After Mistakenly Marking Her Stunning Omega Stepsister - Chapter 56

“What do you mean?” Lin Sui asked, looking utterly bewildered. “How am I being dense?”

The others shook their heads in exasperation, especially Ye Shuqian, who sighed deeply. “Do you remember how you and Wenwen used to keep running into each other wearing the same clothes?”

“Why?” Lin Sui raised an eyebrow.

“She came to ask me about it,” Ye Shuqian said softly. “Wenwen told me to tell her what you were wearing. She was clearly smitten with you, and you didn’t notice at all?”

“What?”

Lin Sui stared in disbelief.

“Hey, Suisui, you’re still too naive about these things!” Xia Yi chuckled, patting her shoulder.

Lin Sui’s expression turned serious, and she shook her head.

“But I’m her sister. I can’t…”

“Wait, wait!” Xia Yi quickly waved her hand. “You’re not blood sisters. You’re only sisters by name.”

“True.”

Zhu Huan nodded. “Do you remember a question I asked you before?”

“What?”

Lin Sui shook her head.

“I asked if you and Wen Xiangzhu would still be in contact if Wen Wenfu left.” Zhu Huan looked at Lin Sui and said softly, “I meant romantically. You’re so dense—you didn’t catch any of my hints.”

Lin Sui: “……”

“But…”

Lin Sui hesitated. “Is this really okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Xia Yi laughed. “Look at how you’ve been acting these past few days, like you’re in a daze. You’re definitely crushing on her.”

“Exactly! Wen Xiangzhu has been so proactive about it. If you don’t make a move soon, you’ll lose your chance at marriage,” Zhu Huan teased.

Lin Sui’s lips twitched, and she fell silent for a moment.

So, is it too late for me to start chasing after her now?

Probably not, right?

Lin Sui thought.

During class, she couldn’t focus, her eyes fixed on the back of Wen Xiangzhu’s head as she drifted into a daydream.

The teacher tolerated this for most of the lesson before finally calling out her name. “What are you staring at? Is the Class Monitor’s hair that fascinating?”

The class erupted in laughter.

Lin Sui forced a dry laugh. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I was just spacing out.”

“Sit down and pay attention,” the teacher said, then added, “You’re all in your third year of high school. It’s time to focus…”

Zhu Huan lowered her head, stifling a laugh, and nudged Lin Sui.

“Pretty, huh, Sister Sui?”

Lin Sui clicked her tongue.

“Shut up.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll shut up,” Zhu Huan said with a grin.

Lin Sui felt conflicted, unsure how to bring up the topic.

But whenever she finally managed to find a moment alone with Wen Xiangzhu, the latter would quickly dart away, pretending to be busy with something else.

“Sister Sui,” Zhu Huan said, walking over with a smile and patting her on the shoulder. “You’ve got a long road ahead.”

Lin Sui: “……”

During gym class, after the teacher dismissed them for free time, Wen Xiangzhu went with the other students to grab equipment.

Lin Sui stood restlessly in the shade of a tree, feeling overwhelmed.

She wanted to apologize, but she couldn’t find the chance. What should she do?

This tense state lasted until the end of the school day.

Finally, Lin Sui managed to corner Wen Xiangzhu outside the restroom.

“Don’t… don’t be angry anymore,” she said, pursing her lips. “That’s not what I meant.”

Wen Xiangzhu stared at her coldly for a moment. “Then what did you mean?”

“That I find you annoying?”

The corner of Wen Xiangzhu’s mouth twitched.

“I won’t bother you anymore. And please don’t disturb me.”

As the words faded, Lin Sui’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and for a moment, she seemed lost in thought.

By the time she came back to her senses, Wen Xiangzhu had already left.

Disturb her?

Lin Sui suppressed the sourness in her heart, biting her lip.

Is she being this decisive? Is there no room for compromise?

Lin Sui refused to believe it.

If what Ye Shuqian and the others said was true—that Wen Xiangzhu liked her—how could she have forgotten everything so completely in just a few days?!

Impossible.

But Lin Sui’s mind was blank, unable to process anything. She left school, bought some alcohol, and returned to the dormitory.

