Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 72

After crying for a long time, she finally started to calm down, thanks to the comfort from her lover.

When they parted, Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes and the tip of her nose were red, her brows were furrowed in a downcast expression, like a little dog caught in the rain. Yet, she stubbornly held onto her hand, refusing to let go.

“Xiang Shuhui,” she sniffled, her voice muffled, “Promise me, you won’t go through with that surgery.”

“…Okay,” Xiang Shuhui agreed helplessly. “I won’t go.”

“Really?” Yu Xiaoxiao widened her eyes, staring at her seriously. “—Don’t lie to me, Big Ice Block.”

Xiang Shuhui glanced at her, then lowered her gaze to their intertwined hands.

…So warm.

Her fingers were damp from wiping away tears, and they carried Yu Xiaoxiao’s warmth, soft and gentle.

It made her think of a cozy winter coat, the warmth of a fireplace, or even the kind of sunlight that melts everything away.

Xiang Shuhui lowered her face slightly and gently kissed the moist lower lip of the girl.

“Really,” she said softly, her voice carrying a faint trace of wistfulness, barely perceptible. “I won’t do it, Yu Xiaoxiao. I won’t go through with it.”

Xiang Shuhui thought to herself, now she had lost a way to keep Yu Xiaoxiao close.

But Yu Xiaoxiao was crying so badly that even if she went through with it, all it would do is cause her more trouble.

…So, it was better this way.

Yu Xiaoxiao just sat there, looking pitiful, still gazing at Xiang Shuhui with watery eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, she suddenly tilted her head and bit her.

It wasn’t a playful bite, but a gentle one, like she was eating jelly, her teeth holding onto the soft lip, tasting it. She didn’t seem satisfied, as though she wanted to devour Xiang Shuhui entirely.

Afterward, Xiang Shuhui pulled back a little, covering her bitten lips, and shot her a light glare.

“Alright,” she said gently, shaking their clasped hands. “Let go for now.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaoxiao reacted dramatically, “—Why?”

She gripped Xiang Shuhui’s hand tightly, almost as if hugging her beloved doll.

“Big Ice Block,” she looked at her warily, “Are you going to run away again?”

“No.” Xiang Shuhui sighed. “I’m going to get something to eat.”

“…Oh.” After that, Yu Xiaoxiao finally nodded, reluctantly loosening her grip, still seriously reminding her, “You really can’t run away, Big Ice Block.”

Xiang Shuhui nodded in agreement, putting on her shoes and grabbing two cans. She then went over to the little heater Yu Xiaoxiao had been messing with for a while and started heating them up. Soon, she returned to the car with the two warmed cans, still holding the large astronomy book that Yu Xiaoxiao had pulled out.

She placed the warm cans into Yu Xiaoxiao’s arms, then took off her shoes, curled back under the cozy blanket, and picked up the book.

Yu Xiaoxiao quickly and skillfully opened both cans, carefully using a spoon to scoop some from one and handed it to her, blinking her large eyes and watching her.

The steamy tomato scent rose from the cans.

…Seeing those innocent, eager, and somewhat tentative eyes, Xiang Shuhui knew exactly what Yu Xiaoxiao wanted to ask.

About that… mark.

“You said…” Xiang Shuhui nudged against her shoulder, looking for the most comfortable spot before speaking. “We can only mark each other after we get married, right?”

As she spoke, Xiang Shuhui quietly lifted her gaze and, sure enough, saw that Yu Xiaoxiao’s ears were turning red.

“Well, that’s…”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice grew softer, her face also turning red, looking like a little rabbit who was embarrassed to the point of almost turning ripe.

That… maybe we can get married first…

She wanted to say that, but marriage wasn’t something you could just casually bring up. There had to be a grand, romantic proposal, with a ring. Only then could marriage be mentioned.

So, she blushed for a long time before finally speaking up.

“…If we mark each other, then I’ll be yours, Big Ice Block.”

Yu Xiaoxiao said this while lowering her head slightly, rubbing against her lover’s pale, slender neck, carefully avoiding the hot cans of beans, and reaching for her hand.

“Because… you always feel uneasy, right…” she whispered, tightening her grip on Xiang Shuhui’s cold fingertips. “Xiang Shuhui, if we mark each other, would you feel a little better?”

Her careful, somewhat naive hopefulness made Xiang Shuhui pause, and she couldn’t help but smile.

She met Yu Xiaoxiao’s gaze and saw those big, bright eyes, clear as an animal’s, looking at her with so much anticipation, hoping for her to nod.

…So cute.

Xiang Shuhui thought.

She let Yu Xiaoxiao rub against her neck and hold her fingers, leaning into her warmth, her eyes drifting shut as the heat surrounded her.

“Mm.” Xiang Shuhui said softly, “…Then let’s mark each other.”

