Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 40

…Temporary marking.

It just meant a bite.

Just… one bite. That’s all.

Yu Xiaoxiao swallowed hard and told herself that.

She looked at the person in front of her—seeing Yu agree to the proposal, Xiang Shuhuai gave a light nod. She lifted her hand, gathered the long hair from the back of her neck and brought it to the front, then gave Yu Xiaoxiao a small nod. “I’m ready.”

Her expression remained calm, not showing a hint of nervousness or unease.

Looking at this Big Ice Block, it really didn’t seem like a big deal to her… After all, they’d already done a temporary mark once before. This time was just to solve a problem, nothing special about it.

Yu Xiaoxiao tried hard to convince herself of that.

But her heart was pounding loud enough to drown everything else out.

Last time… she hadn’t been fully conscious. Her mind was foggy, and all her memories of the contact were faint and blurry—
A pale neck slowly flushed with red, trembling shoulders, and soft, messy black hair scattered across them…

…How could any of that be “nothing”?

“I…” She struggled to speak. “I…”

Xiang Shuhuai sat there and tilted her head up slightly to look at her, puzzled.

“Yu Xiaoxiao,” she said softly. “Are you… not going to do it?”

Her face was almost translucent, and only the split at the corner of her mouth was stained red, making it stand out sharply. Right now, Xiang Shuhuai sat with her head tilted up, looking at Yu with a dazed expression. Her thin wrist was bruising where she had gripped it too hard.

That fragile, unguarded look of hers—
It was completely different from the aloof, calculating Xiang CEO from earlier, who had coolly stared someone down and played them like a chess piece.

Looking at her like this made it impossible not to feel something.

Yu Xiaoxiao wanted to protect her.

She wanted to protect her. But also—

…also wanted to destroy her.

The thought startled Yu Xiaoxiao.

It must be the pheromones talking…!

She told herself it was just the lingering effect of that alpha guy’s pheromones—she still hadn’t fully recovered yet—

“—O-of course!” she blurted out, desperate to act normal. “It’s just, um, one bite, right? On the gland?”

“…Yeah.” Xiang Shuhuai nodded. “Just one bite.”

She turned slightly, tilted her head forward, and brushed the hair away from her neck.

As soon as Yu Xiaoxiao saw that pale, delicate skin, her face went beet red and she quickly looked away.

“Okay… okay,” she mumbled, ears burning. “Got it…”

Even though she was embarrassed, she couldn’t avoid looking—she had to do this properly.

Yu Xiaoxiao forced herself to look again.

Not at the fragile neck or the pale skin—just… the gland. Just that faint scar.

She kept telling herself that. Trying hard to block out everything else.

But her thoughts wouldn’t stay still.

Xiang Shuhuai’s body temperature was lower than hers—her skin must feel cool. Being this close, Yu could smell a faint, minty scent like medicine, fresh and clean.

She stared blankly at the spot and reached out, gently brushing her fingers across the gland.

If someone could take a bite of the moon, she thought, this must be what it would feel like.

The soft black hair had fallen away, revealing a patch of nearly translucent skin on the back of her neck. Just the lightest touch had already brought up a red flush. It looked like the slightest pressure would leave dark bruises behind.

Like a priceless work of art.

Her fragile shoulder trembled under the touch.

Yu Xiaoxiao turned her face slightly, trying to see more of that pale side profile. “…Big Ice Block, are you scared?”

Xiang Shuhuai shook her head.

But her body was clearly trembling.

Yu thought for a second, then offered her hand.

“…If you’re scared,” she said, “you can hold my hand.”

The omega in her arms blinked in surprise, then gave a small nod.

“…Okay.”

Cool, soft fingers slowly reached out and curled around hers.

Xiang Shuhuai was tall, with long fingers—though thin and bony, the pads of her fingers were soft. They were usually colorless, but right now, from holding tight, they’d turned faintly pink. Yu could wrap her entire hand around hers with a single movement.

—Like a kitten’s paw.

So cute, Yu thought.

…She wanted to bite it. That hand.

She quickly shook her head, trying to fling the dangerous thought away.

She couldn’t delay any longer.

If she waited, who knew what kind of worse thoughts she’d have.

So Yu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and placed one hand on Xiang Shuhuai’s shoulder.

“…Okay, Big Ice Block,” she said. “I’m going to start now.”

