You Are My Omega - Chapter 74

When Lin Xinyi stepped out of the elevator on the top floor, the first thing she noticed was the lingering scent of an Omega’s pheromones. It was thick in the air, unmistakable and provocative. She could feel the challenge in that scent. Her eyes immediately moved to the regular elevator beside her. The floor display showed it had just descended, which meant an Omega had recently come up without a suppression patch and had only just gone back down.

It was hard not to make assumptions in a scene like this.

This was a corporate office, a professional workplace. Both Omegas and Alphas were required to wear suppression patches. Even in rare cases where a patch stopped working, Xu Corporation had backups available in every hallway. So why was the scent so heavy in the air?

No. She could not jump to conclusions. Maybe something unexpected had happened. Or maybe that Omega had deliberately used the scent to try to seduce Xu Shijiu.

Lin Xinyi forced herself to stop overthinking. She stepped toward the CEO’s office and stood at the door, raising her hand to knock. But before her knuckles touched the wood, her hand froze in midair.

What if Xu Shijiu didn’t want to see her? Would this count as forcing herself into her life?

Three years ago, it was Lin Xinyi’s own secrecy that caused Xu Shijiu to shut down emotionally, to become extreme. By the time she had released Lin Xinyi from that locked room and asked her sister to take her away, Lin Xinyi had not seen her again.

What if Xu Shijiu still didn’t want to see her, just like back then? What if her presence only reopened painful memories?

Lin Xinyi didn’t know.

As she stood frozen in place, lost in doubt, a hand suddenly reached past her and knocked on the door without hesitation. Lin Xinyi jolted in surprise and turned to see the company secretary, expression calm and businesslike. Lin Xinyi thought she had blocked the secretary’s work and quickly tried to step aside, but the secretary was already walking briskly away without a word.

“Come in.”

Before Lin Xinyi could process what had just happened, a familiar voice came from inside the office.

The voice was cold. It sounded like its owner was in a very bad mood.

Had something gone wrong during Xu Shijiu’s earlier meeting with the Omega? Was that why she sounded so upset?

Lin Xinyi couldn’t stop the thoughts rushing through her mind. Her hesitation grew even heavier, her fear and uncertainty holding her back from opening the door. She hovered there until Xu Shijiu’s voice rang out again, filled with impatience.

“Who is it? If you have something to say, come in. If not, leave.”

Xu Shijiu’s emotions were already a mess. The news of Lin Xinyi’s return, mixed with Yi Lu’s constant clinginess, had completely wrecked her mood. In truth, she hadn’t felt truly at peace in years—not since three years ago.

The only times she felt even a little happy were when she visited Sister Liu’s home to see Fantuan.

She had already made plans with Fantuan for tomorrow. Now, thanks to all this, her mood was ruined. If Fantuan picked up on her emotions, the sensitive child would worry again.

Maybe it was the sharp impatience in her voice that triggered something in Lin Xinyi, but the next moment, she suddenly pushed the door open with force.

Xu Shijiu looked up, her attention caught by the movement. She saw the door swing open, but no one appeared right away. That ruled out Yi Lu, who always burst in the moment she heard “come in.” It wasn’t the secretary either. She never played games like this.

Then who?

Her sister? Sister Liu? Fantuan?

Or…

Lin Xinyi.

The last name made Xu Shijiu’s heart sink.

“Do you need something?” she asked calmly. She didn’t tell the person to come in, nor did she try to send them away. Her voice remained flat, giving nothing away.

“You knew it was me,” Lin Xinyi said softly. She didn’t step inside. She stayed right where she was.

Xu Shijiu was sharp, always had been. Lin Xinyi was sure she had figured it out. That was why she spoke like that.

The voice was one Xu Shijiu knew all too well. Her eyelashes trembled violently. It was the voice she had dreamed of, the voice she dreaded hearing even in dreams. The voice she often imagined during quiet, empty moments. And now, it was real.

“Yes,” Xu Shijiu replied.

Lin Xinyi had imagined countless possibilities for their reunion. Maybe Xu Shijiu would be angry. Maybe she would be cold. Maybe she would still love her. Maybe she would hate her.

But she never expected it would be this calm.

That kind of calm made Lin Xinyi’s heart ache. Was it possible she had been overthinking everything? Had she been fooling herself all along? Had she lost her place in Xu Shijiu’s heart the moment she left three years ago?

Was her coming back now just a form of selfish interference?

Her thoughts spiraled. She couldn’t stop herself from wondering.

No. She had to stop doing this. She couldn’t keep defining everything on her own.

The voice in her mind rang out like a sharp warning. Like a blade slicing through the fog. Lin Xinyi pinched the flesh of her arm, using pain to wake herself up. If she kept wallowing in regret and doubt, if she kept jumping to conclusions, then everything she was doing would be for nothing. She would be left with nothing in the end.

