You Are My Omega - Chapter 39

Rushing home, the first thing Lin Xinyi did was knock on Xu Shijiu’s bedroom door. She didn’t know what had happened at school, but something clearly had. And the worst part was that once again, she hadn’t been there for her.

She hadn’t been there during midterms, and now again, she had missed something important.

“Xinyi, why are you still wearing your performance costume?” Xu Manyue asked in surprise when she saw her in her full stage outfit.

“Sister, what happened to Shijiu?” Lin Xinyi couldn’t hide the anxiety and worry that filled her heart.

“I don’t really know either,” Xu Manyue replied, rubbing her temples. She had already sent someone to investigate, but there had been no news so far. No one knew what had actually happened.

“Go back to your room for now. I just knocked for a long time, but Shijiu didn’t come out,” Xu Manyue advised. “And you’re not dressed comfortably like this.”

“…Alright.” Lin Xinyi knocked a few more times, reluctantly. When there was still no response, she could only leave in frustration.

Xu Manyue watched Lin Xinyi walk away, turning to glance back again and again. Then she looked at Xu Shijiu’s tightly shut bedroom door and let out a long sigh before going to her room to ask Liu Lingyan for help.

Ever since that situation with Mo Jinlan, Xu Shijiu had clearly realized something but refused to talk about it. She was even avoiding Lin Xinyi. Lin Xinyi had no chance to explain anything. On the surface, things seemed fine as long as they didn’t bring up the issue, but whenever Xu Manyue tried to talk to either of them separately, she got nowhere.

Looking back now, she had clearly overestimated herself. She needed Liu Lingyan’s help.

“What happened?” Liu Lingyan asked with concern as she looked at Xu Manyue’s troubled face. She gently rubbed her rounded belly, now nine months along, and shifted to a more comfortable position to ease the strain on her back.

“It’s about Shijiu and Xinyi,” Xu Manyue admitted. She didn’t try to hide it anymore. She had no idea what to do.

“What happened between them?” Liu Lingyan straightened up immediately. The movement was too sudden, and the baby inside her kicked in protest.

Xu Manyue gasped at the quick motion, quickly wrapped her arms around Liu Lingyan and rested her hand on her stomach. Sure enough, the baby was moving violently. She gently patted Liu Lingyan’s hand in light scolding.

“You can’t move so fast. The baby will keep you up all night again.”

“I’m fine. Just tell me what’s going on with those two.”

“They weren’t really back to normal before, and now… I don’t know what happened, but when Shijiu came home, the bodyguards said her mood was terrible.”

It wasn’t just bad. It was terrible.

Now no one could get into her room. No one got any answers from her. The only time she spoke was when Xu Manyue threatened to break the door down. Only then did Xu Shijiu respond, asking softly not to do that. She just wanted to be alone for a while.

“I’ll try knocking,” Liu Lingyan volunteered. She and Xu Shijiu had grown close recently.

Xu Manyue hesitated, then nodded. “Alright. Go ahead.”

The attempt ended in failure. But when Liu Lingyan expressed her worry, Xu Shijiu ended up comforting her instead.

Xu Shijiu locked herself in her room for an entire week. No one but Xu Manyue, who persistently begged, was allowed inside. Everyone else was shut out completely.

Lin Xinyi waited outside the door every day. She tried to peek in whenever Xu Manyue opened or closed the door, hoping to see what was going on inside. She never managed to see much, but she did notice one thing.

The thick black curtains were drawn tightly once again.

Just like Xu Shijiu’s heart.

They all wanted to know what had happened to her. They tried every way to find out. But there were no answers.

Xu Shijiu had only gone to the restroom before she suddenly insisted on going home. What could have happened there? Who could she have run into? But the security footage showed no one else entering or leaving the restroom before or after her.

Just when they all thought Xu Shijiu might never return to school, one day, she suddenly opened her door.

She was dressed in her school uniform, her backpack resting on her lap, clearly ready to go to school.

“Shijiu, you’re going to school?” Xu Manyue asked. She didn’t feel relieved. In fact, her worry deepened. They still didn’t know what had happened at school, and letting her go back like this made her uneasy.

“Shijiu, don’t just drink the congee. Eat some shrimp dumplings too,” Liu Lingyan added. She was worried too, but didn’t say so aloud. She placed a dumpling on Xu Shijiu’s plate.

“Okay,” Xu Shijiu nodded, picked up the dumpling, and ate it. Then she looked at Liu Lingyan’s large belly and gently said, “You’re going to give birth soon. Don’t worry too much. I’m fine.”

