Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha and Got Marked by the Enemy (ABO, GL) - Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Yu Jing had rested too little since last night. She finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep amid the blaring music.

She didn’t sleep well and jolted awake, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings. It took a moment for her to remember she was back in M City.

The music in her earphones had stopped, and the brat’s noisy voice was gone too. Yu Jing lay on the small single bed, gathering her thoughts. She sat up slowly, removed her earphones, and took the charger from her bag to plug in her drained phone.

As soon as she turned it on, she saw an unread message.

Mom: “Xiao Jie was too noisy, so I took him out. Rest well. There’s food in the fridge, take whatever you want.”

Yu Jing checked the time and realized she had slept into the afternoon.

She replied to Zhou Qi that she was awake, put down the phone, opened the door, ignored the mess in the living room, and went to the bathroom to splash her face with cold water.

Feeling hungry, Yu Jing didn’t touch the fridge or rummage through anything in the house. She took a piece of bread and a yogurt from her bag.

The bread, bought at the airport, tasted average. She ate slowly. Before finishing the yogurt, she heard the door lock turn.

The heavy door was forcefully pushed open with a loud “bang.” Yu Jie ran in, clutching a new toy.

“You kid, you’ll break the door… Change your shoes first!” Zhou Qi, carrying various new toys, couldn’t keep up with Yu Jie and watched helplessly as he rushed inside.

Yu Jie stopped abruptly after a few steps, looking fearfully at Yu Jing sitting at the dining table.

Yu Jing squeezed the last drop from the yogurt box, calmly sipped the final bit, and glanced at the new toy in Yu Jie’s arms.

Yu Jie’s chubby face tightened instantly, as if afraid she’d snatch it. He quickly hid the toy behind his back.

Yu Jing scoffed lightly, her indifferent gaze passing over the chubby boy to Zhou Qi, who followed with more toys.

Zhou Qi’s makeup was smudged, her neat clothes wrinkled, struggling to carry the toys alone. Yu Jing saw but didn’t help, leisurely wiping her mouth, coldly observing as Zhou Qi placed the items on the living room sofa.

Using Zhou Qi as a shield, Yu Jie slipped past Yu Jing, running too fast and tripping over a small toy on the floor, falling with a “thud.”

“My goodness, how can you be so careless!” Zhou Qi, still catching her breath, instinctively rushed to help him up.

The floor was padded, so it didn’t hurt, but Yu Jie blamed Zhou Qi, hitting her with the toy and ordering, “The house is so messy, hurry up and pick things up!”

Zhou Qi didn’t dodge, shielding her head, saying, “Mommy was wrong, I’ll clean up right away.”

As she bent to pick up the toy that tripped Yu Jie, a hand stopped her.

Zhou Qi looked up, meeting Yu Jing’s eyes, “Jingjing…”

Yu Jing gripped Zhou Qi’s frail wrist with one hand and grabbed Yu Jie’s neck with the other, pressing him down, commanding, “Pick it up.”

Yu Jie resisted, struggling, “I don’t want to… ah!”

“Pick it up or not?” Yu Jing’s voice was soft, but her grip tightened gradually.

Yu Jie, caught just right, felt more pain with movement. Reluctantly, he picked up the toy from the floor.

Yu Jing released him, arms crossed, supervising, “All of them, clean them up.”

Yu Jie, intimidated by his sister ten years older, grudgingly picked up all the toys under her pressure. Once done, he didn’t dare linger, clutching his new toy, darted to his room, and locked the door with a “bang.”

Zhou Qi, at a loss, wanted to comfort him but was stopped by Yu Jing.

Yu Jing glared at her, her voice cutting, “Have you knelt so long you can’t stand?”

Shock and sadness flashed across Zhou Qi’s face. She lowered her head in shame, fingers twisting tightly, her voice faint, “I don’t know anything else, I can only stay home and take care of him.”

Yu Jing mocked, “This isn’t care, it’s serving, it’s groveling.”

“I…” Zhou Qi wanted to argue but had no face to. Being scolded by her daughter felt humiliating. Her cloudy eyes flickered, avoiding Yu Jing’s piercing gaze, awkwardly changing the topic, “I’ll start the soup.”

