Are You Trying to Mark Me? (GL, ABO) - Chapter 41

At night, the moonlight grew deeper.

After a full day of filming and recording, everyone was exhausted. Ever since Lu An ran out of the haunted house, she had been squatting in the plaza, not going anywhere. At least that saved Yu Ran and the others from having to look for her.

Once the scenes with the guests and assistants were done, the rest was left to the production team for editing. Seeing that the lights on the first floor were still brightly lit, Yu Ran brought some late-night snacks for everyone.

When everything was finally taken care of, she returned to her room.

Min Wenyi had probably gone out for a run with Chu Jiazhi. Yu Ran didn’t think much of it. She walked over to her suitcase, took out her suppressant, twisted it open, and swallowed a pill.

The bitter taste instantly spread across her mouth, making her frown instinctively.

What’s going on?

Yu Ran stared at the suppressant in confusion. Was it always this bitter?

She drank two full glasses of water before finally swallowing it down, then quickly popped a piece of candy into her mouth to ease the bitterness.

The suppressant tasted the same as always—it wasn’t expired or damp.

And yet, it felt especially bitter to her tonight.

She thought back to that time when Min Wenyi marked her. It had hurt, sure, but afterward, the feeling it left behind was surprisingly comforting.

That light buzz of rum from that night was so much smoother and warmer than the bitterness in her mouth now.

It was like a single light shining in the darkness—making her feel… a flicker of longing.

She bit her lip and quickly hid the suppressant back in her bag.

I can’t keep thinking like this. What happened that day was just an accident, she told herself. No matter how close they are, Min Wenyi is still her boss. Things can’t go that far!

She yanked her suitcase zipper shut with frustration, then slumped over it, feeling like her mouth was still bitter.

Just then, the door opened, and in came Min Wenyi. Her little assistant was lying on the suitcase like a lazy bunny, hugging it and staring into space, looking just a little… sad?

“What’s wrong?”

Min Wenyi took off her running jacket and held it in her hand. Her black hair was damp with sweat from the run, and she looked full of energy.

Her fair skin seemed to glow under the white ceiling light. Yu Ran stared for a second before scrambling up from the suitcase and muttering awkwardly, “I… it’s nothing…”

Min Wenyi smiled but didn’t push it. She walked straight into the bathroom.

Yu Ran could hear the sound of water running and saw Min Wenyi’s tall figure reflected in the glass shower door, which made her blush again.

It’s not like I haven’t seen her body before. Why is my heart racing like this???

She flopped onto the bed and gave her pillow a hard punch.

Ugh, stupid woman.

When Min Wenyi came out of the shower with her hair blown dry, she saw Yu Ran already fast asleep on the bed.

Her eyes softened with a helpless smile as she walked over and gently covered her with the blanket.

“You’re always so careless. What if you ran into an Alpha who didn’t know any better? You’d be the one to suffer.”

Min Wenyi sat at the edge of the bed, looking at Yu Ran’s soft, peaceful face, and suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

She reached out and gently touched Yu Ran’s smooth cheek with her fingertips, then lowered her eyes.

For a moment, she thought of her own Omega—the one she never even got to meet.

After she ran away, who knows what happened to her? Is someone taking care of her the way I take care of Yu Ran?

The memory brought back too much pain. With a sigh, Min Wenyi pushed the thought aside and was about to get up to sleep on the couch when she suddenly heard Yu Ran mumble and slowly open her eyes.

“Wenyi…”

Yu Ran sounded half-asleep, her soft pink lips moving as she whispered Min Wenyi’s name.

Normally, when she was awake, she only ever called her “boss” or “Min Wenyi”—never anything this intimate.

Min Wenyi found it kind of cute and looked down at her. “Hmm? You’re awake?”

Yu Ran blinked a few times, then closed her eyes again.

Still asleep?

Min Wenyi found it strange and watched her for a moment longer. Seeing that Yu Ran wasn’t going to wake up, she got up again.

“Sleep with me…”

Yu Ran hugged her pillow and murmured softly, “Suppressants… so bitter…”

Min Wenyi paused, turning to look down at her. Her expression grew gentle and amused.

“So, the only reason you want me to sleep with you is because your suppressant tastes bad?”

She knelt beside the bed and gently held Yu Ran’s hand. “Next time you invite me to sleep over, could you please be awake when you do it, Miss Yu Ran?”

Whether Yu Ran heard her or not, no one could say. All she did was frown in her sleep and tighten her grip on Min Wenyi’s fingers with a soft little sound.

The next morning, Yu Ran woke up early.

When she looked at the clock on her nightstand, it was just past six.

Min Wenyi was still sound asleep on the couch, bundled up in a blanket. She probably wouldn’t wake up for a while.

Yu Ran got out of bed and headed downstairs.

Winter in the south was much nicer than up north. It wasn’t harsh or wet and cold. Compared to the heavy snow of the north, it felt more like late autumn.