Xiang Shuhuai squeezed her hand tighter and gave silent permission.

Yu Xiaoxiao lowered her head.

—Her lips and teeth met skin, and Xiang Shuhuai’s body jerked, going completely stiff.

She clutched Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand tightly and endured in silence. As the pain bloomed at the back of her neck, her breathing grew quicker, but she clenched her teeth and didn’t let out a single gasp.

In the end, she just slumped in Yu Xiaoxiao’s arms, her neck tilted back and her eyes closed like a deer caught in a trap.

By the time the marking finally ended, Xiang Shuhuai could barely make a sound. Her shoulders trembled like leaves in the wind, and it took a long time for her to recover.

Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoxiao wasn’t showing even a trace of her earlier boldness—her body was rigid, afraid to even move. She just let Xiang Shuhuai rest in her arms, still holding her hand, breathing shallowly so she wouldn’t scare her.

After a while, Xiang Shuhuai finally had the strength to sit up. That’s when she realized she was still clinging to Yu’s hand—like a drowning person clutching a lifeline.

She quickly let go and brushed her hair back to hide her neck, trying to get up.

But her body hadn’t recovered yet. Her arm gave out, and she fell back into Yu Xiaoxiao’s arms.

“I—I’m sorry…” she mumbled.

Yu Xiaoxiao just looked at her pale face and asked, “Big Ice Block… did it hurt a lot?”

“…A little.”

Xiang Shuhuai replied calmly.

But even though her voice was steady, her lips were marked with deep bite marks, nearly broken and tinged with bl00d. Her eyes were red from the pain, and cold sweat covered her pale cheeks. She’d always been the type to endure quietly.

And the fresh bite on her neck…

Looking at it, guilt washed over Yu Xiaoxiao.

…She’d gone too far with her.

Even though she was still thinking clearly now, just holding her gently, her instincts—her pheromones—had still pushed her to hurt Xiang Shuhuai this badly.

Then what about during her first heat? How had she treated Xiang Shuhuai then?

“I’m sorry, Big Ice Block…” she said softly, feeling miserable. She reached out, wanting to gently rub the swollen skin around the bite. “I didn’t mean to hurt you… does it still hurt?”

Hearing that, Xiang Shuhuai shook her head, but the tips of her ears turned red.

Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t notice.

She just kept looking at the wound, still feeling guilty. “Um… do you want to bite me? Maybe it’ll make you feel better?”

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeve and held her arm out.

“Here.” The alpha girl said, “You can bite me, Big Ice Block.”

What she didn’t realize was that Xiang Shuhuai’s eyes weren’t focused on her arm—
They were quietly, almost dreamily, fixed on her lips.

…Bite her?

After the marking earlier, Yu had licked her lips. Now they were damp and full, a healthy shade of reddish-pink, like a bit of sunrise caught in a cloud.

Her lips moved slightly as she talked, changing shape—soft and tempting, impossible to look away from…

“Xiang Shuhuai,” the clueless alpha girl asked, “Do you want to bite me?”

…Bite what?

Noticing the arm in front of her, Xiang Shuhuai finally snapped out of it.

—She suddenly realized what she’d just been imagining, and her face went bright red from her neck to her ears.

“…Big Ice Block?” Yu asked, confused. “What’s wrong? Why’s your face all red?”

Xiang Shuhuai blushed even harder.

Flustered and annoyed, she bit her lip—and then gave Yu Xiaoxiao a hard punch.

“What’s wrong, Big Ice Block?”

Yu Xiaoxiao blinked in confusion and asked again, only to get smacked once more.

“Why are you hitting me… Ow! No, really, what’s going on, Xiang Shuhuai—ow, that hurts…”

Dawn Corporation.
A meeting had just ended. People were filing out into the hallway in small groups, chatting in low voices.

Yu Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the ground as she walked forward on autopilot.

“Deputy Director…?”

A tentative voice sounded beside her.

“—Deputy Director Yu? Are you listening? During the meeting earlier, when I gave my report, you said—”

Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly stumbled a little, snapping out of her daze.

She turned to the colleague beside her. “I was listening. What is it?”

“You said my marketing plan was better than the current proposal… and that you wanted me to take the lead on the project…” The young woman looked nervous. “I-I’ve never handled a project this big before. Dawn’s new product is really important—we can’t afford any slip-ups in marketing. I’m just afraid I might not be up to it…”

“So what you’re saying is,” Yu Xiaoxiao blinked, “you don’t want to take on the project.”

