Mark Me, Okay? - Chapter 12

When they arrived at the parking lot, Qi Xiangxing still wanted to stubbornly ride the bike herself, but Luan Li pulled her onto the back seat instead. After making her sit down, Luan Li walked to the front and turned the key.

Qi Xiangxing didn’t want to sit at the back. Wriggling uncomfortably, she complained, “Luan Li, Luan Li! It’s so cramped back here! My legs are too long—I can’t stretch them out!”

Luan Li didn’t respond. She showed their leave slips to the gatekeeper before riding out of the school with Qi Xiangxing in tow. Qi Xiangxing continued her protests from behind:

“Luan Li! I’m uncomfortable!”

“Luan Li, Luan Li, Luan Li!”

“Luan Li is just a big meanie. Doesn’t she know how long my legs are? Is it even appropriate for someone with legs this long to sit at the back?”

Finally unable to take her constant whining anymore, Luan Li snapped, “Qi Xiangxing! Be quiet!”

Qi Xiangxing widened her eyes, her lashes trembling as her lips quivered in disbelief. “Luan Li! You yelled at me!”

Luan Li: “…”

She let out a long breath, propping the bike up with one leg on the ground before turning around helplessly. “Qi Xiangxing, you—” Her voice trailed off. Qi Xiangxing was staring at her with teary eyes, lips trembling as she fought back tears. Luan Li pressed her lips together and explained, “I didn’t yell at you.”

Qi Xiangxing sniffled. “You totally did just now!” She pouted. “I said I was uncomfortable sitting at the back, and you told me to be quiet!”

Luan Li: “…”

She couldn’t help but laugh.

This girl… really was her little troublemaker.

After arriving at the hospital, the two followed the doctor’s instructions and went through a series of tests. By noon, the doctor reminded them to return in the afternoon for their results.

Stepping out of the hospital, Qi Xiangxing took a deep breath of fresh air and suddenly felt invigorated. “I think I’m fine now, Luan Li.”

Luan Li shot her a glance. “That’s not for you to decide. The doctor’s word is final.”

Qi Xiangxing grew anxious. “But I really am fine!”

Luan Li chuckled, reaching out to pat her head gently. “Be good and listen, okay?”

Qi Xiangxing blinked. Even though Luan Li had already withdrawn her hand, she could still feel the lingering warmth on her head—

This was strange. She had never paid attention to such things before, but now she was noticing everything:

Luan Li’s smile, Luan Li’s eyes, Luan Li’s lips, Luan Li’s voice, the curve of her lips when she laughed, the gentleness in her tone when she spoke.

For the first time in her life, Qi Xiangxing felt herself falling.

Actually… if she really thought about it, Luan Li was such a kind and gentle person…

She had always joked around, calling Luan Li her “little wife,” but she had never stopped to wonder why she said it. Was it because of their childhood betrothal? Or was it because of all those little details about Luan Li that she had never consciously noticed but had always felt?

Qi Xiangxing stole a glance at Luan Li.

Her skin was flawless. Under the midday sun, Qi Xiangxing could even see the fine, delicate fuzz on her face, shimmering with a golden glow.

“What are you looking at?” Luan Li raised a brow, puzzled.

Qi Xiangxing stared at her face and, as if possessed, blurted out, “You’re really pretty.”

Luan Li couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Alright, I got it.”

Qi Xiangxing thought she didn’t believe her, so she earnestly repeated: “You really are beautiful.”

Luan Li’s ears turned slightly red—whether from the summer heat or Qi Xiangxing’s words was unclear.

“Let’s go eat.” Luan Li changed the subject, casually asking, “What do you want? Should we go home?”

Qi Xiangxing firmly refused: “No way!”

“Then where?”

Qi Xiangxing thought for a moment, her usual energy returning at the mention of food, her eyes sparkling: “Malatang! I know a super delicious malatang place!”

“The doctor just said you can’t eat spicy food,” Luan Li reminded her, seeing Qi Xiangxing’s excitement.

Qi Xiangxing pouted and reluctantly agreed, “Oh, fine.” Then, thinking Luan Li wasn’t paying attention, she muttered under her breath, “What’s the point of malatang without the spice?”

Luan Li shot her a sharp glare.

Qi Xiangxing shrank back: You’re right, I’ll listen to you.

The afternoon clinic started at two. After lunch, the two wandered around for a bit before heading to the hospital to wait.

