Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha and Got Marked by the Enemy (ABO, GL) - Chapter 90

Chapter 90

“Don’t be scared, it’s me.”

The familiar voice brushed past her ear like a gentle breeze. Yu Jing, who had raised her foot to resist, froze entirely.

She thought some bold creep was trying to take advantage of her in the chaos, but it was actually Ming Zhu!

But it was so late. Hadn’t Ming Zhu already finished distributing the midnight snacks and left? Where did she come from?

And with so many people “watching” around them, wasn’t she afraid of being caught?

The power outage turned off the lights, amplifying her hearing several times in the darkness. Yu Jing could still hear Xiao Yihuan anxiously calling her name and others discussing excitedly or fearfully. These sounds surged from all directions, like a giant net enveloping them. Yu Jing’s nerves tightened again.

In the noisy clamor, Yu Jing felt that the lights might come back on any second, and they would be caught “in the act.” Her breathing grew uneven, and her heart raced faster.

She wanted to pry away Ming Zhu’s hand covering her mouth to remind her to be mindful of the situation and not act recklessly. But Ming Zhu seemed fearless. Sensing her unease, Ming Zhu’s lips grazed her ear and softly shushed her. Her other hand wrapped around Yu Jing’s waist, pulling her back slightly with force.

The strength seemed intent on taking her somewhere. Yu Jing didn’t know what Ming Zhu planned to do and couldn’t speak. She could only silently accept being “abducted” as Ming Zhu led her away from the crowd, seemingly to a quiet corner.

The person behind her stopped and gently pushed her against the wall.

The hand blocking her voice finally moved away. Fresh air rushed in, and Yu Jing opened her mouth, gasping for oxygen.

Her mind filled with a pile of question marks. As her breathing calmed, she wanted to ask Ming Zhu, but just as her lips moved, someone grabbed her wrist and pinned it against the wall.

“Sister…” A soft yet forceful kiss pressed down, silencing the words she wanted to say. “Mmph…”

This kiss lacked any finesse, unlike the usual gentle patience. It felt rushed, as if time was running out, or like an emotional outburst. Ming Zhu placed her hand behind Yu Jing’s head, kissing her fiercely, greedily claiming every bit of sweetness in her mouth.

Yu Jing tried to push her away, but her hands weren’t free. She could only tilt her head back to endure it. Part of her worried about being discovered, while another part sank helplessly into Ming Zhu’s passionate kiss, her heart torn with conflict.

The sound of their kiss and her erratic heartbeat echoed in the warm air. Yu Jing felt dizzy, almost fainting, when Ming Zhu finally let her go.

A faint moonlight streamed through the window, so weak it only outlined two dark figures embracing.

Yu Jing felt drenched in sweat, like a kitten just pulled from water. The rush of dopamine erased her questions, leaving her mind blank. Her freed hands rested limply on Ming Zhu’s shoulders, unsure of what to do next.

Ming Zhu tightened her arms, as if wanting to meld Yu Jing into her body. Her forehead pressed against Yu Jing’s, eyes lowered, her husky voice tinged with grievance and relief. “Finally, I can hold you,” she said.

“…”

Yu Jing seemed to lose her ability to speak or think, letting Ming Zhu hold her.

A sudden burst of laughter came from the crowd, someone cracking a joke.

Yu Jing snapped awake. By the faint moonlight, she saw the huddled shadows in the distance, realizing the power hadn’t returned. She sighed in relief, but her heart still raced.

Though there were no cameras outside the practice room and they weren’t wearing microphones, so the audience wouldn’t know, the main group was still nearby.

Kissing passionately behind everyone’s backs felt a bit like an affair.

Yu Jing’s heart felt both nervous and thrilled. As her breathing steadied, her rationality slowly returned. She stepped out of the warm, tight embrace, “looking” at Ming Zhu, and asked in a hushed voice, “Why are you still here?”

