After Mistakenly Marking Her Stunning Omega Stepsister - Chapter 48

The weather gradually grew hotter. By mid-April, Ningcheng officially entered summer.

Wen Xiangzhu had been incredibly busy lately. Aside from schoolwork, seeking treatment from Lin Sui, and preparing for the preliminary rounds of the competition, she had no time to rest.

Two months had passed, and even Lin Sui herself was surprised to find that she had grown accustomed to physical contact with Wen Xiangzhu.

Almost… taken it for granted?

It’s fine. Just six more months. Hang on until… July. That should be enough. By then, I’ll take Wen Xiangzhu for a reevaluation, and everything will be fine.

Lin Sui comforted herself inwardly.

As the lunch break ended, students began to stir and the classroom buzzed with renewed activity.

Lin Sui yawned, feeling refreshed after a satisfying nap.

“Speaking of which, your birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it?” Zhu Huan asked, flipping through her phone as she noticed Lin Sui was awake.

Lin Sui paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, next month.”

Her birthday was at the end of May. As usual, Lin Wei would organize a birthday party for her.

It sounded fancy, but it was actually boring and pointless.

Every time Lin Sui had to hold a glass and make small talk, her smile would nearly freeze into a stiff grin. How could anyone call that a celebration?

“When is it exactly?” Wen Xiangzhu, who had overheard the conversation, turned to ask.

Zhu Huan glanced at her and teased, “You don’t even know your own sister’s birthday?”

“I… I’ve never been through it before, so I didn’t know,” Wen Xiangzhu replied hesitantly, pursing her lips.

Lin Sui listened to Wen Xiangzhu’s words, her gaze lowered, and let out a soft chuckle.

“End of May.”

“So there’s still over a month left,” Wen Xiangzhu said, blinking. “How does Sister usually celebrate her birthday?”

“How?” Zhu Huan raised an eyebrow. “It’s just a social obligation. Remember that birthday party for Wanwan? It’s pretty much the same.”

“Ah…”

Wen Xiangzhu’s eyelashes fluttered as she looked at Lin Sui. “That sounds so boring.”

“It’s boring, but what can you do? Our family’s money doesn’t just grow on trees.”

Lin Sui glanced at her and added, “Zhu Huan’s the same.”

Hearing this, Wen Xiangzhu paused, then turned to Zhu Huan.

The latter nodded and sighed. “To be honest, I hate birthday parties. Every single one.”

“Sister,” Wen Xiangzhu said, her eyes sparkling with a new idea, “let’s have a different kind of birthday this year, okay?”

“How different?” Lin Sui asked, her expression wary. Birthday parties were unavoidable, and such important occasions shouldn’t be treated carelessly.

Perhaps sensing Lin Sui’s concern, Wen Xiangzhu smiled and whispered, “We have to go to the official party, and it’ll be boring and nothing like a real birthday. So let’s celebrate early!”

“Celebrate early?” Lin Sui’s eyelashes fluttered, a flicker of bewilderment crossing her face.

She’d never celebrated a birthday like this before.

Wen Xiangzhu puffed out her chest with a grin. “Don’t worry, leave it to me! I’ll plan everything!”

She took charge of the matter without hesitation.

They settled on early May as the date.

Lin Sui didn’t fully understand the point of this, but she couldn’t help feeling a glimmer of anticipation.

She was looking forward to celebrating a birthday she’d never experienced before.

But Lin Sui, being forgetful, quickly tossed the idea to the back of her mind.

By the time she remembered it, Zhu Huan had already “tricked” her into going to the arcade.

She thought it was just a casual outing, but when Wen Xiangzhu and Jiang Wanwan suddenly appeared, she was startled.

Then she turned around and saw Sang Shinian and Xu Nianen had come too.

Lin Sui: “……?”

“What’s going on?”

“We’re celebrating your birthday early!” Wen Xiangzhu said with a smile. “Sister, let’s have some fun at the arcade first!”

“Right! We’ve already bought the tokens!” Jiang Wanwan chimed in, jingling the bag in her hand.

“This… why are you all here? Even Sister Sang and Nianen are here.”

Lin Sui was touched, but she had a nagging feeling something was off.

After all, they weren’t particularly close. She could understand Xu Nianen coming because of Zhu Huan, but what about Sang Shinian?

Why had Sang Shinian come? It couldn’t possibly be just to celebrate Lin Sui’s birthday, could it?

“Let’s go play basketball!”

“Ah, I want to try the motorcycle!”

“No, no, this doll is so cute! I want to play the claw machine!”

“I want to play that…”

Lin Sui was overwhelmed by the noise.

“Stop, stop.” She took a deep breath, then smiled. “Go ahead and play whatever you want. Let’s split up and meet back here in an hour.”

“Yay!”

The group split up, each taking some coins to play the games they wanted.

