Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha and Got Marked by the Enemy (ABO, GL) - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The originally noisy restaurant suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.

As Ming Zhu’s voice faded, several pairs of eyes swiftly darted over, their focus shifting, and Yu Jing immediately became the target.

Chen Chen’s usually slow mind rarely sparked with quickness, and he blurted out, “Holy crap,” pointing at the wound on Ming Zhu’s neck, exclaiming loudly, “Jingjing, did you bite that???”

Yu Jing remained silent.

Xiao Yihuan, as if stumbling upon a thrilling secret, tightly gripped Yu Jing’s hand, her mouth open, too excited to speak.

Yu Jing stayed quiet.

The slow-reacting Peng Ze glanced at Yu Jing, then at Ming Zhu, scratched his head, and still didn’t grasp the situation.

The spoon Yu Jing held in her mouth clattered into the bowl.

Grains of rice splashed onto the back of her hand. She quickly glanced at it, raised her eyes, met Ming Zhu’s ambiguous gaze, panicked inside, and hurriedly looked at the clear, suggestive bite mark on Ming Zhu’s neck. Her heart pounded wildly twice, and she gulped down the porridge in her mouth.

She finally remembered what she had forgotten.

Chen Chen was right. Last night, she seemed to have indeed done something earth-shattering.

She bit Ming Zhu!

No, wasn’t that a dream???

Yu Jing closed her eyes, trying hard to recall what she dreamed about last night. The earlier part of her memory was chaotic, and she couldn’t piece it together despite thinking for a long time. But the later part left some impression—Wu Dan Ni, Zhang Xu, and Ming Zhu were in the dream.

In the dream, Zhang Xu tried to forcibly mark her but failed. The scene then switched to Ming Zhu, and she assumed Ming Zhu also wanted to do that to her. After all, Ming Zhu had a precedent in her dreams. The situation was urgent, and her mind was foggy, so she took control and pinned Ming Zhu down. She only wanted to retaliate in the dream, so she bit Ming Zhu without hesitation.

However, the fresh bite mark on Ming Zhu’s neck, faintly crusted with bl00d, clearly told her it wasn’t a dream.

She really bit Ming Zhu.

No wonder she tasted bl00d when brushing her teeth earlier.

Yu Jing now wanted to disappear.

She tightly pursed her lips, silently lowered her head, wishing she could bury her entire face in the bowl, pretending not to see Ming Zhu’s slightly reproachful gaze or the curious, prying looks from others.

She wanted to hide behind a leaf, hoping everyone wouldn’t see her and, ideally, wouldn’t ask anything, as she had no face to explain.

The air seemed to freeze.

Xiao Yihuan, Peng Ze, and Chen Chen surprisingly didn’t ask anything, their shocked and doubtful gazes bouncing between her and Ming Zhu.

In truth, no one refrained from asking because they didn’t want to. The suggestive term “bite mark,” paired with Yu Jing and Ming Zhu, was just too bizarre. One was a mature Alpha, the other an undifferentiated Alpha. When two Alphas met—one drunk, one sober—during a long night, a little imagination led to a scandalous, melodramatic plot.

If they fought, the depth of the wound might make sense. But why did Yu Jing bite Ming Zhu’s neck of all places? The neck, such a sensitive spot, easily sparked wild thoughts.

But these thoughts stayed in their minds. Who dared to ask about such a shocking matter?

Asking was awkward, not asking was even more awkward.

Yu Jing felt she might drown in this awkwardness, secretly going crazy inside.

What should she do?

“Hey, everyone’s here? All awake?”

Breaking the stalemate, Xie Haichao strolled in from outside.

Xie Haichao wore a straw hat he got from somewhere, carried a dripping small bucket, and had his pant legs rolled up high, looking like a fisherman returning from a trip. He walked over, grinning, “Still eating? Is there enough food? I’ll add another dish for you.”

