Are You Trying to Mark Me? (GL, ABO) - Chapter 9

Yu Ran stared blankly at Lu An standing in front of her. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

Tong Xinxin glanced at him and remarked, “Lu An, you skipped practice again today, didn’t you?”

Lu An showed no hint of embarrassment at being caught skipping class. Instead, he smirked and said to Yu Ran, “We’ll be neighbors from now on. Let’s get along.”

Watching Lu An close the door behind him, Yu Ran turned to Tong Xinxin in disbelief. “He… lives here too?”

Tong Xinxin nodded. “A lot of celebrities live in this neighborhood. Whether you’ll run into them is another matter. It does, however, prove how secure the apartment complex is, don’t you think?”

“Yes… I guess so.”

When Yu Ran got home, she still felt a bit dazed.

If Lu An was going to be Min Wenyi’s neighbor, wouldn’t that mean he’d have even more opportunities to get closer to her?

But there wasn’t much Yu Ran could do about it. After all, Tong Xinxin had found the apartment for her out of kindness, and who Min Wenyi liked had nothing to do with her.

Thinking about it only made her feel more restless. It was like a tiny figure in her heart was banging a hammer against something.

“You’re back?”

Min Wenyi seemed to have just finished her shower. Her damp hair hung loosely over her shoulders, and her flawless features stood out even more against her dark hair.

Yu Ran was momentarily stunned, so much so that she didn’t even notice when Min Wenyi walked up to her.

Min Wenyi leaned in and sniffed lightly near her. “You seem upset,” she remarked.

Yu Ran wasn’t sure how Min Wenyi could tell, but she blushed slightly and replied, “I’m not upset. Just tired.”

Min Wenyi didn’t press her further and simply said, “You’ve worked hard these past few days.”

Yu Ran paused, then hesitated before asking, “Boss, the apartment you picked today… Lu An lives across the hall.”

“Oh,” Min Wenyi replied, nodding. “What a coincidence.”

“Yeah…”

Yu Ran waited for her to say more, but when Min Wenyi stayed silent, she finally asked, “Lu An likes you, doesn’t he? Wouldn’t being neighbors cause problems for you? Should I look for another apartment?”

“No need,” Min Wenyi said, turning to Yu Ran. “You’ve spent enough time searching. That apartment is fine. There’s no need to keep looking.”

No need to keep looking.

The words echoed in Yu Ran’s mind, leaving her with a faint sense of bitterness. Maybe Min Wenyi actually liked Lu An.

After all, while Lu An’s fame couldn’t yet compare to Min Wenyi’s, his looks and career made him a perfect match for her.

A single Alpha and an Omega with a secret crush.

They really were a perfect pair.

“I understand,” Yu Ran finally said, letting go of any resistance. “I’ll start packing. We’ll move in tomorrow.”

Min Wenyi watched as her assistant, visibly unhappy, retreated to the guest room. She couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“Is she really that upset about not having more work to do?”

Sipping her coffee, Min Wenyi muttered to herself, “What a strange girl.”

The next day, to avoid any unexpected situations, Yu Ran had Min Wenyi drive to the new apartment first while she accompanied the moving company in their truck.

Once everything was moved into the new place, Yu Ran called Min Wenyi to come up from the parking garage.

For a celebrity, moving involved a lot of sneaking around.

Min Wenyi’s displeasure was written all over her face.

“Well, it’s because you’re so famous,” Yu Ran said as she unpacked a box. “Boss, help out a bit, will you? Just your clothes alone took over ten boxes.”

Seeing her busy assistant bustling around, Min Wenyi sighed and rolled up her sleeves to help.

When Lu An opened the door to see Min Wenyi looking like a construction worker, covered in dust and grime, his eyes widened in shock.

“What are you staring at?” Min Wenyi huffed. “Never seen me work before?”

Lu An, dressed casually in a long-sleeved shirt, said in surprise, “I’ve only seen you work on variety shows.”

Min Wenyi ignored him, carrying a box of clothes upstairs.

