She Pretends to Be an Alpha, She Pretends to Be an Omega (GL) - Chapter 9

Ning Xuechu got out of bed and, wearing soft slippers, walked towards the window.

She reached out and pulled open a slight gap in the curtains. The moment she looked out, she froze.

The white covering the ground outside had vanished, revealing the deep green of the lawn.

Last night’s snow seemed to have never existed.

Ning Xuechu deliberately stomped her heel, and the slight dampness on her slippers told her that the snow hadn’t been a dream.

She turned her head and looked towards the corner of the wall, where a servant was pushing a small cart, a shovel in hand.

A bit of white at the corner of the wall was neatly shoveled up and then poured into the cart.

Ning Xuechu’s eyebrows furrowed. In an instant, she understood everything.

It turned out that the Ning family’s servants had cleared all the accumulated snow early in the morning.

After a brief thought, Ning Xuechu, still in her light clothes, hurried out the door.

“Miss Ning, is something wrong?” The snow-shoveling servant stopped, asking with a confused expression.

A few days ago, Miss An had brought back a thin, weak girl, saying she would be living here from now on and that they should call her ‘Miss Ning.’ No other details were given.

Everyone was curious about the girl’s identity and privately speculated and discussed, but they couldn’t come up with a reliable answer after many discussions.

Despite this, no one dared to ask Miss An.

“Why clean up such beautiful snow? Wouldn’t it be better to leave it?” Ning Xuechu tilted her head, her young face wearing an innocent expression.

After saying this, she bit her lip and lowered her head, gazing at the already dirty snow in the cart, her eyes shimmering with a faint light, full of regret and reluctance.

Seeing this, the servant couldn’t help but marvel at her kindness and innocence. She gently comforted her, “Miss Ning, when the snow melts, it’s difficult to walk. If you like looking at snow, you can check the refrigerator; there’s a small snowman in there.”

Hearing this, Ning Xuechu’s heart jolted. She immediately thought of the little snowman she had made for An Jianqing last night.

She had thought the snowman would have melted overnight, but she hadn’t expected An Jianqing to preserve it in the refrigerator.

Her gesture had been given due importance.

For a moment, Ning Xuechu felt a complex mix of emotions, a hint of joy amidst her surprise.

She offered a sweet smile and turned to walk back into the house.

Opening the refrigerator, she indeed saw the snowman.

An Jianqing had placed it in a transparent small box, perfectly preserving the snowman.

Ning Xuechu looked at it quietly, a ripple appearing in her dark eyes.

She pursed her lips, forcefully closed the refrigerator, and banished the image of the snowman from her mind.

“Miss Ning, come have breakfast,” Aunt Lian called from behind her.

Ning Xuechu turned around, glanced at the dining table, and then at the clock on the wall.

It was 8 o’clock in the morning, but the person who should have been sitting at the table wasn’t there.

“Aunt Lian, where’s Sister An?” Ning Xuechu blinked, her voice constrained.

“Miss An is still in her room. She told you to have breakfast first,” Aunt Lian said with a smile, gesturing with an inviting hand.

Ning Xuechu looked upstairs in confusion, her wide eyes asking, “Is Sister An alright?”

As she spoke, her eyes were filled with concern and worry, her mind not at all on breakfast, showing no intention of going over.

“Miss Ning, don’t worry. Miss An stays in her room for a day or two every month and doesn’t go out,” Aunt Lian explained.

“A day or two doesn’t go out?” Ning Xuechu lowered her gaze, repeating in her mind.

Seeing her still looking very worried, Aunt Lian smiled and continued to comfort her, “Miss Ning, please have breakfast first.”

Understanding the implied meaning, Ning Xuechu nodded obediently and sat down to eat breakfast.

As soon as she settled, the scent of roses wafted to her nose.

Upon closer sniff, it was also mixed with the smell of red wine.

The two distinct scents intertwined, like roses soaked in red wine, somewhat pungent.

Aunt Lian evidently smelled it too, but she walked out with a normal expression.

Soon, Aunt Lian returned, followed by three men, each wearing the same uniform with a flower shop’s name on it.

“Just put them here,” Aunt Lian said.

Ning Xuechu stopped eating, stood up, and looked over curiously.

The three flower shop employees continuously went in and out, and soon the room was filled with the scent of roses.

The vibrant red color stimulated one’s eyes. Ning Xuechu felt a little dazed after staring for a while.

She left her seat, walked to Aunt Lian’s side, blinked, and asked, “Aunt Lian, why did the family suddenly buy so many roses? And there’s the smell of red wine.”

“This was ordered by Miss An. A batch of roses is bought every month. I’ll have them delivered to Miss An’s room later,” Aunt Lian said.

Ning Xuechu couldn’t help but look upstairs.

An Jianqing’s door was tightly shut, but she was certain that the person inside must have already heard the commotion downstairs.

“Why does Sister An buy so many roses every month?” Ning Xuechu asked curiously.

“That’s Miss An’s wish; we don’t know either,” Aunt Lian said.

The implied meaning was for her not to inquire further.

