ABO: A Debt to Repay - Chapter 6
The next morning, the alarm rang, and Xu Xi got up feeling refreshed. After washing up and getting dressed, she found that Auntie Wang had already prepared breakfast.
While eating, she received another message from He Lin. Just two simple words: Good morning.
Though it had been He Lin who assigned her the “daily greetings” task, He Lin always managed to be the one to message first. Xu Xi replied with a “Good morning,” attached a photo of her breakfast, and then changed the name of her alarm to “Send Good Morning / Good Night.”
That way, she wouldn’t forget again.
After breakfast, Xu Xi headed to school.
The commute was short—just ten minutes—and she soon arrived.
Xu Xi had always excelled academically, and her current high school was the best in the city: No. 1 Municipal High School.
With technological advancements, pheromone-blocking patches and suppressants were now widely available, effectively controlling the release of pheromones. As a result, Alphas, Betas, and Omegas no longer had to be placed in separate classes. At least on the surface, everyone was treated equally.
In class, Xu Xi served as the academic monitor, responsible for overseeing the study habits of her classmates.
Now in their final year, everyone was focused on preparing for the college entrance exam. Many students had already started self-directed morning reading as soon as they arrived.
Xu Xi was not only good-looking but also gentle and approachable, making her well-liked by both classmates and teachers. Since she had been absent for a few days, a group of students immediately gathered around her with concern.
“Study monitor, why didn’t you come the last few days? Were you sick?”
“Yeah! Was something wrong at home?”
“It’s nothing, just some family stuff.”
“Really? If you need help with anything, just say the word!”
“I’m fine, really. Thanks for your concern—go on, get to your morning reading!”
“Pfft, like she needs your concern,” a voice cut in. “I saw her this morning coming out of Jinglin Garden. Already moved in, huh? Who knows what kind of shady business she’s been up to.”
The speaker was Zhao Yuran, an Omega who sat in the back. She had always disdained Xu Xi’s “class darling” status, and now that she had a chance to stir trouble, she seized it with a sneer.
As expected, her words caused a stir.
“Jinglin Garden? Isn’t that where apartments go for hundreds of thousands per square meter?”
“Is that true, study monitor? How’d you end up there?”
“Did your family get a big relocation payout? That’d be awesome!”
Voices piled on, one after another. Of course, Xu Xi wasn’t about to tell them the truth. She just said calmly, “It’s nothing like that. My family’s had some issues recently, so I’ve been staying at a relative’s place.”
“You have relatives that rich?”
“Wow, introduce us sometime! I’d love to meet them!”
Just as the situation threatened to spiral, the bell signaling the start of morning reading rang. Xu Xi seized the moment: “The bell’s rung—back to your seats! The homeroom teacher’s coming!”
Nothing silenced a room faster than that. The mention of the teacher made everyone scramble to open their books.
Xu Xi let out a breath of relief and had just sat down when Zhao Yuran sneered from behind, “Hmph, a ‘relative’? More like a sugar daddy.”
Zhao Yuran had a history of taking jabs at Xu Xi, usually with words that barely stung. But today’s accusation hit a little too close to home.
After all, Xu Xi was paying off a debt to He Lin. If one were to be blunt about it, she did resemble a kept lover—perhaps even worse, since she didn’t even have the formal status of one.
Still, Xu Xi ignored her and focused on studying.
At noon, after school let out, Zhao Yuran and a few other classmates followed Xu Xi. They called out to her, grinning:
“Hey, study monitor, we’re all from humble families, you know. Would you mind letting us visit your relative’s place? We just want to see what it’s like!”
Not wanting to engage, Xu Xi replied, “Since it’s my relative’s home, I’d have to ask them first. If they agree, I’ll take you another time.”
She was about to leave when someone stopped her again.
“Oh, come on! Why not today? No time like the present! We’re really curious—you know, seeing that kind of house might give us motivation to study harder!”
“But it’s lunchtime. Don’t you have to go home to rest?”
At that, the other students exchanged glances. One hesitated, “Maybe we should go in the afternoon instead?”
But Zhao Yuran was clearly determined. “Morning or afternoon, what’s the difference? We’re not going home for lunch anyway. Study monitor, why not host us for a bit? Right, guys?”
Zhao Yuran’s real goal was obvious. She was afraid Xu Xi would warn this so-called “relative” ahead of time, and they’d cover their tracks. If that happened, she wouldn’t be able to catch any real dirt.
After all, how could she bring down the class darling without evidence?
Xu Xi didn’t like conflict and wasn’t good at saying no.
If it were just Zhao Yuran, she could have ignored her. But with several classmates involved…
Still, she understood what Zhao Yuran was trying to do. Perhaps taking them there was an opportunity—to show them plainly that she didn’t have a “sugar daddy.”
“Then…” Xu Xi was just about to agree when she saw someone get out of a car parked by the curb.
It was He Lin.
He walked over and asked, “Zhao Zhao, why are you standing here? Shouldn’t you be heading home for lunch?”
Why was He Lin here now?
Xu Xi noticed how some of her classmates were stunned into silence by He Lin’s presence. After a brief moment of thought, she walked over and said, “Cousin, these are my classmates. They were hoping to visit the house.”