If Xu Shijiu wasn’t as she imagined, then her assumptions would become knives hurting both of them.

Her silence didn’t surprise Xu Shijiu. She knew Lin Xinyi too well. Lin Xinyi always kept things to herself, always thought too much. And then she would define everything according to her own beliefs. What she thought was good, what she thought was true, she clung to it stubbornly.

Though to be fair, Xu Shijiu was hardly one to talk. She did the same thing in her own way.

Xu Shijiu had thought Lin Xinyi would walk away. She had spoken in such a distant tone, treated her like a stranger. Surely that would be enough to make Lin Xinyi leave.

But she was wrong.

Lin Xinyi didn’t leave. She walked in.

Step by step.

One step. Then another and another.

Xu Shijiu listened to the sound of high heels striking the floor. The rhythmic tapping echoed in her chest, making her inexplicably tense. She lowered her head quickly, pretending to look at documents. Pretending not to care.

But all she could hear was Lin Xinyi’s footsteps, loud and clear, filling the silence like thunder.

Xu Shijiu was still as slender as before, but she looked much healthier now. Her short hair, cut just above the shoulders, made her look sharp and professional. Her bangs were parted slightly to one side, revealing a smooth, fair forehead. This was the first time Lin Xinyi had ever seen Xu Shijiu’s forehead. Light makeup brought out her maturity and beauty. Her delicate fingers held a sleek black pen, occasionally turning it in her hand. It looked casual, but also a little tense. The dark business suit she wore only added to her powerful presence.

Lin Xinyi glanced around the office. There was no sign of a wheelchair or crutches. That meant Xu Shijiu had completely recovered. She could now walk entirely on her own.

The change was so dramatic that Lin Xinyi found herself holding her breath, unable to believe it.

Xu Shijiu desperately wanted to remain passive. She wanted Lin Xinyi to be the one to speak first. But Lin Xinyi, who had walked all the way to her desk, still said nothing. Not a single word. Her silence might have been tolerable, but her eyes were too intense. The heat in her gaze was so strong that Xu Shijiu felt like she was being burned straight through.

Feeling completely unsettled, Xu Shijiu still tried to act unaffected. She slowly flipped through a folder, pretending to read.

She was the CEO of an entertainment company, after all. While the company did not rely solely on showbiz, she had been in the industry for three years. By now, she felt like she was an actor herself. She had learned how to bury her true emotions behind a polished mask.

“Xu Shijiu.”

Finally, Lin Xinyi spoke.

Xu Shijiu let out a silent breath, as if she had just won something. She responded with a calm “Hmm.”

“Xu Shijiu, look at me.” Lin Xinyi’s voice was firm. She refused to back down. If Xu Shijiu had looked straight at her the moment she walked in, with no flicker of emotion, Lin Xinyi might have lost all hope. But that wasn’t what had happened. Which meant there was still a chance.

“What for?” Xu Shijiu shook her head. If she looked up, she would fall under Lin Xinyi’s spell again.

The photos from the airport had almost made her lose control. It was only Yi Lu’s knocking that snapped her out of it. If she had to face Lin Xinyi in person now, Xu Shijiu truly didn’t know whether she could hold herself back. She knew exactly how powerful an Omega’s presence could be.

“Why won’t you look at me? Are you afraid?” Lin Xinyi pressed on, deliberately provoking her.

“I don’t want to see you,” Xu Shijiu replied.

She meant it. She was afraid. She was afraid of being drawn in again, of being captivated like she was three years ago. And then, once again, being lied to under the excuse of being protected. She didn’t want to go through that all over again.

She couldn’t take it anymore. She no longer had the strength to believe.

That one sentence extinguished the hope that had been flickering in Lin Xinyi’s chest.

Like a bucket of ice water poured over her, her heart was left cold and aching. Her eyes turned red. She clenched her fists, then slowly let them fall open in defeat.

If Xu Shijiu had only said those words, Lin Xinyi might have handled it. She had hurt Xu Shijiu so deeply in the past. She never expected to be forgiven so easily.

But what crushed her was the way Xu Shijiu’s hands trembled.

She was scared.

She was afraid of her. Afraid that Lin Xinyi would hurt her again.

Lin Xinyi remembered how she used to fear Xu Shijiu. Now she wondered whether, back then, Xu Shijiu had felt the same kind of pain she was feeling now. Or maybe something even worse.

“I’m sorry. I’ll leave now,” Lin Xinyi said softly.

She turned and walked away without looking back.

If Xu Shijiu hated her, Lin Xinyi could face it head-on. She could bear that pain.

But Xu Shijiu’s fear, her fragile vulnerability, hurt more than hatred ever could.

It pierced straight through Lin Xinyi’s courage like a blade.

Support You Are My Omega