After Mistakenly Marking Her Stunning Omega Stepsister - Chapter 42

Although the engagement had been broken off, the families remained close, and Wen Xiangzhu stayed with the Jiang family to celebrate the New Year.

As the start of the new school year approached, Wen Xiangzhu felt uncharacteristically gloomy. She sat alone on the garden swing, letting the wind blow through her hair as she stared blankly at the darkening sky.

She had wanted to give Jiang Wanwan a truly special gift, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t think of anything truly unique.

Now that it was time to leave, she found herself unexpectedly reluctant to part.

When they were classmates, their relationship had been more acquaintances than friends, with only a few exchanged words.

But after spending more time together, Wen Xiangzhu genuinely came to see Jiang Wanwan as a wonderful person.

Yet despite her kindness, Jiang Wanwan seemed to struggle with loving others.

And even more so with loving herself.

In a way, Jiang Wanwan and Lin Sui were quite similar.

Perhaps this was a trait shared by children raised in such families.

They never lacked for material comforts, but something essential was always missing.

Love and companionship.

It made sense. Children’s understanding is limited. If they don’t perceive love in their early years, they might think they’ve never received it. Without knowing what love is, how can they learn to love others?

But Wen Xiangzhu remembered Jiang Wanwan saying that her grandma loved her.

At this thought, Wen Xiangzhu sighed silently.

In her mind, there weren’t many memories left of her mother.

Why did she leave? Why did she never return, without even a single phone call…

“What are you thinking about?”

A voice suddenly appeared beside her, startling Wen Xiangzhu. She turned to see Lin Sui standing there, watching her with keen interest.

Wen Xiangzhu averted her gaze. “Nothing. I was just thinking about my mom.”

Lin Sui was silent for a moment before saying, “Move over a bit.”

Wen Xiangzhu blinked in surprise and shifted to the side.

The next moment, Lin Sui sat down beside her.

“You miss your mom,” Lin Sui said softly. “I miss my mom too.”

She paused before asking, “Why did your mom leave?”

“I don’t know,” Wen Xiangzhu replied, lowering her head. “As far as I can remember, I’ve never even seen her.”

After a pause, she added, “My dad is always busy with work and doesn’t have time for me either.”

Lin Sui looked up at the sky, remaining silent.

“Sister, what about you?” Wen Xiangzhu asked curiously. “Your mom…”

“She was sick. She passed away,” Lin Sui said flatly.

“Ah…”

Wen Xiangzhu pursed her lips. “Did I bring up something painful?”

“It’s fine. It happened so long ago.” Lin Sui lowered her gaze. “There’s nothing to be sad about.”

“Right… Do you miss her?” Wen Xiangzhu hesitated before asking.

Lin Sui paused, genuinely considering the question. “To be honest, I don’t remember. I learned about her illness and death from Ms. Lin.”

Wen Xiangzhu tilted her head, studying her. After a long silence, she changed the subject.

“Speaking of which, we’re all leaving soon, but we still haven’t decided on a gift for Wanwan…”

Lin Sui blinked, then chuckled softly. “I think she already has the most special gift.”

“What do you mean?”

“The annulment,” she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Wanwan has someone she likes, doesn’t she? The annulment is the best gift she could receive.”

Wen Xiangzhu nodded thoughtfully at the words.

“That makes sense.”

But that was just Lin Sui’s special gift to Jiang Wanwan.

Then… what about her? What could she give?

After a moment’s thought, Wen Xiangzhu made up an excuse and went back inside the house.

As she was about to go upstairs, she saw Jiang Wanwan sitting on the sofa watching TV. “Wanwan.”

“Hmm? What is it?” Jiang Wanwan replied with a smile, a small tomato in her hand, looking particularly cheerful.

“It’s just…”

Seeing that no one else was around, Wen Xiangzhu walked over and sat down next to Jiang Wanwan. “What’s going on between you and Sister Sang?”

