Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 55

“Ah, um… okay.”

Yu Xiaoxiao paused for a moment but quickly agreed.

“Then, Xiang Shuhui, just wait for me for a bit.”

As she spoke, she kept busy with her hands. She stirred the small wontons simmering in the pot, lowered the heat, covered it, and set it to simmer. Then, she poured the chocolate milk into a transparent cup.

Next, Yu Xiaoxiao carefully squeezed a small swirl of whipped cream on top of the liquid, added two wafers, and placed a mint leaf on the cream. She finally finished her creation.

Afterward, she held the cup of milk and with a bright smile, ran over to Xiang Shuhui, eager to show off her work. “I’m done, Big Ice Block!”

“The milk is at just the right temperature, you should try it,” she said, looking up at Xiang Shuhui with a proud smile, waiting for her to take it.

The chocolate-colored liquid had a delicate but somewhat clumsy swirl of whipped cream on top, with tiramisu-flavored wafers and a mint leaf still holding tiny droplets of water, giving it a fresh and tender look.

It seemed like the mint, which had been cared for by Aunt Zhao and placed on the balcony, had been moved to the kitchen window by Yu Xiaoxiao. She picked two leaves for Xiang Shuhui to eat.

Xiang Shuhui silently took the cup.

The warmth of the milk quickly passed through the glass, warming her cold fingers, gradually making them feel warmer.

The heat from the cup stirred something deep in her chest, a painful, dry sensation.

…I can’t.

She told herself.

I can’t get attached to this warmth.

When she raised her eyes again, the broken, wavering traces in her eyes were hidden. Her expression returned to normal, with no sign of anything unusual.

“Let’s sit on the couch,” Xiang Shuhui said quietly.

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously, following her—both of them sat on the couch, separated by a small coffee table. There was tea on the table, making the scene feel like a business meeting—formal and tense.

The overly serious atmosphere made Yu Xiaoxiao uncomfortable. She squirmed a bit on the small couch, looking at Xiang Shuhui with a somewhat pitiful expression. “…Big Ice Block?”

“Big Ice Block, don’t be so serious… it’s strange,” she muttered, then suddenly remembered, “Ah, right, have some milk first! Do you want something to eat? We could have breakfast first. Otherwise, will your stomach feel uncomfortable after getting up?”

“—Yu Xiaoxiao.” Xiang Shuhui interrupted her with a firm tone. “It’s okay, let’s talk now.”

The alpha girl nodded. “Ah, okay…”

“About your confession yesterday.” Xiang Shuhui got straight to the point. “I won’t accept it.”

Yu Xiaoxiao opened her mouth but didn’t say anything, her entire demeanor slumping. She lowered her head in defeat, taking a while to respond, “…Okay.”

After being so dejected for a while, she suddenly thought of something and quickly raised her head. “Then, Xiang Shuhui, what about you—”

Her eyes shone with pleading as she gazed at her. “Please don’t move away, okay? Big Ice Block, I won’t overstep, and I won’t bother you. We can still be friends… just like we are now, okay?”

Xiang Shuhui bit down on the inside of her mouth but didn’t respond.

“…You don’t need to be so nice to me, Yu Xiaoxiao.” She shook her head and said softly, “You don’t really like me. You’ve just… confused your feelings. I understand.”

Hearing this, Yu Xiaoxiao immediately straightened up. “I didn’t—”

Xiang Shuhui didn’t listen and continued.

“We used to have a bond, and the pheromones made you feel physiologically close to me. And…”

“—And sympathy,” she added, “Yu Xiaoxiao, I know you think I’m pitiful, fragile, and deserve your protection to survive. But that’s not who I am.”

“No…”

Xiang Shuhui’s throat felt tight, and her heart slowly twisted painfully, but she continued, “I don’t know what An Ning has told you, but you don’t need to care about her words.”

“An Ning was once my senior, and now she’s my subordinate.”

“I need An Ning’s sympathy—having those feelings will make our relationship closer and stronger, which is good for me. She doesn’t know everything, and you don’t need to sympathize with me like she does…”

“—Then what about me?” Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly spoke up. “You tell me all this, what does it do for you?”

Xiang Shuhui froze. “…What?”

“Since that’s the case, Xiang Shuhui, why are you telling me this?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked, staring at her seriously. “By your logic, I feel sympathy for you, I like you, it doesn’t harm you, right? So why are you telling me this?”

…Gazing into those amber, transparent, and bright eyes, Xiang Shuhui was momentarily speechless.

She barely avoided Yu Xiaoxiao’s gaze, shaking her head and giving a faint smile.

“Yu Xiaoxiao,” Xiang Shuhui said, “You think too highly of me.”

