After Differentiating into an Alpha, I Marked My Love Rival - Chapter 10

“What?” Zhou Yi thought she must have misheard for a moment, but seeing Ji Yongshu’s cold and distant gaze, she immediately realized the other woman was serious.

“Ji Yongshu.” Zhou Yi finally dropped her calm facade as well, her brows furrowing tightly as she looked at Ji Yongshu like one would at a misbehaving child.

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

She knew Ji Yongshu didn’t like her, but their arranged marriage was more like a collaboration between their families. Setting that aside, their compatibility was quite high—by all logic, Ji Yongshu shouldn’t be calling off their engagement.

Zhou Yi couldn’t understand why Ji Yongshu would have such thoughts. In her view, Ji Yongshu was far more rational and level-headed than most omegas; she should know the consequences of breaking off their engagement.

Compared to Zhou Yi’s confusion and anger, Ji Yongshu remained remarkably composed. Under Zhou Yi’s intense stare, she even picked up her coffee and took a small sip.

Zhou Yi’s reaction was exactly as she’d anticipated.

Having eaten her favorite food and sipped coffee to soothe her mood, Ji Yongshu was now completely calm and collected.

“Zhou Yi, I know exactly what I’m saying.”

“I want to break off our engagement.”

Hearing these words again, Zhou Yi couldn’t help but take a deep breath, feeling a throbbing pain in her temples.

Ji Yongshu’s casual demeanor made it seem like she’d merely commented on the nice weather. Zhou Yi felt like a ridiculous clown who’d completely humiliated herself in front of Ji Yongshu.

“You want to call off our engagement—why?”

Ji Yongshu didn’t mince words. Setting down her coffee cup, she folded her hands on her lap. “I remember when we first agreed to this arrangement, we privately discussed not interfering in each other’s lives, correct?”

Zhou Yi’s heart skipped a beat as she suddenly understood what Ji Yongshu was implying. “Have you heard something?”

She wasn’t fully aware that her affair with Jiang Zhiluo had become common knowledge—no one dared mention it to Zhou Yi’s face, though some had quietly mocked Ji Yongshu behind her back.

Zhou Yi would never know how much trouble her actions had caused her fiancée.

Ji Yongshu neither confirmed nor denied it. She simply chuckled lightly, though her eyes held little mirth. “Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough initially.”

“When I said we wouldn’t interfere, I meant in our private matters—but that doesn’t mean you can make me a laughingstock.”

Zhou Yi exhaled slowly and leaned back in her chair. Though only a table separated them, the small space between them felt like two completely different worlds.

“I haven’t made you a laughingstock,” Zhou Yi stated firmly.

She and Jiang Zhiluo hadn’t crossed that final line—strictly speaking, Zhou Yi had been pursuing Jiang Zhiluo, who had never given her a definitive answer.

Ji Yongshu neither agreed nor disagreed. Her gaze drifted to the window where warm sunlight spilled across the table, casting a golden glow.

Outside, a white cat stretched languidly, its soft fur gilded by the sunlight.

Ji Yongshu’s voice broke the silence at that moment, as calm as a ripple less pond, unexpectedly harmonizing with the afternoon sunlight like a serene melody.

“Do you know how many people have mocked me because of this?”

Zhou Yi’s eyes widened in genuine shock—she truly hadn’t known. Buried in work, what little free time she had was devoted to Jiang Zhiluo, leaving no room to notice such matters.

“My apologies, that was my fault.” Zhou Yi’s voice carried a trace of remorse.

Ji Yongshu knew that remorse wasn’t for the infidelity itself, but rather for not being discreet enough to avoid getting caught—especially by her own fiancée.

“Zhou Yi, I have no interest in playing the fool. Since you’re so fond of that omega, why don’t we call off the engagement? I’ll step aside for you.”

Zhou Yi panicked. While she did adore Jiang Zhiluo, dissolving the engagement had never crossed her mind.

This wasn’t just about strengthening the business alliance between their families. Scientifically speaking, higher compatibility between alphas and omegas produced more intelligent offspring—and her match with Jiang Zhiluo couldn’t compare to her compatibility with Ji Yongshu.

After a brief fluster, Zhou Yi quickly fabricated an excuse: “Perhaps my behavior toward her caused misunderstandings. Yongshu, I admit I developed some feelings, but she never accepted my advances. There’s nothing between us.”

Ji Yongshu scoffed, turning her gaze back to the cat outside the window rather than endure Zhou Yi’s irritating face.

“If you don’t believe me, I can summon her here.” Zhou Yi’s hands clenched subtly on her lap—a last-resort solution she dreaded, uncertain whether Jiang Zhiluo would cooperate.

Despite two months of pursuit, the quiet omega remained an enigma. That gentle demeanor sometimes concealed thoughts even Zhou Yi couldn’t decipher.

Ji Yongshu lifted her eyelids to study Zhou Yi’s earnest expression that seemed truthful. Not that the details mattered—the intent to cheat was betrayal enough.

Slouching lazily in her chair, Ji Yongshu remarked, “No need. I’ve already met her.”

Zhou Yi’s face darkened instantly. “When?”

Why had Jiang Zhiluo never mentioned this? The loss of control sent panic coiling through her—what had they discussed? That even Jiang Zhiluo kept secrets now fueled her irritation.

Switching tactics swiftly, Zhou Yi declared: “There’s truly nothing between us. I’d say the same before your parents with a clear conscience.”

