Strategy to Tame My Dimwitted Older Sister A - Chapter 33

“U-um, senior, c-could you come here for a moment?”

Xu Mo pointed at herself and asked, “Are you calling me, junior? Or another senior?”

Chu Nanqiao didn’t speak, only nodding slightly clearly, she was calling for Xu Mo by name.

Xu Mo released her hand from Bai Xia’s shoulder and walked over, bending down politely. “What’s up, junior? Need help with something?”

Chu Nanqiao hesitated for a moment before looking up and asking, “S-senior, c-can I add you on WeChat?”

Xu Mo was taken aback but quickly realized that Chu Nanqiao probably wanted to ask about Bai Xia.

Ah, the little games between young couples, she knew all about them.

“Sure, do you want to scan me, or should I scan you?”

“I-I’ll scan you!”

Chu Nanqiao fished her phone out of her bag, opened WeChat, and added Xu Mo. Afterward, she carefully replaced the default nickname with Xu Mo’s real name.

After another pause, Chu Nanqiao leaned in and whispered, “S-senior, my family is h-hosting a party this weekend. C-can you and Bai Xia come? Y-you don’t need an invitation just give my name at the entrance, and the butler will let you in.”

So her hunch was right.

“Chu Nanqiao” with the surname Chu and a family party tomorrow she had to be from the Chu family.

Xu Mo felt a headache coming on.

She remembered that the Li family had deep ties with the Chu’s. If the Chu’s were hosting, Li Ai would definitely be there. The Xu family might also be on the guest list, but such events weren’t particularly important to them attendance was optional.

But if she agreed to Chu Nanqiao’s invitation, she’d inevitably run into Li Ai at the party. Just the thought of that fierce omega made her uneasy.

For other alphas, marrying someone as formidable as Li Ai might be considered lucky. But for Xu Mo? No way. She was half-convinced that one day, if Li Ai took a disliking to her, she’d have her “taken care of.”

She might not even know how she died!

This was really putting her in a tough spot.

“S-senior, d-do you have plans tomorrow? If you’re busy, d-don’t force yourself!”

Xu Mo wasn’t actually busy she just wanted to avoid Li Ai. But given the relationship between the Chu and Li families, she couldn’t possibly explain that to Chu Nanqiao. “Well, sort of. By the way, Nanqiao, you’re not just inviting me for my sake, are you?”

Chu Nanqiao’s face flushed instantly, and she lowered her head without answering.

Her silence was confirmation enough.

“You want me to bring Bai Xia along, right?”

Chu Nanqiao nodded.

If they were already together, why not just ask Bai Xia directly?

Xu Mo knew Bai Xia well enough she wouldn’t refuse something like this.

Unless… this was another one of their little couple games?

Ah, she got it now.

Just some playful teasing that made sense.

“I can help you get Bai Xia there, but you’ll have to do me a favor too.” Xu Mo had pulled enough shady stunts to feel a little guilty. If Bai Xia caught her this time, her academic life would be over.

Chu Nanqiao nodded quickly without a second thought, “Senior, you say, as long as long as I can do it, I’ll help you!”

With Bai Xia present, Xu Mo couldn’t be too obvious. She shushed him and whispered, “I’ll message you on WeChat later. You finish your meal first. We won’t disturb you two anymore.”

With that, Xu Mo called out to Lin Fei, “Feifei, let’s go. We shouldn’t interrupt their meal. Weren’t you rushing to grab the mall discounts? Hurry up!”

“Oh, right!” Lin Fei caught on instantly, grabbing Xu Mo’s hand and pulling her out of the cafeteria while waving at the two of them. “We’re heading out first. You two enjoy your meal!”

Bai Xia was utterly baffled by these two, unable to figure out what nonsense they were up to now. But judging from Xu Mo’s whispered conversation with Chu Nanqiao, she knew it couldn’t be anything good.

Still, she couldn’t just ask Chu Nanqiao directly even if she did, he might not tell her. This feeling was truly unpleasant. She’d have to give Xu Mo a good beating later for being such a troublemaker.

“Eat up, or the food will get cold and won’t taste as good.”

Chu Nanqiao replied, “But it’s summer now. Cold food is better.”

Bai Xia felt slightly awkward and cursed Xu Mo and Lin Fei in her heart again. “Y-yeah! Let’s eat, or the cafeteria staff will scold us again.”

The two ate the rest of their meal in silence well, mostly. At one point, Chu Nanqiao’s phone rang. It seemed to be a call from the family butler, though Bai Xia couldn’t make out the details. Most likely, he was asking when Chu Nanqiao would be home.

