After Mistakenly Marking Her Stunning Omega Stepsister - Chapter 30

As the end of the semester approached, the class was gripped by a palpable tension, as if facing a great enemy. Everyone feared the poor exam results, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Lin Sui, however, remained unfazed. Even after lunch break ended and her classmates had settled into studying, she was still asleep.

Lu Xiaomeng, perhaps weary from working on problems, stretched lazily and glanced at her phone, her eyes heavy with fatigue. But when she saw the notification at the top of the screen, her eyes lit up, and she perked up instantly.

She sat up straight and excitedly grabbed Wen Xiangzhu, who was still working on her problems.

“Wenwen, look! It’s Shen Xing! Shen Xing is coming to Ningcheng for a concert!!”

“Shen Xing?!” Wen Xiangzhu’s eyes widened in surprise. She quickly set down her pen and leaned over to look at the screen with Lu Xiaomeng.

[Shen Xing National Tour – Ningcheng Stop – New Year’s Eve Concert – December 31st, 8 PM – Ningcheng Central Plaza…]

“Oh my goodness!” Wen Xiangzhu, a big fan of Shen Xing, lost all focus on her studies. “Shen Xing is actually coming to Ningcheng! And it’s a New Year’s Eve concert! I really want to go! I have to go!”

Lu Xiaomeng smiled in agreement, then sighed wistfully as if remembering something. “Yeah, but… Shen Xing’s concert tickets are always hard to get, especially for New Year’s Eve. They’ll be even more expensive and harder to snag. We probably won’t even get tickets for the back rows.”

Wen Xiangzhu’s smile faded as she regained her composure, and she sighed as well.

“You’re right…”

“Speaking of New Year’s Eve, have you thought about how you want to celebrate?” Lu Xiaomeng asked curiously.

Wen Xiangzhu pondered for a moment, a smile playing on her lips. “If I can snag a ticket to the concert, I’ll definitely spend New Year’s Eve with Sister Shen Xing. She’s the most captivating Alpha in the entertainment industry! If I can’t get a ticket… I’ll just hang out at Central Plaza. At least I’ll be able to hear Shen Xing’s voice. Ringing in the new year while listening to her music would make my life complete.”

“Right! That’s a great idea!” Lu Xiaomeng’s eyes widened. “Even outside the venue, you’ll still hear the sound!”

Zhu Huan, who had been propping her face in her hand and listening quietly to their conversation, couldn’t help but chuckle. “Someone would actually brave the cold outside the venue just to listen to the concert?”

Her words hung in the air, and the pair in front of her froze, turning to look back.

“If we can’t get tickets, what’s the plan?” Lu Xiaomeng asked helplessly.

“Just because you can’t get tickets doesn’t mean I can’t,” Zhu Huan said, a mischievous grin curling her lips as she draped an arm over Lin Sui’s shoulder. “Right, Suisui?”

Lin Sui, suddenly jolted awake and blinking sleepily, remained silent.

Lin Sui hadn’t given it much thought, assuming it was just a minor interruption.

But as soon as she returned to her dorm that evening, she received a message from Jiang Wanwan.

[Jiang Wanwan: Shen Xing is coming to Ningcheng for a concert! I’ve tried every connection I have, but I can’t get tickets. Sister Sui, do you have any ideas?]

A Shen Xing concert?

Lin Sui raised an eyebrow at the message on her screen.

Shen Xing had become famous at a young age and was now in her thirties, with legions of fans. Tickets to her concerts were notoriously hard to come by, practically priceless.

But Lin Sui happened to know someone who could help.

[How many tickets do you need?]

[Jiang Wanwan: !! Sister Sui, you’re amazing! If possible, two. I want to go with you. Please?]

[Hmm… I’ll see what I can do.]

Lin Sui neither confirmed nor denied it outright, and Jiang Wanwan tactfully didn’t press further.

“Hey, what’s got you so focused?” Zhu Huan suddenly appeared beside Lin Sui, peering at the screen in her hand. “Jiang Wanwan? A concert?”

“You’re going to Shen Xing’s concert?”

Lin Sui shot her a glare.

“I haven’t even decided if I’m going. She just asked me to help her get tickets.”

Zhu Huan nodded thoughtfully. “Speaking of which, I thought you’d give Jiang Wanwan a more special nickname. I didn’t expect it to just be her full name.”

“Why would it be special?” Lin Sui put away her phone, eyeing her suspiciously.

Zhu Huan chuckled. “A special person deserves a special nickname, especially since she’s your fiancée.”

