After Marking the Villain Professor (ABO, GL) - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

After notifying Qi Rui, Xu Man prepared to return to the bedroom.

Liu Ming’s eyes darkened. If she remembered correctly, this was Professor Zhou’s private resting place, off-limits to others. Why could this alpha come and go freely?

She’d tried entering once but was always stopped, either by Qi Rui or that guy Xu Si.

Qi Rui had even warned her not to wander or touch Professor Zhou’s things.

“Boss Xu, hold on,” Liu Ming called, setting aside her food.

Xu Man paused and turned to look at her.

Liu Ming asked directly, “Did Professor Zhou tell you to go to her room?”

Xu Man’s value to Professor Zhou was significant, so Liu Ming wasn’t sure, holding a sliver of hope that Zhou Yutao allowed her in for business reasons.

Xu Man, already upset, didn’t want to bother with Liu Ming but nodded almost involuntarily. “She told me to wait in her room tonight.”

Liu Ming’s face grew uglier. She pressed, “What did she ask you to do?”

This time, the sound of the door closing answered her.

Xu Si, hidden in the shadows, nodded approvingly. Not bad—Boss finally knew how to push back against this alpha.

Liu Ming’s earlier flaunting had annoyed him on the boss’s behalf.

What was Liu Ming so smug about? Just a walking bl00d bank for Madam Boss, nowhere near as important as the boss.

But Xu Man, stepping into the bedroom, felt no satisfaction from rebuffing Liu Ming.

Her heart was a mess.

She both longed to see Zhou Yutao and dreaded it.

What difference was there between her and Liu Ming now?

Dazed, Xu Man sank into a chair.

She waited a long time.

With no electricity, the dark room felt eerily quiet.

Memories replayed endlessly in her mind, leaving her sleepless and increasingly anxious as Zhou Yutao hadn’t returned.

She knew Zhou Yutao was working on the zombie virus antidote and shouldn’t overthink, but she couldn’t control her thoughts.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a wave of peach fragrance filled the air. Xu Man tensed—she knew Zhou Yutao was back.

Lighting a candle, a soft glow illuminated the dark bedroom. Following the light, Zhou Yutao glanced at the pristine bed, then at Xu Man sitting obediently in the chair. A faint smile flickered in her tired eyes.

“Up so late?” she asked.

She placed a plate of oranges and peaches in front of Xu Man, set the candle down, and said casually, “Xu Si said you were upset today and barely ate.”

Xu Man’s heart jolted, inwardly cursing Xu Si for telling Zhou Yutao everything.

She wasn’t upset, just sad, and had no right to be upset.

Eating less was partly due to killing her first live zombie, and partly because of her sadness.

Had Xu Si forced Zhou Yutao to comfort her?

Xu Man started to say she wasn’t upset, but Zhou Yutao spoke first. “Eat some fruit, Manman. Don’t starve yourself.”

Under the candlelight, Zhou Yutao, in casual clothes, seemed entirely gentle, soothing Xu Man’s inexplicable sadness.

Zhou Yutao had personally brought her food, while Liu Ming’s was delivered by Qi Rui.

The thought struck Xu Man.

Her heartbeat faltered, and her hand reached uncontrollably for a peach.

But then she remembered Zhou Yutao’s pheromone was peach-scented. Eating a peach in this quiet bedroom, just the two of them, might cause a misunderstanding.

If Xu Si had coerced Zhou Yutao, this act might seem like a hint in her eyes.

In that moment, Xu Man’s mind raced.

Since realizing her feelings for Zhou Yutao weren’t pure, even simple things sparked overthinking.

Her hand quickly moved from the peach to an orange. “Thank you.”

Zhou Yutao’s smiling lips stiffened slightly. “Looks like Boss Xu prefers oranges. I’ll peel it for you.”

She took the orange from Xu Man’s hand.

The shift to a more formal address made Xu Man feel slightly more at ease.

Watching Zhou Yutao’s slender, pale hands peel the orange, Xu Man’s throat went dry, as if her heart were the one being peeled.

And her heart was indeed in turmoil.

“Yutao, I… I’ll do it,” Xu Man said, restless.

But Zhou Yutao swiftly peeled the orange and placed it in her hand, saying cryptically, “I thought you’d want a peach. Xu Si said you like them.”

Xu Man froze. “I’m fine with either.”

The novel hadn’t detailed the original owner’s fruit preferences.

As for her, she ate anything except odd-tasting things like durian.

“Then have a peach too. They’re sweeter,” Zhou Yutao said, placing one in Xu Man’s hand.

Her heartbeat, just calming, faltered again.

Maybe because her mindset had shifted, Zhou Yutao felt different tonight.

But it had to be Xu Si forcing her, knowing her secret.

With the peach in her hand, Xu Man followed her heart and took a small bite.

Zhou Yutao’s face suddenly leaned close. “Is it good?”

Xu Man’s swallowing paused, her other hand squeezing the orange, juice dripping. “It’s good.”

The rich peach scent filled her nose, indistinguishable from the fruit or Zhou Yutao’s pheromone.

The air felt hotter, rising more than a degree, making her restless.

Right—the hail had stopped, water and power were out, and next, a long drought would hit, with temperatures nearing 60 degrees Celsius.

