It seemed that a couple had moved in next door.
Lately, it looked like someone was moving in next door.
Xia Chunxiao rubbed her somewhat throbbing head, listening to the thumping and clanging of people moving back and forth outside. She shrank back a little, still not daring to go out and take a look.
A year ago, she heard that this apartment had been sold. Renovations had finished about half a year ago, but no one had lived there since.
It seemed they had finally moved in, but she didn’t quite dare to go out and say hello.
In fact, because there seemed to be so many people moving things outside, she felt a bit too afraid to order delivery.
Forget it, she would just cook some instant noodles today: spicy pork bone flavor, with two eggs added, one beaten in, and one boiled into a soft-boiled egg with a runny yolk.
She struggled out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. Sunlight streamed through the bathroom window, falling upon a pale, delicate face.
The girl in the mirror had a pair of very classical phoenix eyes with exceptionally long eyelashes.
She opened her mouth and spat out some toothpaste foam. Her somewhat colorless lips were slightly reddened by the minty toothpaste, giving her an unexpectedly breathtaking kind of beauty.
After washing up, Xia Chunxiao ate a bowl of instant noodles, opened her web novel app, and planned to find a new novel to read.
Gradually, the night grew darker. It was already 10:00 PM, and there had been no sound outside for a long time. Xia Chunxiao planned to go out and take out the trash.
She put on a cap, felt like a thief as she opened the door, pressed the elevator button, went downstairs, and quickly came back up after throwing away the trash.
She lived near the university town, close to an extremely long night market, a large commercial shopping mall, and several major supermarkets.
However, she hadn’t gone out to stroll around in a long time. Unless it was absolutely necessary to purchase supplies or take out the trash, Xia Chunxiao basically never left the house.
When her parents passed away, they left her a sum of money, and then her old family home happened to be redeveloped and demolished. Nowadays, she wasn’t particularly short on money.
Coupled with the fact that her job was writing novels, which earned her enough for living expenses, she had even less reason to go out.
When you never go out, you just want to go out less and less.
The thumping next door continued for a few more days. Xia Chunxiao was nervous for a few days, but after getting used to the tension, she stopped paying attention later on.
A few days later, the moving noises gradually came to an end.
The night was deep, but the moon outside was large and bright. Without even turning on the lights, Xia Chunxiao could see everything clearly on the balcony.
Xia Chunxiao’s room opened up to the balcony. She opened the window, let the natural breeze blow in, and began hanging up her laundry.
At that moment, a vague, indistinct sound inadvertently drifted into her ears.
It was soft and very pleasant to hear. Her fingers twitched, and her heart felt as though it had been gently scratched by a tiny ant.
A bit itchy, stretching all the way from her spine down to her hands.
“Mm.” It was a very gentle sound, hummed from the bridge of the nose, seemingly carrying a trace of pain yet also a hint of pleasure.
Listening to that sound, the tip of her heart softened completely.
This was…
Xia Chunxiao stood frozen in place, still holding the unhung laundry.
A few seconds later, her face turned beet red. Realizing what it was, she immediately retreated back into her room.
She quietly turned off all the lights and ducked under the covers, wanting to pretend that nobody was home.
She hadn’t heard anything at all.
Yet, that warm and gentle sound kept lingering in her mind, impossible to shake off.
So, a couple really had moved in next door?
The night was deep.
Even though she had returned to her room, she still felt as though she could vaguely hear a tiny trace of movement.
In reality, that shouldn’t be the case. Xia Chunxiao knew that the soundproofing of this apartment was average, but it wouldn’t be bad to that extent.
She simply couldn’t control herself from imagining what was happening on the other side, and what the owner of that gentle female voice looked like.
She must be an Omega, right?
This was very immoral; she shouldn’t be thinking about it.
Even more immorally, as she thought about that gentle female voice, her body instinctively began to grow warm.
When she woke up the next morning, Xia Chunxiao felt extreme contempt for herself.
She gave her own head a few fierce thumps.
How could she be like this?!
Thinking about how she had lain in bed last night imagining a woman whose face she couldn’t clearly see, and how familiar that woman’s voice had been, she couldn’t help but despise herself all over again.
