After Differentiating into an Alpha, I Marked My Love Rival - Chapter 24

“Because you’re not worthy.”

 

After Jiang Zhiluo’s words, Zhou Yi hadn’t reacted yet, but Ji Yongshu behind the tree couldn’t help letting out a slight sigh of relief.

 

Her mind recalled Jiang Zhiluo’s previous words once more:

 

“My white moonlight is you.”

 

For a moment, she had genuinely feared Jiang Zhiluo would say, “Of course, it’s because I like Ji Yongshu.”

 

If Jiang Zhiluo had actually answered Zhou Yi like that, Zhou Yi would probably have been furious to death.

 

Although Ji Yongshu truly wanted to provoke Zhou Yi, unless absolutely necessary, she preferred not to involve herself in it.

 

Fortunately, Jiang Zhiluo had no such intention either.

 

After hearing those words, Zhou Yi stood frozen for several seconds before reacting.

 

“Not worthy?!” Her voice was sharp and icy, brimming with fury. Ji Yongshu could easily imagine Zhou Yi’s expression as she spat those words.

 

For some reason, she suddenly felt like laughing.

 

Though Ji Yongshu didn’t laugh out loud, a smile still surfaced on her face, her lips curling slightly upward in evident delight.

 

Indeed, hearing a scumbag Alpha being put in their place made it impossible to suppress her amusement.

 

But then again, the fact that Jiang Zhiluo could say such a thing to Zhou Yi’s face proved she truly didn’t like Zhou Yi.

 

So why had she gone to such lengths to break up her and Zhou Yi? What was her real motive?

 

Ji Yongshu felt her head starting to ache again. She rubbed her temples, forcefully pushing down the most plausible suspicion.

 

While Ji Yongshu was lost in thought, Jiang Zhiluo and Zhou Yi continued arguing.

 

Zhou Yi kept repeating the same few lines, stubbornly refusing to believe Jiang Zhiluo genuinely didn’t like her.

 

“Jiang Zhiluo, don’t play the saint after acting like a whore!”

 

“If you hadn’t shown interest in me first, would I have been so bewitched as to call off my engagement with Ji Yongshu?”

 

Zhou Yi pinned all the blame for ending the engagement on Jiang Zhiluo, as if the only reason she and Ji Yongshu had broken up was because she wanted to be with Jiang Zhiluo—as if it were all for Jiang Zhiluo’s sake.

 

Jiang Zhiluo laughed in exasperation, though she retained enough composure to glance subtly in a certain direction before lowering her eyes and sneering, “President Zhou, could you at least make sense when you speak?”

 

“How many times have I rejected you since we met?”

 

“Even if you’re an Alpha with a high rank, you can’t be this delusional, can you?”

 

Her words were a blatant slap to Zhou Yi’s face, making it seem as though Zhou Yi had been the only one infatuated from the start.

 

Everything Zhou Yi had done had only ever moved herself.

 

Zhou Yi had always been proud, especially of her status as a high-ranking Alpha. In her twenty-some years of life, this was the first time she’d suffered such a humiliation.

 

And at the hands of an Omega she had never even taken seriously!

 

Zhou Yi’s feelings for Jiang Zhiluo had never been deep—perhaps not even love, just a fleeting attraction born of impulse, and even that had hinged on Jiang Zhiluo maintaining the image Zhou Yi liked.

 

Now that the truth was laid bare, Jiang Zhiluo immediately became detestable in Zhou Yi’s eyes.

 

Gritting her teeth, Zhou Yi threatened, “Jiang Zhiluo, do you know what happens to those who cross me?”

 

She had been proud for over twenty years, yet now she was being played in the palm of an Omega’s hand!

 

Zhou Yi could never swallow this humiliation.

 

Hidden behind a tree, Ji Yongshu’s eyes flashed with scorn upon hearing those words.

 

All Zhou Yi relied on was the Zhou family. Without their backing, what was she worth?

 

She only knew how to threaten others with her power and status, acting recklessly just because she was a high-ranking Alpha, looking down on Omegas and Betas from the bottom of her heart.

 

People like her where exactly what Ji Yongshu despised the most.

 

She was grateful she had seen through Zhou Yi’s true nature before signing the marriage certificate. The mere thought of one day being legally bound to such a scumbag Alpha made Ji Yongshu sick to her stomach!

 

The respect Zhou Yi had shown her before must have all been an act.

 

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have tried to suppress Ji Yongshu with pheromones last time.

 

In Zhou Yi’s mind, Omegas were naturally meant to submit to Alphas—just a whiff of pheromones should be enough to make an Omega obedient.

 

What exactly did Omegas mean to her?

