Strategy to Tame My Dimwitted Older Sister A - Chapter 13

Xu Mo admitted that running away like a deserter wasn’t exactly honorable. She had originally thought that this year’s batch of young omegas were so good-looking, it would be a shame not to get up close and personal. After all, this was the only chance all year, and who knew, she might even find her future wife. But she never expected that the person her family had arranged for her to marry would also be there. If she were caught flirting around, and word got back to her family, she’d probably end up being thrown into a pig cage as punishment.

“Xia Xia, you know I don’t like her, but my family won’t let me off the hook. When I left, my parents said if I didn’t rein it in, they’d break my legs. I really have no choice, I just don’t want to see her.”

Bai Xia used to believe that everyone had the right to choose their own path, and the more wealth and status someone had, the more choices they would have. She had held onto this belief firmly until she met Xu Mo.

Xu Mo was the only alpha in the Xu family, and from the moment she was born, great expectations had been placed on her. Although her parents didn’t demand that she become exceptionally powerful she could live her life as a carefree, hands-off heir, she still had to fulfill her responsibilities as an alpha. Arranged marriage was one of them.

This had always been a thorn in Xu Mo’s heart. She felt nothing for the omega she was betrothed to. On the surface, they got along, but no spark ever ignited between them. Xu Mo had tried love wasn’t something that could be forced. No matter how much effort she put in, if the feelings weren’t there, they just weren’t there.

After that, Xu Mo started avoiding the omega. As long as her family didn’t force her to return home, she would stay away indefinitely.

Bai Xia had once asked Xu Mo if she had ever considered resisting. Xu Mo didn’t answer she just smiled and brushed it off. After living a second life, Bai Xia finally understood why Xu Mo had chosen silence everything Xu Mo had was given by the Xu family. Every penny she spent came from them. She could resist, but she would have to pay back everything the family had invested in her.

That was an astronomical sum. Xu Mo couldn’t do it. She could never repay it.

So, no matter how unwilling she was, Xu Mo still had to obediently follow her family’s arrangements and fulfill her duty as the sole alpha heir.

Bai Xia ached for her, but Xu Mo didn’t accept her sympathy. Instead, she said, “Why pity me? What’s there to pity? I live in a mansion, eat delicacies, and get a hefty allowance every month, things most people could never dream of having. I don’t deserve pity. Or, think of it this way: I get to enjoy all this without paying any price. Sacrificing a little happiness is a fair trade, isn’t it?”

They hadn’t been particularly close before at most, they were just roommates who occasionally joked around. But because of those words, they became the closest of friends.

“So, what are you going to do? She came all the way to the school. Even if you want to avoid her, you can’t, right?”

Xu Mo set down the milk tea in her hand, hooked a chair from under the table with her foot, and plopped down onto it with a heavy sigh. “What am I supposed to do? Transfer schools? My parents would never agree to that. They’re practically begging for me to spend more time with her. But I’ve already made it clear, I just don’t feel anything for her. No amount of ‘cultivating feelings’ is going to change that. They refuse to believe me, though, and keep using their own relationship as some kind of textbook example. As if that’s even comparable!”

Bai Xia remembered that Xu Mo’s parents had also been part of an arranged family marriage, but their relationship had only grown stronger over the years, becoming the envy of all other arranged couples. “Still, I’m kind of curious how your parents managed it.”

Xu Mo explained, “Their situation was totally different. My dad? Born a simp. From the moment he first laid eyes on my mom, he was all over her, showering her with compliments nonstop. But I’m not like that. I can’t pull off that natural simp act. ‘Simp, simp, simping gets you nowhere’, that’s how it goes!”

Bai Xia didn’t bother commenting on that. “Oh, please. I know exactly what’s going on in that head of yours. You just haven’t had your fill of playing the field yet, right? The outside world’s so much more fun, isn’t it? A new flavor every day. Having someone keep you in check might actually do you some good save you from racking up all those romantic debts. Who knows, we might even end up with some ‘tadpoles searching for their mom’ drama.”

Xu Mo cried foul. “When have I ever racked up romantic debts? If I had any luck in love, do you think I’d still be perpetually single?!”

“Oh really? Then who was it that said, ‘I’m not a player, I just want to give every little omega a home’? Don’t tell me that wasn’t you!”

“I was just joking! Just kidding around, that’s all.”

“Uh-huh. And you expect me to believe that?”

“If you don’t believe me, what can I do? It’s not like I can prove it… or anything.”

Bai Xia rolled her eyes so hard they nearly disappeared into her skull. She had a strong suspicion that the Xu family had specifically chosen this arranged marriage partner to rein in Xu Mo’s playgirl tendencies. High society was always rife with gossip, illegitimate children were a dime a dozen, and gold-digging schemes were endless. If drama like that popped up every day, anyone would get a headache, especially when the other party was only after your family’s wealth.

Thinking about it that way, Bai Xia could kind of understand Xu Mo’s parents’ approach.

The bond between an alpha and an omega wasn’t always about love. Even a slight compatibility in pheromones could draw them together, making certain behaviors impossible to control especially during their respective ruts or heats. Once hormones took over, all rationality went out the window.

Bai Xia herself was an alpha. While she had some degree of control over her pheromonal urges, even she wasn’t immune to losing control sometimes. The same went for omegas. If the person in question had strong morals, fine. But if they were a wolf in sheep’s clothing? That was a whole different story.

Xu Mo’s parents were probably just trying to spare her that kind of trouble down the line.

“Forget about proving anything. No one wants to hear those player catchphrases. You’d better figure out what you’re going to do now.”

Bai Xia was also feeling troubled in her heart. She wasn’t much better off than Xu Mo, she didn’t want to see Chu Nanqiao either. But they were in the same department, living in the same dorm building, just on different floors. Running into each other was inevitable. She couldn’t very well wear a mask every time she went out.

That would just be too weird.

What if someone with ill intentions accused her of having a guilty conscience? If they posted about it on the school forum, how would she ever hold her head up on campus again!

But military training had been keeping everyone busy lately, and Chu Nanqiao probably didn’t have time to think about her. Maybe once she got to know her classmates better and found her own interests, he’d gradually forget about her. Everything would have a fresh start that wouldn’t be so bad.

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