Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha and Got Marked by the Enemy (ABO, GL) - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

At two in the morning, the entire city quieted down. Thick curtains blocked all light from outside, creating the perfect environment for sleep in the room. But the person on the bed seemed dissatisfied, tossing and turning like a pancake for a long time.

The events of the day were a bit overwhelming. Yu Jing’s mind was filled with the scene of Ming Zhu kissing her in the bathroom. She didn’t know if excitement or panic dominated, but her tired body was awakened by the memory. The increasingly rapid heartbeat in her chest drove away all her sleepiness.

The air conditioner was already on high, but her body still felt restless. She threw off the lightweight summer blanket and fumbled chaotically on the nightstand. When she touched her phone, her heart settled slightly.

She lit up the screen, squinting at the bright light. Yu Jing unlocked it, staring at the densely packed icons on the home screen, unsure of what to do next.

The night made her feel vulnerable.

This was Yu Jing’s first real experience of budding love, filled with confusion and uncertainty. Both nervous and helpless, she suddenly wanted to confide in someone. She picked up her phone but realized there was no suitable person to talk to.

The person who loved her most was gone, and she couldn’t contact them. As for Zhou Qi, who had become someone else’s mother, their mother-daughter relationship had grown increasingly distant over the years, leaving little to talk about.

Shen Jiayu and Xiao Ye were the ones she interacted with most daily, but they weren’t family. They were her friends and collaborators, yet there was always a barrier in their interactions.

As for Wu Dan Ni, whom she considered her only close friend, she had hurt Yu Jing not long ago with a clumsy lie.

Yu Jing held her phone, lost in thought for a long time. When the screen dimmed, she snapped back, her fingers moving slightly. She automatically skipped the WeChat icon and opened Weibo.

She wanted to look at something happy.

After logging in, her amazing teammate didn’t disappoint her.

Chen Chen posted: “The crawfish at this place are super delicious, and the owner is so nice. She said she’d introduce me to someone. Brothers and sisters, I’m about to be off the market! Come congratulate me!”

As a comedic variety star, Chen Chen’s fans were as funny as he was. The comments were full of teasing and opposition, with many posting his unflattering photos.

Yu Jing laughed until tears came, liking a meme made from Chen Chen’s gif. She commented: “This pic is fun, saving it, thanks sis!”

She rarely interacted with Chen Chen and the others, as her status wasn’t high enough, and she worried people would say she was clinging to their popularity.

Exhausted physically and mentally, Yu Jing didn’t think much. She saved the meme, closed the comments, and planned to browse more. A flood of @ messages poured in, nearly crashing her app.

Yu Jing hadn’t expected so many people to be awake in the middle of the night. Because she had just liked and commented on Chen Chen’s post, fans noticed, excitedly rushing to her profile, leaving messages under her latest post.

[Front row! Caught a fairy Jing!]

[Is ‘Happy Star’ done filming? Jingbao, why are you up so late? It must be tough, right? Heart aches for you, hugs.]

[Jingjing, don’t just like others’ posts. Post more selfies so we can see your stunning beauty!]

[Want memes? Just say so, I’ve got tons, here you go [image]]

Unable to sleep, Yu Jing replied to the first three comments she saw. On the fourth, she opened a meme a fan sent, pausing as she was about to save it.

The animated meme was made from two photos of her and Ming Zhu together… The first showed them hugging, captioned from her perspective: “Sister, you’re so seductive.” The second showed Ming Zhu pinning her on a bed, captioned from Ming Zhu’s perspective: “I want to sleep with you.”

Yu Jing’s eyes widened.

While stunned, the comment with the meme gained many replies. Fans enthusiastically shared their treasured Ming-Jing memes, all made from ambiguous interaction screenshots from the show.

Not only did fans send them to her, but they also tagged Ming Zhu in the comments to share…

These people were terrifying!!!

Yu Jing didn’t want the memes anymore, pretending not to see them. She hurriedly closed Weibo.

“Ding-dong—”

Still shaken, a sudden WeChat notification sound startled her, making her hand tremble.

Yu Jing patted her chest, picked up the phone that had fallen by her pillow, and opened the message without checking the sender.

MZ: “Not sleeping yet?”

Yu Jing thought she misread, blinking hard. Seeing the white cat avatar, she typed dazedly: “You’re browsing Weibo too?”

MZ: “Yeah.”

Yu Jing suddenly realized.

Then she remembered accidentally liking a “Ming-Jing szd” comment that sent her trending. She instantly grew anxious.

Yu Jing sat up, finding typing too slow. She pressed the voice message button, speaking rapidly: “You’re not allowed to look at the Ming-Jing super topic, and definitely don’t like anything!!!”

The chat showed “typing” at the top.

Yu Jing thought Ming Zhu was writing a long message, waiting a few minutes, only to receive a meme unexpectedly.

MZ: “[Listen to my wife.gif]”

Yu Jing nearly dropped her phone again.

She had just seen this meme in her Weibo comments from CP fans.

It captured a small interaction between her and Ming Zhu, likely from the second episode’s livestream. They were paired to make sticky rice cakes, and Yu Jing got rice flour on her face. Ming Zhu wiped it off. Due to the camera angle, the screenshot showed Yu Jing talking with her mouth open while Ming Zhu gently touched her face—paired with “Listen to my wife,” it felt seamless.

Yu Jing hadn’t expected Ming Zhu to secretly save their memes and use them so cleverly!

