After Differentiating into an Alpha, I Marked My Love Rival - Chapter 3

Omega suppressants?

Meng Chuyu froze outside the door, initially thinking that Ji Yongshu’s heat had been triggered early by the cheating scumbags inside.

She knew Ji Yongshu had been restless lately. Though she hadn’t detected any leaked pheromones from her, that didn’t mean others couldn’t.

Meng Chuyu had already braced for the worst—perhaps Zhou Yi, that scumbag alpha, had been caught cheating and, in a fit of humiliation, used pheromones to suppress Ji Yongshu.

The difference between alphas and omegas was vast. When an alpha released pheromone, an omega could lose all strength in an instant, left completely defenseless.

The thought made Meng Chuyu’s heart race with panic—both out of concern for Ji Yongshu’s safety and guilt over potentially putting her in danger. After all, Ji Yongshu hadn’t wanted to come in the first place. If not for Meng Chuyu dragging her here, she wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Meng Chuyu quickly called the bar owner, asking him to arrange for suppressants to be delivered.

She was just glad she’d arrived in time. Any later and—

“Yongshu.” Meng Chuyu swallowed hard, her voice trembling. “Are you okay?”

Inside, Ji Yongshu glanced down at the omega sprawled at her feet, irritation flashing in her eyes.

She fished her phone from her pocket, dialed Meng Chuyu’s number, and then settled onto the couch.

When Meng Chuyu answered, she froze for a second before instinctively saying, “Hello, this is my friend’s phone. Could you please deliver—”

Before she could finish, Ji Yongshu cut her off impatiently, “Are you stupid? It’s me.”

Meng Chuyu still didn’t process it. “Why are you calling me—”

Ji Yongshu scoffed coldly. Her patience had already been worn thin by Jiang Zhiluo, and now, listening to Meng Chuyu’s nonsense, she was seething, too furious to bother with her.

One after another, they were all idiots—Jiang Zhiluo, and now Meng Chuyu.

When silence stretched on the other end, Meng Chuyu finally realized.

Ji Yongshu’s voice had sounded close—she must have been standing right by the door.

There was no way the esteemed Miss Ji would wait by the door for her. She must have gotten tired and switched to calling instead.

And here Meng Chuyu always prided herself on understanding Ji Yongshu, yet she couldn’t even pick up on such a simple thought.

“Yongshu, are you… okay for now?” Meng Chuyu, an alpha, couldn’t enter, so no matter how anxious she was, she had to wait outside.

“If I weren’t, would I be calling you?” Ji Yongshu hadn’t meant to snap, but what kind of question was that? Anyone with half a brain could figure out that if she were in real trouble, she wouldn’t have the energy to scold anyone.

Fair point.

Meng Chuyu was so consumed by panic and worry that she wasn’t thinking straight, blurting out whatever came to mind.

“Is Zhou Yi in there?” she suddenly asked.

Ji Yongshu had asked for two suppressants. Besides herself, the only omega Meng Chuyu could think of was Jiang Zhiluo. But if it really was Jiang Zhiluo, how could Zhou Yi resist?

After all, she was the one Zhou Yi had been willing to disgrace both families for.

At this thought, Meng Chuyu’s mind was once again consumed by rage. She wished she could charge in right then and give Zhou Yi a good beating.

She just couldn’t understand—how could Zhou Yi, with someone as stunning as Ji Yongshu by her side, still stoop so low as to cheat just three months into their engagement?

Maybe alphas were just trash!

Meng Chuyu didn’t even realize she had just insulted herself in the process.

Ji Yongshu, sitting on the sofa, was far calmer. Watching Jiang Zhiluo writhe in pain on the floor with cold detachment, she answered Meng Chuyu’s question: “No.”

“She wasn’t here when I arrived.”

Meng Chuyu gritted her teeth. “Lucky her.”

At least she had the sense to run.

But then another thought struck her—if Zhou Yi wasn’t here, and both Ji Yongshu and Jiang Zhiluo were omegas, how could this have happened?

The idea flickered briefly in Meng Chuyu’s mind before she dismissed it.

Such cases were rare, but not unheard of.

A small number of omegas could be affected by another omega’s pheromones during heat, triggering their own.

Besides, Ji Yongshu hadn’t been feeling well lately—it made sense she’d be more susceptible.

Meng Chuyu clenched her fists, blaming Zhou Yi entirely. Yet at the same time, she felt a twisted sense of relief. If Zhou Yi had been here and marked Ji Yongshu in this chaotic state, that would have been—

Silence stretched between them on the call, broken only by the sound of their breathing.

As seconds ticked by, Ji Yongshu felt the heat at the back of her neck intensify, as if something was about to burst forth. A beast roared inside her, tearing at her flesh. She pressed a hand to her forehead, vision blurring with white spots until she could barely see her surroundings.

Why wasn’t the suppressant here yet?

In reality, only minutes had passed since Ji Yongshu’s call, but the agony made it feel like an eternity.

Finally, Meng Chuyu’s voice broke through, heavy with relief: “Yongshu, the suppressants are here!”

As an alpha, she couldn’t enter, so the bar owner had sent a beta—immune to pheromones and unaffected.

