Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 27
The busy hospital corridor.
Cong You accompanied the two parents of the Yu family, quietly and anxiously waiting in front of the door of the adjacent hospital room.
Soon, the door slid open, and a doctor wearing a protective mask walked out. Yu Danchun quickly stood up and approached. “Doctor.”
“The patient’s condition has stabilized,” the doctor said. “For now, visits from family members are not allowed. We’ll need to observe her for two more hours before making a decision.”
“The patient was stimulated by an omega’s pheromone, which triggered a forced heat cycle, leading to an overload of glandular reactions. Fortunately, she temporarily bonded with an omega, which alleviated the excessive release of s3x hormones.”
Yu’s father, worried, asked, “So, what happens next?”
“We’ll observe her for another two days and run some routine bl00d tests. She should be able to discharge soon, but she’ll need to be cautious about contact with other people’s pheromones,” the doctor explained. “Her sexual differentiation was relatively late, but all her indicators are normal. If there are any future issues, she may need to consult a development specialist.”
After briefly explaining the necessary precautions, the doctor hurriedly left.
Yu Danchun stood by the transparent glass, looking at her daughter on the hospital bed.
The newly differentiated alpha girl on the bed was breathing steadily, her cheeks flushed. Fortunately, the fever was gradually subsiding.
Her features were still youthful, and her differentiation had been delayed compared to others. Her face still had some baby fat, and when she was peacefully asleep, she looked innocent and carefree, as though she were still a child who hadn’t fully grown up.
“Dan Auntie, you should go back now,” Cong You called out as she walked over. “You’ve been busy all day. Go get some rest. Uncle and I will stay here, and when Xiaoxiao wakes up, we’ll call you.”
Yu Danchun shook her head, her gaze toward her daughter filled with complex emotions—both tenderness and a hint of sadness.
“Xiao You, really, thank you so much,” she sighed. “Her father and I are both beta, and we’ve never encountered anything like this before. We were careless with Xiaoxiao. Now that she’s fine, I feel like we’ve caused trouble for someone else’s child…”
“It’s nothing, Dan Auntie,” Cong You reassured. “I met that girl. She told me that Xiaoxiao didn’t hurt her.”
Yu Danchun sighed again. “Sigh… The things you young people go through… Since you know each other, that’s a good thing.”
After a moment of thought, she took out a blank check and handed it to Cong You.
“I understand why that girl doesn’t want to meet us,” she said. “This… is a token of appreciation from Xiaoxiao’s father and me. Please let her accept it, as thanks for helping Xiaoxiao and taking care of her health.”
“Dan Auntie,” Cong You tried to stop her. “She definitely won’t accept this…”
“Xiao You,” Yu’s father added, “Since you two know each other, just let her accept it.”
Yu Danchun shook her head and pressed the check into Cong You’s hands.
She smiled kindly, her tone implying that refusal wasn’t an option. “Our child has caused her so much trouble. This is just a little token of gratitude. If there’s anything else, just let us know.”
Unable to refuse, Cong You reluctantly accepted the check.
Though medical intervention had been a little late, the temporary bond had proven effective, and Xiaoxiao’s condition was not serious. It was just that her physical energy had been exhausted due to the heat cycle, which was why she hadn’t woken up yet. The IV drip only contained glucose and saline.
Yu Danchun had work to do. After giving the instructions, she took one last look at her daughter and hurriedly left, leaving Yu’s father and Cong You to stay with Xiaoxiao in the hospital.
Several hours later, Xiaoxiao woke up.
She moved her neck, stiff from the long period of unconsciousness, and looked at her father, who was sleeping on the bed beside her, then turned her gaze to Cong You, who was sitting by the bed with a computer.
Noticing she was awake, Cong You raised her head. “Xiaoxiao—”
“Shh,” Xiaoxiao whispered, blinking and asking softly, “Youyou, where’s Xiang Shuhuai?”
Xiang Shuhuai was gone.
More precisely, Xiang Shuhuai was avoiding her, and this time, she was avoiding her even more than after their argument.
Before, at least when Xiaoxiao went to the company, she could hear that Xiang Shuhuai was “busy,” and Yi Anning would apologize on her behalf. But now, when she went to the company, all she heard was “not here.”
Not only was Xiang Shuhuai absent, but Yi Anning was also nowhere to be found. There were rumors that Xiang Shuhuai was on a business trip, at a banquet, or even vacationing abroad for a matchmaking event.
In addition, her calls went unanswered, and her messages were left unread. Xiaoxiao couldn’t find her anywhere.
Xiaoxiao had no serious issues. She was just getting used to her new identity as an alpha and often felt uncomfortable—her neck felt itchy, warm, and sometimes she’d forget to apply the pheromone blocker when going out. Aside from that, she had no real problems.
But her family was worried, so they decided she should stay at Cong You’s house for a few days, asking Cong You to take care of her. Xiaoxiao was happy to stay with her “Youyou” and try to figure out where Xiang Shuhuai had gone.
