Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 17

The place chosen by Yu Xiaoxiao was a lively snack street square.

In the evening, the food and miscellaneous stalls were already set up side by side, tightly packed. The street vendors were crowded for two blocks, with steam rising from the food. Couples walked through the stalls, holding various snacks and treats, laughing and chatting loudly. It was a scene of bustling prosperity.

“Xiang Shuhuai!” Yu Xiaoxiao turned around, excited, calling out to the person beside her. “Let’s go!”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s mother was the first generation in their family to become wealthy, and no one in the family thought of themselves as some prestigious, aristocratic family. Yu Xiaoxiao had always been tough and grew up with the mindset of her grandmother’s saying, “As long as it’s not too dirty, there’s no harm in eating it.” As a child, she’d often run around and get into all kinds of mischief with her friends, so she was quite familiar with places like this.

She strolled ahead, sneaking a glance back at Xiang Shuhuai, who was trailing behind.

Xiang Shuhuai’s expression was calm, her gaze focused on the stalls on both sides of the street. Her face was pale, giving off an indifferent, serene air, and her black eyes seemed to show nothing at all. Yu Xiaoxiao secretly studied her, secretly hoping that Xiang Shuhuai would reveal some kind of reaction.

—This was a plan Yu Xiaoxiao came up with when she was stuck in the office, overwhelmed by charts and a bunch of economic terms.

She had thought at the time that the annoying Xiang Shuhuai, always so aloof and high up, with that pretentious attitude, probably had some form of OCD and couldn’t stand places like this, with questionable hygiene.

She had imagined that she would make that ice-cold person sit by and watch her eat, not letting her leave even if she got hungry. After all, Xiang Shuhuai was the one who talked to her mother, causing her to be stuck in the office to learn all these things.

But now, her thoughts had changed a bit. If Xiang Shuhuai really couldn’t bear the hunger and said she didn’t like it, Yu Xiaoxiao decided she would just pack the food to go and let Xiang Shuhuai eat whatever she wanted at home.

After all, Xiang Shuhuai had just been harassed by some thug from nowhere at the company. She probably had a lot of work to do… so Yu Xiaoxiao decided to let it go for now.

Suddenly, she heard Xiang Shuhuai’s voice beside her: “Can you eat spicy food? Do you want to try grilled tofu skin?”

Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t respond right away and instinctively answered, “Uh, sure.”

As she wondered if she had really just heard Xiang Shuhuai ask that, the person beside her had already passed her and stood by one of the stalls, quickly placing an order.

“One order, half spicy, half not spicy,” she heard Xiang Shuhuai say, “Thank you.”

Soon, Xiang Shuhuai was holding two long paper cups filled with grilled tofu skin. She skillfully moved to a small table set behind the stall and found one that looked cleaner. She sat down properly, waiting for Yu Xiaoxiao.

… Her demeanor was so ordinary, it was almost the same as sitting in the office. Yu Xiaoxiao stood there in shock, her mouth slightly open.

“…Huh?”

Seeing Yu Xiaoxiao frozen in place, Xiang Shuhuai seemed to understand. She took a napkin from her pocket, unfolded it, and laid it out on the plastic stool.

Then, she lifted her eyes and said in a flat tone, “Sit.”

Yu Xiaoxiao stared at the napkin in disbelief.

… What is this?

“It’s not dirty,” Xiang Shuhuai added, “Sit.”

Reluctantly, Yu Xiaoxiao huffed and walked over, sitting down angrily.

She took the half-spicy tofu skin from Xiang Shuhuai’s hand and chewed it with a bit of irritation, almost gnashing her teeth.

But the taste of the food was too delicious, with the rich, tangy, and spicy sauce filling her taste buds. Yu Xiaoxiao quickly finished the small portion in her cup, and soon, her frustration faded away.

Excitedly, she stood up again: “I’ll go get something else! Do you want something to drink?”

Not long after, Yu Xiaoxiao returned, her arms full. She casually placed a bottle of lemon soda in front of Xiang Shuhuai. She ate quickly, satisfied enough to just pick at the noodles, occasionally glancing at Xiang Shuhuai who was staring off into space.

Xiang Shuhuai was eating grilled scallops, her long hair casually tied up, with a few strands of black hair falling around her cheeks, making her pale skin appear almost icy. Her slender, delicate fingers held the disposable chopsticks, gently picking up noodles soaked in broth. Her movements were so graceful, her fingertips like delicate butterflies.