Only Wen Xiangzhu remained in place.

“You’re not going?” Lin Sui asked, raising an eyebrow.

Wen Xiangzhu chuckled softly. “I want to stay with you. Whatever you want to play, I’ll play with you.”

“Age before beauty, and the birthday girl comes first.”

Lin Sui gave her a deep look.

“Okay, let’s go play basketball.”

“Sounds good.”

Wen Xiangzhu grabbed Lin Sui’s hand and led her to the basketball hoop. “How many can you score?”

“I don’t know. It’s been so long since I’ve played.”

Lin Sui hesitated. “Around fifty?”

“That impressive?” Wen Xiangzhu’s eyes widened slightly, admiration flickering in them. “Sister, do you play basketball?”

“Yes,” Lin Sui replied. “It’s not that hard.”

“Then why have I never seen you play during gym class?” Wen Xiangzhu tilted her head, looking up at her with puzzled eyes.

“Why not? Because I don’t want to,” Lin Sui shrugged, inserting two coins.

The one-minute countdown began.

She shot fifty-five times, making fifty-three baskets.

When the screen displayed “GAME OVER,” Lin Sui set down the ball and finally noticed the admiration in Wen Xiangzhu’s eyes.

“Sister, how are you so amazing?!”

Lin Sui fell silent for a moment, feeling both happy and reluctant to show it. Everyone likes praise, but she didn’t want anyone to see how pleased she was… or something like that.

Unfortunately, her lips couldn’t quite suppress the smile.

Lin Sui blinked, turned away to avoid Wen Xiangzhu’s gaze, and quickly adjusted her expression.

“What’s so hard about this? It’s simple.”

“I want to try…”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Lin Sui helped by inserting two coins, starting another one-minute countdown.

Wen Xiangzhu threw thirty balls and scored twelve.

The game ended, leaving her feeling disheartened.

“This is ridiculous. I didn’t even reach half!”

“It’s fine. You just don’t practice enough. Your movements are slow, and your aim isn’t sharp.”

Lin Sui narrowed her eyes. “Have you been studying too hard lately?”

“…Yeah,” Wen Xiangzhu admitted hesitantly.

She had been incredibly busy lately. The preliminary rounds were crucial for her, and she didn’t want to mess them up.

Seeing this, Lin Sui sighed helplessly. But she was in a good mood today and decided to be magnanimous. “Come on, I’ll teach you.”

“Okay!”

After using up her last two coins, Wen Xiangzhu finally managed to throw twenty rings into the target within a minute.

She happily grabbed Lin Sui’s hand.

“Am I amazing?”

“Yes, you’re amazing.”

Lin Sui smiled, paused, and added, “You’re incredibly amazing.”

After leaving the arcade, Lin Sui was taken to a highly-recommended restaurant.

This restaurant was quite famous nationwide, and its excellent reputation stemmed from its exceptional service.

How exceptional, exactly?

Lin Sui narrowed her eyes, watching the masked young women suddenly appear at their table and start dancing enthusiastically to the music. She fell into deep thought.

Is this really a proper restaurant?

Just as she was pondering this, a cart bearing a birthday cake appeared behind them.

“Goodbye to all your worries, hello to all your joys! Dear, dear, happy birthday! Every day is wonderful…”

The DJ, who had just been playing upbeat dance music, suddenly switched to this cheerful, celebratory tune.

Before Lin Sui could react, a birthday hat was placed on her head.

“Happy birthday! Make a wish!”

A wish?

Lin Sui blinked blankly, her gaze falling on the birthday cake before her, its candles flickering.

A wish… What should I wish for?

Amid the chorus of well-wishes, she clasped her hands and closed her eyes.

A wish… I don’t really have any specific desires.

But I should probably make a wish anyway, right?

So let’s wish…

For my friends, I wish health, happiness, smooth sailing, and all their dreams come true!

And for my mom, who passed away from illness, I hope she’s at peace in the next world.

Oh, and Wen Xiangzhu…

I wish her a speedy recovery and success in her qualifying rounds!

What about myself?

I wish for my own happiness too.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and blew out the candles.

This was her eighteenth birthday.

It was a special birthday.

Lin Sui had thought that the evening would end after dinner.

But she hadn’t expected there was more to come.

The group dragged her to a karaoke bar.

“Let’s sing! I want to hear Shen Xing’s songs!”

“Didn’t Shen Xing get some recent gossip?”

“Who cares! The songs are good enough. Who’s singing?”

“I’ll pass. I’m no good at this.”

The group chattered excitedly around the jukebox.

Lin Sui watched them, letting out a helpless chuckle.

Sang Shinian stood beside her, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“This must be your happiest birthday yet, right?”

“Right,” Lin Sui nodded. “I really hate social obligations.”

“And you hate spouting those insincere, polite lines?” Sang Shinian chuckled.