 

Just as this thought crossed Ji Yongshu’s mind, she suddenly heard Jiang Zhiluo groan weakly in the distance. Though her voice was faint, it carried unmistakable hatred: “Zhou… Yi!”

 

“You despicable—!”

 

Ji Yongshu’s heart clenched. Her fists tightened instinctively, her body tensing—a sign she was readying for battle.

 

Before her mind could even process it, she had already charged forward.

 

As she drew closer, the pungent scent of lemons—Zhou Yi’s pheromones—filled the air.

 

The foreign Alpha’s pheromones triggered a wave of nausea in Ji Yongshu, accompanied by a surge of violent irritation. The beast within her roared, urging her to drive this unfamiliar Alpha out of her territory.

 

Unconsciously, Ji Yongshu’s body grew even more rigid. Her gaze turned icy and terrifying, radiating an intimidating aura.

 

Zhou Yi was the first to feel the pressure.

 

She had always been confident in her pheromones—after all, S-rank Alphas like her were rare. They were born prodigies, standing at the top of the food chain, commanding submission not just from Omegas and Betas, but even from other Alphas.

 

Yet at this moment, Zhou Yi experienced an overwhelming pressure unlike anything before.

 

The crushing force inside her body made her organs feel like they were about to burst. Breathing became agonizingly difficult. Zhou Yi couldn’t stop herself from doubling over, her legs trembling uncontrollably as if she might collapse to her knees at any second.

 

She had always enjoyed using pheromones to dominate others—this was the first time she had ever been suppressed by someone else’s.

 

Straining to look back, Zhou Yi tried to see which Alpha possessed such overpowering pheromones.

 

To release pheromones this potent… they had to be at least SS-rank!

 

Cold sweat poured down Zhou Yi’s forehead as fear and resentment churned inside her. When had such a high-ranking Alpha appeared? How had she not known?

 

None of tonight’s banquet guests should have been this powerful!

 

Who is this person?!

 

Zhou Yi struggled to lift her head, only to widen her eyes in horror the next second, as if she’d seen a ghost, unable to regain her composure for a long time.

 

How could this person be Ji Yongshu?!

 

Wasn’t Ji Yongshu an Omega?

 

Zhou Yi stared at Ji Yongshu in shock, but the latter didn’t spare her even a glance. Instead, she walked straight toward the Omega struggling to support herself nearby and without hesitation, steadied Jiang Zhiluo by the shoulders.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

The Alpha’s voice was gentle and low, laced with undisguised concern, making Jiang Zhiluo’s already slightly reddened eyes turn even redder. Tears she’d been holding back for so long finally spilled down her cheeks.

 

“Elder sister, thank goodness you came to save me…”

 

Her voice trembled with sobs as her fingers clutched tightly at Ji Yongshu’s clothes, her slender frame curling entirely into the Alpha’s embrace as if Ji Yongshu was her sole anchor.

 

Ji Yongshu patted Jiang Zhiluo’s back lightly, soothing the Omega’s frightened and unsettled emotions.

 

Any Omega would likely feel terrified when an Alpha tried to control them with pheromones.

 

The sour lemon scent in the air had long been overpowered by the sweet fragrance of peaches.

 

To Jiang Zhiluo, this peach aroma was as enticing as a ripe honey peach—so much so that she could almost taste the sweet juice in her mouth. The rich fragrance filled her lungs with every breath.

 

It was elder sister’s scent!

 

So, intoxicating.

 

A rosy flush spread across Jiang Zhiluo’s cheeks. Though her eyes still shimmered with unshed tears, her expression was no longer panicked but dazed, laced with a faint drunkenness.

 

But to Zhou Yi, this peach scent wasn’t sweet at all. It was more like fermented peach wine—superficially alluring yet laced with a pungent alcoholic bite.

 

Like the deadliest poison wrapped in the sweetest honey.

 

Zhou Yi was so suppressed she couldn’t even straighten her back. Not wanting to lose face in front of Ji Yongshu and Jiang Zhiluo, she staggered backward a few steps, pressing her back against a tree trunk to steady herself.

 

“Ji Yongshu! When did you differentiate into an Alpha?!”

 

Zhou Yi’s eyes burned with hatred, her expression twisted as if she wanted to tear the Alpha-Omega pair before her to shreds.

 

Seeing Jiang Zhiluo lying weakly in Ji Yongshu’s arms, how could Zhou Yi not understand?

 

She’d been fooled by these two bitches!

 

Jiang Zhiluo was probably sent by Ji Yongshu to deceive her all along!

 

How laughable—she’d thought she’d found love, only to realize she’d stepped right into someone else’s trap!

 

Fury made Zhou Yi want to hurl the vilest curses at them, but resisting Ji Yongshu’s pheromones alone drained all her strength.