Humans couldn’t survive prolonged exposure to that. To go to South City, they’d need to leave before the heat spiked or wait until it normalized.

One reason she’d come to Zhou Yutao’s room was to ask when they’d go.

In the increasingly strange bedroom atmosphere, Xu Man recalled this and asked, “Yutao, when are we going to South City?”

Talking business suppressed her inexplicable panic.

Zhou Yutao’s eye twitched. “Tentatively tomorrow afternoon.”

The mood she’d crafted was broken. She stood, picking up a wet wipe to clean her hands, dirtied from peeling the orange.

Xu Man exhaled in relief, eating the peach bite by bite.

Maybe because she’d eaten little today or was affected by Zhou Yutao’s pheromone, she felt hungry. Even after a large peach, she wanted more.

But looking at the orange in her other hand, she didn’t feel as hungry.

As she hesitated, Zhou Yutao, done wiping her hands, handed her the wipe. “If you can’t eat more, don’t. Let’s talk business. Clean your hands first.”

Her serious tone made Xu Man think she’d discuss the zombie virus or Liu Ming’s immunity. Following the apocalypse’s rule of not wasting food, she quickly ate the peeled orange, wiped her hands, and listened attentively.

Zhou Yutao nearly laughed at her obedience.

Such a good alpha—she almost couldn’t bear to tease her.

She lightly patted Xu Man’s head. “You did well in today’s practice.”

The praise made Xu Man feel like her soul was floating.

Had Zhou Yutao watched her, or heard from someone else?

Either way, it proved she cared, especially since she must be busy with Liu Ming’s bl00d.

That she thought of her amid such busyness was rare.

“No, I should thank you, Yutao,” Xu Man said.

So cute—she’d probably help count the money if sold.

“No need to thank me,” Zhou Yutao thought, reaching to open the cabinet beside Xu Man. “Because what you owe me, Boss Xu, you’ll repay tonight, right?”

The cabinet was full of toys Xu Man had never seen.

But even with little experience, she knew what they were for.

This was another of Zhou Yutao’s secrets—her special habits during pheromone surges.

When Zhou Yutao entered, Xu Man had noticed her pheromone was stronger than usual.

Was her special period here?

The novel hadn’t detailed this, so Xu Man wasn’t sure, but Zhou Yutao’s unusual behavior suggested it.

The toys only appeared when her pheromones were out of control.

The issue Xu Man had ignored all night had finally arrived.

But she wasn’t as scared as she’d expected—instead, she felt nervous, shy, even secretly thrilled.

What Zhou Yutao saw as humiliation might not be for her.

Seeing no shock in Xu Man’s eyes, Zhou Yutao was surprised. “Aren’t you curious what these are for, Boss Xu?”

This alpha, who’d blushed at a video before, had grown so fast?

Or did she already know about these things and wasn’t shocked?

Zhou Yutao’s gaze turned probing.

This seemingly innocent alpha had her own secrets.

Xu Man shook her head frantically.

She wasn’t curious—not at all.

Knowing Zhou Yutao had these was one thing; experiencing them was another.

She wouldn’t use them on her, would she?

Maybe she could accept it.

Her thoughts grew more chaotic. As Zhou Yutao leaned closer, Xu Man couldn’t resist and kissed her.

Zhou Yutao’s eyes flickered. She blew out the candle, meeting her kiss.

The sound of lips and breaths intertwining filled the quiet, dark bedroom, impossible to ignore.

Amid pushing and pulling, they fell onto the large bed, along with many toys from the cabinet.

After a while, Zhou Yutao pushed away the relentless alpha nibbling at her. “Boss Xu, are you repaying your debt or am I?”

Tonight’s little alpha was a bit fierce.

Was it because of the day’s stress?

Xu Man, biting Zhou Yutao’s neck and about to inject her pheromone, snapped back. Feeling the person she held tightly, she froze.

Okay, Xu Man admitted she was upset.

Xu Si saying Liu Ming kissed Zhou Yutao made her upset.

Liu Ming flaunting Zhou Yutao’s gifts in front of her made her upset.

Her upset manifested in wanting to erase any trace of others on Zhou Yutao, using more force than she realized.

Zhou Yutao’s clean peach scent drove Xu Man deeper, the video from that night taking effect. This time, she reached Zhou Yutao’s gland.

Hearing Zhou Yutao’s soft rebuke—whether angry or teasing—Xu Man stiffly withdrew her bold hands and lips, lying obediently beside her. “I’m repaying the debt. Sorry, Yutao. Your turn.”

Why had she taken the lead? She’d promised to listen to Zhou Yutao.

Where had she found the courage to do that?

The room fell quiet.

Zhou Yutao took a deep breath, flipping to pin Xu Man down. “Tell me, why were you upset today?”

Maybe the mood was right, or her head wasn’t clear. Xu Man didn’t deny it, saying, “Xu Si said Liu Ming kissed you, and you gave her food.”

Zhou Yutao laughed softly. “No kiss. So far, no alpha has coerced me like that except you, Boss Xu.”

“As for the food, the only things I’ve personally delivered have been eaten by you, right?”

Xu Man: “…”

Oh no, it seemed she was the only one who’d bullied Zhou Yutao.

But her heart suddenly felt lighter.

She wasn’t afraid of dying by Zhou Yutao’s hand anymore.