Ming Zhu couldn’t see her, only feeling her presence through her touch. She brushed Yu Jing’s sweaty face, gently wiping the sweat, and said, “Waiting for you.”

Yu Jing froze, not asking why Ming Zhu waited. A sudden thought struck her, and she blurted out, “You didn’t deliberately cause the power outage, did you?!”

“…” Ming Zhu seemed stumped. A soft sigh sounded in the dark. She pinched Yu Jing’s face with a mix of helplessness and amusement, saying, “You think I’m you.”

Yu Jing choked, realizing it didn’t seem likely.

“I’m not that immoral to cause trouble for the show just for my own desires,” Ming Zhu explained. “When I delivered snacks to the last group, a trainee got too excited and spilled soup on me. I went to the bathroom to clean up. I planned to check on you one last time, but as I left the bathroom, I saw your group heading out, and then the power went out.”

“So that’s it,” Yu Jing said, patting her chest. Another key question hit her. “It was so dark. How did you find me?”

During the outage, Ming Zhu wasn’t near her, or the other trainees would have noticed. It was chaotic, everyone blind and hesitant to move. Yu Jing couldn’t figure out how Ming Zhu found her.

Did she wear night-vision goggles?

She reached to touch Ming Zhu’s face.

Of course, she felt nothing.

Ming Zhu dodged her flailing hand. Her fingers slid down Yu Jing’s sweaty, warm cheek, past her soft hair, to the sensitive gland at her neck. Leaning closer, she sniffed gently and said in a low voice, “Your pheromones led me to you.”

Her smooth nail grazed the sensitive gland, making Yu Jing tremble and melt into her arms. Biting her lip, she recalled Ming Zhu’s bold actions, saying with lingering fear, “Weren’t you afraid the lights would come back and someone would see us?”

Ming Zhu held her, chuckling softly. “I was afraid,” she said. “But I couldn’t help it.”

From the moment Yu Jing performed on stage, Ming Zhu couldn’t resist. Her girlfriend was so outstanding, so radiant, yet she couldn’t touch her and had to pretend they weren’t close on camera. The torment was indescribable.

When the lights went out, Ming Zhu even wondered if the heavens pitied her, creating this opportunity. Her Alpha instincts and possessiveness overpowered her rationality. Ignoring the consequences, she followed the sweet pheromones to her Omega.

Strictly speaking, they’d only been apart for a day, but to Ming Zhu, it felt like ages. The day’s events stirred her, exposing the selfish desires buried in her heart. She wanted to tie Yu Jing to her side, letting her go nowhere.

But in reality…

Snap—

The lights suddenly blazed on, flooding their eyes.

The two embracing saw each other and froze.

“The power’s finally back!”

“Thank goodness, we can leave. I’m dying of heat.”

“Huh, where’s Jingjing? Anyone see her?”

“No idea, I could still see her before the outage.”

“Jingjing—” Someone shouted her name loudly.

Recognizing Xiao Yihuan’s voice, Yu Jing snapped to attention. Her back against the wall stiffened instantly. She hurriedly pried Ming Zhu’s hand from her waist, whispering urgently, “I have to go!”

If she didn’t leave now, they’d really get caught.

Xiao Yihuan called her name repeatedly with no response. Wu Dan Ni, her roommate, heard and thought Yu Jing was missing. After a quick discussion, they decided to split up to find her.

Wu Dan Ni went to the practice room, while Xiao Yihuan headed to the bathroom.

To reach the bathroom, Xiao Yihuan had to pass their spot. Hearing her urgent footsteps and calls through the wall, Yu Jing grew even more anxious.

She tried to make Ming Zhu let go, but Ming Zhu held her tighter. Suddenly, Ming Zhu leaned down and, without warning, bit her slightly parted lips hard.

“Hiss—” Yu Jing winced, sucking in a sharp breath.

Why did she bite?

The footsteps grew closer. Yu Jing couldn’t understand Ming Zhu’s unusual behavior. Afraid Xiao Yihuan would hear, she could only glare at Ming Zhu in shock and grievance.