Yu Xiaoxiao immediately straightened up in surprise. “Really?”

“Really,” Xiang Shuhui whispered. “Let’s mark each other, Yu Xiaoxiao.”

She thought, according to Doctor Xie, her glands could likely accept the mark, despite the excruciating pain that would come with it. But Xiang Shuhui didn’t mind that. As long as she went for another checkup and took some medicine, she’d probably be able to open up for Yu Xiaoxiao.

Though, deep down, Xiang Shuhui didn’t fully believe that with the mark, they would be together forever.

…But she wanted that.

That fleeting moment where she could truly believe in an eternal mark.

The bracelet Yu Xiaoxiao gave her, she only wore it for a few days before carefully putting it away. The sunflower brooch from the Ferris wheel was the same. If she kept wearing it, it would probably break someday. And if it did, when they parted, she would have nothing left.

…But if she had the mark…

Yu Xiaoxiao was such a kind child. Maybe when they parted, she wouldn’t force her to remove the mark.

And she really, really loved Yu Xiaoxiao’s scent.

Sweet, soft, with a warmth like the sun, it made her want to fall asleep, feeling that warmth all over.

Thinking this, Xiang Shuhui closed her eyes and snuggled closer to the warmth beside her.

“Then, Yu Xiaoxiao,” she said, “When do we mark each other?”

The shoulder next to hers stiffened, and the alpha girl’s face, which had just cooled down, turned red again. She struggled to find the words, stammering a little.

“…Tomorrow? Tomorrow night?” she finally managed to say.

Her face grew even redder, and her voice dropped to a whisper.

In the end, the alpha girl murmured, “I… I want to prepare something…”

Xiang Shuhuai raised her gaze and only saw her ears, flushed bright red, and her face, like a small apple.

She hesitantly reached out and touched her, but all she got in response was a surprised little “Ah!” as the alpha girl’s body jerked in shock. The girl’s eyes widened in disbelief, looking at her.

Xiang Shuhuai smiled softly. “You look like a red apple.”

The alpha girl became flustered, and leaned in to tease her. “Big Ice Block—”

Xiang Shuhuai gently pinched her soft apple-like cheek and replied, “Okay. Tomorrow night, then.”

As soon as she said this, the alpha girl’s face, which had already been leaning in to kiss her, turned even redder. With an angry huff, she bit her pale cheek with a playful “Mmm.”

She didn’t bite hard, but it tickled. Xiang Shuhuai wanted to avoid it, but with her arms full, she couldn’t move easily. Before she knew it, she was pressed against the seat.

“Yuying…” Xiang Shuhuai couldn’t push her away. “Stop messing around…”

But the playful alpha girl only kept biting, her teeth landing on her lip and the tip of her ear, leaving warm bite marks. Xiang Shuhuai’s whole body softened, her hand instinctively reaching out to block her, but the girl caught her fingers and nipped at them.

After a while, Xiang Shuhuai was completely drained, her body limp with exhaustion. She leaned against Yuying’s shoulder, breathing heavily.

The energetic alpha girl, however, looked innocent, as if she had just eaten a great meal. She licked her lips, content, and then grabbed a can from the side, scooping out some food with a spoon and holding it up to feed her lover.

“Big Ice Block,” she blinked her bright eyes at Xiang Shuhuai, “Big Ice Block—”

Though nothing was said, her body language was so direct. The little plastic spoon was nearly at her lips.

Such intimate actions hadn’t happened before. Xiang Shuhuai bit her lip, wanting to glare at her, but ended up blushing instead.

The alpha girl was pleased. “Big Ice Block, your ears are so red.”

Xiang Shuhuai instinctively touched her ears, which only made her blush harder. She shot a playful glare at her silly lover, then tucked her hair behind her ear, eating the spoonful of warm tomato beans.

She looked so quiet and obedient, with her flushed ears, like a soft cat eating a snack. Yuying looked at her and felt her heart melt, as if it had been hit, turning into a soft pool of warmth.

They ate the rest of the can in this quiet, cozy way. Satisfied, the cat-like Xiang Shuhuai exhaled, leaning softly against Yuying’s shoulder, holding the open book in her lap.

Yuying, acting as a human cushion, finished the rest of the food.

After eating and playing around, Xiang Shuhuai felt a comfortable tiredness. She flipped through the book, pointing out the constellations in the sky for the curious alpha girl to look at.

“This is Betelgeuse, and just below it is Bellatrix and Alnilam, the Orion’s Belt,” she softly described, the two of them leaning heads together, identifying the stars. “The brightest one is Betelgeuse, right at the knee of Orion…”

It was such a simple description, but it made the alpha girl rest her head on her shoulder, her eyes sparkling.

“Wow, Big Ice Block,” she said, “You’re amazing.”

…What’s so amazing about it?