Chen Chen’s attention immediately shifted. He rushed over, grabbed the bucket from Xie Haichao’s hand, and said, “Oh wow, Brother Chao, you went fishing?”

“Buy? I caught these myself.” Xie Haichao reached back, untied a fishing rod from his waist, and said excitedly, “This morning, I went out for a walk, saw an old man fishing by the river, thought it looked fun, and bought a rod. I just wanted to pass the time, but the water here is so rich—I caught this much in two hours.”

Peng Ze and Xiao Yihuan also went to look at the fish.

Yu Jing cautiously raised her head.

The group surrounded Xie Haichao.

Ming Zhu, like a cold breeze, quietly left the lively restaurant with an empty bowl.

She just left like that???

Yu Jing felt surprised and uneasy inside, her gaze following Ming Zhu’s tall figure until she disappeared. She clutched her chest and let out a heavy breath.

The breakfast prepared by the innkeeper was enough, and adding another dish wasn’t necessary. Xie Haichao, holding the bucket of lively fish, bragged to Chen Chen and the others.

Yu Jing gathered her emotions, walked over, stretched her neck to peek into the bucket, saw a few crucian carp, and said casually, “Crucian carp have many bones, but they’re great for soup. If you all want, I can make crucian carp soup tonight.”

Xie Haichao was surprised, “You can cook?”

Yu Jing smiled modestly and said, “I can make some home-cooked dishes. My friends like them, but I don’t know if they’ll suit your tastes.”

“Then you’re cooking dinner tonight.” Xie Haichao gave her face, looked at the fish in the bucket, and said regretfully, “Wish we could keep you all a few more hours.”

Later, Xie Haichao shared his morning experiences with them. Chen Chen got excited and said eagerly, “Everyone, eat quickly. Let’s go explore after.”

As a local, Peng Ze volunteered to be the guide.

The group chattered about where to go, seemingly forgetting the “bite mark” incident.

Yu Jing felt they were doing it on purpose, probably to spare her embarrassment, so they stayed silent.

But their silence didn’t mean she could pretend it never happened.

After breakfast, Chen Chen shouted about heading out.

Xiao Yihuan stomped her foot anxiously, “Wait, Brother Chen, let me put on some makeup first.”

Chen Chen, a straightforward Alpha guy, didn’t understand, “You’re naturally beautiful. Why bother with makeup?”

Xiao Yihuan didn’t bother explaining to him, turned to Yu Jing, who was also bare-faced, and said, “Jingjing, let’s go put on makeup.”

Yu Jing curved her lips and said, “Okay.”

They went upstairs, reaching their respective room doors.

Xiao Yihuan entered her password and went inside.

Yu Jing looked at the keypad lock, realized she didn’t know the password, and knocked on the door.

The door opened quickly.

Ming Zhu appeared behind the door, wearing a cool-toned, minimalist gray-blue dress, her thick, shoulder-length hair falling over her chest, slightly covering part of her face and neck.

The wound was hidden by her hair again.

But Yu Jing couldn’t help glancing at her dense hair, her eyes wavering.

Ming Zhu opened the door but didn’t step aside, just looked at her steadily, as if waiting for an explanation.

Yu Jing had come up to find her anyway. She quietly closed the door, facing her alone, and felt an invisible pressure wash over her.

Ming Zhu’s gaze and expression were calm, showing no emotion. Yu Jing didn’t know if she was angry, moved her neck, and found it hard to speak, “Um… I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to. I thought… it was a dream, so I… I bit you…”

Biting someone was so outrageous that Yu Jing felt embarrassed. Her tongue tied, and she couldn’t speak clearly.

She thought Ming Zhu wouldn’t believe such nonsense, finished speaking, lowered her head, and quietly awaited judgment.

Unexpectedly, Ming Zhu only faintly said, “Hmm.”

Yu Jing jerked her head up.

Such a far-fetched reason, and Ming Zhu didn’t question it at all???

