Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 30
Late at night.
When Xiang Shuhuai saw Yu Xiaoxiao hurriedly get out of the car, she was standing by the bar door, enjoying the breeze.
Because of her sudden retreat, a sense of panic instinctively rose in her heart, but she forced herself to appear calm, pushing aside her anxiety.
However, at this moment, seeing Yu Xiaoxiao here didn’t surprise Xiang Shuhuai too much.
“…Ah.” When Yu Xiaoxiao started walking toward her, Xiang Shuhuai greeted her, “Your sister is inside.”
Yu Xiaoxiao let out a confused “Ah?”
She stood still, her hand halfway outstretched, holding a thermos, but she stopped, puzzled.
Xiang Shuhuai thought she hadn’t heard properly and explained carefully, “Your sister is in the room, she drank a little too much. She’s asleep now, you can go in and get her.”
Yu Xiaoxiao widened her eyes.
“—Youyou Jie?” (Sister Youyou?)
“Mm.”
Xiang Shuhuai responded vaguely, unsure of what to make of the confusion in Yu Xiaoxiao’s expression.
“Ah, so you’re together, huh,” Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly understood, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered Assistant Yi.”
Xiang Shuhuai didn’t understand: “…An Ning?”
“Mm.” Yu Xiaoxiao nodded as if it was perfectly natural, her expression cheerful. “I asked Assistant Yi to help get Youyou Jie. I didn’t trust anyone else.”
…What does that mean?
Xiang Shuhuai stood there, feeling completely confused.
“Are you okay?” Yu Xiaoxiao tilted her head and asked, still looking confused. “Isn’t it you who asked me to come here?”
Then, as if something suddenly occurred to her, Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened as she leaned closer, concern filling her round, bright eyes. “Ah, how much did you drink? Did you black out? You know, the message from half an hour ago—”
She took a big step forward, leaning toward Xiang Shuhuai, her face tilted up, her gaze full of concern as she examined Xiang Shuhuai’s face closely.
Xiang Shuhuai subconsciously lowered her head, her eyes meeting Yu Xiaoxiao’s clear, clean eyes, and in the shallow brown pupils, she could almost see her own reflection perfectly.
…Too close.
Her cheeks flushed red.
“I… I didn’t…” Xiang Shuhuai stammered, trying to step back instinctively, but she was standing at the edge of the stairs. Her heel caught, and she almost lost her balance, but Yu Xiaoxiao quickly steadied her shoulder.
“Xiang Shuhuai.” Yu Xiaoxiao called her name—this seemed to confirm her suspicion that Xiang Shuhuai had drunk more than she let on. Heaven knows she’d only had a small glass of White Russian, the rest of the time she’d been sipping grapefruit juice.
Her expression was filled with worry, and she even spoke with the tone she would use to comfort a drunk person. “Are you okay? Don’t stand there, come sit down for a bit.”
Concerned, Yu Xiaoxiao puffed up her cheeks, her lips slightly pursed.
Her lips looked soft, like flower petals, moist and warm, and in the light of the streetlamp, they glowed with a sweet, tempting hue…
Now, Xiang Shuhuai’s face turned completely red. She quickly looked away, and her ears even started to burn.
Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t notice this at all, though, still staring into Xiang Shuhuai’s eyes, asking seriously, “Xiang Shuhuai? Let’s go inside?”
As she spoke, Yu Xiaoxiao moved even closer, her warm breath brushing against Xiang Shuhuai’s neck. Xiang Shuhuai, now supported by Yu Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, had no place to retreat.
Xiang Shuhuai felt trapped, the skin on her neck warming. She knew her face was redder than ever, and Yu Xiaoxiao would definitely notice. If not for the small sliver of rationality she still had left, Xiang Shuhuai might have even lifted her arm to cover her face.
The message must have come from her sister. Xiang Shuhuai realized it was her sister who had called Yu Xiaoxiao over. But now, she couldn’t bring herself to explain.
—Maybe it was the effect of the mark, but the heat on her face was overwhelming, making her too embarrassed to speak. She was stuck, caught in the honest, pure, and clean gaze that made her heart race and feel as if there was nowhere to hide.
“…No.” Finally, Xiang Shuhuai let out a small, strained voice, so soft it was almost a whisper, “Too close…”
Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t hear clearly. “Eh?”
Xiang Shuhuai lowered her eyes and repeated quietly, “…Too close.”
Yu Xiaoxiao paused for a second, then finally understood. She looked at Xiang Shuhuai’s flushed face and blushed as well.
“Ah… ah!!”
Yu Xiaoxiao’s face turned bright red.
She immediately let go, jumping back in a panic, apologizing and looking everywhere but at Xiang Shuhuai. “S-sorry! I…”
Yu Xiaoxiao was so flustered that she couldn’t say anything else, her neck completely red, and she was fumbling, gesturing awkwardly while trying to apologize.
Seeing her like this, Xiang Shuhuai suddenly felt a little more at ease. Her face was still red, but she averted her gaze and secretly smiled to herself.
After this little mishap, both of them became a bit awkward. The night air was chilly, so they decided to go inside.
Xiang Shuhuai, holding the thermos full of hangover tea, walked ahead, the warmth on her face slowly fading. Yu Xiaoxiao, her head down, followed behind, still too shy to meet Xiang Shuhuai’s gaze. But she had so much she wanted to say.
“Xiang Shuhuai.” She called, “Xiang Shuhuai—”
Xiang Shuhuai turned her head, “Hmm?”
“Xiang Shuhuai.” Yu Xiaoxiao reached out and grabbed her sleeve, her voice still tinged with the lingering shyness from earlier, “…Are you feeling better now?”
Xiang Shuhuai was puzzled, “What?”