“When I went stargazing in high school, I didn’t know anything, just used a phone app to guess,” Yuying explained, “If I had been with you back then, we wouldn’t have needed to check.”

Xiang Shuhuai reached out and ruffled her fluffy hair.

“Next to Orion, the brightest one should be Sirius…”

Her finger traced the star chart in the book, pointing it out to her lover, then she looked up to the sky, searching.

In fact, Xiang Shuhuai had read this book before, back in elementary school, but it was the English version, with old pages.

She had always been shy, not fitting in well with others because of her family. During breaks, while other children ran around, little Xiang Shuhuai would hide in an empty classroom, all by herself.

Her school didn’t have a library, just an old reading corner with donated books. The lights were broken, and the desks were crooked. Nobody really used the space. Little Xiang Shuhuai would take books from the dusty shelf and read them one by one.

The donated books weren’t very suited for kids. Most of them were complicated novels, academic papers, and books in small languages.

She learned to read early, but books like China’s Migrant Population and Economic Integration or Studies on Women’s Literature in Southern China During the Qing Dynasty were too advanced for her. She didn’t finish them until third grade.

Back then, after reading all the novels, little Xiang Shuhuai found a dusty astronomy book and a heavy Oxford dictionary in the back of the bookshelf.

She’d hug the dictionary and astronomy book, sitting by the shelf, picking up one word at a time, reading the entire book over and over.

Her little fingers traced the pages, marking her progress. With her eyes closed, she imagined the stars above in the dimly lit classroom.

Now, she didn’t need to imagine anymore. She had a new book, and her fingers, no longer those of a child, traced the pages.

The warm alpha girl beside her, their heads resting together, they looked up at the stars in the brilliant night sky.

Under the endless Milky Way, they curled up in the car, wrapped in the same warm blanket, their figures tiny, like two little animals cuddling and kissing, exchanging warmth.

“Big Ice Block, Big Ice Block,” Yuying giggled in her ear, her voice light and bright, “Is that… Cygnus? I think I recognized it—”

That night, they stayed outside until late into the night.

Around dawn, Xiang Shuhuai was so tired she wanted to rest her head on Yuying’s shoulder and fall asleep. But Yuying worried she might catch a cold sleeping outside, so she drove her home, bringing the tired cat-like girl back to bed.

The next day was a workday, but there was something more important for her to prepare.

…The marking.

Tonight, the marking.

Yuying had said she needed time to prepare, and Xiang Shuhuai had secretly smiled, thinking how innocent she was, like a red apple. But when it was her turn, she was just as flustered. Just thinking about it made her ears red.

She finished her work in the morning and saved the whole afternoon to prepare for the marking.

She went to Dr. Xie for a checkup and found out that her chance of successfully accepting the marking was over 87%. Despite the doctor’s disapproval, she got painkillers and anesthetic cream.

The rest was knowledge. The books she had read in the past were no help. Xiang Shuhuai searched for details online, and the more she read, the hotter her face got.

Do I really want to do this?

Her heart raced. That kind of thing?

She was so nervous, almost shaking in anxiety, her stomach cramping, but she forced herself to make a list and go through each step, eventually calming down in the familiar routine.

It was time for the end of the workday.

Xiang Shuhuai got home first, prepared dinner, then took out her clothes and underwear, took her medication, and curled up on the couch with a pillow, lost in thought.

The calming medication made her feel a bit groggy, and after some time, the door clicked open, and Yuying walked in, holding a big bouquet of flowers.

Xiang Shuhuai instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.

Yuying lifted her gaze at the same time, and their eyes met. They both blushed instantly.

After a long silence, neither of them could speak.

“I… Uh, I… Big Ice Block, flowers!” Finally, Yuying spoke first, but she was so nervous that she almost tripped at the door. “These are for you, Big Ice Block—”

It was a bouquet of chamomile and champagne roses, blooming beautifully. Xiang Shuhuai walked over, held it in her arms, and when she smelled the familiar floral scent, she finally felt a little better.

“…Mm.” She lifted her face from the flower bouquet and smiled softly, “It’s beautiful, Xu Xiaoxiao. I really like it.”

Xu Xiaoxiao looked at those soft, calm black eyes, and her heart seemed to be struck by something. She was completely frozen, unable to move or speak.

Her face turned red, and she stood there for a long while, unable to say a word.

Dinner was ready, kept warm in covered plates on the dining table. But both of them were too nervous to eat anything. It was Xu Shuhui who suggested first that they could… mark each other first, and then eat.

The red apple-like alpha girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. So, they both went to take showers, and then headed to Xu Xiaoxiao’s bedroom.

By the time Xu Shuhui finished preparing dinner, she had already showered. Now, she simply rinsed her long hair and changed into the new clothes she had prepared.