Jiang Wanwan blinked. “Just the same, I guess… She left after my birthday, but we exchanged phone numbers and added each other on social media.”

“I wanted to get to know her better, but she doesn’t post anything on her feed.”

Wen Xiangzhu nodded. “I can help you.”

“Help me?”

“Yes! I can help you!”

This was all she could do.

Meanwhile, on the other side…

Jiang Qing sat in a café, staring at the document on her laptop, overwhelmed.

Sang Shinian sat across from her, sipping coffee with one hand and scrolling through her phone with the other.

After a moment, Sang Shinian glanced up and chuckled, “What’s wrong? You look so stressed.”

“It’s not a big deal, just a bit complicated.”

Jiang Qing leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes.

Sang Shinian shook her head helplessly. “Take a break.”

“Mm,” Jiang Qing agreed, taking a sip of her coffee.

“By the way, you’ve been back for a while now. Have you decided what you want to do?”

Sang Shinian raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m thinking about getting into the game industry.”

“Interesting. You’d be the first game developer I know,” Jiang Qing said with a smile.

“Don’t inflate my ego. It’s just an idea for now. I’m still researching it.” Sang Shinian paused. “If it works out, I might need your help.”

“It’s no trouble. What kind of relationship do we have?”

Jiang Qing agreed immediately.

Sang Shinian’s eyes twinkled with amusement as she took a sip of her coffee. As if lost in thought, she gazed out the window.

“It was around this time, under similar weather conditions… I never imagined I’d end up meeting your cousin.”

Jiang Qing paused, then chuckled softly. “I didn’t expect it either. You two seem quite fated.”

She calculated the dates. “Now I remember. It was the day Grandma passed away, so she…”

“Wanwan is quite adorable,” Sang Shinian said, her lips curving slightly as she set down her coffee cup.

“Yes, she’s such a lovely girl. Who knew she was an Omega—and Lin Sui’s younger sister! My goodness, what a melodramatic twist…”

Jiang Qing shook her head, almost afraid to dwell on it further, and lowered her gaze back to her documents.

Sang Shinian’s eyes sparkled, the amusement in them deepening.

Melodramatic, huh? Indeed.

******

Two days before school started, Lin Sui and Wen Xiangzhu moved back to the Lin family home to prepare for the new term.

There wasn’t much to prepare—just packing luggage and gathering daily necessities.

“The weather’s warming up now,” Lin Wei remarked, watching Lin Sui pack. “You don’t need to bring such heavy clothes.”

“Got it,” Lin Sui replied, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

Why has Lin Wei become so talkative since returning from the Jiang family?

Lin Sui acknowledged her with a word, but her hands never stopped moving. She picked out two sweaters and added them to her suitcase.

Lin Wei couldn’t stand it any longer. She stepped forward, removed the sweaters, and replaced them with a few lighter jackets, neatly folded.

Lin Sui’s eyelashes fluttered in surprise as she stared at her sister.

Lin Wei rubbed her nose, shifting awkwardly. “That’s enough. Don’t overpack.”

“…Oh,” Lin Sui replied.

There’s something off about Lin Wei.

Lin Sui felt uneasy.

Fortunately, Lin Wei didn’t linger long. Sensing her discomfort, she offered a few more instructions before leaving.

Wen Xiangzhu peeked into the room. “Sister, need help?”

“No thanks,” Lin Sui replied without looking up.

Hearing this, Wen Xiangzhu blinked, straightened up, and walked into the room to sit down beside Lin Sui.

“Wanwan told me that next month, No. 1 High School and No. 3 High School are hosting a tennis tournament.”

“Isn’t that Wanwan’s school?”

Lin Sui paused, then remembered. “Oh, right. You used to go to No. 3 High School too.”

“Mm-hmm,” Wen Xiangzhu nodded with a smile. “I want to participate.”

“You?” Lin Sui frowned slightly, recalling the doctor’s recent advice. “Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Why push yourself?”

