After Mistakenly Marking Her Stunning Omega Stepsister - Chapter 53

Throughout the entire summer vacation, Lin Sui avoided Wen Xiangzhu. Even when they couldn’t avoid each other and had to exchange a few words, Lin Sui’s replies were stiff and curt.

This continued for about half a month, until Wen Xiangzhu could barely stand it anymore.

“Sister.”

As Lin Sui was about to return to her room, Wen Xiangzhu blocked her doorway, her face flushed with anger. “Why are you avoiding me?!”

Lin Sui paused.

“I’m not.”

“Don’t lie! You’re definitely avoiding me!” Wen Xiangzhu’s voice sharpened. “Did I do something wrong?”

Lin Sui remained silent for a long moment.

“Move aside. I want to take a shower.”

“No way.”

“Hurry up!”

“I said no!”

“…”

“Wen Xiangzhu,” Lin Sui said, exasperated, “is this what you want?”

“What do you mean?” Wen Xiangzhu blinked, her gaze fierce. “Why won’t you answer me? You’re always like this… I hate you!”

With that, Wen Xiangzhu stormed back into her room and slammed the door shut.

Lin Sui: “……”

Fine. Hate me if you want.

Lin Sui seemed unfazed.

Yet for some reason, lately… she felt a faint sense of impending doom.

Lin Sui walked into her room and closed the door. Her phone in her pocket started playing a new ringtone.

“What?” Lin Sui answered the call, her voice flat.

“Suisui, do me a favor?” Zhu Huan giggled on the other end.

Lin Sui clicked her tongue and sat down at her desk. “What is it?”

“I promised En’en we’d go to an escape room tomorrow, but Auntie Xu won’t let her go alone with me. So… could you help us by pretending to be my ride?”

Lin Sui frowned. “You two are on a date. Why do I need to be involved?”

“Please, just this once! And En’en will also get someone to cover for her,” Zhu Huan pleaded. “After we’re done, I’ll buy you the latest gaming console!”

“Fine, fine.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Sui agreed. At least going out was better than staying cooped up at home all day.

The next day, Lin Sui called the driver ahead of time and timed her elevator ride to the garage precisely.

Just as she opened the car door to get in, her hand froze. “What are you doing here?”

Wen Xiangzhu sat calmly in the car, looking unruffled. “Why can’t I be here?”

Lin Sui stared in surprise. “You’re… stealing my ride?”

“I got here first,” Wen Xiangzhu said curtly, still clearly upset about yesterday’s incident. “You can just walk if you want.”

Lin Sui: “……?”

The driver glanced back and said, “Eldest Miss, please get in the car.”

Lin Sui frowned slightly. “What’s going on here?”

“Ah, it’s just that Second Miss is going to the same place as you, so…”

The driver seemed confused by the situation.

These two usually get along so well. Why are they being so prickly today?

Lin Sui stared at Wen Xiangzhu, speechless.

“What are you doing there?” she asked.

“None of your business,” Wen Xiangzhu retorted.

Lin Sui raised an eyebrow, feeling inexplicably annoyed. Wen Xiangzhu huffed, “Who asked?”

With that, she climbed into the car without another word.

“Since it’s on the way, let’s just let it go. Drive on,” she said.

“Right away,” the driver replied.

The entire ride, neither spoke a word.

Lin Sui didn’t mind the silence, but Wen Xiangzhu seemed to be getting carsick again.

This time, she had brought her own water and motion sickness pills. After taking one, she leaned back and closed her eyes.

Lin Sui observed her quietly. Seeing that she’d taken her medicine, she discreetly looked away.

This girl’s actually gotten a little smarter.

The escape room was located in a commercial building.

The car dropped off Lin Sui and Wen Xiangzhu at the entrance and drove away.

Lin Sui glanced at Wen Xiangzhu, unable to bear the scorching heat any longer. She hurried into the mall, grateful for the cool air.

But Wen Xiangzhu quickly followed.

“Where are you going?” Wen Xiangzhu asked.

Lin Sui shot her a look. “None of your business.”

