Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL) - Chapter 5

Maybe it was the strong smell of alcohol from last night that stirred something deep in her memory—whatever the reason, Xiang Shuhuai felt awful today.

…Of course, maybe there was no reason at all.

Most of the time, there wasn’t.

Those feelings always came without warning. Maybe it was the lingering effects of the medicine, but Xiang Shuhuai couldn’t wake up. She was trapped in a nightmare of the past. Over and over, she saw that twisted, crazed face—its features contorted in pain, bl00d gushing endlessly from the forehead. That was her childhood.

The bl00d rose past her ankles, climbed up her calves, and kept spreading higher.

The young Xiang Shuhuai stood frozen, trembling all over. Then, countless hands surged out from the bloody pool, dragging her down into a pit of curses and pain.

The dead had come for revenge. The living stepped on her back again. Sharp pain shot down her neck, and then came the worst part—those horrible, shrill, mocking laughs—

When she finally woke up, she was drenched in cold sweat. The sounds from her dream still echoed in her ears. For a moment, she truly thought she hadn’t escaped it.

Her body was completely drained. Xiang Shuhuai let herself lie in bed, letting the pain eat away at her mind. She had no idea how long had passed, until the light filtering through the curtains grew stronger and stronger—and she realized morning had come.

…She had promised her sister. She’d said she would eat properly.

If she didn’t, she’d just cause more trouble for her sister.

That thought was what helped her slowly reconnect with her body. Though the cruel voices still circled in her mind, Xiang Shuhuai pushed herself up, quickly cleaned herself up, and left the bedroom.

When Yu Xiaoxiao called out to her earlier, Xiang Shuhuai hadn’t responded—because of those voices in her head, she hadn’t heard a thing. Not until her arm was grabbed and she was accidentally shoved toward the door did the fog finally begin to clear.

In the depths of her illness, Xiang Shuhuai had almost lost her ability to understand the world around her. Her first instinct was to think she was about to be hit. She’d ignored someone calling her name, after all—and she was living under someone else’s roof—

But it didn’t happen.

Yu Xiaoxiao just stood there, her wide, bright eyes full of confusion, her voice free of any malice. She was cheerful, carefree, and didn’t do anything mean out of spite.

All she did was ask a few silly questions, guessing whether Xiang Shuhuai had told her sister about the drinking.

She looked like someone who didn’t even belong in this world.

…Or at least, someone who had nothing to do with Xiang Shuhuai’s world.

After answering her, Xiang Shuhuai just stood there, waiting for Yu Xiaoxiao to leave.

Yu Xiaoxiao was like a small, sunny whirlwind sweeping through the house—and the moment the door closed, everything went back to the way it was.

Cooking was difficult for her right now. But Xiang Shuhuai still did it.

She clung to it rigidly—because she’d promised her sister.

Following the instructions like a machine, she took out the ingredients, slowly washed them, cut them into pieces, and got ready to follow her sister’s recipe to make a pot of soup.

She brought the water to a boil, added the ingredients and seasonings, and stood there waiting. The house was completely quiet.

—Until a wave of panic crashed into her mind and tore everything apart.

The sudden, overwhelming fear hit so hard that Xiang Shuhuai’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the side—accidentally knocking over the hot soup pot.

Scalding liquid spilled all over her arm.

…It hurt.

The pain was so intense it nearly knocked her out. Her mind went blank.

It took her a long time to come back to herself.

Dazed, she unclenched her jaw—her mouth was full of the taste of bl00d.

She had to… clean everything up.

That was the only thought in her mind.

The soup spilled across the floor, the used utensils—everything had to be cleaned. She was using someone else’s kitchen, and Yu Xiaoxiao had given her clear rules.

Bracing herself on the floor, Xiang Shuhuai slowly got up. The burn on her arm throbbed and pulsed like waves crashing over her skin, growing more and more intense.

Even though the pain drowned out the voices in her head and gave her a moment of peace, she knew she wasn’t allowed to feel relief.

…Once everything was cleaned, she should probably go to the hospital.

Back then, Yu Xiaoxiao had left the house in a hurry, but she didn’t actually know where she was going.

She drove around the neighborhood aimlessly a couple times but still couldn’t think of a place to go.

…But judging by the way Xiang Shuhuai looked, if she stayed home, that woman probably wouldn’t even step out of her room.

Not that she cared if she did or not, Yu Xiaoxiao thought. She just didn’t want Xiang Shuhuai complaining to Yoyo-jie. She already had a record for drinking—if Xiang said something, she’d really be in trouble.

That annoying ice cube. Yu Xiaoxiao puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

Did she really hate seeing her that much? She fumed. Would rather stay locked up in that tiny bedroom all day just to avoid her.

