Are You Trying to Mark Me? (GL, ABO) - Chapter 1
When Yu Ran left the research institute, all she had with her was an empty suitcase — nothing else.
“This is your new identity,” the researcher who accompanied her said, “Are you sure you want to do this? I still think the Alpha matched for you by the data isn’t bad.”
“Even if that’s true, I don’t want to be with someone I don’t know.”
Yu Ran looked up at the dim sky. The east was already turning pale with dawn, while the stars in the west were still faintly visible.
She patted her small chest and said to the researcher, “Don’t worry. I just want to live a peaceful life. No one will ever find out who I really am.”
Besides, she had already changed her Omega identity card to Beta.
Although Omegas were no longer forced to reproduce, they were still under surveillance and control. Plus, in modern society, discrimination against Omegas was still common. People saw them as fragile, incapable, and uncontrollably driven by heat cycles.
Because of this, many industries refused to accept them.
Even in this era.
When Yu Ran hailed a car to the city center, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a red Ferrari speeding past on the opposite lane.
The person inside wore oversized sunglasses, long black hair blowing behind the ears in the wind, with skin as pale as winter snow.
Sexy and captivating.
Before Yu Ran could get a better look, the car was already gone.
“Miss, where in the city center are you headed?” the driver kindly asked.
“Oh, to the nearest real estate agency, thank you!”
Meanwhile,
Min Wenyi parked her car outside the research institute. The gate slowly lifted to let her through.
“Sorry about this, Ms. Min,” a middle-aged man in the institute’s reception kept apologizing. “The matched partner refused this kind of relationship, so… they left the institute early this morning.”
Facing the woman in front of him, over 170 cm tall, the director couldn’t help but feel a headache coming.
Min Wenyi wore a black off-shoulder dress. Upon hearing the director, she slowly stood up.
The sound of her high heels on the floor was sharp and clear.
“Left?”
Min Wenyi smiled lightly as she took off her sunglasses, her amber eyes fixed on him. “Then there’s nothing I can do. I just came here as required to meet the Omega. Since they’re unwilling, I won’t force it.”
“Ah, thank you for understanding. You really are very considerate…”
Min Wenyi’s slender fingers played with her sunglasses as she said to the staff, “From now on, you don’t need to trouble yourselves anymore. Don’t match me with any Omegas without my permission.”
“This…”
“I will pay you,” Min Wenyi said. “Just pretend that Omega is already with me.”
“We understand.”
The first stop after leaving the orphanage was the suburban research institute.
Yu Ran stayed there for over two months and was matched with a so-called top-grade Alpha. He was wealthy, famous, but Yu Ran didn’t want anything to do with someone like that.
“Is it the snacks that are bad, or the games that are boring?” Yu Ran dragged her suitcase step by step up the apartment stairs. “I’m still a kid. I don’t want to be anyone’s wife.”
Finally reaching the third-floor apartment, she opened the door and looked around.
The place was rented for 400 yuan a month. It was shabby, but at least it was somewhere to live.
The small one-room apartment revealed its condition at a glance.
The bed was just a simple wooden frame.
The cabinet didn’t even have a door.
The bathroom… well, she’d deal with that later.
Yu Ran sat on her suitcase, rubbing her sore calves. After a long day, at least she could rest now.
In the days that followed, Yu Ran busied herself with daily life.
She bought new bedding, pots and pans, some toiletries, and when she checked her remaining money, it was almost gone.
She hadn’t brought much to begin with, and now she was really broke.
Yu Ran lay on the bed, smelling the fresh sunlight, scrolling through job postings.
When she was still an Omega, there were limits everywhere when applying for jobs. Some companies only hired Alphas and Betas, others subtly said they didn’t want Omegas.
Now that she had ‘become’ a Beta, Yu Ran felt her future was much brighter.
After sending out some resumes, she quickly crawled under the covers to sleep.
She was woken by the phone ringing late at night, past 10 p.m. Groggy, she opened her eyes and blindly reached for her phone in the dark.
The caller was an unknown number.
“Hello…”
Yu Ran was so sleepy that her ‘hello’ sounded more like a pout.
On the other end, Min Wenyi was stunned. Wasn’t this the phone number of the job applicant she called?
“Is this Yu Ran?” Min Wenyi idly fiddled with the long curls by her temple in the dressing room, her red lips parting slightly. “You applied for the personal assistant job, right? Come to the Oriental Film City set for an interview at 9 a.m. tomorrow.”
Yu Ran listened but started to feel sleepy. What film city?