Yu Jing watched her slink into the kitchen with hunched shoulders, not asking if she needed help.

Past six in the evening, Yu Jianchao, busy all day, finally returned.

Yu Jing sat on the sofa with Zhou Qi, watching a dull drama. Hearing the noise, Zhou Qi sprang up, dutifully taking Yu Jianchao’s briefcase, asking warmly, “Hungry? Dinner’s ready, wash your hands and eat.”

Yu Jing’s gaze slowly shifted to the entrance.

After a year, Yu Jianchao’s hair seemed thinner, his bald head shiny with oil. His pudgy body made even changing shoes laborious, panting heavily.

He was an utterly ordinary Beta, standing next to the striking Zhou Qi like a beauty-and-beast pair, mismatched no matter how you looked.

But Yu Jing didn’t resent him as much as Yu Jie. After all, in their lowest times, this unremarkable man gave her and her mother a place to stay.

Yu Jianchao waddled in with his beer belly, noticed someone else in the room, paused, and said, “Jingjing’s back?”

Yu Jing stood, nodding slightly, politely calling, “Uncle.”

Before her words settled, a chubby figure dashed from a room, rushing past Yu Jing like a gust, hugging Yu Jianchao’s leg, “Dad, you’re back!”

Yu Jianchao patted his son’s head, smiling indulgently, “Back. Were you good today?”

Yu Jie, adept at playing sweet for his dad, swayed his round body, pouting, “I was so good.”

Yu Jing: “Heh—”

Yu Jie quickly hid behind Yu Jianchao, eyeing Yu Jing warily.

Yu Jianchao, unaware of the tension between the siblings, didn’t care, assuming his son was clingy after a day apart, and took him to wash hands.

Four people sat around the dining table.

Yu Jianchao picked up his bowl first, looking across, saying neutrally, “Jingjing hasn’t been back in a year, eat more.”

Yu Jing smiled faintly, saying, “You worked hard all day, eat more too.”

Zhou Qi偷偷 observed Yu Jing, noticing she looked thinner than on TV, and quickly put a piece of meat in her bowl.

“I want some too!” Yu Jie kicked his chair, barking at Zhou Qi like calling a dog.

Zhou Qi promptly gave him a piece too.

Yu Jie poked at it with his spoon, dissatisfied, picking and choosing, “Too lean, I don’t want this, I want half-fat, half-lean.”

He scattered rice grains all over the table. Yu Jianchao said nothing, eating his own meal. Zhou Qi wiped the table and served him more, barely sitting through the meal.

Yu Jianchao finished first, wiped his mouth, lightly told the fussy Yu Jie, “Don’t be picky,” then said to Yu Jing, “Eat slowly,” before retreating to his study to work, uninvolved.

Yu Jing was used to such scenes. Yu Jie’s behavior stemmed from being spoiled by his grandparents and his father’s neglect.

This was a dysfunctional family. As an outsider, Yu Jing didn’t bother intervening, finishing her meal, picking up her dishes, and saying to the noisy mother and son, “I’m done.”

Zhou Qi noticed she only had half a bowl of soup and no rice, wanting to urge her. But Yu Jing didn’t wait, taking her empty bowl to the kitchen to wash.

About an hour later, a knock came, “Knock, knock, knock—” Zhou Qi asked timidly through the door, “Jingjing, can I come in?”

Yu Jing put down her suppressant, stuffed it back in her bag, and opened the door.

Zhou Qi held a plate of cut fruit, saying, “You barely ate dinner, have some fruit.”

Yu Jing took the plate, seeing her linger, looking hesitant, and asked, “What do you want to say?”

Zhou Qi nervously tucked her hair, probing, “I want to talk.”

They hadn’t really talked all day. Yu Jing stepped aside to let her in.

Zhou Qi closed the door, licked her dry lips, and said, “Tomorrow’s Monday, I’ll take Xiao Jie to school first, then we’ll visit your dad together.”

Yu Jing popped a low-sugar apple piece in her mouth, eyes half-lowered, murmuring, “Mm.”

