After Going on a Blind Date With My Omega Love Rival (ABO, GL) - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Chi Shengxi drove herself today. After leaving Chi Ruixi’s apartment, she sat alone in the car, lost in thought for quite a while.

She was thinking about Chi Ruixi and Chi Ying.

The Chi Ruixi she saw in the apartment was a version she hadn’t seen in years. When they were young, when their relationship was still good, Chi Ruixi’s face often showed that kind of expression. Chi Ruixi probably didn’t even realize it herself, but she was very dependent on that alpha just now.

Just like how she used to depend on Chi Shengxi when they were young. That cute and innocent little sister was the one Chi Shengxi pushed away.

Chi Ying, too. Chi Shengxi pushed her away with her own hands.

When Chi Ying was little, she would sweetly call her “Mom” and want Chi Shengxi to hold her, but Chi Shengxi never did.

At least, that’s how it must have seemed to Chi Ying, because she didn’t know that her mother secretly held her at night.

Chi Shengxi rubbed her shoulders, suddenly feeling a bit tired. She wasn’t made of iron, despite all these years. As she aged, she grew more and more exhausted. Over twenty years of high-pressure work and constant mental strain had worn her out. She was tired.

She didn’t dare let people get close, didn’t dare form close bonds. Only in the quiet of the night, when it was just her, could she show her exhaustion.

All because she was the head of the Chi family. All because she wanted Chi Ruixi and Chi Ying to live a little happier.

Starting the car, Chi Shengxi drove aimlessly, somehow ending up back at the Chi family mansion. She rarely returned there, usually staying at the company or her own apartment.

She had meant to go back to her apartment today, but for some reason, she ended up at the Chi mansion. Maybe it was because of the phone call from her mother at noon. Old Madam Chi had called, asking her to bring Chi Ruixi home for dinner, saying there was something important to discuss and that she had already told Xiao Ying she’d be back tonight.

Chi Shengxi looked up at Chi Ying’s room. The light was on. Chi Ying was home.

For some reason, Chi Shengxi’s mood lifted slightly, but she also felt nervous. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be close to Chi Ying. When Chi Ying was young, Chi Shengxi was busy and young herself, her focus not on Chi Ying. As Chi Ying grew older, she became distant, and Chi Shengxi would only sneak in to watch her daughter’s sleeping face after she was asleep.

But now, Chi Ying wasn’t asleep yet. Chi Shengxi hesitated, unsure whether to go in or not.

While she was hesitating, the household auntie saw her return and came out from the house, hurrying to Chi Shengxi’s side. “Eldest Miss, you’re back.”

“Second Miss didn’t come back?” the auntie asked.

Her words made Chi Shengxi pause. Right, she was supposed to bring Ruixi back to the Chi family.

It had been a long time since Chi Shengxi had been like this—seeing Chi Ruixi’s cute side made her forget what she was supposed to do today.

“Ruixi was busy, so she didn’t come back.”

As the two talked at the gate, Old Madam Chi came out at some point. Seeing only Chi Shengxi, her displeasure was obvious, but wary of Chi Shengxi, she directed her anger at the absent Chi Ruixi.

“Why didn’t Ruixi come? Is she hanging out with some shady people?”

Chi Shengxi’s expression showed some surprise. Had her mother been secretly investigating Ruixi again?

“What shady people? Don’t overthink it. Ruixi is very well-behaved.”

“Hmph… Don’t think just because I’m old, I don’t know anything,” Old Madam Chi said, her face dark. She gave Chi Shengxi a cold snort and turned back into the house.

Chi Shengxi knew what her mother meant and found it somewhat amusing. The once-powerful head of the Chi family, a strong and shrewd alpha in the eyes of outsiders, had indeed grown old.

She could only control her youngest daughter and granddaughter now.

Chi Shengxi followed her inside. Old Madam Chi sat in the middle of the sofa, her eyes showing a rare resentment that hadn’t been seen in recent years.

Yes, resentment.

After Chi Shengxi took over, she outperformed her mother. The company thrived, and the Chi family’s status in the business world grew higher and higher.

For Old Madam Chi, with her strong pride, Chi Shengxi’s existence was both a source of pride and jealousy.

“What’s going on with Ruixi?” she asked.

The last time she tried to arrange a blind date for Chi Ruixi, Ruixi said she already had an alpha, which infuriated her. But Chi Shengxi had said she’d handle it.

Old Madam Chi thought there would be some proper resolution, but Chi Ruixi hadn’t come back, and her people had seen Chi Ruixi getting close to a young alpha.

“Didn’t I say I’d handle it?” Chi Shengxi replied.

Old Madam Chi stood up, her voice tinged with anger. “You call that handling it? Letting her get so close to some shady alpha from outside?”

Seeing her mother’s furious look, Chi Shengxi smiled. She stood up calmly, took a bottle of red wine from Old Madam Chi’s prized cabinet, poured herself a glass, and swirled it as she returned to the sofa.

She crossed her legs, took a sip of wine, and said slowly, “Mother, you’re old now. Whether it’s the company or family matters, I should be the one in charge.”

Old Madam Chi was so angry her hands trembled. Pointing at Chi Shengxi, she said, “You’re in charge? I let you be in charge, but you’re just watching Ruixi mess around with some cafeteria cook or whatever?”