Ji Yongshu pressed her fingers to her temples, exhaling scorching breaths. “Let them in.”

The beta, holding two doses of suppressant, bowed to Meng Chuyu. “Miss, could you step back, please?”

Meng Chuyu, frantic, had nearly forgotten. She hastily retreated several steps, covering her nose and mouth. “Go ahead,” she mumbled.

The beta in bartender uniform slipped inside, quickly shutting the door behind them to contain the pheromones.

Even after waiting, when Meng Chuyu finally lowered her hand, a distinctive scent lingered in the air—sweet peach intertwined with the light, refined aroma of tea, like honeyed oolong, delicate yet unexpectedly harmonious.

Something flickered in Meng Chuyu’s mind, but it vanished before she could grasp it.

The beta had barely stepped through the door when the omega lying on the floor startled him. But having worked in bars for years, he recognized at a glance that the woman seated on the sofa was the more important guest.

Though anyone could see Jiang Zhiluo’s condition was far worse than Ji Yongshu’s, the beta still approached Ji Yongshu first. “Here’s the suppressant you requested, ma’am.”

Ji Yongshu took the suppressant from him, then tilted her chin toward Jiang Zhiluo. “Go inject her.”

The beta understood then—this strikingly beautiful, aloof guest likely didn’t need his help.

He gave a slight bow before moving to Jiang Zhiluo’s side, helping her sit up before administering the suppressant.

After injecting herself, Ji Yongshu leaned back against the sofa, waiting for the suppressant to take effect.

The beta turned on the room’s purification system, and the pheromones lingering in the air gradually dissipated, leaving only a faint trace of perfume.

As her strength slowly returned and the flush on her cheeks faded, Ji Yongshu opened her eyes and beckoned the beta over with a curl of her finger. “Come here.”

When he approached, she lowered her voice. “Does this place have any hidden exits?”

The beta looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

The woman, who clearly had been raised with a silver spoon, gritted her teeth. A faint flush—this time from frustration—spread across her fair complexion.

“Like, once someone enters, is there any way to leave besides the main door?”

The server followed her gaze. “Technically, no.”

Ji Yongshu thought this was absurd. She had clearly seen Zhou Yi enter the room—so where had she gone?

Did Zhou Yi have the ability to turn invisible?

Rubbing her temples, Ji Yongshu decided to set the matter aside for now.

Whether Zhou Yi had actually cheated or not, the intent was undeniable.

Even if it wasn’t Jiang Zhiluo, it would have been someone else.

Ji Yongshu had heard the rumors from more than one source.

This world was cruel to omegas. No matter how accomplished or dignified Ji Yongshu was, in many people’s eyes, she was just an omega destined to be married off. What they valued first was the Ji family behind her—only then did they consider her as a person.

After her engagement to Zhou Yi, countless people had lamented the match. Jealous and resentful, they watched Ji Yongshu and Zhou Yi like vultures, waiting for their downfall.

What good could come from a business-arranged alpha-omega union?

Ji Yongshu understood this well. But Zhou Yi shouldn’t have given them the satisfaction so soon, making her the butt of the joke.

The thought darkened her expression.

Just then, the omega beside her stirred.

The beta was the first to notice—the girl who had been curled up on the floor moments ago now sat calmly.

At the same time, Ji Yongshu abruptly stood, straightening her blazer before grabbing her bag and striding toward the door.

She knew Jiang Zhiluo might not have been completely out of it earlier, but she had no intention of discussing what had happened—at least, not yet.

No omega could remain calm after being harassed by another omega.

Jiang Zhiluo’s vision was still blurry. She faintly saw a figure gradually disappearing from view.

It was Ji Yongshu leaving.

The beta waiter hadn’t left yet. Seeing the omega sitting on the sofa, massaging her temples with her fingers, he asked softly, “Miss, do you need any more assistance?”

Jiang Zhiluo shook her head. “No, thank you. I’ll rest a little longer. Could you close the door on your way out?”

The beta waiter didn’t think much of it and closed the door behind him as he left.

Inside, Jiang Zhiluo stood up. Her body was still weak, but her mind was already clear.

Or, to put it another way, Jiang Zhiluo had never completely lost consciousness in the first place.

Without pausing, she walked to a wall and stopped. Pressing her hand against it, she pushed inward with force—and the wall slowly began to rotate.

The gap between the walls widened until, finally, a small space was revealed.

Behind it was a restroom.

When Ji Yongshu had asked earlier, the waiter hadn’t realized she was looking for someone.

There truly were no secret passages for escape here, but the restroom’s design was rather unique.

Ji Yongshu had completely missed it.

After pushing the door open, Jiang Zhiluo paused, bracing herself against the doorframe as she gasped for breath, her vision flickering with darkness.

Her body hadn’t fully recovered its strength, and even this small exertion left her exhausted.

But fortunately, the plan had succeeded.

Jiang Zhiluo lowered her gaze into the restroom, her expression icy.

In that cramped space, a person lay unconscious on the floor, her suit soaked with water—looking even more disheveled than Jiang Zhiluo had earlier.

It was Zhou Yi, the very person Ji Yongshu had failed to find.