Omega, Always Wants to Mark Me - Chapter 26

“I’m sorry.”

The unexpected apology left Ming Xiaoyue feeling like she was being the aggressive one.

But in the next moment, Ming Xiaoyue was startled to sense a violent fluctuation in her pheromones. Whether it was due to their proximity or not, she could feel the other woman’s Alpha pheromones drawing her own pheromones toward them.

Pheromones carrying the implicit invitation to mate erupted, and Ming Xiaoyue stared in even greater shock at the woman standing just a few steps away.

“You—” Before Ming Xiaoyue could finish speaking,

Lu Jinxi also realized her pheromones were spiraling out of control. In a moment of panic, she instinctively covered the back of her neck and hastily retreated, widening the distance between them.

In a flash of clarity, she suddenly remembered that her heat was due around this time. She had forgotten to take her suppressant and pre-heat inhibitors.

“I’m sorry, I—” As she spoke, the pheromones between them thickened, surging toward each other. Both citrus-scented pheromones yearned to intertwine, coil, and tentatively merge…

“I’ll go to the restroom first,” Lu Jinxi said, knowing she couldn’t stay in the same space as Ming Xiaoyue. The omega’s allure was even stronger than she had imagined. With that, she hurried out of the practice room.

Ming Xiaoyue, however, didn’t share Lu Jinxi’s acute sensitivity. She merely sensed that her pheromones were unusually unstable and carried a hint of possessiveness toward her.

As soon as Lu Jinxi left, Song Wanwen couldn’t resist approaching Ming Xiaoyue. “What’s wrong with A Jin?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Ming Xiaoyue replied, puzzled.

Before Song Wanwen could get closer, she suddenly stopped, giving Ming Xiaoyue a strange look.

“You—” Song Wanwen began, but she cut herself off, realizing the practice room had cameras. She stepped aside, pulled out a bottle of pheromone suppressant, and handed it to Ming Xiaoyue.

Ming Xiaoyue immediately understood. She quickly sprayed herself with the suppressant and whispered, “Is the scent really that strong?”

The practice room was large, and Wen Yifan was playing music loudly on the other side. Song Wanwen leaned in and whispered, “A little. Can’t you smell it?”

Ming Xiaoyue paused, her hand hovering over the isolation spray, and hesitantly shook her head.

Song Wanwen’s expression was equally conflicted. This was the first time she’d heard that an Omega could mark an Alpha, and she wasn’t sure if it counted as a side effect.

After all, when an Alpha marked an Omega, they left their pheromones behind, signifying the Alpha’s ownership.

“You should still be careful,” Song Wanwen couldn’t help but warn. Human hearts were unpredictable, and Wu Yingyun served as a stark reminder of that.

Ming Xiaoyue hadn’t realized that her past life’s pheromone imbalance would directly affect her present self. In her previous life, due to prolonged inhibitor injections and her body’s growing immunity, she had secretly increased her dosage over time.

She first noticed something was wrong during an event with a large crowd of fans. Suddenly, an Alpha in the crowd went into heat, causing a riot.

Throughout the entire incident, Ming Xiaoyue hadn’t smelled any pheromones. She felt like a Beta…

“Alright, I’ll be careful. I’ll use the isolation spray diligently from now on. Don’t worry. How’s your practice going?” Ming Xiaoyue skillfully changed the subject.

“I’m doing okay, but Yifan’s struggling a bit. You know, her main focus is singing, so dancing is a bit…” Song Wanwen said, looking slightly troubled.

“Mm, no worries. Let’s help her out together.”

“Sure.”

As they spoke, the two walked over to Wen Yifan. Her petite face was flushed with sweat, but she wasn’t as bad as Song Wanwen had described. She just occasionally lost the rhythm, and…

Ming Xiaoyue watched Wen Yifan’s awkward, almost clumsy movements, and had to suppress a laugh.

“Is she…?”

Ming Xiaoyue glanced at Song Wanwen, about to ask, but stopped herself, mindful of Wen Yifan’s presence. It wouldn’t be polite to say it directly.

Song Wanwen, however, spoke without hesitation, briefly explaining the situation: “She’s a bit uncoordinated. I first noticed it during university military training. The instructor made her practice for a whole month, but she still couldn’t correct it.”

As Song Wanwen spoke, a smile flickered in her eyes, likely recalling amusing moments from their military training days.

Just then, the music stopped. Wen Yifan, panting slightly, glanced at the two figures behind her in the wall mirror and admitted, “I still don’t seem to be getting it.”

Her face clouded with worry, as if she felt she was holding the team back.

Song Wanwen hesitated, unsure how to comfort her. She had been correcting Wen Yifan’s movements all morning, but progress remained slow, almost stagnant.

“It’s okay,” Ming Xiaoyue interjected reassuringly. “Wait a minute!”

She grabbed her notebook, mentally reviewed the choreography, and quickly sketched out the steps before handing it to the pair.

“How about Yifan switches to a different dance?” Ming Xiaoyue suggested, passing the notebook to Song Wanwen. “It won’t clash with the rest of the routine. Just a short solo at the end.”

Song Wanwen’s face lit up with surprise as she studied the sketch. The solo seemed tailor-made for Wen Yifan, with every movement involving the same hand and foot. Yet, judging by Ming Xiaoyue’s drawings, the sequence looked surprisingly natural and harmonious.

“Um, about Wen Yifan’s missing part… maybe I could…” Before I could finish, Song Wanwen interjected, “I’ll take it. You and A Jin still have your duo solo coming up in a few days. If you handle these two sections, it should be fine.”