Xia Yi was the only one there. She was shocked to see Lin Sui return. “Have you eaten?”

“No.”

Lin Sui set down the alcohol, looking utterly dejected.

Xia Yi frowned slightly. “I just ate some bread… Aren’t you going to eat?”

“No.” Lin Sui sat down at her desk and opened a can of alcohol.

“You’re not eating and just drinking this?”

Xia Yi frowned and walked over, taking the alcohol from her. “Eat something first.”

Xia Yi turned and grabbed a bag of bread, handing it to her. “Here, eat this first to fill your stomach.”

Lin Sui glanced down at the bread, muttered a thanks, and took it.

Xia Yi pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. “You’re in a bad mood. What’s wrong? Wen Xiangzhu?”

Lin Sui paused mid-chew. “Mm.”

“Hah, what’s the big deal?” Xia Yi said. “Just apologize properly and admit your mistake!”

“Even though it was my fault, I…” Lin Sui pressed her lips together, looking conflicted. “I can’t bring myself to say it.”

“If you can’t even do that, what will it take to make you speak up?” Xia Yi chuckled. “Are you waiting for Wen Xiangzhu to get involved with someone else?”

“No.”

Lin Sui frowned and sighed. She finished the bread, then picked up the open can of alcohol and took a swig.

Seeing her genuine distress, Xia Yi didn’t stop her, simply watching quietly.

“Drink. Once you’re drunk, I’ll call Wen Xiangzhu.”

Lin Sui froze. “Why would you do that?”

“Have her talk you out of it. And while she’s at it, she can see how drunk you are over her,” Xia Yi said with a laugh.

Lin Sui was silent for a moment. “I can’t get drunk.”

“Really? Let’s try,” Xia Yi said, opening a can of beer. “I’ll drink with you.”

“You’re skipping study hall?” Lin Sui glanced at her.

“Yeah, I’m staying with you,” Xia Yi said casually, taking a sip. “Not bad. This tastes pretty good.”

“Of course it does,” Lin Sui said, a faint smile playing on her lips. “I bought good stuff.”

As the sky darkened, the two of them finished all the beer they’d just bought without realizing it.

The empty cans lay scattered across the table. With an absent-minded movement, one rolled off and clattered to the floor.

The dorm lights were off, leaving the room pitch-black.

Lin Sui, already dizzy from drinking, could barely see anything.

Feeling around, she found her phone and turned it on to check the time.

Study hall was over.

She lowered her gaze, then stood and turned on the dorm light.

Xia Yi slumped over the desk, frowned, and slowly sat up.

“This wine’s a little strong,” she muttered.

Lin Sui hummed in agreement, walked over, grabbed another phone from the table, and handed it to Xia Yi.

“Here.”

“Huh?”

Xia Yi paused, suspiciously taking the phone. “What’s this for?”

“Call her,” Lin Sui said, raising an eyebrow. “Weren’t you going to call Wen Xiangzhu? Do it now.”

Xia Yi: “……?”

The phone rang and connected quickly. At Lin Sui’s gesture, Xia Yi pressed the speaker button.

“Hello? Xia Yi, what’s wrong?”

Xia Yi glanced at Lin Sui. “There’s something… I need your help with.”

“What is it? Just say the word.”

“Can you come and deal with Lin Sui? She’s about to tear the dormitory apart,” Xia Yi said.

Lin Sui: “?”

Her eyes widened as she stared at Xia Yi, pointing at herself in confusion.

Xia Yi smiled and waved her hand. “She’s drunk and talking nonsense. She keeps muttering about saying something wrong and almost fell off the balcony just now!”

Lin Sui: “??”

“Are you free now? I’m worried something might happen to her,” Xia Yi said.

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

“I’ll come over later.”

“Great.”

Xia Yi chuckled awkwardly. “Thanks for this.”

After hanging up, Lin Sui glared at Xia Yi. “Why did you say that? I wasn’t about to fall off the balcony!”

“Hey, it was just a temporary measure!” Xia Yi grinned. “We just need to get her here first.”