Ming Zhu stood against the light, half her face in shadow. Her amber eyes, veiled by long lashes, held a dark, unclear emotion. Her cool fingertips touched Yu Jing’s slightly swollen lips from the kiss. Staring at her briefly, she leaned close to her ear, whispering a warning, “Don’t get too close to Yihuan.”

“?” Yu Jing didn’t grasp the meaning before Ming Zhu released her waist.

“Who’s there?” Xiao Yihuan’s timid, hesitant voice came from behind. “Is that you, Jingjing?”

Two steps away!

Ming Zhu grabbed Yu Jing’s shoulders and pushed her out. Yu Jing stumbled, turning past the wall, fully exposed to Xiao Yihuan.

“Phew!” Xiao Yihuan jumped, her eyelashes nearly flying off from the sudden figure. Seeing it was Yu Jing, she thought Yu Jing hid to scare her. Patting her chest, she said crossly, “Why are you like this? I thought something happened to you, and you’re scaring me.”

“…” Yu Jing was also startled by her. Guiltily glancing at the wall, she confirmed Xiao Yihuan couldn’t see Ming Zhu from this angle. Steadying herself, she hooked her arm around Xiao Yihuan’s neck, grinning cheekily, “Your courage is too small.”

Xiao Yihuan huffed, saying, “I’m scared of the dark. The outage freaked me out, and I looked for you forever… What were you doing over here?”

Yu Jing, taller, blocked her view of the wall, pushing her outward while saying, “Using the bathroom.”

Xiao Yihuan looked skeptical. “Why’d you go during the outage?”

“Couldn’t hold it,” Yu Jing said, face unflushed, breath steady.

Xiao Yihuan was speechless for two seconds, reluctantly accepting her excuse. “You’re so brave,” she said.

“You bet,” Yu Jing said, growing smug. Pinching Xiao Yihuan’s nose, she added, “Forgot my glorious feat of sleeping in the haunted house during ‘Treasure Hunt’’s third episode?”

At “haunted house,” Xiao Yihuan shuddered. Swatting her hand away, she noticed Yu Jing’s fingers were dry. Her gaze froze, and she asked, “Did you wash your hands after the bathroom?”

Yu Jing froze, caught off guard.

The bathroom excuse was a lie, and she didn’t expect Xiao Yihuan to take it so seriously. Seeing her nervously staring at her hand, Yu Jing smirked mischievously, saying, “Oops, I forgot.”

“You forgot!” Xiao Yihuan’s eyes widened in shock. “You touched my nose with your bathroom hand! Argh, I’m gonna kill you!”

“Hey, my bad, my bad! Stop pinching my waist, it tickles, haha—” Yu Jing half-seriously begged for mercy.

Their playful bickering faded as they walked away.

Before leaving, Yu Jing couldn’t resist glancing at the wall. Seeing Ming Zhu’s figure half-exposed, her heart raced. She shot a look, signaling Ming Zhu to hide quickly.

Ming Zhu didn’t move. Her light eyes suppressed some emotion, giving Yu Jing a meaningful glance before staring intensely at Xiao Yihuan, who was tugging at her.

Afraid Ming Zhu would be seen, Yu Jing didn’t dwell on the emotion’s meaning. She quickly hugged Xiao Yihuan tighter, preventing her from turning, and half-dragged her away.

“Yihuan… Jingjing?” Meanwhile, Wu Dan Ni, who hadn’t found her in the practice room, returned. Seeing Yu Jing, she sighed in relief and ran over. “Where were you? You had us searching forever.”

Yu Jing used the same excuse to brush her off. Wu Dan Ni didn’t suspect anything.

Her friends’ concern made Yu Jing feel guilty about sneaking off with Ming Zhu. She hooked one arm around Xiao Yihuan and reached for Wu Dan Ni with the other, smiling appeasingly. “All good now, let’s head back,” she said.

