After Marking a Paranoid CEO [Transmigration] - Chapter 41

Xia Youxi froze, then quickly said, “I’m sorry, Sister. I…”

“No need to say anything. You Alphas are all the same.” Mu Huayue pressed a damp fingertip to Xia Youxi’s cheek, wiping away the saliva with a hint of disgust. “You don’t even need to be taught. It’s an innate skill.”

“How enviable.”

Xia Youxi felt the fingertip press against the back of her neck. Desperate to salvage the situation, she blurted out, “Sister doesn’t need to Mark me. I’m already yours.”

Mu Huayue let out a bitter laugh. “Is that so?”

Xia Youxi nodded firmly. “I’ll do anything for you, Sister. Just give me the order.”

So Marking was merely an order, not a humiliation.

Sister, don’t hold back any longer.

Mu Huayue’s hand pressed against Xia Youxi’s chest. Her phoenix eyes drooped, and even though Xia Youxi couldn’t see them, she felt as if she were being stared at. It was as if the gentle, patient woman who had fed her so tenderly last night and indulged her whims this morning was a completely different person, as if her personality had split in two.

But Xia Youxi knew Mu Huayue didn’t have a split personality. She was simply suffering from a mental illness. Xia Youxi had experienced a similar dark phase herself, with symptoms mirroring Mu Huayue’s current state: alternating between impulsive mania and deep depression.

Sister Mu was merely ill, trapped between worldly arrogance and self-loathing. She needed someone to pull her back from the abyss.

Xia Youxi decided to be that person. She tentatively asked, “Sister, do you… like my glands?”

Mu Huayue glanced at her without replying.

Xia Youxi pressed on, her face tinged with sorrow but her voice firm. “Do you want to cut them off for experiments? I can accept that.”

Mu Huayue finally spoke, her hand sliding down from Xia Youxi’s neck. She scoffed coldly, “Don’t you know what glands mean to an Alpha?”

Xia Youxi nodded. “I’ve read about it. I don’t know much. But if it would help your illness, Sister, I can accept it.”

The hand withdrew from her neck, brushing against her arm. Xia Youxi groped for it, her fingers closing around Mu Huayue’s. The hand in hers seemed to tremble slightly. Xia Youxi moved it to her cheek, gently caressing it with a submissive, almost humble gesture.

Mu Huayue couldn’t understand why Xia Youxi was doing this.

Mu Huayue had clearly seen her vulnerable, easily shattered state, and knew her weaknesses, yet she didn’t mock her. Even her own mother, upon witnessing her like this, would first issue a warning: “Don’t let anyone see you like this. It’s embarrassing.”

Why was Xia Youxi trying so hard to please her, even offering to have her glands removed? Didn’t she realize the potential consequences?

Mu Huayue stared at the young woman before her, her eyes filled with confusion. As the Floral Heat Syndrome flared, her body trembled violently. The further she moved from Xia Youxi’s pheromones, the more unbearable the torment became. There was a secret she dared not voice.

When Xia Youxi rushed in to check on her, a sudden thought flashed through Mu Huayue’s mind: beg. She wanted to beg Xia Youxi to Mark her.

Would she still be Mu Huayue if she did that?

Clenching her teeth, the strange impulse resurfaced. The young woman before her was so docile and gentle. Mu Huayue suppressed the urge to forcefully suppress her, gritting her teeth as she forced out the words: “M-Mark me.”

The eyes hidden behind the blindfold widened. Xia Youxi heard the words, but her mind seemed to drift away as she processed them.

Mu Huayue was barely holding on. “Qi—let me Mark you.”

Xia Youxi nodded eagerly, tilting her head back to find the right spot.

Mu Huayue sat beside her, gently pressing Xia Youxi’s head against the back of her neck, her voice trembling as she said, “A temporary mark.”

“Okay,” Xia Youxi replied, opening her mouth. Blinded, she couldn’t pinpoint the gland’s exact location and had to gently nudge her lips around.

“Uh…”

The drawn-out sound from beside her made Xia Youxi’s neck twitch. She quickly pinched herself, found the right spot, pressed her fangs against it, steeled her resolve, and bit down hard.

“Mmm…”

While one hand pinched herself, the other wrapped around Mu Huayue’s slender waist. The woman in her arms trembled like a leaf, and Xia Youxi dared not squeeze too tightly, easing her grip.

In truth, Xia Youxi harbored a secret of her own.

As an ordinary person from another world, newly turned Alpha, she had no idea how to perform a proper Marking.

She couldn’t even distinguish between a Temporary Mark and a full Marking. Mu Huayue had never taught her about Pheromones, and the original novel was the kind where Alphas simply forced themselves upon Omegas, going straight for a full Marking without giving her any chance to learn.

Xia Youxi could only deduce from Mu Huayue’s words that the two times she had bitten her, she had been knocked unconscious shortly after. Could the difference be the timing?

She quietly retracted her teeth, but Mu Huayue pressed them back down. Feeling helpless, Xia Youxi didn’t dare bite harder and simply remained pressed against her. After a long moment, Mu Huayue finally pushed her away by the shoulders.

Still blindfolded, Xia Youxi stumbled onto the bed, completely disoriented.

Mu Huayue seemed unsure of what she was doing. Xia Youxi heard a “tsk” sound and was about to ask if she was okay when she felt a kick to her shoulder.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” Mu Huayue’s voice was weak but sharp.

Xia Youxi shook her head, unable to explain.

She felt her shoulder being gripped again, and her pillow was yanked away. Mu Huayue had apparently given up fighting the illness. She pulled Xia Youxi’s arm around her, rested her head on it, found a comfortable position, and nestled into her embrace, falling asleep.

What am I thinking?

