Omega, Always Wants to Mark Me - Chapter 19

Lu Jinxi noticed Ming Xiaoyue’s displeasure and stood awkwardly, clutching the back of her neck in silence.

“Tsk,” Ming Xiaoyue clicked her tongue, glaring at Lu Jinxi, who seemed to have lost her voice. “Lu Jinxi, you go…”

Before she could finish, the door burst open from the outside, forcing Ming Xiaoyue to swallow her words. Both women turned in surprise to see the uninvited guest: Xi Ruoqiong.

“I’m so sorry! I just heard what happened. I never imagined my candies would accidentally trigger Wu Yingyun’s heat cycle. I’m so sorry, so sorry!”

Ming Xiaoyue smiled warmly at Xi Ruoqiong. “It’s alright. She’s resting in the lounge. You should go check on her if you have time.”

“Oh, okay, okay! I’ll go right now!” Xi Ruoqiong hurried off.

Lu Jinxi, watching the two women’s amicable exchange, pressed her lips together, finding it even harder to speak.

The interruption had thrown Ming Xiaoyue off; she couldn’t bring herself to resume her earlier reprimand. Instead, she barked at Lu Jinxi in a commanding tone, “Let’s go! Get them some food.”

Lu Jinxi followed silently behind her, but Ming Xiaoyue grew increasingly awkward with each step. She hadn’t paid much attention before to Lu Jinxi always trailing behind her like some kind of bodyguard.

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Ming Xiaoyue deliberately slowed her pace, hoping Lu Jinxi would walk beside her. But Lu Jinxi, also unconsciously slowing down, remained a few steps behind.

“Lu Jinxi,” Ming Xiaoyue blurted out, unable to contain herself any longer, “what’s wrong with you?”

“Huh?” Lu Jinxi responded, confused.

“Sorry, that came out wrong. Let me rephrase,” Ming Xiaoyue said, turning to face Lu Jinxi with her arms crossed. “Are you afraid of me?”

Lu Jinxi didn’t know how to answer. It wasn’t exactly fear.

But in her previous life, she remembered the woman’s tear-streaked face, her eyes burning with resentment as she coldly declared, “Lu Jinxi, don’t ever show your face to me again.”

Those words had haunted her for decades, shaping her behavior for most of her life. Suddenly breaking that pattern felt disorienting. After all, she had spent so many years watching Ming Xiaoyue’s back…

“No,” Lu Jinxi replied softly, lowering her gaze.

Ming Xiaoyue stared at the woman before her with obvious disbelief.

“Lu Jinxi, do you dare look me in the eye and answer? And why do you always avoid my gaze when we talk? Hmm? Are you feeling guilty?”

By the end of her question, Ming Xiaoyue’s tone had turned icy and sarcastic. She suddenly wondered what she was doing. Perhaps in her previous life, she had only encountered people who were either good or bad. It had been a long time since she had met someone as ambiguous as Lu Jinxi.

This confusing, unpredictable, hot-and-cold, distant-yet-close feeling was driving Ming Xiaoyue mad. Looking at Lu Jinxi, who had fallen silent again, she suddenly felt utterly bored. She should have stuck to her original plan and kept her distance from this woman.

As Ming Xiaoyue thought this, that unsettling feeling surged back. She steeled herself and turned to leave.

At that moment, she didn’t realize that when someone’s presence in your world begins to profoundly influence your decisions, it proves their significance.

Just as she was about to walk away, Lu Jinxi suddenly spoke.

“Ming Xiaoyue,”

Ming Xiaoyue rarely stopped mid-stride, but she turned back, curious about what Lu Jinxi would say next.

If Ming Xiaoyue had known how Lu Jinxi’s words would infuriate her to the point of near-collapse, she would have turned and walked away without hesitation.

“Can you accept your partner being a Beta?”

At first, Ming Xiaoyue didn’t understand the meaning behind Lu Jinxi’s question. But then, as if struck by divine inspiration, she thought of Xi Ruoqiong and suddenly grasped the significance of Lu Jinxi’s words.

“Ha,” Ming Xiaoyue scoffed, utterly speechless with anger at the woman before her.

“Lu Jinxi, what do you mean by that? Huh? I came here to debut, not to be chosen as a concubine!” Ming Xiaoyue snapped, turning to leave. But after only two steps, she realized her anger hadn’t dissipated at all.

She stormed back to Lu Jinxi, closing the distance in three quick strides, and practically jabbed her finger at Lu Jinxi’s nose. “Mind your own damn business!” she spat, her fury forcing her to curse—a rare and embarrassing outburst.

With that, she strode away, leaving Lu Jinxi standing alone in the wind, her hair whipping wildly around her face.

Ming Xiaoyue swore that, aside from her past life when idiotic reporters and other fools constantly pestered her, she only cursed when pushed to her absolute limit. Most of the time, she maintained a polished public image, mindful of her status as a public figure.

In this lifetime, Ming Xiaoyue walked along, inwardly berating Lu Jinxi. I must be crazy! she thought. How many times did she stab me in the back in my previous life? Why am I still getting tangled up with someone like her?

Reaching the cafeteria entrance, which marked the boundary of the filming area, Ming Xiaoyue adjusted her expression, calmed her breathing, and exhaled deeply. She then summoned her usual sweet smile and stepped inside.