“I…” Wen Xiangzhu choked back a lump in her throat, her voice tinged with frustration. “It’s not like playing tennis will hurt me. Are you trying to keep me cooped up in my room all day?”

Lin Sui fell silent for a moment. “That’s not what I meant…”

Armed with the knowledge that Lin Sui was responsible for her lingering health issues, Wen Xiangzhu mustered rare assertiveness. “Well, I’m going anyway. If I start feeling unwell during the tournament… I’ll just have to trouble you to stay by my side, Sister!”

Lin Sui: “……”

“But the tournament is organized by the Tennis Club,” Lin Sui said after a moment’s thought.

“So what? I’ll join the Tennis Club right away!” Wen Xiangzhu said with a grin. “My tennis has always been solid. Don’t underestimate me!”

Lin Sui let out a resigned chuckle. “Fine.”

The day she returned to school was quite pleasant.

The sun shone brightly, driving away much of the winter chill.

The only thing giving Lin Sui a headache was that dormitory students had to return early…

Ugh, I’m starting to regret choosing to live on campus.

The dormitory looked the same as always. Xia Yi and Ye Shuqian had already arrived and were chatting about actors from a popular drama.

Zhu Huan’s belongings were already in the dormitory, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Lin Sui busied herself unpacking her luggage. After a while, she couldn’t help but ask, “Has Zhu Huan arrived yet?”

“She did!” Xia Yi replied. “She said she went to help her future girlfriend move in.”

“What?” Lin Sui’s eyes widened in surprise. “Future girlfriend?”

“Yeah, apparently she’s in third year.”

Lin Sui: “……”

So it was definitely Xu Nianen. It wasn’t until Jiang Wanwan’s birthday party that Lin Sui learned Xu Nianen attended their No. 1 High School.

But… the girl isn’t even in high school yet! She’s two years younger! How can Zhu Huan not feel any guilt about this?

Just as she was thinking this, Zhu Huan pushed the door open and walked in, still smiling.

“Hey, Suisui, you’re here?”

Lin Sui narrowed her eyes, stood up, patted Zhu Huan on the shoulder, and pulled her aside.

“You went to see Xu Nianen?”

“Yeah.”

“Your future girlfriend?”

“Isn’t she?”

Lin Sui: “……?”

“Did she agree to that? You just claim her as your future girlfriend here? What nonsense!”

Lin Sui nearly choked with anger.

Xu Ming didn’t seem like an open-minded parent either. If she found out her precious daughter was being so casually… courted by Zhu Huan, she’d probably explode in fury.

“What nonsense? I’m just stating the facts!” Zhu Huan protested. “Nnen said she likes me, it’s just that I didn’t agree…”

As she spoke, the corners of her lips couldn’t help but curl upward.

Lin Sui raised an eyebrow. “You’re actually getting smug about this?”

“Of course I am! And I feel incredibly classy!” Zhu Huan lifted her chin slightly. “Did you know? When Nnen said she liked me, I immediately rejected her. I told her she was too young, to wait until she grew up…”

“Enough! Enough! Enough! Stop!”

Lin Sui interrupted her, her face darkening. “I don’t want to hear this.”

“You’re just jealous!”

“…”

Lin Sui had no more words.

Her phone beeped twice. She released Zhu Huan and walked away, checking the message. It was from Wen Xiangzhu:

[Copycat: Sister, can you come keep me company?]

[ What’s wrong?]

[Copycat: I’m feeling a little unwell.]

[We just got here in the same car.]

[Copycat: But I really am unwell. You need to be considerate of sick people.]

Lin Sui stared at the text, laughing in exasperation.

Sick people, huh? How convenient.

Her teeth were grinding so hard they were about to shatter.

But when she remembered that Wen Xiangzhu’s health was her own fault, her anger fizzled out.

Fine, fine. Let her have her way.

This was Lin Sui’s first time entering the Omega Dormitory.

The dormitory manager grilled her for ages before finally calling Wen Xiangzhu downstairs. They got her upstairs under the pretext of helping with homework.