Lin Sui: “……”

“Should I pretend to be really drunk?”

While Wen Xiangzhu was still on her way, the two of them deliberately made a mess of the dormitory.

Xia Yi pulled Lin Sui onto the bed. “Remember, act drunk!”

Lin Sui: “……”

“Don’t get caught!” Xia Yi warned again.

“I know, I know.”

Lin Sui felt inexplicably nervous. This was her first time pretending to be drunk to deceive someone and the person she was deceiving was Wen Xiangzhu.

After what felt like an eternity, voices finally echoed from the dormitory door.

Zhu Huan led Wen Xiangzhu inside. She glanced at Lin Sui, sprawled on the bed, then at Xia Yi standing nearby, exchanging a silent look with her.

Wen Xiangzhu, oblivious to their exchange, frowned and approached Lin Sui. After a moment’s hesitation, she tapped Lin Sui’s hand with her phone.

“Are you asleep?”

“No!” Xia Yi quickly interjected. “She was just mumbling nonsense a moment ago!”

Hearing this, Lin Sui felt like dying. Yet she had no choice but to maintain her drunken act, mumbling incoherently: “Gibberish… nonsense…”

Everyone fell silent.

Wen Xiangzhu’s expression was complicated. She bent down to listen for a while, her expression becoming even more difficult to describe.

“What… is she saying?”

Xia Yi opened her mouth, staring blankly at her, and let out a dry laugh.

“I don’t know. I… can’t understand it either.”

“……”

Wen Xiangzhu pursed her lips and set the lemonade she was holding on the table.

“If she’s asleep, let her be. She doesn’t seem to be in any real trouble. We can just have her drink this later. I’m leaving.”

“Hey! Wait!”

Xia Yi called out urgently. “How are we supposed to get her to drink it? She’s as stubborn as a mule!”

Lin Sui: “……”

Great… Who’s stubborn like a mule?!

Forget it. Just hold it in, hold it in.

“Exactly,” Zhu Huan said with a smile, chiming in. “When she gets stubborn, there’s nothing we can do, especially when she’s drunk… But you know, she used to listen to you the most. Why don’t you try?”

“Me?”

Wen Xiangzhu frowned slightly, looking at Zhu Huan with suspicion. “Since when has she ever listened to me?”

“Uh… you just don’t know,” Zhu Huan replied. “Seriously, there’s so much you don’t know! She actually listens to you more than you think.”

After a moment of hesitation, Wen Xiangzhu finally nodded. “Fine, I’ll try.”

With a sigh, she walked over to Lin Sui and nudged her. “Wake up.”

Zhu Huan and Xia Yi stood nearby, watching cautiously.

A moment later, Zhu Huan suddenly remembered something and tugged at Xia Yi. “Oh, we just remembered we have something to do. We’ll be leaving now.”

Xia Yi quickly caught on, but her smile looked stiff. “Right, right. We’ll leave you to it.”

The two bright “light bulbs” hovering around were indeed hindering progress. Realizing this, they quickly slipped away, even dragging Ye Shuqian, who had just arrived at the door to return to her dorm.

Ye Shuqian: “……??”

Back in the dorm, Wen Xiangzhu raised an eyebrow, glancing suspiciously in the direction the two had left. Seeing they’d even remembered to close the door, she arched her eyebrow again and slowly straightened up.

After a moment, she looked at Lin Sui, her eyelashes trembling slightly. “Stop pretending. I know you’re not drunk.”

As the words hung in the air, Lin Sui hesitated for a beat before slowly opening her eyes.

Wen Xiangzhu stood by her bed, her expression indifferent. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.”

“Don’t go.”

Seeing Wen Xiangzhu turn to leave, Lin Sui quickly reached out and grabbed her arm. “I… I need to say something.”

Wen Xiangzhu paused, then chuckled softly. “What is it?”

“Are you pleased with yourself? You tricked me so easily.”

“Not at all.”

Lin Sui’s eyes widened, her voice urgent. “That’s not what I meant!”

“I don’t care what you meant.”

Wen Xiangzhu gazed at her calmly. “I don’t lack affection, and I don’t need your pity.”

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