Over the next few days, Xia Chunxiao stayed inside her apartment like a petty thief, terrified that her neighbor might discover her.
Discover that she had such dirty and improper thoughts about a neighbor.
Until the household trash simply had to be dealt with.
Hermit as she was, she was also clean and couldn’t bear the clutter of garbage all over her home, nor could she stand the garbage emitting strange odors.
It was already past 11:00 PM. In the afternoon, she had heard the neighbor closing their door. At this hour, she probably wouldn’t run into anyone.
Hesitating for a moment, Xia Chunxiao still put on her cap, grabbed the trash, and prepared to head out.
She gently opened her door, glanced toward the neighbor’s place, let out a breath, walked quickly to the elevator, and pressed the button to go down.
Right at that moment, she heard the sound of a door being unlocked, and the hair on her arms stood up from fright.
She turned her head and saw a gorgeous older woman.
The woman had a slender yet voluptuous figure, wearing a modified traditional Chinese cheongsam. Her hair was worn loose and casual, extremely long and straight, as smooth and soft as silk.
Her brows and eyes were delicate, and her almond-shaped eyes held a smile, carrying the misty, hazy beauty of southern waters.
At a single glance, anyone could tell she was an exceptionally gentle person.
Xia Chunxiao froze in place.
Her heart felt as though it had broken, completely disobedient.
When the woman saw her, she also paused for a second, and then a smile appeared on her face.
Xia Chunxiao’s face flushed even redder.
“Hello, you must be the neighbor next door. We just moved in recently, and I’m Fang Rou.” The woman’s eyes curved into crescents, her voice carrying a special kind of melodic charm, soft and very pleasant to listen to.
Xia Chunxiao’s ears tinged with itchiness. Her face suddenly turned blazing red, and she quickly managed to spit out a “hello.”
Right on cue, the elevator arrived. Xia Chunxiao stepped into the corner of the elevator and watched as the woman walked in after her.
“I haven’t seen you these past few days. We thought no one lived next door, so we haven’t greeted you yet. I’m truly sorry.” Fang Rou looked at the pretty Beta young woman in front of her, her voice gentle and carrying a polite note of apology.
The young woman before her was very pretty, so pretty it even took her breath away a little. Yet, she wasn’t wearing any pheromone-blocking patches, nor did she have that kind of lofty, overbearing arrogance; she must be a Beta.
How truly pretty, especially the panicked expression she wore just moments ago when she looked over. Clearly possessing such sharp, striking eyes, yet even her pupils had dilated from fear.
Simply, like a cute little cat being teased by a human and desperately wanting to escape.
Truly adorable.
Gradually, Xia Chunxiao didn’t dare to look at Fang Rou directly anymore. She lowered her head and whispered, “It’s fine.”
Because of her nervousness, her voice sounded cold and stiff.
As soon as she said it, she regretted it; it was terribly impolite to speak like that.
Yet she didn’t dare say anything else, and could only vexedly bite the flesh on the inside of her lower lip.
Fang Rou noticed and smiled softly again.
The flush on Xia Chunxiao’s face, which had finally begun to recede from self-reproach, instantly deepened even further.
“Ding.” The elevator finally reached the ground floor.
Thank goodness she didn’t have to spend time in such a confined space with someone else anymore. Xia Chunxiao took a deep breath.
“I’m going to throw out the trash.” She stepped out of the elevator, not daring to look at Fang Rou, and walked quickly toward the exit.
“Me too. Let’s go together,” Fang Rou said.
“Ah!” Xia Chunxiao turned around and only then realized that she had been so focused on looking at the woman that she hadn’t even noticed Fang Rou was also holding a garbage bag.
Fang Rou smiled again. She thought to herself that she hadn’t expected the cold-faced Beta miss to actually be such a dazed and clumsy character.
Xia Chunxiao felt embarrassed. She really didn’t dare to continue interacting with Fang Rou, but it would also be impolite to refuse outright.
It was so late, and although the residential complex was safe, letting an Omega go throw out the trash all by herself didn’t sit well with her conscience either.
