Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 61
“Big Ice Block,” Yu Xiaoxiao asked, “What’s wrong?”
“—Are you sick?”
Xiang Shuhuai froze for a moment, following her gaze and noticing the corner of the surgical report peeking out from the bed.
…Oh no.
Her heart sank, but she only showed the most ordinary expression, “What?”
“What’s that surgery… What surgery is it?”
Yu Xiaoxiao held her hand tightly, refusing to let go, looking at her anxiously, “Big Ice Block, when you first moved in, you said it was to recover… What’s going on with you?”
…Her hand was so warm, like the sun. It miraculously eased the cold discomfort in Xiang Shuhuai’s stomach.
Despite the timing not being ideal, she still basked in that warmth, curling her cold fingers, letting herself be completely enveloped by the heat, feeling so comfortable that she almost forgot to respond.
She really wanted to hold her hand again…
She really wanted to hug.
Several thoughts swirled in her mind as Xiang Shuhuai stared blankly at their joined hands, contemplating how to fulfill her wish, when suddenly she felt the grip on her hand tighten, and Yu Xiaoxiao spoke again, full of concern: “Xiang Shuhuai—”
Xiang Shuhuai snapped back to reality.
“Ah, it’s nothing,” she lifted her face, “Don’t worry about it.”
Yu Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, clearly showing disbelief.
“It’s not my surgery. It’s for a shareholder of the Xiang family. He’s had heart problems for a while and is planning surgery soon. I just asked An Ning to bring it for me to have a look,” Xiang Shuhuai explained casually, “The excuse I gave earlier was just that. The Xiang family isn’t a good place to stay for long, and it affects my plans, so I moved out.”
Yu Xiaoxiao furrowed her brows and stared at her, seemingly unconvinced by the answer.
“Really,” Xiang Shuhuai said. “You saw it yourself, Yu Xiaoxiao. I’m just generally not in great health, but there’s nothing special about it.”
This made Yu Xiaoxiao even more upset, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“—Just not being healthy is okay?” She seemed to have lost focus on the main point, raising her voice as she scolded, staring at the stubborn and fragile Big Ice Block, “Big Ice Block, you never pay attention to your health. You stay up late, don’t eat well, and always end up sick. Then, when you’re sick, you just suffer…”
She rambled on, but suddenly, her hand was tugged gently.
“Yu Xiaoxiao,” Xiang Shuhuai whispered, “I know…”
Yu Xiaoxiao lifted her face slightly, only to see her lips pressed together, her expression obedient and soft. She still wanted to appear firm, but she couldn’t help but soften immediately.
The person in front of her, like a kitten, just pulled her hand, guiding her to sit on the bed. Xiang Shuhuai casually stuffed the surgical plan into the drawer and sat down beside her.
Xiang Shuhuai slightly turned her face and said, “Yu Xiaoxiao, it’s late.”
“…Ah,” Yu Xiaoxiao blinked, “Are you going to rest, Big Ice Block? Should I go out then?”
“No.”
The person beside her quickly replied. It was a simple sentence, and her tone was as cold and calm as usual, but when said like this, with her dark, quiet eyes looking at Yu Xiaoxiao, it added an element of sweetness and affection.
Xiang Shuhuai said, “Stay with me.”
“Okay, okay,” Yu Xiaoxiao answered, “I’ll stay with you.”
The curtains were slightly drawn, covering half of the night view. The deep blue twilight filtered through the window, casting a soft glow into the bright bedroom.
They sat side by side on the bed. Yu Xiaoxiao still looked at the direction where the surgical document was hidden with some worry, but the person beside her was simply rubbing her cheek against her shoulder, as if absorbing her warmth, holding her tightly, and openly sincere.
Yu Xiaoxiao instinctively reached out her hand, gently patting her long black hair, like caressing a cat.
It was so soft, smooth, and smelled faintly pleasant, like silk.
Unable to resist, Yu Xiaoxiao petted her a few more times.
