Mark Me, Okay? - Chapter 30

Early the next morning,

Qi Xiangxing woke up right on schedule according to her biological clock. Groggily, she reached for the alarm clock beside her and accurately pressed the button on its head.

The alarm hadn’t gone off yet, but it was a rare weekend.

She pushed open the window.

Just across a small path outside her window was Luan Li’s room. Half of the wall outside Luan Li’s window was covered in ivy, which remained a vibrant green even as late autumn approached.

The two had agreed the night before to go to the movies today. Qi Xiangxing had originally wanted to go in the morning, but Luan Li insisted she sleep in and meet for lunch before heading to the cinema.

“My girlfriend is so considerate!” Qi Xiangxing thought happily, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned against the windowsill.

Seeing Qi Xiangxing bustling about so early, her mother couldn’t help but ask, “Xingxing, what are you rushing around for this early in the morning?”

Qi Xiangxing had just sat down at the dining table and was stuffing a piece of bread into her mouth. Mumbling through her food, she replied, “Nothing much.”

She was just a little excited.

Her first date with Lili!

Well, just a tiny—tiny bit excited.

“Are you going out with Lili at noon?” her mother asked casually. The only thing that could get Xingxing this worked up was spending time with Lili.

Qi Xiangxing hadn’t expected her mother to guess so accurately. Her ears turned red as she hurriedly ate her breakfast. Though she denied it, her flushed earlobes betrayed her.

Her father, puzzled, asked, “You’re going out at noon?”

Qi Xiangxing let out a “hmph” and shot him a glare before carrying her plate to the kitchen.

“What’s with this kid?!” Her father widened his eyes, looking innocently at his wife. “I just asked if she was going out at noon. Why did she give me that look?”

Her mother replied, “No tact.”

Her father: ???

“You’re here?” Qi Xiangxing stood up from the bench. To avoid their parents finding out about their date, they had arranged to meet at a park not far from home.

Qi Xiangxing had been waiting for twenty minutes. Sitting on the bench by the lake, watching the rippling water stirred by the wind, she felt her heart flutter a little too.

“Have you been waiting long?” Luan Li, dressed in casual clothes, took Qi Xiangxing’s hand and sat down beside her.

Qi Xiangxing’s face flushed slightly, and her words stumbled, “I—no, not really.”

Luan Li understood. She gently smoothed Qi Xiangxing’s wind-tousled hair, which wasn’t jet black but carried a faint golden hue under the sunlight.

“Let’s go eat,” Luan Li said, kissing her cheek.

Luan Li’s affectionate gestures weren’t practiced—they were even a little clumsy. But to Qi Xiangxing, they were perfect. As long as it was Luan Li, any gesture was beautiful.

This was their first love. In the throes of young romance, the wind tasted sweet, the water was crisp, and even the rain falling from the sky seemed tinted with rainbows.

Though they had planned to eat, neither was in a hurry. Hand in hand, they strolled along the riverbank as a gentle breeze carried the faint scent of osmanthus.

“Is that osmanthus?” Qi Xiangxing craned her neck, pretending to look around to hide her already reddening cheeks.

Luan Li also nodded, her ears faintly tinged with pink.

Qi Xiangxing turned her head, and Luan Li caught sight of her flushed cheeks; at the same time, Qi Xiangxing noticed the slight reddening of Luan Li’s ear tips.

They secretly smiled to themselves but said nothing.

The two took the bus to a nearby shopping mall. At eleven in the morning, the bus wasn’t crowded. They sat in the back row.

“Are you hungry?” Luan Li sat on the inside—Qi Xiangxing had insisted on this, determined to protect her soft alpha!

Luan Li’s voice was gentle, carrying a hint of coquetry. Qi Xiangxing suddenly recalled the voice she had heard yesterday during Luan Li’s broadcast.

That stern, cool, and unapproachable alpha was hers.

Qi Xiangxing’s lips curled into an unconscious smile.

“I’m not hungry.”

If she were, she’d just eat Lili instead.

“What movie do you want to watch?” Luan Li’s gaze was intense, leaving Qi Xiangxing no room to evade.

Qi Xiangxing tilted her head. “Anything is fine.”

As long as it was with Lili, anything—watching a movie, doing anything—was fine.

Luan Li lowered her head to scroll through her phone but couldn’t find any particularly interesting films. Just as she was about to let Qi Xiangxing decide, the latter swiftly tapped on one of the movies and declared firmly:

“This one!”

“We’re watching this!”

Luan Li paused, then looked closer—it was a horror film. She vaguely remembered seeing reviews for it earlier. The comments were almost all along the lines of—

“Run away!”

“Waaah, it’s so scary!”

“Why did I pay money to scare myself?!”

Luan Li hesitated. “Are you sure about this?”

Qi Xiangxing lifted her chin proudly. “Of course! We tough—omegas! Only watch stuff like this!” She glanced at Luan Li. “But if you’re scared, I can—”

Luan Li quickly paid and flashed a bright smile at Qi Xiangxing. “Done.”

