You Are My Omega - Chapter 65

Xu Shijiu deliberately came home very late. She thought Lin Xinyi would already be asleep, but to her surprise, the Omega had stayed up waiting. However, since she was too tired, she had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room.

“Xu Shijiu!” As soon as Lin Xinyi heard movement, she woke up with a start. The moment she opened her eyes and saw Xu Shijiu, she immediately sat up and questioned her, “Xu Shijiu, I called you so many times. Why didn’t you answer? I sent so many messages too, and you didn’t reply to even one.”

She had sent dozens of messages, and Xu Shijiu didn’t reply to a single one. At one point, Lin Xinyi thought something had happened. She had even called the bodyguards, and only after being reassured did she finally calm down.

“Huh?” Xu Shijiu looked confused. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and pressed the power button in front of Lin Xinyi. The screen remained black. She suddenly understood. “Looks like my phone died at some point. I didn’t even notice.”

Lin Xinyi let out a sigh of relief. “Please be more careful. I was so worried earlier when I couldn’t reach you.”

“Alright, I understand. I’ll be more careful next time.” Seeing how shaken Lin Xinyi was, Xu Shijiu nodded repeatedly and agreed.

“Did you eat dinner?” Lin Xinyi asked with concern. Even though the secretary was with her, Lin Xinyi wasn’t sure if the secretary could really convince Xu Shijiu to eat.

“Yes, I did.” Xu Shijiu nodded and then brought up the film set. “Oh, right. I visited your set this morning. I brought you a strawberry cake. Did you eat it? Was it good?”

“It was delicious!” Lin Xinyi nodded enthusiastically. Just thinking about the flavor made her mouth water. She was still surprised that Ling Mian didn’t like strawberry cake. Such a tasty treat, and Ling Mian just couldn’t appreciate it.

“What did the rest of the crew think?” Xu Shijiu casually looked away and poured herself a glass of water. She acted like the topic had come up naturally, as if she wasn’t too concerned.

Lin Xinyi didn’t notice that Xu Shijiu was actually trying to test her. Perhaps it was because she was too tired. Her mind was still foggy, and she wasn’t fully alert.

“Everyone liked it. Only one Alpha didn’t enjoy the strawberry cake. It’s such a shame. It was really good.”

“Alpha…” Xu Shijiu didn’t need to ask. She was sure Lin Xinyi meant Ling Mian. Her eyes dimmed slightly, but she made sure not to meet Lin Xinyi’s gaze.

“That Alpha is the one acting with me,” Lin Xinyi quickly explained, though she didn’t add anything more than that.

“I see.” Xu Shijiu nodded. She had hoped Lin Xinyi would say more, explain further, but there was only silence. After a moment, she yawned. “Let’s go to bed. We’re both tired.”

“Then go get some sleep. You can shower in the morning,” Lin Xinyi said softly. She looked at the dark circles under Xu Shijiu’s eyes and felt a pang of worry.

“Alright. You should rest early too,” Xu Shijiu responded. She moved her wheelchair slowly, inching toward the elevator.

She wasn’t sure why she was moving so slowly. Maybe, just maybe, a small part of her was hoping Lin Xinyi would call out to her. Maybe she wanted her to explain more, to say something to ease the weight in her heart. But Lin Xinyi didn’t stop her. She didn’t say anything else.

The phone rang.

The ringtone pulled Xu Shijiu out of her nap. She reached out and answered the call without checking the caller ID.

The voice on the other end spoke fluent English. To accommodate her, the speaker used simple, easy-to-understand vocabulary. Xu Shijiu understood every word and grasped the meaning, but deep down, she wished she couldn’t.

She didn’t even remember what she said in response, or how she ended the call. Her sister didn’t want to see her. Her sister-in-law had divorced her sister. The child, Fanfan, was now living with her sister-in-law. The once noisy Xu family had become eerily quiet.

And now, Lin Xinyi was going to leave too.

After that, Xu Shijiu drifted through her work, distracted and disoriented. The secretary grew worried and reported her condition to President Xu, then firmly insisted that the young president go home and rest.

“Xu Shijiu? Why are you back so early today?” Lin Xinyi was surprised and happy to see her home.

Xu Shijiu looked up at her, her eyes filled with complicated emotions. “I just got a call.”

“A call?” Lin Xinyi was confused. “What kind of call?”

“It was from abroad,” Xu Shijiu replied quietly.

At that point, Lin Xinyi understood completely. The so-called call must have been from the prestigious acting academy overseas.

“Maybe because I didn’t pick up, they called my emergency contact instead,” Lin Xinyi said as she checked her phone. She had indeed missed a call. She must have been too focused on reviewing her script earlier to notice it. She explained it to Xu Shijiu.

“Emergency contact…” Xu Shijiu had to admit, hearing those two words made her feel a bit better. The sadness in her heart lightened slightly.

