You Are My Omega (GL) - Chapter 17

Xu Shijiu thought that since Lin Xinyi had persuaded her to stay in class, then during the self-study period after the main subjects, Lin Xinyi would surely come over to help her with the Chinese, math, and English practice tests. However…

Not only did Lin Xinyi not come to teach her, but she didn’t even have time to work on her own assignments. As soon as self-study started, she was surrounded by classmates asking questions. They even formed a line on their own, holding either their Chinese or English practice sheets.

There were very few students holding math papers. Xu Shijiu noticed this and looked over to see that those with math problems had all gathered around Mo Jinlan instead.

“This question uses this particular grammar point…”

Listening to Lin Xinyi’s soft, gentle voice, Xu Shijiu thought it sounded lovely. But knowing that she was using that voice to explain questions to others made her heart sink.

Just as she was about to run out of patience and leave, Lin Xinyi suddenly turned her head and looked at her with eyes full of quiet pleading.

“Xu Shijiu, can you try answering the questions on your own first? I will come check them later, is that alright?”

Lin Xinyi had originally planned to use the self-study session to tutor Xu Shijiu, especially after hearing from her sister that her grades were quite poor.

However, she had not expected the number of students needing help to be this overwhelming. She had not taken into account how close the midterm exams were.

She hoped this was the only reason so many people had shown up.

Xu Shijiu remained silent. She had been about to say she was leaving, but when she looked into Lin Xinyi’s eyes, the words stuck in her throat. After a moment, she nodded quietly.

“Alright.”

“Let me finish helping these classmates first. You be good and work on your own for now, okay?” Lin Xinyi said, gently coaxing her.

“Okay.” Xu Shijiu, feeling soothed, picked up the test papers and began reading the questions and writing down answers one by one, seriously and with full concentration.

Seeing how cooperative she was, Lin Xinyi let out a breath of relief. In truth, if Xu Shijiu had refused, she had already made up her mind to turn down the others and focus on helping her instead.

Even if that might have caused misunderstandings among the other students, if Xu Shijiu truly resisted, she would have chosen her without hesitation.

Living in the Xu household, being taken care of so well by her sister, Lin Xinyi felt there was not much she could do in return. She could not offer help with anything else. So tutoring Xu Shijiu and easing some of her sister’s pressure was the least she could do.

After finally finishing helping everyone, Lin Xinyi didn’t even glance at her own test papers. She turned to Xu Shijiu.

“How is it going? Did you finish?”

“Not yet.” Xu Shijiu kept her head down, and Lin Xinyi couldn’t see the frustration in her tightly furrowed brows.

“How far did you get? Is there anything you didn’t understand?” Lin Xinyi asked gently. She had spent a lot of time helping her classmates, but she hadn’t expected that Xu Shijiu still hadn’t finished even one paper. She was still working on the English section she had started with.

Immediately, Xu Shijiu covered her paper with both hands, not letting Lin Xinyi see.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Xinyi asked, amused but slightly puzzled.

“Drink some water first,” Xu Shijiu said suddenly, changing the subject.

Xu Shijiu loved Lin Xinyi’s voice. It was soft, clear, and calming, better than anything she had ever heard online. But after so much talking without rest, Lin Xinyi’s voice had become hoarse, and it no longer sounded pleasant.

“Oh, alright.” Lin Xinyi smiled and picked up her water bottle to take a sip, moistening her throat.

Sitting in front of her, Lin Zhiling had been just about to remind her to drink some water. She paused when she heard Xu Shijiu’s calm tone. In that moment, she realized that Xu Shijiu was not the cold, selfish person everyone assumed she was.

At the very least, Xu Shijiu cared about Lin Xinyi.

“I’m done drinking. Now, what part are you struggling with?” Lin Xinyi asked again. She instinctively leaned closer, trying to see her paper.

Xu Shijiu had not expected her to lean in so suddenly, and her entire body tensed up in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Xinyi looked at her, confused by how stiff and awkward she suddenly became.

Xu Shijiu had always been strange, but today she seemed even stranger.

“Omega and Alpha shouldn’t be this close,” Xu Shijiu muttered. The distance between them was far too short. She didn’t even dare look up, because if she did, she would see Lin Xinyi’s pale neck and smell the faint rose scent of the Omega suppressant patch she wore.

“Huh?” Lin Xinyi blinked, then chuckled helplessly once she understood what Xu Shijiu meant.

So this Alpha in front of her was even more concerned about personal space than an Omega.

She, as an Omega, had not said anything, but Xu Shijiu had already made it an issue.

