Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 46
A Sudden Softness
Yu Xiaoxiao was startled. Before she could feel embarrassed, she suddenly caught a strong smell of bl00d, damp and metallic.
She quickly turned her gaze away, only to see dark red dried bl00d stains all around.
“—Xiang Shuhuai?” the Alpha girl asked in shock. “Who hurt you? Where are you injured? Is it serious…? Let go of my hand, let me take a look—”
But the person in her arms just buried their face against her shoulder, their pale fingers lightly gripping her clothing, unwilling to let go.
Such an unusually fragile posture made Yu Xiaoxiao worry even more. She gently shifted her body to check on the other person: “Xiang Shuhuai?”
But Xiang Shuhuai only whispered, “… Don’t move.”
Perhaps because she lacked strength, her voice was so faint, like a delicate feather that seemed as though it could be blown away by the wind.
And those scattered feathers fell into the lake of tears deep in Yu Xiaoxiao’s heart, creating a ripple of soft sadness.
She couldn’t move any further.
It had only been a few days since they last met, but Xiang Shuhuai was so exhausted and injured…
…How could she be hurt like this?
“… Mm, okay.”
Yu Xiaoxiao softly agreed and raised her hand, gently running it down Xiang Shuhuai’s thin back, like she was petting a cat.
However, when her hand rested on her back, the person in her arms shuddered slightly.
Xiang Shuhuai’s body tensed for a moment, and only then could she relax slowly.
Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t miss that instinctive fear.
Could it be… Could it be that she scared her earlier? Yu Xiaoxiao wondered, feeling a wave of guilt growing heavier in her chest. She felt helpless, afraid to move, even afraid to breathe too loudly, lest she scare the person in her arms again.
She called out softly, “Xiang Shuhuai…”
But Xiang Shuhuai only clung to her clothes, stubbornly trying to draw some strength from her, her fingers trembling slightly, as if afraid of being pushed away.
—Even though Yu Xiaoxiao had already adopted a hugging posture, gently holding her back, Xiang Shuhuai still couldn’t raise her hand to complete the embrace.
In this incomplete hug, Yu Xiaoxiao could only hear her faint, shallow breaths. The sound was so soft, almost inaudible. Her heartbeat was just as faint. Yu Xiaoxiao worried for a moment that the person in her arms might have lost consciousness, but she hadn’t.
…What happened?
Time passed, and Yu Xiaoxiao’s worry deepened.
She desperately wanted to check the other person’s wound. Even if they couldn’t go to the hospital, it would be good if she could at least bandage it. Moreover, she could feel that the fabric on Xiang Shuhuai’s shoulder was soaked through. The wind around 7 or 8 o’clock had turned chilly, and with Xiang Shuhuai’s poor health, if she stood in the cold for too long, she might catch a cold…
So, Yu Xiaoxiao tried to lighten the mood by teasing, “Holding onto me like this, you know it costs money, right?”
Xiang Shuhuai’s shoulder shifted, and sure enough, she tugged at the corner of her mouth, as if she was trying to smile.
“Mm,” she softly replied, “Okay.”
…At least there was a response.
Yu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief.
“Alright, alright,” she said, lifting her hand to mess with Xiang Shuhuai’s neatly tied hair at the back of her head. “Let’s not stand here. You’re freezing, let’s get in the car, okay?”
Xiang Shuhuai gently nodded.
—When she lifted her face from Yu Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, Yu Xiaoxiao realized her injury was on her forehead. The bl00d had dried and clotted into a patch, and the skin around her eyes and neck was slightly red, probably from being scalded. She hadn’t taken care of it after the injury, and now it had a dull, unhealthy redness. The front of her suit was covered in tea stains.
Despite having such a terrible wound on her forehead, Xiang Shuhuai’s expression remained eerily calm.
She looked at Yu Xiaoxiao, but her black eyes were empty, showing no emotion, just a dead silence.
—It was like a machine that had stopped working.
…Yu Xiaoxiao hadn’t seen her like this for a long time.
As their time together had passed, Xiang Shuhuai had become more and more lively around her. Yu Xiaoxiao knew that Xiang Shuhuai was quiet and introverted, didn’t like public places, and avoided contact with strangers. She had many little habits. For example, she liked sweet food, hated sour fruits, didn’t like chewing pearls, and especially hated sugar-free sodas; she couldn’t tolerate pain, was weak, and had a small amount of courage—she had never watched a horror movie. She would pout when she was upset and blush bright red when teased.
She was an ordinary girl, not a machine.
But now—
…It was worse than she had imagined.
Realizing this, Yu Xiaoxiao felt her heart sink.
Though her heart ached, she didn’t let it show on her face, not wanting to scare the person in her arms. She just smiled with her usual tone and said, “Alright, Big Ice Block, let’s get inside, it’s too cold out here.”