Sensing her perfunctory attitude, Zhou Qi fidgeted with her hair and clothes, forcing a topic, “Work been busy lately?”

Yu Jing shrugged, “It’s alright.”

“I watched your show,” Zhou Qi said with a forced smile, “I followed from the first episode, watched the live and replays, it’s great.”

Yu Jing paused with the apple, looking at her in surprise.

Thinking she didn’t believe her, Zhou Qi cleared her throat, listing details, “Really, I watched every episode. Chen Chen’s hilarious, always bickering with Xie Haichao and Xiao Yihuan. Peng Ze’s so shy, blushing when teased. And that Ming Zhu…”

At Ming Zhu’s name, Zhou Qi’s expression turned subtle.

Yu Jing bit the apple slowly, suddenly curious how she’d describe Ming Zhu.

Zhou Qi hesitated, saying, “In the first episode, the comments said you and Ming Zhu didn’t get along. How come in the next two, everyone said you’re dating her?”

“Cough—” Yu Jing touched her choked throat, guessing she meant the Ming-Jing CP.

Zhou Qi didn’t understand CP hype. Watching the show, she saw many comments about Yu Jing and Ming Zhu’s chemistry, confusing her. She’d wanted to ask but, given their strained relationship, feared annoying Yu Jing and held back.

Carefully watching Yu Jing’s reaction, seeing no impatience, Zhou Qi ventured, “Jingjing, are you really dating her?”

Yu Jing’s mind flashed through moments with Ming Zhu: their close interactions on the show and private ambiguities.

The room suddenly felt warmer, her throat dry. She stuffed fruit in her mouth to cover, mumbling softly, “Not yet.”

“What’s ‘not yet’?” Zhou Qi caught her shy expression, understanding as a parent, saying nervously, “Jingjing, she’s an Alpha, right? You’re an Alpha too, you can’t be together!”

Yu Jing frowned, lifting her eyes. She looked calmly at Zhou Qi’s worried face, saying lightly, “Forgot to tell you, I’m an Omega now.”

“Wh… what?”

Yu Jing set the fruit plate on the nightstand. Under Zhou Qi’s confused gaze, she touched her nape.

Peeling off the thin invisible patch, Yu Jing swept her hair aside, revealing her pale nape, and stepped closer.

Zhou Qi looked, seeing her delicate, pulsing gland, startled, her voice sharp, “How did this happen?!”

Yu Jing calmly reattached the patch, explaining her “mutation” briefly.

Zhou Qi, horrified, shook her head repeatedly, pulling Yu Jing, touching her nape’s soft skin, her expression pitying and sorrowful, “Why? Why did such a small chance happen to you? Why did you become an Omega?”

Yu Jing, strong-willed, had long struggled with becoming an Omega, refusing to accept it. But seeing Zhou Qi’s sky-is-falling expression, she felt irritated, frowning, saying impatiently, “What’s wrong with being an Omega? You’re one too.”

“But I don’t want you to be!” Zhou Qi’s nails dug into her palm, saying painfully, “Omegas are too weak, always dependent. Jingjing, I don’t want you to be like me.”

“Heh—” Yu Jing’s lips curled in a cold smile, as if hearing a joke, her sharp tone piercing both, “You think I’d be as weak as you?”

Zhou Qi froze.

Yu Jing’s eyes were cold, saying cruelly and confidently, “I’ll never be like you. I’ll work hard to be strong, not needing anyone, and I’ll live well.”

Scared by her gaze, Zhou Qi’s frail shoulders trembled, her grip loosening.

Yu Jing looked away at the lively lights outside.

The atmosphere turned stiff.

Tears welled in Zhou Qi’s eyes. Her hands lifted several times but didn’t touch her, her throat choking, saying hoarsely, “You still blame me for back then, don’t you?”

Yu Jing didn’t answer, her dazed gaze returning. She pushed the unfinished fruit plate toward her, shooing her, “Take it, I can’t eat more.”

Zhou Qi’s red eyes stared at her.

Yu Jing remained unmoved.

