Strategy to Tame My Dimwitted Older Sister A - Chapter 46

Noticing that her daughter seemed troubled, Tang Lin set down the memorial portrait and sat on the sofa, staring into Bai Xia’s eyes as she asked, “Something on your mind?”

Bai Xia abruptly looked up, then shook her head vigorously. “No.”

Tang Lin sighed. “You’re my daughter. Do you think I can’t tell when you’re upset? I’m your mother, not some stranger. Can’t you talk to me about what’s bothering you?”

It wasn’t that Bai Xia didn’t want to say anything, it was just that she wasn’t entirely sure what Chu Nanqiao’s kiss had meant. If she had misinterpreted it, she would only be making a fool of herself and creating an awkward situation for both of them.

So rather than risk that, it was better to pretend nothing had happened. That way, they could still communicate normally and remain friends.

“No, nothing’s wrong!” Bai Xia quickly stood up. “Isn’t dinner ready? Let’s eat before it gets cold!”

“Sit down!” Tang Lin enunciated each word sharply.

Bai Xia instantly deflated and obediently sat back down.

She might ignore anyone else, but when it came to Tang Lin, she always felt a sense of debt.

The alpha had passed away early, leaving no one reliable in the family. As the saying goes, when the wall collapses, everyone pushes it; when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Without an alpha, an omega could only be bullied. Those so-called relatives, who had seemed so kind before, turned utterly heartless after the alpha’s death.

Back then, Bai Xia had been young, crying out to the heavens with no answer, pleading to the earth with no relief. Every day, she had fantasized about taking revenge on those relatives even if it meant mutual destruction. After all, trading one life for dozens wouldn’t be a loss. But the moment she saw Tang Lin’s devastated and pitiful expression, those thoughts would vanish.

Later, she and Tang Lin relied on each other for survival. No matter what Bai Xia wanted, Tang Lin would do everything in her power to provide it. Though she had lost her alpha, Tang Lin had given her the whole world.

It was from that moment Bai Xia had sworn in her heart that she would work hard to earn money and give Tang Lin a good life.

As long as it wasn’t something forced upon her, Bai Xia always deferred to Tang Lin, obeying her words and trying not to talk back.

“I’m your mother, the one who gave birth to you and raised you. Do you think I can’t see right through the little schemes in your head? How could I not notice you’re troubled?” Tang Lin said. “What’s the matter that you can’t even discuss it with your own mother? Do I seem like someone unreasonable to you?”

Bai Xia muttered under her breath, “You were ready to kick me out over that little fatty.”

Tang Lin narrowed her eyes and smiled. “Speak up. Your mother can’t hear you.”

Bai Xia obediently shut her mouth.

“Go on, what’s got you so conflicted?”

Bai Xia lowered her gaze, hesitating before finally asking, “Mom, I wanted to ask, if someone likes you, how would they act?”

Tang Lin frowned in thought.

She stood up and scrutinized Bai Xia from head to toe, then said in disbelief, “An omega likes you? Are you sure you’re not just saying that to make your mother happy?”

Bai Xia knew she’d been misunderstood again. “No. I was just curious, so I asked.”

Tang Lin sat back down in her seat, thought for a while, and then said to her, “To be honest, when I liked your dad, I did a lot of stupid things. But asking your mom to explain how an omega behaves when they like an alpha, I suspect you’re just trying to make things difficult for me.”

She had a point.

She really shouldn’t have asked.

Bai Xia had almost forgotten that Ms. Tang was a lost cause in this regard. Even a three-year-old might have been more reliable than her.

“Then why did you tell me to ask you in the first place? If you don’t even understand the situation yourself, how can you answer my question?!”

“Well, there are two of us here. Besides, I might have experienced some of the things you’re talking about.”

Bai Xia sighed helplessly. “I don’t think there’s any point in telling you. If I ever bring her home and you start spouting nonsense, you’ll probably scare her off.”

Tang Lin could tell she was dodging the question and immediately pulled out a feather duster from under the table. “Are you going to tell me or not? Don’t think you can just brush this off. I know you always trying to change the subject!”

