to her lips, playfully reminding her, "Keep it down."

"Why?" Leng Yanmi was puzzled.

"You don't want to make Auntie's future baby upset, do you?" Shi Yue winked at her. "She'd be so sad."

Leng Yanmi grabbed her wrist. "I'm not planning on having kids."

Shi Yue was surprised, staring at her with wide eyes, at a loss for words.

But then Leng Yanmi turned her face away, muttering, "...Something that's impossible shouldn't be hoped for from the start."

"So Auntie is just afraid," Shi Yue realized, leaning in closer. "I don't believe it. How could someone as capable as Auntie resign to fate?

"What if there's a way?"

Leng Yanmi looked at her in surprise.

Wu Miuya suddenly came running out of the ball pit, throwing herself into Shi Yue's arms. Shi Yue had no choice but to let go of Leng Yanmi, crouching down to catch the giggling girl.

As soon as she picked her up, a staff member from the play area came over, looking exasperated. "Excuse me, ladies. Could you please keep an eye on your little one?" She pointed at the big slide in the middle of the ball pit. "She keeps trying to climb over the railing, which is very dangerous. We're short-staffed and can't have someone watch her the whole time."

Shi Yue blushed and apologized, "I'm so sorry."

The girl, however, continued to beam, hugging Shi Yue's neck and begging, "Falling into the balls is so exciting! Can we do it again?"

Shi Yue sighed. "Sweetie, didn't you hear what the lady said?"

She grabbed the girl's hand, which was playfully poking her face. "It's dangerous."

"No!" Wu Miuya began to squirm, "I want to play!"

Her movements were so wild that Shi Yue, though an adult, was almost at a loss to handle her.

While the two were fooling around, Leng Yanmi intervened, lifting Wu Miuya out of Shi Yue's arms and placing her in her own.

"Quiet down," she said calmly, and surprisingly, the girl seemed to take it as an order, staying still in her arms. She blinked her large eyes, now silently pleading with Shi Yue for help.

This time, it was Shi Yue's turn to laugh, doubling over.

She put a hand on Leng Yanmi's shoulder, chuckling. "Auntie sure knows how to handle things."

Leng Yanmi: "..."

Just then, a waiter approached. "Ladies, your table is ready."

She bowed politely. "You can bring the little miss to your table now. Sorry to keep you waiting. We'll offer you a complimentary family fruit platter with your meal. Is that okay?"

Wu Miuya buried her face in Leng Yanmi's shoulder.

Shi Yue stepped forward, softly replying, "Okay." She glanced back at the two who looked like a mother and daughter, then smiled at the waiter. "Thank you."