Yu Jing blinked quickly and asked, “You believe me?”

Ming Zhu crossed her arms leisurely and said, “Does it matter if I believe you?”

Yu Jing tilted her head, not understanding what she meant.

Ming Zhu’s eyes flickered slightly, her tone calm, “I misunderstood you for so long and treated you poorly. Now you bit me, whether on purpose or not, I’ll take it as punishment.”

Yu Jing hadn’t meant to punish her.

“Yu Jing.” Before she could explain further, Ming Zhu suddenly called her name seriously.

“Hmm?”

Ming Zhu lowered her arms, looked into her eyes, considered her words, and said sincerely, “I apologized before, but you didn’t say you forgave me. So… from today, can we wipe the slate clean?”

As she spoke, Ming Zhu extended her slender hand, fingers spread, palm up, in a gesture of reconciliation.

Yu Jing’s eyes widened.

Before coming up, she had braced herself for Ming Zhu’s cold words, as biting someone was indeed her fault. And it seemed she bit pretty hard.

But she never expected Ming Zhu not only didn’t make things difficult but used this chance to seek peace.

Shocked, Yu Jing suddenly felt ashamed.

She had bitten Ming Zhu until she bled, yet Ming Zhu didn’t hold it against her. Before, when Ming Zhu humbly apologized and tried to treat her to dinner, Yu Jing had been difficult. Comparing the two, she seemed petty.

Ming Zhu was a senior, far more famous and popular, and didn’t need to bother with someone as insignificant as her. Yet, because of her own mistakes, Ming Zhu repeatedly showed goodwill.

Ming Zhu had been prejudiced against her, but hadn’t Yu Jing been the same?

People said Ming Zhu was cold and arrogant. Without interacting or understanding her, Yu Jing believed the rumors.

But would an arrogant person stand up for her against investors? Would they repeatedly apologize to a junior without fear of losing face?

They had both misunderstood each other.

Ming Zhu wasn’t that scary. She just didn’t talk much and wasn’t very sociable, but she was genuine, more real than most in their circle.

Yu Jing’s tense shoulders gradually relaxed. She looked at the crisscrossing lines in Ming Zhu’s palm, hesitated, and gently placed her hand on it.

Ming Zhu’s palm shifted slightly.

Yu Jing looked up, facing this face openly for the first time, smiled sincerely, and said brightly, “Alright, let’s wipe the slate clean.”

Their palms lightly clapped, as if sealing an agreement, and parted quickly.

Ming Zhu rarely curved her lips at her.

The smile was faint and brief, like a fleeting night-blooming cereus in summer, gone before it could dazzle.

Yu Jing stared blankly at her lips returning to normal, vaguely recalling this was the first time Ming Zhu smiled at her.

So, a smile could erase grudges.

They fully reconciled, and for a moment, neither knew what to say.

It was still a bit awkward.

After a while, Yu Jing composed herself and said, “We’re going out to explore. Want to come?”

Ming Zhu didn’t really want to go with a big group, but meeting Yu Jing’s bright, sincere eyes, she hesitated and nodded.

Yu Jing was surprised, thinking she wouldn’t agree.

But since they’d reconciled, Yu Jing genuinely invited her. Seeing her bare face, she asked, “Are you putting on makeup?”

Ming Zhu shook her head.

In such hot weather, Yu Jing also didn’t bother with makeup; sunscreen was enough.

They went downstairs one after the other. Since they didn’t talk, no one noticed any change.

Chen Chen kept checking the time.

Luckily, Xiao Yihuan didn’t make everyone wait long. She took only fifteen minutes, applied light makeup, changed into a pretty floral dress, and bounced down, saying, “Let’s go~”

Chen Chen couldn’t help complaining, “You girls are so troublesome when going out.”

Xiao Yihuan gave him a resentful look and said, “Brother Chen, you’ll have a hard time finding a girlfriend like that.”

