The Alpha’s Hidden Marriage, Public Obsession - Chapter 42

Jiang Xue froze for a moment, worried that Xia Yin had noticed something. She hastily wiped her lips in an attempt to cover up, then denied, “N-no! Xia Yin, are you heading out?”

Xia Yin’s gaze lingered on Jiang Xue’s slightly swollen lips, which bore traces of a glaring dark red. It wasn’t from smudged lipstick or lip gloss, it was dried human blood that couldn’t be wiped away.

And since Jiang Xue’s lips showed no signs of injury, there was only one explanation, the blood on her lips belonged to someone else.

“Oh, it’s like this,” Xia Yin said, her expression clearly troubled. “It’s already noon, and I’m tired of the cafeteria food, so I thought I’d go out for a change of taste.”

After a pause, Xia Yin added, “Xiao Xue, are you free now? How about we go eat together? My treat.”

“I…”

Jiang Xue actually wanted to say she wasn’t free. After a whole morning with Lin Yulan, she felt utterly drained, both physically and mentally, and had no appetite for anything. But Xia Yin’s invitation made it hard to refuse. After hesitating, she finally agreed, “Okay.”

Xia Yin unceremoniously opened the passenger door and got in. After scrolling through her phone for a location, she asked gently, “How about that new themed restaurant near campus? What do you think, Xiao Xue?”

Jiang Xue had no appetite to begin with and had planned to go straight back to her dorm to sleep. Her mind was a mess, so when Xia Yin spoke to her, she didn’t react immediately.

“Xiao Xue?”

“…Xiao Xue?”

“Wh-what?!”

Only at the fourth call did Jiang Xue snap out of it. Apologizing, she said, “Sorry, I was just thinking about something unpleasant. What did you say just now, Xia Yin?”

Seeing her distracted state and the faint redness at the corners of her eyes, Xia Yin guessed Jiang Xue had likely been crying. She wanted to ask if something had happened, but her peripheral vision caught Jiang Xue’s slightly swollen lips again, and the words died in her throat.

Was it what she thought?

Or was it the opposite?

“Xia Yin, what’s wrong? Wh-why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?” Flustered, Jiang Xue turned her head back to the front and quickly changed the subject. “Wh-where are we going to eat? Have you picked a place? Or should we just find a random restaurant?”

Xia Yin hesitated but ultimately said nothing. She smiled faintly. “Let’s go to that themed restaurant near campus. It’s close, so we don’t have to go far. And…”

“And what?”

Xia Yin gave her a soft smile. “I wasn’t staring at you because there was something on your face. It’s because you… look very beautiful.”

Jiang Xue’s hands on the steering wheel stiffened, and the atmosphere in the car instantly turned awkward.

To be precise, Jiang Xue was the one who felt awkward.

If it were just a normal compliment between friends saying someone was pretty or looked good it would be perfectly ordinary, just like mutual flattery among friends.

But Jiang Xue could tell that Xia Yin wasn’t engaging in friendly banter. She was praising her from the perspective of an Alpha admiring an Omega’s appearance.

“You… you’re also very beautiful!” Jiang Xue thought and thought in her heart, but in the end, she could only manage to blurt out this one sentence.

Xia Yin probably found her response amusingly dramatic and couldn’t help but laugh. “Professor Jiang doesn’t believe me?”

This had nothing to do with belief. Jiang Xue didn’t know how to explain perhaps the more she explained, the weirder it would sound so she simply let it go. “No.”

Xia Yin looked at her, her expression serious and earnest, then called out softly, “Xiaoxue.”

At that moment, the car had just left the school gate and was stopped at a red light, with 25 seconds remaining before it turned green.

Taking advantage of the brief pause, Jiang Xue turned her face toward Xia Yin and asked, puzzled, “What is it?”

Xia Yin didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she stared straight at Jiang Xue, holding her gaze until Jiang Xue grew slightly embarrassed and was about to turn away. Only then did Xia Yin slowly say, “You’re really beautiful.”

Jiang Xue froze at her words.

Truthfully, omegas were generally good-looking, it was an innate trait compared to alphas and betas. But even among omegas, there were distinctions. Someone like Jiang Xue, if compared objectively, wasn’t particularly outstanding among omegas. On the contrary, she might even be considered somewhat plain. So even though she bore a 60% resemblance to Qu Mengxin, Jiang Xue still felt a hint of inferiority when facing her.

Thus, when Xia Yin sincerely complimented her like this, Jiang Xue felt not just shy but utterly flustered.

“Th-thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s just the truth Professor Jiang is beautiful.”

Jiang Xue self-consciously touched her braided hair. Just then, the 25-second red light ended, and the green light illuminated. Relieved to escape the awkwardness, Jiang Xue focused back on driving.

