Strategy to Tame My Dimwitted Older Sister A - Chapter 45.2

Xu Mo, feeling like a convict, didn’t dare disobey. She stepped on the gas and headed toward Bai Xia’s home.

A little over half an hour later, they arrived at the entrance of Huiyuan Community.

“Aren’t you coming up with me?”

Xu Mo knew what day it was and shook her head. “It’s not really appropriate for an outsider like me to intrude today. Just pass on my regards to your mom, and I’ll visit her another time.”

Bai Xia didn’t press further. “Alright, drive carefully on your way back.”

“Go on in. Don’t keep your mom waiting.”

Bai Xia waved and turned to enter the community.

Today was a special day for Bai Xia, the anniversary of her biological father’s death. She had rarely seen the alpha growing up, only in the portrait her mother kept. He was handsome, charming, with dimples when he smiled, the kind of man any omega would adore. The only tragedy was that he had died young.

Bai Xia didn’t have much feeling toward her alpha father perhaps because she had little contact with him growing up. At times, she even felt the man was irresponsible, passing away so young without any consideration for her mother. But now, reborn into this life, such ridiculous thoughts had vanished. She believed this man had deeply loved her mother; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so reluctant to leave when his time came.

Now, familiar places, familiar faces, and everything familiar she was experiencing it all over again. Bai Xia didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad.

“Mom, I’m home,” Bai Xia called softly as she pushed the door open.

Tang Lin emerged from inside, carrying a freshly cooked dish. Seeing Bai Xia return empty-handed, her expression instantly darkened. “Where’s Xiao Juzi? Didn’t you promise to bring him back?”

Bai Xia had originally planned to, but she had to meet Chu Nanqiao and worried that bringing the cat would trouble Xu Mo. In the end, she decided against it. “I forgot.”

Tang Lin set down the dish in her hands while scolding, “How could you forget such a big, chubby orange cat? Why don’t you just forget yourself while you’re at it!”

The school didn’t allow pets, so Bai Xia had temporarily kept the cat in an empty apartment Xu Mo owned. She hadn’t expected Tang Lin to grow so attached she had only brought the little chubby ball home once, and now it had completely replaced her in Tang Lin’s heart.

Bai Xia truly regretted it to the core.

In the past, whenever she came home, Tang Lin would ask if she was eating well at school. But now? Ever since that little chubby usurped her place, the moment Bai Xia stepped through the door, Tang Lin would seize the chance to ask if the cat was doing well, if it was suffering under her care.

It was practically treated better than her own daughter.

“Mom, I’m your actual daughter! That little chubby is just a cat!”

Tang Lin’s mood shifted faster than flipping a page. She bluntly stated, “I know you’re my daughter, but can you compare to Tangyuan? A kitten can’t speak, if it’s sick, sad, or hungry, it can’t tell anyone. But you? You have hands, feet, and a mouth. Do you still need me to fuss over you?”

Bai Xia: “…” That little chubby must be your real daughter, huh!

But she had a point. Bai Xia couldn’t hold a grudge against a cat clearly, this was her problem, not the cat’s.

After all, what fault could a little kitten possibly have?

Bai Xia stopped arguing with Tang Lin. In the past, no matter how much they bickered, Tang Lin would just get angry and ignore her. But now, Bai Xia had a feeling that if she dared to quarrel with Tang Lin again, she’d be thrown out, and that little chubby would be welcomed home as the new beloved daughter.

Who would’ve thought the day would come when her status would fall below a cat’s?

Sigh.

Bai Xia exhaled deeply, then glanced up at the portrait on the table. The memory of Chu Nanqiao kissing her tonight left her feeling unsettled.

She asked, “Mom, how did you and Dad meet? And how did you end up together?”

Tang Lin froze. It was the first time Bai Xia had ever asked her such a question.

Growing up without a father, Bai Xia had often complained to her about the “irresponsible” alpha she blamed for their family’s situation. No matter how much Tang Lin explained, Bai Xia would still cry and rage at the portrait, convinced it was all her father’s fault.

So for all these years, she had always worried that Bai Xia wouldn’t be able to overcome this hurdle and rarely mentioned that alpha in front of her daughter. Today, when Bai Xia suddenly brought it up, Tang Lin was a bit taken aback.

“You, why are you suddenly asking about this?” Tang Lin said. “Haven’t you always hated your father? You thought he was irresponsible, and you’d get angry every time I mentioned him.”

Yeah.

She had indeed hated that alpha for a long time. If it weren’t for him, her mother wouldn’t have had to endure the pain of her heats alone, wouldn’t have had to shoulder the burden of the family by herself, and wouldn’t have been constantly ogled and slandered by those shameless people.

