Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 44

It was a very awkward kiss.

So awkward that it couldn’t even really be called a kiss.

Even though she had forcefully pulled Xu Huai down and met her lips aggressively, she didn’t know at all how to kiss. She didn’t even know to tilt her head a little. When their lips touched, their noses bumped into each other as well.

It seemed like Xu Huai was startled by the collision. Like a frightened cat, her instinct was to retreat.

But as their lips parted slightly, Xu Huai hesitated for a moment. Then, with a determined heart, she closed her eyes and kissed again.

So their soft lips met once more.

…Yu Xiaoxiao tasted a faint, bitter flavor.

It was the medicine she had applied to the wound on the corner of her lips.

Though it was definitely not the time to be distracted, Yu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but think—

It had been so long, but Xu Huai’s wound still wasn’t healed?

At that moment, Xu Huai was clutching Yu Xiaoxiao’s collar tightly.

—She climbed up a little and slightly parted her lips, trying to mimic the deep kiss she had seen in artistic films and novels, attempting to gently lick and kiss the soft lips of the alpha girl between their lips and teeth.

Her movements were unskilled. Though she came on strong, when kissing, she was still cautious, her warm tongue not daring to exert much force or go too deep, just like a kitten licking its fur, cautiously testing and gently moving between the soft lips.

Yu Xiaoxiao felt a tickling sensation but didn’t dare to move.

She was afraid she might scare Xu Huai again, or make her angry. So she obediently parted her lips just a little, letting Xu Huai take control while she tilted her head back.

A faint, lingering sweetness spread between their lips and teeth.

Yu Xiaoxiao was influenced by Xu Huai’s earlier decisive attitude and hadn’t closed her eyes. Now, she kept her eyes open, seeing Xu Huai with her eyes shut tight, her lashes trembling as if they were delicate feathers fluttering in the wind, so light and soft.

At that moment, they were very close, and Yu Xiaoxiao could hear the rapid beat of Xu Huai’s heart—perhaps it was her own heartbeat too, as if it had passed through one chest and reached the other.

It was just a simple kiss, their bodies pressed close, two hearts carrying the weight of two pure souls.

In every heartbeat, they responded to each other. The intertwined sound of their heartbeats and their wet, longing breaths became like an unexpected, continuous rain, soaking two light, feather-like souls and making them as heavy as gold.

From that moment on, her heart could no longer be as light as a feather.

Because she now had desire.

…Finally, the lack of oxygen caused Xu Huai to stop this awkward yet affectionate kiss.

She let go of Yu Xiaoxiao’s collar and retreated to her original position.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Xu Huai’s lips were wet from the kiss, bright and red like fresh cherries, tempting one to taste their sweetness. Her usually pale cheeks were now flushed, a result of the lack of air.

Xu Huai kept her eyes shut, her lashes still trembling.

Yu Xiaoxiao just stood there, staring blankly, unsure of what to say.

Until she saw Xu Huai open her eyes.

—Xu Huai was clearly smiling, but as her lashes fluttered, a tear rolled down her cheek.

The transparent tear caught Yu Xiaoxiao’s attention in an instant.

It quickly disappeared into the fabric of Xu Huai’s collar, vanishing before Yu Xiaoxiao could blink.

Seeing that she had cried, Yu Xiaoxiao panicked: “Xu—”

But Xu Huai just smiled, her expression distant and calm as usual, even though her cheeks were still flushed, and her breathing was uneven from the lack of oxygen.

Yet, in her dark eyes, as bright as moonlight, there was no trace of tears left.

“Yu Xiaoxiao.”

Xu Huai spoke.

“—From now on, we’re even.”

…Even.

What did that mean?

In the days that followed, Yu Xiaoxiao kept thinking about that phrase.

…And that tear.

That tear, like a glass bead, quickly slid down her cheek and fell into her collar, as though it had never existed.