 

She thought she was shouting loudly, but to Ji Yongshu and Jiang Zhiluo, her voice was nothing more than the buzzing of a mosquito.

 

Ji Yongshu couldn’t be bothered to engage with her. First, she had nothing to say to Zhou Yi, and second, no matter what she said now, Zhou Yi wouldn’t believe her.

 

But the woman’s incessant cursing was as irritating as a mosquito’s drone. Ji Yongshu had never imagined the usually composed and level-headed Zhou Yi could be so vulgar.

 

This scene should be recorded and shown to all her business partners—Zhou Yi is clearly not someone trustworthy.

 

Ji Yongshu was thoroughly annoyed. Supporting Jiang Zhiluo as they walked forward, she coldly tossed over her shoulder, “Zhou Yi, you really are a dog that can’t stop eating sh1t.”

 

“I warned you last time—using pheromones to coerce an Omega is a crime.”

 

“Should I call Madam Xie and the Xie family matriarch over to witness this?”

 

Zhou Yi immediately fell silent.

 

Though she was convinced she had been tricked by Ji Yongshu and Jiang Zhiluo, she was still the one in the wrong here. If this escalated, she wouldn’t come out unscathed.

 

Moreover, Ji Yongshu had now differentiated into an Alpha—possibly even an SS-rank Alpha. The Xie family had plenty of unmated Omegas.

 

Even when Ji Yongshu was still an Omega, countless people had scrambled to curry favor with her. If word got out that she had differentiated into an Alpha, even more would set their sights on her.

 

If this truly blew up, the Xie and Zhou families might not protect her. Instead, they might even punish her publicly to win Ji Yongshu’s favor.

 

After all, they wouldn’t risk offending an SS-rank Alpha!

 

Zhou Yi’s eyes burned red as she clenched her fists, her chest so tight she could barely breathe.

 

How could this b1tch Ji Yongshu—

 

How could she have differentiated into an SS-rank Alpha?!

 

Ji Yongshu had no intention of entertaining Zhou Yi further. With an arm around Jiang Zhiluo’s shoulders, she noticed the Omega walking unsteadily, her slender legs trembling beneath her dress. After a brief hesitation, Ji Yongshu murmured an apology, slid an arm under the Omega’s knees, and lifted her into her arms.

 

Jiang Zhiluo let out a small gasp before burying her face against Ji Yongshu’s neck, her hair brushing against the Alpha’s skin like a feather, sending a tingling shiver down her spine.

 

Ji Yongshu carried the Omega away, already forgetting how, just moments ago, she had been relieved that Jiang Zhiluo hadn’t dragged her into this mess.

 

The irony came swiftly, but the person involved remained oblivious.

 

Ji Yongshu had always despised Alphas who used pheromones to dominate others—even in marital relationships, an Alpha had no right to force an Omega.

 

It didn’t matter that the victim today was Jiang Zhiluo. Even if it had been a stranger, Ji Yongshu wouldn’t have stood by.

 

This was the first time she had ever released her pheromones in public, and right in front of Zhou Yi, no less. She could already imagine the trouble this would bring.

 

At this thought, Ji Yongshu glanced down at the Omega in her arms. The girl’s fingers were unconsciously fidgeting, her body slightly tense.

 

She was nervous.

 

Ji Yongshu sighed silently. She wasn’t one to act impulsively—so why had she rushed in without a second thought?

 

But what was done was done. Ji Yongshu wasn’t the type to dwell on regrets or hypotheticals.

 

Now that it had happened, her priority was figuring out how to handle the aftermath.

 

Jiang Zhiluo was clearly in the midst of her heat. Ji Yongshu couldn’t possibly bring an Omega emitting pheromones into the banquet hall, so she had no choice but to take a detour through another corridor to reach the back entrance.

 

She held Jiang Zhiluo steadily in her arms, yet her own eyes grew increasingly red, with two faint blushes appearing on her cheeks. Her breathing became heavier and heavier—clearly, she was already affected by the Omega’s pheromones.

 

Jiang Zhiluo looked up at Ji Yongshu, biting her lip before whispering softly, “Sister, put me down.”

 

Ji Yongshu glanced down at her. Coincidentally, there was a row of benches by the roadside, so she let Jiang Zhiluo lean against one while she stood beside the Omega.

 

Jiang Zhiluo covered her scent gland with one hand while the other rested over her chest, feeling her heart pound faster and faster beneath her palm, as if it might leap out at any moment.

 

“I…” Ji Yongshu felt she was being affected too. Despite her efforts to hold her breath, the Omega’s delicate tea-like fragrance seemed to seep into her pores, setting her bl00d aflame.