Zhou Qi sniffed hard, quietly wiped her eyes, and left with the fruit plate.

The room fell quiet.

Outside grew noisy again.

Yu Jing sat silently on the bed.

The room’s poor soundproofing let the TV’s cartoon sounds drift in, but her ears heard chaotic noises: terrified screams, crowd murmurs, pained groans, weak cries, shrill sirens…

Her head ached terribly.

She covered her ears, but the sounds persisted.

A door separated two worlds.

Yu Jie saw Zhou Qi come out, swinging his legs, shouting, “I want fruit.”

Zhou Qi, distracted, brought the plate over.

Yu Jie glanced at the obviously touched fruit, pouting, “She ate this, I don’t want it, cut me a new one.”

Zhou Qi, in no mood, uncharacteristically slammed the plate on the coffee table, shouting, “Don’t eat then, there’s no new one!”

Yu Jie, shocked his meek stepmom dared yell, dropped the remote with a “thud.”

They stared at each other.

Zhou Qi instantly regretted yelling, picking up the remote, softening, “Sorry, baby, Mommy didn’t mean to yell.”

Yu Jie, seeing her relent, got cocky, swatting the fruit she offered, yelling, “I don’t want what that woman touched, I want a new one!”

“Xiao Jie!” Yu Jianchao, done in the study, heard this, his face darkening, “That’s your sister, what’s this ‘woman’ nonsense, how do you talk?”

Yu Jie, yelled at by Zhou Qi then his dad, felt wronged, his mouth twisting, crying loudly, “Dad’s so mean, Dad hates me, Dad doesn’t love me!”

Yu Jianchao, annoyed by the noise, wanted to walk away, waving at Zhou Qi, “Take him to his room.”

Zhou Qi went to hold Yu Jie.

Yu Jie kicked and fussed, “No! She’s not my sister! I don’t have a sister, why’s she in our house? I don’t want to see her, make her leave, waaah!”

Zhou Qi’s expression changed, looking fearfully at the small room.

Yu Jianchao, shocked Yu Jie would say such things, afraid Yu Jing would hear, rushed over, hoisted Yu Jie, and stuffed him back in his room.

Zhou Qi, panicked, ran to the small room, raising her hand to knock.

Yu Jing opened the door first, fully dressed, expression calm, holding her suitcase.

“Jingjing, you… where are you going?” Zhou Qi asked, knowing the answer.

Yu Jing lifted her chin, saying expressionlessly, “Hotel.”

Zhou Qi couldn’t let her go alone so late, “Jingjing, Xiao Jie’s spoiled, kids say silly things, don’t take it to heart.”

“He’s not wrong,” Yu Jing smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, “I’m not his sister, and this isn’t my home.”

She sidestepped Zhou Qi, heading out.

“Jingjing, don’t go,” Zhou Qi tried to stop her.

“Mommy, save me, Dad’s gonna hit me!” Yu Jie’s wails came.

Zhou Qi looked toward the sound, her eyes full of unmasked worry. She turned to Yu Jing, pleading, “Don’t go, I’ll check what’s happening.”

Yu Jing watched her rush to that room, her heart dead, and left with her suitcase.

The night wind stung her face.

Her phone kept ringing in her bag, but Yu Jing ignored it. As if chased by a beast, she dragged the heavy suitcase, walking faster.

The neighborhood’s streetlights were dim. A branch scratched her eye, but she didn’t stop, wiping her wet eyes harshly with the back of her hand.

She felt like a joke.

Three years ago, Zhou Qi abandoned her. Why would she choose her now?

She knew it would end like this, so why hold such pitiful hope?

In the community garden below, people laughed, cooling off, mocking her naivety.

Yu Jing ran, reaching the neighborhood gate, standing under a streetlight, lost and helpless.

It was hard to get a taxi here. She didn’t want to touch her phone, dragging her suitcase aimlessly.

Maybe even the heavens pitied her. After five minutes, she saw an empty taxi and waved it down.

The car stopped. She put her suitcase in the trunk, got in, and named a budget hotel she’d stayed at before, without waiting for the driver to ask.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, saying, “XX has two locations, New Lake Road or Guanglin Road?”