“Youyou,” she leaned on Cong You’s shoulder, inching closer. “Youyou, that thing—your, well, your pheromones—”
“Xiaoxiao, down,” Cong You said, pulling her back by the collar. “Don’t get too close to other alphas outside. You’ll end up fighting again.”
“You’re not anyone else…” Xiaoxiao mumbled, letting Cong You pull her down.
She was tossed onto the small couch, still staring at Cong You, her big eyes filled with confusion, as though she couldn’t stop looking at her.
Cong You, helpless, finally asked, “What is it, Xiaoxiao?”
“It’s about… that…” Xiaoxiao whispered, “Xiang Shuhuai… her pheromones, is that really hers?”
“I’ve already told you.” Cong You shook her head with a smile. “It was her choice to get an omega. She said so herself.”
Xiang Shuhuai’s explanation was that her heat cycle was an accident, and she asked Xiaoxiao to keep it a secret. She promised to compensate Xiaoxiao financially for the incident.
The omega that Xiaoxiao had bonded with was someone Yi Anning had found through special channels, a stranger. She had been paid adequately for her role.
“After all, many omegas work in that field,” she had said.
“No way,” Xiaoxiao shook her head. “That’s definitely not it.”
Cong You asked, “Why not?”
“She… she always has this faint mint scent.” Xiaoxiao described softly, her cheeks turning slightly red. “I’ve smelled it before.”
“That’s definitely her,” Cong You replied with a helpless smile. “But Xiaoxiao, maybe you smelled too much of her pheromones at the beginning, and when you were marked, you weren’t fully conscious. So you thought the omega in front of you was her.”
“But I clearly remember…” Xiaoxiao’s voice grew softer.
“Remember what?”
The cold, tranquil scent of mint, the soft trembling shoulders, the warmth of the body in her arms…
And then, the long hair was pushed aside, revealing a delicate and fragile neck, pale as moonlight. There was a faint scar at the gland area.
And then—she… she did those things to Xiang Shuhuai.
Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together, her face as red as a ripe peach, almost steaming with embarrassment. She couldn’t finish her sentence.
…Were those just illusions?
Seeing Xiaoxiao’s expression, Cong You knew exactly what she was thinking.
With a sigh, she reached out and gently patted Xiaoxiao’s messy hair, not knowing what more to say.
She had known that Xiaoxiao would be confused, but she still felt helpless.
As for the truth about Xiang Shuhuai, it was clear that the reasoning about the “economic compensation” was a bad excuse. But Xiaoxiao, being so innocent, hadn’t realized it yet. She hadn’t even gotten mad at it.
Cong You couldn’t help but smile. Xiaoxiao was such a smart kid, but when it came to things like this, she was so clumsy.
But, of course, more pressing matters awaited her.
—The blank check in her pocket, which Dan Auntie had asked her to give to Xiang Shuhuai.
A hush money.
To be honest, Cong You didn’t want to give it. Xiang Shuhuai was already mentally fragile, and giving the money through herself might just make her think too much. But there was no reason for her to withhold it.
She sighed and thought to herself, as she distracted Xiaoxiao with some lunch preparations, that she’d sneak off to the bathroom and give Xiang Shuhuai a video call to check on her.
The call connected quickly—it was Xiang Shuhuai’s serious-looking assistant. After hearing her request, the assistant pushed up her glasses and nodded politely. “Understood, please wait a moment. I will deliver it right away.”
Before Cong You could joke with her, the call ended with a quick “Thank you.”
When she called again, it was Xiang Shuhuai herself. She seemed to be in her bedroom, and she looked a bit feverish but still appeared alert.
“Sis,” she said with some disapproval in her eyes, “Don’t interfere with my assistant.”
“I know, I know,” Cong You laughed. “Don’t worry, little Shu.”
Xiang Shuhuai’s expression didn’t show reassurance, but she didn’t say anything more. They talked briefly about her current health status—still struggling with the heat, and the temporary bond didn’t seem to have any significant effect yet—then the conversation shifted to the money.
“Little Shu,” Cong You carefully phrased it, “It’s from Dan Auntie. She said, if anything—”
“I understand, Sis,” Xiang Shuhuai interrupted her.
She made a “zip” gesture with her fingers, her expression half-smiling, “Yu’s mother is such a good one.”
“Little Shu—”
“They still don’t know it was me, right?” Xiang Shuhuai smiled faintly, her voice soft, “If they knew it was me, they’d probably be more worried. Sis, whatever Xiaoxiao thinks or guesses, it’s fine… but please, don’t let her or her parents find out, okay? Just pretend you helped me.”
“…Okay,” Cong You sighed, finally agreeing, “I won’t tell them. I’ll make sure Xiaoxiao…”
“—What will I do?”
A sudden voice interrupted, as Xiaoxiao had appeared at the door, looking excited and ready to rush in.
“Xiang Shuhuai?” Xiaoxiao asked, her eyes sparkling with energy. “Xiang Shuhuai! What’s going on? Why are you avoiding me—”
The next second, the call was abruptly cut off by Xiang Shuhuai.
The screen went dark.