After A Crazy Omega Took Me In - Chapter 2

Good-looking people were not usually easy targets.

Especially someone like Jin Xu—a strikingly beautiful Alpha who could be spotted at a glance in any crowd. She was tall, with narrow shoulders, and the faintly exposed muscles along her arms flowed in smooth, graceful lines.

She was always smiling, her eyes curving gently. There was nothing sharp or aggressive about her appearance. She was the kind of person anyone, regardless of gender, could easily like.

But she had a habit of meddling in other people’s business.

For example, during one evening self-study session she skipped to go to work, she climbed out through a corner near the school’s back gate and came across a beautiful Omega being bullied.

The girl was frail. Her uniform shirt had been drenched with water and clung wetly to her body, outlining her slender curves. Yet even surrounded by a group of thugs carrying clubs, she kept her back straight.

Her lashes were slightly lowered, her expression faint and distant, as though it did not matter if they bullied her.

As though it did not matter if they hit her.

That kind of aloof, untouchable attitude was exactly what made people want to target her.

Jin Xu quietly took out her phone and called the police. Then, just as the thugs raised their clubs and closed in on the girl, she threw her nearly empty schoolbag at them.

While they were distracted, she rushed forward, seized the Omega’s hand, and ran without looking back.

Curses sounded behind them.

“Fuck, someone actually dares interfere with Sister Ran’s business…”

“What are you standing there for? Chase them!”

The hand in Jin Xu’s grasp was soft and warm, yet heavy, trembling faintly.

She turned her head, her gaze pausing on the girl’s slightly reddened eyes.

Ah…

So she was not aloof.

She was on the verge of tears from being bullied, but she did not know how to fight back. Because she looked so cool and distant, people mistook her helplessness for indifference.

The sound of a club cutting through the air came from behind.

The next second, something struck Jin Xu across the back. The dull impact and violent pain made her stumble.

She frowned slightly.

Her first instinct was to shield the Omega beside her. She stripped off her uniform jacket and tossed it over the girl.

“Put this on and keep running. Don’t worry about me.”

——

Jin Xu was not a pampered child.

She had not grown up surrounded by love, and no one felt sorry for her when she was hurt. As a result, she had become exceptionally good at enduring pain.

She was very strong. Although she had never received formal training, she did not lose ground even when facing so many people at once.

She simply took a few more blows.

That day, someone saw the girl leave through the school’s back gate while wiping blood from the corner of her lips.

She seemed injured.

She seemed to be in pain.

She seemed to be limping.

The streetlight fell across the slender back of someone her age. Yet when the girl looked over from a distance, several strands of light seemed to melt into her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, shattered and sparkling.

She smiled, her eyes curving.

The passerby quickly looked away, their heart fluttering for the first time in ages.

But no one at school dared offend Chen Ran.

How could Jin Xu possibly dare offend Chen Ran?

What followed was endless targeting and ridicule.

The beautiful Omega never spoke up for her.

One day, however, she placed Jin Xu’s freshly washed uniform on her desk. Beside it was breakfast wrapped in a paper bag.

It tasted delicious.

Jin Xu did not blame anyone.

The fault lay with the bullying. How could she blame another victim?

Especially an Omega who had been so frightened by being surrounded that she had nearly cried.

“Ah Xu…”

“Mm?”

Jin Xu answered while packing her schoolbag. When her friend remained silent for a long time, she turned her head in confusion.

Her gaze paused when it fell upon Zhang Congrong’s timid eyes.

“I have something to do. Can I leave first?”

“Of course.”

Of course she could.

No one was wrong for avoiding Jin Xu.

Jin Xu deliberately waited several minutes after Zhang Congrong left before slowly slinging her schoolbag over her shoulder.

Her original bag had been lost when she threw it at the thugs. This one had later appeared secretly beside her seat, left there by the beautiful Omega.

It looked sturdy and well-made.

She had only taken a few steps when footsteps sounded behind her again.

They were heavy and made no attempt to conceal themselves.

Jin Xu sighed softly and turned to look at the girl with flame-colored hair.

No one at Nancheng First High School dared offend Chen Ran.

She was forever wild and arrogant, born above countless others. Her family was extremely wealthy and had donated several buildings to the school.

Had it not been for this incident, Jin Xu would probably never have crossed paths with her in her entire life.

“Student Chen Ran, you’ve been following me for a long time.”

The flamboyant girl lowered her eyes. A careless smile flickered through them, insolent and overbearing.

“Does the school belong to you? You say I’m following you, so that means I am? Am I not allowed to walk wherever I want?”

“Even if I were following you, it would only be because I’m afraid you might steal something.”

“Your family is actually very poor, isn’t it? Someone who can’t even afford a meal suddenly starts carrying such an expensive bag. Is it a fake? Or did you steal it?”

The girl gave a mocking snort.

“You can’t even afford a counterfeit. So where did you get it?”

Was it expensive?

Jin Xu had no idea.

She lowered her head and looked at the shoulder strap hooked around her thumb.

“Then what should I do?”

Her voice was light, the final syllable soft.

She did not sound as though she were responding to someone who bullied her. Instead, she sounded as familiar and easygoing as though she were speaking to an old friend.

“Does Student Chen Ran want to help me get rid of it?” Jin Xu asked naturally. “Or are you going to arrest me?”

“But I can’t blame you for misunderstanding. After all, I can’t even afford food…”

“I suppose I don’t deserve it.”

The Alpha lowered her eyes aggrievedly.