Lin Sui: “……”

What’s gotten into her? Did she eat a bullet or something?

Lin Sui scoffed and ignored her, entering the elevator and pressing the button for the thirteenth floor.

Wen Xiangzhu didn’t follow. She waited outside, seemingly unwilling to ride the elevator with Lin Sui and opting to wait for the next one.

As the elevator doors closed, Lin Sui turned her gaze away, her expression tense. The more she thought about it, the angrier she grew.

As if I care!

The entire thirteenth floor was occupied by the escape room. Zhu Huan and Xu Nianen were already waiting there.

“I’m here,” Zhu Huan said, looking up and beckoning Lin Sui over.

“Where’s the other person?” Lin Sui asked.

“Coming soon,” Xu Nianen replied softly.

A moment later, the elevator dinged again, stopping on their floor. The doors opened, and Wen Xiangzhu stepped out, smiling as she walked over to Xu Nianen. “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s okay, we just got here ourselves,” Xu Nianen said.

Lin Sui was stunned. “So the other person is Wen Xiangzhu?”

Zhu Huan blinked, glancing between Lin Sui and Wen Xiangzhu. Noticing the awkward tension between them, she rubbed her nose.

“Ah… En’en suggested it, I don’t know.”

Xu Nianen paused, then said softly, “Wenwen and I are pretty close on the tennis team. Then I heard Sister Zhu Huan mention calling Sister Lin Sui, so I thought, ‘Why not invite Wenwen? You two know each other, and we’re practically family…'”

Lin Sui averted her gaze and sighed silently. “I see.”

Wen Xiangzhu snorted.

Lin Sui raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, but Wen Xiangzhu had no intention of speaking.

“…”

Whatever, I’m not even going to bother with her, Lin Sui thought angrily as the group walked into the shop.

“Welcome! How many people are there, and what kind of scenario would you like to play?” the receptionist asked with a smile, standing up.

“Just four,” Zhu Huan replied, casually taking the form the receptionist handed over.

“En’en, can you handle a mildly scary scenario?” Zhu Huan asked. “Will you end up having nightmares afterward?”

“I can handle it. Don’t underestimate me,” Xu Nianen said, lifting her chin.

“Uh… let me think about it,” Zhu Huan said hesitantly.

Lin Sui stepped forward and glanced at the form. “We want an extreme horror scenario,” she declared.

The group stared at her in silence.

“That intense?” Zhu Huan asked, looking at her in surprise.

Lin Sui nodded. “Yes, extreme horror. Let’s do ‘Shadow Mountain Bride’.”

She directed the last part at the receptionist, who nodded quickly and smiled, asking them to wait a moment.

Zhu Huan was still a bit dazed, but the next moment, she suddenly sprang into action.

Just as expected of my good sister! Extreme Horror? Isn’t this just creating an opportunity for Xu Nianen and me?! My sister’s painstaking efforts! I understand!

But in reality, Lin Sui wasn’t thinking that at all. She inwardly scoffed and mentally cursed Wen Xiangzhu over and over, her imagination running wild.

Extreme Horror? I’m going to scare you to death!

Once everyone had stored their phones and prepared themselves, they were led into the escape room by a staff member.

Before them stretched a dimly lit corridor. Flickering, pale white light from overhead bulbs cast eerie shadows, while the wooden floor creaked beneath their feet. The walls and floor were splattered with blood.

The corridor seemed endless, growing increasingly dark the farther it stretched, hiding who knew what shadows.

To add to the atmosphere, unsettling background music played in the background.

Lin Sui surveyed the scene, her eyebrow twitching slightly.

This place has done a decent job with the ambiance.

Xu Nianen’s heart pounded, though she said nothing. She quietly edged closer to Zhu Huan.

Seeing this, Zhu Huan mentally praised Lin Sui again.

She’s truly a sister who always has my back!

This wingman is amazing! She definitely deserves a five-star review!

At that moment, Lin Sui was quietly observing Wen Xiangzhu’s reaction.

Seeing that Wen Xiangzhu remained unfazed but her body seemed slightly stiff, Lin Sui felt a surge of schadenfreude.

