After Mistakenly Marking Her Stunning Omega Stepsister - Chapter 14

When they returned home, the TV in the living room was on, broadcasting financial news. Lin Wei sat on the sofa, fully absorbed in the screen, dressed in simple pajamas.

Noticing Lin Sui and Wen Xiangzhu’s return, her expression softened. “Suisui and Wenwen are back! Auntie has prepared dinner. Go wash your hands and get ready to eat.”

“Okay.”

Lin Sui replied with a smile, her eyes sparkling with surprise.

For years, Lin Wei had been consumed by work, returning home late every night. Lin Sui barely saw her, let alone shared a meal together.

So today’s reunion brought her immense joy, even lightening her footsteps as she headed to her room.

After tidying up, Lin Sui opened her bedroom door to find Wen Xiangzhu quietly standing outside, her presence enigmatic.

She paused. “What are you doing here?”

“I was waiting for you,” Wen Xiangzhu said with a smile. “Sister, let’s go downstairs for dinner.”

“Uh… okay.” Lin Sui was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but smile and follow her downstairs.

Everything was fine until they reached the dining table and Lin Sui saw Wen Wenfu sitting next to Lin Wei. Her expression changed.

“Sister?” Wen Xiangzhu stopped when she noticed Lin Sui had frozen, turning to look back at her.

“It’s nothing.” After a moment, Lin Sui regained her composure, and they sat down at the table.

Her good mood vanished instantly.

How could she have forgotten? There was still that irritating presence at home.

“Suisui, your mother told me you like fish. I had someone specially bring this river-caught fish—it’s very good. Try some?” Wen Wenfu said with a smile, using clean chopsticks to place a piece of fish in Lin Sui’s bowl.

Lin Sui glanced at the fish in her bowl, then shot him a sideways look, finding his smile utterly insincere.

How could Lin Wei not see through him?!

The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she felt. “I don’t want it,” she snapped.

Lin Wei blinked, glancing between Lin Sui and Wen Wenfu. With a smile to lighten the mood, she said, “How about I put some fish in your bowl?”

As she reached for the fish, Lin Sui’s face tightened. “I don’t want it.”

Seeing this, Lin Wei pursed her lips and patiently replied, “Suisui, you’re so grown up now. Why are you throwing a tantrum?”

“Ms. Lin,” Lin Sui said, taking a deep breath and looking at her mother, “I’ve been allergic to fish since I was a child. Even the maids at home know this. Why didn’t you?”

Before Lin Wei could respond, Lin Sui had already gotten up and gone upstairs to her room.

Wen Xiangzhu sat in her chair, staring blankly at Lin Sui’s retreating figure. A complex emotion flickered in her eyes.

Lin Wei lowered her gaze and sighed silently, a hint of loneliness and self-reproach in her eyes. “All these years, I’ve been too busy with work. I haven’t paid enough attention to Suisui.”

Wen Wenfu patted her shoulder and gently comforted her, “It’s not your fault…”

After a moment of hesitation, Wen Xiangzhu set down her chopsticks, stood up, and said, “I… I’m going to go check on Sister.”

“Mm.”

“Go ahead.”

Lin Sui was furious. She stormed back to her room and slammed the door shut, feeling a tightness in her chest and a stinging in her nose. A sudden wave of intense emotion engulfed her, making her feel like something was lodged in her throat, suffocating her.

Gasping for air, she staggered a few steps before collapsing onto the edge of her bed, her mind consumed by images of Lin Wei’s reproachful face moments earlier.

After a moment, she let out a bitter laugh.

“Lin Sui, you’re so grown up. Why are you still throwing tantrums? Who are you trying to impress with your sulking?”

Lin Sui lowered her gaze, staring blankly at the cold floor, the corners of her eyes tinged with red.

“In Ms. Lin’s heart, work has always been more important than me. It’s been like this since I was little…”

Just then, there was a knock at the door, followed by Wen Xiangzhu’s soft, gentle voice: “Sister, I brought some snacks. Want to share them with me?”

Lin Sui didn’t move. She really didn’t want to move. She opened her mouth, and when she spoke, her voice was hoarse: “Come in. The door’s not locked.”

The door opened cautiously. Wen Xiangzhu stepped into the room on small steps, turned to close the door behind her, and then sat down on the floor next to Lin Sui.

Seeing this, Lin Sui frowned. “The floor’s cold.”

“It’s okay. You’re sitting on the floor too, Sister.” Wen Xiangzhu blinked, a smile on her face. She then spread out the large bag she had brought in.

Inside were all sorts of snacks: potato chips, chocolate bars, steamed cakes…

“Where did all this stuff come from?” Lin Sui asked, her eyelashes fluttering in confusion.

Wen Xiangzhu tilted her head and grinned. “I bought it and saved it up for just such an emergency!”

“What do you think? Clever, right?”

Lin Sui looked up at Wen Xiangzhu. Her eyes were bright and curved, like they held stars when she smiled—and they were…

…warm.

Lin Sui didn’t know why she thought of that word. Maybe it was because, before Wen Xiangzhu moved in, she’d always been alone.

Alone eating, alone blowing out birthday candles, alone facing the empty house, alone…

…doing everything.

She had to keep herself busy just to forget Lin Wei’s existence for a while, to forget that she was still waiting for that phone call.

She had to be independent, learn to take care of herself, lower her expectations, so she wouldn’t be disappointed.