Ning Xuechu smiled obediently, finished her meal, and went to school.

Two days later, that tightly shut door finally opened.

Ning Xuechu stood at the doorway, holding a steaming hot plate of food, looking at the person inside, and showed a sweet smile, “Sister, are you alright? I’ve been so worried about you these past two days.”

“Thank you, I’m fine,” An Jianqing smiled faintly, her fair face a little pale, as if she was recovering from an illness.

Ning Xuechu subtly stared at her for a while, finding no issues.

She lowered her gaze and looked inside the room.

Her eyes met a room filled with roses, also carrying a strong scent of red wine.

“Achoo!” Ning Xuechu couldn’t help but sneeze, and when she looked up, her dark, bright eyes were glistening with tears.

An Jianqing saw confusion and curiosity in her eyes, but she didn’t point it out. She just smiled and said, “Let me take it.”

Saying this, she reached out to take the tray.

Ning Xuechu dodged to the side, shook her head, and said, “Sister, you seem a bit unwell still. I’ll bring it in.”

After saying this, she carried the tray into the room.

The rich scent of roses assailed her nostrils, mingled with a faint, almost imperceptible scent.

That scent was so faint that one couldn’t help but wonder if their sense of smell was mistaken.

Ning Xuechu placed the tray on the table. As she stood up, she noticed a photograph on the bedside table.

The photograph was preserved in an exquisite frame, looking as new as if it had just been printed, showing how much it was treasured.

In the photograph were two beautiful women, smiling brightly, appearing to be around eighteen years old.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, very close, even intimately.

The person on the left was An Jianqing. Compared to her current calm and elite demeanor, she had a youthful purity then, with undisguised joy in her shy smile.

The person on the right had upturned eyes, her delicate face possessing a more mature charm than others her age.

Her hand was on An Jianqing’s shoulder, leaning in as if whispering secrets.

The smile on An Jianqing’s face was probably brought about by this person teasing her.

Ning Xuechu frowned, feeling a little uncomfortable, as if her heart was blocked by a stone.

She was about to pick up the photo when a fair hand suddenly reached out, taking the photo before she could.

“Xuechu, the smell in the room is pungent, you should go out first,” An Jianqing said, holding the photo album close, her smile gentle.

Ning Xuechu keenly detected a hint of nervousness beneath this calm.

The person in the photo must be very important to An Jianqing.

“Okay, Sister, remember to eat and take care of yourself,” Ning Xuechu suppressed a surge of inexplicable anger in her heart, smiling obediently as she left.

The moment she closed the door, she saw An Jianqing carefully placing the photo album down, as if it were a fragile treasure.

Ning Xuechu’s heart instantly felt even more constricted.

She had always thought she was special to An Jianqing, but now there was another, more important person who had taken her place in An Jianqing’s heart.

She felt truly uncomfortable and dissatisfied, as if something important had been taken from her.

Ning Xuechu gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, trying to dispel the gloom in her heart.

But her mind seemed to have a will of its own, constantly replaying the scene of An Jianqing holding the photo album.

Now, looking back, she could even clearly remember that An Jianqing had tightly clasped the edges of the photo album with interlaced fingers, and an unconscious smile had appeared on her lips as she put it down.

That smile had shed its gentle pretense; it was genuinely radiating from her heart.

Beautiful and happy, it was a smile she had never shown when facing Ning Xuechu.

The more Ning Xuechu thought about it, the angrier she became. She opened the window, trying to cool herself down with the cold air.

A soft, laughing female voice came from the adjoining window, “No need for such trouble, it’s just a birthday. I’m already very happy that you can come.”

The person on the other end of the phone must have said something, as An Jianqing’s laughter became even clearer, sounding incredibly joyful.

Ning Xuechu listened quietly, recalling the information she had previously found about An Jianqing.

Three days later was Saturday, which also happened to be An Jianqing’s birthday.

She had plenty of time to attend this birthday banquet.

Ning Xuechu’s lips curved into a smile. After the call next door ended, she turned and left her room.

“Sister, I remember your birthday is coming up soon. I’ll definitely prepare a special gift for you then. I hope you won’t dislike it,” Ning Xuechu said with a smile, her face showing the caution of someone afraid of being rejected.

Hearing this, An Jianqing paused slightly, then hesitated before saying, “Thank you, Xuechu. I’m really looking forward to your gift.”

“Then it’s settled! I’ll even sing a birthday song for Sister,” Ning Xuechu smiled happily, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Okay,” An Jianqing smiled dotingly. “I’ll introduce a friend to you then.”

“Who is it?” Ning Xuechu’s heart constricted. She subconsciously thought of the woman in the photo.

“Qiu Mengxi,” An Jianqing said softly, a happy smile on her face, her fair skin slightly flushed.

Ning Xuechu clearly saw this expression.

She didn’t know Qiu Mengxi, but she had heard the name.

The name often appeared in entertainment tabloids’ gossip columns.

Miss Qiu’s family was never short of beauties, nor had she ever been without them. She and An Jianqing were completely from different worlds.

How could these two be good friends?