How could she not hate him for all of that?

But after living a second life, she seemed to have let it go.

After all, if she really thought about it, that alpha hadn’t done anything wrong except for abandoning her and her mother, leaving nothing behind before he walked away.

“I just suddenly felt curious today.”

Tang Lin felt that Bai Xia was acting very strange extremely strange. She would never normally think like this or show any curiosity about this topic. Tentatively, she asked, “Xia Xia, are you in love?”

Pfft!

Bai Xia nearly choked on the water she was drinking. “Cough, cough, how is that possible?! Do you really think someone like your daughter could be in a relationship?”

Tang Lin thought about it and agreed. She knew exactly what her own child was like.

In love?

More like plucking cotton!

“Then why are you suddenly asking about this? Did your brain short-circuit?”

“Cough, cough can’t I just be curious?!”

Tang Lin mimicked Bai Xia’s tone from before, pinching her voice as she said, “‘What’s there to say about that alpha? A scumbag who abandoned his wife and child deserves to be torn to pieces just mentioning him is bad luck.’ That’s what you said, right? I’m not making it up.”

Bai Xia didn’t argue back, only saying, “Ms. Tang, couldn’t you remember something nice for once? Why hold onto useless words like that?”

Tang Lin replied, “If I didn’t remember, wouldn’t you just accuse me of making things up now? I know exactly what you’re like this is me keeping evidence.”

After saying this, Tang Lin walked over to the memorial portrait and looked at the person in the frame, her eyes suddenly misty with tears.

After a long pause, Tang Lin slowly began, “I met your father at work. I had just graduated from university back then, and your dad had already been working for five years he was my boss. We didn’t have much interaction at first, but then one time, our company went on a team-building trip, and your dad came along. We stayed out very late that day, and I drank way too much could barely walk straight. Your dad was responsible for taking me back to my room. And well, you know your mom I’m a sucker for good looks. Someone as handsome as your dad. I just couldn’t resist, so…”

“So you forced yourself on him?!” Bai Xia hadn’t expected Ms. Tang to be so bold. “You’re an omega shouldn’t you have been more reserved?”

Tang Lin immediately grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. “Forced myself on him?! Do I look like someone who’d be that unreserved?!”

“I mean kinda.”

“Say that again? I didn’t hear you.”

Bai Xia immediately shrank back in fear. “Please continue, pretend I never said anything!”

Tang Lin said, “I didn’t force myself on him, I just forcefully kissed your dad and confessed my feelings to him. After sobering up in my room that night, I was terrified. Taking advantage of someone while drunk is just plain hooliganism, and it could even count as sexual harassment. I was worried your dad would call the police, so I phoned him in the middle of the night to beg for mercy. I even gave up my entire month’s salary as compensation.”

“And then? What did he do?”

“Then your dad didn’t say much, just told me to drink less in the future. I thought the matter was over. Later, an alpha around my age came for an internship. That alpha seemed to like me quite a bit, he often brought me food, and he wasn’t bad-looking either. I was considering giving it a try with him, but then he got sent on a business trip by the boss, one that lasted half a year.”

“He did that, didn’t he?”

“Yeah. After I got together with your dad, he finally admitted it hesitantly when we talked about it. I asked him why he didn’t accept my confession if he liked me back then. And you know what your dad said? He thought I had already figured it out and agreed, never expecting I’d go after another alpha. That made him so angry he had his boss transfer the guy away.”

Tang Lin was smiling as she reminisced. Bai Xia could tell her mother had been truly happy with this man back then, which later led to the fruit of their love herself.

If only he hadn’t gone to save that person, they would have lived a very happy life.

“Mom, do you hate him?”

“Him,” of course, referred to the person who was saved.

Tang Lin’s smile vanished instantly. She had pondered the answer to this question countless times. To say she didn’t hate him would be a lie.

They had been married for less than three years. She had been an incredibly happy omega with a beautiful daughter, and in just one moment, everything was gone.

It felt like the sky had collapsed.

“Your dad didn’t regret it, so how could I blame him?”

Tang Lin caressed the portrait of the deceased with lingering reluctance, her eyes brimming with tears.

Perhaps because she grew up in a single-parent household, Bai Xia had little to no feelings about love. Having a partner or not didn’t matter much to her.

Similarly, she never believed any omega would truly like her.

So, when Chu Nanqiao kissed her, her first reaction was disbelief, only slowly realizing that an omega had just kissed her.

If Chu Nanqiao had kissed her out of genuine affection, then everything she had done in her past life suddenly took on a completely different meaning.

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