Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 6

By the time Yu Xiaoxiao got to the hospital, only the emergency department was still open.

She found Xiang Shuhuai in the infusion room. The noisy ward had a TV playing some boring evening show, and busy nurses were constantly moving through with IV stands and trays, weaving between beds and chairs.

All the beds were taken, so Xiang Shuhuai was sitting at the end of a long bench, leaning against the wall and fast asleep. She was hooked up to an IV, with thick bandages wrapped around her arm.

…That looks pretty serious, Yu Xiaoxiao thought as she quietly sat down at the other end of the bench.

The hospital wasn’t far from home—just a regular public one, not very big. When Xiang Shuhuai mentioned she was at the hospital, Yu Xiaoxiao had wondered—she’s a CEO after all, from a powerful family and a huge company. Didn’t people like her usually go to private hospitals?

When she hadn’t answered the door earlier, and Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t have her contact info, she had to scramble to get her number from Cong You. In that moment, all kinds of bad possibilities crossed her mind.

That annoying woman looked so light and frail, like she had no strength at all. If something had really happened… just about anyone could’ve dragged her away. What if—

Luckily, the call went through.

Xiang Shuhuai’s voice came through the line, exactly the same as always—polite, cold, and perfectly guarded: “Hello?”

“Hey.” After worrying for nothing, Yu Xiaoxiao’s tone came out a little harsh. “Where are you?”

“…Sorry?”

“I’m in the kitchen,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “Where are you now?”

“Oh, the kitchen…” Xiang Shuhuai quickly responded, her tone sounding just like when she was at home. Her voice was soft, a little dazed. “I’m really sorry. Please ask the auntie to use a different pot for now. I’ll clean it as soon as I get back. I apologize.”

“Who asked about that?” Yu Xiaoxiao was baffled. “Xiang Shuhuai, is that all you know how to say? Why are you apologizing for no reason? I asked where you are.”

There was a brief pause on the other end.

“Xiang Shuhuai?”

“…At the hospital,” came the reply.

Yu Xiaoxiao asked, “What happened?”

The answer she got was: “If something’s wrong, I’ll head back now.”

…Completely off-topic. Yu Xiaoxiao, annoyed, just asked for the address and drove over herself.

The IV bag was only halfway done. Judging by the amount left, they must’ve just started the infusion around the time of their call. How did she expect to “head back now”? It made no sense… Sometimes Yu Xiaoxiao really didn’t understand what went on in this woman’s head.

The clear liquid dripped slowly from the IV. Yu Xiaoxiao was getting bored, so she put away her phone, rested her chin on one hand, and stared at Xiang Shuhuai in a daze.

Looking at her like this… Xiang Shuhuai really was beautiful.

Usually, she always had that flawless, distant appearance—strong-willed, cold, and intimidating. Standing in front of her felt like facing down a force of nature, making it easy to forget how striking her features actually were.

Yu Xiaoxiao had never paid attention before—she just remembered that the Big Ice Block she hated the most had a pair of icy, arrogant eyes that looked down on everyone. When her rowdy friends would say it was a shame for someone like Xiang Shuhuai to waste such a pretty face, she’d only sneer.

Back then, she’d thought: what’s so pretty about a cold-hearted snob? A frozen rock isn’t attractive.

But now, seeing her asleep with her guard down, brows gently furrowed… Yu Xiaoxiao realized just how beautiful she really was. Her features were sharp and delicate, the curve of her cheekbone graceful, her skin pale to the point of looking translucent. There was a faint scar on her cheek, and her lips had just a hint of soft pink, looking almost too delicate. The ends of her dark hair curled slightly, brushing against her long, slender neck.

She seemed to carry a faint, clean scent—something Yu Xiaoxiao vaguely remembered from the night she’d been drunk. It wasn’t perfume, more like the fresh scent of laundry soap. Cool and light, like mint.

Despite her cold personality, Xiang Shuhuai didn’t have a threatening kind of beauty. Maybe it was because she was hurt, but looking at her now, Yu Xiaoxiao felt like she looked fragile. Like—

Like a quiet moon reflected in the still surface of a cold lake, shimmering faintly, about to break apart with the slightest breath.

Yu Xiaoxiao stared, not realizing she had stopped breathing.

…She felt like she didn’t know this person at all.

Xiang Shuhuai was supposed to be so impressive. Her cousin had been obsessed with her for years, and always brought her up as an example whenever she scolded Yu Xiaoxiao—because she’d lost to Xiang Shuhuai more than once.

Yu Yao had been involved in business from a young age and hadn’t taken the then-university-student Xiang Shuhuai seriously. But when she got her project stolen in person the first time, she’d called Yu Xiaoxiao in a rage. After it happened a second and third time, she was too numb to even speak, just quietly holding the phone.

That kind of Xiang Shuhuai—so sharp and capable she didn’t seem real—the Big Ice Block Yu Xiaoxiao had always hated…

And yet, that faint scar on her cheek reminded her that Xiang Shuhuai was human, not just some perfect, untouchable figure.

Lost in thought, Yu Xiaoxiao unconsciously reached out to touch the faint scar on her cheek.

The skin beneath her fingertips was cool and soft.

