Mark Me, Okay? - Chapter 13

Her words were a bit convoluted, but Luan Li understood. She raised her beautiful eyes and gazed intently at Qi Xiangxing.

“Xingxing, I didn’t want it to be like that either.”

Qi Xiangxing suddenly realized her words might have sounded overly ambiguous. Hastily, she tried to cover it up by adding, “Don’t misunderstand! I just didn’t want to go through that painful withdrawal period!”

Luan Li nodded, though her eyes sparkled with amusement.

“I know.”

Qi Xiangxing let out a sigh of relief and stole another glance at Luan Li. Seeing that her earlier words hadn’t elicited any unusual reaction, she relaxed completely and impulsively pulled Luan Li into a tight hug.

Caught off guard, Luan Li stiffened. The distinct milky scent of an omega instantly enveloped her. Trembling slightly, she wrapped her arms around Qi Xiangxing, the warmth of the girl’s soft body against hers, even the sound of her breath by her ear feeling irresistibly alluring.

“Qi Xiangxing…”

Luan Li’s voice quivered as she lightly rested her hands on Qi Xiangxing’s back, afraid to move too much, as if cradling something precious.

“Don’t talk,” Qi Xiangxing murmured, her voice unsteady, her ears flushed red. “This is part of the treatment.”

Luan Li chuckled softly and patted her back.

Qi Xiangxing was certain she had lost her mind—otherwise, why would she suddenly feel the urge to stay like this with Luan Li forever?

Neither spoke, neither willing to shatter the quiet moment.

“Hey, you two youngsters! Keep it decent! This is a public place!”

A security guard’s shout from afar made them spring apart.

Both faces were flushed, their eyes darting away. After a brief silence, Luan Li was the first to speak.

“Since everything’s fine now, let’s head back to school.”

Though reluctant, Qi Xiangxing couldn’t argue. She rubbed her nose and stole another glance at Luan Li. “Okay.”

On the way back, at Qi Xiangxing’s insistence, Luan Li sat on the bike’s rear seat. But even as Qi Xiangxing pedaled, her gaze grew distant, her mind clearly elsewhere.

When Qi Xiangxing nearly swerved for the third time, Luan Li couldn’t hold back and tapped her back. “Are you okay? Should I take over?”

Qi Xiangxing steadied the handlebars—and herself—clearing her throat. “I’m fine. We’re almost there.”

Waiting at a traffic light near the school, inspiration struck Qi Xiangxing. With a sharp turn, she veered into the street next to the campus.

Luan Li: ???

I never should’ve let you ride!

“Where are you going?!” The diligent student in Luan Li fretted over their afternoon classes.

Qi Xiangxing’s voice, carried by the wind, was full of exuberance. “Getting bubble tea!”

Luan Li’s eyes widened. “Second period is about to start!”

“I know, I know,” Qi Xiangxing whined, though the wind forced her to nearly shout, making her words sound oddly threatening by the time they reached Luan Li’s ears.

Luan Li: …

No need to contemplate murder over a cup of tea.

“We’re here!” Qi Xiangxing screeched to a halt and dashed to the shop. “Two iced pearl milk teas, please!”

Luan Li opened her mouth, about to say she didn’t drink milk tea because it was too sweet, when Qi Xiangxing quickly added:

“One full sugar, one half sugar!”

Luan Li closed her mouth.

Qi Xiangxing’s milk tea was ready first. While waiting for Luan Li’s drink to be prepared, she stabbed the straw in and took a huge sip, her eyes narrowing slightly with satisfaction. She let out a long sigh and exclaimed, “Bliss!”

Luan Li blinked, somewhat unable to comprehend the source of Qi Xiangxing’s current happiness. Was it… really just from a cup of milk tea?

Little Luan felt displeased. She took the milk tea handed to her by the shop owner, pulled out a straw, and stabbed it in forcefully. The paper straw didn’t pierce easily, and when she suddenly applied more strength, the cup made a loud noise.

Qi Xiangxing jumped in surprise: “What are you doing?”

