After Mistakenly Marking Her Stunning Omega Stepsister - Chapter 32

The day of the concert was surprisingly pleasant, except for the chill in the air.

As soon as school let out in the afternoon, students began packing their bags, chattering excitedly about the evening’s performance.

“What a shame! Shen Xing rarely visits Ningcheng, and the tickets are impossible to get!”

“Never mind impossible to get—they’re way too expensive… Ugh, I really want to see her and get an autograph.”

“Let’s just go outside the venue and listen. What do you think?”

“But it’s so cold…”

The classroom buzzed with chatter. Gradually, as students trickled out, the noise subsided.

A crisp ring suddenly sounded. Lin Sui glanced at her phone and pressed the answer button.

It was Jiang Wanwan calling.

“Sister Sui, are you ready? I’m almost at your school, and I’m coming to pick you up for the concert!”

“I’m ready. I just got out of class,” Lin Sui replied, glancing at the figure ahead who was packing up.

“Right. I might need to bring someone with me.”

“Bring someone?” Jiang Wanwan’s voice held a note of confusion. “Hmm, a friend?”

“No, not a friend… I need to bring Wen Xiangzhu,” Lin Sui said softly, listening carefully for the reaction on the other end.

There was a two-second pause before Jiang Wanwan laughed. “Sure, she’s your little sister after all. It’s fine. Just come straight over.”

“Okay.” Hearing Jiang Wanwan’s response, Lin Sui let out a sigh of relief. At least that was settled.

After hanging up, Lin Sui looked up and saw Wen Xiangzhu, who had finished packing and was watching her, a puzzled look on her face.

“Sister, who was that call from?” she asked, having heard Lin Sui mention her name.

“Jiang Wanwan,” Lin Sui replied, pursing her lips. “She’s coming to pick us up for the concert. She’ll be here soon.”

Wen Xiangzhu paused, her eyelashes trembling slightly as her eyes darkened. Her grip tightened on the backpack strap, and she lowered her head without speaking.

Noticing her pale complexion, Lin Sui felt a sudden unease. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“It’s nothing.” Wen Xiangzhu smiled faintly, shaking her head. A hint of disappointment crept into her voice. “I just thought it would be just the two of us—me and my sister.”

After a moment of silence, Lin Sui ventured, “Well… more people means more fun, right? Besides, you already know Jiang Wanwan.”

Wen Xiangzhu remained silent, her head bowed.

Lin Sui chuckled awkwardly. “You and Jiang Wanwan are pretty close, aren’t you?” she asked tentatively.

Wen Xiangzhu finally looked up, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, we’re pretty close.”

“See? That’s perfect! We all know each other, so it’ll be great to go together,” Lin Sui said, feeling a little relieved.

Wen Xiangzhu blinked. “Okay, then shall we go eat first?”

“Right.” Lin Sui nodded. “There are still a few hours before the concert. We can drive over, grab something to eat, and get into the venue a little early.”

Wen Xiangzhu nodded, her gaze drifting to Zhu Huan, who was still sitting nearby, not having left.

“Sister Zhu Huan, aren’t you going to the concert?”

Zhu Huan paused, looking up from her phone. “I’m… waiting for someone to go with her.”

“Waiting for someone?” Wen Xiangzhu blinked, her curiosity piqued. “Is it someone you like?”

“Uh… no, no, what are you talking about? Just a regular friend.”

Zhu Huan forced a dry laugh and waved her hand dismissively.

Lin Sui scoffed. “Oh, really? A ‘regular friend’?”

“Tsk, how can you mock me?” Zhu Huan glared at her. “You’re just as bad as I am.”

“Who are you calling ‘just as bad’?” Lin Sui retorted, rolling her eyes. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and glanced at Wen Xiangzhu. “Let’s go. Jiang Wanwan should be arriving soon.”

“Ah, okay.”

They left the school building, still some distance from the main gate.

Wen Xiangzhu trailed behind Lin Sui, her gaze lowered. After a long pause, she couldn’t resist asking, “Sister, are you using the cup from last time?”

“Yeah, why?” Lin Sui glanced at her, her tone curious.

