You Are My Omega - Chapter 42

Unable to think of a suitable nickname for the baby, Xu Shijiu decided to give up on it altogether. She pulled out one of the practice books Lin Xinyi had handwritten for her and began working through the problems. Lin Xinyi noticed her movements and glanced over. She was surprised to see that Xu Shijiu had already completed the English grammar section without even pausing.

Curious, she flipped through the earlier books she had given Xu Shijiu before their misunderstanding. Every page was filled with complete answers, not a single question left blank. Even the final math problem, one that Lin Xinyi herself had spent quite a bit of time solving, had been correctly answered by Xu Shijiu.

“Wow, she even got that one right,” Lin Zhiling remarked, clearly impressed.

Lin Xinyi glanced at Xu Shijiu, who was focused on her work and hadn’t heard their conversation. She lowered her voice and spoke with pride.

“Xu Shijiu is really smart.”

Xu Shijiu had always been clever since childhood. It was only because of everything that happened later that she had fallen behind in her studies. Lin Xinyi never expected her to improve so quickly. At this rate…

It would not be long before Lin Xinyi’s own knowledge would no longer be enough to help Xu Shijiu. In fact, by next year, Xu Shijiu could become her biggest competitor for the top spot in their grade.

Time soon proved Lin Xinyi’s instincts were right.

When the midterm results came out, Lin Xinyi placed second in math. Xu Shijiu came first.

“Everyone should learn from Xu Shijiu,” the math teacher said, both excited and pleased. “In the first year, her grades were among the worst. But now, she has even surpassed Lin Xinyi.”

The teacher paused before continuing.

“I also have to call out one student for criticism. Mo Jinlan’s results were near the bottom of the class this time.”

“Xu Shijiu, did you hear that? The teacher praised you!” Lin Xinyi whispered, her voice filled with excitement.

Of course, the teacher had noticed them whispering, but she let it slide. All the teachers had seen how much effort Lin Xinyi had put into helping Xu Shijiu. And Xu Shijiu’s talent and hard work had not let that effort go to waste.

Xu Shijiu never found praise from teachers particularly exciting. But hearing her name mentioned alongside Lin Xinyi’s and then hearing the criticism of Mo Jinlan made the corners of her lips curl into a smile before she realized it.

“I’m going to take this report card to show Liu-jie, my sister, and the baby. They’ll definitely be surprised,” Lin Xinyi said under her breath. She had noticed the teacher’s gaze, and her heart skipped a beat, but she couldn’t help adding the comment anyway.

Another glance from the teacher made her immediately sit up straight.

Xu Shijiu looked at Lin Xinyi, who was usually calm and composed like an adult. Seeing her get flustered, from shock to joy, and now turning slightly red from being caught whispering in class, made Xu Shijiu’s heart race uncontrollably.

At this point, she was certain. Lin Xinyi really did like her.

She held the report card tightly in her hand. Her English score wasn’t great this time, which made her feel a little discouraged. But considering how much she had improved overall, she told herself it was already a rare achievement. She would just work harder next time.

Gently brushing her fingers over the handwritten workbook, Xu Shijiu carefully flipped to the next page. She picked up her pen, but when she read the next question, she froze.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Xinyi was watching her closely and immediately leaned in to ask in a low voice.

“Well…” Xu Shijiu tried to hold back a laugh. She slid the workbook over to Lin Xinyi, hinting for her to take a look.

“Hmm?” Lin Xinyi was confused, but she looked down.

And then she saw it. In the middle of the English question, mixed in with the grammar, were three Chinese characters: Xu Shijiu’s name.

Lin Xinyi instantly reached out to snatch the notebook back, but Xu Shijiu was faster. She quickly pulled it away and grinned.

“This was a gift from you. You can’t take it back now.”

“I…” Lin Xinyi stared at the smug smile on Xu Shijiu’s face and tried to grab the book again.

She had no idea she had written Xu Shijiu’s name by accident when she got distracted. She hadn’t even checked before handing it over. She never imagined Xu Shijiu would actually see it. This was way too embarrassing.

The teacher suddenly cleared her throat loudly.

She hadn’t intended to scold them, but Lin Xinyi’s reaction had been just a bit too noticeable.

“Please pay attention in class.”

Lin Xinyi immediately straightened her back. The teacher hadn’t called her name, but it was obvious who the comment was meant for.

A few moments later, when the teacher finally looked away, Lin Xinyi let out a small sigh of relief. That was when she heard Xu Shijiu teasing her.

“Good student Lin Xinyi broke the classroom rules.”

Her voice was filled with amusement and satisfaction.

Xu Shijiu felt special because Lin Xinyi had done something she normally would never do. She had broken a rule she always followed, just for her.

Lin Xinyi shot her a glare, but when she saw the joy on Xu Shijiu’s face, she couldn’t stay mad. She shook her head and let it go.

