You Are My Omega - Chapter 45

Old Master Xu was firmly sent out by Xu Manyue. If he had delayed even a little longer, she would have had someone physically escort him out.

“Let me make this clear. I absolutely will not allow you to hand the Xu family and Xu Entertainment over to Xu Shijiu,” he said sharply just before leaving. If Xu Manyue was truly determined to go through with this, then no one could predict what might happen next or what Xu Shijiu would be forced to face.

The threat in his tone was obvious. Xu Manyue heard every word. As she watched him walk away, she had to resist the strong urge to run up and hit him.

“Manyue, don’t act on impulse,” Liu Lingyan whispered while holding tightly onto Xu Manyue’s sleeve. She was afraid she really might attack Old Master Xu. Even though he was an Alpha, he was old now, and his legs were not steady. If a strong Alpha like Xu Manyue lost control, something serious could happen.

Things were already chaotic enough. They didn’t need to make it worse.

Lin Xinyi was not asked to leave the room. Even though Xu Shijiu wanted to be alone, she also knew that letting Lin Xinyi go out at that moment would only make her a target for Old Master Xu. He might say something hurtful to her.

When Xu Shijiu realized she was thinking this way, she let out a small laugh. Even after such a devastating blow, she still found herself worrying about Lin Xinyi.

“Try not to think too much,” Lin Xinyi said gently, holding Xu Shijiu’s hand tightly. “Your sister would never stop seeing you as her sister just because of blood.”

“I know,” Xu Shijiu whispered, her voice filled with sorrow.

She did know. No matter what her real identity was, her sister would not abandon her. Her sister had never been able to move on from the car accident. That guilt alone would never let her walk away, even if they were not related by blood.

Still, everything felt strange now. She was not her mother’s daughter. She was not her sister’s real sister. She was not a true member of the Xu family. No wonder Old Master Xu had never liked her. No wonder her sister had disliked her as a child. It was her fault. Her presence had taken away the love that should have belonged to her sister.

If she had never appeared, maybe her sister and mother would not have had misunderstandings. Maybe her mother wouldn’t have died full of regrets. Maybe things wouldn’t be like this now.

Lin Xinyi didn’t know how to comfort her. She had never experienced something like this, and she had no idea how painful it must be for Xu Shijiu.

“Xu Shijiu, look at this cat. Isn’t it cute?” Lin Xinyi suddenly took out her phone and showed it to Xu Shijiu. Her voice was a little louder than usual as she tried to shift her focus.

Hearing the clumsy attempt at distraction, Xu Shijiu felt a warmth in her heart. She looked at the screen and gave a soft smile.

“Why don’t we buy it?”

Having a cat seemed like a good idea.

Lin Xinyi loved cats, but she had never dared to ask for one. She hadn’t wanted to add to her father’s burden.

“Really? Are you serious?” Lin Xinyi’s voice was full of joy and surprise. She had not expected such a response.

“Of course,” Xu Shijiu nodded. Seeing Lin Xinyi so happy eased much of the emotional weight she had been carrying. Lin Xinyi was like sunshine. Her smile made Xu Shijiu feel warm inside.

There was a soft knock at the door.

Both Xu Shijiu and Lin Xinyi froze for a moment and listened closely. If it was Old Master Xu, they absolutely could not open the door.

“Xiaojiu, Xinyi, it’s me and Lingyan. Xinyi, could you open the door for us?” Xu Manyue tried to keep her tone steady. She reminded herself again and again not to show any discomfort or let Xu Shijiu misunderstand how she felt.

“You can come in. The door’s already unlocked.”

Hearing this, Xu Manyue’s hand paused in mid-air before touching the doorknob. She took a deep breath. Liu Lingyan gently patted the back of her hand.

“It’s alright,” she said softly.

Only then did Xu Manyue push open the door. She had expected to see Xu Shijiu in tears, lost in sadness. Instead, she saw Xu Shijiu and Lin Xinyi watching something on a phone together, completely focused and smiling. Their expressions were relaxed. There was no sign of the pain or heartbreak she had feared.

“Xiaojiu, Xinyi, what are you two watching?” Xu Manyue asked with curiosity. She was amazed that Lin Xinyi had managed to lift her sister’s spirits.

Xu Shijiu held up the phone for her to see.

“We’re looking at cats. We’re thinking about buying one from the pet shop.”

Xu Manyue’s mouth twitched slightly, but she quickly composed herself.

“I see,” she said calmly.

Xu Shijiu and Lin Xinyi had completely fallen for the kitten on the screen. The tiny meows and soft fur made them melt. They didn’t notice the flicker of discomfort in Xu Manyue’s face.

But Liu Lingyan noticed right away. She had never taken her eyes off Xu Manyue.

She raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Could it be that Xu Manyue was afraid of cats?

Her guess was proven true soon enough.

