Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha and Got Marked by the Enemy (ABO, GL) - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

“Get in. I’ll drive you back.”

The cool voice drifted into the warm breeze, softened by the night.

Yu Jing stared at Ming Zhu with wide eyes, three parts surprise, seven parts delight.

The path from the Champs-Élysées Hotel was unkind to pedestrians. The road for cars was smooth and even, but the sides were lined with uneven patterned tiles. In her thin heels, Yu Jing wobbled with every step, her feet aching after just a few minutes. Small pebbles kept slipping into her shoes, tormenting her soles, utterly unbearable.

Ming Zhu’s words were like a lifeline. Yu Jing felt her poor, tender feet were finally saved!

Her feet hurt so much she forgot about propriety. Afraid Ming Zhu might change her mind, she curved her lips, lifted her skirt with both hands, and clacked over in her heels.

Ming Zhu leaned over to open the door for her.

“Thank you,” Yu Jing said politely.

The car’s interior lights were bright, casting a halo over her soft hair. Her cinched waist dress made her look so delicate that a single hand could encircle her. The milky white dress matched her pale skin and even paler legs…

The skirt reached only her knees. Yu Jing stepped in with her left leg first, then her right, moving cautiously due to her heels, like a slow-motion scene in a movie, utterly pleasing to the eye.

Ming Zhu’s eyes dazzled at her slender, fair legs, quickly looking away. Seeing the unconcealed joy on Yu Jing’s fair face and how she conscientiously fastened her seatbelt, Ming Zhu hesitated, then couldn’t help saying: “Aren’t you worried at all?”

Yu Jing tugged at the seatbelt, searching for the buckle, not looking up: “Worried about what?”

Ming Zhu turned, watching her curled lashes, and said slowly: “Alphas and Omegas are different. We’re both public figures. Getting into my car late at night—aren’t you worried about being seen and people talking?”

Click— Yu Jing finally fastened the buckle, snapping her head up to meet Ming Zhu’s serious eyes. She blinked, thought for a moment, and shook her head: “Besides you, no one knows I’m an Omega yet. Two Alphas… there’s nothing to talk about, right?”

Two Alphas wouldn’t spark rumors? Ming Zhu recalled something, her brow lifting slightly as she countered instinctively: “There seem to be plenty of people online shipping you and me as a CP.”

The words hung in the air, silencing the car for a moment.

Yu Jing stared at her, stunned.

Ming Zhu realized she’d misspoken, a flicker of regret crossing her composed face. She turned away, pretending nothing happened.

Yu Jing, oblivious to tact, heard it clearly. Blinking, she said in shock: “You knew?”

Ming Zhu gazed at the neon lights outside, her lips pursed.

Yu Jing knew since their first ‘Treasure Hunt’ episode that some fans shipped “MingYu CP,” but it was just a niche fetish then. By the second episode, the shippers had multiplied. She’d followed it but never heard Ming Zhu mention it, assuming she was unaware!

Ming Zhu rarely went online or used Weibo. She only learned of the MingYu CP when Zhou Qi mentioned it one day. Wanting to explain but feeling it’d seem like overcompensating, she stayed quiet.

Avoiding Yu Jing’s sparkling eyes, she mumbled an “hm.”

During their first episode, their conflict was unresolved, and seeing her name tied to Ming Zhu’s made Yu Jing uneasy. By the second episode, after they’d reconciled, she didn’t mind the CP fans’ antics anymore.

She was fine with it, but Ming Zhu’s attitude… Yu Jing wasn’t sure.

Her fingers touched her bag, cautiously observing Ming Zhu’s expression as she said: “I really didn’t mean to ride your popularity. I don’t know where these CP fans came from. If you mind, I can post on Weibo to clarify.”

Hearing the sound of a zipper, Ming Zhu turned, seeing Yu Jing pull out her phone, fingers tapping the screen as if eager to distance herself. A strange feeling stirred in Ming Zhu. After a pause, she said: “No need.”

“Hm?” Yu Jing, about to draft a Weibo post, froze and looked up.

Ming Zhu’s gaze was calm. She brushed back her hair, her eyes sweeping over Yu Jing’s confused face, her voice slightly stiff: “There’s nothing between us, so there’s nothing to clarify.”

True enough…

Seeing Ming Zhu’s frankness and lack of real concern, Yu Jing mumbled an “oh” and put her phone down.

Two beams of light shot forward, stinging her eyes.

Yu Jing instinctively looked over, seeing a flashy red convertible sports car slow down. The man inside was dressed just as garishly. Recognizing him, annoyance flashed in her eyes. She turned toward Ming Zhu, her small face hidden by her hair.

Ming Zhu, puzzled by her sudden change, followed her gaze and saw the car and its driver. Her expression cooled.

Zhang Xu, driving his gaudy sports car to Wu Dan Ni’s birthday, glanced over as their cars passed. Meeting Ming Zhu’s cold stare, he paused, then blew a flirty whistle.

Ming Zhu’s face darkened. She shut the window tight, the tinted glass blocking his nauseating face.