“Yeah, that works,” Ming Xiaoyue agreed, knowing her own duo solo with Lu Jinxi wasn’t in much better shape than Wen Yifan’s situation.

“Then I’ll teach Wen Yifan the new dance moves now. Some of the details aren’t clearly illustrated.”

“Okay.”

The three of them worked for an hour, barely managing to piece everything together. Wen Yifan wasn’t actually stiff; her previous dance had simply forced her to move her left hand and right foot together, causing her to stumble and miss the beat. The newly choreographed routine completely eliminated this issue.

“Alright, that covers most of the details. Keep practicing, and you should get it down,” Ming Xiaoyue said, glancing at the still-absent Lu Jinxi, her brow furrowing slightly.

“Why don’t you go look for A Jin?” Song Wanwen noticed her worry.

“Yeah, I’ll go check. You two keep practicing.”

After speaking, Ming Xiaoyue hurried out of the training room, her heart seething with anger. Where has Lu Jinxi gone?!

She instinctively headed toward the restroom, but to her surprise, Lu Jinxi’s figure appeared in the corridor just a few steps away. However…

Ming Xiaoyue narrowed her eyes, noticing that Lu Jinxi, who was facing away from her, seemed to be talking to someone. The other person was mostly hidden behind Lu Jinxi’s silhouette, making it impossible to see who she was speaking with.

As Ming Xiaoyue drew closer, she overheard their conversation.

“Mm, then I’ll thank you in advance. Thank you for agreeing to my proposal…”

Before Lu Jinxi could finish her thanks, the other person interrupted. Ming Xiaoyue recognized the voice immediately—it was Xi Ruoqiong.

“Don’t mention it. I was already thinking about how to repay you all. I’m so sorry for causing your team to lose a member for no reason.”

“It wasn’t your fault at all. Wu Yingyun had ulterior motives from the start. Keeping someone like that on our team would have been a disaster. We should be thanking you.”

This was the first time Ming Xiaoyue had ever heard Lu Jinxi speak so warmly and amicably to someone else. She suddenly understood why Lu Jinxi was so popular among the Omegas.

Lu Jinxi was clearly articulate and quick-witted, able to spout eloquent words effortlessly. Yet Ming Xiaoyue couldn’t understand why, whenever she faced her, Lu Jinxi’s mouth seemed to lock shut.

“That sounds a bit like what A-Yue said to me,” Xi Ruoqiong remarked, subtly glancing sideways and catching sight of Ming Xiaoyue behind Lu Jinxi.

Before she could speak, Ming Xiaoyue shook her head slightly.

Xi Ruoqiong’s smile deepened, but she still voiced her confusion: “So, why aren’t you teaming up with A-Yue for the duo competition? Given your current CP status, your combined fanbase would surely boost your votes.”

Hearing this, Ming Xiaoyue realized Lu Jinxi had already arranged a duo partner for her behind her back.

Who does she think she is? Ming Xiaoyue thought coldly. What right does she have to decide my plans?

Now that Xi Ruoqiong had asked, Ming Xiaoyue instinctively crossed her arms, glaring at Lu Jinxi’s back, eager to hear her response.

“She—”

Ming Xiaoyue noticed Lu Jinxi’s tightly clenched fist at her side, and her heart softened slightly.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Jinxi finally voiced her true thoughts: “It’s okay. We’ll just give her a choice. It’s not like we’re forcing her to pick you. She’ll make her own decision.”

“What about you?” Xi Ruoqiong asked. “With Wu Yingyun gone, the total number of participants is now odd. Someone will inevitably be left out. If I remember correctly, you and Ming Xiaoyue have always been paired up. If everyone else assumes the same, you’ll be the one left out, won’t you?”

Xi Ruoqiong’s words rang true. The competition was halfway through, and everyone had grown accustomed to their partners, including their teams. With some participants forming tight-knit CPs, the bonds would only deepen as the competition progressed, making it increasingly difficult to break apart.

It was only when Xi Ruoqiong brought up this topic that Lu Jinxi belatedly realized an undeniable truth.

Ming Xiaoyue’s recent concessions might not have been her genuine wishes. It seemed they were all because of their established CP. A sudden tightness gripped Lu Jinxi’s chest, leaving her unsure whether to feel grateful or guilty.

Lu Jinxi sighed softly. “It’s fine,” she said. “We’ll figure it out when the time comes. Yang Yuting shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Xi Ruoqiong shrugged dismissively. “Her? You know how many people are vying for her attention. She’s never short of admirers. It just so happened she chose me the last couple of times.”

“Mm, as long as there’s no conflict. Actually, if things go as expected, I think Ming Xiaoyue has a high chance of choosing you,” Lu Jinxi said after a moment’s thought.

“Oh, really?”

An unexpected voice came from behind them. Lu Jinxi suddenly felt inexplicably guilty, her body stiffening.

When did Ming Xiaoyue arrive? How much did she hear?

Her mind raced, but her throat involuntarily tightened.

“A-Yue’s here? Looking for A Jin, I presume? I’ll leave you two alone,” Xi Ruoqiong said with a smile, tactfully departing.

As Ming Xiaoyue’s footsteps drew closer, Lu Jinxi’s feet seemed glued to the ground, utterly unable to move.

The first thing she sensed was Ming Xiaoyue’s oppressive Omega pheromones, no less intense than when she had cornered Lu Jinxi on the sofa.