If doing something a little embarrassing could make Xu Shijiu feel more secure, then it really wasn’t such a big deal.

Neither of them noticed the dark, hostile gaze that was directed at them. But Lin Zhiling did.

She frowned, debated with herself, then raised her head and met that glare directly. She looked into Mo Jinlan’s eyes, which were filled with malice, and sighed inwardly.

She had once thought Mo Jinlan was a good-natured Alpha, someone with decent character. But now, it was clear she had been wrong.

It turned out that an Alpha like Xu Shijiu, one who held no prejudice toward Omegas, was truly rare.

It seemed that now she could tell her parents everything. There was no need to worry anymore, no need to let her thoughts wander. If she ever tried to match Lin Xinyi with another Alpha again, Xinyi would definitely notice and get angry with her.

The report card truly surprised both Xu Manyue and Liu Lingyan. Liu Lingyan even handed the baby over to Xu Manyue and stared at the report card with full concentration, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Xu Manyue had been busy with work, while Liu Lingyan, having paused all her work during her pregnancy, spent much more time at home. She clearly understood how poor Xu Shijiu’s grades used to be, and how much effort she had put in since then.

A sharp wail broke the silence.

The baby, who had been quiet, suddenly started crying. It was as if she was unhappy that her mother had handed her over to her other mom. Her tiny face was full of resentment toward Xu Manyue.

Xu Manyue looked down at the baby, speechless. She gently handed the baby back to Liu Lingyan, and just as expected, the baby immediately stopped crying.

“Jie, why does the baby dislike you so much?” Xu Shijiu asked, amused by her sister’s helpless expression.

Xu Manyue let out a dry laugh, but she couldn’t deny it. The baby really did seem to dislike her. She was perfectly calm and obedient in Liu Lingyan’s arms, but the moment she was passed to Xu Manyue, she would fuss and cry.

“Maybe you’re just not holding her comfortably,” Liu Lingyan said gently, trying to comfort her. “It’s not that she dislikes you.”

She then changed the subject.

“Have you two thought of a nickname for the baby yet?”

“Not yet,” Lin Xinyi said with a shake of her head. Xu Shijiu also shook her head. The names she had come up with were so silly that even she couldn’t take them seriously, let alone share them out loud.

“Since Xiaojiu made such a huge improvement in her grades, why don’t we name the baby ‘Progress’?” Xu Manyue said seriously.

The baby suddenly started crying again, as if she understood what was being said and strongly objected to the name her mom had just given her.

Liu Lingyan gave Xu Manyue a long look. Xu Manyue immediately flinched and gave an awkward laugh. Liu Lingyan tried to hold back her smile but couldn’t stop the corners of her lips from lifting as she continued to comfort the baby.

Lin Xinyi and Xu Shijiu looked completely exasperated. Now they understood exactly why the baby didn’t seem to like Xu Manyue. That name suggestion said it all.

“Why don’t you name her, Xiaojiu?” Liu Lingyan turned to Xu Shijiu with a warm smile. They had agreed from the beginning that Xiaojiu would be the one to choose the baby’s nickname. Liu Lingyan had even wanted her to come up with the full name, but Xu Manyue had insisted it would be more appropriate for her father to do it, so they had dropped the idea.

Xu Shijiu was pleasantly surprised by the offer, but her joy quickly turned into hesitation. She shook her head.

“I don’t think I should.”

“Why not?” Liu Lingyan asked gently. “If you’re worried the name won’t sound good, it’s okay. It’s just a nickname, not the official name.”

Xu Shijiu’s smile faded, and she looked toward Xu Manyue.

“Jie, Grandpa is coming back, isn’t he?”

Grandfather Xu was their grandfather, but he had never liked her. Back when her sister had insisted on keeping her and raising her personally, it led to a huge argument. Eventually, Xu Manyue took the position of family head from him, which finally forced him to back down. Furious, he left the country and never returned.

It made sense that he hadn’t come back for Xu Manyue and Liu Lingyan’s wedding, but this time was different. Their child had just been born. She was Grandpa Xu’s first great-granddaughter, and the doctor had said she was very likely to be an Alpha. There was no doubt that he would come back now.

Xu Manyue frowned and pressed her fingers to her temples. Just the mention of her grandfather gave her a headache. She had been raised by him and was certainly grateful for that, but she could never understand why he had always rejected Xiaojiu.

Back then, if she hadn’t found out in time, Grandpa would have sent Xiaojiu away from the Xu family. That was when Xiaojiu was at her most vulnerable. If that had happened, it would have cost her her life. That moment had been the final straw, and Xu Manyue had completely cut ties with her grandfather because of it.

He had stayed out of their lives since then, but now that he was returning, no one knew what kind of trouble he might stir up.

Xu Manyue hated the idea of having to guard herself against the man who had raised her. It felt wrong. But even so…

If her grandfather dared to target Xiaojiu again, she would not hold back.

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