What did Xiang Shuhuai even do in there all day? Yu Xiaoxiao imagined her in a suit, sitting at a desk, going through files and contracts…

Then, suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. Why not just go to the office?

She didn’t care about the family business, but at least it was somewhere to go. Better than aimlessly wandering the streets.

It took her ten seconds to come up with the idea, and the next hour or so to regret it.

—Bad move.

Sitting in the corner of the coffee shop downstairs from the company building, slumped in her seat while her cousin scolded her, Yu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help thinking that. If she’d known Yaoyao was back from her trip, she wouldn’t have come.

“Yu Xiaoxiao!” Her cousin, Yu Yao, snapped, setting her coffee cup down sharply. “Are you even listening to me?”

Yu Yao was the daughter of Xiaoxiao’s aunt. She’d inherited their side of the family’s looks—short hair, small build, sharp eyebrows, and a no-nonsense attitude. She was a beta and looked so much like Xiaoxiao’s mom that it was like seeing her younger self.

Right now, she had her lips tightly pressed together, staring at Yu Xiaoxiao with a look of disappointment.

Yu Xiaoxiao blinked innocently. “Yaoyao…?”

“I said—Yu Xiaoxiao.” Yu Yao’s eyebrows knit tighter and tighter. “Can’t you make some decent friends?”

“Uncle told me you’ve been out drinking with those people again,” she said. “I didn’t even have the heart to tell him the rest—cheaters, flirts, people with no morals. You want Auntie to know her daughter’s mixed up with that kind of crowd?”

She looked so much like Yu Xiaoxiao’s mom—especially when she made that disapproving face. It made Yu Xiaoxiao feel smothered.

She muttered, “You make it sound like I’m beyond saving…”

“What else should I say?” Yu Yao shot back. “You want me to tell you to keep it up? Go drink more, hang out with those losers, and maybe get arrested while you’re at it?”

“I didn’t…”

“But you could have.” Yu Yao’s tone was sharp. “Xiaoxiao, no one expects you to be like President Xiang—but you can’t even keep your promise to quit drinking.”

…It was because of that annoying ice cube that she’d felt so irritated and gone drinking in the first place.

But she couldn’t say that out loud. Yu Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. Before she could say anything, Yu Yao had already stood up with a sharp movement.

“I’ve got a meeting this afternoon,” she said curtly. “I’m leaving.”

She walked off, leaving only her coffee behind. Yu Xiaoxiao no longer felt like wandering around. She sat there, staring blankly at her own cup, feeling frustrated and annoyed.

She couldn’t go home. None of the other houses had anyone else in them—it’d just be her, alone. And Yu Yao was already mad enough. If she went back to those friends that Yao disapproved of, who knew how furious she’d get?

After spacing out for a bit longer, Yu Xiaoxiao noticed the quiet atmosphere of the café. She pulled a pencil and some scrap paper from her bag and started sketching.

Drawing picture books and illustrations was one of her few hobbies. She loved cute, simple cartoon styles and had secretly submitted artwork to a children’s magazine once. All her drafts were stashed at home, never shown to anyone.

Right now, she was working on a story about a little migratory bird.

In autumn, all the other birds flew south in flocks. But this little golden bird said it wanted to see the snow in the north…

Yu Xiaoxiao kept drawing, time slipping by with each soft scratch of her pencil. By the time she looked up again, the sky outside was completely dark. The café lights were glowing softly in the reflection on the glass.

It was already so late—she decided to head back.

When she got home, she didn’t see any sign of Xiang Shuhuai. But something was off—there were signs the kitchen had been used.

The stovetop and island were cleaned spotlessly, almost too perfectly, but some of the utensils and the cutting board were left soaking in the sink. Xiang Shuhuai must’ve used the kitchen.

Seeing these signs, Yu Xiaoxiao realized—she’d never noticed the kitchen being used before. It was like she really was the only one living there. In fact, it had been cleaner than when she lived alone.

Had the ice cube never cooked before? Or was she just that obsessive, cleaning everything until it looked untouched…

—For some reason, the image of Xiang Shuhuai dressed like Cinderella popped into Yu Xiaoxiao’s head. Torn clothes, bare feet, quietly scrubbing the kitchen floor.

But really, Xiang Shuhuai should’ve been the cold and haughty stepmother, right? Yu Xiaoxiao shook her head, trying to get rid of the silly thought. Still, she should probably let her know—Aunt Zhao came every few days, and most of the cleaning was handled by housekeeping.

As she thought this over, something struck her as odd.

If Xiang Shuhuai always cleaned everything so thoroughly, why were there dishes left in the sink today?

Maybe it was another one of those unwritten rules between them—maybe she heard the front door open and rushed back to her room before Yu Xiaoxiao could see her—

“Xiang Shuhuai?” she called out. “—Xiang Shuhuai! Are you there?”

No answer.