Lin Sui frowned, remembering how many times she’d changed Wen Xiangzhu’s nickname. After a pause, she hesitantly asked, “What if… the nickname is special, but the person isn’t?”

“Hmm, how to put it? Generally, people don’t bother creating special nicknames for unimportant people. Why waste time on someone who doesn’t matter?”

Zhu Huan paused before adding, “But if you do have a special nickname for someone, it means you haven’t realized yet that they’re different from others in your heart. Like Jiang Wanwan. Even though she’s your fiancée, deep down, she’s no different from any other friend.”

“So you’re saying Jiang Wanwan isn’t important to me?”

Does that mean Wen Xiangzhu is actually the more special one?

Lin Sui frowned, the rest of the sentence left unspoken.

How could this be? She and Jiang Wanwan had grown up together, while Wen Xiangzhu… they’d known each other for less than half a year.

Zhu Huan chuckled softly, shaking her head mysteriously. “It’s not my opinion. It’s yours. You need to ask yourself.”

With that, she walked away without another word.

Lin Sui stood frozen, her lips pressed into a thin line. After a long pause, she scoffed.

Impossible. Nonsense.

Her relationship with Jiang Wanwan was extraordinary. How could it not be important?!

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Lin Sui angrily opened her phone and tapped open Jiang Wanwan’s chat window.

[I’ll go to the concert with you.]

Just as she hit send, a new message popped up at the top of the screen.

[Student E: Sister, Fan Shihan hasn’t been to school for a week. It’s Saturday tomorrow, and as Class Monitor, I’m going to check on her. Want to come with me?]

Lin Sui froze, staring at the unusual nickname until the pop-up disappeared before she snapped back to her senses.

[I don’t think I should go.]

She had only made Fan Shihan cry not long ago…

[Student E: There’s nothing wrong with it. Seeing you might make her even happier.]

[Fine.]

*****

The next day after lunch, Lin Sui and Wen Xiangzhu walked out of the school gate together.

“If we’re visiting a patient, we should buy some fruit and flowers,” Wen Xiangzhu murmured. “We can go to the hospital first and buy them nearby.”

“You decide,” Lin Sui said, not wanting to waste brainpower on such trivial matters.

Wen Xiangzhu glanced at her, a thought seeming to occur. She smiled.

“Alright, then let’s take the light rail.”

“The light rail?” Lin Sui frowned, suspicion creeping into her voice. “Why not just take a taxi?”

“I don’t like riding in cars. They’re uncomfortable,” Wen Xiangzhu murmured, pursing her lips. “I’ll have to ask you to join me on the light rail, Sister.”

Lin Sui’s eyebrows arched. “Alright…”

For some reason, the light rail station was packed at this hour.

Lin Sui followed Wen Xiangzhu through the turnstile, scanning her surroundings with curiosity. She was accustomed to being driven around by a chauffeur or hailing a ride on her phone; this was her first time in a place like this.

Wen Xiangzhu led the way, glancing back at Lin Sui, her eyes flickering.

“Is this your first time here?”

Lin Sui nodded. “Yes, it is.”

Surrounded by a dense crowd, she frowned as someone bumped her shoulder while descending the escalator.

“Hey, you…”

“Sorry! I’m in a hurry!”

“…”

Hearing the commotion, Wen Xiangzhu stopped and turned around. Noticing Lin Sui’s strained expression, she blinked, then walked back and gently took her hand.

“It’s so crowded. Let’s not get separated.”

Lin Sui froze, feeling the soft yet cool touch of Wen Xiangzhu’s hand. She instinctively followed, her mind going blank.

“Do you come to places like this often?”

The previous train had just left, and the two of them had to wait by the door, surrounded by a dense crowd of passengers waiting for the next train. Lin Sui squeezed the hand holding hers and asked.

Wen Xiangzhu blinked and replied softly, “Sort of. I was able to go to and from school on my own when I was very young. No one in my family could pick me up.”

“What about Wen Wenfu?” Lin Sui asked, frowning slightly.

“He… he’s always busy with work.”

“…”

With those words, both fell into silence.

Facing Wen Xiangzhu, Lin Sui lowered her gaze, feeling a strange sense of sympathy for the girl.

The train arrived a few minutes later. The moment the doors opened, not only did the passengers disembark, but the crowd waiting by the platform also surged forward, pushing their way onto the train.

Lin Sui’s expression turned sour. Aside from her discomfort at being pressed against strangers, she felt the train car was already dangerously overcrowded.