“You’re still young, just recently differentiated, naturally romantic, and enjoy this kind of love game. That’s fine, but I’m not the right person for you.”

Xiang Shuhui tightly gripped her wrist under her sleeve, forcing herself to speak calmly, “Someone like me shouldn’t be with you. We’re not a good match.”

She added, “—I’m not as good as you think.”

Suddenly, a gentle tug at her wrist broke her words. It wasn’t strong, but it was warm.

The force interrupted her and made Xiang Shuhui instinctively release the wrist she had been hurting.

Yu Xiaoxiao crouched down, gently holding her fingertips, which had a bit of bl00d on them, stopping her from hurting herself further.

“I didn’t think anything of you like that,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, tilting her head as she looked at her. “I don’t think you’re that good, better than others—Xiang Shuhui, I just like you.”

Xiang Shuhui suppressed the trembling of her fingers, crushing the yearning that rose within her chest again, burying it deep. Ashes everywhere.

“…Yu Xiaoxiao, you have no idea what kind of person I am.”

She spoke, almost trembling as she exhaled, exposing her self-loathing and self-awareness, revealing her most ugly, bl00d-stained, hidden core to Yu Xiaoxiao.

Don’t say anymore. A voice in her heart screamed.

No. Don’t tell her this too.

“You… your friend Gu’s father didn’t go bankrupt? That was me. I acquired her family’s business. Also, you, the stock fluctuations at Fu Xiao last year—also because of me. Yu Xiaoxiao, if it wasn’t for my sister, if I never knew you, I would’ve already targeted Fu Xiao. It would’ve disappeared, and everything you hold dear would be gone.”

Don’t say it…

But Xiang Shuhui just kept going:

“I’ll destroy you, your friends, and everyone you know and care about, as long as they get in my way. There’s not a single good thing in my heart.”

“I’m vicious, selfish, and vile, and I’ll stop at nothing. I’ve destroyed many people, taken their things, and I’ll destroy more, all for my own desires. I’m that kind of person. Yu Xiaoxiao, the rumors you’ve heard about me are mostly true. You have no idea about any of this.”

As she spoke, with every word, it felt like she was cutting herself open, and the shame and humiliation that once burned painfully in her chest slowly went out.

Eventually, even the pain was gone, leaving nothing but lifeless ruins.

She looked down at her pale, thin, ugly right hand that Yu Xiaoxiao was holding, and suddenly laughed bitterly.

They were never meant to be.

What exactly does she rely on to stay by Yu Xiaoxiao’s side for so long?

“You say you like me, but you don’t even know what kind of person I am—”

Xiang Shuhuai closed her eyes for a moment and spoke the final sentence:

“You don’t know anything, Yu Xiaoxiao. If you knew, you would never like me.”

A pile of dead ashes.

“…I know.”

But suddenly, she heard Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice.

“Xiang Shuhuai, I know you like sweet food, especially super sweet things, but when you drink coffee, you never add sugar—ah, so why is that? You like tropical fruits, you like Chinese food, and although you’re good at western dining etiquette, when you eat by yourself, you like to cut with the knife in your left hand.”

The innocent, pure, and spotless alpha girl just held her hand, looking up at her seriously, carefully listing out details.

“I also know you don’t like wearing revealing outfits, always dressed in long clothes and pants, but you prefer lighter-colored clothes. You don’t have ear piercings, you don’t wear high heels, and you don’t like wearing things that restrict your body like earrings, necklaces, or rings. The only thing you can tolerate is a light bracelet.”

“You can get angry too. When you’re angry, you bite your lip, and sometimes you even punch me, which actually hurts a bit… oh, and you look indifferent, but you’re actually not very brave. You’re scared of thrilling activities, and you’ve never watched horror movies. As for ghost stories, the ones you’re most afraid of are American urban legends…”

She went on listing these things, then tilted her head and smiled at Xiang Shuhuai.

“See, Xiang Shuhuai,” Yu Xiaoxiao smiled and said, “You say I don’t know anything, but I actually know a lot about you.”

Looking into her overly clear eyes, Xiang Shuhuai was almost speechless for a moment.

She really seemed like someone who belonged to another world, clean, bright, with a love so vibrant and alive in her eyes.

…But someone like her was too ugly, unworthy of such love.

“…That’s not what I meant.”

Finally, Xiang Shuhuai managed to say with difficulty.

“Yu Xiaoxiao, you heard me… All those things, all those things, you really don’t know. You have no idea what kind of person I am.”

“Then let me understand you.”

Yu Xiaoxiao said this, her voice sincere and youthful, like a gentle stream flowing, sunlight filtering through clear water, pure and transparent.

She spoke as though casting a beautiful, enchanting spell.