“No, that’s not it!” The girl shook her hands quickly. “I just… I’m worried that I—”

Yu Xiaoxiao smiled. “You want the project, and I’m giving it to you. That settles it, doesn’t it?”

She paused, then added deliberately, “Ah, or are you saying… you don’t trust my judgment? That’s fine too. I haven’t been with the company that long anyway. Once Director Xu is back, I can ask her for you—”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant at all!” The girl shook her head quickly. “I totally trust your judgment! Really! I just… I don’t think I’m good enough yet…”

“I think you’re great,” Yu Xiaoxiao said with a warm smile. “Just do your best, okay? You’ve got this.”

The young woman nodded firmly and walked away.

Over the past few days, not only had Yu Xiaoxiao’s mother’s fibroid surgery gone smoothly—with her recovery going well—but Yu herself was also settling into her role in the marketing department.

In just over two weeks, Director Xu had already handed over full authority for the position. And after Yu Xiaoxiao led the department through several successful campaigns, no one saw her as some incompetent with connections anymore. Her team trusted her judgment completely.

The young woman was one of them.

She wasn’t much younger than Yu Xiaoxiao—just a bachelor’s degree holder who had started at one of Dawn’s branch offices right after graduation before transferring to HQ. She was capable, but lacked confidence. She often backed down when challenges arose and rarely fought for opportunities. That’s why, despite her ability, she was still only a deputy manager.

Yu Xiaoxiao was more than willing to give someone like her a push.

Besides… her last name was also Xiang. Her full name: Xiang Qing.

The first time Yu Xiaoxiao saw that name in the meeting minutes, she’d stared at the surname for a solid thirty seconds.

…Xiang Shuhuai.

Just now, when she was zoning out, she had been thinking about Xiang Shuhuai too.

If there was one flaw in her work lately, it was that she kept spacing out. And every time, her thoughts drifted to that person.

They hadn’t been spending much time together recently. It wasn’t like Xiang Shuhuai was avoiding her—after all, both of them had jobs. Dawn and Xiang Corporation weren’t close by, and sometimes Shuhuai had to work overtime and eat at the office. Most days, they only saw each other briefly at home.

But at the same time… it did feel like Shuhuai was avoiding her. She’d seen the multiple injections of suppressant, the pale face contorted in pain as she bit her lip nearly to bleeding—all because she didn’t want to call Yu Xiaoxiao for help.

She never took care of herself.

Yu had found the discarded syringes in the trash and thought bitterly about it.

But she knew she couldn’t bring it up to Xiang Shuhuai.

That Big Ice Block never understood people’s good intentions the right way. If she said anything, Shuhuai might just assume she didn’t like seeing medical waste in the trash, feel like she was being a burden, and start taking all the garbage out herself to “avoid causing trouble.”

…That annoying person. Yu Xiaoxiao thought in frustration.

Still, she didn’t even know what she was angry about.

Maybe Shuhuai just preferred keeping her distance from everyone. Even with Youyou-jie, she didn’t seem much more affectionate.

As for not seeing each other often—well, they were both busy. It was normal. She and Gu Wei, who had been friends since high school, could go weeks without meeting. Compared to that, she and Xiang Shuhuai at least lived together. That was already pretty close.

But even though she kept telling herself this, Yu Xiaoxiao still couldn’t feel satisfied.

…Why?

She asked herself, but no answer came.

Why wasn’t she satisfied?

If this wasn’t enough, then what more did she want?

She stared at a spot on the ground as a hazy thought drifted through her mind.

—Was it possible… that what she wanted from Xiang Shuhuai was more than just friendship?

Xiang Corporation Headquarters. General Manager’s Office.

Xiang Shuhuai sat at her desk, carefully reviewing the documents in front of her.

The person who’d brought the papers—Cong You—was lounging casually on the office sofa, curiously taking in the new decor.

“Wow, Xiao Shu,” she said, picking up a soft, brand-new cushion from the sofa. “This is adorable.”

At her words, Xiang Shuhuai’s hand paused, but she didn’t look up or reply.

After examining the cushion for a moment, Cong You smiled and waved it teasingly. “Did you buy this? Or did Xiaoxiao bring it?”