Xiang Shuhuai leaned against her shoulder, feeling herself soften under the touches. She snuggled closer, resting her head on Yu Xiaoxiao’s lap, holding her hand gently, playing with it.
Her clingy and soft demeanor was very much like a cat.
“Yu Xiaoxiao,” the little cat murmured, “Yu Xiaoxiao.”
Yu Xiaoxiao responded, “Hmm? What’s wrong?”
There was no answer.
Xiang Shuhuai just lay there, holding her warm hand, letting herself doze off with a small yawn. She could feel Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand stroking her hair gently, lovingly.
“Your health is too poor, Big Ice Block.” Yu Xiaoxiao was softly saying, “The room is so warm, why are your hands still so cold…”
At least in this moment, she could be sure of Yu Xiaoxiao’s feelings for her.
This was enough for her.
As long as it was like this, it was enough.
…No matter what, she didn’t want Yu Xiaoxiao to know about the surgery.
After all, it was just her own obsession. If she burdened the innocent alpha girl with the thought of “someone undergoing the painful, long Omega body implantation surgery for her,” that would be too heavy a load.
She didn’t want to bind Yu Xiaoxiao to her with such a reason.
These things were actually quite easy to understand—there really was nothing about her that was worthy of Yu Xiaoxiao’s love.
The strong, fiery feelings from Yu Xiaoxiao would eventually burn out. She couldn’t predict why they came, and of course, she couldn’t stop the flames from dying out, leaving only ashes when the time came.
There were so many better and more suitable people around Yu Xiaoxiao, whether it was that Omega girl named Xiang Qing or Yu Xiaoxiao’s older sister, whom she had once admired. Xiang Shuhuai couldn’t compare to them.
She was enough for now.
And Yu Xiaoxiao was still mumbling to her, “Big Ice Block, don’t do this anymore, okay? Come exercise with me? If you don’t like people, we’ll have a nutritionist plan the meals, but we’ll cook together. I’ll be your personal trainer, we’ll start with the basics, okay?”
“Really, the exercises are very light, won’t tire you out. Once you get healthier, you’ll get sick less and have more energy for work…”
Xiang Shuhuai mumbled in response, “Hmm…”
While Yu Xiaoxiao still liked her, she allowed herself to enjoy such sincere affection, living in the moment, but not expecting forever.
With that thought, she simply closed her eyes, resting her head on Yu Xiaoxiao’s lap, moving even closer to the warmth.
“Big Ice Block,” Yu Xiaoxiao softly asked, “Are you going to sleep?”
Xiang Shuhuai shook her head with her eyes closed.
She lay there for a while, then suddenly remembered: “—Yu Xiaoxiao.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Yu Xiaoxiao,” she asked softly, “Do you want to mark me?”
The body under her head suddenly stiffened, and she could feel the alpha girl shudder with fear, not responding for a long time.
Even without opening her eyes, Xiang Shuhuai could imagine that Yu Xiaoxiao must have been shocked by her words, her round eyes widening in disbelief, her face turning red all the way to her ears.
She must look so cute.
So, Xiang Shuhuai opened her eyes and, as expected, saw a dazed and stunned red apple of a face.
“—Yu Xiaoxiao.” She asked again, “Do you want to mark me?”
“I… I, what, no, why are you suddenly bringing this up…?”
The alpha girl was so flustered she couldn’t string a proper sentence together. If Xiang Shuhuai wasn’t still resting her head on her lap, she might have stood up and run away in panic. “Xiang Shuhuai—”
Xiang Shuhuai raised an eyebrow, looking at her expectantly.
The alpha girl’s cheeks turned bright red. She lowered her head, remaining silent for a while, before finally saying:
“…Now?”
Her voice was so soft Xiang Shuhuai didn’t catch it. “What?”
Yu Xiaoxiao repeated, “…Do you mean now?”
When she looked up, their gazes met. Xiang Shuhuai stared into those amber eyes, clear and now filled with shyness, and she too couldn’t help but blush. Now, both of them were like red apples.