On the first floor, the crew members were sleeping all over the place. Most didn’t bother going back to their rooms and had just climbed into sleeping bags on the floor for the night.

Yu Ran stepped over what looked like a hallway full of corpses and made her way to the living room—only to find that she wasn’t the first one up.

Yu Hongwen was already awake.

“Morning.”

Yuhong Wen greeted Yu Ran while sipping freshly brewed goji tea and asked, “Want some?”

Yu Ran shook her head.

Yuhong Wen didn’t mind and said, “Don’t bother them while they’re resting. Want to come out and hang for a bit?”

Yu Ran walked out onto the first-floor balcony and sat on a thick cushion, looking at him. “Mr. Yu, why are you up so early?”

“Well, I guess I’m getting older and can’t sleep as well.”

“Oh please, aren’t you just 35 this year?”

For an entertainer, 35 is actually a great time to work. And with good skincare, you can’t even tell his age—Yuhong Wen looked more like twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

He chuckled, “If it were Wenyi, she’d probably tell me to take more calcium supplements for seniors.”

Yu Ran gave a wry smile. “She’s not that harsh. She wouldn’t say that.”

Seeing how flustered the assistant looked, Yuhong Wen smiled. “You and she really get along, huh?”

Yu Ran scratched her head and smiled shyly.

Chatting casually, Yuhong Wen said, “These rooms at the guesthouse are kind of small, huh? With two beds in one room, it’s so cramped there’s barely any space left.”

Yu Ran tilted her head, smiling. “Hmm?”

Wait… Why do you have two beds in your room???

The secret they’d kept for nearly half a month was blown wide open with just a casual comment from Yuhong Wen. Blushing in anger, Yu Ran stormed into Lu An’s room and dragged out one of the beds.

Min Wenyi looked at the two neatly arranged beds in her own room, then turned and stared at Yuhong Wen.

Her eyes were full of quiet accusation.

——————

In the blink of an eye, there was less than a week left until New Year’s Day.

They were now recording episode seven of the show.

During dinner, everyone was sitting together when the director suddenly said, “There’s something I need to tell you all.”

Everyone looked up at him.

“Because of a performance Lu An has scheduled for the New Year’s gala, he’ll be stepping away from filming for a while. He’ll only return for the final episode.”

Lu An nodded. “Sorry about that. The performance was confirmed two months ago.”

“It’s no big deal,” Chu Jiazhi said. “Work comes first.”

Yuhong Wen, also a singer, had already signed a contract with the production team, so he had postponed all commercial performances until the Spring Festival Gala.

Lu An had everything ready pretty quickly. He only informed the group that evening, and by the next morning, he was already packing to head to the venue.

“Did you forget anything?” Yu Ran asked nervously, hugging a bag of sunflower seeds. “It’s a hassle to mail stuff over from here, so make sure you’ve packed everything.”

Lu An nodded, sitting on his suitcase. “I know, I’m not a kid.”

Yu Ran wanted to say more, but in the end, she stayed quiet.

After Lu An left in the production crew’s car, Yu Ran returned to the living room. Everyone else was busy with their own things. She looked down at the suppressant pill in her hand, thought for a moment, and then took one.

It was bitter, but at least it could help keep her unstable heat cycle under control. She’d just have to bear it.

The taste was so awful that she drank two cups of water, then went to the kitchen to prepare some fruit. Without thinking, she left the bottle of suppressants behind the water dispenser.

Meanwhile, downstairs, one of the crew members who was refilling water spotted the bottle hidden behind the dispenser.

He picked it up and inspected it. “Isn’t this a suppressant? Look, there’s writing on it.”

The director peeked over, immediately panicking. “That must be Lu An’s! He can’t be without that! Someone gets it to him right away!”

Everyone froze the moment they heard it was a suppressant. If something happened to Lu An, the entire crew would be held responsible.

“Hurry, hurry!” the director said, grabbing a small bag and stuffing the bottle inside. He handed it to a staff member. “Get to the airport now and give this to him!”

Without hesitation, they sprang into action. Some jumped in cars, others made calls—everyone rushed out.

When Yu Ran came out of the kitchen and saw them all running off in a frenzy, she was confused.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone in such a rush?”

She popped a piece of orange in her mouth, shrugged it off, and headed upstairs.

Meanwhile, Lu An, who nearly missed his flight due to traffic, was hurrying through the airport.

“Lu An! Lu An!”

He turned and saw a crew member running toward him. “What are you doing here?”

“You forgot something.”

Breathless, the staff handed him a small cloth pouch. Just as Lu An was about to open it, the boarding announcement called him to the gate.

“I—I have to go now!” Lu An grabbed his suitcase and shoved the pouch into his pocket. “Thanks for bringing it!”

Finally on the plane, Lu An had a moment to breathe and took the small pouch out.

He opened it, took one look, and frowned.

Wait a second…

Isn’t this Yu Ran’s suppressant?

Why the heck is it with him???