Wu Dan Ni stiffened, looking down in shock at their joined wrists.

Sensing something, Yu Jing glanced over. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Wu Dan Ni looked up, her eyes mixed with disbelief and emotion. She smiled wryly, saying, “I thought… you didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

Yu Jing paused, realizing slowly, her eyes dimming.

Wu Dan Ni grew awkward, pressing her lips tightly. In Yu Jing’s silence, she hesitantly pulled her hand back.

Xiao Yihuan didn’t know their past conflict but sensed something unusual in their subtle tension, even as oblivious as she was.

It wasn’t the right place to ask. Caught in the middle, Xiao Yihuan felt awkward. Scratching her head, she broke the silence. “Let’s go quick, or the power might go out again,” she said.

Yu Jing glanced at her, knowing she was helping her out. She smirked, saying, “You little coward.”

“Hey, I know you’re brave, stop picking on me,” Xiao Yihuan teased back.

As they walked off arm in arm, Wu Dan Ni stood frozen, her heart sour and bitter, unsure if she felt envy or jealousy.

She used to be Yu Jing’s best friend, but now, it seemed Yu Jing had found someone to replace her.

Could they never go back?

A new day began, the sun rising as usual.

When the alarm woke her, Xiao Yihuan nearly fell off the bed. Her limbs felt heavy, not her own, aching terribly, yet she still had to go running!

Completely drained, Xiao Yihuan was practically carried downstairs by her three roommates.

Chen Chen saw her pale, weak face and kindly said, “Yihuan, you okay?”

Xiao Yihuan leaned on Yu Jing’s shoulder, barely whispering, “Brother Chen, I practiced too hard yesterday and have no energy today. Can I skip running for one day?”

Chen Chen saw she wasn’t faking and softened, saying, “Well, then…”

“No,” a cold voice interrupted Chen Chen.

Chen Chen glanced over, seeing Ming Zhu, his fellow lifestyle counselor, with a stern, unsmiling face. He choked, swallowing his unfinished words.

Xiao Yihuan’s face fell, looking pitifully at Ming Zhu. “Sister Ming Zhu… Teacher Ming Zhu, can’t you make an exception? I’m not slacking, just one day off. I’ll make it up tomorrow, okay?”

“No,” Ming Zhu said, like a strict supervisor. She glanced at Yu Jing, whom Xiao Yihuan leaned on, her gaze softening briefly. Turning back to Xiao Yihuan, her face became cold and unyielding again. “Muscle soreness means you need to run more to flush out the lactic acid,” she said.

Is that true?

Xiao Yihuan felt Ming Zhu had been targeting her these past two days. Without solid proof, her gut told her Ming Zhu had an issue with her. She didn’t know how she’d offended Ming Zhu and wanted to ask but didn’t dare. She could only look pleadingly at Yu Jing for confirmation.

“There’s some truth to what Teacher says,” Yu Jing said, thinking it over, using her own experience to back Ming Zhu. “Last time I slacked off at home for a few days, the first dance back left me sore all over. But after dancing more, the pain went away. So, you should run. I’ll support you, and we can go slow.”

With even Yu Jing saying so, Xiao Yihuan gave in. “Fine,” she said.

“Good girl,” Yu Jing said, patting her head.

[Yihuan, baby, you’re too intense. No one dances that hard their first time.]

[The show only gave three days. With such a tight schedule, who dares not go all out?]

[Yihuan’s really working hard.]

[Ming Zhu’s so strict as a mentor. Yesterday, that sweet little O tried charming her, and she gave no face. Yihuan’s so close to her, yet she still gave no leeway.]

[She’s supposed to be impartial. I think Ming Zhu’s right, and it’s scientifically sound.]

[I wanna see how Ming Zhu reacts if Yu Jing pleads.]

[I bet a pack of spicy snacks, if Yu Jing pleads, Ming Zhu would totally play favorites, lol.]

[Ming Zhu: Of course I favor my wife!]