This was the first time Lin Xinyi had seen an Alpha so cautious about proximity.

Usually, it was the Omega who paid more attention to boundaries.

Sitting nearby, Lin Zhiling had been quietly listening in. When she heard Xu Shijiu’s comment and saw Lin Xinyi’s reaction, she couldn’t help but smile. Xu Shijiu was actually quite interesting. She was definitely different from the other Alphas she had known.

“Alright, alright, I won’t get too close. But then let go and let me see your test paper,” Lin Xinyi said with a smile and moved away slightly.

Once she had stepped back and the rose scent faded, Xu Shijiu didn’t quite know how to feel. She should have felt relieved, now that she wasn’t so tense or overwhelmed.

But for some reason, her heart felt heavier, like something small and important had been taken away.

That unfamiliar emotion was quickly pushed aside when Lin Xinyi brought up the test again. Xu Shijiu forced herself to refocus.

“Um…” Xu Shijiu glanced at her test paper, still keeping her hand pressed down over it.

“Xu Shijiu, there’s no point in trying to hide it. Your sister already told me that your grades aren’t very good. I’m prepared for it, really,” Lin Xinyi said gently. She didn’t try to snatch the paper and remained calm and patient.

Her sister had mentioned the issue with Xu Shijiu’s grades. It would have been even better if she could have shown her some of Xu Shijiu’s past test papers, but unfortunately, those had all been put away. No one knew if Xu Shijiu had kept them or already thrown them out.

“I’m not that bad,” Xu Shijiu said with a bit of frustration, quietly blaming her sister for not leaving her any dignity.

In front of this Omega, she, an Alpha, had no pride left. Her sister could never keep her mouth shut and had probably told Lin Xinyi everything.

“Even better if that’s true. Then let me take a look,” Lin Xinyi said, lifting her shoulders slightly.

Xu Shijiu hesitated again. She didn’t loosen her grip until Lin Xinyi softly urged her once more. Finally, she let go and allowed Lin Xinyi to take the test paper without resistance.

Although Xu Shijiu had kept her second-year test papers hidden away, Xu Manyue had still found a few surviving unit tests in storage. Every single one of them had perfect scores, whether in math, Chinese, or English.

She clearly had strong learning abilities. No one doubted that.

But no one knew how much of that ability remained now.

Lin Xinyi had expected that she would have at least gotten a few questions right. After all, she had once built a solid academic foundation. But the moment she saw the test and the answers, her heart sank.

“Here, red pen,” Xu Shijiu offered, thinking Lin Xinyi had not started because she didn’t have one. She opened her pencil case and handed one over.

“Thank you,” Lin Xinyi replied, a little surprised. This was the first time she had seen Xu Shijiu being so proactive at school. She had done something without even being asked. But then she looked back down at the paper.

How was she supposed to mark this?

It gave her a bit of a headache.

“Why aren’t you writing?” Xu Shijiu asked when she saw Lin Xinyi just holding the red pen and staring at the paper.

She had specifically taken out the pen for this. If Lin Xinyi didn’t use it, then what was the point?

“I am, I am.” Lin Xinyi quickly nodded, not daring to say what she was actually thinking. She immediately began marking the test.

It seemed like Xu Shijiu was really looking forward to the results.

But this kind of anticipation was completely misplaced.

The sound of the pen scratching across the paper made Xu Shijiu feel nervous. At the same time, she felt an unexpected sense of anticipation.

Lin Xinyi was undoubtedly one of the top students. She excelled in humanities and was also very good in science. Her science scores were usually just a point or two behind her best subject. She had ranked first in every unit test so far.

“Is it done?” Xu Shijiu asked, unable to wait any longer. It had been a while, and she felt like she had only answered a few questions. It really shouldn’t have taken that long to mark.

“It’s done,” Lin Xinyi answered, nodding stiffly.

“Let me see.” Xu Shijiu quickly took the paper back. This was the first time in a long while she had taken a test so seriously. She was curious about the result.

But as soon as her eyes landed on the page, she saw several large red Xs marked across the English questions she had attempted.

The entire English paper was made up of multiple-choice questions. She had put effort into it, reading each question carefully and picking the answers thoughtfully. She hadn’t guessed on a single one.

But still, every answer was wrong.

Xu Shijiu sat there in silence, her heart sinking.

“It’s alright. Really, it’s not a big deal. You haven’t been attending classes, so it’s expected. We’ll just focus on studying well from now on, and everything will get better,” Lin Xinyi said quickly, trying to comfort her.

But Xu Shijiu slowly lowered her head, feeling deeply discouraged.