My Wife Is The Female Lead In A Scum Alpha Novel - Chapter 2

02

Gu Qingci stared at Ruan Zhi, utterly bewildered.

Marking was completely outside her knowledge—she had to dig through the plot memories crammed into her head.

The difference between an Omega and an Alpha wasn’t just their size disparity, there was another distinction.

Omegas had glands on their necks and went into regular heat cycles, releasing pheromones.

Alphas, on the other hand, had marking fangs that secreted soothing pheromones to neutralize an Omega’s heat.

A temporary mark involved biting the gland on the neck with those fangs.

Then there was the permanent mark, where an Alpha used a second pheromone-secreting body part to inject pheromones into an Omega’s specialized cavity—something that could result in pregnancy.

“Sister, what do you mean by that?” Gu Qingci mentally reviewed the details, her face flushing from pale to red.

It couldn’t possibly mean what she was thinking, right?

In the original plot, Ruan Zhi had an official love interest—someone extremely fierce and formidable.

She was more than a little terrified.

“What? Didn’t you say you’d do whatever I told you? A temporary mark—bite the gland.” Ruan Zhi said coldly, her tone commanding.

Gu Qingci’s hesitation made Ruan Zhi suspect she was disgusted. If that were the case, then all her previous obedience had been an act.

The original Gu Qingci had not only despised Ruan Zhi’s merchant-class background but also loathed her “stench of copper”—in other words, Ruan Zhi’s pheromones.

Now, Ruan Zhi’s pheromones were spreading through the air.

Bitter, with a faint astringency.

Ruan Zhi released even more pheromones, intensifying the bitter scent.

Most Omegas had sweet, fragrant pheromones. Very few, like Ruan Zhi, carried this bitter, astringent note.

This was also one of the reasons Ruan Zhi had married so late.

If the original Gu Qingci had caught a whiff of this scent, she would’ve covered her nose in disgust and fled.

But the current Gu Qingci’s face was burning red. She swallowed hard, her breathing growing ragged.

This scent was familiar—anyone from the Great Zhonghua would recognize it. Wasn’t this just the fragrance of tea?

The bitterness came from tea’s natural bitter compounds, the astringency from tea polyphenols.

With just a little patience, a careful sip would reveal layers of complexity—the initial bitterness transforming into a rich, lingering sweetness, the mellow aroma unfolding in the mouth.

The bitterness was just the top note, adding depth to the fragrance.

This scent was absolutely heavenly!

Add a splash of milk, and it’d be pure bliss.

She used to drink it every day before the apocalypse.

How nostalgic.

Sniffle—even Ruan Zhi’s pheromones were her favorite flavor.

“Are you going to bite or not?” Ruan Zhi’s cold gaze bore into Gu Qingci, that murderous glint resurfacing.

Gu Qingci’s survival instincts, honed in the apocalypse, kicked in instantly.

“I’ll obey. I-I’ll bite…” Gu Qingci hurriedly replied, her voice sweet and docile. After speaking, she quietly swallowed again.

She suddenly remembered—this bizarre world had no suppressants. From the moment they differentiated, Omegas suffered through their heat cycles. That was why many married soon after coming of age.

Ruan Zhi had been delayed until twenty, unable to stall any longer. After being trapped in a room with the original Gu Qingci during her heat due to a scheme, she’d been forced into a hasty marriage.

Ruan Zhi had been tormented by her heat this entire time.

The original host had been so repulsed by Ruan Zhi that she refused to touch her, even using the marking as leverage.

Given Ruan Zhi’s commanding tone, this likely wasn’t a test.

The original host hadn’t been interested in Ruan Zhi at all—in fact, she’d found her utterly revolting.

If Ruan Zhi wanted her to bite, then she’d bite.

As long as Ruan Zhi didn’t divorce her, she had a responsibility to help her through her heat.

She’d be the perfect, obedient, triple-A employee.

“Forgive my impropriety!”

With that, Gu Qingci leaned in.

Ruan Zhi hadn’t expected Gu Qingci to actually go through with it.

Her body tensed instinctively.

She disliked close contact with outsiders and wanted to push Gu Qingci away.

But Gu Qingci’s scent was unexpectedly pleasant.

A sweet-and-sour fruity aroma, refreshing and sugary, with a cool, crisp undertone.

Just that faint whiff brought a soothing chill to her overheated glands.

It was as if there was a natural attraction—Ruan Zhi didn’t recoil from this scent. On the contrary, she vaguely wanted more.

This version of Gu Qingci’s pheromones were different from before.

The original Gu Qingci’s scent had been cloying—something Ruan Zhi disliked.

Ruan Zhi hesitated for a split second before feeling something warm and damp brush against her neck, like a puppy’s lick, or a light scratch against her skin.

The skin there went numb, and the tea-like fragrance in the air grew stronger.

“What are you doing?” Ruan Zhi pressed a hand to Gu Qingci’s shoulder, her voice hoarse.

“Marking you. But… I’ve never done this before. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right. The gland on the neck—is it here? Do I need to break the skin?” Gu Qingci lifted her head, eyes wide with innocence.

She genuinely didn’t know how marking worked.

The plot memories in her head had only glossed over the details in text—nowhere had it explained the specifics.