This time, it wasn’t that she didn’t want to say it, she just didn’t know how to put it into words.

Should she just say that Chu Nanqiao kissed her?

For some reason, she felt a little embarrassed.

“I already asked you the question I wanted to ask, Mom. Can’t you be a little more reasonable?”

Ms. Tang completely ignored that. “Reasonable? Your mom is reason!”

Well, she had a point.

Bai Xia hesitated for another moment.

This was the first time she’d encountered something like this, and she really didn’t know how to bring it up. It felt awkward and a little strange to say out loud.

But if it was really like she suspected, if Chu Nanqiao had liked her in their past life then this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. It was just that she’d been too dense to notice.

“Well, um! I helped a junior at a bar and even took her home. After that, she kept getting mad at me for no reason. When I asked her why she was angry, she wouldn’t tell me, but I hadn’t done anything wrong.”

“Then, one time, I bought her milk tea. She obviously liked it and took it, but after we talked for a bit, she suddenly got mad again and gave it back to me. When I asked her why, she wouldn’t say and just told me to figure it out myself.”

“And also, I noticed she doesn’t seem to like it when I laugh and joke around with other people. It’s just, I don’t know how to describe it, but it feels like she’s being unreasonable. Then, tonight, I went to see her at a party, and we talked a lot. But she got angry again, and before I could figure out what was going on, she suddenly kissed me.”

The more Bai Xia spoke, the less confident she sounded. She looked at Tang Lin and asked, “Mom, do you think she likes me?”

Tang Lin froze, her expression one of disbelief.

Bai Xia was her own daughter, she knew her personality better than anyone. Maybe because she’d grown up in a single-parent household, but Tang Lin had noticed that her daughter was incredibly dense when it came to romance. From elementary school to middle school to high school, even when omegas had made their feelings blatantly obvious, Bai Xia still thought they just wanted to be friends.

She had thought about having a heart-to-heart with Bai Xia, asking if she had ever liked anyone whether an omega, a beta, or even an alpha she wouldn’t have minded at all.

But every time she saw Bai Xia venting her anger at the portrait, she felt that perhaps the reason Bai Xia had become like this was because she had starved herself.

Out of guilt, she did her best to make up for it.

Tang Lin had even made plans: if Bai Xia never intended to marry, she would support her for the rest of her life. Although an alpha’s rut was just as unbearable as an omega’s heat, it wasn’t an insurmountable problem. With medical technology and medications so advanced now, she was fully capable of freeing Bai Xia from that kind of suffering.

But now that Bai Xia had spoken to her like this, Tang Lin felt deeply relieved.

“Let’s set aside the issue with your junior for now. Tell me, how do you feel about the unreasonable things she’s done to you?” Tang Lin asked. “Do you feel angry?”

Angry?

Bai Xia didn’t think she ever had.

Whether in her past life or this reborn one, she had never truly felt anger over the things Chu Nanqiao had done to her. At most, she thought Chu Nanqiao had a bit of a spoiled rich girl’s temperament.

But Chu Nanqiao was a rich girl having those flaws was only natural.

“I don’t get angry.”

“Then that settles it.”

Tang Lin explained, “When you have feelings for someone, no matter what they do even if it’s wrong you won’t feel upset. Based on your mom’s experience dating your dad, you clearly have a thing for her.”

But none of that was the main point. What Tang Lin really wanted to know was: what kind of person could finally make her stubborn daughter realize she had feelings for someone?

“Is she an A, an O, or a B? What does she look like? Do you have a photo for your mom to see?”

“Stop joking around, Mom. Nothing’s confirmed yet don’t jump to conclusions.”

Bai Xia had a pretty good sense of self-awareness. “What if she doesn’t like me at all and just genuinely dislikes me? Seriously, don’t speak too soon about things that aren’t certain!”

Tang Lin was nearly driven mad by her dense daughter and swatted her. “What’s there to confirm at this point?! If your brain were half as good as your looks, you wouldn’t still be single your whole life!”

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