“I’ll check your forehead,” she said. “Do you have a first aid kit in the car… Ah, you do!”
Xiang Shuhuai drove a Maybach, and there was plenty of space in the back seat. Yu Xiaoxiao got into the car and carefully found the well-prepared first aid kit, gently cleaning the wound on Xiang Shuhuai’s forehead.
“Since the bl00d has dried, it might hurt a bit…” she softly warned as she gently wiped the wound with alcohol-soaked cotton. “After this, we’ll apply burn ointment. If only there was iodine, alcohol hurts so much… It might hurt later.”
After thinking for a moment, she offered her hand, “If it hurts, just squeeze my hand as hard as you can.”
Looking into Xiang Shuhuai’s empty black eyes, Yu Xiaoxiao shook her hand slightly, “Hmm? Big Ice Block? Is that okay… Ah.”
The response she got was—Xiang Shuhuai didn’t speak but just reached out both hands and lightly held Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand.
Xiang Shuhuai’s hands were soft, ice-cold. If she didn’t need to apply medicine, Yu Xiaoxiao would’ve wanted to wrap her fingers completely in her palm.
She smiled at the person in front of her and said, “—Shall I start now?”
After cleaning the dried bl00d, Yu Xiaoxiao carefully checked the wound, feeling a little relieved.
—Though the wound looked terrible, it wasn’t too deep, so it didn’t need stitches. There were no foreign objects mixed in, so it wasn’t as painful as it seemed.
After carefully disinfecting the wound and applying the ointment, even though Yu Xiaoxiao was as gentle as possible, Xiang Shuhuai was still sweating from the pain, her lips bruised from clenching, and deep marks stained with bl00d. It looked like she might bite through them.
But despite the pain, her hands that were holding Yu Xiaoxiao’s never tightened. She endured the pain so much that her fingertips trembled.
Yu Xiaoxiao felt like her heart would break watching her.
She was in so much pain, yet she didn’t cry, but Yu Xiaoxiao almost cried.
…She just wanted to hold Xiang Shuhuai.
Yu Xiaoxiao thought, perhaps in her arms, she wouldn’t tremble anymore.
But she couldn’t scare her.
In the end, Yu Xiaoxiao suppressed the longing in her chest, gently reaching out to wipe the cold sweat from Xiang Shuhuai’s forehead.
Looking into the confused black eyes, Yu Xiaoxiao tilted her head and smiled.
“So, Big Ice Block, shall we go home?”
“…Mm.”
She received a response she hadn’t even hoped for.
—Xiang Shuhuai held her hand and softly agreed.
“Let’s go home.”
During the first part of the drive, Xiang Shuhuai curled up in the backseat, her expression tense.
Although she was clearly exhausted, she still gripped her wrist tightly, refusing to close her eyes and rest.
Yu Xiaoxiao tried to glance back through the rearview mirror a few times but only met her wary, anxious gaze, returning her a small smile.
As the car entered the later part of the drive, Yu Xiaoxiao looked back again and saw Xiang Shuhuai leaning against the car pillar, asleep, though she didn’t know when.
Her eyes, slightly darkened from lack of sleep, were clearer now that her eyes were closed. Xiang Shuhuai furrowed her brow like a child, her cheeks puffed up slightly. Her lips still bore the scars, and the bandage on her forehead made her look so bruised and broken, almost as if she had been abused, making her seem even more pitiful.
Looking at her, Yu Xiaoxiao’s heart filled with soft helplessness.
She tried to release some calming pheromones, hoping to comfort her.
—The faint sweet scent of cream helped, and sure enough, the furrowed brows slowly relaxed. The sorrow faded little by little.
She was such a smart person. Yu Xiaoxiao sighed inwardly.
She had no doubt that the new wounds on her body were likely intentional. But, still—
There must have been another way. A way that wouldn’t hurt her or put her health at risk…
Why didn’t she take better care of herself?
The car slowly pulled up to its destination, and the noise of the parking didn’t wake Xiang Shuhuai. She remained leaning awkwardly in her seat, sleeping peacefully.
Yu Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment before gently opening the car door and walking toward a nearby open space.
She finally decided to call Yi assistant to see if he knew anything about this.
The phone was picked up quickly.
“Xiaoxiao,” Yi Anning’s voice was full of concern. “How is she? Have you reached the boss?”
“Mm,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied. “She asked me to find her. We’re together now, she’s asleep.”
“How is the boss now?”
“…She’s not doing well.” Yu Xiaoxiao said softly, “She’s injured, but it’s not too serious. However, her mental state seems off… Yi assistant, do you know why?”
Yi Anning paused for a moment, then asked, “Where did the boss ask you to find her?”
Yu Xiaoxiao gave him the address.