Luan Li took a calm sip: “It didn’t go through, so I used more force.”

Qi Xiangxing: “Oh…”

Remembering the strength Luan Li had shown during the recent sports meet when throwing the shot put, Qi Xiangxing swallowed hard and looked at the milk tea in Luan Li’s hand with newfound sympathy.

Rest in peace.

For some reason, after seeing the milk tea in Luan Li’s hand, Qi Xiangxing’s gaze involuntarily drifted to her hands.

Luan Li’s skin was very fair, her hands especially so. Her nails were neatly trimmed, her fingers long and slender. Qi Xiangxing could even see the veins on the back of her hands when she exerted force.

Even Luan Li’s hands were prettier than others’…

Qi Xiangxing’s thoughts began to wander.

As everyone knew, marking between a female alpha and a female omega required the use of fingers. But if the alpha’s fingers weren’t long enough, they might not be able to perform a deep marking on their omega.

Because…

of some reasons that couldn’t be written about on Jinjiang.

“You’re blushing,” Luan Li poked her. “Too hot?”

Qi Xiangxing’s face turned even redder. Her rebuttal lacked conviction as she stared at the index finger Luan Li had used to poke her, suddenly feeling parched: “It is too hot. Let’s go back.”

“Okay.”

Luan Li found it strange but didn’t comment further. They rode their bikes back to school, and while parking in the shed, Luan Li casually mentioned, “I’ll drop by your place tonight.”

Qi Xiangxing, lost in her wild thoughts, blushed faintly upon hearing this and mumbled, “Meeting the parents this soon?”

Luan Li: ???

How had she only just realized how imaginative Qi Xiangxing could be?

“Given our situation, shouldn’t you inform your parents?”

Only then did Qi Xiangxing realize she’d misunderstood. She glanced at Luan Li, her voice tinged with jealousy: “My parents like you.” They’d long treated you as their son-in-law, always nagging me to learn from you.

Remembering this, Qi Xiangxing recalled her bet with that male beta. She looked at Luan Li, opened her mouth, then decided now wasn’t the right time to bring it up.

“Then bring your books when you come tonight,” Qi Xiangxing pursed her lips.

“Books?” Luan Li gave her a puzzled look. “What books?” This reminded her of something: “Oh right, that book you mentioned, ‘The Self-Cultivation of a Fierce Alpha’…”

Qi Xiangxing flushed crimson: “Alright alright, I get it! I’ll bring it! You bring your study materials!”

Luan Li blinked and said, “Okay.”

When Qin Qing saw Luan Li return, she deliberately took the opportunity during a class break to ask about their test results. Upon hearing it was “Information Dependency Syndrome,” her eyes curved into a smile:

“So, you two are basically bound together now?”

Luan Li laughed, her face slightly flushed. “Yeah.”

Back in the office, Yue Qiu couldn’t wait to message Qin Qing for details.

Qin Qing replied, “Why don’t you ask Qi Xiangxing yourself?”

Yue Qiu quickly responded, “She won’t tell me!”

Soon after, another message followed: “Teacher Qin, you’re the absolute best! Please, please tell me!”

“It’s Information Dependency Syndrome,” Qin Qing typed, shaking her head with a helpless smile before setting her phone aside.

Yue Qiu blinked, then immediately dashed to Qin Qing’s office door, poking her head in. “Teacher Qin! Teacher Qin!”

“Why’d you come up here?” Qin Qing looked at her in surprise. “No one’s around—come in.”

“Got it!” Yue Qiu swiftly closed the door behind her.

“What do you want?” Qin Qing asked without looking up, focused on writing her lesson plan.

Yue Qiu stared at her serious profile, her tone earnest and solemn. “Qin Qing, I think I’m sick too.”

She rarely addressed Qin Qing by her full name. Hearing this, Qin Qing set down her pen and looked at her quizzically. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I think I have Information Dependency Syndrome too!”

Yue Qiu grabbed Qin Qing’s hand, her eyes gleaming.