After Marking the Villain Professor (ABO, GL) - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Xu Man let out a sigh of relief and pulled out the USB drive she’d gotten from Xu Si.

She didn’t suspect its contents, thinking only of using it to escape her current predicament. Little did she know, her relief was premature.

Zhou Yutao took the USB drive, a meaningful smile crossing her face. “Boss Xu, wait a moment. I’ll grab a laptop.”

With that, she opened the door.

“Madam Boss, how’s the boss doing?”

“She’s awake. Go get me a laptop.”

Through the half-open door, Xu Man saw a man in a green training uniform holding a knife, standing guard—Xu Si.

She thought to herself, as expected, Xu Si had forced Zhou Yutao, which explained why she’d fed her medicine like that.

Once they watched the video and cleared up the misunderstanding, she’d have to teach Xu Si a lesson to stop him from causing her trouble.

She’d punish him by sending him out in the hail to clear nearby zombies—five, at least, before he could return.

With Xu Si’s skills, taking down five zombies shouldn’t be hard, but in this weather, it wouldn’t be easy either.

This was the harshest punishment Xu Man could think of.

After all, Xu Si had grown up with the original owner and had been diligently protecting her these days. She couldn’t exactly kill him.

Xu Man, who hadn’t even killed a zombie, couldn’t possibly kill a person.

But she couldn’t keep letting Xu Si act like this, or Zhou Yutao would surely hold a grudge against her.

Things were already bad enough, but if she could reduce Zhou Yutao’s resentment even a little, she would.

While Xu Man was still pondering how to punish Xu Si, Zhou Yutao had already returned with the laptop from him.

“Boss Xu, you’re still sick. Just watch from the bed. If I don’t take care of you, I’ll feel guilty.”

Xu Man, about to get up, was pressed back down by Zhou Yutao.

It was an ordinary statement, but perhaps due to her preconceptions, Xu Man couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhou Yutao sounded coerced and threatened.

“I’m fine, Yutao. You don’t need to take care of me,” Xu Man said hurriedly.

Whether her explanations worked or not, she had to try.

Zhou Yutao didn’t respond. She quickly climbed onto the bed with the laptop, sitting close to Xu Man at the headboard. When she plugged in the USB drive, the room’s lights suddenly went out.

The once-bright bedroom was now lit only by the faint glow of the laptop screen. Looking up, Xu Man could only see Zhou Yutao’s impossibly beautiful face.

Her heart tightened, a wave of panic creeping in.

Did Zhou Yutao turn off the lights?

Why turn them off?

When had she done it?

They weren’t watching a horror movie; there was no need for atmosphere.

Well, if the content was about the zombie virus, it could loosely count as a horror movie.

But turning off the lights felt… off, especially with both of them on the bed.

They’d been intimate before, but they weren’t actually a couple. This didn’t seem appropriate.

Though she knew she shouldn’t overthink, Xu Man’s face flushed as memories of their previous intimate moments flooded back.

“Yutao, we… don’t need to turn off the lights, do we?” Xu Man shifted, trying to put some distance between them.

They were too close. That alluring peach fragrance kept drifting into her nose, throwing her heartbeat off balance.

Especially with the lights off, she felt uneasy all over.

Not exactly uneasy—she couldn’t describe the feeling, but her gut told her things would go terribly wrong if this continued.

“I didn’t turn them off,” Zhou Yutao said, her expression unchanged.

She opened a folder on the USB drive labeled “Important Files.”

Xu Man froze.

If Zhou Yutao hadn’t turned off the lights, it must be a power outage.

A power outage already?

She remembered there was still some time before that in the book.

But if the looters had hit the supermarket early, an early power outage wasn’t unthinkable.

Whether by accident or not, Xu Man felt something brush her leg.

It tickled, sending a shiver straight to her heart.

Her body tensed, and she didn’t dare move again.

She didn’t question Zhou Yutao’s words.

Her mind, out of control, conjured a thought: Zhou Yutao’s skin was so smooth.

Still dazed, two unfamiliar female voices filled the room.

Rapid breathing, soft moans—just hearing them sent a spark of heat through her.

And then there was the laptop screen, displaying an explicit scene: a bare female alpha pinning an equally bare female omega to a bed, deeply marking her.

Xu Man was stunned.

She’d never imagined this was what Xu Si had given her.

She’d already distrusted Xu Si, but Xu Er had said it was important, so she’d let her guard down. Who could’ve known it was this?

In her previous life, Xu Man had never seen such explicit content, so the impact was overwhelming.

And to make matters worse, she’d invited Zhou Yutao to watch it with her. There was no explaining this now.

“Is this what Boss Xu wanted me to see?” Zhou Yutao asked, watching with apparent interest, her voice carrying a barely noticeable teasing tone. “Does Boss Xu want to do this to me?”

Xu Man jolted, quickly turning her head away. She tried to roll off the bed, but Zhou Yutao grabbed her. “Careful, Boss Xu. If you hurt yourself, everyone will worry.”