Unaware why Zhang Xu was there and not caring, she turned to Yu Jing’s bowed head: “Are you scared of him?”

Yu Jing waited until the sports car was out of sight, then lifted her face, revealing her full features. Frowning, she huffed: “I just feel disgusted.”

Ming Zhu recalled the time in A City when Zhang Xu cornered and harassed her in a restroom. Her expression grew serious: “Has he kept bothering you since?”

“No.” Yu Jing tucked her hair behind her ears, exhaling: “Guess he’s not interested in me anymore.”

A guy like Zhang Xu, so arrogant, probably gave up after hitting a wall with her twice. Though Yu Jing was confident in her looks, she wasn’t vain enough to think Zhang Xu would keep chasing her.

Ming Zhu didn’t quite agree.

Zhang Xu, an Alpha, was notorious for his indiscriminate flings—men, women, Alpha, Beta, Omega, he didn’t care. A beauty like Yu Jing would tempt anyone normal, let alone a lech like Zhang Xu who thought with his lower half. Ming Zhu suspected he hadn’t acted further because she’d warned him Yu Jing hadn’t differentiated yet.

If he knew Yu Jing had differentiated into a soft, vulnerable Omega… Ming Zhu didn’t dare think further.

Looking at the well-disguised girl and recalling her fragility after the Alphas’ attack, Ming Zhu frowned deeply, warning: “Be careful around him.”

Yu Jing knew Zhang Xu was dangerous and nodded solemnly.

The car, stopped on the roadside, was blocking traffic. Ming Zhu glanced at her a few times before starting the engine.

The white Bentley glided through the night, dappled tree shadows dancing on the windows.

As they merged onto the main road, traffic and crowds grew. The dark sky was lit by countless lights, vibrant and bustling.

Compared to the lively chaos outside, the car was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

After the Zhang Xu topic ended, Yu Jing realized they had little to talk about. Earlier, Ming Zhu had only asked, “Where do you live?” Yu Jing gave her address, Ming Zhu set the GPS, and then silence fell.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

Ming Zhu clearly wasn’t one for small talk; she seemed to prefer quiet. Yu Jing wasn’t overly chatty, but since Ming Zhu offered the ride, not saying anything felt like treating her like a driver, which wasn’t right.

But driving at night was tricky with flickering lights, and Yu Jing feared distracting her. Hesitating, her phone rang.

Seeing it was Xiao Ye, she quickly answered: “Hello?”

“Jingjing,” Xiao Ye said urgently, “I just checked the forecast—it might rain tonight. Don’t wander around. Get a cab and head back.”

Rain? No wonder it felt so muggy.

Yu Jing glanced at the dark sky, then at Ming Zhu driving intently, and said: “I’m already in a car.”

Xiao Ye: “Good.”

Yu Jing asked about her sister, chatted briefly, and hung up.

It took them ten minutes to get here with Xiao Ye. Without traffic, Yu Jing figured she’d make it back before the rain.

Putting her phone down, she caught Ming Zhu’s amber eyes in the rearview mirror, assuming she was checking traffic, and didn’t think much of it.

Suddenly, Ming Zhu asked: “Is your ringtone the new song you released?”

“Huh?” Yu Jing, surprised, sat up straight, staring at her profile: “You’ve heard it?”

“No.”

“…”

In the rest room, Ming Zhu found the ringtone familiar. Hearing it again, she realized it was Yu Jing’s voice.

Her singing was clear, different from her speaking voice—more powerful. Her usual voice was crisp, sometimes soft and sweet…

How could one voice be so versatile?

As they entered a tunnel, the light dimmed, hiding Ming Zhu’s complex emotions. She looked ahead, softening her voice: “A few days ago, I saw you, Chen Chen, and the others talking about your new song in the group. I guessed.”

Yu Jing’s eyes widened.

She didn’t expect Ming Zhu to be a secret group chat lurker!

Ming Zhu didn’t look at her, pausing before saying: “It sounds pretty good. What’s it called?”

“To the Sun,” Yu Jing said, picturing Ming Zhu sneakily scrolling their chat, finding it oddly cute. She giggled, then, seeing Ming Zhu’s puzzled glance, quickly composed herself, an idea sparking: “I have the full version. Wanna hear it?”

Since talking might distract her, music could ease the dry atmosphere.

Ming Zhu glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing Yu Jing’s smiling, dewy eyes. She looked away calmly, focusing on traffic without answering directly: “Play it if you want.”

Nothing beat sharing her song! Yu Jing unlocked her phone, opened a music app, found her song in her favorites, and hit play.

The upbeat piano intro grabbed attention instantly.

Yu Jing basked in her own voice, her eyes crinkling with joy: “It’s free. You can find it on NetEase, QQ, Kugou, all those platforms if you want to listen later.”

Ming Zhu rarely listened to music and doubted she’d seek it out, but she mentally noted the title.

“To the Sun”—an upbeat, optimistic song, just like the singer.

The uplifting tune ended in just over three minutes, leaving a desire for more.

Ming Zhu’s lips moved slightly.