 

Reason told Ji Yongshu that the best course of action now was to quickly find someone trustworthy to administer suppressants to Jiang Zhiluo as soon as possible.

 

But emotionally, the beast in her heart refused to let the Omega go so easily.

 

A voice inside her roared: This is her Omega—why shouldn’t she claim her?

 

Ji Yongshu hadn’t expected Jiang Zhiluo to affect her so deeply. She had underestimated the Omega’s allure over her.

 

From the very beginning…

 

Ji Yongshu didn’t dwell on it further. She wouldn’t allow herself to entertain that possibility.

 

She couldn’t leave a heat-stricken Omega alone here, yet she had to find suppressants for Jiang Zhiluo as quickly as possible.

 

Torn between choices, Ji Yongshu suddenly felt a soft hand gently hook around her finger.

 

Looking down, she saw Jiang Zhiluo gazing up at her. Those bright, clear eyes, washed with tears, were even more translucent, the corners tinged with a faint blush like rouge bleeding across paper.

 

“Sister…” The Omega’s voice was soft and trembling, laced with obvious tears. After just those two simple words, she paused to catch her breath several times before continuing, “You should go first. Don’t worry about me.”

 

Ji Yongshu frowned, ignoring Jiang Zhiluo’s words as she bent down again to lift the Omega.

 

“I’ll take you out first.”

 

In her haste earlier, Ji Yongshu had forgotten her phone, and Jiang Zhiluo hadn’t brought a bag either. Now, they were truly helpless—no one to call for aid.

 

They could only rely on walking.

 

Before her arm could slip under the Omega’s knees, Ji Yongshu suddenly felt two soft arms press down on her shoulders.

 

Jiang Zhiluo’s scorching breath fanned against Ji Yongshu’s ear, her voice so light it was like a lover’s whisper in an intimate moment.

 

“Sister, help me… please?”

 

Hearing this, Ji Yongshu stiffened abruptly. Then, she felt something soft brush lightly against her ear.

 

It was Jiang Zhiluo’s lips.

 

Ji Yongshu suddenly tried to stand up, but Jiang Zhiluo abruptly tightened her grip, stubbornly hooking her arms around Ji Yongshu’s neck, refusing to let her leave.

 

If Ji Yongshu truly wanted to break free, Jiang Zhiluo might not have been able to hold her back. But fearing she might hurt the Omega in heat, she restrained her struggling.

 

Amidst the chaotic, feverish breaths, the Omega’s tearful voice sounded in her ear, filled with desperate pleading: “Please… I’m so uncomfortable…”

 

Ji Yongshu’s mind cleared for a moment.

 

Right. Jiang Zhiluo was already suffering unbearably from her heat. Perhaps she just wanted someone—anyone—to give her a temporary mark to ease the pain.

 

As for who that person was, it didn’t really matter.

 

Ji Yongshu just happened to be here, and Jiang Zhiluo didn’t dislike her, so she was begging for her help.

 

In fact, this wasn’t a bad solution. It would help Jiang Zhiluo endure her heat while also allowing Ji Yongshu to release her own unstable pheromones.

 

After all, it was just a temporary mark. At most, it would fade in a few days, leaving no lasting effect on the Omega.

 

Thinking this, Ji Yongshu let Jiang Zhiluo keep her arms around her neck, only tilting her head back slightly to observe the changes in Jiang Zhiluo’s expression.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Sure, you want me to give you this temporary mark?

 

Ji Yongshu didn’t know just how dark her gaze was at this moment. Her expression remained as cold and distant as when Jiang Zhiluo first met her, yet her eyes burned with a heat intense enough to melt anyone.

 

This untouchable flower blooming at the peak of a snowy mountain had finally been pulled into the mortal world by Jiang Zhiluo, stained with earthly desire.

 

Jiang Zhiluo’s lips trembled slightly, her voice barely audible, yet Ji Yongshu heard it clearly:

 

“Mhm. You.”

 

Only you.

 

After saying this, she pressed her lips to Ji Yongshu’s neck, scattering messy, featherlight kisses. When she sensed Ji Yongshu wasn’t pushing her away, the corners of her lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

 

Ji Yongshu’s expression was unreadable as she allowed the Omega to leave faint, suggestive marks on her neck.

 

Only when Jiang Zhiluo’s actions grew increasingly bold did Ji Yongshu suddenly reach out and grip the back of the Omega’s neck, forcing the girl in her arms to look up at her.

 

“Remember this.” Ji Yongshu’s voice was calm, but the hand holding Jiang Zhiluo’s nape was unyielding, perfectly embodying an Alpha’s possessiveness and dominance.

 

“You agreed to this.”