Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL) - Chapter 4

Being clung to like an octopus by a drunk girl, Xiang Shuhuai had to struggle for a while before she finally managed to explain her situation to her sister—that nothing serious had happened and that Yu Xiaoxiao was just drunk.

Cong You, listening on the other end of the phone, chuckled like she found the whole thing amusing.

“Thanks for your hard work, little Shu,” she said with a laugh. “Xiaoxiao can be a handful, right? She’s still a bit childish. Good thing she has you to take care of her.”

“…It’s nothing,” Xiang Shuhuai replied, her voice as calm as always.

The little drunk curled up beside her had finally tired herself out. Like a kid who’d played too hard, she ended up clinging to Xiang Shuhuai’s waist like a stuffed animal, burying her face into her neck and going still.

Xiang Shuhuai tried to swap herself out for a real pillow—no luck. The unfamiliar, uncomfortable sensation of someone pressed up against her neck and waist made her uneasy. Her glands ached with a dull throb. Awkwardly enduring it, she hesitated, then spoke.

“Jie,” she said. “…I think I should move out.”

“Mm—” Cong You dragged the sound out, then replied, “That, hmm. We talked about this before, little Shu. Where would you go?”

“There’s always somewhere.”

Cong You gave a soft laugh.

“Is it because Xiaoxiao’s been too much to handle?” she asked, her voice gentle, coaxing. “How about just a few more days? Take a bit more time to rest—do it for me, okay? We can talk about everything else once you’re feeling better.”

“I—”

“I’ve got class now, little Shu,” Cong You said, her tone light and smiling, as if you could see the curve of her eyes through the phone. “Can we hang up? Say hi to Xiaoxiao for me.”

“…Okay.” All Xiang Shuhuai could manage was a quiet, “Okay, Jie.”

The call ended, and the little drunk girl clinging to her was already dozing off. Xiang Shuhuai gently pried her off and settled her onto the couch, placing a pillow under her head.

Moving quietly, she got up and found the blanket Yu Xiaoxiao usually used. She draped it over her.

Standing off to the side, emotionally and physically exhausted, she finally felt a sense of relief.

Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t wake. She curled up under the soft blanket, nuzzled the pillow with her face, mumbled a little like a child, then finally fell into a deep sleep, brow furrowed.

The next morning, Yu Xiaoxiao woke up with a splitting headache.

Her hangover was brutal—her whole body ached, and her stomach was in knots. She spotted a glass of water on the coffee table and, without thinking, grabbed it and drank it all down.

The cold water hit her stomach, and her body finally started to feel like it was waking up.

…Ah.

That’s when she realized she was curled up on the sofa, hugging a pillow, wrapped in the blanket that was usually draped over the rocking chair. The soft fabric was warm against her skin.

Sunlight flooded the living room. The place was bright and silent, like no one else was around.

What…? she thought slowly, her brain still foggy. Who put me…

Suddenly, her phone rang, cutting off her messy train of thought.

…It was her dad. Yu Xiaoxiao saw that there were a few missed calls from him too.

Just seeing his name gave her a bad feeling. She winced, but still picked up.

“Sweetie,” her dad’s warm, scholarly voice came through, “you’ve been drinking again.”

Yu Xiaoxiao froze.

—How did he know?

Her dad continued, “Didn’t you promise your mom and me that you wouldn’t drink so much anymore? I know you get bored and like going out with your friends, but you’re still young. If you keep this up, you’ll ruin your health…”

He was a history professor, and even his scolding sounded like a lecture—slow and patient. Yu Xiaoxiao always got sleepy in class, and now, freshly woken up, her dad’s lecture was putting her right back into yawning mode.

She hit speaker and set the phone aside, yawning with tears in her eyes while listening to the same old routine.

First: Don’t drink so much.
Second: Don’t waste your time, find something meaningful to do.
Third: Stop hanging out with bad influences—make some decent friends.

Same old, same old. No new material.

“A good friend is like a good teacher,” her dad went on. “Sweetie, you should find some good friends, learn from them. Don’t just mess around with your drinking buddies, picking up bad habits.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Yu Xiaoxiao grumbled. “They have to want to be friends with me too, you know. They’re all decent people—busy with their own stuff. Who’d care about me?”

“Then you should get busy too,” her dad said. “When you’re working on something meaningful, you’ll naturally meet like-minded people. That’s how your mom and I met—pursuing our careers and studies…”

Yu Xiaoxiao had zero interest in hearing their love story and winced on the other end of the line.

“You know your mom still hopes you’ll take over the family business someday,” her dad said. “Right now it’s just your sister Yaoyao handling things—she’s younger than you, and she already has to worry about all that.”

“I know, I know…” Yu Xiaoxiao groaned. “I’m just not smart like Mom. I’m not cut out for it.”

“You can learn,” her dad replied immediately. “It’s okay to take it slow, as long as you’re serious. Sweetie, at your age—even if you haven’t presented yet—you should at least start to take things seriously. Look at—”

…Here we go again. The “someone else’s kid” part. Yu Xiaoxiao closed her eyes, already bracing herself for the long haul, and slumped into the couch.