Before she could speak, Yu Jing’s puzzled voice interrupted: “Is it a traffic jam?”

Ming Zhu focused, seeing cars ahead slow to a stop. She eased off the gas, halting the car, scanning around, and replied calmly: “Probably.”

Yu Jing thought it was normal traffic, expecting a two- or three-minute delay based on past experience.

But five minutes passed, and the cars didn’t budge. Curious, she lowered the window to check.

She overheard a nearby driver say: “There’s an accident at the intersection ahead. A truck hit a car—gruesome. It’ll take at least half an hour to clear.”

Yu Jing’s heart sank. She quickly asked: “No one died, right?”

The driver, a young male Alpha with a buzz cut, noticed the pretty girl asking. Unsure of her secondary gender but struck by her beauty, his eyes lit up, answering eagerly: “No deaths, but the drivers are badly hurt.” He waved his phone. “My friend sent me pics—bl00d everywhere, pretty scary. If you’re squeamish, don’t look at the ground when we pass.”

Yu Jing smiled: “Got it, thanks.”

“No problem!” Buzz-cut guy, thrilled to chat with a beauty during a jam, blushed, his bl00d racing. Feeling bold, he extended his phone: “Hey, can I get your WeChat?”

Yu Jing’s smile faltered, about to refuse.

Swoosh— The tinted window snapped shut.

Yu Jing turned reflexively, meeting Ming Zhu’s gaze as she locked the window.

Ming Zhu faced her surprised look, her expression cool, her voice flat: “Out of sight, out of mind. No need to reject him, no one’s embarrassed.”

Yu Jing’s mouth opened, then closed.

It blocked the view, but it felt a bit rude…

The car’s tight seal muffled outside noise with the window closed.

Yu Jing cracked it slightly, intending to politely decline the WeChat request.

Before she could speak, buzz-cut guy’s loud voice squeezed through: “Hey, beauty, let’s add WeChat! I’ll treat you to dinner, how’s that?”

“…” Yu Jing pressed her forehead to the glass, suddenly grateful for Ming Zhu’s quick window-shut. This guy was too eager.

She could see him, but he couldn’t see her.

Buzz-cut guy, excited to talk to such a beauty, didn’t give up despite the closed window, shouting: “Show your face, let’s chat more!”

Yu Jing was speechless.

His friend, playing a game beside him, smacked his head: “Stop yelling.”

Buzz-cut guy snapped: “Why’d you hit me?”

His friend quit the game, nodded at Ming Zhu’s car, a cigarette in his mouth, saying casually: “You blind? There’s an Alpha next to her. That Alpha closed the window.”

Buzz-cut guy hadn’t noticed, craning his neck but seeing only a tiny window gap, frowning: “So what? I’m an Alpha too.”

His friend rolled his eyes: “She might be an Omega, and that Alpha could be her girlfriend. You’re asking for her girlfriend’s WeChat in front of her—think she’d be cool with that?”

Yu Jing: “…”

Ming Zhu: “…”

Buzz-cut guy seemed to get it, slapping his head, sheepishly retracting his phone, too embarrassed to keep shouting.

Yu Jing’s hand, on the window switch, pressed lightly, and the window swooshed shut again.

The car became a sealed space, trapping the awkwardness inside.

How did this guy’s friend come up with such a wild idea? What made him think she and Ming Zhu were a couple?

Yu Jing felt like she couldn’t breathe, her ears warm. Glancing at Ming Zhu from the corner of her eye, she felt inexplicably guilty: “He’s talking nonsense.”

She wanted to bite her tongue off. Of course it was nonsense—obvious!

Ming Zhu’s gaze was unreadable, watching her quietly before giving a neutral “hm.”

Yu Jing felt more embarrassed under her stare, thinking some fresh air might help. She quietly cracked the window again.

A warm breeze flowed in, easing the awkwardness slightly.

Then she recalled something the friend said, her heart sinking. Forgetting her embarrassment, she asked Ming Zhu urgently: “Do I look like an Omega?”

Ming Zhu, one hand propping her head, scanned her from head to toe under the car’s bright lights, saying seriously: “Except in certain moments, you don’t. That guy was just talking nonsense, and you believed him?”

Yu Jing thought it over, agreeing he was spouting nonsense. Even Chen Chen and others from the show couldn’t tell she was an Omega—how could a stranger know at a glance?

She felt like a startled bird, panicking at any mention of being an Omega.

Clutching her chest, she barely caught her breath when she remembered Ming Zhu’s earlier comment, her guard up: “Wait, what do you mean ‘except in certain moments’?”

Ming Zhu lowered her hand, her eyes shifting slightly, her lips parting softly: “When you act all sweet and flirty with me.”

Her sweet, flirty demeanor was more Omega-like than any Omega Ming Zhu had seen.

Unbidden, the memory of Yu Jing softly calling her “sister” in the rest room flashed in her mind. Ming Zhu’s throat itched, and she turned to look out the window.

“Cough—” Yu Jing, embarrassed, quietly lowered the window further.

Author’s Note: Thanks, everyone~!