“No reason, just asking.” Wen Xiangzhu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, her crimson lips pressed together, a faint smile playing on her lips.

After a moment, as if remembering something, she added, “That person… the one from last time… they haven’t come looking for you again, have they?”

“You mean Xu Jinyan?” Lin Sui chuckled. “I beat her to her knees last time, begging for mercy. She probably won’t dare show up again anytime soon. And even if she does, would I be afraid?”

Wen Xiangzhu giggled. “Yeah, Sister’s the strongest! You’re fearless!”

“But… I don’t want you to fight anymore.”

Lin Sui paused. “Why not?”

“You might get hurt.” Wen Xiangzhu pressed her lips together, her eyes glistening. “It would hurt.”

Lin Sui’s footsteps stopped. Her ears seemed to ring as if something had exploded. She stared at Wen Xiangzhu, dazed.

Her heart seemed to tremble, a fleeting, indescribable sensation that made her breath catch.

After a moment, she turned her head away and continued walking as if nothing had happened.

“I’m not afraid of getting hurt. I’m not afraid of pain.”

“But I am.”

Wen Xiangzhu frowned and hurried to catch up. “Sister, promise me? Please take care of yourself.”

Lin Sui was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. I’ll do my best.”

As they exited the school gate, Lin Sui immediately spotted Jiang Wanwan’s car by the roadside.

Before she could approach, the rear window on the passenger side rolled down.

Jiang Wanwan, sitting in the back seat, waved with a smile. “Sister Sui! Wenwen!”

Lin Sui waved back, her steps quickening.

The three of them, each lost in their own thoughts, climbed into the car.

As soon as they were settled, the car slowly pulled away.

Jiang Wanwan, Lin Sui, and Wen Xiangzhu squeezed into the back seat in that order, making it a little cramped.

It wasn’t just cramped.

Lin Sui felt suffocated.

Jiang Wanwan was on her left, Wen Xiangzhu on her right.

Her hands had originally been resting on her legs, but at some point, both hands had been grabbed by the people on either side, leaving her immobilized.

“Sister Sui, check out these photos I took a few days ago.”

“How do they look? Which one do you think would be best for my WeChat feed?”

Lin Sui’s lips twitched as she glanced at the nearly identical photos on Jiang Wanwan’s phone screen.

“Hmm… the second one, it’s brighter.”

“Great! I’ll post it now. Remember to like it!”

“Sure, sure.”

Just as she finished speaking, Wen Xiangzhu tugged at Lin Sui’s hand. “Sister, I just remembered a really catchy song. Listen to this!”

She shoved the other earbud into Lin Sui’s ear.

“Indeed, it’s lovely. What’s the name of this song?” Lin Sui asked with a smile.

“It’s Shen Xing’s song, called ‘The 365 Days I Love You,'” Wen Xiangzhu replied, her eyes sparkling. “Shen Xing will definitely sing this tonight—it’s her signature hit!”

Lin Sui nodded. “So that’s how it is.”

“I’ll send it to you. You can save it!”

“Okay…”

Just as she finished speaking, Jiang Wanwan tugged at Lin Sui’s arm. “Sister Sui, I just posted! Please give me a thumbs-up!”

“Sure…”

Lin Sui finally freed her hand, took out her phone, and scrolled through her feed to give Jiang Wanwan a thumbs-up.

Jiang Wanwan watched intently, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Sister Sui,” she pouted, “why did you just use my full name as your contact name?”

“Oh, right…”

“Huh? I… I didn’t think about it. I just filled it in randomly.”

Lin Sui’s mind froze for a few seconds as she forced a dry laugh, trying to explain.

“Really? But it looks so ordinary! I don’t care, you need to change it now!”

“Okay, okay. What kind of note do you want?”

“You figure it out! What do I care?”

******

Lin Sui felt a headache coming on.

After much fuss, she finally settled on a nickname that Jiang Wanwan would accept.

[Little Princess]

Ugh, that sounds weird.

Lin Sui stared at the nickname on her phone screen, finding it awkward no matter how she looked at it. Yet Jiang Wanwan absolutely loved it.

Whatever.

Let’s just go with it.

Wen Xiangzhu watched silently from the side, inching closer to Lin Sui. “Sister?”