“Oriental Film City.”
Yu Ran hummed twice. When exactly?
“At 9 in the morning.”
Yu Ran didn’t respond anymore. Her head tilted, and she fell asleep.
She just thought the voice on the other end sounded really nice.
Min Wenyi heard the silence on the other side and was a bit puzzled. She said “Hello?” twice but got no reply, so she hung up.
“Wenyi, are you on the phone?”
At that moment, a heavily pregnant woman walked in. Because she was about to give birth soon, her belly looked especially large.
“Yeah, someone sent in a resume, so I called to ask,” Min Wenyi said, turning to look at her. “Are you doing okay?”
The woman touched her belly and smiled. “The due date is next week. These days, I have to help you find a suitable personal assistant.”
Min Wenyi smiled softly. “Just take care of yourself. Even without a personal assistant, it’s only a bit inconvenient, nothing serious.”
“You never take care of yourself. When you’re busy, you don’t think about anything. How can I feel comfortable leaving you alone?”
“It’s not as bad as you say.”
The woman sighed, “If you had a partner, everything would be easier.”
Min Wenyi suddenly remembered the trip to the research institute not long ago. The Omega matched to her disappeared without even meeting, which really relieved Min Wenyi.
She was used to being alone. If she had a partner now, she’d probably feel uncomfortable all over.
“Have you set the interview time?” the woman asked, sitting next to Min Wenyi.
“The call went through, but no one answered,” Min Wenyi said helplessly. “I’ll send a text to notify her. If she doesn’t come, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Don’t say ‘later.’ You still have to shoot the night scene. You get so busy you forget everything. Let me send the message for you.”
Min Wenyi didn’t mind and handed over her phone.
“What’s her name?”
“Yu Ran.”
Early the next morning, Yu Ran woke up from sleep.
She sat on the bed dazed for over ten minutes, half-opening her eyes and staring at the wall.
What happened last night?
Yu Ran scratched her head, confused. What was it…
Never mind, brush teeth, wash face, eat breakfast first!
After finishing, she checked her phone and noticed a message sent after 10 p.m. last night.
She opened it.
Unknown number: Miss Yu Ran, please come to the reception at Area B of Oriental Film City at 9 a.m. tomorrow for an interview for the personal assistant position. Please reply upon receipt.
Yu Ran jolted awake, finally remembering she got a call about an interview last night—and fell asleep before saying anything!!
Ahhh!!!
What time is it now?!
Looking at her phone screen’s top right corner, it was 8:15 a.m.!
She was going to be late!!!
She quickly shoved some instant noodles in her mouth, grabbed her bag, and left. As she closed the door, she strapped on her bag. When she got downstairs, it was already 8:30.
Stamping her foot while waiting for a late bus, Yu Ran grit her teeth and suddenly raised her hand.
“Taxi!”
When she arrived at Oriental Film City, it was exactly 8:50.
Yu Ran fixed her hair and entered the reception area in Zone B.
There weren’t many people. Rows of sofas were empty except for a woman in a dress sitting far in the back.
Yu Ran thought for a moment and walked over.
“Hello, is this the interview?”
The woman warmly greeted her as she approached.
Yu Ran nodded and smiled. “Yes, sorry I’m a bit late.”
The heavily pregnant woman smiled gently. “It’s okay, you’re not late.”
After sitting down, the woman said, “You look very young. How old are you?”
“20.”
“Can you take care of people?”
“Take care of people?” Yu Ran was confused. “What kind of people?”
The woman thought for a moment and described, “Someone who looks like she’s in her twenties on the outside but is really like a 4-year-old little girl inside.”
Yu Ran blinked. Although she didn’t quite understand the description, whether it was twenty-something or four years old, she was fine with both.
“I often took care of people when I was in the orphanage, so it’s no problem.”
The woman happily said, “That’s great.”
“You’re applying for the personal assistant role, mainly responsible for the boss’s daily needs—waking her up, reminding her to eat, and helping her get home if she’s drunk,” the woman explained carefully. “The salary is 8,000 yuan per month. If the boss doesn’t rest, you can’t rest either. Can you handle that?”
Yu Ran thought for a moment and nodded. “No problem.”
Not being able to rest? She didn’t really have much to do at home anyway.
The woman smiled, “If you do well, I can help you ask for an extra 3,000 yuan. Now come with me to meet her.”
Yu Ran stood up and followed the woman, asking, “Can you tell me the boss’s name?”
“She’s the actress-singer Min Wenyi.”