Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha and Got Marked by the Enemy (ABO, GL) - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Everything happened too suddenly. Yu Jing’s breath was taken away, and her unfinished anger was blocked back into her stomach by warm lips. She stood rigidly in place, stunned.

The hand pinching her chin slightly loosened its grip. Those two lips, like a dragonfly skimming water, lightly tasted her and then quickly pulled away. Another hand circled behind her, tightly wrapping around her waist. With a spin, Ming Zhu pressed her against the door.

The incandescent light overhead shone directly into her eyes. Yu Jing was momentarily dazzled.

She didn’t even have time to close her eyes. Ming Zhu’s soft, warm body pressed closely against her again, and the kiss that had briefly paused landed once more.

This time, it wasn’t a simple peck but a probing and invasive kiss, charged with fire.

Her lips felt wet. Ming Zhu gently held Yu Jing’s lips, reddened by spicy oil, capturing the full lip bead, lingering and grinding, sucking or biting, as if savoring some rare delicacy.

The spicy freshness of crawfish and the refreshing coolness of watermelon juice couldn’t compare to the sweet allure of her lips.

But this was far from enough.

Ming Zhu greedily wanted to taste more deeply. Her tongue tentatively brushed over, causing the person in her arms to tremble slightly.

It seemed like unease or an inability to withstand this sudden passion. Yu Jing’s hands, clutching Ming Zhu’s shoulders, tightened, and a muffled hum escaped her throat.

Ming Zhu didn’t dare go further. Her palm slid up along Yu Jing’s fragile spine, gently rubbing her trembling back. The probing movements of her mouth slowed, patiently nibbling.

The spacious bathroom suddenly felt cramped. The temperature soared, and the sounds of panting and sucking echoed in the empty space, vibrating against their eardrums, making their toes curl in embarrassment.

“Ding-dong—”

Just as Yu Jing felt she might suffocate and faint, a short notification sound saved her.

She turned her head aside. When Ming Zhu tried to follow, Yu Jing’s softened hand blocked the space between them, catching the wet, burning imprint.

The strong scent of hand soap on her hand brought some clarity. Ming Zhu opened her eyes, looking at the flushed girl in her arms, whose eyes seemed ready to spill water. Her heart softened completely.

Her fingers wiped the saliva from Yu Jing’s lips. Ming Zhu pressed her forehead against Yu Jing’s, her hands steadily supporting Yu Jing’s slipping body.

Yu Jing wanted to struggle but found no strength after moving slightly. She simply let Ming Zhu hold her.

Their ragged breaths intertwined, indistinguishable from each other.

They ignored the mood-killing notification, like two stranded fish clinging closely, waiting for their heartbeats and breathing to slowly calm.

Yu Jing didn’t know how long they stayed like that. When her rationality returned, she belatedly realized Ming Zhu had forcibly kissed her.

Her first kiss was gone, just like that, in a daze…

She felt neither regret nor anger, only confusion and uncertainty.

The emotional tide in Ming Zhu’s body gradually receded. She lowered her gaze, her voice hoarse and soft, tenderly calling her name: “Jingjing.”

Yu Jing’s eyelashes trembled. Her gaze dropped to their entwined shadows, her voice small: “Mm.”

Ming Zhu’s fingers lifted her chin, turning her softened face to force her to meet her eyes: “Do you like me kissing you like this?”

“…”

Who asks something like that!

Yu Jing was too shy to answer. Her mind was dizzy, unable to think. She only wanted to escape this place.

She tried pushing Ming Zhu.

Unexpectedly, Ming Zhu didn’t resist. Yu Jing easily pushed her away. Without thinking, she touched the cold metal handle and opened the door.

“Bang—”

A hand reached from behind, closing the door she had opened.

Yu Jing turned around, glaring angrily at Ming Zhu, who blocked her: “You…”

“Shh—” Ming Zhu pressed one hand against the door, her finger gently touching Yu Jing’s wet, red lips, whispering, “Someone’s coming up.”