“No, not now…”
Xiang Shuhuai suddenly panicked, stumbling over her words.
“I mean, in the future… later.” She said. “…Would you want to mark me?”
Yu Xiaoxiao stared at her for a long time, her eyes still red, not saying a word.
Xiang Shuhuai kept looking at her, her hand still gently holding onto hers.
After a while, the alpha girl instinctively tightened her grip on Xiang Shuhuai’s fingers before she finally spoke.
“Is it… too soon to talk about this?” she asked shyly, her voice soft, “Marking… that kind of thing…”
…What a fool.
“It’s something we’ll have to think about eventually.”
Xiang Shuhuai spoke calmly, deliberately keeping her tone distant as she nodded.
“Unless… well, I understand now.”
Yu Xiaoxiao seemed to have caught onto what she was saying. The moment she saw her act like this, she started to feel uneasy, and she blurted out:
“Ah, no…!! What do you mean ‘you understand,’ I—Xiang Shuhuai!”
She was really flustered, unable to explain herself properly, like a little dog spinning in circles, too embarrassed to think clearly.
Xiang Shuhuai couldn’t help but laugh at her, not continuing to tease her. She just said, “So, you want to mark me, Yu Xiaoxiao.”
The alpha girl’s face turned red in an instant, her eyes wide with disbelief, staring at Xiang Shuhuai like she couldn’t believe how direct she was.
…She wasn’t shy when marking me earlier, it hurt, after all.
Why is she shy now?
Xiang Shuhuai thought to herself helplessly. Since she had already asked the question she wanted an answer to, there was nothing else to say. She relaxed her neck, returned to lying comfortably on Yu Xiaoxiao’s lap, and buried her face next to her stomach, not moving.
Only Yu Xiaoxiao remained, red-faced, sitting there unsure how to react.
Meanwhile, Xiang Shuhuai, who had brought up such an adult topic, appeared totally unfazed. She just lay on her lap like a cat, breathing evenly and steadily, like a soft, silent piano tune that calms you down as it flows.
…It was almost as if it wasn’t her who had asked that question.
This only left Yu Xiaoxiao more confused.
Her ears red, she stared at the back of Xiang Shuhuai’s head for a while before finally asking in a soft voice:
“Big Ice Block… why are you asking me this?”
…Of course, it’s to decide whether or not to undergo the surgery.
Since Yu Xiaoxiao wants to mark her.
Then, if she becomes a full omega, Yu Xiaoxiao would probably be happier, right?
She thought to herself, but didn’t say a word, just tugging lightly at Yu Xiaoxiao’s clothes as if annoyed by the interruption to her rest.
“Are you really going to sleep like this, Big Ice Block?” Yu Xiaoxiao mumbled, “If you keep your head like that, you’ll wake up with a stiff neck tomorrow.”
Even though she said that, she still softened her voice, her hand now more gently stroking Xiang Shuhuai’s hair, almost like she was trying to lull her to sleep.
Xiang Shuhuai lifted her gaze slightly, looking at her. “Your face is so red, Yu Xiaoxiao.”
“I-I, I’m just—” Yu Xiaoxiao’s face grew even redder, her voice a bit aggrieved, “You just mentioned marking, and I—”
Xiang Shuhuai said, “You’re redder than when we kissed. You look like a little red apple, Yu Xiaoxiao.”
The tone was as serious and innocent as ever, and Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You—You’re saying that, Big Ice Block!” She finally found an opening to complain, and started rambling, “Why did you kiss me back then?! It wasn’t formal at all, and you were even mad at me! That was our first kiss!”
“It wasn’t our first kiss.” Xiang Shuhuai said flatly. “Our first kiss was at my sister’s hot spring villa.”
Yú Xiǎoxiǎo froze for a moment, unable to say anything for quite a while.