She had her head slightly lowered, each bite measured and calm, and everything around her seemed to quiet down. It was as if she wasn’t sitting at a crowded, noisy street stall under an overpass, but at a Michelin restaurant.

… Xiang Shuhuai looked like she was meant to be that kind of person.

Yu Xiaoxiao watched her, growing more and more entranced, and for a moment, even forgot to move her chopsticks.

Her gaze was so direct that Xiang Shuhuai eventually looked up, meeting her eyes. Yu Xiaoxiao was still dazed, staring at her quiet black eyes.

Xiang Shuhuai gently pushed the plastic plate with the scallops toward her and asked, “Do you want some?”

That action triggered something in Yu Xiaoxiao’s memory.

… Oh, she thought.

It was like the stray cat with the silver eyes. Elegant and proud, a bit wary, but once it got used to her, it would bring her little twigs as gifts, holding the dried fish she gave it in its mouth.

Seeing Yu Xiaoxiao still lost in thought, Xiang Shuhuai seemed a little confused.

“… Yu Xiaoxiao?” she asked. “What are you thinking?”

“Ah, I—”

You really do remind me of that little cat that wandered into my balcony.

Luckily, Yu Xiaoxiao still had enough sense to not blurt that out. She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Who was that person at the company earlier? Are they from your family?”

… That was actually something Yu Xiaoxiao wanted to know. But she hadn’t intended to ask it so directly. She blinked her eyes, trying to read Xiang Shuhuai’s expression.

Xiang Shuhuai showed no special reaction and simply said, “You want to know about my family?”

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded.

“Alright,” Xiang Shuhuai said, her voice still flat, “Take out your phone.”

Yu Xiaoxiao was confused but did as she was told.

“Open your browser.”

Yu Xiaoxiao followed the instructions.

“Search for ‘Xiang Group.’”

She did.

“The first suggestion is ‘How many lovers does Chairman Xiang Hongshan have?’” Xiang Shuhuai said. “Click it, and you’ll find out.”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s finger was already on the suggested link, about to click, when she suddenly realized she was being pranked.

“Xiang—”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s angry voice rose, but then she saw the faint smile in Xiang Shuhuai’s eyes and fell silent.

She realized.

… This seemingly emotionless Big Ice Block could joke, too.

Yu Xiaoxiao stared at the pair of eyes, smiling softly and slightly tilted, and couldn’t say anything.

Xiang Shuhuai seemed a little uncomfortable under her gaze and called out to her: “… Yu Xiaoxiao?”

“Ah, ah!!”

When she was called, Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly realized that she had been staring for too long. She hastily turned her eyes away, sat up straight, but lost her balance and almost dropped her phone on the ground.

She finally managed to grab her phone, looking up at Xiang Shuhuai, and complained, “Why are you like this?”

Xiang Shuhuai, still smiling, replied, “Sorry, sorry.”

Seeing Yu Xiaoxiao still pouting, looking unhappy, she reached out and pushed her untouched takoyaki toward her: “Want some?”

Am I the kind of person who can be bought off with a snack? Yu Xiaoxiao thought, taking the box of takoyaki. She huffed and deliberately didn’t look at Xiang Shuhuai.

Xiang Shuhuai seemed even more relaxed than usual, though she stopped smiling. Putting down her chopsticks, she massaged her fingers and said, “That person is Xiang Wenze, my brother.”

Yu Xiaoxiao lifted her head from the takoyaki, swallowed the food in her mouth, and nodded seriously, “Your real brother?”

“I… my biological father, Xiang Hongshan, the current chairman of Xiang Group,” Xiang Shuhuai said. “He—his regular lovers, I know of at least twenty or thirty. As for his legitimate children, there are probably about ten.”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“By their standards, it’s not that many,” Xiang Shuhuai added, noticing her expression. “Xiang Wenze’s mother was a model, an omega, and she used to live in the old Xiang family house with him. We’ve known each other since we were very young.”

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded blankly.

Then, she thought, what about Xiang Shuhuai herself?

She suddenly remembered the unpleasant rumors she had heard about her before. Most of the talk, aside from the gender-related insults and speculation, centered around her background.

They said that Xiang Shuhuai was—

Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t want to think about that word.

She hesitated for a moment before asking, “… What about your mother?”