Her lips were almost at Xu Man’s ear, her breath laced with rich peach fragrance. As if under a spell, Xu Man didn’t dare move.

Zhou Yutao’s arm around her waist felt scalding, even through a layer of clothing. Xu Man felt like her skin was burning.

Hot, so hot. The air was thick with a fragrance that could drive someone to lose control.

Worse still, the video kept playing, its increasingly strange sounds making Xu Man’s mind replay the explicit scenes.

The faint red mark on the female omega’s nape was clearly visible, bitten repeatedly by the female alpha until it turned deep red. One of the alpha’s hands kneaded something like dough, while the other ventured to a more mysterious place.

Their position wasn’t much different from hers and Zhou Yutao’s now.

Except the alpha and omega roles were reversed.

So that’s what glands looked like in the novel, located at the nape. Did that mean when she’d bitten Zhou Yutao before, she hadn’t actually marked her?

So marking involved all that… The information was too much, leaving Xu Man’s mind in a daze.

Shock, embarrassment, shame—all surged at once. In a moment of reckless courage, she turned quickly, trying to shut off the laptop, which was still glowing beside Zhou Yutao.

But Zhou Yutao smoothly pulled her in, and in their back-and-forth, Xu Man ended up on top, Zhou Yutao beneath her. Their lips brushed lightly, making it look to an outsider as if Xu Man, unable to hold back, was about to force Zhou Yutao into something.

In reality, when Xu Man turned, she felt a pinch at her waist—ticklish, a bit painful. Being ticklish, she instantly lost her strength, leading to this awkward, unresolvable situation.

She felt like even dying now wouldn’t prove her innocence.

Since Zhou Yutao already held a grudge against her, and she was doomed anyway, maybe…

Looking at Zhou Yutao’s stunningly cold face in the dim light, a bad idea stirred in Xu Man’s heart.

But it was just a thought. Forcing Zhou Yutao to do what was in the video? She couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Compared to those around her, she was a bit cowardly, but her morals were intact. Even in an apocalyptic novel, she couldn’t force anyone.

But how was she supposed to get out of this situation?

Maybe pretend to faint again? Zhou Yutao had said she was sick. If she played it convincingly, she could escape this mess.

While Xu Man was brainstorming, Zhou Yutao subtly pinched her again, successfully landing a kiss on the female alpha’s lips.

Sensing a sudden hint of pine-cypress scent in the air, Zhou Yutao knew Xu Man wasn’t entirely unaffected by her.

Whether it was an alpha’s instinct or a flicker of genuine affection, it made Zhou Yutao realize that Xu Man wasn’t so hard to entice.

So, she was in a good mood.

Before Xu Man could start pretending to faint, the kiss left her disoriented.

Unlike the first time, this kiss was more practiced. Unlike the medicine-feeding, there was no bitter taste—just sweetness, fragrance.

Peach and pine-cypress scents intertwined, blending into a heady aroma that sent adrenaline soaring.

“Bite me,” Zhou Yutao whispered.

Xu Man snapped awake instantly. “No, we can’t.”

The faint red mark on Zhou Yutao’s nape was striking. Xu Man’s teeth suddenly itched, urging her to bite down hard like in the video.

With difficulty, she pushed Zhou Yutao away. “I’m sorry, Yutao. I know it’s too late to say this, but I swear, this wasn’t my intention. I’m sorry. Let’s both calm down now. You can punish me however you want later.”

Since she hadn’t marked her last time, she absolutely couldn’t make the same mistake now.

With that, Xu Man fled from Zhou Yutao’s side, off the bed, at lightning speed.

Zhou Yutao paused, her eyes narrowing slightly.

This little alpha had grown… To stay clear-headed even when she’d deliberately released her pheromones.

She’d been hoping Xu Man would mark her. What a pity.

Oh well, she’d wait until Xu Man was fully recovered. Otherwise, it’d be a buzzkill.

Zhou Yutao pretended not to notice Xu Man’s frantic dash for the door.

She picked up the laptop, silently counting in her head.

With a click, the door didn’t budge—clearly locked.

Xu Man’s heart sank.

Zhou Yutao had opened it so easily earlier. Why was it like this now? Was it Xu Si?

Five zombies were too few. She’d make him kill ten before he could come back.

Xu Man fumed.

“Boss Xu, don’t you want to finish watching the important files?” Zhou Yutao’s voice rang out like a devil’s whisper.

Xu Man’s legs nearly gave out. “No, Xu Si got it wrong. Yutao, stop watching.”

If this went on, she’d make a mistake. She definitely would.

Zhou Yutao’s lips curved slightly as she beckoned to Xu Man. “Come here.”

She actually thought Xu Si’s choice was pretty good—entry-level, perfect for Xu Man to learn from.

Xu Man’s face flushed deeper, caught in a dilemma.

Go or not?

She didn’t dare ignore Zhou Yutao, but she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control herself if she went.