Mark Me, Okay? - Chapter 20

When Qi Xiangxing woke up, it was already dark. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and reached for the alarm clock beside her. The clock showed it was now 10 PM. Stretching her neck, she felt sore all over, her mind still foggy.

This wasn’t the grogginess of oversleeping—it felt more like her body’s rhythm had been forcibly disrupted by medication.

She sniffed the air, catching a scent that didn’t belong in her room. Blinking, she turned and noticed the window slightly ajar. Maybe it was just her imagination?

No wonder the doctor had repeatedly warned her when prescribing the suppressants—never use them carelessly, or they might cause adverse reactions.

Back then, Qi Xiangxing had been too busy stewing in her anger at Luan Li to listen. But now, thinking calmly…

The doctor had been right.

With a sigh, her stomach growled. She rubbed her belly and got up to check the mirror. The moment her feet touched the floor, they felt weak, as if stepping on cotton. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself forward.

Lifting her shirt, Qi Xiangxing exhaled in relief at the faint but still visible abdominal lines. She nodded in satisfaction.

At least this one part of her wasn’t too omega-like.

She tiptoed downstairs, bracing for a scolding from her parents for sleeping so late. To her surprise, the living room lights were still on, her parents sitting on the couch watching TV. They even smiled when they saw her.

“Awake, Xingxing?”

Every hair on her body stood on end. She hunched her shoulders slightly, forcing herself to walk down and reply meekly, “Yeah.”

“Hungry?” her father asked gently.

Her father was rarely this soft-spoken. To Qi Xiangxing, his gentleness was as ominous as the calm before a storm.

She forced a smile, trying to pretend the suppressant incident never happened. But before she could speak, her mother chimed in warmly:

“Xingxing must be starving, right? There’s food in the kitchen—all your favorites.” Her mother beamed. “But don’t eat too much at night. It’s not good for you.”

Something’s off! Seriously off!

Her internal alarm blared. Feigning nonchalance, she smiled and quickly slipped into the kitchen.

The food didn’t look like leftovers—more like it had been freshly prepared, probably by the housekeeper.

Taking a deep breath, Qi Xiangxing put the dishes in the microwave.

What the hell is going on?

Leaning against the counter, she rubbed her chin in thought.

This isn’t right. Not at all.

She sighed. Whatever. If something’s off, so be it. It’s not a big deal. But those suppressants…

Testing her body, she was pleasantly surprised to find none of the usual sensitivity symptoms—just some lingering weakness.

—Are suppressants really this effective?!

She recalled the doctor’s words when she bought the suppressants—that such inhibitors would have minimal effect on someone with hormone dependency syndrome, and using them once would only trigger an even more intense rebound next time…

Qi Xiangxing: Hmph, what a load of lies! I bet Luan Li bribed this doctor!

“Ding—”

The microwave beeped. Qi Xiangxing turned around, put on oven mitts, and took out the plate. Not daring to eat openly in the dining room, she quickly finished her dinner standing in the kitchen.

After eating, she even washed the dishes.

After neatly placing the clean dishes in the cupboard, Qi Xiangxing let out a long sigh and prepared to continue her study plan for the day. But the moment she stepped out of the kitchen, she saw her parents sitting on the sofa, smiling at her.

Qi Xiangxing: Thanks, but my legs just turned to jelly.

“Are you still going to study today?” her mother asked with concern.

Qi Xiangxing struggled to control the twitching in her facial muscles: “Y-yes…”

“Get some rest early,” her father chimed in.

Qi Xiangxing blinked, still not understanding what was going on. But remembering her bet with Wu Zhi, though reluctant, she dragged Luan Li into it as an excuse:

“But Luan Li assigns me a fixed amount of work every day. I have to finish it before I can sleep.”

She thought invoking Luan Li’s name would make her parents back off, but she was wrong.

Her mother smiled warmly. “No need to rush.”

Her father added with a grin, “Lili said you weren’t feeling well today. You should rest early.”

Qi Xiangxing: ???

Luan Li???

When did she come over?!

In that instant, Qi Xiangxing suddenly realized why her parents were acting so strangely tonight!!!

Damn it! Luan Li had been here!

Like a bolt of clarity, she finally understood where that unfamiliar scent in her room had come from.

But… Luan Li was always so proper and restrained—there was no way she actually held me, right? At most, she just stood by the bed and glanced at me before leaving.

Guess… it was just the suppressants after all…

Somehow, Qi Xiangxing’s mood shifted from secret delight to disappointment. She hung her head and trudged upstairs listlessly.

Watching their daughter’s dejected retreat, Qi Xiangxing’s parents exchanged a glance and spoke simultaneously:

“Has all that studying fried her brain?”

“Is Xingxing in love?”

Her mother shot her father a glare. “You’re the one whose brain is fried! Our Xingxing is just starting to blossom!”

“You think she’s in love?” Her father looked shocked. “With who?”

Her mother snorted and ignored him.

The next morning, Qi Xiangxing woke up early and stood behind the curtains, peeking through a slit at Luan Li’s front door across the street.

Glancing at the alarm clock in her hand, she whispered, “Five, four, three, two, one…”

The moment the alarm rang, Luan Li stepped out of her house.

Qi Xiangxing cleared her throat, then ruffled her hair and rubbed her eyes, pretending to be barely awake. Only when Luan Li called out to her did she lazily pull back the curtains and grumble, “I’m up, I’m up!”

Luan Li stood in her school uniform under the gentle morning sunlight, tilting her head up to look at Qi Xiangxing. The soft glow bathed her face, carrying an aura of tranquil beauty.

She chuckled lightly and said, “I thought you’d sleep in a bit longer.”

Qi Xiangxing snorted, “I’m not a pig.”

“Come down, I’ll wait for you.” Luan Lilifted the bag in her hand. “I brought you breakfast.”

“Unless it’s the sandwich your mom made, I’m not coming down!”

“Alright, alright, I got it!”