Are You Trying to Mark Me? (GL, ABO) - Chapter 43

When Yu Ran slowly opened her eyes, the room was dim, with just a sliver of sunlight slipping through the gap in the curtains—hinting that it was a beautiful day outside.

“Mm…”

She tried to get up from the bed but felt a sharp pain in her neck. Reaching up to rub it, the ache only got worse.

“It really hurts…”

The spot where Min Wenyi had marked her yesterday was burning painfully. It felt like someone had stabbed her in the same place a thousand times.

Yu Ran gently touched it with her fingertips and could clearly feel the slightly raised mark left by Min Wenyi’s bite.

She felt like crying but had no tears. All she could do now was get out of bed, get dressed, and go look for Min Wenyi.

Since there was no filming scheduled for today, most people were still asleep.

As soon as she stepped out into the hallway, Yu Ran ran into Yu Hongwen’s assistant—a man who looked pretty average and seemed to be in his early thirties. He wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t especially handsome either.

“You’re awake?” he greeted her. “You don’t look so good. Are you feeling unwell?”

Yu Ran shook her head. She couldn’t exactly say, “I’m sore from being marked,” could she?

She smiled politely and said, “Thanks, I’m okay. Have you seen Min Wenyi? I need to talk to her.”

“She’s downstairs. I just saw her a little while ago.”

“Thanks.”

Still rubbing her neck, Yu Ran held onto the railing as she made her way downstairs.

Some of the staff were resting in the living room. Min Wenyi wasn’t there, so Yu Ran headed out to the balcony.

Outside the guesthouse was a wide-open area. On nice days, they sometimes cooked and ate meals there, or filmed segments for the show.

Lush green mountains surrounded the small town like a basin, painting a picture of tranquil beauty.

“You’re up early,” Min Wenyi said, turning her head to glance at Yu Ran. She was sitting on a grass mat. “Why don’t you rest a little more? You don’t look so good.”

Seeing her brought Yu Ran some comfort.

“I’m not feeling too well…” she said softly, walking over and crouching beside Min Wenyi. “My neck really hurts. Can you take a look?”

Min Wenyi raised an eyebrow but supported Yu Ran by the waist and had her sit down beside her.

Lifting her chestnut-colored hair, Min Wenyi saw that the spot she had marked yesterday was red and swollen—more so than she expected.

That hadn’t happened the first time…

She was confused. Letting the hair fall back down, she said, “It looks… a bit swollen.”

Yu Ran frowned in confusion too.

Why was it swollen?

The first time it hadn’t been like this…

Min Wenyi’s expression shifted slightly. She started to feel uneasy—was it because her technique was bad?

That first time, they’d both been a little out of it, so she hadn’t really been aware of how the mark had been made.

But this time, she had been careful and gentle, worried Yu Ran might be in pain.

“I’ll go get you some medicine,” Min Wenyi said as she stood. “Wait here for me.”

Yu Ran quickly grabbed her hand, her cheeks flushing red. “It’s okay. It just hurts a little. The swelling should go down soon.”

Still concerned, Min Wenyi was about to insist, but then Yu Ran added in a quieter voice, “Besides… if we put medicine on it, how will you mark me again the day after tomorrow?”

Her voice got softer and softer, and if Min Wenyi hadn’t been paying close attention, she probably wouldn’t have understood what she was saying.

Even though Yu Ran didn’t want to use any ointment, Min Wenyi still asked the staff for two anti-inflammatory pills and made Yu Ran take them—at least that way she could feel a bit less guilty.

After all, it was her poor technique that caused this.

Watching Yu Ran obediently swallow the pills, Min Wenyi stepped aside, took out her phone, and called someone.

The call was answered quickly. The voice on the other end was slightly breathless: “What’s up, Wenyi-jie?”

Just from Lu An’s heavy breathing, it was clear he had already started dance rehearsals. Min Wenyi got straight to the point: “Did you send the package?”

Lu An took a sip of soda and replied pitifully, “Yes, yes, I did. You’ve called me, like, five times this morning. I really did have Xinxin mail it out. She’ll be back soon, and I’ll send you the tracking number, okay?”

“Alright, make it quick,” Min Wenyi said, then hesitated for a moment. “By the way, let me ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“After a marking… is swelling normal?”

“…Pfft—”

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before Lu An’s voice finally came through. It sounded like he had choked on water.

“Wenyi-jie, I’m still a kid, okay? Can you not talk to me about these kinds of private things?”

Min Wenyi rolled her eyes. “Cut the nonsense.”

“Well, it’s hard to say. Everyone’s body reacts differently, right? Maybe the little assistant is just super sensitive? Didn’t you notice how fair and delicate her skin is? She probably even breaks out from makeup.”

“…Why do you talk so much?”

“Hey, and besides, I bet it’s her first time being marked. You’ve got to give her some time to adjust, don’t you think?”

