After Mistakenly Marking Her Stunning Omega Stepsister - Chapter 16

For convenience, the group decided to stay on campus and find a corner table in the cafeteria for lunch.

Xia Yi noticed Lin Sui and Zhu Huan’s mysterious and serious expressions, her face full of question marks. She lost her appetite. “What’s going on? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, we just want to ask about two people,” Lin Sui said, taking a leisurely sip of her newly bought water. “Feng Yue and Lu Rong.”

Wen Xiangzhu frowned before Xia Yi could respond. “Lu Rong?”

“What? Do you know him?” Lin Sui asked, surprised.

She thought she knew Wen Xiangzhu well. The girl spent all her time in class and never visited other classes. She’d only transferred to the school a month ago and probably hadn’t even memorized all the names in her own class, let alone those in other classes.

Wen Xiangzhu nodded slightly, then shook her head. “Not really. He came to find me the day I went to your dormitory to get the chemistry practice book.”

She then recounted the events of that day in detail.

Xia Yi nodded thoughtfully. “Lu Rong and Feng Yue are close, and Feng Yue has always liked Chen Huaxing. So, Lu Rong must have come to stand up for Feng Yue that day.”

“But there’s one problem,” Lin Sui murmured. “If Lu Rong’s purpose that day was to stand up for Feng Yue, how did he know Wen Xiangzhu would be coming out of our dormitory building?”

Silence fell over the group.

After a moment, Xia Yi looked up at them. “Perhaps… I know who it was.”

******

After the meal, Lin Sui was so angry she wanted to go teach those guys a lesson right then and there.

Wen Xiangzhu, however, spoke gently and persuasively. “Let’s not make a big deal out of this. If Auntie Lin finds out, she’ll start nagging again.”

Lin Sui sighed and reluctantly relented. But the betrayal within their dormitory was a bitter pill she couldn’t swallow.

“How about this?” Xia Yi suggested. “When I go back to class, I’ll talk to Ye Shuqian for you. That way we can see what her attitude is.”

Lin Sui pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

That afternoon, they had a PE class.

As soon as they were dismissed, Wen Xiangzhu approached Lin Sui. “Sister, are you playing?”

“No,” Lin Sui replied, raising an eyebrow. “You still dare to walk so close to me? Don’t you want to avoid any suspicion?”

“What’s there to avoid?” Wen Xiangzhu blinked, clasping her hands behind her back and smiling. “The rumors have already spread throughout the school. If I avoided suspicion, they’d think I had something to hide.”

Lin Sui chuckled softly. “True enough.”

Since Lin Sui wasn’t playing, Wen Xiangzhu settled down beside her on the steps.

“Sister,” she said after a moment of silence, “how do you plan to deal with this?”

“You mean Feng Yue’s situation?”

“No, I mean… the rumors about us being in a teenage romance.”

Lin Sui shifted her gaze from her phone screen to the distant playground, lost in thought.

“Does it bother you?”

Wen Xiangzhu paused. “I don’t…”

“Right, of course it bothers you. You’re not like Alphas. This could damage your reputation,” Lin Sui said before Wen Xiangzhu could finish.

Wen Xiangzhu: “……”

“Actually, I…”

Lin Sui sighed. “Alright, I’ll find a chance to clear things up.”

“……”

Lin Sui glanced at Wen Xiangzhu’s conflicted expression and hesitated. “Try… not to worry?”

After a moment of silence, Wen Xiangzhu replied, “Sister, I don’t think the rumor is a big deal. Whether we clear it up or not doesn’t really matter.”

“How can that be?” Lin Sui waved her hand, assuming Wen Xiangzhu was just being polite. “Your reputation is at stake. What if someone brings this up when you get married someday? It’d be a huge loss for nothing.”

“M-married?” Wen Xiangzhu murmured, her lashes trembling slightly.

“Yeah.” Lin Sui looked at her, puzzled. “Is marriage that unusual?”

Wen Xiangzhu pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Hmm…” Lin Sui pondered for a brief moment.

“It’s good you haven’t thought about it yet. Right now, your studies should be your priority. Things like romance and marriage can wait until later.”

“Right,” Wen Xiangzhu mumbled, keeping her head down. She looked dejected.

When they returned to the dorm that evening, Ye Shuqian still hadn’t come back.

Xia Yi walked over to Lin Sui and whispered, “Ye Shuqian admitted it. Her expression… she might have looked a little sorry? I couldn’t tell for sure, but I think she did.”