Bai Xia remembered that in her past life, the Chu family often called Chu Nanqiao. But whenever she asked what it was about, he’d clam up.

And if Chu Nanqiao didn’t want to talk, she wouldn’t pry. She respected every one of his decisions. Now, after her rebirth, some questions had only grown more intriguing to her.

“What’s wrong? Your parents calling?”

“N-no.”

Bai Xia set down her chopsticks, even more curious now. “If it’s not your parents, then who from your family called?”

Chu Nanqiao’s expression darkened. After hanging up, he stared blankly at his phone, clearly weighed down by something heavy.

Bai Xia couldn’t stand seeing him so troubled and tried to comfort him. “Is something… wrong at home?”

The question felt inappropriate, almost like she was wishing misfortune on his family. But Bai Xia genuinely couldn’t think of anything else that would make Chu Nanqiao look like this aside from family troubles, she had no clue what else could affect him so deeply.

Chu Nanqiao tucked his phone back into his bag and looked up. “Uncle Chen called.”

Bai Xia knew Uncle Chen, the Chu family butler, who usually handled Chu Nanqiao’s daily affairs. But this Uncle Chen rarely, if ever, called Chu Nanqiao unless there was something important at home that required his presence.

Was it about the banquet? But hadn’t Chu Nanqiao just said it was tomorrow night?

“What did he want?”

“Mmm.”

“What was it?”

Chu Nanqiao looked up at her, silent, as if puzzled by her questioning.

Bai Xia finally snapped out of it and quickly made an excuse, “You looked really serious, so I thought maybe something important was on your mind. I just asked casually. If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer!”

Chu Nanqiao shook her head, “I don’t mind.”

Bai Xia breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, the young miss was finally acting human for once. “So, what’s going on?”

Chu Nanqiao lowered her gaze, hesitating as if on the verge of speaking. She really wanted to tell Bai Xia everything, but upon further thought, she didn’t want to drag her into it.

After much deliberation, Chu Nanqiao still said nothing. “N-nothing. L-let’s just eat.”

Bai Xia didn’t press further and picked up her chopsticks to finish the rest of her meal.

Half an hour later.

Both of them had cleared their plates. After returning their trays to the cafeteria staff, Bai Xia prepared to head back to her dorm.

She asked Chu Nanqiao, “Junior, do you have classes this afternoon?”

Chu Nanqiao did have one class, but it wasn’t particularly important. Given the situation at home, she’d probably have to ask for leave. “Mhm. Y-you go ahead. D-don’t worry about me. I can walk back alone.”

Bai Xia noticed her expression was still the same as before and couldn’t shake off her concern.

In her past life, even though Chu Nanqiao had stabbed her, she had always treated Bai Xia well, offering unconditional care whenever needed. It was only right that Bai Xia returned the concern.

“Junior Chu Nanqiao, if you really have something on your mind, you can tell me. I might not seem very reliable on the surface, but when it comes to important matters, I never drop the ball. If you need help with anything, just say the word. If it’s within my power, I’ll definitely help you.”

Chu Nanqiao’s worried expression instantly vanished, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “R-really? A-anything at all?!”

Suddenly, Bai Xia felt like she’d been played. Was this a setup to get her to say those words?

But the words were already out, like water spilled, impossible to take back. Going back on her word wasn’t her style.

“Yeah, I mean it. Anything.”

Chu Nanqiao’s mood visibly improved. Bai Xia didn’t understand why her words were so uplifting, but as long as Chu Nanqiao wasn’t upset, that was enough. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about being suddenly stabbed by her.

“Alright then. If there’s anything you can’t say face-to-face, you can message me on WeChat later,” Bai Xia said. “But I’m not always quick to reply, so you might have to wait. Still, I’ll definitely get back to you.”

Chu Nanqiao nodded with a smile. “Mhm!”

After leaving the cafeteria, they went their separate ways.

True to her word, Bai Xia turned back toward the dorm. Chu Nanqiao stood behind her, watching until Bai Xia’s figure disappeared into the crowd before slowly turning to leave the campus.

As soon as she stepped out, a Bentley pulled up at the gate.

Butler Chen stood by the car door and bowed respectfully as Chu Nanqiao approached. “Young Miss.”

Chu Nanqiao said, “I told you, I can go back myself. Y-you didn’t need to pick me up!”

Uncle Chen straightened his posture and said, “This is the mistress’s order. You must attend tomorrow’s banquet, Miss. The mistress is worried you might sneak away again, so she specifically sent me to bring you back.”

Chu Nanqiao was reluctant, but since it was her mother’s command, she obediently opened the car door and got in.

Support Strategy to Tame My Dimwitted Older Sister A