Yu Ran, stepping out of the kitchen and noticing Lu An, composed herself before approaching him. “Mr. Lu An, what brings you here? The place is still messy.”

Lu An glanced at Yu Ran, his eyes sweeping over her as he replied, “Nothing much. Just came to check in on you two.”

“I see…” Yu Ran thought for a moment before asking, “Is Tong Xinxin home? I haven’t thanked her for helping me find the apartment.”

“She doesn’t live with me,” Lu An replied nonchalantly.

“Huh?” Yu Ran was confused. “But she’s your assistant, isn’t she?”

“She is,” Lu An explained. “But she’s not just my assistant. She manages the lives of five of us in the team. Two of them are still filming, so she won’t be around my place for a while.”

Yu Ran’s face showed her surprise. Lu An chuckled softly and added, “Not everyone is lucky enough to have a personal assistant like Wenyi.”

Nodding as if she finally understood, Yu Ran felt a sense of pride.

Min Wenyi really was amazing to afford someone like her.

Completely unaware of her assistant’s internal gloating, Min Wenyi stood on the second floor, observing the two of them from above. Without saying a word, she turned back into her closet.

After a brief chat, Lu An excused himself, saying he had other things to do.

Over the next few days, Lu An was busy with singing and dance practice, so Yu Ran didn’t see him much.

However, his presence was always subtly felt.

For example…

A deliveryman knocked on Yu Ran’s door one evening. “Hello, your spicy hot pot is here!”

Yu Ran looked at the deliveryman in confusion. “I didn’t order anything.”

Min Wenyi was dieting for a commercial. There was no way she’d order something like that.

“But this is definitely the address. Look, is this yours?”

“Huh, it is my address…”

Before either of them could figure it out, the door across the hall opened.

Lu An stepped out, wearing a mask and draped in a blanket. “That’s my order.”

And another time…

A Delivery Story

Feng Courier knocked on Yu Ran’s door.
“Hello! Your delivery!”

Yu Ran looked at the big box of snacks and shook her head.
“This isn’t mine. Did you send it to the wrong address?”

The neighbor across the hall, Lu An, opened his door and spoke in a low, tired voice.
“It’s my package.”

Another evening, the delivery man brought Korean fried chicken. Min Wenyi, doing yoga in the living room, caught the scent of chicken wafting through the air.

Yu Ran took the chicken, looked at the unopened door across the hall, and felt slightly disappointed.

What’s up with this neighbor?

Even if it was delivered to the wrong place, how could it always be sent to the wrong apartment?

Besides, wasn’t Lu An a celebrity? Could someone like him really afford to keep eating fried chicken, hotpots, and spicy food every day?

Knocking on Lu An’s door, Yu Ran called out,
“Mr. Lu An, your takeout was sent to my apartment again.”

After a while, Lu An finally opened the door. His dark eye circles and pale face made Yu Ran uneasy.
“Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”

“Yeah…” Lu An leaned against the doorframe.
“I stayed up all night yesterday and couldn’t nap today… Is that my food? Thanks.”

Taking the fried chicken, Lu An muttered to himself,
“What did I even order this time?”

Feeling concerned, Yu Ran decided to ask.
“Is something troubling you? Why are all your packages and deliveries sent to my place?”

“It’s not just to your place,” Lu An replied, sounding exhausted.
“I avoid using my own address to protect my privacy. Sending things to my neighbors is convenient and less risky.”

Yu Ran: “…”

No wonder so few people lived on this floor. With a neighbor like him, who’d want to rent here?

Lu An glanced past Yu Ran at her open door, his gaze lingering with subtle envy.

“You and Ms. Wenyi must live happily, right? A big space like that with just the two of you—it must never feel lonely. Unlike me… I’m alone whether my eyes are open or closed.”

Watching him turn and walk away, Yu Ran hesitated briefly before calling out.

“Um…” Her cheeks flushed red.
“You shouldn’t eat takeout so often. Cooking for one or two people doesn’t make much difference. Why don’t you… come over for dinner tonight?”

At dinner, Min Wenyi sat with a grim face, staring at Lu An in their dining room.
“Why are you here?”