Soon, in less than ten minutes, they arrived at the themed restaurant not far from the school.

It was the weekend, and the place was packed, especially as it neared noon. The entire restaurant was nearly full, with no empty seats in sight.

Fortunately, one table of guests finished their meal quickly. After the staff swiftly cleared the table, Jiang Xue and Xia Yin were seated, sparing them from standing outside for ten minutes or longer just to wait for a meal.

“I thought this kind of restaurant wouldn’t be so crowded. I didn’t expect…” Xia Yin sounded slightly apologetic. “I’ve kept you waiting, Professor Jiang. It looks like I’m definitely treating you to this meal.”

Jiang Xue had never intended to let Xia Yin pay. She had agreed to come out to eat purely out of politeness between friends. “It’s fine. I don’t have anything urgent today, so waiting a bit longer isn’t a problem. No need to apologize.”

Xia Yin didn’t respond to that. Instead, she changed the subject. “I remember Professor Jiang usually doesn’t drive out. Is there something important today?”

Jiang Xue had assumed Xia Yin wouldn’t press the issue after all, at the school gate, she thought her response had been sufficient.

Besides, she didn’t want to talk about today’s events, or anything related to Lin Yulan.

“It’s nothing major. Just some family matters I needed to go back for.”

Xia Yin had privately investigated Jiang Xue’s family background, parents who drained her dry, and an alpha younger sister studying abroad. In short, all three family members had relied on Jiang Xue to get where they were today.

For this very reason, Jiang Xue didn’t like going home much. Unless there was something important that forced her to return, she wouldn’t make the trip. And even then, she usually didn’t drive her own car, she’d take a taxi instead.

Though Xia Yin wasn’t sure if it was because Jiang Xue didn’t want her parents to know just how capable she had become essentially, to keep them from leeching off her further, she was certain, based on what she knew, that the faint traces of blood and slight swelling on Jiang Xue’s lips couldn’t possibly have been caused by going home.

“Xiaoxue.”

Xia Yin’s tone was serious as she asked, “Would you say we’re good friends now?”

Jiang Xue didn’t have many friends. The ones who could be counted on one hand and called by name were few and far between. After graduating from university, everyone had scattered to different cities, busy with their own lives, so meeting up for casual outings was practically nonexistent. At most, they’d occasionally chat on WeChat.

This led most people to assume she had no friends at all. But she did just fewer than others.

“Xia Yin, you… what’s wrong?” Jiang Xue had a bad feeling, suspecting that Xia Yin must have noticed something.

And indeed, she had.

“That color on your lips, it’s not lipstick, is it?”

Jiang Xue’s heart skipped a beat. It must have been blood from when she bit that bastard Lin Yulan’s lip, staining her own. Instinctively, she raised a hand to wipe it away.

But Xia Yin pressed on, “If we’re friends, is there anything you can’t tell me directly?”

Jiang Xue quickly denied it. “Xia Yin, really, there’s nothing going on. You don’t need to work.”

Before she could finish the word “worry,” Xia Yin cut in, “Xiaoxue, your lips are still a little swollen.”

The implication couldn’t have been clearer. Jiang Xue’s hand stilled mid-motion, but she didn’t know how to respond. The atmosphere had turned awkward.

Especially since Xia Yin was relentless, making Jiang Xue feel increasingly uneasy.

“Xiaoxue, do you remember the questions I asked you back at the restaurant?” Xia Yin fixed her gaze on Jiang Xue, who kept her eyes downcast, and laid it all out. “I told you I liked a very beautiful Omega, she’s kind, gentle, like a fairy stepped out of a painting. I wanted to pursue her, but she didn’t seem interested in me that way. So I asked Teacher Jiang for advice, if she could give me some pointers. Do you remember what you said then?”

Jiang Xue naturally remembered. But she had thought Xia Yin was genuinely seeking her guidance never imagining that the question had been about…

“Xiaoxue, you once said that if you really like someone but aren’t sure if they’re taken, you should try to confess boldly.” Xia Yin didn’t give Jiang Xue a chance to think and continued, “So I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days and realized I can’t keep going on like this. You’re right, if you like someone, you should tell them openly. Xiaoxue, the truth is, I fell for you the moment I first saw you. The reason I stayed at the school as a nominal instructor was because of you.”

“Xia Yin, you…”

“You never noticed because of her, didn’t you?”

Jiang Xue looked up, and from the look in Xia Yin’s eyes, she was certain Xia Yin knew exactly who she was referring to.

“No,” Jiang Xue lied, unable to help herself.

Xia Yin didn’t call her out on it and instead asked, “Then, is there an Alpha you like?”

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