Mark Me, Okay? - Chapter 6

Luan Li hadn’t expected Qi Xiangxing to be secretly watching her either. Flustered, she averted her gaze, her breathing growing rapid. With each hurried breath, the pleasant milky scent of the omega in the room seemed to materialize around her.

There was no point in hiding anymore. Qi Xiangxing simply pulled down the blanket, her messy hair framing her face as she silently watched Luan Li.

Her eyes were misty, glistening with moisture, the corners tinged with a faint red. This version of Qi Xiangxing reminded Luan Li of the girl in the ambulance—

Fragile, vulnerable, completely different from usual—her precious treasure.

A hint of tension flickered in Luan Li’s eyes as she lowered her gaze. She wanted to say something, but she could sense something shifting imperceptibly between them. Perhaps it was the alpha hormones at work, stirring up indescribable emotions toward this newly presented omega. If she had to put a name to it, Luan Li thought, it would be desire.

A desire that had existed long ago but now surged more fiercely than ever.

Luan Li’s pheromones slipped out uncontrollably. Her expression sharpened as she quickly reeled them back in. Right now, an alpha’s pheromones would do Qi Xiangxing no good.

Qi Xiangxing’s gaze darted away too. She thought she caught a whiff of alpha pheromones, but the scent was faint and fleeting, disappearing before she could identify it.

Her nose tingled suddenly, and she sneezed.

“You—Achoo!” The sneeze cut off whatever she’d been about to say. Three sneezes in a row left her staring blankly at Luan Li, dazed.

Luan Li handed her a couple of tissues. “Catching a cold?”

Qi Xiangxing took them, sniffling, equally puzzled by the sudden sneezing fit. Her nose felt both sore and itchy. “No,” she mumbled nasally.

Luan Li leaned in slightly. “Then you—” But before her faint alpha pheromones could reach Qi Xiangxing, another round of sneezes erupted:

“I’m—Achoo! I’m fine! You—Achoo! You should go!”

Her nose burning, Qi Xiangxing’s face was soon streaked with tears from the relentless sneezing. She covered her face awkwardly, not wanting Luan Li to see her in such a state.

Luan Li pressed her lips together, lowering her eyes. “Alright,” she murmured softly. She took a couple of steps toward the door before remembering why she’d come in the first place. Turning back, she said, “My mom asked me to bring you some books…” She paused. “I’ll head out now.”

Qi Xiangxing meant to say “Okay,” but it came out as another sneeze instead. Rubbing her nose in frustration, she wondered why it was so unusually sensitive today.

As Luan Li quietly closed the door behind her, Qi Xiangxing sprang up from the bed—only for her legs to buckle, nearly sending her to the floor. Gritting her teeth, she steadied herself against the bed and made her way to the desk, where Luan Li’s books lay.

Qi Xiangxing had always thought Luan Li had OCD. The books were arranged meticulously, even sorted by size:

“The Complete Guide to Omegas”
“Omegas: Learning to Love Yourself”
“Secrets Every Omega Should Know”

Qi Xiangxing flipped through the books one by one, and when she saw the title of the last one, her face twitched uncontrollably:

The Self-Cultivation of a Soft Omega

Fvck.

Suddenly, she remembered buying The Self-Cultivation of a Dominant Alpha just a few days ago. Her expression turned complicated. Thank goodness Luan Li didn’t know about it—if she found out, Qi Xiangxing would never live it down.

She tossed the books aside and was about to sit down when she spotted a black package nearby. A sense of foreboding washed over her. With trembling hands, she opened it—inside was a book with seven bold characters on the cover:

The Self-Cultivation of a Dominant Alpha

The sky-blue Dominant Alpha and the pink Soft Omega sat side by side, as if mocking Qi Xiangxing’s delusions of grandeur.

Qi Xiangxing: “…”

Fvck!

Luan Li, you absolute b1tch, was this on purpose?!

After closing the door, Luan Li stood silently outside Qi Xiangxing’s room. She wondered—did Qi Xiangxing hate her?

Before her secondary gender manifested, Qi Xiangxing used to call her “wifey” in front of their classmates, but never to her face. Luan Li had only heard about it from others, so she couldn’t even verify if it was true.

Every time Luan Li got close, Qi Xiangxing would bolt like she’d seen a ghost. And during their joint eighteenth birthday celebration, Qi Xiangxing had seemed unhappy.

But…

Qi Xiangxing was the one who kept her distance—yet she was also the one who kept reaching out.

Riding her bike to take Luan Li home every day, promising to give her competition medals… And then, in the ambulance during Qi Xiangxing’s own secondary gender manifestation, that feather-light kiss that had brushed against Luan Li’s lips.

Qi Xiangxing, why do you keep me at arm’s length?

Luan Li turned away, masking her loneliness.

She walked downstairs slowly. Mr. and Mrs. Qi took one look at her expression and guessed she’d been rejected. Exchanging a glance, Mrs. Qi stood up first and called out, “Lili, stay for dinner.”

Luan Li smiled politely and declined. “No need, Auntie. My family’s already prepared dinner. I should head back.” She paused, an idea surfacing in her mind—one she couldn’t shake. “Auntie, will Xiangxing be able to go to school tomorrow?”

Mrs. Qi thought for a moment. “She should be fine. Isn’t tomorrow still the sports festival?”

Luan Li nodded, her eyes glimmering with quiet amusement. “Then could you tell her I’ll pick her up in the morning?”

When Qi Xiangxing finally dragged herself downstairs, starving, her mother relayed the message.

Eyes swimming with hunger-induced spots, Qi Xiangxing glared weakly. “No way.”

What the hell was Luan Li playing at?! Humiliation—this was blatant humiliation! Just because she’d manifested as an alpha, she thought she was hot sh1t now?!

Logically, she knew Luan Li wasn’t the type to kick someone when they were down. But Qi Xiangxing couldn’t help sulking. She’d promised to protect Luan Li, and now? She was just a soft, weak omega.

“Be good, Xingxing. You’re now an S-class omega, and going out alone could be dangerous.” Mother Qi spoke earnestly as she tried to persuade Qi Xiangxing: “Wouldn’t it be nice to go to school with Lili? That way, your father and I can rest easy.”

Qi Xiangxing pouted: “But I don’t want to talk to Luan Li right now.”

Ahhhh! So frustrating!!!

How am I supposed to pursue my wife now that I’ve become an omega!!!

How can I protect my wife like this? Am I supposed to let my wife protect me instead?!

Sitting in front of her computer, Qi Xiangxing grew angrier the more she thought about it. She took a deep breath and typed a line into the search engine:

“How to become the most badass omega”

No!

Gritting her teeth, she deleted the words and typed again:

“Can an already-differentiated omega still turn into an alpha?”