“Like… the fever… are you still burning up? Do you feel unwell still?” Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice grew softer as she spoke.
“…It’s fine now.”
Xiang Shuhuai replied, closing her eyes for a moment, then forcing a perfect yet distant smile.
Her heart was still racing from the earlier closeness, but now she knew it was time.
It was time to say everything clearly—and then distance herself from Yu Xiaoxiao, returning everything to its original state.
So she said, “From what I understand, the mark between us should fade in a few days, at most within three days. After it disappears, neither of us will be affected. This mark… was an accident. Yu Xiaoxiao, I apologize. I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”
She watched as Yu Xiaoxiao stood there, her expression full of confusion. Slowly, her eyes widened in surprise. Xiang Shuhuai fought the urge to soften and continued, pushing herself to keep speaking.
“Since you’ve already differentiated, Yu Xiaoxiao, I’ll be moving out. After that, we don’t need to stay in contact. Thank you for taking care of me during this time.” Xiang Shuhuai said. “As for the incident today, I’m really grateful. If you need anything, I can… offer you some compensation financially.”
Yu Xiaoxiao just stared at her, as if the flood of cold words had completely stunned her. After a while, she slowly started to react, but her reaction wasn’t what Xiang Shuhuai had expected.
Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t look angry. Instead, she tilted her head, clearly confused, and said:
“—Did you say that on purpose?”
Xiang Shuhuai was stunned. “…Huh?”
“Xiang Shuhuai.” Yu Xiaoxiao said, still holding onto her sleeve, not letting Xiang Shuhuai escape, her serious gaze locked onto hers. “Sometimes I can’t tell if you really mean what you say, or if you’re saying it just to make me mad… Did you say that on purpose?”
…Xiang Shuhuai couldn’t speak.
She looked at Yu Xiaoxiao’s pure amber eyes, and suddenly a wave of grievance surged in her throat, leaving her unable to say anything.
“Okay.” Yu Xiaoxiao gave a helpless smile. “Now it’s my turn.”
Her smile was always like this—bright, cheerful, and carefree. It was like the sun, able to dispel all gloom around her. Just being near her made everything feel lighter.
Those hopes made Xiang Shuhuai feel trapped.
She stood there, silently nodding.
“—Xiang Shuhuai,” Yu Xiaoxiao asked, “Do you dislike me?”
…I don’t dislike you.
“After you left, Assistant Yi was super worried about you, but she couldn’t reach you. It was only when Youyou Jie told her you were fine that she calmed down.” Yu Xiaoxiao continued, “When I woke up and saw no one around, I was so scared. I thought something had happened to you.”
“I…” Xiang Shuhuai opened her mouth. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay,” Yu Xiaoxiao smiled, reaching out and gently ruffling Xiang Shuhuai’s hair in a way that felt like comforting a child. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
When Xiang Shuhuai stared wide-eyed at her, surprised by the gesture, Yu Xiaoxiao proudly raised her chin and smiled, “What? I’m the big sister, after all.”
What’s going on?
Yu Xiaoxiao patted her head again, looking pleased with herself. “Of course, I need to take care of you, little sis.”
Xiang Shuhuai wasn’t having it, thinking to herself that Yu Xiaoxiao was the one who was childish.
But it was strange. Even though they had had a temporary mark, Xiang Shuhuai still felt shy at this simple touch. Luckily, the hallway lights were dim enough that Yu Xiaoxiao couldn’t see her blush. Only Xiang Shuhuai could hear her heart racing in her chest.
“Yu… Yu Xiaoxiao.” Xiang Shuhuai tried to push her away. “Wait…”
Then, Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly seemed to remember something. She stopped.
“—Ah, right.”
She looked up at Xiang Shuhuai with sparkling eyes. “Xiang Shuhuai, don’t move out. Assistant Yi told me that you’re still feeling unwell, and the medicine isn’t working anymore. Since you don’t mind my pheromones, you can stay at my place. I can help you when you’re feeling bad.”
Xiang Shuhuai stared blankly at those bright eyes, unable to respond.
“Hmm?” Seeing that she hadn’t answered, Yu Xiaoxiao asked again, “How about it, Xiang Shuhuai?”
“If we… live together…” Xiang Shuhuai finally spoke, her voice hesitant. “It would be… inconvenient.”
“Inconvenient? Why?” Yu Xiaoxiao looked puzzled. “I’ll use suppressor patches. I won’t scare you. It’ll be just like before.”
It would be inconvenient. If you liked someone or wanted to start a relationship.
Perhaps Yu Xiaoxiao, still newly differentiated, hadn’t fully realized the significance of the mark or understood the concept of second genders. To her, marks and pheromones were just helpful tools for close relationships, with no deeper meaning.
But… it’s not like that.
Even if Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t see it, others would.
An alpha and an omega, living together. And they had even had a temporary mark.
—What did that mean?
Xiang Shuhuai hesitated, looking into those hopeful eyes, wanting to say no.
She opened her mouth, but was interrupted by Yu Xiaoxiao’s phone ringing.
Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at the caller ID, gave her an apologetic smile, and answered.
“—Hello, Dad?”
Xiang Shuhuai watched as Yu Xiaoxiao’s expression slowly changed from lighthearted to tense.
After a few short words, Yu Xiaoxiao’s face grew pale, and the worry in her eyes deepened.
“…Okay.” Yu Xiaoxiao finally said. “I’ll go now.”
She hung up, looked at Xiang Shuhuai with a lost expression, and spoke in a daze.
“I… I need to go to the hospital.”
Xiang Shuhuai asked, “What happened?”
“…My mom,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, her face ashen, “It’s my mom. She’s sick and was just hospitalized.”