Wen Xiangzhu quickly pulled her into the train, squeezing through the crowd.

“There’s still space!”

Lin Sui: “……”

They managed to squeeze in, but…

People were packed around her from all sides, making it hard to breathe. And the distance between her and Wen Xiangzhu…

It was too close.

So close that the warmth of Wen Xiangzhu’s breath brushed against her neck. So close that the swaying of the train caused their bodies to brush against each other intermittently. So close that if she leaned forward just a little, her lips would touch the center of Wen Xiangzhu’s forehead.

Near the train car door, Lin Sui struggled to keep her balance, her hand braced against a nearby seat. She held Wen Xiangzhu close, her arms wrapped around her as if she were embracing a lover. Her gaze, whether up or down, was fixed solely on Wen Xiangzhu.

As if she couldn’t avoid it, or perhaps didn’t want to.

The train rounded a corner, causing everyone in the car to lurch in their direction. Even though Lin Sui could have steadied herself, she couldn’t resist the weight of the people pressing against her from behind.

Her eyes widened slightly, a hint of panic surfacing.

In the next instant, she tilted forward, feeling a sudden warmth on her lips and the strong scent of lavender shampoo filling her nostrils.

The awkward position lasted five seconds before the train slowly righted itself.

Lin Sui froze, her mind going blank. When she finally snapped out of it, she stumbled backward several steps as if electrocuted.

“Huh?” The passenger behind her frowned, having been bumped.

Her eyelashes fluttered. “Sorry…”

There was nowhere left to retreat.

Her heart raced. She dared not look at Wen Xiangzhu directly, yet her gaze kept drifting toward her in stolen glances.

She wanted to see if Wen Xiangzhu was angry, to see how she would react.

Wen Xiangzhu didn’t seem angry, just a little dazed.

“Sister…” She blinked, tilting her head back slightly to look up at Lin Sui.

“Hmm?”

Lin Sui’s face remained tense, her gaze fixed elsewhere as she decided to play dumb.

What just happened?

I don’t know! I know nothing!

Wen Xiangzhu’s eyes darkened slightly, her gaze dropping from Lin Sui’s eyes to her lips.

“It’s nothing.” She smiled faintly, glancing at the screen above. “We’re almost there.”

Playing dumb, huh?

Perfect.

Lin Sui breathed a sigh of relief, but her mind wandered the entire way to the hospital.

Acting normal on the outside, but I’m really bothered by this, okay?!

Was that a kiss?

Lin Sui agonized over it the whole way, the hospital’s disinfectant smell finally snapping her out of her thoughts.

Only then did she realize she’d been lost in thought for so long. Her body had instinctively followed Wen Xiangzhu, accepting the fruit she offered without thinking.

******

Something felt off.

She blinked, glancing at Wen Xiangzhu, who was still carrying the flowers and leading the way ahead. I should say something, she thought.

After a moment’s hesitation, she quickened her pace. “Do you know which room she’s in?”

Wen Xiangzhu hummed in acknowledgment. “I asked her earlier.”

“Oh…”

With that, the silence settled over them again.

The door to the three-person ward stood open, the TV inside still playing some unfamiliar show.

Wen Xiangzhu paused at the threshold, peering inside before smiling and stepping in. “Fan Shihan, we’re here to see you.”

She stopped beside Fan Shihan’s bed and placed the flowers on the nearby table.

“Why did you even buy flowers?” Fan Shihan chuckled, then froze when she noticed Lin Sui following behind. “You…”

Lin Sui hesitated. “I came with her to see you.”

“Mm.” Fan Shihan forced a smile, her gaze shifting awkwardly. “Sit down.”

Lin Sui nodded, setting the fruit basket on the table before taking a seat on the chair beside the bed with Wen Xiangzhu.

“How are you feeling?” Wen Xiangzhu asked softly. “Is everything alright?”

“Just a flu. Had a fever for a few days, but it broke last night.”

“That’s good. With finals approaching, Teacher Yang was worried you might fall behind.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back at school in a couple more days.”

******

The two of them chatted back and forth while Lin Sui sat nearby, listening quietly with her eyes downcast, not speaking or fidgeting, like a decorative ornament.

Fan Shihan’s gaze shifted between Wen Xiangzhu and Lin Sui, her thoughts unreadable. She remained silent.

After half an hour, they stood up to leave.

Once outside the hospital, Lin Sui felt a wave of relief wash over her.

She still hated coming to the hospital, no matter how many years passed.