Yu Jing listened carefully. Sure enough, she heard “thud thud thud” footsteps climbing the stairs, along with a man and woman talking.

“I’ve seen your show. You’re so funny. I really like you.”

“Really? Can you give us a discount later?”

“Sure, sure, eight percent off.”

“Awesome! You’re so cute, Auntie!”

“If you come often, I can introduce you to someone. Don’t let my small shop fool you. Lots of celebrities line up to eat here. Many even added me on WeChat.”

“Let’s chat later then.”

“Great, great.”

The footsteps stopped outside the door.

The two inside exchanged glances.

It was the restaurant owner and Chen Chen.

They were likely heading to this bathroom.

Yu Jing quickly scanned the open bathroom, finding no place to hide. Anxiety surged, and her mind raced.

If they walked out now, would Chen Chen suspect anything? Since Chen Chen thought she was an Alpha, two Alphas sharing a bathroom might seem fine.

But the problem was…

Yu Jing glanced at the mirror. It clearly reflected her current state—face flushed, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, lips slightly swollen from being kissed, hair messy, clothes wrinkled.

No matter how you looked at it, she seemed like someone who had just done something “bad”…

No, no way.

She shook her head, quickly dismissing the idea of leaving together.

But Chen Chen and the owner were right outside.

Her oxygen-deprived brain seemed to crash. Yu Jing grabbed Ming Zhu, her delicate fingers weakly clinging to Ming Zhu’s arm, looking at her pleadingly: What do we do?

Whenever trouble arose, she instinctively sought Ming Zhu’s help. This subconscious act stemmed from trust and need, long etched into her memory, a reflex of her body. She hadn’t realized it herself.

Her主动贴过来的身体让明燭心生欢喜。 Ming Zhu’s heart warmed as Yu Jing leaned closer. One hand hugged her, brushing aside the hair covering her eyes, sliding over her flushed cheeks, resting by her lips, silently mouthing: Don’t worry, it’s fine.

Yu Jing’s heart suddenly calmed. She obediently nestled in Ming Zhu’s arms but noticed Ming Zhu’s heartbeat was even faster than hers, surprising her.

Was Ming Zhu not as calm as she seemed? Her composed expression was too deceptive.

Did she also feel shy, nervous, or scared?

Yu Jing looked up at her. Lost in thought, she heard a puzzled “huh” from outside and pricked up her ears.

Chen Chen, sharp-eyed, noticed the locked door and light seeping from underneath, asking the owner: “Is someone inside?”

The owner slapped her forehead, saying, “Oh, I remember now. Earlier, a pretty girl said she needed the bathroom. I brought her up. She’s your friend, I think her name’s Jingjing.”

“Jingjing? I know her well!” Chen Chen laughed loudly, banging on the door, “Jingjing, you done?”

The door rattled under Chen Chen’s knocks, making Yu Jing’s heart race. She backed away from the door, burrowing deeper into Ming Zhu’s arms.

“Something’s off.” The owner, who had started to leave, suddenly turned back, pointing at the closed door, “I brought that girl up ten minutes ago. Why’s she taking so long? Did something happen?”

Chen Chen’s face changed: “No way, right?”

If they didn’t speak soon, the two outside might break in. Ming Zhu’s hand on Yu Jing’s waist gently pinched her.

She barely used force; it was more like a tickle than a pinch. Yu Jing stifled a laugh, twisting her waist, meeting Ming Zhu’s warning gaze, and snapped back to reality.

As Chen Chen twisted the handle, trying to force the door open, Yu Jing quickly said, “Brother Chen, Brother Chen, I’m inside.”

Chen Chen recognized her voice and asked, “Jingjing, you okay?”

“I’m fine, Brother Chen. I just…” Yu Jing paused, then blurted out, “I have a stomachache. It might take a while. If you’re in a hurry, use the downstairs bathroom.”

Chen Chen wasn’t fussy and, being carefree, fully believed her excuse. He knocked on the door, saying, “Alright, take your time. I’ll use the one downstairs.”