That tear, disappearing in the blink of an eye, seemed to flow into Yu Xiaoxiao’s heart, turning it into a wet, weeping lake.

It was the first time Yu Xiaoxiao had seen Xu Huai cry.

Whether it was that kiss, that tear, or Xu Huai’s final words, all of it felt like a mystery Yu Xiaoxiao couldn’t figure out.

Her head ached from thinking about it, but she was busy with company matters and couldn’t leave. Xu Huai, on the other hand, had been caught up in company affairs as soon as she came back, and the situation was getting worse, involving Youyou’s family as well.

—The incident with Xu Shi’s investment in real estate and its failed collaboration with Hangyan had become a huge scandal.

When they returned from vacation, news of Hangyan broke out, and the industry was in an uproar. Even Yu Xiaoxiao’s friends, who usually didn’t care about business, were talking about it. They said Xu Shi had tried to enter the real estate market but had faced a huge setback. They said Hangyan Real Estate had worked with a shell company from a remote area, and despite being negotiated by the boss personally, they transferred all the funds only to have the company dissolve and run away with the money.

Everyone was shocked. Who would have thought that such an old and established company like Hangyan could fall for such a scam? Now, not only was Hangyan in ruins, but Xu Shi was also stuck with this mess.

Moreover, real estate was a capital-intensive industry. Now that there was such a huge gap in funds, would Xu Shi have to sell off shares?

Rumors spread quickly, and many eyes were now on Xu Shi, like wolves with greedy, sharp eyes, wearing the masks of white knights, eager to take advantage of this giant corporation.

With Hangyan Real Estate on the brink of bankruptcy and Xu Shi facing a funding crisis, all of this happened to people Yu Xiaoxiao cared about. She couldn’t just sit still and continue doing her job as deputy director of the company, overseeing the launch of new products. So, she told Director Xu that she needed to go home and ask her mom for time off.

Yu Danchun’s surgery for fibrocystic br3ast disease had gone well, and after a few weeks, her body had mostly recovered. However, since she was getting older, her family and relatives urged her to rest more.

So, Yu Danchun hadn’t returned to the company yet. She didn’t need anyone to take care of her daily life, but she had hired a nutritionist to look after her post-surgery diet, and she occasionally approved major decisions for the company over the phone.

When Yu Xiaoxiao returned home, her cousin, Yu Yao, was also there. The two of them were sitting in the garden, basking in the sun with specially brewed health tea, occasionally chatting about trivial matters.

When Yu Xiaoxiao rushed in, Yu Danchun didn’t even put down her tea and reminded Yu Yao, who seemed distracted, “What’s wrong, Yao Yao, drink your tea.”

Yu Yao, looking a bit awkward, straightened up. “Aunt…”

“This tea you must drink all of, it’s so bitter. I’ve never had such bitter tea before, and if your uncle saw me drinking it, he’d insist I finish the whole pot,” Yu Danchun said with a calm expression. “If we’re out here now, it’s good that your uncle can’t see us.”

“—Mom!”

Hearing her daughter, who couldn’t hold back her impatience, call out, Yu Danchun finally turned to look at her. “Xiaoxiao?”

But Yu Xiaoxiao just stood there, suddenly unsure of how to speak. Finally, she hesitantly said, “Mom…”

Her mother knew exactly why she was here, but she deliberately tried to tease her daughter, not offering an easy answer, smiling and saying, “Xiaoxiao, isn’t it work time? If you’re back, do you want to try my tea—”

Seeing her daughter was about to talk about private matters, Yu Yao excused herself and returned to her room. Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice became quieter, her head slowly lowered.

“So, what about the company, Xiaoxiao? Are you going to leave it behind?”

Yu Xiaoxiao stammered, “I’m not…”

“Since you’re not, then there’s no reason to quit now,” Yu Danchun said.

She reached out, inviting her reluctant daughter to sit next to her. Gently, she ruffled Yu Xiaoxiao’s hair as she used to when she was little.