“Hmm?” Lin Sui didn’t look up, her eyes fixed on her music playlist.

“I’m just curious… what’s the nickname you gave me?” Wen Xiangzhu asked softly.

The moment the words left her lips, Lin Sui nearly dropped her phone.

She gripped the phone tightly, turning off the screen. Under Wen Xiangzhu’s suspicious gaze, she forced a calm expression. “Your nickname? I probably forgot to give you one.”

“Forget… that too?”

Wen Xiangzhu pouted, clearly displeased.

“Well, there wasn’t really a need for one,” Lin Sui replied guiltily, thinking back on the nickname she’d considered for Wen Xiangzhu. “Besides, I can recognize you just fine without one.”

“Okay…” Wen Xiangzhu nodded thoughtfully. “Does that mean I’m special to you, Sister?”

Lin Sui paused, then quickly denied it. “What’s special about me? Nothing.”

“Because I’m the only one without a nickname that Sister still recognizes,” Wen Xiangzhu said with a smile, looking quite cheerful.

Lin Sui chuckled. “Think what you want.”

With some distance still to their destination, the person beside her finally seemed to tire and stopped fussing. Lin Sui enjoyed this rare moment of quiet.

After a while, Wen Xiangzhu shifted and gently tugged at her sleeve. “Sister, I feel a little sick.”

Hearing this, Lin Sui froze, suddenly remembering she’d forgotten something: Wen Xiangzhu got carsick.

She frowned and quickly stood up to check on Wen Xiangzhu. “Can you hold on?” she asked, opening the car window wider. “Does that make you feel better?”

“Mm,” Wen Xiangzhu nodded, looking miserable.

The commotion woke Jiang Wanwan, who looked over in a daze. “What’s wrong with Wenwen?”

“She’s carsick,” Lin Sui said, her expression grim. “Do we have any motion sickness tablets? Or mint candy, orange peels, or anything like that?”

“I have some!” Jiang Wanwan quickly grabbed a handful of mint candies from a small compartment and handed them to Lin Sui.

Lin Sui took the candies, tore open the wrapper, and placed one in Wen Xiangzhu’s mouth.

Her lips, usually so vibrant, now appeared pale.

The lips were soft and warm, and as Lin Sui fed her the candy, her fingertips inevitably brushed against them.

Even…

When she withdrew her hand, she felt a slight dampness on her fingertips.

Lin Sui’s thoughts were jumbled. She shook off the strange, inappropriate thoughts and asked, “How are you feeling? Any better? Do you want some water?”

Wen Xiangzhu leaned weakly against the back of the chair and nodded. “There’s water in my bag.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Sui hurriedly opened the backpack beside Wen Xiangzhu and retrieved a milky-white thermos.

After drinking, Wen Xiangzhu’s complexion visibly improved.

Lin Sui sighed in relief, feeling inexplicably drained.

Taking care of someone was surprisingly exhausting.

Jiang Wanwan blinked, watching the scene play out. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Lin Sui and Wen Xiangzhu.

“There’s a bit of traffic. It might be another half-hour before we get there. Wenwen, since you’re feeling unwell, why don’t you try to rest a bit?”

Wen Xiangzhu turned to her and smiled faintly.

“I’m okay, just need a little rest. Don’t worry about me.”

“Go to sleep now. Don’t talk anymore.”

Lin Sui glanced at her and whispered softly.

Wen Xiangzhu nodded and obediently closed her eyes.

The car quickly fell silent.

Lin Sui played with her phone as usual, but she kept glancing at Wen Xiangzhu from time to time.

The girl’s breathing was steady. She was clearly asleep. After watching her for a while, Lin Sui glanced at the car window and reached over to close it a little.

Jiang Wanwan looked at Lin Sui, then at the sleeping Wen Xiangzhu, her expression somewhat complicated.

She felt that Lin Sui seemed to be taking too much care of Wen Xiangzhu.

Even I don’t get this kind of treatment!

With this thought, Jiang Wanwan pouted, but she was afraid of waking Wen Xiangzhu, so she didn’t make a sound, silently sulking for a while.

Soon, the car finally stopped in a nearby garage near the venue.