Chen Chen retorted, “I’m not looking for a girlfriend. If I do, I’d look for a male Omega. You girls are too much trouble.”

Xiao Yihuan didn’t argue back, instead asking curiously, “What kind of male Omega do you want?”

Chen Chen had just spoken offhand and stammered, unable to answer.

Xie Haichao chimed in, “I think someone like Little Ze is nice—thoughtful, refined, and even-tempered. Little Chen, consider him?”

Peng Ze, quietly listening, didn’t expect the topic to turn to him. His face flushed red, and he stammered, “B-Brother Chao, don’t joke like that.”

Xie Haichao teased him deliberately, “Do you think Brother Chen’s not good enough?”

Peng Ze quickly glanced at Chen Chen, his face reddening more, covered his face with both hands, and wished he could disappear into the ground.

Chen Chen, focused on his rising career, never considered romance. He took Xie Haichao’s words as a joke, but seeing Peng Ze’s shy demeanor, his straightforward Alpha heart felt a strange tug, finding it somewhat cute.

Peng Ze was mortified. Except for Yu Jing and Ming Zhu, everyone was laughing at him. Ming Zhu looked indifferent, while Yu Jing seemed approachable. At a loss, Peng Ze turned to her for help, “Jingjing, they’re bullying me.”

Yu Jing’s Alpha spirit, ingrained in her beliefs, instantly kicked in. She pulled Peng Ze behind her and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

Xiao Yihuan cupped her cheeks, eyes sparkling, “Jingjing, you’re so Alpha!”

Yu Jing, feeling guilty, didn’t dare respond, checked the time dramatically, and changed the subject, “If we don’t leave, it’ll be dark!”

Everyone seemed to remember, dropped their playful mood, and straggled out.

Ming Zhu walked at the back, her gaze calm, passing over Peng Ze, who was only 1.7 meters tall ahead of her, then to Yu Jing, slightly shorter than Peng Ze. Her mind flashed to the scene of Yu Jing, drunk last night, acting coy with her, and a strange thought inexplicably arose.

Everyone knew Yu Jing was an undifferentiated Alpha, but recalling her vulnerable demeanor last night, Ming Zhu felt… sometimes Yu Jing seemed more like a sweet Omega than Peng Ze?

Yu Jing took a few steps, remembered she forgot her water, turned back, and saw Ming Zhu looking at her with an enigmatic gaze. She asked puzzledly, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Their relationship had just warmed, so Ming Zhu naturally didn’t share her true thoughts. But staying silent seemed cold. She thought and said, “I didn’t expect you, still undifferentiated, to have such a strong sense of protecting sweet Omegas.”

Yu Jing patted her not-so-impressive chest confidently and said, “Protecting sweet Omegas is every Alpha’s undeniable duty.”

Ming Zhu nodded in agreement and said no more.

The artists needed their assistants when going out, but the assistants and staff stayed in a three-story residential building rented by the production team. On their way, they ran into Xiao Fang, who temporarily handled artist coordination. Hearing they were going out, she naturally tagged along.

Seeing Xiao Ye after a day, Yu Jing asked about her health. Xiao Ye said she was much better. Yu Jing felt relieved but didn’t mention her drunken episode last night.

The town was small, with attractions near the inn. They didn’t need transportation and roamed through the streets like a tour group.

Peng Ze, new to guiding, introduced everything he saw, from old houses to wildflowers in stone cracks.

Xie Haichao, concerned for his voice, said, “Little Ze, you don’t need to explain so much.”

Chen Chen disagreed, “It’s fine. He usually talks too little. Let him practice his speaking.”

Peng Ze smiled shyly, cleared his throat, and continued his commentary at his own pace.

Xiao Yihuan walked up to Chen Chen and whispered, “Brother Chen, why are you suddenly so concerned about Peng Ze?”

“I’m not concerned, I just…” Chen Chen, caught off guard, looked slightly uneasy, thinking how to respond. Noticing movement nearby, he changed the topic, “What are you doing with the camera? Didn’t they say we could relax for two days?”