“—I see,” Yi Anning replied, as if he had expected this. “That’s it.”
Yu Xiaoxiao asked, “…Where is that?”
“Xiang’s house.”
He added, “It’s the boss’s home.”
After that, Yi Anning gave her some further instructions about Xiang Shuhuai’s mental state.
To her, the two of them were already a couple, having formed a bond with one another. And now, the boss was allowing Yu Xiaoxiao to go find her near her home, which only indicated how close they were. Although she didn’t explain everything in detail, there was still a hint of information about Xiang Shuhuai’s mental health in her words.
“Okay.” Yu Xiaoxiao’s heart tightened further, but she just replied, “—I got it.”
“…Alright.” Yi Anning’s voice came through the line, sounding heavy and earnest. It was a kind of trust that Yu Xiaoxiao couldn’t quite put her finger on. Just hearing her voice, she could almost picture the serious Yi Assistant bowing in front of her, making this request.
So, Yu Xiaoxiao nodded firmly, replying, “Okay.”
The call lasted for about ten minutes.
When she returned, Yu Xiaoxiao gently opened the door on the other side of the car and saw that Xiang Shuhuai was still in the same position she had left her in, fast asleep. Her face looked peaceful and fragile, with an almost rare childlike innocence showing through her pale features.
…After all, she had such severe insomnia. It was rare for her to get any peaceful sleep.
Yu Xiaoxiao noticed the dark circles under her eyes and guessed that she hadn’t had a good sleep for days. She decided not to wake her.
Carefully, she lifted the sleeping person into her arms and slowly made her way upstairs.
Xiang Shuhuai was a little taller than her, but she was surprisingly light, so carrying her wasn’t too hard. The warmth of her soft body against her back made Yu Xiaoxiao move slowly and steadily, just hoping to keep the other person in a peaceful, sweet dream.
She walked forward, feeling the gentle breath on the back of her neck.
Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly felt an odd sense of familiarity. It was as though… she had experienced something like this before. But before she could think more deeply, she heard a soft groan from the person on her back, probably stirred awake by the movement.
Xiang Shuhuai, still half-asleep, didn’t seem to realize where she was at first. She instinctively struggled a little, trying to get Yu Xiaoxiao to let her go.
“Don’t move, Big Ice Block,” Yu Xiaoxiao whispered to her. “I’m just going up the stairs. Want to sleep a little more?”
Xiang Shuhuai paused for a moment, then realized what Yu Xiaoxiao had said. She stopped struggling, instead wrapping her arms around Yu Xiaoxiao’s neck and resting her cheek trustingly on her shoulder.
A warm softness pressed against her shoulder.
…So cute. Yu Xiaoxiao thought. That little cloud bloomed in her heart, growing into a tiny bud.
Xiang Shuhuai, still wrapped in drowsiness, let out a tiny yawn. She held on to Yu Xiaoxiao’s neck, instinctively sniffing the sweet scent of the pheromones that comforted her, before closing her eyes again.
“Hey, Xiang Shuhuai.”
Just as she was about to fall back into sleep, Yu Xiaoxiao whispered.
“—So, are we okay now?”
After a while, she heard a mumble from the person on her back.
“Okay.”
Xiang Shuhuai’s voice was soft and sleepy, almost like a dream, filled with peace and trust.
“We’re okay…”
“—We’re okay.”
Gu Wei repeated her conclusion, her beautiful eyebrows lifting in disbelief.
She stared at Yu Xiaoxiao in front of her, asking, “Yu Xiaoxiao, is that all you wanted to say?”
Yu Xiaoxiao, with her round eyes, looked at her innocently, not understanding what was wrong.
“Yeah,” Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. “We’re okay.”
The next day, Xiang Shuhuai was working from home. Seeing that she seemed to be in good spirits, Yu Xiaoxiao went out to buy the missing ingredients and then went to meet Gu Wei for the second time.
“—She’s my friend, and we’re okay now, that’s all.”
Gu Wei felt a headache coming on.
She rubbed her forehead for a moment, then decided to sort everything out today. She slammed her teacup down with a “clink” and asked bluntly, “—You don’t like her, do you?”
“I mean, I don’t mean just a friend, I mean like a lover. Like me and Xiao Xian.”
—Xiao Xian was Gu Wei’s clingy girlfriend.
Yu Xiaoxiao froze for a moment, almost instinctively answering, “I… I… but I like Youyoujie…”
“So you don’t like her, but you kissed her?”
Yu Xiaoxiao stammered, “Sorry…”
“…Did I ask you to apologize?” Gu Wei was speechless. “I’m asking why you kissed her, why, Yu Xiaoxiao, why did you kiss her?”
“I just wanted to…” Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice grew softer, her ears turning red. “I just wanted to, and then…”
…And then she kissed her.
