After Being Marked By A Love Rival - Chapter 11

The sentence was very soft, as if it was dispersed by the wind.

But perhaps because Xie Rong was standing in the direction of the wind, she heard this whisper very clearly.

Xie Rong’s steps paused slightly, and a subtle, indescribable awkwardness rose in her heart.

She glanced sideways at Qi Musi, but the other party showed no unusual expression, so Xie Rong withdrew her gaze, assuming she was overthinking it.

After all… although their time together was short, wasn’t Qi Musi just this type of personality? While her words and expressions were highly misleading and ambiguous, in reality, it was just her subconscious habit, not to be taken seriously.

Thinking this, Xie Rong completely dismissed the awkwardness and didn’t dwell on it further.

Because the sports field was quite a distance from the teaching building, Zhao Rongrong and the others were bored on the walk, so they pressed, “Who exactly does Xiaorong like? I’m so curious.”

Mo Li: “Seconded.”

“…”

Qi Musi tilted her head and smiled, joining the inquiry, “I’m also very curious.”

Xie Rong turned her head in annoyance, her earlobes flushed crimson from the pressure.

Qi Musi happened to glance sideways and catch this flush of crimson.

Xie Rong’s earlobes were very fair, like jade pendants, with a seemingly translucent brilliance that suggested an indescribable deliciousness; but precisely because of this, once they were dyed with a blush, they became especially noticeable.

Qi Musi squeezed her palm with her fingertips, her eyes darkening slightly. She then turned her head, exhaled, and said in a seemingly emotionless tone, “Xiaorong, are you so shy that even your ears are red? We haven’t even asked anything yet.”

This statement was a trigger, and Zhao Rongrong’s excitement reached a new high she was determined to uncover the truth.

Of course, she wasn’t completely tactless it was only because Xie Rong was merely embarrassed and not angry that she felt safe enough to keep teasing.

Xie Rong was bothered and had no choice. Plus, due to some of her own hidden thoughts… she also wanted to occasionally vent her feelings and emotions so she wouldn’t have to keep herself so tightly wound. Therefore, facing Zhao Rongrong’s incessant questioning, she relented.

“Someone from our school.”

Zhao Rongrong was startled: “Really?! Which grade? Senior or junior… oh wait, no juniors, senior or same grade? An Omega? What scent of pheromone?”

“Hey,” Mo Li couldn’t help but speak up at the last question, “Are you a perverted Alpha? Be careful or I’ll hit you.”

Zhao Rongrong looked aggrieved.

Xie Rong looked at the distant scenery, reached up to tuck a strand of hair, and after a moment, she said, “Same grade.”

Zhao Rongrong: “Major? Major?”

“…Chinese Language and Literature.”

Hearing the familiar words, Qi Musi’s eyebrows subtly moved. That’s quite… a coincidence.

She tilted her head. “Speaking of which, a friend I recently got to know is also in that major. Quite a coincidence.”

Qi Musi was naturally referring to Zhuang Xinbai, but for some reason, she didn’t mention that she was currently pursuing Zhuang Xinbai. Instead, she felt a strange sense of guilt, wanting to hide the matter.

Qi Musi paused internally, unable to pinpoint why she felt this way.

Zhao Rongrong asked again, “An Omega?”

Xie Rong nodded.

Zhao Rongrong was as curious as a kitten peeking out of a cardboard box, her face full of the urge to ‘let me see.’ “Then, you two aren’t together yet? No way, if Xiaorong makes a move, she can definitely win them over.”

Xie Rong gave her a cold, level look, her expression, which had softened from mentioning the person she liked, fading slightly. She slightly raised her eyelids, her tone a little stern.

“I’m truly sorry, but I haven’t won them over.”

As if gleaning Xie Rong’s less than pleasant emotions and a significant fact from that sentence, Zhao Rongrong nervously shrunk her shoulders, admitting she was wrong. But the silence was only temporary, and soon she couldn’t help but ask, “Why is that?”

This time, Mo Li didn’t stop Zhao Rongrong, as she was also curious about this.

“I also thought that if Xiaorong made a move, it would definitely be a guaranteed win. After all, our Xiaorong is attractive enough just standing there.”

“…”

Although they were words of praise, at this moment, they only caused Xie Rong pain.

Xie Rong’s expression stiffened, and then she let out an almost imperceptible sigh. “No particular reason.” She lowered her eyes, her mood not seeming high. A slight frown formed between her brows, lending her an unusual sense of cold melancholy.

She rarely showed such an expression, but when she did, it only evoked sympathy and pity in others. After all, an ice-cold beauty frowning and sighing is the most captivating sight.

Qi Musi’s gaze swept over her face, drawn by her expression. She thought, it seems Xie Rong is not taking this well.

Even though it was a moment of distress for Xie Rong, for some inexplicable reason, Qi Musi felt a secret sense of schadenfreude, like a dark, unsavory emotion.

Qi Musi paused and reined in her thoughts. After all, this was wrong; the other person was her roommate. No matter how two-faced Qi Musi might be, given her recent favorable feelings toward Xie Rong, she shouldn’t mock or stab her in the back over this.

