Mark Me, Okay? - Chapter 3

“Lili’s back?” Qi Xiangxing’s mother was watering the flowers in the front yard when she saw her daughter riding home with Luan Li on the bike. She shot Qi Xiangxing a glare before smiling warmly at Luan Li.

Luan Li stood up from the electric bike’s rear seat—her long legs made the small vehicle rather cramped. She beamed at Mrs. Qi: “Good afternoon, Auntie!”

“Good afternoon!” Mrs. Qi replied cheerfully before rounding on Qi Xiangxing: “You little rascal! Why didn’t you take the school uniform I washed yesterday? Hmm? Didn’t you need to wear it today?”

Qi Xiangxing’s expression changed as she pleaded softly, “Mom, mom, please don’t…” She’d already lost face in front of Luan Li today, and now her mother was making it worse.

Ignoring her, Mrs. Qi gazed fondly at Luan Li, her admiration growing: “Lili, come over for dinner tonight?”

Luan Li waved with a smile: “No thanks, Auntie! My mom’s waiting for me at home. I should go do my homework now!”

Mrs. Qi watched Luan Li leave with a smile, only turning to glare at Qi Xiangxing after the girl entered her house: “I was calling after you this morning, but you wouldn’t turn around! Didn’t you want your uniform?”

Qi Xiangxing muttered, “Luan Li was on duty today…”

“Even if she was on duty! Stop causing trouble for her!” Mrs. Qi gave her daughter a disappointed look: “Luan Li ranks first in the grade. And you? You’re a class monitor but rank 250th out of 300 students.”

Qi Xiangxing hung her head as her mother scolded her. Though her grades were poor, Luan Li’s were excellent! She’d already defined her future persona as—

The most doting alpha to her wife!

Since her wife-to-be was so outstanding, she’d just focus on pampering her.

Qi Xiangxing fantasized happily—as a fierce alpha, she’d never bully the soft omega Luan Li. Well… except maybe in bed.

Qi Xiangxing and Luan Li shared the same birthday, though Luan Li was born five minutes earlier. Those five minutes haunted Qi Xiangxing. As a child, upon learning she was younger, she’d demanded to know why her father hadn’t made her arrive sooner—nearly earning herself a beating.

Five-year-old Qi Xiangxing had stomped to her mother in tears: “Mommy, why am I five minutes younger than Lili?”

Mrs. Qi struggled to explain.

The child wailed: “Waaah! I don’t wanna call my wife ‘big sister’!”

Mrs. Qi barely intercepted Mr. Qi’s reaching for a stick.

The next day, the neighborhood’s little tyrant Qi Xiangxing confronted Luan Li with a blade of grass in her mouth, arms crossed: “Mommy says your birth clock was six minutes fast! So I’m older—” She paused, unable to calculate, then declared fiercely: “So I’m older than you!”

Five-year-old Luan Li blinked her dark, bright eyes, tilting her head.

Blushing, Qi Xiangxing avoided her gaze: “So you have to call me big sister! Got it?”

Now eighteen, having just celebrated her birthday two days prior, Qi Xiangxing writhed under her blankets in embarrassment recalling her childhood antics. Suddenly sitting up, she ordered “The Alpha’s Self-Cultivation” on her phone.

Early the next morning, Qi Xiangxing rode her electric scooter to Luan Li’s apartment building, calling out, “Luan Li! Hurry up! Time for school!”

Luan’s mother looked at her daughter curiously. “Why is Xingxing up so early today?”

Luan Li methodically packed her breakfast while casually pouring the soy milk from a nearby cup into her thermos. “She said she’d take me to school.”

“I see.” Luan’s mother didn’t pay attention to what her daughter was doing as she stood up and headed to the kitchen. “Then I’ll pack some food for Xingxing. Doesn’t she love peanut butter the most? I’ll add extra.”

Luan Li screwed the lid back on the peanut butter jar, picked up her backpack, and stood. “Mom, I’m leaving now.”

As Luan’s mother came out with a sandwich, she heard the door close. Standing there, she smiled helplessly. “You were supposed to take this for Xingxing! That girl.”

“You finally came out!” Qi Xiangxing checked the time and pouted. “I’ve been waiting for two whole minutes!”

Luan Li handed her the sandwich with a perfectly straight face, then casually passed her the thermos. “Mom told me to give this to you.”

Qi Xiangxing stuffed the thermos into the scooter’s basket and took a huge bite of the sandwich, her eyes lighting up. “!!! Auntie’s cooking is amazing! She still remembers I love peanut butter!”

Her words were muffled as she spoke with her mouth full, but Luan Li could make out phrases like “so good” and “delicious.”

After finishing the sandwich, Qi Xiangxing opened the thermos, covering the opening with her thumb as she took a few sips of soy milk, her delight growing. “Auntie even had you bring me soy milk! Thank you, Auntie!”

Meanwhile, back at Luan Li’s house, her father, who had just woken up, stared at his empty soy milk cup in confusion. “Where’s my soy milk?”

“You’re asking me?” Luan’s mother snorted. “Lili never drinks soy milk. If you didn’t drink it, who else could have?”

Luan’s father: ???

“What events are you signing up for for the sports meet?” Qi Xiangxing asked Luan Li while waiting at a red light.