Xiang Shuhuai couldn’t help but raise her head. “Jie…”

Cong You just smiled. “Hmm?”

“…I had An Ning order it.”

“For Xiaoxiao?”

Xiang Shuhuai nodded.

Cong You smiled wider.

Besides the cushion, there was a small tea table, a plush toy dog on the desk, and a new carpet—thick and soft, perfect for sitting on without getting cold. The tea table was the perfect height, topped with a padded cloth.

Cong You herself wasn’t the type to sit on the floor, but if someone liked doing that, they could sit cross-legged on the carpet and write or draw on the table comfortably. Then there was the extra, unused desk—clearly newly added.

As for the colors—bright and cheerful, just like the cushion. Definitely not Xiang Shuhuai’s usual style.

The last time Cong You visited her little sister’s office was before this semester. Back then, the room was cold, empty, and dead serious—not a speck of warmth or personality.

But now, the space looked like it had been sliced in two:

One half still cold and bare, sharp and efficient like a machine—that part was hers.
The other half—warm, playful, comfortable—clearly belonged to someone else.

Seeing her smile deepen, Xiang Shuhuai took a breath and looked even more helpless.

“…Jie,” she tried to explain. “She just used to come here a lot.”

“Mhm.”

“She’s busy with work now.”

“Mhm…” Cong You nodded, smiling even more. “So, Xiao Shu, do you want her to come again?”

“I—”

What’s the point if I do?

The words almost slipped out. She was always more honest with her sister. But thankfully, she stopped herself in time.

All she said was, “…She doesn’t have a reason to come anymore.”

Cong You raised an eyebrow, smiling with a hint of exasperation.

“All right then,” she said. “If you say so—so, how’s the contract?”

Finally back to business. Her little sister visibly relaxed.

Xiang Shuhuai flipped through the contract with ease, her face going cold again. She smirked. “Stupid.”

“Absolutely,” Cong You agreed. “I didn’t think Lin Yunyi was actually this gullible.”

“Uncle Cong is sentimental,” Xiang Shuhuai said quietly. “He’s loyal and values brotherhood. That’s just how he is.”

This was the contract signed by Hangyan Real Estate with a so-called developer from Singapore—part of the land investment Xiang Corporation was working on.

Hangyan only signed the deal because the CEO of that company was Lin Yunyi’s “brother.” At least on the surface.

In reality? It was clearly a shell company.

This was one of the most common international trade scams. Anyone careful would’ve seen through it. But Lin Yunyi had been blinded by loyalty and never saw the trap.

In about a month, after Hangyan transferred the money, that “brother” would shut down the company and vanish.

Luckily, the money they lost would be recovered through an investment guided by Shuhuai—Cong You’s mother would get it all back. The money would just make a roundabout trip from a foolish biological father to the mother who actually raised her. Cong You didn’t mind.

Her mother wasn’t the smartest, and had terrible taste in men, but she had surprisingly sharp instincts. Despite all her biases—believing that an alpha husband must be better than a beta woman like Xiang Shuhuai—she still had a clear sense:

She knew she should trust “Little Xiang General.” Even more than her own daughter.

And as a business partner, Xiang Shuhuai was happy to oblige.

Now she had solid grounds to let this board-sanctioned investment fail. When the money couldn’t be recovered and Xiang Corp had to sell shares to stay afloat, who better to buy them than a company under her own name?

Better that than letting outsiders or power-hungry relatives get their hands on them.

After all, she was her father’s most brilliant—and most loyal—daughter.

…Wasn’t she?

The only one taking a loss was Hangyan Real Estate. They both knew that well.

Xiang Shuhuai closed the contract and looked up again, her expression softer and a bit apologetic. “Jie…”

“—Enough, Xiao Shu.”

Cong You waved her hand with a smile, clearly not wanting to say more.

She said lightly, “Xiao Shu, you owe me one now, okay?”

“…Yeah.”

No more words were needed.

Not long after, a call came in. Someone was here to see Xiang Shuhuai.

Once her silly little sister left, Cong You was alone in the office. Bored, she started thinking of something fun.

After a moment of pondering, a bright idea struck her.

She smiled, fingers flying as she quickly typed out a message:

[Xiaoxiao]
—Let’s go to the hot springs with Xiao Shu. Sound good?