But… Qi Musi clearly recognized the emotion in her heart, knowing it was indeed schadenfreude.

Xie Rong said, “Perhaps because we grew up together, attending the same schools from primary school to high school. The feeling she has for me is more like… the feeling for a relative.”

There was truth in this.

Xie Rong could feel Zhuang Xinbai’s familiarity, care, and impeccable tenderness towards her, but these emotions were devoid of any romantic undertones; they were nothing but the most straightforward concern, allowing no room for misinterpretation.

Zhuang Xinbai truly loved her like family.

Zhao Rongrong parted her lips, “Ah, this… a real life version of ‘I see you as a brother.'”

“…”

Xie Rong sighed, her expression clearly not pleased, and then quickened her pace toward the teaching building where their next class was.

Mo Li and the others watched Xie Rong’s retreating back. “I never thought Xiaorong would be rejected…”

“Darn it, now I’m truly curious what kind of Omega they are!”

Qi Musi slowly lowered her eyes, the usual smile still on her lips.

Speaking of which, she was also curious about what kind of Omega it was. Not curious about who could reject Xie Rong, but curious about the person who could earn Xie Rong’s affection.

Qi Musi and Zhuang Xinbai went together to a famous coffee shop near the school that adopts stray cats.

The owner of the shop was said to be a wealthy second-generation heir with disposable income who, after graduation, was too lazy to take over the family business but also didn’t want to start working immediately. So, he opened a coffee shop next to the school and simultaneously took in stray cats and dogs delivered from the neighborhood. After bathing, deworming, vaccinating, and sterilizing them, he let them roam the café, essentially turning it into a half cat cafe.

Because he was a rich heir, he opened it purely out of love and didn’t care about income or profit; hence, he accepted any cat that was brought in.

Ding..a ling, Zhuang Xinbai pushed open the coffee shop door. Qi Musi followed her in and then surveyed the interior decoration, which was indeed lovely.

The layout was refined and elegant, looking very “leisurely and tasteful.” Although there were cats everywhere in the shop, there was no strange odor, indicating that the hygiene was quite excellent.

A young man leaned against the counter, sitting on a high stool, one hand propping up his chin, his expression languid.

Zhuang Xinbai familiarized herself, walked over, greeted him, and then introduced Qi Musi: “This is the owner of the coffee shop, Lu Yuan.”

Then she introduced Qi Musi: “This is a new friend I met, Qi Musi. She said she was very interested in the cats here, so I brought her over.”

There was also a point: after hearing about the coffee shop’s situation, Qi Musi expressed that she could sponsor a portion of the expenses but wanted to see the situation first, which is why Zhuang Xinbai brought her along.

The coffee shop owner had graduated last year and was about twenty-something years old, a tall, slender Omega whose pheromones were very subtly concealed. When he looked up, his expression was a mix of haughtiness and coolness, much like a cat.

He glanced at Qi Musi, sizing her up. “An Alpha?”

Qi Musi smiled and nodded.

Her gaze swept over the expression on his face. For some reason, this owner made her feel a little familiar…

Lu Yuan didn’t engage much with Qi Musi, only asking Zhuang Xinbai, “Why are you here with this Alpha? Your partner?”

Zhuang Xinbai blushed and quickly waved her hands. “No! She… she’s my classmate.”

Zhuang Xinbai’s words were actually a bit tentative. Although she hadn’t agreed to Qi Musi’s pursuit, she felt she hadn’t completely and thoroughly rejected her either. Would it be… inappropriate to only introduce Qi Musi as a classmate?

This was the first time Zhuang Xinbai had encountered a situation like the one with Qi Musi, so she didn’t know what the appropriate way to handle it was.

Moreover, the most important thing was that she was afraid her behavior might hurt Qi Musi.

Fortunately, Qi Musi didn’t mind and proactively helped Zhuang Xinbai out.

She smiled, her peach blossom eyes full of warmth. “I am indeed Xinbai’s friend, but… I am also actively pursuing her.”

When she spoke the last sentence, for some reason, Qi Musi felt a slight pause, as if she had reservations or some internal resistance.

But she ultimately said the sentence and didn’t pay too much attention to the small unexpected moment.

Lu Yuan nodded languidly, not overly concerned about their affairs, and just asked, “What would you like to drink?”

Zhuang Xinbai asked, “Can we go see the cats?”

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and then stood up. “Sure.”

He stood up and led the two of them toward the back door. After opening the door and crossing the corridor, they arrived at a room.

“The cats usually sleep inside.” He said, opening the door.

Since it was operating hours, the cats were all active outside. The room only contained standard cat supplies, such as cat trees, litter boxes, cat beds, and food and water.

Although it was a place where cats gathered, and there was indeed a lot of cat hair and cat scent, perhaps because it was frequently cleaned, it surprisingly had no foul odors.

“Satisfied?” This question was not directed at Zhuang Xinbai but at Qi Musi.

Evidently, Lu Yuan had understood that Qi Musi was the main decision-maker today.

His gaze assessed Qi Musi. He slightly curved his lips, revealing a somewhat challenging smile. “Does the boss still want to invest?”