Seeing the car had stopped, Lin Sui looked at Wen Xiangzhu, who was still sleeping. After a moment of hesitation, she gently nudged her shoulder. “We’re here.”

Wen Xiangzhu frowned, slowly opened her eyes, and rubbed them. “Mm, okay.”

“Do you still feel unwell?” Lin Sui asked.

“I’m much better now. I just need to get out and walk around a bit.”

Wen Xiangzhu smiled. Still half-asleep, her voice was soft and a little hoarse.

Jiang Wanwan had already gotten out of the car from the other side and was walking over slowly, looking concerned. “Come on, let’s see where we’re eating.”

“Okay.”

The elevator from the garage led to a large shopping mall. The first floor was full of cosmetics, and the second floor had all kinds of restaurants.

After looking around, they reluctantly settled on a Chinese restaurant.

“I’ve never eaten here before. I wonder how the food is,” Jiang Wanwan said, looking a little disappointed. The restaurant didn’t seem fancy enough for her tastes.

But there was no other choice.

“It’s fine. We’ll find out once we try it,” Lin Sui said casually.

With only three of them, figuring out where to sit became a problem.

Wen Xiangzhu reacted quickly, pulling Jiang Wanwan over to sit next to her. That made it easy for Lin Sui, who sat across from them.

A server quickly brought menus.

Wen Xiangzhu and Jiang Wanwan both declined to order, so the task fell to Lin Sui.

“What would you two like to drink?”

“I want peanut milk,” Jiang Wanwan said first. She looked at Wen Xiangzhu. “Wenwen, what about you?”

“I’ll have the same as you, peanut milk.”

Lin Sui frowned. “Peanut milk is cold, right? It’s so chilly outside. You should have something hot, especially after being carsick.”

She turned to the server. “Can you heat the peanut milk?”

“Ah, of course,” the server nodded quickly.

Jiang Wanwan blinked, watching Lin Sui for a moment before quietly lowering her head.

She vaguely remembered how awkward the atmosphere had been between Lin Sui and Wen Xiangzhu during their last meeting. After months apart, she hadn’t expected their relationship to have grown so close.

Could it be… because they’re living together?

The thought solidified Jiang Wanwan’s conviction.

That must be it. Spending every day together, even strangers can become close.

“Sister Sui,” Jiang Wanwan said, looking up at Lin Sui, “weren’t you planning to stay with us during the winter break? Why don’t you stay for the entire break? We could invite your parents over for the New Year, and our two families could celebrate together. What do you think?”

Lin Sui frowned, considering this. “That should work. Ms. Lin probably won’t be as busy during the New Year.”

“Great!” Jiang Wanwan smiled brightly. “Wenwen has never been to our house before! You can stay in my room and sleep with me!”

Wen Xiangzhu smiled faintly. “Sounds good.”

Lin Sui stared at the two of them across the table, her expression skeptical.

Are they really close enough to share a bed?!

“I think…” Lin Sui hesitated before speaking, “you should still prepare a separate guest room for Wen Xiangzhu. Otherwise, people might think you’re being inhospitable.”

“Ah… you’re right. I hadn’t thought of that.”

Jiang Wanwan pursed her lips, her gaze toward Wen Xiangzhu filled with apology. “Wenwen, I’m sorry. I’ll definitely prepare a separate room for you! You can sleep alone if you want, or come find me if you’d rather be with me!”

“Okay, I’ll do as you say,” Wen Xiangzhu replied with a smile.

“Sister Sui.”

Jiang Wanwan turned to Lin Sui. “Your room will be the same as before, right next to mine. It’s been kept just for you all this time, and cleaned daily!”

“Come to think of it, it’s been years since you last stayed at my house,” Jiang Wanwan said, sighing as she remembered.

Wen Xiangzhu’s eyelashes fluttered as she listened. Unable to resist, she asked, “Wanwan, could my room be next to yours too?”

Jiang Wanwan paused for a moment, then smiled. “Of course!”

Seeing this, Wen Xiangzhu smiled faintly, her gaze lingering on Lin Sui with a hint of unreadable light in her eyes.

Lin Sui noticed the look, pursing her lips slightly, looking bewildered.

What does that expression mean?