[Pfft, no Ming-Yu interaction here, not even a glance. Why are you water fish fans stirring again?]

[Poor water fish, Ming-Yu’s done. Some of you are still clinging. Wake up.]

[Who says Ming-Yu’s done? That red chili wonton last night doesn’t prove anything? Ming-Yu’s real, they’re just avoiding suspicion on camera!]

[Poor water fish, deluded now. Yu-Yi’s the real deal. Look, they’re stuck together running, practically conjoined twins. Ugh, this pair’s too cute.]

Under the blazing sun, sixty trainees gritted their teeth running.

Xiao Yihuan’s legs ached, barely moving. Using Yu Jing as a crutch, they lagged slowly behind the group.

At the starting point, Chen Chen lounged under a shady tree, sipping soda. Seeing Ming Zhu start to join the run, he quickly reached out to stop her.

Ming Zhu paused, her eyes questioning as she glanced at him. What?

Chen Chen jumped up, spitting out his straw. He sneakily checked Yu Jing and Xiao Yihuan at the back, then scanned around, ensuring no cameras or staff noticed them. Leaning close to Ming Zhu, he whispered, “You weren’t deliberately picking on Yihuan just now, were you?”

Ming Zhu’s brows furrowed, coolly countering, “Why would I pick on her?”

Chen Chen chuckled, winking. “Jealous of netizens shipping her and Jingjing’s CP, right?”

“…” A breeze squinted her eyes, hair covering her face. Ming Zhu tilted her head, her lashes lowering, hiding a flicker of complex emotion. She looked at the two supporting each other ahead, saying flatly, “You’re overthinking.”

Before Chen Chen could probe further, Ming Zhu ran off into the sun.

After running, Xiao Yihuan’s body still ached, but she regained some strength. With two days until the theme song performance, she hadn’t memorized the dance moves and didn’t dare slack. After breakfast, she went to the practice room, tirelessly dragging Yu Jing to train with her.

They practiced for an hour, rested for fifteen minutes, chatted, and discussed details. As the six sprawled on the floor relaxing, the mentors unexpectedly arrived to check their progress.

The six scrambled up, hurriedly fixing their appearance in the mirror, shouting in unison, “Hello, Teachers!”

Yu Jing thought only the four professional mentors would come, but Ming Zhu and Chen Chen showed up too. Her gaze lingered on them for a few seconds.

Vocal mentor Ai Li explained the mentors were there to vote for each group’s center. Yu Jing finally understood.

“Start when you’re ready,” Ai Li said.

Yu Jing asked her teammates, “Everyone ready?”

Four teammates nodded. Only Xiao Yihuan, nervously twisting her fingers, looked at her hesitantly.

Yu Jing knew she lacked confidence. Holding her hand, she said, “It’s okay, it’s not the PK yet.”

Vocal mentor Chen Ziyi encouraged her too. “It’s just a spot check to pick the center. No need to be so nervous,” she said.

Chen Chen teased, “Yihuan, you’re not shy because I’m dressed so handsomely today, are you?”

Xiao Yihuan glared, puffing her cheeks. “Brother Chen, you’re too full of yourself. That peacock shirt isn’t handsome at all!” she shot back.

Chen Chen tugged at his bright floral shirt, asking the other mentors, “Not handsome?”

Ai Li chuckled behind his fist. “It does look like a peacock,” he said.

The other mentors laughed too.

The tense atmosphere eased with the laughter. Yu Jing shot Chen Chen a grateful look, patted Xiao Yihuan’s shoulder to relax her, and the six lined up in their practiced formation, dancing to the music.

The check only required half the song. Ai Li stopped the music, and the six halted, standing in a line for the mentors’ votes. The chosen centers were Yu Jing and teammate Chen Xiao.

Since it wasn’t the formal PK, the mentors gave brief feedback. Ai Li praised Yu Jing thoroughly, then turned to Xiao Yihuan, panting beside her, saying, “Yihuan’s dancing is still weak. You made a few mistakes, and the chorus rhythm was off.”