The Inhibitor’s effects were still lingering, and the Scorching Bloom Period was nearing its end. Yes, it seemed she had only experienced it for a mere two days.

Xia Youxi smiled bitterly, even suspecting that she had only survived the Scorching Bloom Period because she had Marked Mu Huayue.

I’m truly a sinner.

Building my comfort on…

Overwhelmed with guilt and remorse, Xia Youxi reached out to touch Mu Huayue’s shoulder, her brow furrowing slightly. Beyond that, she did nothing.

A faint smile curved Xia Youxi’s lips as she quietly slipped back into sleep.

The next morning, Xia Youxi woke to find her arms empty. A phone call startled her awake—it was Wen An, informing her that CEO Mu had already left for the office and was waiting downstairs.

Dazed, Xia Youxi pulled off her eye mask and glanced at the clock. It was already 9 a.m. Everything seemed to have returned to normal. With her Temporary Mark, Mu Huayue could function normally during the day, only needing Xia Youxi’s presence at night.

This should be a good thing, Xia Youxi thought, yet her heart felt inexplicably hollow.

Xia Youxi, Xia Youxi, what’s wrong with you? Still unsatisfied?

She cursed herself silently, then rubbed her thigh, still bruised from yesterday’s pinching, and reluctantly got out of bed.

On the way, Wen An, driving the car, asked, “Miss Xia, has your Dispersal Bloom Period passed?”

Right, Xia Youxi realized. To outsiders, their situations were reversed.

Xia Youxi nodded. “Thank you for your concern, Miss Wen. Thanks to Sister Mu’s help, it’s mostly over. But could you please pick me up a little earlier tonight? I…”

She hesitated, then stopped. Wen An, already in the driver’s seat and transformed into a seasoned chauffeur, understood her unspoken meaning. “Alright, call me anytime if you need anything. I’ll come pick you up.”

“Thank you, Miss Wen.” She appreciated smart people.

After leaving Yin Ke’s studio, Xia Youxi had to explain herself again.

Yin Ke was a perceptive woman who could spot inconsistencies. Knowing Xia Youxi’s financial constraints, she immediately noticed the exorbitant cost of the video lesson location. This sweet little thing must have a sugar daddy, she thought.

Just days ago, Xia Youxi had lectured her about idols maintaining their purity and integrity. Now, she was already being courted by a wealthy patron, even during her Dispersal Bloom Period.

Poor child, Yin Ke thought, her heart aching with sympathy. She showered Xia Youxi with affection, determined to help her reach the pinnacle of success. She compressed her teaching schedule, trying to make up for the two days Xia Youxi had missed.

Fortunately, Xia Youxi proved to be remarkably talented and diligently followed her instructions.

As evening approached, Wen An arrived promptly to pick her up. Xia Youxi overheard Yin Ke suggesting plot ideas to Wen An: “General Wen, I think you should add a scene where the cute little Omega torments the Goddess Alpha.”

Huh?

So Instructor Yin is a die-hard fan of cute Omegas?

Xia Youxi mused casually as she followed Wen An into the luxurious car.

Back at the hotel, Xia Youxi was surprised to find Mu Huayue already waiting for her in the bedroom. After washing up, Xia Youxi knocked and entered the room, opened a drawer, and retrieved the small toy her assistant had bought. “Sister,” she asked CEO Mu, “can I use this tonight?”

Mu Huayue scoffed. “No need. Just give me an Inhibitor shot.”

The defense had shifted from physical barriers to biological isolation.

I wonder if too many of these shots will cause problems, Xia Youxi thought, her mind filled with doubt, but her hand moved without hesitation as she administered the injection.

“Come here,” Mu Huayue ordered.

Xia Youxi obediently moved closer, allowing Mu Huayue to pull her into a comfortable embrace as she drifted off to sleep.

The two women didn’t see each other during the day, and their evenings together were spent in silent, close rest. This pattern repeated for two days. By the third day, Mu Huayue’s Floral Heat Syndrome had subsided, the Dispersal Bloom Period had passed, and Xia Youxi was no longer needed.

Like a discarded concubine, Xia Youxi was ruthlessly banished to a hotel by CEO Mu.

Without the soft warmth of Mu Huayue in her arms, Xia Youxi couldn’t sleep soundly. She pulled a pillow close, hugging it as a substitute.

She sighed softly, feeling that while she had regained her freedom, she was now more like a tool than ever.

Even after going to such lengths, Sister Mu still doesn’t feel anything for her?

Xia Youxi propped her head against the pillow and gently bit her lip.

At the same time, in a luxurious mansion, Mu Huayue lay on her soft bed, her brow furrowed. Clutching a plush pillow, she found herself unable to sleep.

Tossing and turning, she couldn’t help but think back to her interactions with Xia Youxi over the past few days.

The girl had been so obedient and attentive, always putting Mu Huayue first. To beg for a Marking, she had even been willing to have her glands removed.

No one had ever been willing to go to such lengths for her.

But Xia Youxi was too obedient. When asked to stay in a hotel, she complied without a word, without even pleading.

If she had just asked, Mu Huayue might have relented.

So, Xia Youxi was still afraid of her, wasn’t she?

Was it because Mu Huayue had been too harsh last time?

Well, it was Xia Youxi’s fault for catching her in such an embarrassing state. That kick she’d given her was only because Xia Youxi’s clumsy attempt at a Temporary Mark had nearly caused her unnecessary suffering.

But… was that all she thought of her?

Of course. Having finally gotten a chance to escape, she would naturally choose to distance herself.

After all, the silly girl was just a tool, temporarily useful. Mu Huayue didn’t care what she did.

Mu Huayue rolled over, tossed Xia Youxi’s pajamas aside, and drifted off to sleep, her head resting on the pillow.