After quickly purchasing the group’s food—not too much, not too little—she was about to take the last bowl of millet porridge when someone behind her suddenly took the items from her hands.

Turning her head, Ming Xiaoyue saw Lu Jinxi’s cold face. The anger in her heart hadn’t dissipated, and she had no intention of getting entangled with this woman again. Before she could politely decline Lu Jinxi’s help, the other woman finally spoke.

“I’m sorry,” Lu Jinxi said, her gaze unusually sincere as she looked into Ming Xiaoyue’s eyes, her expression solemn.

Ming Xiaoyue scoffed softly and tilted her head slightly, showing no sign of accepting the apology.

So, she’s only willing to be my errand girl now?

Ming Xiaoyue took her food and turned to leave, but Lu Jinxi hastily followed her.

Leaving the filming area, Ming Xiaoyue slowed her pace. Lu Jinxi instinctively hurried after her, but before she could get close, Ming Xiaoyue snapped coldly, “Lu Jinxi, I can give you an out in front of the cameras, but privately, you’d better stay far away from me!”

With those harsh words, Ming Xiaoyue strode away, leaving Lu Jinxi frozen in place once again. Bai Hao bit his lower lip, his eyes filled with conflicted emotions as he watched Ming Xiaoyue’s retreating figure.

She knew she had likely messed things up again.

Back in the break room, Xi Ruoqiong was still there, her face etched with guilt. Lu Jinxi silently set down the food and prepared to leave the room, mindful of the Omega in heat and wanting to avoid any suspicion.

Unexpectedly, before she could leave, Wu Yingyun, lying in the hospital bed, called out to her.

“A Jin,” Wu Yingyun said, her voice thick with grievance. Lu Jinxi froze, unsure how to respond.

“I’m sorry,” Wu Yingyun continued. She knew today’s incident could negatively impact Lu Jinxi, as most people would assume Lu Jinxi, as her only Alpha, had triggered her heat.

“It’s nothing,” Lu Jinxi said flatly, her voice devoid of emotion. “It’s my fault for asking you to deliver the candy. That’s what caused this misunderstanding.”

As soon as Lu Jinxi finished speaking, Wu Yingyun suddenly asked, “A Jin, did you have a fight with Xiaoyue?”

Ming Xiaoyue, who was peeling an apple nearby, paused mid-motion. Several peeled apples already lay on the napkin beneath her knife.

Remembering Ming Xiaoyue’s final words earlier, Lu Jinxi pressed her lips together and murmured, “No, we didn’t.”

Hearing this, Ming Xiaoyue’s perfectly intact apple peel suddenly snapped. She stared at her clumsy mistake, feeling utterly bored, and set down the knife, abandoning the task.

A cold laugh rose in her heart as her gaze involuntarily drifted to Lu Jinxi, who was turned halfway toward her. So, she finally understood—not a single word from this woman’s mouth was true. Lies flowed effortlessly, as natural as breathing, and she treated everyone the same.

Ming Xiaoyue scoffed inwardly, convinced that Lu Jinxi’s Best Actress award in her previous life must have been due to some extraordinary talent. Ha! Acting? That’s all it is, she thought, composing her expression.

A brief silence fell over the room, and some eyes involuntarily turned to Ming Xiaoyue. Feigning ignorance, she shrugged and said, “There really isn’t anything.”

She knew exactly what expression would make her appear most innocent. Yet the atmosphere remained strange. Before Wu Yingyun could press further, Lu Jinxi hastily interjected, “I have some urgent matters to attend to. I must leave now.”

With that, she hurried out, her footsteps so rapid it seemed as if a ghost were chasing her.

Ming Xiaoyue watched her retreating figure, clicking her tongue inwardly in annoyance. Looks like I’m still a step behind her, she thought. But no matter. So she wants to play the victim? Just you wait, Lu Jinxi.

“Xiaoyue,” Wu Yingyun asked for confirmation, “is it true? A Jin seems increasingly unhappy lately, always so preoccupied.”

Ming Xiaoyue sneered inwardly. What does his mood have to do with me? How absurd.

But her face remained composed, and she replied with a smile, “Absolutely nothing. It’s probably because I was in heat recently. As an Alpha, it’s only natural to maintain some distance during such times.”

“Oh, okay,” Wu Yingyun said. As Ming Xiaoyue’s roommate, she knew her heat cycle had indeed been earlier, so she didn’t doubt her.

“Alright, let’s eat. Oh, Ruoqiong, I got you a fruit salad too. Join us!”

Xi Ruoqiong looked at Ming Xiaoyue, surprised and flattered. She quickly replied, “Thank you so much, but I really need to get back to team practice soon. I appreciate the food though.”

“Hmm, no problem,” Ming Xiaoyue replied casually. After a quick meal, the group began discussing their evening training. Xi Ruoqiong, sensing the situation, tactfully excused herself, aware that as members of different teams, there might be some competitive tension.

“Five days… Yingyun, can you handle it?” Song Wanwen, the team captain, analyzed the situation rationally. “If it’s too much, we can switch Xiaoyue and A Jin to solo.”

“I…” Wu Yingyun hesitated, reluctant to give up her spot. Her gaze shifted to Ming Xiaoyue.

The other team members also turned to Ming Xiaoyue. Ming Xiaoyue felt a headache coming on. She didn’t want to deepen her involvement with Lu Jinxi, but she knew personal feelings shouldn’t interfere with the team’s goals.