Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 28

Since the day of the temporary marking, Xiang Shuhuai hadn’t been to the office again.

No matter how An Ning tried to convince her, she couldn’t rest easy and insisted on moving in with Xiang Shuhuai, but of course, it wasn’t proper for her to live at her subordinate’s house for an extended period.

For Yi An Ning, it was fine to occasionally take care of some work-related matters and handle emergencies, but being with her boss 24/7 probably wouldn’t be a pleasant experience. Xiang Shuhuai understood this well.

So, she found a nearby property of hers and moved in, giving Yi An Ning the keys to the house. She let her decide when to stay over or just visit for a brief moment.

As a result, Yi An Ning moved in with her suitcase into the empty guest room. Xiang Shuhuai didn’t interfere, and that was the end of it.

As for her heat period, it was just like the previous few times. When it became unbearable, she would wake up in a daze, unable to function, needing to inject more and more suppressants, then lie in bed all day. At times, she could still handle work, preventing An Ning from being overwhelmed by accumulating tasks. The only terrifying thing was—

Xiang Shuhuai had never imagined that an omega’s heat, even after a temporary marking, could be so hard to endure.

All her desires, all her helplessness, had names. Her body was burning, feverish waves crashing within her, while the mark on the back of her neck throbbed, waiting to be soothed, to be fulfilled. That pair of hands, that faint and sweet scent, that… that person.

The alpha who had marked her.

Xiang Shuhuai knew all of this was just her omega instincts—weak, primal, meaningless. But sometimes, when her body burned the most, she lost the ability to suppress her desires, and she couldn’t control what name would escape her lips.

Yu Xiaoxiao. She remembered clenching those words, gasping in pain. Yu Xiaoxiao.

…It was truly a mess.

Xiang Shuhuai was never good at solving these problems. After offering a poor explanation, she simply hid away, leaving the matter unresolved, hoping that after a few weeks, the effects of the marking would fade, and everything would return to normal.

The call from You Lai came on a rare good day. The symptoms of her heat were slowly fading, and that terrible temporary marking was becoming less and less noticeable.

Xiang Shuhuai was working on her laptop in bed, thinking that maybe she’d be back on track in less than half a week.

Until she heard Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice during the call.

“Xiang Shuhuai!” she asked persistently, “Xiang Shuhuai! Why are you avoiding me—”

In the moment when You Lai was surprised and didn’t hold the camera steady, Xiang Shuhuai saw that fleeting glimpse of her side profile.

She instinctively hung up the call.

Staring at the blackened screen, Xiang Shuhuai finally felt a wave of annoyance.

She shouldn’t have hung up. That reaction was a bit over the top—it was too obvious. She should’ve explained things to Yu Xiaoxiao. After all, it wasn’t anything major.

…But now, she could only let it slide.

She casually tossed her phone aside, and a genuine feeling of fatigue washed over her. She closed her laptop, placed it neatly on the side table, and sank back into bed.

The room had been empty for so long that the blankets stored in the closet were filled with the bitter, mothball-like scent of camphor, which felt unfamiliar. It made her body, covered by the blankets, unable to warm up right away.

That’s when Xiang Shuhuai realized—she had probably gotten used to the faint sweet scent of Yu Xiaoxiao’s house during her brief stay there, just over a month ago.

She relaxed her body and allowed herself to drift into sleep, not wanting to think any further.

Actually, Xiang Shuhuai wasn’t unaware of why Yu Xiaoxiao was looking for her.

—A pure, innocent person like her would always have an obsession with meaningful relationships. First love, first kiss, first hand-holding… and of course, the first temporary marking. Such an important connection, but it ended up being taken by the person Xiang Shuhuai disliked most—her rival. Yu Xiaoxiao must be angry at her.

Xiang Shuhuai, in a half-conscious haze, thought to herself that since both Yu Xiaoxiao and You Lai were alphas, there was no way they could have a temporary marking between them. After some time, when things calmed down, she’d ask her sister to smooth things over, and Yu Xiaoxiao’s anger would likely pass.

Even if Yu Xiaoxiao refused to forgive her, it didn’t matter. After all, they probably wouldn’t have any more interaction.

At most, they would run into each other occasionally because of You Lai, or bump into each other at some dinner parties—that’s all.

…It was just a fleeting dream.

Now, it was time to wake up.

In the slowly rising dizziness, Xiang Shuhuai closed her eyes.

Yu Xiaoxiao received the urgent message a few hours after the call was abruptly ended. She quickly drove to the café mentioned in the message and met Yi An Ning, who was waiting there.

As soon as she saw her approach, Yi An Ning stood up, looking worried, and seemed about to exchange pleasantries. “Ms. Yu—”

Yu Xiaoxiao cut her off and got straight to the point. “What’s wrong with Xiang Shuhuai?”