Everyone instinctively looked over, noticing a cameraman next to Xiao Fang, tinkering with his equipment.

“Don’t worry, teachers,” Xiao Fang quickly explained, “The production team is collaborating with Bishui Town’s tourism bureau. They asked us to film a short promotional video, mainly scenery, but scenery alone might have less impact, so we’ll include some shots of you teachers appropriately.”

Xie Haichao suddenly understood, “No wonder they let us play for free! I was wondering why it was so cheap. They’re using our popularity for advertising, huh?”

Xiao Fang bowed apologetically, looking nervous, and said, “Please don’t be upset, teachers. We won’t film randomly.”

Xie Haichao waved generously, “Film away. The environment here is great. Free play for two days isn’t a loss.”

With the biggest star unbothered, the others had no objections.

Xiao Yihuan pouted and said, “They could’ve warned us about filming a promo. Good thing I put on makeup.”

After saying this, she glanced at Yu Jing and Ming Zhu, who seemed bare-faced, and started to say, “Do you want to touch up?” but stopped after seeing their faces.

Xiao Yihuan wasn’t bad-looking, but her slightly chubby cheeks made her face rounder. Without makeup, she looked plumper on camera.

Yu Jing was different—standard features, oval face, sharp chin, captivating peach-blossom eyes, delicate nose, naturally upturned lips, flawless.

Ming Zhu was even more striking—phoenix eyes, cool and glamorous, sensual thin lips, and chiseled features exuding a unique sophistication.

Both were stunning without makeup. Xiao Yihuan realized she was worrying unnecessarily.

Yu Jing didn’t know what Xiao Yihuan was looking at, seeing her stare at her, then at Ming Zhu. Following her gaze, she looked at Ming Zhu.

Ming Zhu looked confused.

“Teachers, we’re starting to film,” Xiao Fang called out.

Xiao Yihuan smiled at them and turned her head back.

Yu Jing was about to look at the camera when a gust of wind blew, messing up her hair. She tilted her head to fix it, glanced at the bite mark exposed on Ming Zhu’s neck, and her heart skipped a beat.

Hiding it with hair wasn’t safe!

Ming Zhu probably didn’t realize. Yu Jing rushed to her, saying in a voice only they could hear, “Come with me.”

Ming Zhu, calmly fixing her hair, was startled and asked, “Where?”

Afraid the camera would catch it, Yu Jing didn’t explain, grabbed her hand, and turned back.

Xiao Fang saw and asked, “Teacher Ming Zhu, Teacher Yu Jing, where are you going?”

Yu Jing, without looking back, said, “You start filming. We’re going to touch up our makeup!”

“Okay,” Xiao Fang didn’t suspect anything.

The other artists were stunned. They looked at the two holding hands and running off, then at each other, reading the same question in each other’s eyes: Since when did those two get so close?

The two went against the crowd.

Ming Zhu looked at her wrist, tightly held by Yu Jing, thought of what she said to Xiao Fang, and felt like laughing, “Makeup or not doesn’t matter to me.”

Not that she was narcissistic about her looks; she just didn’t care.

Yu Jing pulled her away from the crowd, stared at her flawless face, agreed she didn’t need makeup, stiffened her neck, pointed at the wound, and whispered, “This could be noticed. Wait here, I’ll buy some bandages.”

Ming Zhu realized why she was pulled over, paused, and thought, “There’s a pharmacy ahead.”

“I know.” Yu Jing let go of her hand, gestured for her to wait, and jogged to the store.

The pharmacy was close, just around the corner. Yu Jing was back in under five minutes.

She was a bit out of breath, sweat on her forehead, handed a box of bandages to Ming Zhu.

Ming Zhu took the box but didn’t move, “I can’t put it on myself.”

The wound was on the right side of her neck, slightly back. Even with a mirror, Ming Zhu couldn’t align it properly.