For some reason, looking at Luan Li’s smile, Qi Xiangxing had the vague feeling she’d been tricked.

After lunch, Qi Xiangxing dragged Luan Li to the cinema to collect their tickets. While Qi Xiangxing was busy at the kiosk, Luan Li bought a bucket of popcorn and two sodas.

Qi Xiangxing: ?

“We tough omegas don’t need these!” Qi Xiangxing felt these unnecessary items would only hinder her from protecting Luan Li—

Look, Lili was so soft and gentle—what if she got scared by the horror movie? A considerate girlfriend had to be ready to hug her at the right moment!

“Fine, I’ll hold them for now,” Luan Li said, taking the tickets from Qi Xiangxing.

Twenty minutes later—

The same Qi Xiangxing who had confidently declared, “We tough omegas don’t need these!” was now trembling, using the popcorn bucket to shield her eyes as she shrieked and threw herself into Luan Li’s arms.

Aaaaah! Why didn’t anyone warn me this movie was so terrifying?!

Why is the horror film in 3D?!?! Help me, waaah!

Luan Li calmly wrapped her arms around her omega, soothingly patting her trembling shoulders while setting their sodas aside.

Hmm, watching a horror film had been an excellent choice.

If only the sound effects weren’t so loud.

Qi Xiangxing’s heart was still pounding with fear. She cautiously poked Luan Li’s arm and whispered, “Lili…”

Luan Li responded with a soft “Hmm,” remaining silent.

Qi Xiangxing’s eyes reddened as she tugged at Luan Li’s sleeve, pleading softly, “Big sister…”

“Let’s not watch anymore, okay…?”

Genuine terror had taken hold of Qi Xiangxing. She had originally intended to play the hero and protect Luan Li, but now she had become the most frightened one in the theater.

Frustrated with her own cowardice, Qi Xiangxing thought bitterly that even if the movie hadn’t been so terrifying, she could have at least shown off in front of her girlfriend.

“Alright, alright, we’ll stop watching,” Luan Li said, gently stroking the little omega’s head. She noticed Qi Xiangxing’s usually smooth hair was now slightly tousled from fright. Not wanting to scare her further, Luan Li took her hand and led them out of the screening room.

Emerging into the brightly lit hallway, Qi Xiangxing exhaled deeply, her eyes still slightly red. Recalling her earlier behavior, a wave of embarrassment washed over her—

Ahhh! Why did I have to embarrass myself like this again and again?!

Waaah, it’s over—my tough omega image is completely ruined now.

Luan Li, however, didn’t share these tumultuous thoughts. She simply guided Qi Xiangxing to a sunny spot and sat down with her.

“Will some sunshine make you feel better?” Luan Li asked, touching Qi Xiangxing’s face and discovering her forehead was damp with cold sweat. With a sigh, she pulled a tissue from her pocket and gently dabbed away the moisture.

Qi Xiangxing’s face flushed crimson. “I—I just—” she stammered, hoping Luan Li would forget her earlier display.

But Luan Li only asked, “Do you still want your Coke?” She felt the condensation on the cup. “It’s at the perfect temperature now—no need for more ice.”

Qi Xiangxing blinked in surprise before taking the cup and sipping the soda.

In the end, they watched an animated film instead.

Qi Xiangxing became emotionally overwhelmed, tears streaming uncontrollably. Luan Li held her close, wiping her tears and offering tissues.

“Waaah, this movie has a bad ending…” Qi Xiangxing sniffled between sobs. “From now on I’m checking whether movies have happy or sad endings before watching them…”

Luan Li stroked her hair without responding.

My star, you must believe—our story will definitely have a happy ending.

Our very own happy ending.

“Class monitor! Did you go see a movie with your girlfriend this weekend?!” On Monday morning, as Qi Xiangxing was organizing her belongings, Du Ziheng’s excited voice pierced the classroom air.

Qi Xiangxing: …

Are you fucking FBI? How do you always know where I’ve been?!

She maintained a stern silence.

“Monitor! You really went on a date!” Du Ziheng’s eyes sparkled as he shamelessly scanned Qi Xiangxing’s neck for hickeys.

Why are there none again?

Du Ziheng thought with exasperation, Girlfriend, you need to be more assertive! How have you not pinned our class monitor down yet?!

Qi Xiangxing protectively covered her neck. “I’m warning you—stop looking!”

Du Ziheng recoiled with an awkward laugh. “Fine, fine, no looking!” He quickly changed the subject. “I heard our midterm exam results might be posted as early as tomorrow afternoon.”

Du Ziheng rubbed his chin and said, “I think I did pretty well this time—I recognized a lot of similar questions. How about you, Class President? You must’ve done well too?” He continued without waiting for an answer, “At least definitely better than that Wu Zhi!”

Qi Xiangxing’s smile froze.

Oh no, the nerves were kicking in.