She wasn’t even entirely sure where the gland was on the neck.

Gu Qingci’s warm fingers brushed against a patch of skin on Ruan Zhi’s neck that was noticeably softer than the rest. Ruan Zhi shuddered.

In her twenty years of life—including the memories she’d just absorbed—Ruan Zhi had never been marked.

In her past life’s memories, Ruan Zhi had endured a year of living hell after marriage. During a high fever, her glands had rotted away from lack of medical treatment, leaving her free from the torment of heat cycles but plagued by chronic pain. The agony would flare up unpredictably, even spreading to half her head, making peaceful sleep impossible.

Ruan Zhi never wanted to experience that again.

Right now, the only person who could mark her was Gu Qingci.

Only a married Omega carrying an Alpha’s pheromones could leave the house without being affected by other Alphas’ scents.

If she wanted to go outside and do as she pleased, a temporary mark was a prerequisite.

Meeting Gu Qingci’s clear, guileless eyes, Ruan Zhi’s gaze darkened.

Gu Qingci claimed she’d never marked anyone before—and it didn’t seem like a lie.

The “Gu Qingci” from her past life had kept multiple concubines. There was no way she wouldn’t know how to mark someone.

“It’s here. Pierce it with your fangs.” Ruan Zhi said quietly.

“Okay. Got it, I’ll be careful.” Gu Qingci’s voice was soft as she leaned in again.

This time, she had a better idea of where to aim.

Gu Qingci had a pair of sharp canines—she could feel their points with her tongue, the roots itching slightly.

When they touched Ruan Zhi’s skin, the itch intensified, like an animal’s hunting instinct. Gu Qingci bit down, her fangs breaking the skin as her secreted pheromones flooded into Ruan Zhi’s glands.

The initial sting faded to near nothing as Ruan Zhi was hit by a tidal wave of pheromones, surging through her bloodstream, spreading rapidly.

She’d expected ordinary fruitiness, but this was no simple scent—it was plum wine, crafted from barely ripe plums, overwhelmingly tart yet sweet, laced with spice and something cool—mint.

The layers unfolded one after another, each more intense than anything she’d ever experienced.

The plum’s tang, the mint’s chill, the wine’s heady richness—each wave cooled the fever in her glands while sending tremors through her body, her mind going blank.

Her vision blurred, her body slackening against the pillows.

So this was what a temporary mark felt like!

Gu Qingci’s experience was different. To her, it was like sipping an exquisite tea—the initial bitterness slowly mellowing into sweetness, smooth and fragrant, the aftertaste lingering. She was utterly entranced, craving more.

Her mouth lingered on the gland, her teeth sinking deeper as she sucked lightly.

Ruan Zhi instinctively arched away, but Gu Qingci chased her, her lips still sealed over that patch of skin, her canines pressing in further.

Struggling to pull herself from the haze of the mark, Ruan Zhi dug her nails into the back of Gu Qingci’s neck.

Gu Qingci was lost in the tea’s lingering sweetness when the pain at her neck snapped her back to reality.

Reluctantly, she pulled away.

Her breathing was uneven, her heart pounding. She’d never imagined marking an Omega would feel so… intoxicating.

In the original plot, so many people had disliked Ruan Zhi’s pheromones. What terrible taste.

Ruan Zhi’s scent reminded her of a tea her grandfather had once shared with her before the apocalypse—Phoenix Snow, a rare, top-tier brew.

Ruan Zhi studied Gu Qingci. Her dark eyes were still hazy with lingering desire, clearly not sated.

She… liked her scent?

Her gland throbbed—Gu Qingci had bitten deep, the sting sharp.

Was she a dog?!

Chasing after her like that!

Gu Qingci panted lightly, glancing at Ruan Zhi. A sheen of sweat glistened on her nose, her chest rising and falling rapidly, beads of perspiration trickling down into the valley between—

The two were too close, their breaths mingling, Ruan Zhi’s scent enveloping Gu Qingci. The sight made her throat dry, her body leaning in again, pressing Ruan Zhi’s softness flat beneath her.

“Hiss—” Before Gu Qingci could mindlessly bite down again, pain flared at her neck—a hand clamped around her throat.

Ruan Zhi’s slender fingers tightened, nails biting into skin.

Gu Qingci choked, the lack of air snapping her back to awareness. Her vision cleared just in time to see Ruan Zhi’s snow-white swan neck, where the delicate gland had been, now marred by two red, swollen bite marks.

Gu Qingci gasped, scrambling backward.

Damn it, she’d almost lost herself!

Had she gone insane just now?

Biting someone like that—then wanting to do it again?!

Was she some kind of wild animal?!

Trembling, Gu Qingci peeked at Ruan Zhi’s eyes—only to feel like quantum blades were shooting from them, murderous intent bubbling over uncontrollably.

Gu Qingci shivered, her lips quivering, tears welling up.

Ruan Zhi’s hand was still on her neck.

Was she… planning to strangle her?

“Sister, I didn’t mean to! Your scent was just too good—I couldn’t help myself…” Gu Qingci’s voice was sugary sweet, pleading, her teary eyes making it seem like she was the one who’d been wronged.

For some reason, Ruan Zhi’s heart skipped.

This damn dog—how could she say such sweet, honeyed words?!