After Rebirth, My Archrival Omega Looks at Me Differently - Chapter 30

Dappled sunlight flickered through the trees. Yan Youqing sensed someone looking at her and turned to glance behind.

Their eyes met without warning. Chi Yan, feeling strangely caught, quickly looked away.

The orange glow of the setting sun lit up her face, highlighting the sudden awkwardness in her movements.

Her heartbeat no longer thudded steadily like before. Instead, it pounded chaotically in her chest, as if caught red-handed.

She noticed that Yan Youqing was still holding the cup of fruit tea. Trying to sound casual, she asked, “You haven’t finished that yet?”

Yan Youqing had observed every subtle change in Chi Yan’s expression. She answered calmly, “No.”

Chi Yan pushed her bike closer, now feeling more at ease. With a hint of pride, she asked, “Can I take it as a sign that you like it, since you’re taking it home?”

“Yes,” Yan Youqing replied as she sat on the back seat of the bike.

It wasn’t the first time she had ridden on Chi Yan’s bike. As expected, she reached out again to grab the hem of Chi Yan’s school uniform.

Chi Yan glanced down, her brows slightly furrowed but unbothered.

The hand holding her shirt was slender and delicate, the bones clearly visible beneath pale skin. Her wrist was so thin that the bone protruded noticeably.

She was really too thin.

Chi Yan raised her head, straddled the bike, and reminded her, “Hold on tight.”

“Alright,” Yan Youqing replied, her grip tightening slightly. She leaned forward just a little, letting her posture shift naturally closer to Chi Yan’s back.

The road ahead was bathed in warm orange sunlight, and the sky above glowed like summer.

The bike picked up speed, bringing with it a light, cool breeze. The shadows of the willow branches rippled across the path like waves. The two girls’ shadows leaned gently into one another.

Ripples from the river shimmered along the bank as the bicycle came to a stop at a quiet intersection.

Chi Yan quickly braced the bike with one foot and turned to Yan Youqing. “This is it. My house is north from here. Yours is west.”

Yan Youqing sat upright, and the shadows on the ground stretched apart with their movements.

She looked down and stepped off the bike with poise. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Chi Yan replied. She looked toward the familiar road and added, “Your ride won’t get lost, right?”

“It won’t,” Yan Youqing said calmly.

Despite years of being rivals, they had very little to talk about. Silence quickly settled between them.

A few minutes passed before Chi Yan seemed to remember something. As the evening wind picked up along the riverside, she took off her school jacket and handed it straight to Yan Youqing.

“Almost forgot. Here, take this.”

Yan Youqing took it. “Thank you.”

“No need,” Chi Yan said briskly. “I’ll be coming to your place on Sunday. If you start feeling unwell tomorrow, just call me. I’ll come right away.”

“Okay.”

Yan Youqing nodded and adjusted the jacket on her arm to keep it secure.

The bag holding the fruit tea rustled quietly with her movement. The half-full drink sloshed inside, leaving faint streaks of water on the cup.

Chi Yan noticed the sound and glanced down.

She reminded her, “And that. No matter how much you like it, don’t keep it overnight. Just order another tomorrow.”

“Got it,” Yan Youqing replied.

The conversation ended there. The quiet riverside bridge was peaceful.

Chi Yan didn’t know what else to say. Talking about schoolwork or tutoring seemed boring, so she leaned against the railing.

Behind her, the river flowed steadily, but the air carried a faint, clean scent of sea salt.

Somehow, her eyes drifted away from the scenery and landed on Yan Youqing standing nearby.

A breeze from the river picked up, brushing Yan Youqing’s long hair gently across her shoulder.

The setting sun cast a golden warmth over the bicycle, painting a calm and beautiful glow on the cool figure in front of her.

Chi Yan tilted her head slightly, watching the scene in front of her with a lazy sort of fondness.

At that moment, a black car slowly approached from the corner of her eye.

She recognized the car. She had ridden in it not long ago.

She couldn’t tell if she felt relieved or a little disappointed.

Straightening up, Chi Yan stepped away from the railing and said lightly, “Your ride’s here. I’ll get going now.”

Yan Youqing turned her eyes from the car and looked back at Chi Yan.

“Be careful on your way home,” she said.

“Okay,” Chi Yan replied with a nod.

But just as Yan Youqing began walking toward the car, Chi Yan suddenly seemed to remember something. She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Wait, Yan Youqing,” she called out.

Yan Youqing paused. There was a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

Chi Yan moved quickly, as if she didn’t want the waiting driver to see. Before Yan Youqing could react, Chi Yan pressed something into her hand and turned away in a flash.

“Take it,” she said before speeding off on her bike.

The river reflected the fading sun, the water dyed red by the sunset.

Yan Youqing watched Chi Yan ride off, her figure graceful and free as always. She didn’t look away until the girl disappeared from sight. Then she slowly opened her hand.

A small, square patch lay flat in her palm. Its edges were crisp and the subtle scent of alcohol floated gently into the air.

Chi Yan had given her a suppression patch.

Yan Youqing stared at it, a soft curve forming at the corner of her lips. The expression was both pleased and slightly bitter.

Did that girl really understand what it meant for an Alpha to give their pheromone suppressant to an Omega?

Just then, the driver stepped out of the car and opened the door for her.

“Young miss.”

Yan Youqing quickly composed herself and got in. She took a sip of the fruit tea in her hand.

Outside the window, the city lights blurred into a stream. The lime and agave in the tea filled her mouth with a sharp, refreshing taste.

Because she had already arranged a tutoring session with Yan Youqing for Friday night, Chi Yan had no time to clean her apartment.

On the first day of the Mid-Autumn holiday, she got up early, full of energy, and began tidying the home she hadn’t lived in for a while.