Xiao Yihuan stuck out her tongue, humbly saying, “Thank you, Teacher, for pointing it out. I’ll keep working hard.”

Mi Ya felt the critique was harsh, worried it might dent the trainees’ confidence. Smiling, she said, “Yihuan has no dance background, but you’ve done well for that. I watched the livestream yesterday. You were tripping over your feet at first, but you learned in a day. That’s great progress!”

Who doesn’t love praise? Xiao Yihuan beamed, nudging Yu Jing beside her. “Thanks to my fairy captain Jingjing,” she said. “I couldn’t dance at all, and she patiently taught me step by step.”

Chen Chen laughed. “Jingjing, why are you always the fairy? You were my fairy teammate on ‘Treasure Hunt’, and now you’re the fairy captain,” he said.

“She’s just that awesome!” Xiao Yihuan said, hugging Yu Jing’s arm, eyes sparkling.

Yu Jing didn’t take credit, humbly saying, “No, no, I just guided some moves. It’s mostly her hard work. Yihuan’s really dedicated, practicing over ten hours yesterday. She could barely get out of bed this morning.”

“Hey, you didn’t need to add that last part,” Xiao Yihuan said, shyly burying her face in Yu Jing’s shoulder.

Mi Ya watched their close interactions and, thinking of something, teased, “You two are so close, no wonder so many people ship ‘Yu-Yi.’”

“What’s ‘Yu-Yi’?” Yu Jing asked, confused.

Xiao Yihuan, equally puzzled, lifted her head from Yu Jing’s shoulder, looking blankly at Mi Ya.

Mi Ya covered her mouth, chuckling. “It’s your CP name!” she explained. “Your interactions in the practice room are so fun, so the audience started shipping your CP.”

Yu Jing and Xiao Yihuan exchanged a glance, understanding dawning.

As they eagerly discussed the “Yu-Yi” CP, Chen Chen looked at Ming Zhu, silent on his right. Her jaw was clenched, her gaze at Mi Ya eerily similar to the cool look she gave him last night.

Recalling the threatening vibe from her eyes then, Chen Chen shivered. A spark of mischief hit him, wanting to stir things up.

“Ahem—” Chen Chen coughed to draw attention. He glanced at the camera, then deliberately at Ming Zhu, before fixing on Yu Jing. Holding his hand like a microphone to her mouth, he asked with interest, “The new ‘Yu-Yi’ CP is out, and many netizens want to ditch ‘Ming-Yu’ CP. As a party to both, what’s your take?”

Yu Jing, surprised, instinctively looked at Ming Zhu.

Something flashed in Ming Zhu’s eyes, too quick for the camera to catch. Her lips pursed tightly, her gaze steady on Yu Jing.

Yu Jing’s heart pounded. In a daze, she recalled Ming Zhu’s words after biting her last night: “Don’t get too close to Yihuan.”

“…”

She didn’t get it then, but now Yu Jing seemed to understand.

Was Ming Zhu upset because people were shipping her with Xiao Yihuan?

Or… jealous?

No wonder the kiss was so intense, like she wanted to devour her…

Those details replayed in her mind at the wrong moment, and Yu Jing’s face heated up.

Thankfully, her post-dance sweat hid it. Suppressing the ripples in her heart, she looked at Ming Zhu, forcing a smile. “They can ship whoever they want,” she said. “I can’t control that.”

A vague answer was the safest, but Chen Chen, intent on chaos, thrived on drama. He moved the “microphone” to Ming Zhu, whose expression was unreadable, and asked, “Ming Zhu, some want to ditch ‘Ming-Yu.’ What’s your take?”

Ming Zhu gave him a cryptic glance, her eyes sweeping over Xiao Yihuan, who leaned bonelessly on Yu Jing’s shoulder. With a half-smile, she said, “Sorry, I don’t agree.”