Her long, thick lashes covered those gentle almond-shaped eyes, as though something viscous had swallowed them whole. Simply looking at her made it difficult to breathe.

She made people’s hearts soften.

Made them not want to argue with her.

Made them want to apologize.

Chen Ran’s breath caught.

She lightly bit her lower lip, leaving behind a faint mark.

She had almost forgotten that Jin Xu was an Alpha.

This person had such a mild temper. She had never said anything harsh to Chen Ran, merely looking at her with those bright, puppy-like eyes.

No…

She was actually extremely aggressive.

Every single one of Chen Ran’s followers had been beaten by Jin Xu and returned covered in injuries.

Everyone except Chen Ran.

Only in front of her did the Alpha hide every sharp edge and become soft and obedient, as though trying to win her pity.

The realization brought Chen Ran a belated surge of pleasure.

Following it came the thrill of wanting to bully Jin Xu even more, of wanting to force her to submit in front of her.

She gave a satisfied little hum, like a cat whose fur had just been stroked smooth.

“Why would I deal with your problems? What exactly is our relationship?”

“Do you know how busy I am? I was only passing by. Who would care about some poor, lowly Alpha from the bottom of society? I’d be afraid of dirtying my hands.”

“Get lost. Stop blocking the way.”

“Okay.”

Jin Xu’s eyes curved as she watched the placated cat walk away.

Only then did the expression in her eyes gradually become helpless.

Young Miss Chen really did have an awful personality, but she was not a bad person.

As long as someone indulged her a little, she became easy to handle.

How could she possibly have hired people to start a fight?

Jin Xu truly could not understand her.

When she turned around, she unexpectedly met a pair of amber eyes.

Those beautiful peach-blossom eyes drooped slightly, filled with so much worry that even their corners had reddened with panic. Crystal tears pressed against the girl’s lower lids, seemingly about to fall.

The moment she realized Jin Xu was looking at her, those eyes shrank back timidly.

Then came hurried footsteps.

Jin Xu blinked and recognized the retreating figure that overlapped with the one she had seen a month ago that night.

Very timid.

Very beautiful.

Very prone to tears.

Very afraid to face her.

But what was there to be afraid of?

Jin Xu lowered her eyes and tightened the schoolbag on her back.

She walked away calmly, but after several steps, she suddenly turned around.

As expected, she met the gaze of the girl who had originally hurried away, only to stop and secretly look back at her.

Jin Xu’s lips curved.

Her bright puppy-like eyes sparkled, and beneath the girl’s slightly stunned gaze, she lifted a hand and waved.

“Goodbye.”

This time, she truly left.

She missed the burning gaze behind her and the even hotter tears gathering uncontrollably in the girl’s reddened eyes.

No one blocked her path today.

Tomorrow marked the start of the New Year’s Day holiday. When she passed a fruit stall, she selected a box of blueberries to take home.

Shi Lian…

Would she suddenly faint at home?

She exercised every day but refused to eat. She was already far too thin.

At the thought of the person waiting at home, Jin Xu’s breathing tightened for an instant.

This was the first holiday she and Shi Lian would spend together.

The woman was too busy.

She traveled all over the world like a tireless bird. Only once she was exhausted, once everything had been dealt with, would she remember that she had a home.

Remember that Jin Xu was still being kept there.

Even from far away, Jin Xu could see the warm light glowing from their home.

The living-room lights were on too.

No matter how late it was, before Jin Xu returned, Shi Lian liked sitting on the living-room sofa.

Her fingerprint had barely touched the scanner when the front door suddenly opened from inside.

The rush of white-tea pheromones forced her to take several steps back.

Instinctively, she reached out and caught the hem of the woman’s coat as Shi Lian brushed past her.

“Where are you going?”

“Do I need to report everything to you?”

Jin Xu pressed her lips together.

Of course Shi Lian did not need to explain anything to her.

Jin Xu was the one being supported.

But it was already very late.

The Omega lived by a regular schedule, and it was almost time for her to sleep.

More importantly, her pheromones carried an intense agitation and irritation.

So Jin Xu gently set her schoolbag behind the door, closed it, and still did not release the corner of Shi Lian’s coat.

December in Nancheng was already bitterly cold.

Through the elegant, expensive fabric of her coat, Shi Lian could almost feel the chill traveling from Jin Xu’s fingertips into her forearm.

That thin school uniform was the Alpha’s only protection against the wind and rain.

“Sister, I’m coming with you.”

“There’s no need.”

Shi Lian frowned.

Her usually cold features were faintly weighed down by impatience and stiffness.

Jin Xu acted as though she had not heard.

Holding the blueberries she had specially bought for Shi Lian, she simply took the woman’s hand and led her toward the underground parking garage.

“I said there’s no need. Jin Xu, who gave you the right to disregard my wishes?”

“Don’t make me say it again.”

The Alpha walking ahead of her seemed to sigh.

“Mm, right. There’s no need.”

“So it doesn’t matter if Sister goes out alone in the middle of the night. It doesn’t matter if you’re emotional, or if your pheromones are almost out of control.”

Jin Xu’s tone was far too indulgent and far too soft.

There was not a trace of anger in it.

Only deep helplessness.

“I should ignore the danger and let Sister go alone. Then, if something happens and you get hurt, I’ll feel heartbroken and miserable again.”

“And when that happens, I won’t even have a proper identity that gives me the right to visit you at the hospital.”

“What am I supposed to do then?”

There was a trace of hurt in her smile.

“So let me come with you, all right?”

“You’ll be safe with me. I’m very good at fighting, and I’m strong.”

“I’ll protect you.”