Lu An actually made some sense this time, and Min Wenyi nodded. “Alright, just send the medicine as soon as possible.”

“Got it, got it! It’ll be in your hands very soon.”

Still not trusting him completely, Min Wenyi warned, “If you pull any tricks with the delivery, I swear I’ll break your legs when you get back.”

“Whoa! Our dance teacher’s scolding me—gotta go! Talk later!”

As the busy tone rang out, Min Wenyi stared at her phone, a little worried. That brat better not be up to anything shady…

But thinking about it, Lu An probably wasn’t that bold. She put her phone away.

When Min Wenyi returned to the railing on the first floor, she saw someone had already taken a seat next to Yu Ran.

It was none other than Yu Hongwen.

He looked especially cheerful sitting beside the young girl.

He rarely liked anyone or anything, but for some reason, the moment he saw Yu Ran—the little assistant—he found her especially likable.

Unlike the chaotic mess of the entertainment world, Yu Ran gave off this pure, innocent vibe—like a pool of clear water.

You could see straight to the bottom.

But you didn’t mind it.

“Yu Ran,” Yu Hongwen said casually, “You’ve been working with Wenyi for a while now, right?”

Yu Ran thought for a moment. “A little over six months, I think.”

“That long?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Yu Hongwen looked a little surprised and smiled. “Wenyi usually changes assistants pretty often. Not many can last more than three months.”

Yu Ran looked puzzled. “Why?”

“Probably because she’s hard to get along with?”

“I don’t think so…”

Yu Ran explained, “Even though the boss might seem a bit distant, she’s actually easy to work with.”

Yu Hongwen laughed, his eyes crinkling. “You can tell?”

Seeing the assistant nod eagerly, Yu Hongwen said with a hint of emotion, “I’ve always hoped someone could get close to Wenyi—see through her tough exterior.”

After all, only those who’ve been through it know how hard it’s been.

Yu Ran smiled. “I don’t think I’ll be leaving the job anytime soon. Besides, aren’t you and your assistant the same? Haven’t you worked together for ten years?”

“Oh, you mean Lao Chen.”

Yu Hongwen said with a laugh, “Don’t be fooled by how quiet and dependable he looks. Back in college, he had a major temper—he was the leader of our dorm.”

Yu Ran was intrigued. “You were college classmates?”

“Yeah. After we graduated, neither of us could find a job. I was just starting out with music, so I asked him to help me out. He handled sponsors, reached out to companies… Once things took off, he just settled into the assistant role. No more having to deal with other people’s crap.”

Yu Ran nodded thoughtfully. “You two have a great relationship.”

Yu Hongwen smiled. “Sometimes, the bond between an artist and their assistant isn’t just a working relationship. It’s like you and Min Wenyi—you don’t act like boss and employee at all.”

The only person who did have that kind of dynamic was probably Chu Jiazhi and his assistant, Qiu Yang.

After all, Chu Jiazhi had a whole team managing his image. Naturally, that felt more like a normal boss-employee situation.

Yu Hongwen glanced over at Min Wenyi, who was standing not far away, then said to Yu Ran, “Take good care of her, okay? Not just in daily life. I hope you’ll spend more time with her too.”

Yu Ran looked a bit confused. After Yu Hongwen walked away, she turned and saw Min Wenyi nearby.

“What were you two talking about?”

Min Wenyi sat down casually and asked like she didn’t know.

Yu Ran smiled brightly. “Mr. Yu was telling me about his assistant. Can you believe they were college classmates? Isn’t that surprising?”

Min Wenyi chuckled softly. “Yeah.”

“You knew already, didn’t you?”

“We’ve known each other for years. Of course I knew.”

Yu Ran kicked her feet a little, slightly frustrated. “I feel like there’s still so much I don’t know…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Min Wenyi reached over and ruffled Yu Ran’s hair. Seeing the swelling near her wound, she said, “Let’s put some ice on that. If it gets infected, it could be serious.”

“Okay…”

Min Wenyi grabbed some ice cubes from the freezer, wrapped them in a clean towel, and led Yu Ran upstairs.

The bedroom was dim since Yu Ran hadn’t opened the curtains earlier. The room felt quiet and a little sleepy.

“Take off your shirt,” Min Wenyi said softly. “Let me check the wound.”

Yu Ran nodded, her ears turning red as she took off her jacket. Then she used a simple hair tie on her wrist to pull her thick chestnut hair into a ponytail.

Min Wenyi gently placed the cold towel on the back of her neck, making Yu Ran shiver a little.

“Is it really uncomfortable?”

“Mm, a little cold…”

Min Wenyi looked at her delicate neck and partially bare shoulder—her skin as smooth and pale as polished jade. In the dim light, it was almost dazzling.

She couldn’t help but let her gaze linger and said softly, “It’ll get better soon.”