Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 15

Yu Xiaoxiao lay sprawled over her desk, sighing as she lazily chewed on the end of her pen and half-heartedly flipped through the documents in front of her.

The office door was locked tight. It was quiet and empty—no one else around. If she raised her voice or picked up the phone, someone would surely rush in with a “Deputy Director Yu!” But seeing those people was the last thing Yu Xiaoxiao wanted.

“Sigh…”

She let out a long sigh—and then a second one, even louder.

“Siiiiiigh—!!”

Who knew what got into her mom, Yu Danchun, this time. She suddenly had the idea that Yu Xiaoxiao needed to start learning company operations.

And this time, she seemed serious. Not only did she give Yu Xiaoxiao some fancy title like “Deputy Director,” but she also assigned a group of people to teach her, even confiscated her phone and computer, and locked her in the office—she could only leave once she finished a full day’s work.

With her mom’s subordinates hovering around teaching and supervising, Yu Xiaoxiao felt completely out of place. Now that they’d finally finished their lessons and left her alone to handle things, Yu Xiaoxiao couldn’t even call her friends to vent. All she could do was stare blankly at the endless black-and-white paperwork and charts, barely staying awake.

She grabbed a sheet of printer paper and started doodling on the back.

After just a few strokes, the figure of a slim woman in a tailored suit appeared on the page.

Yu Xiaoxiao puffed up her cheeks and glared at the drawing with annoyance—but still added a pair of quiet, beautiful eyes with her pen.

…That annoying Big Ice Block.

If it weren’t for Xiang Shuhuai, her mom wouldn’t have dragged her back into this.

“Mom, what is wrong with you?!” she’d cried into the phone when she was first brought in. “She’s just an employee! You can’t just force her to babysit me—so annoying! Just let me go back already.”

“Be good, Xiaoxiao,” Yu Danchun replied. “I’ll count it as overtime and give her a raise—since you know that much, take this seriously and don’t waste her time.”

“But why, Mom?” Yu Xiaoxiao said, feeling wronged. “We already agreed! Isn’t Yao Yao doing fine at the company? Why are you dragging me back too…”

“You’re you. Yao Yao is Yao Yao,” Yu Danchun said firmly. “I know you’re not interested in this stuff, but you still need to learn a bit. When your dad and I aren’t around anymore, you’ll have to rely on yourself.”

“What do you mean—”

“People live and die, Xiaoxiao. I can’t take care of you forever,” her mom said, her voice softening. “You’re grown up now. You need to start taking your life more seriously.”

Yu Xiaoxiao pouted and didn’t say anything.

“And don’t think you’re not capable just because you’re not interested,” her mom continued. “Don’t limit yourself before you even start. Shuhuai told me you’re smart—you pick things up quickly. You’ll be fine with this business stuff too.”

…Xiang Shuhuai?

Hearing that, Yu Xiaoxiao perked up a little and asked, “She… What else did Xiang Shuhuai say about me?”

“She said nice things. She praised you so much I almost thought she was talking about someone else,” Yu Danchun said. “Tch, I still don’t see what’s so great about you… you little rascal.”

“Mooom—”

Yu Danchun cut her off. “Take your learning seriously, Yu Xiaoxiao.”

“—Why is she ‘Shuhuai,’ but I’m always ‘Yu Xiaoxiao’?! I don’t get it!” Xiaoxiao raised her voice in protest. “Mom!!”

Yu Danchun didn’t answer and just hung up.

Why… why does that cold-faced robot get to be called all soft and nice—Shuhuai—while I’m just Yu Xiaoxiao?! All they did was work together!

Saying she’s smart, quick to learn, praising her like that—when has that annoying Big Ice Block ever been that nice?

…it had to be revenge. She must be getting back at her!

Maybe Xiang Shuhuai found out she tattled to Youyou-jie and told her mom all that on purpose. That’s why she was stuck here now, learning things she couldn’t care less about.

It was all that awful Big Ice Block’s fault!

The more Yu Xiaoxiao thought about it, the more annoyed she got. But she still couldn’t bring herself to scribble out that face, and just kept glaring at the half-body portrait she’d drawn, as if she could burn a hole through it.

Then—smack!—she flipped the paper over, sat up straight, and started flipping through the thick stack of reports in front of her, burying herself in the dense words and numbers.

…Fine. I’ll learn.

Yu Xiaoxiao clenched her jaw in determination.

After all, Xiang Shuhuai was living in her house now, and she’d promised to take her out. If she bailed, Yu Xiaoxiao would definitely go complain to Youyou-jie—there’s no way that Big Ice Block would dare flake.

—Once she got out of here, she was going to drag that annoying woman out of the company and make her go have fun with her!

When Yu Xiaoxiao finally escaped the sea of reports and numbers, something was going wrong at Xiang Corporation.