“Yes, emergency contact. When I filled out the application form, I listed your number for that.” Lin Xinyi noticed her improved mood and gently added more reassuring words.

“Don’t try to distract me. Be honest and tell me what’s going on.” Xu Shijiu quickly brought the focus back.

“I asked Sister Liu to help me reach out to the school a while ago. There hadn’t been any updates, so I wasn’t expecting anything anymore. I didn’t think they would send me an invitation now,” Lin Xinyi explained quickly. Then she noticed the dangerous smile forming on Xu Shijiu’s face.

“So, you had already planned to leave me back then.”

“What do you mean, leave you?!” Lin Xinyi hadn’t expected Xu Shijiu to interpret it that way. Seeing the hurt expression on her face, she rushed to explain. “I never intended to leave you. I just love acting. I want to become a better actress, so I asked Sister Liu for help. That’s all.”

Xu Entertainment was a media company. She had grown up with her sister’s financial support. All the good opportunities she had came from her. That was why she wanted to become someone useful to Xu Entertainment, to give back in return.

“If you go abroad, that’s the same as leaving me,” Xu Shijiu muttered unhappily. In her eyes, Lin Xinyi was already part of the Xu family. There was no need to draw such lines.

“Xu Shijiu, the truth is, before we got engaged, I wasn’t really a member of the Xu family. I’ve never felt entirely at ease accepting all of this. The inhibitors and patches your sister prepared for me were the best available. But if all I do is take without giving anything back, I just can’t accept that.”

“We’re already engaged,” Xu Shijiu emphasized.

“I know.” Lin Xinyi sighed. “And I haven’t even made my final decision about going abroad yet.”

“Then are you going?” Xu Shijiu asked quietly, her voice filled with uncertainty. Her heart was uneasy, as if she was bracing herself for an answer she did not want to hear.

Lin Xinyi looked at her and felt her heart soften again and again. “How am I supposed to make a decision when you look like this?”

“Then I won’t pressure you. Just tell me tomorrow. Is that alright?” Xu Shijiu gently offered, doing her best to hold back her feelings and give Lin Xinyi space.

“Alright,” Lin Xinyi nodded.

That night, neither of them could sleep. They lay in bed, restless and unable to calm their thoughts.

Xu Manyue was still recovering. Xu Shijiu was in the middle of a critical time, learning and proving herself. If Lin Xinyi chose to leave now, could she really do it with peace of mind? Could she walk away and leave Xu Shijiu alone to face everything? Her sister was still not ready to return, and Xu Shijiu would have to carry it all by herself. How tired and overwhelmed would she be?

In the end, Lin Xinyi decided to turn down the academy’s invitation.

But before she could act on that decision, Xu Shijiu had already called the school. She told them that Lin Xinyi would attend after finishing high school.

“Xu Shijiu, what are you doing?” Lin Xinyi was completely stunned by her actions. She snatched the phone from her hand, but the call had already ended. She looked at Xu Shijiu in disbelief. “You agreed to it? Why?”

She couldn’t understand how the same Xu Shijiu who had been so anxious and upset just yesterday could suddenly turn around and help her accept the offer.

“You love acting,” Xu Shijiu said, smiling gently. It was a calm and peaceful smile. She had always known how much Lin Xinyi loved acting. She believed this was the right decision, even if it hurt.

“But next time, can you at least tell me before you make a decision for me?” Xu Shijiu asked, her tone soft but sincere. She did not want to be the last one to know again.

Agreeing to this meant Lin Xinyi would be gone for a long time. Of course it made Xu Shijiu uneasy. Of course she felt torn. But more than anything, she did not want to see Lin Xinyi sad or holding back her dreams.

“Okay,” Lin Xinyi nodded seriously.

Everything after that seemed to happen as if fate had arranged it.

Even though the academy had agreed to let Lin Xinyi enroll after she finished school, she still had to go in person to complete some paperwork. It would only take one day, and she had to be there herself.

Lately, Xu Shijiu had been so busy handling company issues that she had been sleeping at the office for several nights. That day was no different. Lin Xinyi had planned to leave early and return right after. Since she was only going for a short time, she decided not to tell Xu Shijiu. She did not want to distract her.

Xu Entertainment had recently been hit with a string of scandals involving one of their celebrities. Xu Shijiu had been working nonstop to manage the crisis and barely had time to rest, let alone focus on anything else.

By coincidence, Lin Xinyi ran into Ling Mian, who happened to be traveling to the same destination. When he invited her to go with him, she did not object and agreed without much thought.

But everything turned out to be unexpectedly dramatic.

While trying to avoid a child who ran into her path, Lin Xinyi lost her balance. Ling Mian reacted quickly, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his arms. The position was close, even intimate. The moment Lin Xinyi realized it, she immediately stepped away.

She was just about to thank him when she looked up.

And there, not far away, was Xu Shijiu sitting in her wheelchair, her face pale and expression frozen.

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