After they brought the kitten home, Xu Manyue kept a noticeable distance from Xu Shijiu and Lin Xinyi whenever they were holding it. Her face remained calm, but she was clearly uneasy. Xu Shijiu had reassured her that she didn’t need to hold back her emotions anymore. But now, with the two kittens — one white and one black — running around and meowing, Xu Manyue couldn’t keep her focus at all.

What they didn’t know was that when Xu Manyue was little, she had been bitten by a stray cat that Xu Shijiu had tried to feed. Since then, she had been terrified of cats.

“Do you want to hold it?” Xu Shijiu asked while petting the white kitten. At first, she had tried not to show too much emotion, but she had completely fallen for the kitten’s soft meows and innocent little eyes.

As Xu Shijiu rolled her wheelchair closer, bringing the white kitten with her, Xu Manyue shivered slightly but kept her expression steady.

“I don’t know how many germs are on that cat. I still need to hold Fantuan later, so I’ll pass,” she said with a look of mild disgust.

Xu Shijiu took her seriously and nodded.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let Bai Tuantuan go near Fantuan. I’ll make sure they stay apart.”

Fantuan was still a newborn. Even though both kittens had gone through full medical checks and were confirmed to be clean, Fantuan was just one month old. It was better to be cautious. The two kittens would stay in Xu Shijiu’s room for now.

Taking care of them would be her and Lin Xinyi’s job.

“White Tuanzi? Black Tuanzi?” Xu Manyue was stunned by the names. She could hardly believe what she had just heard. White Tuanzi and Black Tuanzi?

“Yes, I came up with them!” Xu Shijiu replied proudly. Lin Xinyi had even said the names sounded nice.

Xu Manyue let out a helpless smile. “They do sound pretty cute.”

At least they were far better than the names Xu Shijiu had written down on paper when she was trying to name Fantuan. Those earlier ideas had been truly awful.

“Don’t worry, Xu Shijiu and I will take good care of them,” Lin Xinyi said with confidence. Since they had brought the kittens home, they both knew they had a responsibility to look after them. Lin Xinyi had already accepted that, and she believed Xu Shijiu had too.

And Xu Shijiu truly did. But later on, Lin Xinyi would not live up to the promise she made today. She would not end up spending her life with White Tuanzi and Black Tuanzi, nor would she fulfill the responsibility she had imagined.

Liu Lingyan sat quietly beside Xu Manyue, watching her freeze completely as Xu Shijiu approached with the cat in her arms. It was as if Xu Manyue had been turned to stone, not daring to move even a little. The sight made Liu Lingyan want to laugh.

There was no doubt about it. Xu Manyue was afraid of cats.

If she had just admitted that from the beginning, then Xiaojiu and Xinyi wouldn’t have brought the kittens home. Or at least, they would have been more mindful around her. But she had insisted on pretending she was fine, all because she couldn’t let go of her pride.

She was really suffering just to save face.

Still, when Liu Lingyan looked at Xu Shijiu’s face glowing with happiness, her heart softened. Xiaojiu was smiling. She wasn’t sad anymore. That was a relief.

Liu Lingyan had already come to think of Xu Shijiu as the little brother she never got to grow up with. If her real brother were still alive, he would have been about the same age as Xu Shijiu. She only wished for Xu Shijiu to be happy and full of smiles.

The love she had never been able to give her brother, she quietly gave to Xu Shijiu instead.

Playing with cats was something that could quickly become addictive.

At least that was the case for Xu Shijiu and Lin Xinyi. Lin Xinyi usually followed a strict schedule. When it was time to study, she studied. When it was time to rest, she rested. But today, even when it was clearly time to sit down and study, Xu Shijiu refused to leave the kitten’s side. And surprisingly, Lin Xinyi stayed with her too.

Seeing the usually disciplined Lin Xinyi behave this way alongside Xu Shijiu, Xu Manyue and Liu Lingyan were both helpless. They didn’t want to interrupt them and force them back to studying, so they simply let it go.

An entire hour passed before Xu Shijiu and Lin Xinyi finally placed the kittens in the playpen in the living room. Even as they turned to head back to their rooms to study, they looked back several times, clearly reluctant to leave.

Liu Lingyan watched them with a smile full of affection.

“Looks like Xiaojiu and Xinyi are starting their homework at the same time today. I wonder who will finish first.”

“It will be Xinyi, of course,” Xu Manyue answered right away. She kept her gaze carefully away from the kitten playpen.

Liu Lingyan didn’t agree. Xu Shijiu had made incredible progress lately. She was so quick to catch on that it wouldn’t be wrong to call her a genius. As long as she made up for the time she had lost, she would soon be on the same level as Lin Xinyi. Lately, that had already started to happen.

“Xiaojiu is smart, but I think Xinyi is still a little ahead,” Xu Manyue added. After all, Xinyi was Xiaojiu’s tutor.

“I think they’re just about equal now,” Liu Lingyan said with a thoughtful smile. She could already imagine the intense academic rivalry the two of them would have next year.

“By the way…”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Xu Manyue turned her head and saw Liu Lingyan’s rare playful grin.

“You’re afraid of cats, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not.”

Support You Are My Omega