…Ah.

The sensation snapped Yu Xiaoxiao back to reality. She suddenly realized what she was doing—just as Xiang Shuhuai opened her eyes.

Her black eyes were still a little hazy from sleep, and she stared blankly at Yu Xiaoxiao, not fully awake yet.

Yu Xiaoxiao’s heart jumped, but she quickly pulled her hand back and pretended like nothing had happened.

She cleared her throat and asked, “What happened to you?”

Still confused, Xiang Shuhuai lifted her unbandaged hand and touched the spot Yu Xiaoxiao had just touched, like she wasn’t sure what was going on.

Yu Xiaoxiao, already flustered, avoided looking at those eyes and asked again, “Xiang Shuhuai?”

Hearing her name, Xiang Shuhuai finally seemed to come back to herself. She replied slowly, “Ah, I… accidentally knocked over the pot while cooking. Spilled a bit.”

…So the bandages on her arm were from a burn.

Burns hurt. Yu Xiaoxiao remembered that clearly. When she was little, she’d spilled hot water on her hand. It healed quickly and wasn’t too serious, but it had hurt so much she cried in her parents’ arms for days.

Her mom had been incredibly busy with work at the time, but still brought her to the office so she could stay close and be comforted.

Yu Xiaoxiao asked, “Was it bad?”

“I twisted my wrist a little, but it still works,” Xiang Shuhuai said. Then, as if remembering something, she added with an apologetic tone, “It hurt too much earlier, so I didn’t finish cleaning up. I’ll do it as soon as I get back. I’m sorry.”

Yu Xiaoxiao blinked. “Huh?”

Her reaction made Xiang Shuhuai pause too, staring at her in confusion.

—She looked serious.

“Wait, are you for real?” Yu Xiaoxiao said, in disbelief.

Xiang Shuhuai nodded and repeated, “I checked, the soup pot isn’t broken.”

Yu Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows high in surprise.

Seeing her reaction, Xiang Shuhuai actually looked a little embarrassed.

She lowered her gaze slightly and said softly, “…Did I do something wrong?”

“I was asking about you, not the pot.” Yu Xiaoxiao let out a sigh. “I asked if you were okay.”

Xiang Shuhuai froze, like she hadn’t expected that. She was quiet for a few seconds before finally saying:

“…Superficial second-degree burn. The doctor said it’ll heal in about ten days.”

Yu Xiaoxiao said, “…I see.”

At first, she thought Xiang Shuhuai was being sarcastic. But now, looking at her, it was clear she was serious.

…She really didn’t understand why Yu Xiaoxiao cared about her and not the pot.

“Seriously, Xiang Shuhuai.” Yu Xiaoxiao said, “Do you really think that badly of me?”

Xiang Shuhuai looked at her and said, “You don’t like me.”

Yu Xiaoxiao was momentarily speechless.

…If this had happened a while ago, and she’d heard at a party that Xiang Shuhuai was sick and couldn’t come, she probably would’ve just laughed with her friends and moved on.

But now, with Xiang Shuhuai sitting right in front of her, pale-faced and quietly watching her with those deep black eyes, Yu Xiaoxiao felt something strange rise in her chest.

—How could she not care?

And then there was that stupid pot—

“Well… I don’t hate you that much, okay? Yuyou-jie told me to look after you!” Yu Xiaoxiao widened her eyes, making up an excuse. “Besides, even if someone was super annoying, to the point of wishing them bad luck, no one would care more about a pot than the actual person! You’re sitting right here—why would I ask about the pot? That would be weird.”

Xiang Shuhuai said, “…Really?”

She pressed her lips together, like she’d just learned something new.

“Of course.” Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. “Who does that? That’d be awful.”

Xiang Shuhuai nodded too, like she got it now.

The room went quiet again.

The IV still had a while to go, and sitting side by side like this, Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly felt a little awkward. But Xiang Shuhuai looked totally calm, just staring off into space.

So Yu Xiaoxiao pulled out her phone to scroll through it, trying to break the silence.

And right there on WeChat was a string of long, long messages from her dad.

One glance, and she knew it was more of the same stuff from earlier that day—telling her not to hang out with bad influences, to find her purpose in life…

…Who said she only hung out with party friends?

Feeling annoyed, Yu Xiaoxiao locked her phone and shoved it back in her pocket. Maybe the movement was too sudden, because Xiang Shuhuai glanced over at her.

Their eyes met, and Yu Xiaoxiao had a sudden realization.

—This Big Ice Block sitting next to her was exactly the kind of serious, accomplished person her parents were always telling her to learn from.

“Hey,” she said. “Xiang Shuhuai?”

Xiang Shuhuai looked over, confused.

Yu Xiaoxiao put on a serious face and said slyly, “You’ve been living at my place for a while now. Don’t you think you should show a little appreciation?”

“Ah,” Xiang Shuhuai nodded. “I’ll pay rent—”

“My house isn’t a tourist attraction. You can’t just pay and stay.”

Caught off guard, Xiang Shuhuai looked at her, unsure of what to do.

“Then how about this.” Yu Xiaoxiao winked. “You can keep staying, but—only if you help me quit drinking. Got it?”