Yu Jing realized this, wiped the sweat from her forehead, looked uneasy, and said, “I’ll help you then.”

Ming Zhu didn’t refuse and consciously swept her hair aside.

Yu Jing examined the wound, secretly thinking: Good thing my mouth isn’t big, or this would waste so many bandages.

She took a bandage from the box in Ming Zhu’s hand, peeled off the plastic, and stepped forward.

She suddenly noticed Ming Zhu was tall.

Yu Jing glanced at the high heels on Ming Zhu’s feet, then at her own flat shoes, looked back at her face, and asked, “How tall are you?”

Ming Zhu raised an eyebrow and said, “Net height, 175.”

Yu Jing was speechless.

So tall, and she still wore such high heels!

At only 168, Yu Jing felt looked down upon and stared at Ming Zhu wordlessly.

Ming Zhu realized she couldn’t reach, glanced at her head, suppressed a smile, bent her knees, and squatted, “Sorry.”

Yu Jing’s face was blank.

Ming Zhu deliberately squatted lower than her, so Yu Jing didn’t need to stretch and even had to lower her head slightly.

From this angle, the view was clear. Yu Jing saw the two rows of indented teeth marks, crusted with dark red bl00d, and her heart clenched hard.

So bloody, so brutal.

Despite such a wound, Ming Zhu didn’t hold it against her.

If Yu Jing had been bitten like that, she wasn’t sure she could be so generous. The more she thought, the guiltier she felt, biting her lower lip, staring at the wound with a grave expression, “I’m sorry.”

Ming Zhu slightly tilted her head, the wound tugging. She seemed unfazed by the pain and said calmly, “It’s fine, just put it on.”

Yu Jing pursed her lips again, afraid of hurting her, moved cautiously, her hand inching closer, her head following.

Just as she was about to apply it, a gust of wind rose.

Ming Zhu adjusted her wind-blown hair.

The wind carried a pleasant cold tea scent, like fine threads, drifting from Ming Zhu’s broken wound into Yu Jing’s nose. Her body jolted.

It was Ming Zhu’s pheromone!

At a distance, she couldn’t smell it, but now, so close, the faint, almost negligible cool fragrance, like deadly poison, instantly captivated all of Yu Jing’s senses.

She forgot herself, greedily inhaling the scent.

“Why aren’t you putting it on?” Ming Zhu, waiting for a while, asked puzzledly.

Yu Jing snapped awake, shook her head as if numbed by alcohol, held the bandage, tremblingly approached the wound.

“Snap—”

It went on.

But it was crooked.

Yu Jing’s mouth twitched, held her breath to avoid the pheromone’s interference, used her nail to pick at the edge of the bandage, trying to peel it off.

Ming Zhu, tickled by her nail, shrugged her shoulders and endured, “What are you doing?”

“Don’t… don’t move.” Unable to peel it off, and with Ming Zhu moving, the pheromone seemed stronger. Yu Jing’s mouth went dry.

Ming Zhu wasn’t comfortable either; the girl’s warm breath on her neck felt unfamiliar. She urged, “Can you hurry up?”

She dared complain about her being slow!

Sunlight shone over, the girl’s wavy long hair glinted gold, her lotus-pink lace dress thin and sheer, the heat burning her skin, making her heart more restless.

Sweat beaded on Yu Jing’s forehead. She licked her dry lips, pressed Ming Zhu’s shoulder to keep her still, her head dizzy, muttering unconsciously, “Can you put away your pheromone first?”

The scent came from the wound, so faint, yet Yu Jing somehow felt irresistibly stirred, unable to control herself.

It was deadly.

She bit her tongue, tried to hold her breath, and struggled to peel the crooked bandage. Halfway through, her hand suddenly lost its grip.

Ming Zhu turned abruptly, her amber eyes filled with unconcealed surprise, “You can smell my pheromone?”