Yu Jing replied, “Okay, Brother Chen.”

The footsteps faded, eventually disappearing. Yu Jing let out a relieved sigh.

Worried someone else might come up, she hurriedly pushed Ming Zhu: “Quick, quick, go downstairs.”

Ming Zhu felt she hadn’t held her enough but was mercilessly shooed out of the bathroom.

Seeing Ming Zhu not moving, Yu Jing stomped anxiously: “Go!”

Ming Zhu couldn’t help laughing: “Don’t you think this feels like we’re sneaking around?”

Yu Jing froze, thinking it over. It did seem like that…

While everyone ate in the private room, they slipped away, hiding in this secluded bathroom, kissing and hugging, worried about their friends finding out…

Seeing Yu Jing’s colorful expression, Ming Zhu wanted to tease her more: “You…”

But Yu Jing wouldn’t let her continue. She covered Ming Zhu’s mouth, blushing, and pushed her out in embarrassment.

Noises came from downstairs again.

Like a startled bird, Yu Jing threatened, “If you don’t leave, I won’t talk to you anymore!”

Ming Zhu, afraid of upsetting her, smiled helplessly. Before leaving, she playfully pinched the soft flesh by Yu Jing’s mouth.

Yu Jing winced, swatting her hand away, then slipped back into the bathroom, carefully locking the door.

Returning from the second floor to the private room took just minutes, but Yu Jing needed to tidy up.

Standing before the sink, she stared at her reflection for a few seconds, then covered her face in shame.

She didn’t know how she made it back to the private room.

The room was still lively. Except for Ming Zhu, no one noticed her return.

Yu Jing walked over under Ming Zhu’s heated gaze.

Only when she sat down did Xiao Ye, engrossed in food, notice her: “Why were you gone so long?”

Yu Jing casually replied, “I was taking a call.”

Xiao Ye said, “Oh,” and went back to eating crawfish, asking no more.

Yu Jing hadn’t eaten much earlier. Seeing Xiao Ye eat so eagerly, her mouth watered again. No longer bothered by peeling shells, she put on clean gloves.

As she reached for a crawfish, Chen Chen suddenly asked Xiao Yihuan, “Why are you only eating the plain ones? Try this one; it’s the tastiest.”

Xiao Yihuan refused three times, holding her bowl to stop Chen Chen from adding to it, frowning in disgust: “I don’t eat garlic ones; the flavor’s too strong.”

Chen Chen teased, “What’s wrong with a strong flavor? You don’t have a partner, and no one’s kissing you.”

The table erupted in laughter.

The garlic crawfish in Yu Jing’s hand fell back onto the plate with a “plop.” Like she’d been burned, she quickly pulled her hand back, instinctively glancing at Ming Zhu, meeting her meaningful gaze, her face reddening uncontrollably.

If not for Chen Chen’s joke, Yu Jing had forgotten she’d eaten a garlic crawfish earlier. Just one.

She couldn’t tell if the flavor was strong…

Ming Zhu leaned toward her, seemingly sensing her worry, whispering in her ear, “I tasted it.”

Yu Jing instinctively wanted to cover her mouth, but her gloves were dirty. She stared at Ming Zhu in panic.

Ming Zhu nearly laughed at her expression, pressing her lips to stay serious, saying, “It’s not bad.”

Yu Jing’s tense nerves relaxed.

But before she could catch her breath, Ming Zhu brushed aside her hair, her tone gentle yet not suggestive: “Even if you ate a hundred garlic cloves, I’d still kiss you.”

Yu Jing’s calmed heartbeat was stirred again.

Ming Zhu seemed unbothered by her own words, sitting back calmly after her provocative comment, putting on gloves and peeling a crawfish slowly.

Yu Jing steadied herself, picking up a crawfish.

Unskilled and distracted, she peeled even slower. Before she finished, a hand offered her tender crawfish meat, dipped in her favorite sauce, to her mouth.

“Open your mouth.”