“How do you know that?” Chi Shengxi asked.

Old Madam Chi’s eyes flickered away. “Xiao Ying said so.”

Chi Shengxi didn’t believe it. Even if Xiao Ying had let something slip, it was surely her mother’s doing, just using Xiao Ying to confirm it.

But… a cafeteria? A cook?

Chi Shengxi thought back to Yu Heyi she saw earlier. No matter how she looked at her, Yu Heyi didn’t seem like a cook.

She didn’t respond. Old Madam Chi, furious again, stepped in front of her and said, “The old master of the Jiang family helped me when he was young. We even had a verbal engagement. You’re an alpha, and so is the Jiang family’s, so it didn’t work out. But Ruixi, she…”

Looking at her mother’s anxious expression, Chi Shengxi interrupted, “So, Ruixi is your tool for repaying a debt?”

Old Madam Chi nearly fainted from anger at her words.

Trembling, she said, “What nonsense are you talking about? A tool? Ruixi is my daughter. What’s wrong with me making decisions for her?”

Chi Shengxi scoffed, downed her wine, set the glass on the coffee table, crossed her arms, and looked into her mother’s aging, clouded eyes. “Ruixi is your daughter, yes, but she’s also my sister.”

“You…” Old Madam Chi started.

Chi Shengxi’s expression was cold, her eyes devoid of warmth, as if she weren’t looking at her mother but an enemy.

Old Madam Chi had often seen that look when Chi Shengxi was in her teens, before she differentiated. Back then, Chi Shengxi was almost certainly expected to differentiate as an Omega.

Old Madam Chi was disappointed, deeply disappointed. Chi Shengxi was her eldest daughter, and she had high hopes for her birth. But the greater the expectation, the harder the blow.

The Chi family had been feudal for generations, never truly accepting so-called Alpha-Omega equality. When the Chi family was handed to Old Madam Chi, it was nearly bankrupt, on the verge of being erased in Xijing City.

Her marriage was for the Chi family, and her children even more so.

She longed for an alpha daughter, a deeply rooted desire, because she had been raised as an heir from a young age. She needed an heir like that too.

Chi Shengxi’s predicted Omega differentiation disappointed her, so she had Chi Ruixi, only to be even more disappointed.

But later, the daughter predicted to be an Omega differentiated into an alpha—and a far stronger one than her. Yet, because she was too strong, Old Madam Chi couldn’t control her.

So, she started controlling Chi Ruixi, wanting to control everything about her.

“Shengxi, don’t look at me like that. Your sister, my daughter, Ruixi is a daughter of the Chi family.”

“Even if it’s not someone from the Jiang family, she can’t just be with some random, shady alpha.”

The two parted on bad terms. Chi Shengxi returned to her villa. When she got back, the light in Chi Ying’s room was already off. She hesitated, then went upstairs and quietly entered Chi Ying’s room.

Since the house was safe and rarely had people, Chi Ying never locked her door—a habit that had persisted for years, making it easy for Chi Shengxi to occasionally visit her.

She sat by Chi Ying’s bed. Chi Ying was sleeping soundly, her breathing steady, a slight smile on her lips as if dreaming of something happy. Chi Shengxi brushed aside the hair covering her eyes and gently kissed her forehead.

Softly, she said, “Sleep well, Xiao Ying. Mommy loves you.”

In her heart, she added, Mommy will make sure you and your auntie live happily, unlike Mommy.

After Chi Shengxi left, Chi Ruixi lay in bed for a while, then got up because she was too hungry. Her legs still hurt a bit, and she didn’t want to stand in the kitchen for long, so she didn’t feel like cooking.

After rummaging around, she found only a pack of instant noodles. She had bought them for emergencies, and now was the perfect time.

She prepared the seasoning, poured in the water, and three minutes later, it was ready.

Setting the noodles on the coffee table, she turned on the TV, grabbed a pillow to hug, and looked for a drama to watch.

Chi Ruixi didn’t have many hobbies. During holidays, she stayed home watching dramas. Despite her gentle, mature appearance, she loved melodramatic shows.

She found the drama she’d been following, The Overbearing Alpha CEO’s Little Wife Runs Away Pregnant.

A clichéd one-night stand, a clichéd pregnancy escape, and years later, the overbearing alpha CEO didn’t recognize his little wife but recognized the “ball” she carried.

Chi Ruixi ate her noodles, engrossed in the drama.

Just as she took a bite, the doorbell rang. She put down the noodles, paused the TV, and went to open the door.

It was Yu Heyi, holding a bowl of soup.

Before Chi Ruixi could speak, Yu Heyi said, “I made you some bone soup. It’ll help you recover.”

Chi Ruixi opened her mouth to speak, but Yu Heyi didn’t give her a chance.

“I also made some dishes. Want to come eat? Or should I bring them over?”

Then, thinking it over, Yu Heyi added, “I’ll bring them over. Your leg’s injured, so it’s not convenient.”

She didn’t give Chi Ruixi a chance to speak, walking straight in to set the soup on the dining table before heading back to her place.

Chi Ruixi stood at the door, a bit confused, unable to figure out Yu Heyi’s actions.

But watching Yu Heyi’s busy figure, Chi Ruixi felt a sweet warmth in her heart.