Lu An cheerfully scooped himself some soup and salad.
“Because your assistant invited me over so warmly. How could I say no? It would’ve been rude.”

Stirring her salad with a fork, Min Wenyi found the young man particularly irritating.

Why did Yu Ran invite him to dinner?
And what’s with ‘so warmly’?

Grinding her teeth, she said,
“Why are you eating so much?”

Lu An had already finished a bowl of salad and two bowls of soup. Just as he reached for a third, Min Wenyi couldn’t hold back any longer.
“When will you be done? Eat and leave already.”

“I haven’t eaten in over a day and night,” Lu An replied matter-of-factly.

“…” And how is that her problem?

Yu Ran walked over with another bowl of soup and smiled.
“Is my cooking good?”

Lu An froze momentarily, then turned his face away, his cheeks faintly red.
“It’s just okay. Not as good as my takeout.”

Such a liar.

Min Wenyi rolled her eyes. If it wasn’t good, why did he eat so much?

Yu Ran chatted casually with Lu An, making Min Wenyi feel even more irritated. Once he was full, she promptly showed him the door.

“In the future, don’t bother about him. Got it?”

Min Wenyi grabbed Yu Ran’s hand and spoke righteously.

Yu Ran smiled.
“He didn’t eat that much.”

That wasn’t the issue. Min Wenyi hated it when anyone—even an omega—cast their eyes on Yu Ran!

Watching Min Wenyi walk away in frustration, Yu Ran felt the lingering warmth from the hand that had just gripped hers.

She gave her wrist a small shake, but the faint scent of rum clung to her skin, refusing to leave.

Although Min Wenyi forbade Lu An from coming over again, when the shameless man turned up uninvited, Yu Ran couldn’t bring herself to drive him away.

Gradually, her initial irritation faded, and she found the young man with his stubborn pride oddly endearing. Beyond his aloof attitude, he was undeniably handsome.

One evening, after finishing her chores, Yu Ran sat at the coffee table with her laptop.

Since Min Wenyi rarely used her computer, Yu Ran often helped respond to fan mail. Special ones were forwarded to the manager, but Yu Ran handled most on her own. She’d learned a lot lately.

After finishing her work, Yu Ran clicked on a bookmarked webpage, its familiar layout filling her screen.

“The Sly Actress and Her Sweet Assistant” had already reached over 50 Chapters, with a following of 200,000 readers, earning it a spot on the homepage.

Yu Ran stared blankly at the screen. She never imagined her story would blow up like this.

“Ahh, the assistant is so adorable!”
“The moving-in scenes are so sweet—kitchen, living room, bathroom… ahh!”
“The new home is perfect. I love the cozy vibe. Give Wenyi and her assistant a happy ending, author!”

Yu Ran reluctantly skimmed a few comments. Around chapter 30, Wenyi and her had moved due to filming requirements. Though less luxurious, their new home was warm and cozy.

That was also when their story became more… intimate.

In the story:
Min Wenyi cornered Yu Ran. The morning sunlight glinted off Yu Ran’s brown hair, making Wenyi feel like her assistant had transformed into an angel.

“I don’t like you wearing clothes,” Wenyi murmured, kneeling and tugging at the pink apron strings with her teeth.

“I prefer you without them.”

Yu Ran’s face turned as red as a kettle ready to boil.
“Pink aprons can’t be used for cooking! They’ll get dirty…” she muttered to herself.

“What apron?”

A low voice startled her. Turning around, Yu Ran found herself face-to-face with Min Wenyi, who was leaning in close.

“Thud!”

Yu Ran shot up in panic, smacking her head into Min Wenyi’s chin. Tears welled in her eyes from the pain.

Min Wenyi rubbed her sore jaw and knelt down, looking at her tearful assistant.

The scent of milk hung faintly in the air, intoxicating her. Wenyi’s amber eyes clouded with a rosy haze as she pressed her forehead against Yu Ran’s neck.

Softly, she whispered,
“Yu Ran… I’m hungry.”