Everyone at the table froze when they heard her.

Xu Manyue had always wished her sister would grow up and become more thoughtful. But now that she was acting mature, Xu Manyue felt strangely unsettled.

Liu Lingyan tried to figure out what could have hurt Xu Shijiu so deeply.

And Lin Xinyi…

Seeing how Xu Shijiu treated her like she was invisible, like she didn’t even exist, Lin Xinyi sat there eating the once-delicious congee, but it tasted like nothing now. She couldn’t understand why Xu Shijiu had become like this, or why the closeness they had worked so hard to build had suddenly disappeared.

It felt like they had gone back to the very beginning, as if all the warmth and connection they had once shared had never happened.

It wasn’t until they arrived at school that Lin Xinyi could no longer hold back the question that had been pressing against her lips again and again.

“Xu Shijiu, what’s wrong with you?”

Lin Xinyi was nearly driven crazy by Xu Shijiu’s attitude. The way she acted like there had never been anything between them, as if they were strangers, made no sense.

“Lin Xinyi, I won’t acknowledge our engagement,” Xu Shijiu replied coldly.

Lin Xinyi froze in confusion. “Why are you bringing up the engagement? I’m asking what happened to you.”

“You don’t need to know. We’re not close enough for me to tell you anything,” Xu Shijiu answered, her gloomy eyes turning sharp. Her words cut deep, leaving Lin Xinyi stunned and heartbroken.

Not close enough?

Then what were all those moments they shared? What about the way Xu Shijiu had once let her in? Had it all been a misunderstanding? Was it all just in her head? Was this a dream she had woken up from, only to find out none of it was real?

What did Xu Shijiu’s words mean? What were they now? And what did she mean to Xu Shijiu?

“Xu Shijiu!” Lin Xinyi felt something ignite in her chest. A fire was burning inside her, making it impossible to hold onto her usual calm and patience.

This was the first time she truly felt angry.

Xu Shijiu was the first person who had made her feel like she couldn’t stay composed any longer.

“Lin Xinyi, class is starting,” Xu Shijiu said. She had thought of many things to say that would hurt Lin Xinyi, things that would make her give up. But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to say them. Instead, she used the excuse of class starting to stop the conversation.

It was something Lin Xinyi used to say to her often, and now it had come full circle.

The excuse was simple and predictable, but Xu Shijiu believed it would work. Lin Xinyi was such a well-behaved girl, always listening to the teacher and following the rules. There was no way she would keep talking during class.

“Then let’s talk outside.”

To her surprise, Lin Xinyi didn’t hesitate at all. She didn’t back down because of class. She didn’t fall silent like she usually did.

“I need to attend class,” Xu Shijiu said, still refusing to budge. She opened her textbook and kept her eyes forward.

“Xu—”

Lin Xinyi tried to speak again, but the teacher called her name before she could continue. With a stern tone, the teacher reminded her not to make a scene in class, especially since she was the class representative and expected to set an example.

Xu Shijiu might have been hard to deal with, but Lin Xinyi had responsibilities. Even though she was from the Xu family and technically Xu Shijiu’s fiancée, that didn’t matter here. She was the class representative first.

“There are rules in this classroom. If you don’t want to learn, fine. But don’t disrupt others. Don’t ruin someone else’s grades or their future.”

“The high school entrance exams are just one year away. You should be taking your studies seriously. Show respect to your teachers and pay attention in class. I know some of the material can be dry. We don’t enjoy teaching it like this either. We’re doing it for your sake.”

Maybe the teacher was especially annoyed that Lin Xinyi, the model student, had spoken out in class. Whatever the reason, they launched into a long lecture. Words poured out endlessly, filled with life lessons that no one had asked for.

Most of the students quietly covered their ears. Chinese class could be interesting, but the moment the teacher started talking about responsibility and discipline, the interest vanished. Some lowered their heads, some stared into space, and others started messing with their pens or phones under the desk.

Lin Zhiling subtly turned her head, watching Xu Shijiu and Lin Xinyi from the corner of her eye. When she saw the icy looks on both of their faces, she shivered slightly. She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened between them to bring things to this point.

Xu Shijiu had always been cold to the rest of the class, that much Lin Zhiling knew. The only person she had ever shown any warmth to was Lin Xinyi. And now even that warmth was gone.

Lin Xinyi, who was always gentle and calm, now had anger written all over her face. Lin Zhiling had seen her act a little tough once or twice, but never truly angry.

Today was different.

Something serious had happened.

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