Yu Xiaoxiao, now in her early twenties and just out of college, still had a childlike appearance, while her mother was already sixty. Her partner, Yu’s father, was even younger, in his fifties.

Yu Danchun had grown up poor, with many children to support, and wasn’t able to afford schooling for her daughter. She had only finished elementary school before she had to quit. But she was clever and bold, starting small businesses in her hometown and county before going to the provincial city to seek a better future.

When she was seventeen, Yu Danchun set off on her own, holding her savings, bus ticket, and travel expenses from her sister, embarking on a journey to the provincial capital.

She was a country girl with little education, but after a few months of struggling in the city, she met people and learned of new opportunities. Eventually, she made a bold decision that changed her life.

She scraped together enough capital, took a long-distance train, and went south to a coastal city to meet the winds of China’s reform era.

At age twelve, she had quit school; at seventeen, she left home; at eighteen, she started her own business; and by age twenty-eight, she had invested all her funds into government bonds, making a fortune. Everyone advised her to play it safe, but she reinvested her wealth into her small company. By thirty-five, her company, Fuxiao, became a national empire.

Yu Danchun’s life had been a dramatic gamble.

Now, at sixty, she was no longer willing to take risks.

Her daughter was still so young, innocent, and full of hope.

Yu Danchun had hoped her daughter would be protected from life’s hardships, but now that she was growing older, she realized she might not always be there for her.

She could not help but feel a sense of responsibility and worry for her daughter’s future.

“That’s not even your own problem, Xiaoxiao.” Yu Danchun only smiled and gently rubbed her daughter’s chubby cheek. “When you really get into business in the future, there will be even more serious and terrifying things. If you quit just because of this, you won’t make it.”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes were red.

“Even if you go, you won’t be able to help much, Xiaoxiao.”

This made her younger daughter feel even more discouraged.

Seeing this, Yu Danchun comforted her, “Don’t worry too much. If anything happens, I’ll keep an eye on it. I’ll definitely help those two little friends of yours.”

Her naive little daughter sniffed and nodded.

Yu Danchun couldn’t help but laugh. “Sigh, you’re such a big girl now, yet still crying.”

In response, she received a solid hug.

Trying not to jostle her healing wound, her little daughter hugged carefully, but her soft head kept rubbing against Yu Danchun’s shoulder, just like a little animal.

Gently patting her crying daughter’s back, Yu Danchun felt a mix of tenderness and helplessness.

Sigh. She thought, her daughter is such a silly child.

As for those two kids Xiaoxiao was so worried about, they probably had no idea what schemes they were plotting right now.

The child from home, she’d seen grow up. She was steady and not overly sentimental like the older generation. She wouldn’t let her unreliable father make a mess without doing anything.

As for the Xiang family… that overly clever child…

—Her ambition, her schemes, and her sharpness were even more terrifying than her father’s, and they were something Yu Danchun deeply feared.

She could tell that Xiang Shuhuai was a gambler who was no less dangerous than herself—wild, cold, ruthless, and careless.

But that child had become her daughter’s friend, and Xiaoxiao liked and trusted her so much. Whenever Yu Danchun thought about this, her head ached.

Even though they were allies now and were on equal footing, Yu Danchun could still protect her daughter, but with Xiang Shuhuai’s ambition and ability, there would always come a time when Xiaoxiao wouldn’t be able to avoid conflict.

What if Xiang Shuhuai really decided to hurt Xiaoxiao? What would Xiaoxiao do then?

But her little daughter in her arms had no idea of her heavy concerns. She just looked up and earnestly said,

“Mom,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, her round eyes filled with worry, “if Dà Bīng Kuài and Yōu Yōu Jie need money or something, I’ll take some extra from my own savings… I might even need to ask you for more…”

“Okay.” Yu Danchun could only agree. “No problem, Xiaoxiao.”

…What should she do about this?