Luan Li countered, “What about you?”

“A fierce alpha like me has to go for running, of course!” Qi Xiangxing planted one foot on the ground and proudly patted her leg. “Look at these long legs!”

Luan Li, who also had long legs, felt even more cramped sitting behind Qi Xiangxing on the scooter.

“Shouldn’t a fierce alpha go for shot put or something?” Luan Li asked calmly.

“All the track events are on the first day. The rest—high jump, long jump, shot put—are all on the second day,” Qi Xiangxing muttered. “The second day’s supposed to be super hot—38 degrees according to the forecast!”

“And the first day?”

“37 degrees!” Qi Xiangxing looked triumphant, as if she’d pulled off a masterstroke. “Pretty clever, huh? I plan to just sit in the stands on the second day and watch everyone sweat buckets.”

Before Luan Li could respond, an elderly man waiting behind them honked angrily. “The light’s green! Are you going or not?”

Qi Xiangxing quickly turned to apologize. “Going, going, we’re going!” She twisted the throttle, nearly sending Luan Li flying.

“President, the class seating assignments for the sports meet are out.” As soon as Luan Li entered the classroom, someone handed her the layout chart.

The student council was mainly responsible for maintaining order among the classes during the sports meet. Luan Li took the A4 sheet, scanned it briefly, her voice betraying no emotion: “Class Three and Class Four are assigned to the area near the shot put field?”

The shot put field was right next to the bleachers, offering a clear view from the seating area.

Just then, the class sports committee member walked over: “Class president, are you signing up for any events this year?”

“Shot put.” Luan Li stated calmly before leaving with the assignment sheet.

“Oh, shot put.” The sports committee member wrote down Luan Li’s name, then suddenly realized something was wrong: “Wait, class president? How can you sign up for shot put?! President! Don’t leave!”

“Breaking news! Class Three’s delicate omega class president signed up for shot put!” Class Four’s sports committee member burst into the classroom breathlessly to report to Qi Xiangxing.

Qi Xiangxing’s smile froze: “Luan Li? Shot put?”

The committee member nodded vigorously: “Absolutely true!”

Qi Xiangxing’s expression changed. She slammed down her pen and stormed out, only to return after two steps to grab her freshly washed thermos. Left behind, her deskmate Du Ziheng and the committee member muttered: “She hasn’t even presented yet, stop calling her a delicate omega. Learn from me – just call her ‘sister-in-law’.”

“Everyone knows Luan Li will present as an omega.” The committee member caught his breath and straightened up, watching Qi Xiangxing leave when he suddenly realized: “Where’s our class president going?”

“Definitely to find Luan Li.” Du Ziheng sighed: “Why did Class Three’s committee have to pick Luan Li for shot put of all things? Are they joking?”

Class Three students found it strange to see Qi Xiangxing at their door. Someone passing by asked: “Looking for our class president?”

“Looking for your sports committee member.” Qi Xiangxing forced a smile that looked somewhat unsettling: “Need to discuss something.”

Class Three’s sports committee member was a fully presented alpha half a head taller than Qi Xiangxing. Currently distressed about not filling all the sports event slots, he looked puzzled at Qi Xiangxing.

“What’s up?” he asked.

Qi Xiangxing took a deep breath, eyeing this hulking figure with mixed feelings – had Luan Li been surrounded by such an alpha all this time? A sudden sense of crisis washed over her.

“Luan Li signed up for shot put?” Qi Xiangxing cut straight to the point. Honestly, she couldn’t believe Luan Li would volunteer for shot put. In her mind, her delicate omega sweetheart Lili should be pampered and protected.

This must be that hulking guy’s doing!

Hearing this, Class Three’s committee member acted like he’d found an ally and started complaining: “I’m worried about that too! Our class president is so slender, why would she sign up for shot put? I tried talking her out of it, but she’s determined…”

Then his eyes lit up: “Hey! You’re close with our class president! Talk some sense into her! We have other alphas in class – how can we let an omega do shot put? What would other classes think of us?”

Qi Xiangxing relaxed the fist she had been clenching behind her back, ready to strike at any moment. She brought her hand to her lips and coughed awkwardly, “Ah… I see. Well, I-I’ll go talk to her then.”

Under the awed gaze of the class three sports committee member, Qi Xiangxing returned to her classroom, her whole body stiff with discomfort.

What could she do? She couldn’t defy Luan Li either… Sometimes, just looking into Luan Li’s eyes made her heart tremble with unease.

“Qi Xiangxing!” A familiar, soft voice called from behind. Qi Xiangxing froze, then turned around, forcing a smile at Luan Li, who stood before her.

“Luan Li.”

Luan Li stepped closer, noticing her own thermos in Qi Xiangxing’s hand. “Looking for me?”

Qi Xiangxing steeled herself. After a long pause, she finally spoke up, “I heard you signed up for shot put…”

“Oh!” Luan Li beamed. “Are you here to cheer me on too?” She playfully tapped Qi Xiangxing’s hanging hand, took back her thermos, and grinned brightly. “Alright! I’ll do my best! Thanks for coming!”

Watching Luan Li walk away, Qi Xiangxing stood silently for a long moment before her entire face suddenly flushed crimson.