“Sister,” Wen Xiangzhu broke the silence as they walked, perhaps sensing the awkwardness of the silence. “Do you know Shen Xing?”

Shen Xing… again Shen Xing. Lin Sui had heard that name so many times in the past few days that she felt like she was developing calluses on her tongue.

“I know her,” she replied.

“Shen Xing’s concert is on New Year’s Eve,” Wen Xiangzhu said, pursing her lips. “I want to go.”

Lin Sui froze. “Did you get tickets?”

“No.” Wen Xiangzhu smiled. “Even though I couldn’t get tickets, I have you, Sister.”

Lin Sui fell silent.

After a moment, she asked, “How many do you need?”

“Two,” Wen Xiangzhu replied.

“Are you going with Lu Xiaomeng?” Lin Sui suddenly remembered snippets of their earlier conversation.

Wen Xiangzhu paused, then shook her head. “I want to go with Sister.”

Lin Sui: “?”

Two tickets, and she wants to go with her. Why does this situation feel so familiar?

Noticing Lin Sui’s frozen expression, Wen Xiangzhu stopped walking, her tone petulant. “You don’t look happy about it.”

“I…” Lin Sui’s mind went blank, unsure how to respond.

Wen Xiangzhu hmphed. “So stingy! You won’t even go with me for this? You saw everything when you helped me change clothes earlier, and just now…”

“Fine, I’ll go!” Lin Sui quickly interrupted. “I never said I wouldn’t. I’ll go with you.”

Satisfied, Wen Xiangzhu smiled. “Then it’s settled!”

“Right, it’s settled.”

Lin Sui felt a headache coming on but let out a relieved sigh.

Just then, she froze.

She suddenly remembered she’d promised Jiang Wanwan she’d go to Shen Xing’s New Year’s Eve concert with her…

Oh no, oh no! This is bad! How am I going to explain this?

How did I manage to get myself into such a huge mess?!

“Sister, what’s wrong?” Wen Xiangzhu asked, noticing the rapid changes in Lin Sui’s expression.

“Nothing, nothing,” Lin Sui forced a smile, but she couldn’t muster the energy to laugh.

How am I supposed to attend the same concert twice? And the tickets I got are probably right next to each other. What if they run into each other…?

Noticing Lin Sui’s troubled expression, Wen Xiangzhu frowned and was about to press further when a woman’s voice rang out from behind them.

“Hey, isn’t that Lin Sui?”

The woman wore a fashionable denim outfit, her short, shoulder-length hair framing a clean, sharp face. She stood two steps away, glaring at Lin Sui with a provocative gaze.

After a moment, her eyes narrowed, settling on Wen Xiangzhu beside her. “Lin Sui, who’s this? An Omega?”

The moment the words left her lips, Wen Xiangzhu stepped protectively in front of Lin Sui, her voice cold. “Who are you?!”

The woman scoffed. “Matters between Alphas are none of your business. What are you to Lin Sui, anyway?”

Lin Sui’s expression turned frosty as she pulled Wen Xiangzhu behind her. “What does this have to do with you?” she snapped, shooting Wen Xiangzhu a glare. “Go back by yourself.”

“But you…”

“Don’t worry about me. Just let me know when you get home.”

“…Okay.”

Wen Xiangzhu hesitated for a moment before nodding. She really shouldn’t be staying here.

Once Wen Xiangzhu had walked away, Lin Sui turned her gaze to the person before her. “Xu Jinyan, it’s been a while. You’re still as arrogant as ever.”

“Hmph, do you think you’re any better?” Xu Jinyan scoffed. “It’s been a while since you’ve competed, right? Are your skills rusty?”

Lin Sui raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, her expression dripping with mockery. “A loser I defeated. Wanna try again? Oh, and that injury I gave you last time—fully healed now, right?”

“Heh, let’s do it then. There’s a gym nearby. Let’s go! The loser kneels and apologizes. How about that?”

Xu Jinyan clenched her fists, sneering. “I won a trophy last week. In terms of skill, I’m no less than you.”

“Oh.” Lin Sui scoffed. “That worthless trophy? I wouldn’t care if I won it.”

“Then what would you care about? That Omega from earlier?” Xu Jinyan leaned closer, studying Lin Sui.

Seeing the man’s expression grow colder, Xu Jinyan curled her lips into a smirk and continued, “You really care about her, don’t you?”

Her tone held no question, only certainty and a hint of threat.

“I’m truly curious… who exactly is she to you…?”

“Could she be… your girlfriend?”