“I want to understand you, Xiang Shuhuai. Don’t run away… Let me understand you, okay?”

In those amber-colored eyes, glowing with sunlight, Xiang Shuhuai saw her own reflection.

Thin, pale, about to collapse. Yet sitting in front of Yu Xiaoxiao, reflected in those immaculate, gemstone-like eyes, Xiang Shuhuai couldn’t help but feel deeply ashamed of herself.

All the warmth left in her body was drained away.

But Yu Xiaoxiao kept saying:

“I really like you, Xiang Shuhuai, and I really want to understand you…”

“You say I don’t know anything, so let me understand you, okay?”

Her hand was so hot, almost burning Xiang Shuhuai with its touch. She wasn’t applying any pressure, but it still felt like a chain, tight around her, impossible to break free from.

An inexplicable surge of anger rose in her chest.

“…You don’t understand at all!”

She shook off Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand angrily, her chest heaving. “Someone like me, someone like me, you don’t know anything… You have no idea what you’re talking about… I can’t be with you, Yu Xiaoxiao…”

In her frustration, Xiang Shuhuai’s voice trembled, her vision slowly blurring.

Her throat shook, and she was almost unable to hold back the tears that were beginning to fill her eyes.

“Someone like me… Someone like me, I shouldn’t be with you. No one would accept it. Your friends wouldn’t, your family wouldn’t, they would be right. I… I can’t… It shouldn’t be me. You shouldn’t like me…”

…Someone like her. A cold, cruel businesswoman. A sensitive, insecure person with mental health issues. A disabled, incomplete omega.

Yu Xiaoxiao was so good, so pure, kind, and innocent.

She could fall in love with anyone. But she shouldn’t fall in love with someone like me.

Yu Xiaoxiao gently said:

“You’re crying again, Big Ice Block…”

Xiang Shuhuai’s body trembled, her face pale, and tears uncontrollably fell down her cheeks.

Through her tear-filled vision, Xiang Shuhuai only felt a warm hand gently brush her cheek, carefully wiping away the tears.

“Don’t cry.”

She closed her eyes, hearing Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice:

“…But, do you like me, Xiang Shuhuai?”

Yu Xiaoxiao simply didn’t understand.

She remembered the first time they argued, Xiang Shuhuai had been just like this.

Finding every excuse, listing all kinds of reasons, throwing out long, rejecting words that left Yu Xiaoxiao confused, saying they shouldn’t be friends, shouldn’t be together, that they weren’t a good match, but never once talking about her own feelings.

But the most important thing here was her own feelings.

If Xiang Shuhuai didn’t like her, Yu Xiaoxiao wouldn’t have pursued her so stubbornly. She would’ve continued liking her but would have known where to draw the line, not causing trouble for her. If Xiang Shuhuai hated her, or was afraid of her, Yu Xiaoxiao would’ve kept her distance.

But Xiang Shuhuai never said anything.

Xiang Shuhuai said she shouldn’t like her.

…So, what about her? Did she like her too?

So, Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

She gently wiped away the pearly tears from her face, her fingertips hovering in mid-air, waiting for a response.

She asked, “Xiang Shuhuai, do you like me?”

…Xiang Shuhuai couldn’t answer.

The cold, blunt rejection stuck in her chest, those three words stuck in her throat. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t speak the words of denial.

I don’t like you.

Not at all.

It was such a simple, simple sentence, but no matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Xiang Shuhuai helplessly moved her lips, but nothing came out.

She kept thinking about that dream.

The one where she was given unparalleled courage, freed from all the filth and shadows, and stood in the light.

But in the ugly, grim reality, she really wished she could be like the version of herself in that dream.

I… I—

Tears fell from her eyes, shattering next to Yu Xiaoxiao’s fingers.

And she whispered:

“…I like you.”

Xiang Shuhuai’s voice was very soft, mixed with sobs, broken to the point of almost being inaudible.

She cried, and finally said, “Wuwu, I like you… Yu Xiaoxiao, I like you…”

The soft warmth of Yu Xiaoxiao’s fingers pressed against her cheek, making her instinctively close her eyes tightly and lean into the pressure. Tears kept flowing, wetting the space between their skin.

Xiang Shuhuai’s shoulders trembled with sobs, the tears pouring more intensely as an overwhelming sense of grievance surged up within her.

“Yu Xiaoxiao, I really like you… wuwu…”

“I like you too,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “Xiang Shuhuai, I like you so much, so much…”

She whispered her confession, gently holding Xiang Shuhuai’s shoulder, letting her cry into her embrace, slowly caressing her back to comfort her.

Xiang Shuhuai buried her face in Yu Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, trembling and crying silently.