The word “wife” made her heart race. She pressed the talk button to scold her, but the message was suddenly withdrawn.

Yu Jing’s mouth twitched, typing: “I already saw it.”

MZ: “Saw what?”

Yu Jing: …

She was definitely doing it on purpose.

Yu Jing didn’t fall for it this time, touching her burning cheeks and changing the topic: “Why aren’t you sleeping either?”

MZ: “Can’t sleep, I’m savoring…”

Yu Jing: “???”

MZ: “The taste of crawfish.”

Yu Jing: …

‘Slap—’

Yu Jing tossed the hot phone onto the nightstand, grabbed the fallen summer blanket, covered her flushed head, closed her eyes, and counted sheep to lull herself to sleep.

In the dark room, only the phone screen’s light glowed.

The light reflected, making Ming Zhu’s striking features even more vivid. One long leg bent, she leaned lazily against the headboard, black hair cascading down, the neckline of her silk pajamas slightly open. A faint smile lingered in her eyes and brows, showing no trace of fatigue.

She waited a long time, but no more messages came. She didn’t know if Yu Jing was shy or asleep.

Ming Zhu scrolled up, replaying the few-second voice message.

—“You’re not allowed to look at the Ming-Jing super topic, and definitely don’t like anything!!!”

In the quiet room, the girl’s voice, sharp with urgency, couldn’t hide its softness. Like a feather brushing her ear, it tickled her heart, making her listen repeatedly, unable to stop.

Her ears grew numb, and her phone was nearly dead. Ming Zhu finally put it down.

In her chat list, Yu Jing’s avatar was pinned at the top. Below it was Xiao Ya, the coordinator for ‘Treasure Hunt’.

Ming Zhu joined the show purely to repay Yang Fan’s favor. She never actively contacted the crew, but now she felt a bit eager.

She opened Xiao Ya’s profile, wanting to ask about the next filming date. Halfway through typing, she noticed it was almost three in the morning and stopped.

As Ming Zhu lay down, she thought: Hurry up and dawn, I want to see her soon.

…

Zhou Qi woke up to the punctual alarm.

She turned it off, washed up, changed, and pushed her suitcase out of the room. She noticed Ming Zhu’s door, usually open early, was tightly shut, and her sleepiness faded.

Their flight was at noon, and she was already up late. Zhou Qi hadn’t expected Ming Zhu, always an early riser, to still be in. She hurried to knock.

The door opened abruptly.

Zhou Qi’s hand missed, stunned by the person emerging, stepping back.

“Morning,” Ming Zhu greeted calmly.

“Morning…” Zhou Qi’s gaze swept over Ming Zhu’s delicately made-up face, her figure-flattering dark green high-waisted dress, and back to her face, too beautiful for comparison.

Ming Zhu seemed oblivious to her scrutiny, checking the time on her phone, saying calmly: “Let’s go.”

Zhou Qi pointed at her obviously deliberate outfit: “Are you walking the red carpet later?”

“…” Ming Zhu’s perfectly composed features cracked slightly, her eyes flickering, refusing to answer such a silly question. She closed the door, adjusted her flowing hair, and headed to the entrance.

Zhou Qi followed, pushing her suitcase, eyeing the tall, captivating figure, finding it unbelievable.

Ming Zhu never cared about dressing up for events, yet now, with filming done and heading back, she dressed so stunningly—for what?

Ignoring the gaze behind her, Ming Zhu slipped off the hotel’s disposable slippers, put on polished high heels, and opened the door.

Zhou Qi wanted to ask if she forgot anything but saw her hurry to the opposite suite: “…”

The opposite suite’s door opened almost simultaneously. Sleepy Xiao Ye yawned, pushing a heavy suitcase out.

Seeing Xiao Ye, Ming Zhu closed the door, asking urgently: “Why’s it just you? Where’s Jingjing?”

Startled by the voice, Xiao Ye locked the door, turned, saw Ming Zhu, and smiled brightly: “Sister Ming Zhu, you look gorgeous today! Jingjing? She had something and left early.”

“Left early?” Ming Zhu’s smile froze, asking quickly: “Where’d she go?”

“Home,” Xiao Ye said.

“If she’s going home…” Ming Zhu’s heart stirred, frowning hesitantly: “Why didn’t she go with… us?”

“No, no, not back to B City with us,” Xiao Ye clarified, seeing the misunderstanding: “Jingjing’s going to her family home in M City. Didn’t she tell you last night?”

M City? Ming Zhu only remembered Liang Tian mentioning going to M City for a shoot.

She didn’t know Yu Jing’s parents were also in M City, and Yu Jing hadn’t mentioned it after seeing those messages.

“What’s she going home for?” Ming Zhu wasn’t prying but felt Yu Jing’s sudden departure was too abrupt, unsure if it was related to her.

“Well…” Xiao Ye scratched her head, looking conflicted.

Seeing her hesitation, Ming Zhu grew more suspicious.

Did she tease her too much last night, scaring her off early?

Though Ming Zhu didn’t think she’d said anything crude, Yu Jing was so thin-skinned, blushing entirely from a single kiss.

Ming Zhu stepped aside, pulled out her phone, quickly dialed a number from her contacts.

The busy tone rang for a while before connecting: “Hello?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Ming Zhu had an urge to reach through the phone and pull her out. She exhaled, lowering her voice: “Little rascal, are you avoiding me on purpose?”

The other side paused, the tone polite and unfamiliar: “Sorry, who is this?”

“…”