This is just the beginning.

Wait until you’re really scared out of your wits!

The group crossed the corridor and entered a small, pitch-black room.

Zhu Huan felt along the wall and finally found the light switch.

With a click, the light came on.

A hanged ghost in red wedding robes dangling from the ceiling startled everyone.

Lin Sui and Zhu Huan remained relatively calm, but Xu Nianen was the most frightened.

As for Wen Xiangzhu… her face paled, but she forced herself to maintain composure.

Lin Sui scoffed.

You’ll crack eventually.

Sure enough, after completing a few tasks, a real NPC suddenly appeared.

Before Lin Sui could react, there was a scream, and someone threw themselves onto her, their arms tightening around her neck.

Lin Sui: “……”

Tsk, scared you, didn’t it? Not so tough after all, huh?

But after that, Wen Xiangzhu’s puffed-up attitude vanished, as if a valve had been opened, and she returned to her usual clingy self, practically gluing herself to Lin Sui’s side.

Though this time, it was out of fear.

After escaping the secret room, everyone was exhausted.

True to its reputation as an Extreme Horror experience, not only were there terrifying NPCs, but some even chased you for miles, and there were even single-line quests.

“Let’s go get something to eat,” Zhu Huan suggested. “I’m beat.”

“Sounds good,” Lin Sui nodded, and the others agreed.

Zhu Huan retrieved their phones from the cabinet, her gaze lingering on Lin Sui’s arm, which Wen Xiangzhu was still clinging to.

“…”

Wen Xiangzhu snapped out of it, quickly releasing her grip and backing up a few steps to stand beside Xu Nianen.

“……?”

What’s going on here?

Not wanting to go far, they chose a restaurant in the same building.

The meal was eaten in awkward silence.

Zhu Huan and Xu Nianen were shyly quiet, their bond having grown closer in the recent escape.

As for Lin Sui and Wen Xiangzhu… it seemed to be the opposite.

The atmosphere was tense.

After the meal, Zhu Huan wanted some alone time with Xu Nianen, so Lin Sui tactfully announced she was ready to head back.

She called the driver and went down to the first floor of the building to wait.

Wen Xiangzhu quickly caught up and stood beside Lin Sui.

Lin Sui glanced at her, wanting to say something, but seeing that Wen Xiangzhu seemed reluctant to speak, she held back.

After a long silence, Wen Xiangzhu suddenly spoke.

“I didn’t mean to follow you today.”

Lin Sui paused, a little surprised, but didn’t turn around, simply replying:

“I know.”

“Don’t think I’m… following you every day.”

Wen Xiangzhu pursed her lips, her expression complicated as she struggled to find the right words. “I’m not that… Don’t hate me.”

As she finished speaking, Lin Sui’s eyelashes fluttered, and she turned to look at her.

After a moment, she said: “I don’t hate you.”

“Then why… did you run off by yourself as soon as we left the hospital?”

Wen Xiangzhu frowned, her voice tinged with displeasure.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to keep some distance?”

Lin Sui averted her gaze, looking uncomfortable.

“It wasn’t me, it was you! You’re the one who…”

Wen Xiangzhu’s eyes widened, unsure where to start explaining. “I’m not blaming you. You misunderstood.”

Hearing this, Lin Sui lowered her gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“Oh… so you really weren’t upset?”

“Really not!” Wen Xiangzhu’s face flushed with urgency. “And I don’t hate you either… I was just venting yesterday.”

“Right.”

Lin Sui nodded. “Got it.”

Wen Xiangzhu: “……”

Is that all she’s going to say?

“Then…” Wen Xiangzhu blinked, hesitating. “Don’t avoid me anymore.”

After she spoke, a moment of silence fell.

Lin Sui turned to look at her, pausing before replying. “Mm… but we still need to keep our distance.”

Wen Xiangzhu: “……?”

“I mean…” Lin Sui paused again. “The safe distance between an Alpha and an Omega.”

“Understand?”

Wen Xiangzhu: “……”

Understood, but I really don’t want to.

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