Yu Jing chose the farther one.

The driver started the car.

The red taxi moved steadily through the night, mottled tree shadows passing over her pale face. She curled into the seat, avoiding light, not wanting to be seen.

Outside was quiet, but the car was noisy.

It was too dark to see clearly, and the driver couldn’t understand why the female passenger wore a mask. Curious about her appearance, he glanced a few times, saying, “Miss, your phone’s ringing nonstop, why not answer?”

Because she didn’t want to.

Not wanting to distract the driver, Yu Jing, moving awkwardly like a disabled person, took the incessantly ringing phone from her bag and saw the caller ID.

She hung up Zhou Qi’s call without hesitation.

Her finger hovered over the power button, about to shut it off, when a message notification flashed on the home screen. Her heart, sunk to the depths, suddenly beat unusually, and she eagerly opened it.

MZ: “When are you coming back?”

They’d chatted that morning, yet it felt like ages ago.

Ming Zhu hadn’t asked why she went to M City. Yu Jing hadn’t told her either.

If not for tomorrow’s visit to her father’s grave, Yu Jing would fly back to B City now.

This place made her deeply uncomfortable.

Her fingers left streaks on the screen. After a while, she replied, “Tomorrow.”

MZ replied almost instantly, “What time exactly?”

Yu Jing, who hadn’t bought a ticket, was caught off guard, “Why so specific?”

MZ: “I want to pick you up.”

MZ: “Can I?”

Yu Jing stared at the two messages, dazed.

Ming Zhu was coaxing her, her intent clear, yet her actions cautious.

Yu Jing suddenly couldn’t tell if this careful coaxing was the same as Zhou Qi’s guilt-driven appeasement.

Yu Jing: “Do you really like me?”

MZ replied without hesitation, “I really like you.”

Yu Jing’s eyes warmed, her fingers hesitantly typing, “How long will you like me?”

If it’s just a whim, liking her halfway then giving up…

The chat showed “typing” for a long time, clearly stumping Ming Zhu.

Yu Jing didn’t dare blink, staring at the screen.

After a long time, or maybe just a moment, MZ replied, “I don’t know.”

Yu Jing’s suspended heart sank, her faint hope snuffed out.

As expected.

Love is blind, affection has limits. Even the closest bl00d ties could abandon her, so how could she expect someone else to like her for long?

She shouldn’t have hoped at all.

Zhou Qi didn’t call again, and Ming Zhu seemed scared off. The phone went silent, and Yu Jing’s cold heart grew ashen.

Shutting it off was to escape, but now it seemed unnecessary.

Yu Jing’s fingertips whitened, her neck straining back to force back the tears welling in her eyes.

“Ding-dong—”

The long-silent phone blared suddenly.

Yu Jing grabbed it, seeing the white cat avatar with a red “1,” suddenly afraid to open it.

Was Ming Zhu annoyed? Scared? Would she mock her for being delusional?

The car hit a speed bump, jolting. Yu Jing’s heart trembled with it.

Teeth clenched, tongue stinging, she mustered some courage and opened the message.

It was a voice message.

She took her earphones from her bag. The wires were tangled, and she fumbled anxiously to untangle them. Finally, she put on one, leaving the other, and shakily tapped the voice message.

Ming Zhu’s cool voice, wrapped in the night breeze, low and husky but firm, reached her ears, “Yu Jing, I’ve never liked anyone else, and I don’t know how to make you like me. You asked how long I’ll like you, and I really… haven’t thought about it. I don’t dare say forever or make empty promises, but from the moment I confessed, I never thought of giving up.”

Yu Jing listened to the half-minute message repeatedly, her earphones heating up, confirming it was real, not a dream.

Ming Zhu didn’t give a specific duration, but her sincere, heartfelt attitude was hard to ignore.

Yu Jing’s throat tightened.

This trip made her feel weak.

Her fingers scrolled up to Ming Zhu’s earlier selfie, her bitter lips curving slightly.

Her fingertip landed on the keyboard, slowly typing the truest thought in her heart, “Sister, I kind of miss you.”