The model student Luan Li sat on the hospital bench, uneasy about skipping class so openly: “We shouldn’t have wandered around the park.”

When they were alone together in the still air, Qi Xiangxing seemed affected by something again. Biting her lip, she looked at Luan Li with pitiful eyes: “You’re blaming me.”

Luan Li took a deep breath. “No.” She then looked down at the test results they had just printed from the self-service machine.

Qi Xiangxing leaned in, gazing at Luan Li’s profile with admiration: “You can understand this?”

Luan Li closed the report. “No, I can’t.”

Qi Xiangxing: …

You should’ve said you could. This ruins your image in my eyes.

Just then, the doctor hurried in, slightly surprised to see them already seated on the bench: “You’re here so early?”

Qi Xiangxing straightened up defensively: “Yeah!”

The omega doctor blinked. “I wasn’t scolding you. Why so aggressive?”

Luan Li quickly apologized: “Sorry, she’s been like this since the infirmary. Our apologies.”

“Ohhh, you’re from City A High School!” The doctor suddenly realized, looking at their uniforms. “Got it. Did you get your test results?”

Luan Li nodded and handed over the documents: “Yes, we did.”

The doctor took the results and led them to her office. As she put on her white coat, she asked, “You went to the infirmary first? What did the school nurse say?”

“Said it was hormone dependency syndrome,” Luan Li answered clearly, while Qi Xiangxing chimed in:

“We told you this morning!”

The doctor smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, I had too many patients this morning. My brain’s a bit slow.”

To cover her embarrassment, she coughed lightly and examined their test results. After a long pause, she looked up and asked, “Didn’t your parents come with you?”

Qi Xiangxing’s eyes widened. She gripped Luan Li’s clothes tightly, her voice trembling slightly: “N-no… they didn’t…”

Oh no, could she really have some terminal illness? Wait, if that were the case, why would Luan Li come with me for the check-up?

“Come here, little omega.” The doctor waved Qi Xiangxing over and explained gently, “It’s indeed Hormone Dependency Syndrome.”

Qi Xiangxing: !!!

Luan Li: ???

The doctor continued, “Here’s the situation. Look, these are your hormone compatibility results.” She slid a test report toward them.

Qi Xiangxing and Luan Li leaned in. Though they couldn’t understand the medical jargon, the final number—100—was clear.

“When an alpha and omega reach 100% compatibility, certain reactions occur,” the doctor adjusted her glasses. “This is actually natural selection at work. A perfect match like this is rare, and not marking would be a waste.”

“Hormone Dependency Syndrome is one such reaction.” Noticing Qi Xiangxing’s dazed expression, the doctor reassured her, “There’s no need to worry. It’s just nature’s way of reminding you that the alpha should mark the omega.”

“What happened this morning was one such reaction. Omegas experience this monthly, similar to but distinct from heat cycles. So—” The doctor waggled a finger. “When you meet your 100% match alpha, you’ll have two heat cycles per month~”

Qi Xiangxing swallowed hard.

“Of course, the same goes for you, little alpha! You’ll have rut cycles where you’ll crave your perfect-match omega, though yours hasn’t started yet.” The doctor smiled at them. “Understood?”

Qi Xiangxing sneaked a glance at Luan Li, only to meet Luan Li’s equally furtive gaze.

Both froze momentarily before pretending to casually look away.

“We just became adults…” Luan Li began.

Qi Xiangxing chimed in, “Yeah yeah, it’s too early for a full bond.”

Luan Li: ???

Doctor: ???

“Not a full bond,” the doctor chuckled. “Just temporary marking. Female alphas and omegas can perform temporary marks through intimate contact. Each temporary mark can suppress Hormone Dependency Syndrome to some degree, though duration varies…”

“Of course,” she added, “after a full bond, this problem disappears completely.”

As they exited the hospital, the doctor’s words echoed in their minds:

“If you’re unwilling to mark each other and want to completely resolve Hormone Dependency Syndrome, it’s best to stop seeing each other—though there’ll be a painful withdrawal period.”

Qi Xiangxing pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, and mustered her courage to face Luan Li: “I—”

Luan Li spoke simultaneously: “I—”

“You first.”

“No, you first.”

Eyes downcast and evasive, Qi Xiangxing whispered almost inaudibly: “…I don’t want to stop seeing you.”