“I like you…”

The warmth from Yu Xiaoxiao’s embrace seeped through the fabric, the light shivers of Xiang Shuhuai’s sobs harmonizing with the heartbeat. Yu Xiaoxiao instinctively tightened her arms, pulling the crying body closer. This only made Xiang Shuhuai cry even harder.

“I like you, Big Ice Block, I really like you.”

Yu Xiaoxiao repeated, her voice gentle and calm, sincere in her every word.

Through her words, she offered all her burning affection, wanting to drown Xiang Shuhuai’s sensitivity and insecurity in her love.

“Xiang Shuhuai, Xiang Shuhuai, I like you.”

Yu Xiaoxiao said.

“I like you…”

By the time Xiang Shuhuai’s tears stopped and she calmed down, it was already several minutes later.

She curled up on the sofa, sniffling softly, her nose red and eyes swollen from the crying yesterday. They were even more swollen now, wet with fresh tears, making her look pitiful yet cute, like a child who had been bullied and cried endlessly.

This version of Xiang Shuhuai, showing an innocence that felt younger than her years, was something Yu Xiaoxiao had rarely seen. Ever since they met as kids, it probably had only happened a handful of times—perhaps not even five.

So, despite the tightness in her chest from seeing her friend cry endlessly, Yu Xiaoxiao still couldn’t resist teasing the sobbing girl who looked like a little bunny.

“Big Ice Block,” Yu Xiaoxiao handed her a tissue to wipe her tears, lightly teasing her red nose, “Here, wipe your tears—don’t rub too hard, or you’ll make it worse.”

Xiang Shuhuai seemed to have exhausted all her energy in crying, as she sat there, a little dazed, even though the tears had stopped. Yu Xiaoxiao gently rubbed her nose with her finger, and she just stared, slightly confused.

“Ah, Big Ice Block,” Yu Xiaoxiao laughed. “Now you’re really a little bunny. Your eyes are so red… does it hurt? Should I get you a boiled egg to put on it?”

Xiang Shuhuai didn’t respond, still sitting quietly.

—Then, she stretched out her hand and gently tugged at Yu Xiaoxiao’s sleeve, not letting her leave.

“Alright, alright, I’m not going anywhere…”

Yu Xiaoxiao had no choice but to sit down, gazing at the girl who was unconsciously acting like a kitten, her heart nearly melting. “Then, how about some milk? We’ll eat later. You’ve cried for so long, you must be hungry.”

After she had calmed down a little, Xiang Shuhuai drank the now-cold chocolate milk, while Yu Xiaoxiao leaned in, calling her name teasingly.

“Xiang Shuhuai, Xiang Shuhuai, Xiang Shuhuai—”

She said, “Since I like you and you like me, does that mean we’re together now?”

Xiang Shuhuai looked up from her cup, softly saying, “…We’re not together.”

“Okay, okay,” Yu Xiaoxiao stretched the word out with a slight sigh. “—I like you, you like me, but we’re not together.”

Xiang Shuhuai nodded seriously.

Yu Xiaoxiao leaned in, widening her eyes with a pitiful look. “Why not?”

“…You shouldn’t be with someone like me,” Xiang Shuhuai whispered. Her voice was hoarse from crying so long, light and fragile as if it could shatter with the slightest breeze. “And you don’t even know what I’m really like… When you do, you won’t like me anymore. We don’t need to be together.”

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously. “Then, Big Ice Block, when I get to know you better, can we be together?”

…How did she figure that out?

Xiang Shuhuai froze for a moment, replaying what she’d said in her mind, confirming she didn’t mean that.

But looking at the alpha girl’s sparkling, expectant eyes, she felt a sudden softening in her heart.

“…We’re not together.”

She insisted.

“Yu Xiaoxiao, you can treat me however you want.”

“But…” she continued softly, “Since we’re not together, you don’t have to be responsible for me.” Xiang Shuhuai said, “…You can want whatever you want.”

“But I just want you to be my girlfriend,” Yu Xiaoxiao pouted, a little distressed. “What should I do, Big Ice Block?”

Xiang Shuhuai bit her lip, glaring at her without saying anything.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Yu Xiaoxiao quickly retracted, “Please don’t be mad, Big Ice Block—”

Xiang Shuhuai snorted coldly and let her off the hook, returning to her wontons.

Yu Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, kept her gaze on her, smiling as she rested her chin on her hand.

After a long pause, Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly spoke up.

“I was thinking, last time we were going swimming, you seemed a little scared.”

“—Xiang Shuhuai, I want to know why you’re afraid.”

She smiled lightly, seriously gazing into Xiang Shuhuai’s eyes, and softly asked:

“So, how about we go swimming together? Is that okay?”