Although the apartment was messy and difficult to clean, Chi Yan worked with determination and focus.

When Chi Xufeng returned from the lab around noon, he was genuinely surprised.

“Yan Yan, you did all this in one morning?”

He was carrying several gift boxes from the Institute of Life Sciences and stood in the doorway, stunned by the neat and tidy living room.

“Yeah,” Chi Yan nodded.

She glanced at the boxes in his hands and couldn’t help but say, “Wow, another Mid-Autumn gift set from the Institute? This one has bowls again, right?”

Chi Xufeng found her tone oddly familiar and laughed.

“Why do you sound like you know exactly what kind of stuff my workplace gives out?”

Chi Yan gave a dry laugh as she pulled off her rubber gloves. “It’s nothing. I just noticed our bowls at home are getting a bit old. If we get new ones, we won’t have to buy more. And Old Chi, weren’t you the one who said that the gift sets from the Institute always have everything?”

Chi Xufeng, always focused on his research, couldn’t remember everything he had said before. He looked at her, half-convinced. “Did I say that?”

“You did,” Chi Yan nodded, confirming it as she took the heavy gift box from his hands.

The storage room door creaked open as she pulled it.

Chi Xufeng noticed her putting everything away and quickly stopped her. “Wait, Yan Yan, don’t pack away the big box. When you have time in the next day or two, take it to your deskmate.”

Chi Yan paused with the largest box in her hands. “Yan Youqing?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Chi Xufeng said.

“She helped us a lot recently. And she’s the one who helped you when you went through your differentiation. We should give her something in return. Your Uncle Yan said this gift box is expensive. It would be a perfect thank-you.”

Chi Yan pressed her lips together, a little unwilling. “I don’t think she needs stuff like this.”

But her father disagreed. His tone became thoughtful and serious. “Whether she needs it or not is her business. Whether we show appreciation is ours. We don’t want her family thinking we don’t know how to be polite.”

Chi Yan gave a short snort when she heard the word “family.” While putting away other items, she muttered, “Her mom wouldn’t even…”

She stopped mid-sentence.

Maybe because her father had mentioned Yan Youqing’s family, Chi Yan suddenly remembered the scene at the hospital the day before. Her own biological mother didn’t care about her much, and her stepmother’s concern never went beyond the surface.

She didn’t know how Yan Youqing would spend the Mid-Autumn Festival. If she felt emotionally unstable, would it make her pheromone dependency worse?

After a moment’s hesitation, Chi Yan pulled the box back out of the cabinet and said, “Alright. I’ll take it to her after I finish cleaning up this afternoon.”

Chi Xufeng smiled with relief. “That’s the spirit.”

Then he looked around the room that Chi Yan had worked hard to clean. He seemed hesitant but said softly, “Yan Yan, there’s a project I’m working on that’s really urgent. I won’t be coming home tonight. But I promise I’ll make time to be with you tomorrow.”

Chi Yan was no longer the kind of girl who threw tantrums when her father couldn’t be there. She noticed the careful tone in his voice and answered gently, “It’s okay, Old Chi. Just take care of your work. We see each other almost every day now. Any day can feel like Mid-Autumn for us.”

Chi Xufeng looked surprised by her answer. His tired eyes gradually lit up. “Yan Yan, how did you grow up so much in just a few days?”

Chi Yan smiled. “Isn’t growing up a good thing?”

“It is,” he said, nodding.

He reached out and rubbed the top of her head, now almost at shoulder height. “But don’t wear yourself out. You’ll always be my little girl, no matter what. You know that, right?”

His hand, warm and slightly damp from carrying boxes, rested gently on her head. That simple touch stirred something deep inside her, making her eyes grow warm.

Chi Yan lowered her gaze slightly to hide the redness in her eyes. She nodded. “I know. You’re the best, Old Chi.”

Sunlight poured into their small home, covering father and daughter in a soft, gentle glow.

But thin clouds soon passed in front of the sun. As it moved slowly across the sky, half the house became shaded and quiet, wrapped in green ivy climbing the outer walls.

In another house, far quieter and colder, a single figure curled up on an oversized sofa. Long black hair spilled over her shoulders, and her face was pale.

Yan Youqing held a phone receiver to her ear. Her face was calm and expressionless.

“No need, Auntie Song. My mother is close to her due date. She shouldn’t be doing anything tiring. You can just stay with her at the hospital tomorrow,” she said.

“Alright,” Song Yanxing replied. Her voice was as cold as the floor tiles beneath her feet. “I’ll ask Aunt Chen to make some of your favorite dishes and send them to you.”

“Thank you, Auntie Song,” Yan Youqing answered politely, just like always.

Song Yanxing seemed pleased with the response. She gave a short “good” and hung up.

And just like that, their Mid-Autumn family gathering had been arranged by a phone call. Each person had made their own choice.

As the call ended, the dial tone hummed in her ear. Yan Youqing slowly placed the receiver back on its base.

Her bare feet were thin, the delicate bones just beneath her skin outlining her shape in sharp relief.

Her long hair fell over the armrest as she sank into the deep cushions of the sofa. Her eyes were filled with an emotionless cold, as if she had seen through everything long ago.

If they truly cared about family gatherings, Song Yanxing would never have brought up her mother’s health as an excuse. More than that, she wouldn’t have let someone else make the call on her behalf.

Yan Youqing gave a small, bitter laugh and pulled Chi Yan’s school jacket closer to her chest.

The sofa was large, and she was small. She seemed to have many things, but none of them really belonged to her.

She hugged the oversized jacket as if she were a princess holding onto the only thing in the world that was hers.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

Someone had come to visit the lonely princess in her quiet, empty castle.

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