Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 18
“Where’s your mother?”
“She passed away early,” Xiang Shuhuai said, “I can hardly remember her.”
She said this with the same expression as always, showing no signs of nostalgia or sadness.
But Yu Xiaoxiao still felt awful. She gasped, unsure of what to say.
So, they didn’t continue the topic.
Yu Xiaoxiao buried her head in her drink, holding the straw, not daring to look up. Still, she couldn’t help but glance at Xiang Shuhuai, wondering what expression the “big block of ice” across from her had now. After all, this was something Xiang Shuhuai had gone through…
“Yu Xiaoxiao.” Suddenly, Xiang Shuhuai called her name, “Can I… um, have one of your little meat skewers?”
Still lost in her earlier thoughts, Yu Xiaoxiao looked up, stunned for a couple of seconds before answering, “…No.”
Only after she said it did her mind catch up.
Yu Xiaoxiao thought about the snack, not even realizing that she had pushed the sadness aside. Nodding firmly, she continued, “But you just said you don’t like fried food. When I asked you, you made that face.”
As she said this, she pulled a serious face, raised her head dramatically, and mimicked the neutral expression of Xiang Shuhuai. Then, with wide eyes, she said seriously, “So, no.”
Xiang Shuhuai just looked at her and softly asked, “…Really not?”
Her voice softened, her head slightly lowered as she looked up at Yu Xiaoxiao from below, her eyes moist, polite but also somehow playful, making Yu Xiaoxiao instantly think of a little kitten.
It really felt like a kitten asking — “Hi, can I have a little bit of your food, meow?”
…This big block of ice is definitely doing this on purpose!
Yu Xiaoxiao thought in frustration. She looked exactly the same as usual — cold and indifferent, with no expression at all. Yet, how could she make it so hard to resist…
Her face scrunched up, unwillingly handing over a skewer.
“Fine,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, “Just one skewer!”
In the end, they shared the skewers. After that, they tried many different kinds of snacks, including a whole grilled squid as big as Xiang Shuhuai’s face, a tall potato tower filled with ketchup, and a huge ice slush tower that Yu Xiaoxiao had always been forbidden to eat when she was little.
Finally full, Yu Xiaoxiao hung her arm over Xiang Shuhuai’s shoulder, gently patting her own bloated little belly, soft to the touch.
“Ah,” she sighed contentedly, “So good.”
Xiang Shuhuai, with Yu Xiaoxiao’s arm around her, seemed a bit uncomfortable, her body stiff, yet she stayed in place without pulling away. At the sound, she glanced at Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand, but said nothing.
“What’s wrong, Xiang Shuhuai?” Yu Xiaoxiao pouted. “It’s all good food inside, you eat it too! I still have abs, you know!”
Xiang Shuhuai raised an eyebrow, a bit doubtful. “You?”
“Of course!” Yu Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously. “I’m really strong!”
She then rolled up her T-shirt sleeve, pushing her well-toned arm in front of Xiang Shuhuai’s face. “Look, look, it’s all muscle! I worked hard for this. Why don’t you believe me—”
“Okay.” Xiang Shuhuai gave in. “I know, I believe you.”
She said this, but didn’t raise her hand to touch Yu Xiaoxiao’s muscular arm. Yu Xiaoxiao wasn’t pleased, and as Xiang Shuhuai moved away, she leaned forward, determined to make her concede.
“I’m really strong!” Yu Xiaoxiao mumbled, reaching out to grab Xiang Shuhuai’s wrist. “You won’t even touch it — how do you know? Wow, look at your little skinny arms. You don’t exercise, your health’s bad, you probably have a soft belly—”
She grabbed Xiang Shuhuai’s wrist, and when Xiang Shuhuai struggled to free herself, Yu Xiaoxiao attempted to poke at her soft waist.
Xiang Shuhuai, unable to escape, was tickled by her and could only step back, begging, “Ah, I know, I know, stop it, Yu Xiaoxiao… Ah! I… I was wrong…”
“Hmph,” Yu Xiaoxiao finally withdrew her hand, pleased. “That’s more like it — now you touch!”
Exhausted from being messed with, Xiang Shuhuai relented and reached out, lightly pressing her fingers to Yu Xiaoxiao’s firm arm.
After all the playfulness, Xiang Shuhuai, who wasn’t used to physical exertion, was out of breath, a slight blush on her cheeks, making her look particularly alive. Her hands were always cold and slender, pale, and when they lightly touched Yu Xiaoxiao’s arm, it was like… like a delicate glass butterfly landing for a moment.
…How strange.
Even though they were so close earlier during their playful struggle, Yu Xiaoxiao hadn’t felt anything special.
But now, just the lightest touch from Xiang Shuhuai, and her heart started racing. A strange sensation spread across the skin where they touched, and her face began to burn.
“Ah, ah… We…” Yu Xiaoxiao’s face turned red. She instinctively pulled her arm back, her gaze darting around, “—We… Ah, right! Do you want to try that?”
It was a balloon-popping booth nearby. Compared to the bustling food stands, the booth seemed quieter, with prizes lined up on shelves beside the balloon board. Yu Xiaoxiao originally just wanted to change the subject, but her interest was piqued when she glanced over. “Hmm, Xiang Shuhuai? Shall we go?”
When Xiang Shuhuai nodded, Yu Xiaoxiao eagerly grabbed her wrist, rushing to the booth. After greeting the owner, she handed a laser gun to Xiang Shuhuai.
“Ah,” Xiang Shuhuai stumbled after her, and when the gun was handed to her, she looked up at Yu Xiaoxiao with a hint of helplessness. “I’ve never used these before…”
“I’ll teach you!” Yu Xiaoxiao laughed, pushing her forward encouragingly. “Give it a try.”
Xiang Shuhuai hesitated. “But… I’ll probably waste the shots…”
“Who cares?” Yu Xiaoxiao shrugged. “We have all the time. If one shot doesn’t work, we’ll try again. We can keep playing until the evening—don’t be so nervous, it’s not like we’re training to be professional shooters, what’s the waste?”
“…I’m not good at this,” Xiang Shuhuai admitted.
With that, she looked up into Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes, feeling a little guilty, and slightly pressed her lips together.
At this moment, she didn’t sound like the perfect, aloof person she had been at the banquet.
She didn’t seem like the ice-cold, all-powerful person at all. Instead, she seemed a bit like one of Yu Xiaoxiao’s friends’ younger sisters — a little tentative, checking other people’s reactions, and she must have been used to trying to appear perfect, which left her unsure in situations like this.
This made Yu Xiaoxiao feel a sense of responsibility.
“It’s okay if you’re not good at it, we’re just playing.”
Yu Xiaoxiao leaned forward, smiling encouragingly at Xiang Shuhuai. “—It’s fine, Xiang Shuhuai. You don’t have to do everything perfectly.”
Upon hearing this, Xiang Shuhuai froze for a moment before tightening her grip on the gun and saying, “…Okay.”