She didn’t look at her body in the mirror for too long. Instead, she parted her dried hair to expose the spot on the back of her neck where her scent gland was. Biting her lip, she applied the numbing ointment on the scar. The slight pain from pressing on her shoulder made her shiver.

Dr. Xie had said that after applying this ointment, it wouldn’t hurt as much, but she would still need to endure it for a while.

The ointment was colorless and slightly bitter, but it smelled similar to her own pheromones, so Xu Shuhui wasn’t worried about giving herself away. Once everything was ready, she slipped on her slippers and went to Xu Xiaoxiao’s room, sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, waiting.

She was so nervous that her heart was trembling.

“Stay calm,” Xu Shuhui had to remind herself over and over. “Stay calm.” But the cramps in her stomach made her bite her lip in anxiety.

After what felt like an eternity, the alpha girl finally arrived.

She had changed into new sleepwear, not the usual oversized T-shirt, but a light white dress. Her curly, voluminous hair cascaded around her, and her round eyes were slightly wet as she smiled, looking like a little angel from an oil painting.

“…Xu Shuhui,” she said, her face turning red, and her voice soft, “We—”

“Let’s begin,” Xu Shuhui quickly agreed.

She then took off her shoes and lay flat on the bed, waiting for Xu Xiaoxiao.

Xu Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment before sitting at the edge of the bed, looking at her for a while before asking, “Um, so… the mark, does it mean… I need to bite?”

Xu Shuhui understood and nodded, flipping over onto her stomach.

“Go ahead,” she said.

She buried her face in the pillow, not leaving any gap, exposing only the back of her head to Xu Xiaoxiao. It looked almost like she was trying to suffocate herself.

This childish posture made Xu Xiaoxiao both amused and helpless. She moved closer and noticed how Xu Shuhui’s hands, gripping the pillow, were trembling violently, and her shoulders were stiff and tense.

She looked so nervous, way too nervous.

Xu Xiaoxiao tried to touch her—just barely brushing her arm—but that made the omega girl tremble all over, and she remained silent, her shoulders shaking even more.

“…Xu Shuhui,” she called softly, “Don’t be like this. You’re too nervous.”

Xu Shuhui shook her head.

“Just bite me,” she said.

She then pushed her long hair to the side, exposing the scent gland on the back of her neck, her voice calm.

“Anything’s fine.”

But even though she said that, when Xu Xiaoxiao’s hand actually touched her soft hair, then slid down to her neck, Xu Shuhui trembled and let out a sharp, startled sound:

“…Ah!”

After the accidental sound, she clutched the pillow tightly, biting down hard on her lip, almost submissively holding back all the fear, trying to suppress it.

Even though Xu Xiaoxiao’s pheromones were warm, sweet, and comforting, completely different from the cold, disgusting memories of the past.

But Xu Shuhui couldn’t stop her terror.

A deep, buried fear, one that had lived in her bones for so long, was rising, almost consuming her entirely.

She felt like she had returned to that narrow, cold restroom stall, hearing the loud banging on the door, kneeling on the floor, curled up, with a knife—heavy and rusty—about to come down on the back of her neck.

Xu Shuhui squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she wouldn’t tremble too much or look too bad, so that the alpha girl wouldn’t lose interest.

Xu Shuhui knew that she should respond, not lie there like a corpse. But she just couldn’t. She couldn’t be soft and sweet; it took all her energy just to keep the panic under control.

She thought about how she had changed into a brand-new nightgown, applied lotion, and made her long hair fluffy and soft. Based on her past experiences, Xu Xiaoxiao probably didn’t mind this body.

She just hoped Xu Xiaoxiao wouldn’t ask her to take the nightgown off.

That was almost her last barrier—to keep the innocent, pure alpha girl from seeing her ugly, withered body and losing all interest. She hoped this first night would not turn into a memory so disgusting she’d want to forget it forever.

Then, Xu Xiaoxiao’s fingers brushed against the back of her neck, triggering a new shiver.

…It hurt.

Maybe it was because she was so nervous. Even such a simple touch felt painful. She told herself that it was okay, that the painkiller would take effect and everything would be fine.

Xu Shuhui took a moment to think. She shouldn’t be in so much pain that she’d pass out, right?

She had been so tense for so long, and yet the expected sharp pain didn’t come.

Confused, Xu Shuhui finally lifted her head from the pillow, but was suddenly pulled up by a strong hand.

She was so startled that she grabbed the bedsheet, but Xu Xiaoxiao just flipped her over, so she was now lying on her back, seeing the light again.

The alpha girl tilted her head, gazing at her with bright eyes, clouded with shyness and nervousness. She comfortingly patted her shoulder.

“Big Ice Block,” she said softly, “Let’s do something else first?”

Xu Shuhui nodded, allowing the alpha girl to kiss her.

…She closed her eyes.