“The boss’s condition is really bad,” Yi An Ning explained. “Her heat symptoms were almost over, and her temperature had dropped. But a few hours ago, it suddenly spiked again, and she started releasing pheromones in large amounts. I couldn’t wake her up, and I didn’t dare use suppressants anymore…”

“The suspected reason is that the boss has received a temporary marking. Usually, the alpha who marked her needs to soothe her with their pheromones to help her get through the heat,” she continued. “But… the boss’s health is already complicated. I’m not very sure about the situation, so I’m asking you to help.”

“…Why not go to the hospital?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked. “If it’s this serious, why wait at home—”

Yi An Ning hesitated for a moment.

She took off her gold-rimmed glasses, folded them, and put them into her chest pocket. Then, she lifted her gaze to meet Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes.

“The boss… the situation at home is complicated. Due to her disadvantaged background, she never received enough shares in the family business, and only her abilities allowed her to gain the current power,” Yi An Ning said with a forced smile. “If her condition becomes known to the family, they’ll surely try to use her need for rest as an excuse to push her out.”

“And in the tradition of the Xiang family, the boss’s second gender is already a huge disadvantage. The current story within the family is that she had surgery to remove her glands, fully eliminating the impact of her second gender. If her current condition is discovered, they might—”

Yi An Ning took a deep breath, as if struggling to continue.

“They might use some… less reputable, more underhanded methods to force her to give up everything.”

The more Yu Xiaoxiao heard, the more alarmed she became.

“Has something like this happened before?” she asked.

Yi An Ning replied, “…I can’t say.”

Hearing this response, Yu Xiaoxiao’s heart seemed to tighten.

…So it has happened before.

Seeing the expression on her face, Yi An Ning’s tightly wound shoulders seemed to relax a little, as if her concerns had eased.

“I’m telling you all this because the boss trusts you. I also believe you’re not a bad person,” Yi An Ning said sincerely. “Even if you and the boss have some conflicts of interest, you wouldn’t resort to those low and malicious methods to treat her. That’s why I came to ask for your help.”

“And—” she added seriously, “Among the alphas, the boss only trusts your pheromones and isn’t afraid of them.”

…Is that so?

On the way from the café to Xiang Shuhuai’s house, all the way until she was about to enter the bedroom, Yu Xiaoxiao kept thinking about those words.

Does Xiang Shuhuai trust me?

But Xiang Shuhuai had been avoiding her, refusing to see her…

She took a deep breath, rubbed her neck where the pheromone shield was, and gently pushed open the closed bedroom door.

The cold, indifferent scent of moonlight hit her immediately. It was a sweet, cool mint-like pheromone, but now it burned with intense heat. The temperature in the air seemed to rise. Xiang Shuhuai, curled up in the corner of the bed, was flushed and breathing heavily.

Even though she had taken blocking medication beforehand, Yu Xiaoxiao still felt a shiver of instinctive unease. It came from the bond between them, from the marking.

I’m here to help Xiang Shuhuai, Yu Xiaoxiao told herself. Don’t think about anything else.

She raised her hand, brushed her face to calm the heat in her cheeks, then moved quietly toward the bed. After a moment of hesitation, she took off her coat and placed it on a nearby chair, sitting down by the bed.

On her way here, Yu Xiaoxiao had already looked up ways to soothe an omega during their heat online. She quickly skipped over the more adult content, leaving only the simplest and most innocent methods.

—Gently release your pheromones, let your omega feel safe.

Yu Xiaoxiao carefully lifted the pheromone shield on the back of her neck and tried to control her pheromone release. Fortunately, although she wasn’t very skilled at handling pheromones, the sweet, soft scent spread without causing any fear or resistance from the unconscious omega.

Her non-aggressive pheromones gently surrounded Xiang Shuhuai, who instinctively rubbed towards the alpha, letting out a soft murmur.

Yu Xiaoxiao anxiously watched, every second passing slowly.

Gradually, Xiang Shuhuai’s labored breathing seemed to ease, and her expression showed a hint of peace, no longer so painful.

This… this should be right, right?

Yu Xiaoxiao lowered her head, staring at the sleeping Xiang Shuhuai.

She wanted to say, “Why are you sick again?” She also wanted to say, “Stop avoiding me,” and, “Xiang Shuhuai, what are we—”

But in the end, she only softly murmured, “Your assistant is really worried about you, Xiang Shuhuai.” She hesitated before adding, “I… I also—”

Reaching out, Yu Xiaoxiao gently patted the soft hair on Xiang Shuhuai’s head.

Not sure if she heard it, the sleeping Xiang Shuhuai instinctively nuzzled her hand. She seemed to like this scent, her brows relaxing as her face nuzzled into Yu Xiaoxiao’s palm. An unexpectedly honest response.

Watching this, Yu Xiaoxiao realized.

…Xiang Shuhuai really does resemble a cat.