“…T-That was our first kiss after becoming a couple!” She said defiantly, but as she spoke, she seemed to get a little upset, her expression growing downcast. “It was supposed to be special, the first kiss after we confirmed our relationship… How could it be so careless? You were upset at the time, and I didn’t understand… It shouldn’t have been like that.”
Her puppy-dog look, with her invisible ears drooping in a pitiful way, was just too cute. It made Xiàng Shūhuái unable to resist reaching out and gently stroking the soft hair of the Alpha girl.
She then asked, “So, how do you want to kiss me?”
Yú Xiǎoxiǎo was stunned. “…I want?”
“Yeah.” Xiàng Shūhuái nodded.
Her voice was soft and low, almost like a siren’s whisper, teasing and luring in the damp mist of the sea.
“…How do you want to kiss me? Show me now.”
At those words, Yú Xiǎoxiǎo froze entirely.
She probably didn’t understand at first, not even her ears turning red.
After a second, two seconds, three seconds… Xiàng Shūhuái watched with interest, and after a long while, the innocent Alpha girl finally blushed.
She almost mumbled, “…Do you want a kiss?”
Xiàng Shūhuái nodded.
“Yeah,” she said, “If you really want to kiss me.”
She had been lying on Yú Xiǎoxiǎo’s lap for a long time, absorbing the heat from the Alpha girl’s body. But it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.
That warmth was just enough to ease the pain in Xiàng Shūhuái’s stomach, to stop her from shivering from the cold. But it was only a temporary fix for the deep chill that ran through her bones.
She wanted more. More passionate, more intense, more straightforward fire.
—That’s why she wanted a kiss.
Yú Xiǎoxiǎo blinked, still looking at her in confusion.
“D-Do you really want to kiss now?”
Xiàng Shūhuái nodded again.
“But… but…” Yú Xiǎoxiǎo hesitated.
Right now, everything felt so simple. There were no ferris wheels, no fireworks, no church bells ringing, just the two of them on a bed scattered with stuffed toys and crumpled sheets.
A kiss in this moment wasn’t formal or serious, without any ceremony, and no one to witness it.
It wasn’t at all like the kiss Yú Xiǎoxiǎo had imagined.
But when she looked into Xiàng Shūhuái’s dark, moonlike eyes, she couldn’t say a word.
She seemed to see something in those quiet eyes, something that burned with longing.
A longing—like a shooting star, burning with all its might, as though it would vanish in an instant.
…That fire seemed so painful, so fiery and sharp, as if it would consume her fragile, pale body completely.
It made Yú Xiǎoxiǎo want to satisfy Xiàng Shūhuái, fulfill all her wishes. But she also wanted to hold on to her, to keep her from burning into ashes once her wishes were granted.
So, Yú Xiǎoxiǎo stood there, unable to speak.
“…Okay,” she finally heard her own voice, “Then, wait for me a moment, Big Ice Block.”
She patted Xiàng Shūhuái’s head twice, then jumped off the bed and ran downstairs to fetch something.
Xiàng Shūhuái obediently got up, sitting quietly on the bed, listening to the hurried footsteps outside. The footsteps faded away, then returned, growing closer again as Yú Xiǎoxiǎo came back.
“Ding ding!” Yú Xiǎoxiǎo jumped into the room, grinning brightly. “I’m back, Big Ice Block!”
—And she was holding a guitar.
It was a bright, colorful guitar covered with stickers, some of them with signatures. Even the pick was cartoonish.
Since—there was no romantic celebration with a carnival, no dazzling fireworks, no long church bells ringing, and no vibrant flowers or gifts.
The Alpha girl smiled, “—Xiàng Shūhuái, how about I sing for you?”
Xiàng Shūhuái stared at Yú Xiǎoxiǎo’s innocent, radiant smile, as if blinded by the sun, lost in her gaze.
Then, Yú Xiǎoxiǎo sat down on the bed and, with a small smile, strummed the first string of her guitar.