Yu Jing obediently opened her mouth, biting the delicious meat. The tasty sauce hit her taste buds, and she suddenly realized, following the hand, that Ming Zhu was feeding her. She froze.

Ming Zhu smiled, asking, “Is it good?”

Yu Jing, like a thief, glanced at the others, seeing no one noticed them. Her tongue curled, taking the meat into her mouth, her heart pounding.

She didn’t answer Ming Zhu’s question, not even tasting the flavor, chewing and swallowing it down.

Ming Zhu took her silence as approval, picking another garlic crawfish and patiently peeling it for her. She offered it again.

Yu Jing turned away, refusing to eat.

Ming Zhu wasn’t annoyed, placing the peeled meat in Yu Jing’s bowl one by one.

Yu Jing: “…”

From ten to midnight, Brother Hua, still enthusiastic, wanted to invite them to karaoke after eating.

But except for Chen Chen, the other five weren’t keen. Xie Haichao, a health enthusiast, couldn’t wait to sleep, and Peng Ze was so tired his eyes could barely stay open. With no consensus, the plan fizzled out.

They returned to the hotel in the four hosts’ cars.

Late at night, the excitement faded, leaving quiet.

The bored receptionist, dozing off, perked up as a group entered, recognizing the six artists returning from filming, and secretly took photos.

Too tired to notice, they reached the elevator, heads drooping listlessly.

Before the elevator arrived, Chen Chen excitedly said, “Ming Zhu, you actually updated your Moments! I thought you blocked me since your page was empty.”

Yu Jing, resting on Xiao Ye’s shoulder, was woken up. She grabbed her phone, secretly opened Moments, and saw a new post with one refresh.

MZ: “Crawfish are really delicious.”

A seemingly trivial sentence, no photos attached.

Chen Chen voiced Yu Jing’s thoughts: “You could at least post a few pictures.”

Ming Zhu didn’t respond, her gaze passing Chen Chen, looking ambiguously at Yu Jing nearby.

Maybe she was overthinking, but Yu Jing felt Ming Zhu lingered on her lips for a few seconds, inexplicably recalling the intense kiss in the bathroom.

Yu Jing vaguely remembered Ming Zhu saying something before the kiss. Was it about whether the crawfish were good?

So, was this Moments post hinting at that kiss???

Then, Xiao Yihuan, sitting on Ming Zhu’s other side, casually said, “Sister Ming Zhu, you barely ate, just peeling crawfish for Jingjing.”

Several pairs of eyes turned toward her. Yu Jing wanted to dig a hole and hide.

She thought only they knew about Ming Zhu’s actions, forgetting Xiao Yihuan, the gossip enthusiast, was the biggest fan of their CP!

Xiao Yihuan grinned like an auntie, looking at her and Ming Zhu. Yu Jing, mortified, racked her brain, finally blurting a lame excuse: “We made a bet earlier. She lost, so she’s peeling crawfish to pay her debt.”

Chen Chen teased, “A romantic debt?”

“Hahaha—” Xiao Yihuan laughed loudly.

Yu Jing’s scalp tingled, realizing the more she explained, the worse it got. She gave up, rushing into the elevator as soon as it opened.

A dozen people filled the elevator. Yu Jing squeezed into a corner, trying to be invisible. Someone kept pushing against her, forcing her further back.

Her back hit the cold elevator wall, with nowhere to go. She looked up, realizing it was Ming Zhu crowding her.

Yu Jing, annoyed, stomped on her foot.

“Hiss—” Ming Zhu gasped.

Others in the elevator looked over.

Ming Zhu met their curious gazes calmly, her lips curving slightly, looking pleased despite being stepped on, saying lightly, “It’s fine.”

Everyone looked away.

Yu Jing, blocked tightly by Ming Zhu, took advantage of no one watching, pinching and twisting in embarrassment.

Ming Zhu grabbed her, her slender fingers wrapping around Yu Jing’s, holding her tightly until the elevator doors opened, then subtly letting go.

Footsteps echoed sparsely in the hallway as everyone said goodnight and returned to their rooms.