Then came the name that made her sit bolt upright and scramble to turn off speakerphone.

“—That little Xiang President, the one from the Xiang family, Shuhuai, right? She’s so young and already so capable.”

I knew it…! Yu Xiaoxiao covered the mic and shot a panicked look toward the guest room door, praying the person inside hadn’t heard. Her dad’s go-to example since childhood was always that annoying ice cube!

“Just a while ago, she even talked business with your mom. Your mom said that even though she’s young, there’s nothing to pick at in how she carries herself. Very impressive. That project’s already moving forward…”

Please tell me Xiang Shuhuai didn’t hear that.

“Dad…! Dad!” Yu Xiaoxiao quickly interrupted, trying to steer the conversation away. “How’d you know I was drinking? Did I call you last night?”

“Cong You told me,” her dad replied, latching onto the new topic. “Good thing she did, or I wouldn’t have known you’re still keeping such unhealthy habits. I think Cong You’s a very responsible girl. Sweetie, I know you don’t like listening to your parents—think we nag too much—but don’t you like Cong You? Try listening to her. Take care of yourself…”

It was Youyou-jie?

How did she find out?

Tuning out her dad’s lecture, Yu Xiaoxiao furrowed her brows and thought hard. Then she slapped the table in sudden realization.

…It had to be that ice cube tattling on her!

She didn’t remember much after getting home last night, but it wasn’t hard to guess. Her friends probably dropped her off, Xiang Shuhuai dumped her on the couch, and then called Youyou-jie to report her behavior. That way, she could make herself look more mature and responsible, and win even more of Youyou-jie’s praise.

After all, if it were Yu Xiaoxiao, she wouldn’t miss an opportunity like that either.

She nodded to herself, convinced she’d uncovered the truth.

Besides, Youyou-jie was always praising that ice cube. Said she was smart, serious, just a bit too hardworking—basically flawless. Unlike Yu Xiaoxiao, who was probably still just a silly little kid in her eyes…

Her parents, too. They always praised that annoying ice cube. Compared to her, Yu Xiaoxiao felt like she was nothing.

…But she was the one who was actually their daughter. She was the one who knew Youyou-jie first. And yet, they were all on the ice cube’s side.

Maybe it was the leftover alcohol, but the more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. Even after hanging up, she didn’t feel any better—just sat there clutching her blanket and glaring at the floor.

Then creak—she heard the door to the guest room open.

Xiang Shuhuai walked out.

…So she was here. Yu Xiaoxiao thought.

Did she hear everything just now?

“Xiang Shuhuai.” She called out, her tone a little aggressive. “Xiang Shuhuai!”

The annoying ice cube didn’t even glance at her, acting like she hadn’t heard, and headed straight for the kitchen.

“—Xiang Shuhuai!”

Yu Xiaoxiao, getting even more irritated, jumped off the couch and rushed over, grabbing Xiang Shuhuai by the arm.

She used too much force. Xiang Shuhuai stumbled back a few steps, hitting the sliding kitchen door with her back.

Clatter—the glass rattled. Loudly.

…That must’ve hurt.

“Ah… ah.” Yu Xiaoxiao realized she’d gone too far and panicked. “I…”

She saw a flicker of pain flash across Xiang Shuhuai’s usually calm face. Flustered, she let go, then tried to shift the blame: “Y-You’re too light!”

Then she heard Xiang Shuhuai say, “…Sorry.”

…Huh?

Yu Xiaoxiao stared at her in confusion, as the person who should’ve been upset actually apologized instead—quietly, naturally, just standing there, almost like she was waiting to be scolded.

It was so weird. The feeling that something was off rose sharply in her chest.

What was she apologizing for?

The thought lingered, but Yu Xiaoxiao pushed it down. Whatever. She and Xiang Shuhuai had nothing to do with each other anyway. Why bother thinking so hard?

So she cut straight to the point. “Did you tell Youyou-jie on me?”

Xiang Shuhuai looked puzzled, like she didn’t understand what she meant. So Yu Xiaoxiao added, “About me drinking. Was it you who told her?”

Xiang Shuhuai lowered her gaze.

“You were drunk,” she said. “You called her yourself.”

Yu Xiaoxiao squinted at her. “Really?”

“You can ask her.”

…Yeah, no thanks.

If she really did, Youyou-jie would probably scold her too—Yu Xiaoxiao had just promised not to drink again. She was definitely feeling guilty.

She stared carefully at Xiang Shuhuai’s expression, but couldn’t read anything. In the end, she accepted the answer with suspicion. “…Fine.”

“Do you need the kitchen?” Xiang Shuhuai asked quietly. “If you do, I’ll go back to my room. Sorry.”

…She’s the annoying, cold, self-important ice cube. Always acting like she’s above everyone.

But when she looked at her with those quiet, dark eyes, Yu Xiaoxiao almost felt like she was the one being mean.

Especially with that pale face and the scar she’d left—it stood out like a flaw on a piece of jade. It made her feel even guiltier.

“You use it,” Yu Xiaoxiao muttered, glancing away. “…I’m heading out.”

She blurted it out and backed away a few steps, then quickly turned and left—almost like she was running away from those eyes.