The matter with Xiang Shi and Hang Yan was causing a huge stir, but Xiang Shuhuai’s side remained completely calm.

To manage the public opinion, she hadn’t gone to the headquarters lately. Instead, she casually stayed in one of the properties under her name, leaving An Ning alone at the company to handle various visitors and decline mild invitations and inquiries.

Her sister was more at ease with her now. Besides a few calls from her mother, crying about her husband’s absurdities, there had been no other contact.

When Xiang Shi’s stock hit a new low, Xiang Shuhuai was standing in front of the mirror, inspecting the wound at the corner of her mouth.

Her health wasn’t good, and the wound healed slowly. Even though it had been some time, the scar was still fresh and visible, probably because her skin was so pale, making it stand out. Just looking at it, one could guess roughly how violently and roughly she had been treated.

—This was exactly what Xiang Shuhuai wanted.

She shifted her gaze away from the slightly stinging wound and glanced at her phone, which was full of missed calls. She lightly pressed the screen off.

There was no point.

It was all relatives from the Xiang family, the older generation who didn’t want to submit to her but couldn’t help but rely on and fear her abilities. Now that Xiang Shi had encountered such a huge issue, they were sure to come at her angrily, wanting to know what would happen to the future of Xiang Shi.

And since they couldn’t reach her on the phone, they would surely complain to Xiang Hongshan, criticizing her recklessness, blindness, and short-sightedness, trying to take away her inheritance and replace her with their son.

But they didn’t know that the real estate plan they had criticized from the beginning was Xiang Hongshan’s own idea.

Of course, now that it had failed, she had taken the fall for it. But for someone like Xiang Hongshan, who had been in a high position for so long, being criticized and condemned by everyone wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Xiang Shuhuai thought, her eyes showing a cold, mocking smile.

Now, it was just a matter of when the esteemed Chairman Xiang would lose his composure and call a family meeting.

As she was about to turn away, she casually looked up and happened to see her own face in the mirror.

—She looked so much like Xiang Hongshan. Especially those eyes.

Xiang Shuhuai actually resembled her mother very much. She had seen that family photo with her “grandmother” and “uncle” before. At that time, the twenty-something-year-old Liu Xiu’s features were exactly the same as hers now, as if carved from the same mold.

Liu Xiu was beautiful, with a face like jade and lips like cherry blossoms. In her twenties, she was graceful and charming. Otherwise, Xiang Hongshan, already a wealthy man at the time, would never have wanted to be with her. But what made Liu Xiu most beautiful was her eyes—charming, like flowing autumn water, the typical eyes of a delicate beauty.

And though the shape was the same, Xiang Shuhuai’s eyes were like a beast’s.

Cold-blooded, vicious, ambitious, and forever greedy and unsatisfied—those eyes belonged to Xiang Hongshan.

Therefore, as she gazed at her reflection, Xiang Shuhuai found herself momentarily lost in thought.

She seemed to see both her weak mother and her cold-blooded father in the mirror.

Neither Xiang Hongshan nor Liu Xiu had expected her birth. And Xiang Shuhuai had never expected to become their child. But some curse was tied to the three of them, a curse born of bl00d.

She hated them for bringing her into this world.

But not leaving with nothing was never her style. Just like a desperate wild dog that, even at the cost of its life, would tear a bloody piece of flesh from its enemy’s throat.

…So, she was waiting for that moment.

That moment when Xiang Hongshan realized that everything had been taken from him by his most loyal and lowly daughter. His pride shattered, his face twisted with anger and hatred.

Just thinking about it made Xiang Shuhuai want to laugh out loud.

Her gaze slowly lowered to her pale lips.

…And then she thought of the sun.

Yu Xiaoxiao, and that kiss.

They were no longer related.

Yu Xiaoxiao had called her many times, all mixed in with those missed calls. Xiang Shuhuai had intentionally not looked at them.

She just feared that she wouldn’t be able to resist softening, wouldn’t be able to suppress her desire for more.