Yu Jing and Ming Zhu’s suite was at the far end.

Out of the elevator, Yu Jing snatched the keycard from Xiao Ye, sprinting to the door, swiping it, and rushing inside.

Seconds later, hearing footsteps, Yu Jing thought it was Xiao Ye. Exhausted, she flopped onto the living room sofa, saying without looking up, “Lock the door.”

“Click—” The door locked.

Footsteps approached unhurriedly, stopping by the sofa. A voice crouched down, saying, “Are you mad?”

The voice was wrong. Yu Jing looked up, shocked to see Ming Zhu, not Xiao Ye, sitting up like a startled carp: “What are you doing here?”

Ming Zhu sat beside her, seeing her tense expression, raising an eyebrow and saying lightly, “Tonight, I’m switching rooms with Xiao Ye.”

Yu Jing grabbed a pillow, hugging it defensively, eyeing her warily: “I’m warning you, don’t push it.”

A forced kiss was one thing, but now she wanted to “cohabitate”??? Things were moving too fast!

Seeing Yu Jing clutching the pillow and retreating until she nearly fell off the sofa, Ming Zhu rubbed her brow, sighing softly, “Alright, I won’t tease you.”

Yu Jing stopped, tilting her head, looking confused.

“I want to clear things up with you.” Ming Zhu’s face grew serious.

Was she here to demand an answer? Yu Jing’s delicate fingers dug into the soft pillow, her heart racing.

But Ming Zhu picked up her phone, tapped a few times, moved closer, and placed the lit-up phone in Yu Jing’s hands.

Yu Jing was completely lost, looking down to see a WeChat conversation with “Liang Tian” at the top, showing Liang Tian and Ming Zhu’s chat history.

No, more accurately, Liang Tian’s one-sided bombardment of over a dozen messages.

All were Liang Tian talking to herself, some trivial, some clearly suggestive. Ming Zhu never replied once.

Yu Jing’s gaze fixed on the last message: Senior Sister, I’m heading to M City tomorrow morning. Want me to bring you a gift?

Based on the message’s timestamp, they were in the bathroom, kissing passionately, at that moment.

Yu Jing focused on “M City,” her chaotic heartbeat slowing.

She returned the phone to Ming Zhu: “Why show me this?”

Ming Zhu took the phone, not answering immediately. Instead, she opened Liang Tian’s profile and, in front of Yu Jing, clicked “delete.”

Yu Jing watched, stunned.

After deleting, Ming Zhu looked at her, saying solemnly, “I never chatted with Liang Tian. I have no feelings for her. I only like you.”

Caught off guard by another confession, Yu Jing’s face warmed. She quickly avoided Ming Zhu’s affectionate gaze, biting her lip, muttering, “You said we’d wait until next filming. Why…”

“I’m not pressuring you,” Ming Zhu interrupted, her voice softening but firm, “I just don’t want you to misunderstand, so I had to clarify today.”

Yu Jing’s clenched fingers slowly relaxed.

Ming Zhu didn’t need to show her the chat.

She never doubted Ming Zhu’s words. In the bathroom, she’d brought up Liang Tian sarcastically to vent frustration. She didn’t expect Ming Zhu to take it seriously, coming to explain to avoid misunderstanding.

Being taken seriously, being valued, felt so unfamiliar. A bittersweet warmth surged in Yu Jing’s heart, her nose tingling.

Afraid she’d lose control or that Ming Zhu would notice, she buried her face in the pillow.

“I understand,” her trembling voice muffled by the pillow’s cotton core. Yu Jing nudged Ming Zhu with her hand, starting to shoo her, “It’s late. Go back to your room.”

Ming Zhu thought she was just shy, watching quietly for a moment.

Yu Jing heard rustling, felt the sofa rebound, and knew Ming Zhu stood up. About to sneak a peek, her buried head was suddenly held by two hands, freezing her.

Ming Zhu hugged her head, leaning down, placing a gentle kiss on her hair, leaving final tenderness: “Goodnight. See you tomorrow.”