Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 20
“…Big Ice Block?”
A voice suddenly cut through the darkness, sounding next to her.
“—Xiang Shuhuai? Xiang Shuhuai!”
Xiang Shuhuai opened her eyes and quickly sat up straight.
As her vision gradually cleared, she saw Yu Xiaoxiao’s surprised face, her eyes wide open.
“Big Ice Block…” Yu Xiaoxiao seemed a bit startled, cautiously calling her, “What’s wrong? Are you awake now?”
“Ah, I…” Xiang Shuhuai felt dazed from just waking up. She sat still for a moment, trying to figure out where she was.
—In the office. She’d been handling files from the past few days since six in the morning, and Yu Xiaoxiao had come to visit her earlier. Since she was busy, Yu Xiaoxiao had just sat quietly beside her, doodling and writing. She had fallen asleep at her desk.
Since the day they went out together, Yu Xiaoxiao seemed to have started seeing her as a playmate. Although she couldn’t take her out often because of work, Yu Xiaoxiao would come to the office from time to time and invite her to hang out. Today was no different.
Thinking about these trivial things helped Xiang Shuhuai slowly pull herself out of the uneasy feeling. When she spoke again, her voice was back to normal. “It’s nothing.”
“Oh…” Yu Xiaoxiao nodded, still looking concerned, and handed her a cup of hot tea from the other side of the desk. “Do you want a sip?”
…She herself was drinking iced coffee, but every time she came, she’d bring a large pot of herbal tea, almost like a porridge, and look at Xiang Shuhuai with wide eyes. Xiang Shuhuai couldn’t bring herself to refuse, especially with that sweet look in her eyes.
So, she reluctantly took the tea, sipping a few mouthfuls and slowly swallowing the job’s barley in it.
The tea was very hot. The warmth spread through her body, gradually melting away the cold, terrifying sensation she’d felt in the dream.
Xiang Shuhuai’s fingers, which had been trembling around the mug, finally stopped shaking.
“Did you just have a nightmare, Xiang Shuhuai?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked. “I didn’t know you could dream while sleeping like that… Was it a bad dream?”
Xiang Shuhuai’s heart skipped a beat. “Did I… talk in my sleep?”
“No, you didn’t say anything.” Yu Xiaoxiao shook her head. “But… your shoulders were shaking, and your breath was trembling, but you couldn’t wake up. It was like, um, like—”
She hesitated for a moment, then puffed her cheeks, unsure how to describe it.
“—Like you were crying.”
She finally concluded.
Looking at the clean, worried eyes of Yu Xiaoxiao, Xiang Shuhuai felt a bit uncomfortable.
She lowered her gaze instinctively and said, “I didn’t cry.”
“Yeah, right.” Yu Xiaoxiao nodded, as if it was no big deal, then added, “It just seemed like it, which is why I got a little scared and woke you up. Oh, by the way, Big Ice Block, you should sleep for a while. Assistant Yi told me you’ve been at the office since early morning, handling work. But how early exactly? Seven? Six?”
She stared at Xiang Shuhuai’s expression, mouth agape. “—It really was six, huh?”
…How did she know that?
Xiang Shuhuai was a little confused. She hadn’t shown any expression.
“So—early,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, hanging her head over the desk with a grin. “Wow, Big Ice Block, your subordinates must have it rough… You must pay them a ton of overtime, right? The legal department must be really tough too, or else Xiang Corp would get sued by the labor bureau… Being woken up at five in the morning from a warm bed, a sweet dream, only to be called in for overtime—”
“Nine-to-five.” Xiang Shuhuai pushed the cup of tea toward her, blocking her exaggerated expression. “Xiang Corp doesn’t have an overtime culture.”
Yu Xiaoxiao tilted her head. “What about you?”
“I’m the same,” Xiang Shuhuai said. “I work for myself, so it’s not overtime.”
“Ugh.” Yu Xiaoxiao pouted. “What a twisted argument.”
“It’s the same. Like during Mr. Yu’s startup phase, he was probably busy too,” Xiang Shuhuai said. “And even if I’m not working, I don’t have anything else to do.”