For years, she’d been trying to learn how to be an adult.

But it was hard.

At first, Wen Xiangzhu’s appearance annoyed Lin Sui.

But now… she felt that her once icy life had gained warmth.

At least, the loneliness around her had vanished.

“Mm,” Lin Sui murmured, meeting Wen Xiangzhu’s gaze. “You are quite clever.”

Perhaps her gaze was too intense, making Wen Xiangzhu blush and lower her head. “Then… Sister, feel free to take whatever you want to eat!”

Lin Sui calmly withdrew her gaze and picked up a steamed bun. “Then I’ll definitely take something filling.”

After a pause, she added, “Auntie Lin made so many dishes downstairs. Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Actually… I’m not that hungry,” Wen Xiangzhu said, pursing her lips. “I’m here to keep Sister company.”

Lin Sui’s eyelashes fluttered as she gave Wen Xiangzhu a deep look. “Keep me company?”

Realizing she might have misspoken, Wen Xiangzhu blinked and corrected herself. “Actually… maybe Sister doesn’t need me around, but I want to be with Sister.”

“Why?”

“Because…” She paused to think for a moment, then answered with a teasing smile, “Because I’m still young! Without Sister, I’d probably die!”

Lin Sui chuckled at Wen Xiangzhu’s antics.

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

Seeing her smile, Wen Xiangzhu seemed to relax, chuckling in response. “I’m not spouting nonsense at all!”

“Alright, alright, you’re not spouting nonsense,” Lin Sui said, exasperated, her tone carrying an unnoticeable hint of gentleness.

Wen Xiangzhu watched Lin Sui tear open the cake wrapper and take small bites, her eyes curving into crescents.

“Sister.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re already so amazing.” Wen Xiangzhu paused before adding with a smile, “You’re super amazing in my eyes, Sister!”

Lin Sui paused mid-bite, momentarily stunned. She pressed her lips together and replied coolly, “Of course I know I’m amazing. I don’t need you to tell me that…”

Wen Xiangzhu glanced at the slight pinkness at the tips of Lin Sui’s ears and nodded. “Just reminding you in case you forget.”

Feeling flustered, Lin Sui quickly finished her cake and shooed Wen Xiangzhu out, claiming she was tired.

Now that she thought about it… maybe spending time with Wen Xiangzhu wasn’t so annoying after all.

******

Bathing was always a major undertaking for Lin Sui. After finishing her shower, drying her hair, and emerging from the bathroom, she collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted.

She lay there in a daze for a while before lazily opening her phone, intending to reply to a few messages before going to sleep.

Only then did she notice that Lin Wei had sent her a message an hour earlier:

[Sorry, Suisui. It was Mom who forgot you can’t eat fish. I’ve been so busy these past few years that I’ve neglected you. I’ll try to spend more time with you from now on, okay? There’s food in the pot. If you’re hungry, feel free to come down and eat. Also, Wanwan is coming over tomorrow evening, so make sure you get plenty of rest. Goodnight, sweetheart.]

Lin Sui lowered her gaze, staring at the message and reading it over and over, looking like a dejected rabbit with its ears drooping.

After a moment, she simply replied with “Goodnight” before closing the message.

Jiang Wanwan was coming over tomorrow?

Lin Sui narrowed her eyes, suddenly remembering the awkward encounter she’d had with Jiang Wanwan and Wen Xiangzhu outside last time. A headache was coming on.

Well, tomorrow’s problems can wait until tomorrow.

Time to sleep!

The sky outside the window was pitch black, scattered with a few twinkling stars.

On the neighboring balcony, Wen Xiangzhu sat in a chair, her chin propped in her hand, lost in thought. Her gaze was fixed on the direction of Lin Sui’s balcony.

The evening breeze lifted strands of her hair, their movements erratic and unpredictable, as if a playful sprite were dancing in the wind.

Ding! Her phone chimed.

Wen Xiangzhu snapped out of her daze, picked up her phone, and opened it.

[Lu Xiaomeng: Wenwen, check out this post. Is that you?]

[Lu Xiaomeng: <image>]

Wen Xiangzhu frowned slightly and tapped on the screenshot Lu Xiaomeng had sent.

The photo was a candid shot taken from a distance of her getting into her car after school today. The title read: [ Who’s this person from our school? Only a few big shots around here could afford a car like that. How come I’ve never seen this person before? ]

Wen Xiangzhu pressed her lips together and quickly opened the forum to find the post.

The comments below were mostly normal people recognizing her, speculating about her family background until she saw one particular reply:

[From what I know, Wen’s family isn’t rich enough to afford a car like that. Besides, if it was her own car, why park it so far away and walk all that way? Is she just trying to get some exercise? If this really is her… maybe she has some kind of shady relationship with the owner?]

[Shady relationship? Don’t just make stuff up without proof. Besides, I know whose car that is.]

[Really? Whose car is it?]

[I can’t say. It’s confidential.]

[Is it someone from our school?]

[Yes, exactly.]

******

Wen Xiangzhu was reading the reply when another message popped up at the top of the screen.

[Lu Xiaomeng: Wenwen? The rumors are getting a bit out of hand. Should we set the record straight?]

Wen Xiangzhu snapped out of her daze and returned to the chat interface.

[Hidden: No need. That’s actually me.]

[Lu Xiaomeng: Ah??!!]

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