ABO: A Debt to Repay - Chapter 19

The moment she saw the scene, Xu Xi turned on her heel and fled.

Her chest was tight with panic and sour bitterness, the ache spreading from her heart to her nose until tears welled up and slipped from the corners of her eyes.

She ran into the restroom and caught sight of herself in the mirror.

The girl in the reflection had raven-black hair, pale skin, red lips, and white teeth. Her clear black-and-white eyes were filled with panic, and the redness at the corners exposed just how hurt and upset she was.

She splashed cold water on her face, trying to force herself to calm down.

In her mind, she repeated over and over: He is your creditor. He is your creditor. He is your creditor…

But it didn’t help. Not at all.

She couldn’t lie to herself.

Over the past weeks, she had developed feelings for He Lin. And somewhere along the way, she had almost forgotten a cruel truth—she was never that important to He Lin.

Knowing it in theory was one thing. Seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely.

When she saw He Lin with another Omega, Xu Xi would get jealous, frustrated, uneasy.

But Xu Xi had no right to ask He Lin to stay by her side, to not seek out someone else.

She wiped her face dry—tears or water, she couldn’t tell anymore—and messaged the class rep to say she had to leave early. But just as she stepped out of the restroom, she bumped straight into someone’s chest.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry.”

They spoke at the same time. Xu Xi looked up and saw a very handsome, elegantly dressed man.

The man glanced down at him, his gaze lingering on Xu Xi’s red-rimmed eyes. Noticing the vulnerable look in them, he unexpectedly asked, “Are you okay? Did… did you just get your heart broken?”

Xu Xi blinked. “You… how did you know?”

“Funny coincidence. I just got dumped too. Want to come up to the bar upstairs for a bit? We can talk.”

Under normal circumstances, Xu Xi would never sit and chat with a stranger—especially not an Alpha. But tonight… she went with him.

They sat in the bar above the KTV, in a window-side booth where the city’s sparkling nightlife stretched out below.

“I’m Shen Chong’an. ‘Chong’ as in admiration, ‘An’ as in peace. I’m probably older than you—just call me Brother Shen.”

“Brother Shen, I’m Xu Xi. ‘Xu’ with the speech radical, and ‘Xi’ like in brightness.”

Shen Chong’an wore a tailored suit that perfectly showed off his lean, broad-shouldered frame. Even seated, his upright posture and well-proportioned physique were impossible to miss.

He had a clean, striking face and refined manners—his presence gave off a sense of integrity and warmth.

“Someone like you, Brother Shen, could still get heartbroken?”

“Being heartbroken has nothing to do with how good you are. Liking someone is simple. You either like them or you don’t.”

He was right. You don’t fall for someone because they’re amazing. You fall for them, and then everything about them starts to shine in your eyes.

“The person I liked is an Alpha. We used to be really good friends, but then I confessed. After that, we couldn’t even be friends anymore.”

He said it with a faint smile, but sadness lingered deep in his eyes.

He took a sip of his cocktail and went on, “I thought maybe he felt the same, just a little. But turns out, it was all in my head. I guess… we’ll never have a chance again.”

The air fell quiet after that. Then Shen Chong’an looked up at Xu Xi. “What about you? What’s your story?”

“…My story’s complicated, but also kind of simple. From the start, our relationship was unequal. That made our ending inevitable. I wasn’t careful with my own heart, and now I’m paying the price. I saw something that should’ve come as no surprise, and still I couldn’t handle it.”

Shen Chong’an, clearly a perceptive man, didn’t press for details. He simply asked, “Have you asked him about it?”

Asked him?

That had never occurred to Xu Xi.

“Is he good to you?” Shen Chong’an continued.

Xu Xi nodded.

“Then maybe it’s worth having an honest conversation,” Shen Chong’an said. “Sometimes what we see or hear isn’t the whole truth. A bad beginning doesn’t always mean a bad ending. Maybe you should give it a shot.”

Give it a shot?

Xu Xi repeated the words silently.

Talking to Shen Chong’an had calmed her emotions. Though she was still unsure, looking into Shen Chong’an’s encouraging eyes, she felt maybe she could try—just once.

Try to figure out He Lin’s true feelings. Try to find out what she really meant to him.

Xu Xi smiled at Shen Chong’an, just about to speak again—when suddenly, a figure charged toward them and landed a heavy punch right in Shen Chong’an’s face.

“Brother Shen!”

The punch was brutal. Shen Chong’an crashed to the floor.

Xu Xi instinctively moved to help him up—only to freeze when she saw who threw the punch.

It was He Lin.

He Lin glared furiously at the man sprawled on the ground. Xu Xi, worried he might strike again, tried to hold him back—only to meet He Lin’s seething gaze.

“Brother Shen? That’s real affectionate, huh? Who gave you permission to come to a place like this? You’re an Omega, and you’re out here drinking and flirting with an Alpha?”

With a roar, He Lin smashed the glass on the table onto the floor, the shatter sharp and loud.

“Xu Xi! Do you think I’m dead?!”