“Then why hasn’t she returned so late?” Lin Sui asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe… she’s scared?” Xia Yi suggested tentatively.

“Scared of what?”

“Scared of you,” Xia Yi replied softly.

Lin Sui: “……”

“Do I really look that scary?” Xia Yi stroked her chin, squinting thoughtfully. “Well… maybe a little. You are the sole heir to Lin Corporation and a Second-Dan Black Belt. No one would dare offend you lightly.”

Lin Sui frowned, pondering this for a moment.

“Then why isn’t Wen Xiangzhu scared of me?”

“Um… how would I know?” Xia Yi shrugged, turning to grab her towel. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Lin Sui nodded silently, continuing to ponder.

But she quickly gave up.

She couldn’t think of anything.

Ye Shuqian returned to the dorm just as lights-out approached.

By then, Lin Sui was already lying in bed, playing on her phone.

She tiptoed past Lin Sui’s bed, set down her bag, and was just gathering her things to go wash up when she realized Lin Sui was sitting up.

“Trying to avoid me?”

Ye Shuqian jumped, her legs going weak. She stood frozen, too afraid to move.

“S-S-Suisui…”

Lin Sui slowly stood and walked over to her. “Scared of me?”

Ye Shuqian pressed her lips together, lowering her head nervously, remaining silent.

Seeing this, Lin Sui didn’t rush. She pulled out the chair at Ye Shuqian’s desk and sat down, speaking casually. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“I…” She pressed her lips tightly together, looking deeply conflicted. After a long pause, she finally said, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Lin Sui asked, not even looking up.

“I shouldn’t have tipped Feng Yue and the others off,” Ye Shuqian said, biting her lip, her voice trembling. “But I couldn’t bring myself to disobey them.”

Lin Sui narrowed her eyes and looked up at her. “What do you mean by that?”

“If I don’t do as they say, they’ll bully me.”

“…”

Hearing this, Xia Yi poked her head out from the bed.

“That’s true. Feng Yue and her little gang bully people all the time.”

Lin Sui raised an eyebrow at Ye Shuqian. “So you help them, but aren’t you afraid I’ll bully you?”

“I am…” Ye Shuqian lowered her head, her legs trembling slightly.

It made sense. Lin Sui was now something of a schoolyard bully at school.

This was because she had single-handedly taken on an entire soccer team last year and come out unscathed. Not only that, but pressured by Lin Corporation, the school had even awarded her a medal for bravery.

******

Lin Sui knew the incident at school had been blown out of proportion, but she didn’t bother correcting the rumors.

After all, taking on an entire soccer team single-handedly was true.

“All you need to tell me now is if you were aware of that forum post,” Lin Sui said calmly.

Ye Shuqian shrank back and nodded slightly. “I was aware…”

Lin Sui nodded thoughtfully.

She had initially wanted Ye Shuqian to expose the two troublemakers on the forum, but upon reflection, she realized that forum posts were just small skirmishes. To resolve the issue at its root, she couldn’t just address the symptoms.

She needed to deal with those two.

With this thought, Lin Sui’s eyes glinted. “Alright, you may go.”

“Huh?” Ye Shuqian blinked in confusion. Was she… being let off just like that?

Lin Sui glanced at her. “Do me a favor in a few days, and I’ll forgive you.”

“Okay, okay! Thank you, Sister Suisui!”

******

Before anyone knew it, it was time for the sports meet. The days leading up to it passed uneventfully, and Wen Xiangzhu didn’t bring up the matter again.

The day of the event was scorching hot, the blazing sun baking the earth.

Lin Sui wore a black tracksuit, her jet-black hair casually tied back with a rubber band, giving her an energetic appearance despite the worried expression on her face.

She couldn’t be exposed to the sun.

Zhu Huan, who had anticipated this problem, approached with sunscreen and a pair of long pants, grinning. “I knew you’d forget. Hurry up and put this on, then change your pants.”

“Okay,” Lin Sui replied, applying the sunscreen to her exposed skin.

Wen Xiangzhu stood nearby, looking puzzled. “Forgot what?”

Zhu Huan chuckled. “Don’t you know? Lin Sui gets a skin rash from the sun.”

As she spoke, Zhu Huan led Lin Sui toward the school building.

“Change your pants in the restroom.”

“Right.”

Wen Xiangzhu’s eyelashes flickered as she glanced at the blazing sun over the sports field, then back at Lin Sui’s short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Her pale, slender limbs were completely exposed to the air, without a shred of protection.

Even if she changed into long pants, her arms would still get sunburned.

Will this sunscreen even work?