Only because… that kiss had given her so many unrealistic hopes.

Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t like her, but even though her heart was with her sister, she still couldn’t help herself and kissed her.

That was because of their physical attraction.

Because Yu Xiaoxiao was an alpha, and she was an omega. The atmosphere at that moment had been so intimate and ambiguous, and under the pull of instinct, Yu Xiaoxiao had kissed her on the lips.

This had sparked a greedy desire within Xiang Shuhuai.

She couldn’t help but think, what if—what if she used pheromones, used an alpha’s instincts, and made Yu Xiaoxiao mark her? Would that keep the sun by her side?

If that really worked…

But—she shouldn’t be so vile.

Yu Xiaoxiao had been so kind to her, and her sister had always taken care of her. She shouldn’t have such ugly thoughts.

Yet simply restraining her greed hurt Xiang Shuhuai more than anything.

Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t like her. Yu Xiaoxiao’s kindness was just due to her inherent goodness. But Xiang Shuhuai could completely possess Yu Xiaoxiao. Just like she had taken the position of the Xiang family heir and would one day take everything from Xiang Hongshan. Because Xiang Shuhuai was that ugly and low, willing to do anything.

But it was also then that Xiang Shuhuai realized her own flaw.

Her gland was damaged, and perhaps it couldn’t even accept a permanent mark. She couldn’t have children, nor would she experience the regular heat cycles that other omegas did.

Compared to any other omega, she had almost no attraction. The kiss had been just an accident. She couldn’t even use her own body to ignite Yu Xiaoxiao’s desires.

…She was worthless.

Xiang Shuhuai fantasized all night. She imagined herself as a complete omega. She would create a misunderstanding, complete a permanent mark with Yu Xiaoxiao, and keep her by her side. Then maybe—maybe, after a long time, Yu Xiaoxiao would slowly give up on loving her sister and start to like her.

But she wasn’t.

Yet in that dream, Xiang Shuhuai kept seeing her sister’s helpless and tolerant smile, and Yu Xiaoxiao’s bright, shining eyes, filled with longing and love, like a little sun.

And herself—jealous, ugly, and twisted, a gray shadow, illuminated by the sun in every dark corner, until she turned to ashes.

She shouldn’t have been there.

So, when Yu Xiaoxiao apologized, she greedily demanded a final kiss.

They would never meet again.

Never again. Xiang Shuhuai told herself. Thinking about it was pointless now.

She shut her eyes tightly, stopping herself from thinking any further.

Then, a ringtone suddenly rang out. It was a special reminder set for An Ning.

Xiang Shuhuai answered the call.

“Boss,” came the voice on the other end, full of concern, “The expert we contacted has provided a treatment plan after their consultation. I’ve sent it to your email for you to review when you have time.”

She hesitated for a moment, not hanging up immediately, but added, “…Please make sure to take care of yourself.”

…Her treatment plan. It was about her glands. Xiang Shuhuai had removed them herself during her development stage, when hormones were most unstable, and didn’t get proper medical care. The aftereffects had been lingering, and only recently had she contacted an expert team overseas for a consultation.

From An Ning’s tone, the result didn’t seem optimistic.

Thinking this, Xiang Shuhuai opened the email.

—She saw two treatment options, left for her to choose.

One, to completely remove her glands, turning her into a beta with long-term pharmaceutical intervention.

Or two, to receive a new omega gland transplant, undergoing a similarly long and painful pheromone treatment, and restore her abilities as an omega.

As an omega, she would be able to be marked completely, have regular heat cycles, and… have children.

Xiang Shuhuai’s eyes lingered on those few lines of text, unable to look away.

If it had been before, she wouldn’t have thought twice and would have chosen the first option without hesitation. But now, she hesitated.

Two paths.

Beta, or omega.

What should she choose?

Xiang Shuhuai’s mind was a blank.

…Would she know if she met Yu Xiaoxiao?