Yu Xiaoxiao blinked, clearly curious. “Don’t you have something you enjoy doing?”
Xiang Shuhuai answered, “Nothing in particular.”
“—Nothing at all?”
“Nothing.”
“Not even something like eating good food, or sleeping, the most basic things?”
Because of her illness, she had always had trouble eating. Sleeping was even worse. Either she had insomnia, or it was those nightmares…
Xiang Shuhuai answered honestly, “No.”
But seeing Yu Xiaoxiao’s gradually furrowing brows, she realized she hadn’t given the kind of answer a normal person would expect. It was the same way she had been in the hospital when she burned herself.
Because her response wasn’t right, the atmosphere that had been so natural earlier started to cool down. She had messed up again.
…Did Yu Xiaoxiao get mad?
Xiang Shuhuai nervously bit her lip and asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”
“Ah, I… I’m just curious.” Yu Xiaoxiao said, looking as if her hands itched to touch Xiang Shuhuai’s hair, but she didn’t. “Big Ice Block, how did you grow up?”
She seemed to be guessing. “Wow, was it like, strict time management, to the second? Going from school, tutoring, work, and classes, and from the time you could talk, you were dealing with business, never played around?”
“…No.”
“Really—?!”
“When I was little, I didn’t grow up with the Xiang family. I only went back later as a secret daughter,” Xiang Shuhuai explained. “I never went through any of that.”
Although she said it casually, Yu Xiaoxiao’s expression grew noticeably more cautious.
“Ah, I…” She seemed to have thought of something, then said apologetically, “Sorry.”
What did she have to apologize for?
Xiang Shuhuai didn’t understand.
But for some reason, she instinctively didn’t want to see that expression on Yu Xiaoxiao’s face.
So she said, “Shouldn’t we go eat now?”
Yu Xiaoxiao, being a child, had her moods come and go. She looked down, embarrassed, avoiding Xiang Shuhuai’s gaze as they walked to the cafeteria. But by the time they got their food, she had already forgotten about her earlier sadness and was back to being cheerful.
She sat across from Xiang Shuhuai, her face carefree and full of joy.
“Xiang Shuhuai,” Yu Xiaoxiao said with a smile, “This fish fillet is really good. Want a piece?”
Xiang Shuhuai didn’t feel particularly hungry, still feeling a bit queasy from the dream. But looking at Yu Xiaoxiao’s sparkling, excited eyes, she couldn’t help but be affected. After a brief hesitation, Xiang Shuhuai nodded.
Yu Xiaoxiao pushed her plate forward, letting Xiang Shuhuai take the biggest, most golden and beautiful piece of fish.
“How is it? How is it?” Then she leaned forward, watching Xiang Shuhuai take the first bite. “Isn’t it delicious? I think the outer coating is crispy, and the fish is so tender—”
Xiang Shuhuai nodded.
“Mm.” She said, “It’s really good.”
Yu Xiaoxiao grinned, carefree as ever. “Right?!”
Looking at her, one might think the fish fillet wasn’t something she had just gotten at the counter, but something she had made herself.
Still full of energy, Yu Xiaoxiao quickly swallowed her rice and said, “I heard from Assistant Yi that the cafeteria has dessert at three o’clock. She even gave me the menu for the day. I remember… Hmm, today’s chocolate mousse! Want to join me for afternoon tea later?”
She tilted her head, her round, bright eyes sparkling, her fluffy hair bouncing with every movement. She looked like an energetic little puppy, so full of excitement.
Xiang Shuhuai responded, “But dogs can’t eat chocolate, right?”
“Yeah, but so what? We’re not…” Yu Xiaoxiao blinked, as if it just hit her. “—Hey?”
“Ah!” She suddenly pouted, eyes wide, “Xiang Shuhuai! You’re getting it!”
And with the sudden smile that bloomed, the waves of her nightmare completely faded away from her. Xiang Shuhuai no longer thought of her bad dream, her high school days, the scattered journals, the echoing laughter, the whispered gossip, or that mocking face—
Seeing that puppy-like expression, Xiang Shuhuai simply lowered her head and smiled slightly.