“If winter comes/
In the hurried evening/
It feels so peaceful,”
It was a quiet song. Though Xiàng Shūhuái didn’t understand the Korean lyrics, she felt like she could almost understand Yú Xiǎoxiǎo’s smiling, gentle eyes.
“The past stories/
Whisper through the streets/
Memories, like walking on snowy ground/
Warm like a winter stroll.”
As Yú Xiǎoxiǎo lowered her eyes, carefully strumming a melody, she seemed so different from her usual self. She wasn’t the impulsive, jumping-around child, but rather, the artist Yú Xiǎoxiǎo.
“My winter has come.”
Yú Xiǎoxiǎo’s voice was soft, clear, with an amber-like warmth, and when she lowered her voice to sing the next part, it felt almost like she was an adult.
Xiàng Shūhuái listened, entranced, almost forgetting to breathe.
“Whoever it may be, when winter comes/
They’ll hide away in some corner of their heart,”
Yú Xiǎoxiǎo raised her gaze, staring earnestly into Xiàng Shūhuái’s eyes, then smiled gently, singing the last line with the softest voice.
“Warm memories,”
“—Let the frozen heart melt.”
The final note lingered on her fingertips, and Yú Xiǎoxiǎo smiled.
“I like you.”
She softened her voice, gently placing the guitar aside, still gazing into Xiàng Shūhuái’s eyes. “Xiàng Shūhuái, I like you.”
Then, Yú Xiǎoxiǎo reached out, and with Xiàng Shūhuái’s silent approval, gently, but firmly, cupped her pale face.
Her hands, like Yú Xiǎoxiǎo herself, were both tender and reckless, burning with heat that made Xiàng Shūhuái almost want to cry.
It was so quiet, so peaceful, as if everything in the world had disappeared, leaving just the two of them.
Only them.
Xiàng Shūhuái knew she wasn’t crying, but as she gazed into Yú Xiǎoxiǎo’s amber eyes, she saw them curve into a smile.
“Xiàng Shūhuái,” she heard Yú Xiǎoxiǎo softly say, “Xiàng Shūhuái… Snowflake, my little snowflake. Have you melted?”
I haven’t…
She wanted to say, but her eyes suddenly filled with mist.
Yú Xiǎoxiǎo’s gentle hand wiped away the lone tear.
“Xiàng Shūhuái,” she whispered, “…Can I kiss you?”
Xiàng Shūhuái nodded.
She closed her eyes, waiting.
—And warmth, like a divine revelation, descended upon her lips.
That night, they kissed again and again. Yú Xiǎoxiǎo, being a quick learner, mastered the art of deep kissing rapidly.
In practice, she kept learning, and eventually, she surpassed Xiàng Shūhuái, confidently taking the lead, kissing her more passionately and recklessly, until Xiàng Shūhuái gave in to the heat, her tears and soft cries spilling forth.
The little cat in her arms struggled, wanting to escape but also craving dependence. She gasped, sobbing, wanting to hold on to the heat, but her passion only made her cry harder.
After a while, deep into the night, she finally let go of the exhausted Omega girl, letting her fall into a peaceful sleep in her arms.
Until the next morning.
Both of them were blushing brightly.
Despite the intensity of the kisses, Yú Xiǎoxiǎo’s face was so red, she could barely look at Xiàng Shūhuái, quickly changing out of her pajamas and trying to escape.
—But Xiàng Shūhuái reached out, grabbing the corner of her shirt.
“Yú Xiǎoxiǎo,” she asked, “Where are you going?”
Yú Xiǎoxiǎo looked a bit confused.
“Uh, I,” she answered, “I’m going to work…”
…Her work.
Xiàng Shūhuái couldn’t help but think of that Omega girl, the one with the cute little ponytail and pearl hairpin.
…But of course, Yú Xiǎoxiǎo had to go to work. That couldn’t be changed.
So, she glanced at Yú Xiǎoxiǎo unhappily for a moment, then suddenly spoke.
“Yú Xiǎoxiǎo.”
“—I’m going to your company. With you.”