She stopped in her tracks and waited for Fang Rou to walk up beside her.
“Since we’re neighbors, and it’s a bit late today, you should come over to my place for a meal another day. If I’m being shameless, I have to say I’m actually quite good at cooking, you know,” Fang Rou said with a smile, looking at her.
She was good at cooking? Xia Chunxiao’s thoughts instantly drifted away. How gentle, and she could cook too; it must taste amazing.
“Ah, no need.” But she still refused.
Yet refusing like that felt very abrupt. She opened her mouth, looked at the disappointment on the woman’s face, and a wave of guilt instantly surged into her heart.
She had dirty thoughts of her own; she was in the wrong. But disappointing such a gentle older sister was also her fault.
“I…” She didn’t know what to say.
“Are you feeling too shy? That’s true, it was inconsiderate of me. I also know how to make a lot of desserts; I’ll make some and bring them over for you when they’re done. You definitely can’t refuse that one, okay, dear neighbor?” Fang Rou tilted her head, looking at the girl’s flustered appearance, and laughed as she spoke.
Xia Chunxiao opened and closed her mouth, finally nodding, her mind replaying that single word: dear.
“Then, dear neighbor, can you tell me your name?”
Only then did Xia Chunxiao realize that the other person had already introduced herself, while she, due to her nervousness, had never told Fang Rou her name.
“Xia Chunxiao. My name is Xia Chunxiao.”
“Such a lovely name. It really suits you,” Fang Rou praised. A classical face paired with a classical name, it was a perfect match.
“Thank you!” Xia Chunxiao said, feeling shy.
They reached the garbage station. Xia Chunxiao said, “Give me your trash, I’ll go throw it in.” The area around the garbage station was a bit dirty, and there was a faint, lingering odor.
Omegas tended to be more sensitive in their senses; it was better not to let her get close to this place, Xia Chunxiao thought.
Fang Rou looked at the hand the Beta extended. Unexpectedly, her hands weren’t the slender, bony kind; instead, they were slightly plump and fleshy, not matching her face at all.
And how considerate of her.
“Then thank you.” Fang Rou handed her trash to Xia Chunxiao.
“You’re welcome,” Xia Chunxiao replied.
She walked into the garbage station, threw the trash into the bin, and only then did she realize that she could have just said “I’ll help you throw it away” right from the start.
Aish, how clumsy.
Yet, thinking about walking all the way here with the beautiful older sister and listening to her gentle voice, she couldn’t help feeling a little happy inside.
Damn it.
She really seemed to… genuinely like this older sister.
It must be love at first sight. It had been a very long time since she had seen such a gentle Omega.
And yet, the older sister already had a lover.
Thinking of the sounds she had inadvertently heard that day, Xia Chunxiao’s face turned pale and red by turns.
With her head lowered in dejection, she walked back out. Her heart felt a bittersweet ache; the first person she had ever fallen for was an Omega, yet she already belonged to someone else.
Fang Rou watched as a bouncing little cat went in, and a crestfallen puppy came back out.
The corners of her lips curved upward once more.
“Chunxiao, is something wrong?”
Xia Chunxiao looked up. The other person was calling her Chunxiao. Under the outdoor lights, her fair, flawless little face looked even more translucent, and the flush of shyness on her cheeks was exceptionally clear.
“N-nothing much. Let’s head back.”
“Alright,” Fang Rou replied.
On the way back, Fang Rou asked, “Do you like butter cookies?”
“I do,” Xia Chunxiao answered.
“I knew it. Kids all love eating those. My girlfriend likes them a lot too. So do you prefer raisins or cranberries?”
Hearing Fang Rou mention her girlfriend, Xia Chunxiao’s eyelashes trembled slightly. “Either is fine.”
“I’m twenty-six; I’m not a kid,” Xia Chunxiao said.
“Twenty-six? You really don’t look it. I thought you were an undergraduate student at University A too. You look about the same age as my girlfriend, though she’s only twenty this year,” Fang Rou said with a hint of surprise, because Xia Chunxiao truly looked very young.
“Still, I’m already thirty-two, so it’s fine for me to call you a kid. You can call me older sister (Jiejie) too.”