*******

This was the most frustrating experience of my life.

“Is your roommate here?”

Lin Sui hesitated.

“Yes, but it’s fine. They’ve already agreed,” Wen Xiangzhu said with a smile, looking at her. “Besides, everyone knows you’re my sister, so there’s nothing to hide.”

“Alright then.”

Apart from Lu Xiaomeng, Lin Sui didn’t recognize any of Wen Xiangzhu’s roommates.

After a polite greeting, everyone fell silent.

“Are you feeling better now?” Lin Sui asked in a low voice, setting the bag she was carrying on Wen Xiangzhu’s desk.

“Mm, much better now that you’re here,” Wen Xiangzhu replied. She pulled up another chair and sat down, then looked up at Lin Sui. “Sit with me.”

Lin Sui nodded and sat beside her.

The Omega Dormitory was a place where Omegas lived together. It was a place where they could be themselves, where they could be free. It was a place where they could be safe.

The desk was neat and tidy, but she seemed to have been reading, as a book and a pen lay on its surface.

Lin Sui’s gaze paused.

This pen… it looked awfully familiar.

Noticing Lin Sui’s prolonged stare at the pen, Wen Xiangzhu smiled. “Does it look familiar? It’s the one you gave me before.”

“But I thought you lost it?”

“I found it again.” She paused. “If I really had lost it, I wouldn’t have been able to bear it.”

Lin Sui raised an eyebrow at her words but said nothing.

“What did you bring?” Wen Xiangzhu asked, unable to hold back when Lin Sui remained silent.

“A scarf,” Lin Sui replied, pulling out a white woolen scarf from her pocket and placing it in Wen Xiangzhu’s hand. “It’s infused with my pheromones.”

The last sentence was spoken so softly that Wen Xiangzhu almost didn’t hear it.

She blinked in confusion, then seemed to understand something, a small smile playing on her lips.

“I see…”

“You can use it in your dormitory,” Lin Sui said after a moment’s thought. “It should last for two days. I’ll bring you something else the day after tomorrow.”

Wen Xiangzhu fell silent for a moment. “What about during the day? When I’m not in the dormitory?”

“During class, I sit right behind you. Isn’t that close enough?”

Lin Sui widened her eyes slightly.

The other dormitory residents heard the conversation and glanced over, but quickly averted their eyes, pretending they hadn’t heard anything.

Lin Sui stiffened, instinctively lowering her voice. “Hm?”

Wen Xiangzhu blinked, a barely perceptible smile flickering in her eyes. “Not close enough.”

“It’s not enough.”

“How can you know it’s not enough if you haven’t even tried?”

Lin Sui frowned, genuinely confused.

Wen Xiangzhu shook her head. “It’s not enough. We need skin-to-skin contact for it to work.”

After a moment of silence, Lin Sui ventured, her voice lacking conviction, “Then… couldn’t you just… touch me a little more often?”

“No.”

Wen Xiangzhu shook her head again.

Lin Sui was at her wit’s end. “Then what do you suggest?”

Wen Xiangzhu lowered her head, pondering for a moment. “The bathroom.”

“Hm?” Lin Sui was taken aback.

“We could go to the bathroom… No one will see us there, and we can stay in contact for longer.”

Wen Xiangzhu’s cheeks flushed slightly, her voice growing softer and softer. Lin Sui had to strain to hear her.

But when she finally did, Lin Sui felt a headache coming on.

Why does this feel like a teenage romance or a secret affair?

After a moment of silence, Wen Xiangzhu asked, “Is there anything else?”

“Anything else what?” Wen Xiangzhu blinked, looking puzzled.

Lin Sui took a deep breath and clarified, “Any other options.”

Another silence followed.

Wen Xiangzhu frowned slightly and shook her head. “I can’t think of anything else, unless you don’t mind… holding hands with me in front of a lot of people.”

Lin Sui: “……”

“Never mind, I’m actually pretty uncomfortable with that.”

Wen Xiangzhu: “……?”