She was weaponizing Ji Yongshu’s parents now.

Ji Yongshu nearly laughed at the audacity. She’d known Zhou Yi was unscrupulous but never imagined the depths of her shamelessness.

She didn’t want to break off the engagement, nor did she want to give up Jiang Zhiluo. What, did she think she could keep the home fires burning while flying colorful flags outside?

There’s no such good fortune in this world—you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

“Zhou Yi,” Ji Yongshu sneered, “do you refuse to yield until faced with dire consequences?”

She picked up her phone and pulled up the audio file Jiang Zhiluo had sent her.

Watching her movements, Zhou Yi suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

Only when she heard the familiar voice did Zhou Yi’s expression completely darken, twisting into a mix of fury and humiliation as she glared at Ji Yongshu.

How dare Jiang Zhiluo betray her?!

Zhou Yi didn’t even need to think—she knew Jiang Zhiluo must have given this to Ji Yongshu.

Too enraged to contain herself, her voice turned shrill: “What, are you trying to threaten me with this now?”

Ji Yongshu looked at Zhou Yi’s livid face and suddenly recalled a saying: Men always get angry when others don’t believe their lies.

The same applied to alphas.

“Threaten you? Right now, I’m just giving you a warning. But if you insist on pushing it, then yes, consider it a threat.” Without giving Zhou Yi a chance to respond, she continued, “In fact, let’s go straight to your parents and see who really wants to call off the engagement.”

Zhou Yi knew she was in the wrong. If this matter reached her parents, she wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.

She wasn’t the Zhou family’s only daughter—she had an older brother and a younger sister. Her father had been too promiscuous in his youth, and who knew how many illegitimate children he had out there.

Zhou Yi wasn’t his sole heir.

The engagement with the Ji family actually benefited Zhou Yi more.

“Yongshu…” Zhou Yi’s face twisted with exaggerated remorse, her eyes even reddening as she gazed at Ji Yongshu. “I was momentarily blinded, but I swear I never did anything to betray you.”

“Give me another chance, please?”

Ji Yongshu remained unmoved. Zhou Yi had realized coercion wouldn’t work, so now she was resorting to playing the victim, hoping to soften her heart.

Too bad she was dealing with Ji Yongshu.

“Will you tell your parents yourself, or should I call them?”

Zhou Yi didn’t want either option. She could already imagine her father’s reaction.

“Ji Yongshu, do you really have to be this ruthless?”

“Who else can you find with a higher compatibility rate than me?”

Zhou Yi couldn’t understand. It wasn’t like Ji Yongshu actually loved her—why was she making such a big deal out of her seeing someone else?

“That’s none of your concern.” Ji Yongshu stood, picking up her bag. “I’ve said all I needed to. Just wait for the notice.”

She couldn’t stand being in the same room with Zhou Yi for another second.

Zhou Yi reached out to grab her, simultaneously releasing a trace of her alpha pheromones.

Given their high compatibility rate, Ji Yongshu should have lost all resistance the moment she caught the scent.

Zhou Yi was already prepared to catch the weakened omega.

But instead of collapsing, Ji Yongshu not only dodged her grasp but also shot her a sharp glare—one so piercing that Zhou Yi froze in place, as if roots had sprouted from her feet, rendering her completely immobile.

“Zhou Yi, do I need to remind you how many years in prison you’d get for forcing an omega with pheromones?”

Ji Yongshu barely restrained herself from cursing out loud, relying solely on her impeccable upbringing. After delivering this icy warning, she grabbed her bag and strode out of the restaurant.

Only when Ji Yongshu’s figure disappeared through the restaurant doors did Zhou Yi slump forward as if drained of strength. It was then she realized her back was drenched in cold sweat.

Wasn’t Ji Yongshu just an omega?

Why did she have such an intimidating gaze?

Zhou Yi had no time to ponder this question—her mind was consumed by Ji Yongshu’s declaration of ending their engagement. Ji Yongshu had been deadly serious, leaving Zhou Yi no room for reconciliation.

How was she going to explain this to her father?

—

Only after settling into the car did Ji Yongshu finally relax against the backseat, allowing a trace of exhaustion to show on her face.

“Are you alright, Miss?”

Xie Yangqing, who usually accompanied her, was unavailable today. The question came from her bodyguard.

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

As the car started moving, Ji Yongshu gently massaged her scent gland. To resist Zhou Yi’s pheromones earlier, she’d been forced to release some of her own.

Just two days ago, her doctor had warned that this was a critical period for her secondary differentiation. She shouldn’t overuse her pheromones to avoid adverse effects on her body.

For now, Ji Yongshu felt nothing unusual—just overwhelming fatigue and lethargy.

Staring at her palm, she recalled the sensation when countering Zhou Yi’s pheromones. Zhou Yi was an S-class alpha, yet Ji Yongshu hadn’t struggled at all. If anything, it was Zhou Yi who’d been overwhelmed.

Her post-differentiation rank must be at least equal to Zhou Yi’s.

After brief contemplation, Ji Yongshu set the matter aside and turned to another thought.

Zhou Yi claimed her relationship with Jiang Zhiluo had been innocent—that her feelings for Jiang Zhiluo were one-sided.

Remembering her two encounters with Jiang Zhiluo, Ji Yongshu instinctively sensed something amiss.

Was Jiang Zhiluo truly indifferent to Zhou Yi?