A scruffy man with a thuggish air barged into the main lobby, reeking of booze and luxury goods. He slammed a hand on the reception desk, alpha pheromones blasting out in all directions.

His face was flushed, breath reeking of alcohol, covered head to toe in expensive brands—he looked like he dropped money with every step. But his hair was a mess, his beard unkempt, dark circles under his eyes. He looked unstable and on the verge of breaking down.

Alpha pheromones exploded across the lobby.

“Call… call Xiang Shuhuai! President Xiang! Get her out here!” the man shouted. “I’m her brother—I’m her brother! Call her out!”

Faced with what looked like an unstable vagrant, one receptionist quietly dialed Xiang Shuhuai’s extension, while the other secretly contacted security.

The phone was picked up by Yi Anning. She glanced at her boss, looking a little troubled. “It’s Xiang Wenze, ma’am. He’s not wearing any suppressants…”

Xiang Wenze—her half-brother. The first person from the Xiang family Xiang Shuhuai ever met.

Xiang Shuhuai stood up. “I’ll go take a look.”

She purposely didn’t bring him upstairs—security dragging him out from the top floor would be too much. Instead, she calmly took the elevator down to the second floor and looked down from the lobby stairs at the man below.

She scanned over her “brother” with cool detachment and saw that Xiang Wenze looked just as bad as she’d expected. The scratched-up Cartier watch on his wrist, the filthy cuffs of his dress shirt, and the hands that trembled from both nerves and physical strain.

They were the hands of a pampered young master—slender, delicate, never used for hard labor—but now caked with grime, the color of vomit under his nails.

He wasn’t doing well. But he was still managing to cling to life with his designer brands, practically oozing sickness.

…Once he’s gone, better have the cleaning crew disinfect the lobby again.

Xiang Shuhuai made a mental note.

“Xiang—ah…”

Seeing her made the man stumble over his words. Maybe it had been too long since he last saw his sister, the heiress of the Xiang family. All he remembered was the pitiful girl from years ago who got pushed around easily. Seeing her now, standing tall and commanding, made him flinch with an unfamiliar sense of fear.

“Ah… Shu, Shuhuai… It’s me, Xiang Wenze, your brother. It’s been a long time, right? Haha… right?”

His face twisted into a groveling smile as he stepped toward the stairs.

“I couldn’t find you anywhere—not at the mansion either… You didn’t forget your big brother, did you? Haha…”

His bloodshot eyes locked onto hers, twitching with barely contained excitement. The smile on his face had a hint of madness to it.

The two young receptionists, now truly alarmed, sent another message to security. They quickly got a hand signal from Xiang Shuhuai, telling them to leave the front desk in case things got dangerous.

“Xiang Wenze.” Xiang Shuhuai stood above him and said coldly, “What do you want?”

“Well… well, sis,” Xiang Wenze said, smiling wide. “Could you maybe—like, give your brother some money to spend?”

Seeing her expression stay icy, he quickly added with a smile, “I-I’ve just had some bad luck lately, lost a bit in business. But I’ve found a great opportunity—just need some startup funds… Help your brother out, and once I turn things around, I’ll pay you back and cover all the company’s losses too… okay? Shuhuai?”

He was talking himself hoarse, but the woman on the stairs remained unmoved. Frustration burned inside him, but he forced it down with a grin.

“Shu, Shuhuai, you’re still mad at your brother, aren’t you? But come on, we’re siblings—what grudge could last overnight? We grew up together. Now your big brother’s in trouble—how can you be so cold and heartless… huh?”

Xiang Wenze craned his sore neck, staring at her without blinking.

—To put it simply, Xiang Wenze had embezzled company funds for gambling, got scammed through a shell company while trying to start a business, and now he was flat broke with a hole too big to patch. Only then did he think of coming to her for money.

“I’m done talking,” Xiang Shuhuai said calmly. “If you’re done, then leave.”

“You—” Xiang Wenze’s rage flared, but he forced a smile again. “Shu, Shuhuai, don’t joke around… Xiang Corp’s huge—a few million means nothing to you! Just help your brother out, haha…”

Xiang Shuhuai didn’t respond.

“I should remind you—the court’s enforcement team visited your residence this morning.” Her voice remained cool and steady. “Ms. Lisa has a long history of heavy drinking. Her home was just seized, and she’s now passed out from alcohol poisoning. If you leave now, you might still get her to the ER in time and keep her from choking on her own vomit. But if you’re five minutes and thirty seconds late… you might lose your mother.”

She looked down at Xiang Wenze’s face turning red, disbelief morphing into fury, her own expression as cold and unshaken as ever.

“—Of course, her debts will disappear along with her.”

“Five minutes and twenty-three seconds, Mr. Xiang. The choice is yours.”