Lin Sui paused, turning to look at her. “You know me pretty well.”

“Not really. When I was abroad, Jiang Qing often mentioned you,” Sang Shinian said. “And Wanwan… Jiang Qing said you two were going to get married after graduation.”

Lin Sui’s eyelashes fluttered slightly before she lowered her gaze. “That was just the elders’ wishes. To be honest, I used to believe that too.”

“Not anymore?” Sang Shinian asked.

“What’s the point in thinking about it now? The engagement is broken off anyway.”

Lin Sui chuckled. “I heard Wanwan has someone she likes. I’m actually really happy for her.”

“Why? Aren’t you upset?”

“No, not at all.” Lin Sui shook her head. “I only see Wanwan as a friend, nothing more.”

“So I know that if she stayed with me, she wouldn’t be happy.”

Lin Sui narrowed her eyes slightly, watching the group by the karaoke machine, and murmured, “If she can be with the person she likes, I’ll genuinely be happy for her.”

After she spoke, neither of them said anything for a long time.

Sang Shinian studied her for a moment, then smiled. “Hmm, it seems Wanwan was right. You really are a wonderful person.”

“Me, wonderful?”

Lin Sui was taken aback. “How is that wonderful…?”

“Maybe you don’t think you’re good enough, but to your friends, you’re the best.”

Sang Shinian patted her shoulder. “Don’t put yourself down.”

Lin Sui was left utterly bewildered by Sang Shinian’s words.

After a moment of thought, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

So, people who study abroad really do come back with that “foreign” vibe.

“By the way, I ordered fruit. Why hasn’t it arrived yet?”

Wen Xiangzhu glanced at the tightly shut private room door, then checked her phone. Standing up, she said, “Enjoy yourselves. I’ll go check on it.”

“Ah, be careful,” Jiang Wanwan called out, glancing up before lowering her head to draw a card, muttering, “Don’t give me some ridiculously extreme dare…”

Lin Sui wasn’t particularly fond of Truth or Dare, but since it was her birthday, she didn’t want to dampen the mood. After playing for a while, she glanced at her watch and frowned slightly. “Why hasn’t Wen Xiangzhu returned yet? It’s been ten minutes.”

Zhu Huan paused. “Ten minutes… That’s not unusual. Maybe something came up and delayed her.”

Jiang Wanwan’s smile faded. “I’ll try calling her,” she said hesitantly.

She dialed Wen Xiangzhu’s number, but only heard a busy signal.

Now Lin Sui couldn’t sit still. Her expression darkened as she stood up. “I’m going to look for her.”

“Huh? Wait for me! I’m coming too!” Jiang Wanwan immediately set down her cards and hurried after her.

Zhu Huan frowned, watching Lin Sui and Jiang Wanwan leave simultaneously, lost in thought.

Sang Shinian also stood up, reminding them before she left, “I’ll go check. You two stay here and watch the house.”

Zhu Huan: “……?”

Watch the house? Could Zhu Huan, the proud and mighty Zhu Huan, really end up reduced to watching the house?!

Just as she was seething with indignation, she noticed Xu Nianen standing nearby, watching her curiously.

“Sister Huan, aren’t we… not following?”

“No, we’re staying behind.”

Zhu Huan choked on her words.

“Oh…”

Lin Sui walked through the corridor to the front desk, but she didn’t see Wen Xiangzhu anywhere along the way.

Her expression darkened further as she approached the staff member. “Did a girl come by just now asking about the fruit?”

“Yes,” the staff member replied with a smile, nodding. “The young lady seemed suddenly unwell. She asked for the restroom direction and left right away.”

“The restroom? Where is it?” Lin Sui pressed.

“That way.”

The staff member pointed in a specific direction.

Lin Sui nodded, thanked them, and immediately turned and ran in the direction indicated.

“Sister Sui, wait for me…” Jiang Wanwan gasped, struggling to keep up. Finally, she couldn’t run any further and bent over, gasping for breath.

Sang Shinian stood behind her and chuckled. “Don’t bother chasing after her. I’ll ask.”

She walked back to the front desk, spoke briefly to the staff member, and then turned back. “The restroom is that way.”

“Oh.”

By then, Jiang Wanwan had caught her breath and nodded.

The reception desk wasn’t far from the restroom, and when Lin Sui spotted the restroom sign from a distance, her pace quickened.

But as she approached, she heard a voice.

“Who do you think you are?”

“The ‘sister’ you keep talking about probably wouldn’t even look at you properly.”

“Don’t think that just because you’ve flown up the branch, you’ve become a phoenix. You’re still a sparrow. You should consider our sister instead.”

“…”

Lin Sui’s expression darkened. As she entered the restroom, she saw three girls surrounding Wen Xiangzhu, trapping her in a corner.

“What are you doing?”