This kind of action, Gu Wei almost wanted to give her an award. She had never seen her clueless best friend act this quickly before.
“You wanted to kiss her.” Gu Wei concluded.
Yu Xiaoxiao’s face turned even redder, nervously looking around as if worried someone might hear. “You… don’t say it so… directly…”
Gu Wei ignored her.
“You two are friends, and you wanted to kiss her.” Gu Wei continued, “We’re also friends, do you want to kiss me?”
She saw Yu Xiaoxiao freeze for two seconds, then after some thought, the only expression she gave was a crumpled face: “Eww—”
“Alright, little fish,” Gu Wei kicked her under the table. “I can’t stand you. I’m asking if you want to kiss.”
“…I don’t want to kiss you.”
Gu Wei said, “Then, you said you like Youyoujie.”
Yu Xiaoxiao nodded seriously. “Yes…”
“Then, do you want to kiss Youyoujie?”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Yu Xiaoxiao immediately shook her head vigorously. “No, no, no, I don’t want to, I’d get knocked into the ground by Youyoujie…”
“Never thought about it?”
Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. “Never. I definitely don’t want to kiss Youyoujie.”
She kept nodding hard, then suddenly realized something wasn’t right.
Yu Xiaoxiao froze for a moment, her expression blank: “…Eh?”
“Eh???” Gu Wei couldn’t help but laugh.
“Well, there you have it.” She said, “—Little fish, what else do you want to do with that friend of yours? Besides a quick kiss, do you want deep kisses, hugs, holding hands… and a bond?”
Now, Yu Xiaoxiao’s face was completely red.
…She wanted all those things with Xiang Shuhuai. But just thinking about it was already enough to be embarrassing. She shouldn’t continue thinking about it…
“So, little fish?”
She wanted all of those things with Xiang Shuhuai. Only with her.
No, maybe she didn’t want to do them. Just quietly be together, saying nothing, just the two of them, like that night…
“—I,”
Yu Xiaoxiao answered, sitting there in a daze, feeling like her jumbled thoughts were being suddenly sorted out. Like a river’s waves breaking the dam, rushing with sand and stones into the sea.
…She liked Xiang Shuhuai.
She murmured, “I like her…”
Gu Wei let out a deep breath.
“Alright, little fish,” she said, “You’re not completely hopeless after all.”
“But… I,” Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t understand. “…Why wouldn’t I like Youyoujie?”
“I’m asking you,” Gu Wei said. “Little fish, why did you always think you liked Youyoujie?”
Yu Xiaoxiao blinked.
“I don’t know…” She thought for a while, then said, “You all kept saying I liked Youyoujie. And Youyoujie is so great. So…”
Idiot. Gu Wei thought to herself.
“Alright, I knew it.” She said. “Now that you know you like that person, little fish, what are you going to do?”
She lightly flicked her long curls, striking her most charming pose, and smiled, “Want me to teach you some tricks?”
…Do you want to be together?
But…
“But she doesn’t like me.” Yu Xiaoxiao said, “She likes Youyoujie too…”
Gu Wei laughed, exasperated: “…You two are just playing a game of opposites.”
She was a glamorous, seductive older woman, and her hometown dialect slipped out from the frustration. Yu Xiaoxiao shuddered, realizing she shouldn’t keep pushing her best friend too much or she’d be in real trouble.
“I,” she said cautiously, “But, she does like Youyoujie…”
…She kissed you. Gu Wei thought but held back from saying it.
If she did, Yu Xiaoxiao would surely start on her long rant about “being clear,” “giving it back,” or “but she’s so sad,” Gu Wei had it memorized by now.
“She used to like Youyoujie, but that doesn’t mean she still likes her,” Gu Wei chose to say. “Even if she still likes Youyoujie, it doesn’t mean she will forever.”
Seeing her best friend listening intently, Gu Wei smiled. “—Even if she still likes Youyoujie, you can make her like you instead.”
Yu Xiaoxiao ate her meal in a daze. The words blurred in her ears, seeming to enter her mind but also not fully.
It wasn’t until they separated and finished shopping at the supermarket, tossing two large plastic bags into the car’s back seat, that Yu Xiaoxiao slowly came to her senses.
Turns out, she didn’t like Youyoujie.
…She liked Xiang Shuhuai.
She liked Xiang Shuhuai.
Yu Xiaoxiao stepped back, closed the car door, then sat in the driver’s seat, staring blankly at the empty space in front of her, thinking this over.
And the Big Ice Block liked Youyoujie.
But, she wanted to be with the Big Ice Block. Not let her be with Youyoujie. So, she needed to make Xiang Shuhuai like her too…
So, so—
Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly realized her decision.
—She was going to pursue Xiang Shuhuai.
Starting right now.