Wen Xiangzhu pursed her lips, glanced at her watch, and noted there were still half an hour until the competition.

She hurried after the two girls. “Hey, wait for me!”

With that, she dashed straight toward the school shop.

Lin Sui stared after her retreating figure, utterly baffled.

Zhu Huan chuckled. “Stop staring. Let’s go change into long pants first.”

“Alright.”

Wen Xiangzhu arrived at the shop, grabbed a pack of ice sleeves from the shelf, and went to the checkout counter. “Auntie Lin, I’ll take this.”

“Sure, that’s thirty-five yuan.”

After paying, Wen Xiangzhu stepped out of the shop but collided head-on with a group of people.

She lost her balance and fell backward onto the ground, feeling a sudden sharp pain in her ankle. The pack of ice sleeves she’d just bought tumbled into a corner.

“Watch where you’re going, you idiots!” someone shouted angrily, bending down to wipe water off their clothes with a tissue.

Wen Xiangzhu frowned and looked up.

She’d never seen this loudmouthed girl before, but the boy beside her was…

Lu Rong.

“Is that you?” Seeing Lu Rong, Wen Xiangzhu immediately understood. This must be Feng Yue.

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she snapped, “And what did you mean by ‘not having eyes’?”

“About you, of course,” Feng Yue replied, clearly recognizing Wen Xiangzhu as well. She looked down at her with a hostile expression. “What’s wrong? Lin Sui not with you? You don’t look so tough after all.”

“What do you mean? What does Lin Sui have to do with this? You hit me and won’t even apologize?!”

Wen Xiangzhu gritted her teeth, glaring through the pain in her ankle.

Ye Shuqian, who was following behind, peeked out and hesitated. Then she tugged at Feng Yue’s sleeve. “Forget it. She’s already fallen.”

“So what if she tripped? What’s the big deal?” Feng Yue snorted. “Who told her to be so flirtatious all the time? This is her comeuppance!”

As she spoke, Feng Yue glared at Wen Xiangzhu. “You got my new clothes wet. Apologize.”

“Why should I? You were the one holding the water!” Wen Xiangzhu pressed her lips together, her pale cheeks flushed with anger, giving her a vulnerable look.

Feng Yue narrowed her eyes, growing increasingly furious. Just as she was about to strike, Lu Rong, standing beside her, gently restrained her with a shake of his head.

“We don’t know the situation between Lin Sui and her yet. Let’s hold off on any action.”

Feng Yue let out a cold snort, reluctantly suppressing her impulse.

“Fine. I’ll let you off for now. Let’s go.”

Wen Xiangzhu stared after them, her eyes reddening with fury. She glanced down at her swollen ankle, pursing her lips in resentment.

Just then, an announcement blared over the speakers:

“Runners for the 3000-meter race, please report to the starting line.”

Wen Xiangzhu’s eyes widened as she remembered the arm warmer that had fallen who knows where. It was Lin Sui’s race…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden urge to wipe the moisture from the corners of her eyes. She turned, scanning the area.

The cashier, noticing her distress, walked over and handed her the arm warmer. “Need help?”

“I’m… I’m okay.”

Wen Xiangzhu pursed her lips. “Could you help me up? My foot hurts.”

“Sure.”

The cashier carefully helped her stand and sighed. “I’ve seen that group before. You’re best off avoiding them. They won’t hesitate to get physical.”

“Mm… Thank you, Auntie.”

As Feng Yue and her group emerged from the school building, they ran right into Lin Sui and Zhu Huan.

The girls lowered their heads and hurried past like mice seeing a cat.

Lin Sui glanced at Ye Shuqian, who was trailing behind them, and whispered, “Is that Feng Yue?”

“Exactly,” Zhu Huan confirmed.

Lin Sui nodded and turned her gaze away.

When Wen Xiangzhu still hadn’t arrived after a while, Lin Sui wondered aloud, “Where did that girl go?”

Zhu Huan pondered for a moment. “Do you think she thought we left and went to look for us over there?”

Lin Sui considered this for a moment, then shook her head. “That’s probably not it.”

“I’ll go check the shop.”

“Hmm? The announcement is already urging us to hurry.”

Zhu Huan widened her eyes, watching Lin Sui walk toward the shop as if she hadn’t heard a word. With no choice, Zhu Huan followed.

Soon, Lin Sui spotted Wen Xiangzhu in the hallway, one hand clutching a bag of items and the other braced against the wall as she shuffled slowly toward the exit.

“Wen Xiangzhu?”

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