Omega, Always Wants to Mark Me - Chapter 30

“What’s wrong?” On the way back, Ming Xiaoyue unexpectedly sensed Lu Jinxi’s pheromones radiating unease and agitation.

Since resolving her feelings a few days prior, Ming Xiaoyue had grown closer to Lu Jinxi during training. While they weren’t exactly close friends, there was a genuine sense of camaraderie between teammates.

Lu Jinxi’s already tense face now carried a hint of coldness. Seeing her sharp profile and tightly furrowed brows, Ming Xiaoyue unconsciously frowned as well.

Ming Xiaoyue had unconsciously stopped walking, about to reach out and ask, “What’s really…”

But before she could finish, Lu Jinxi dodged her touch and snapped, “I don’t know!” The icy words hung in the air, and Ming Xiaoyue’s expression turned equally cold.

Lu Jinxi herself froze for a moment, stunned by her own outburst.

“I’m… sor—” Before she could finish, Ming Xiaoyue cut her off, her voice icy: “Lu Jinxi, have I been too lenient with you lately?” With that, Ming Xiaoyue strode away.

Lu Jinxi’s good mood from drawing the last performance slot vanished instantly.

Watching Ming Xiaoyue’s retreating figure, Lu Jinxi grew even more agitated. To be honest, she didn’t understand what was wrong with herself. Ever since she saw Ming Xiaoyue walking so closely with Xi Ruoqiong earlier, a strange restlessness had stirred within her, culminating in that sudden emotional outburst.

Lu Jinxi stood rooted to the spot for a moment, took a deep breath, and finally headed toward the training room.

Inside the training room, Song Wanwen noticed Ming Xiaoyue’s return but not Lu Jinxi’s. “Where’s A Jin?” she asked.

Ming Xiaoyue hastily shrugged off her jacket and tossed it into a corner, muttering, “I don’t know.”

Sensing her distress, Song Wanwen approached her. “What’s wrong? Hmm? You seemed fine just a while ago.”

Ming Xiaoyue took a deep breath to steady herself. “It’s nothing. It won’t affect the competition.”

Just as she finished speaking, Lu Jinxi returned. Guiltily, she glanced briefly at Ming Xiaoyue before averting her gaze and addressing Song Wanwen, “Didn’t we say we’d rehearse a few more times? Should we start now?”

Song Wanwen hesitated, glancing uncertainly at Ming Xiaoyue.

Ming Xiaoyue spoke up, “Let’s rehearse. The competition is tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Song Wanwen replied, not daring to say more.

The atmosphere in the training room remained unusually tense throughout the session. As usual, the production crew cleared the training area in the afternoon for each team to record their VCRs.

By the time Lu Jinxi’s team was called, it was already evening. They were assigned a private room, much like the last time.

This time, however, the entire team was present, and the host’s questions were even more probing. These interviews would be interspersed during the broadcast, and any poorly worded answers could draw criticism.

“Welcome! A2 Group, right? Your group performed exceptionally well in the last team competition, nearly clinching first place. Are you confident you can secure the top spot this time?”

Song Wanwen, as captain, smiled and answered smoothly, “Everyone has been working incredibly hard, and we’ll give it our all.”

A perfectly diplomatic response, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

The host, however, was particularly sharp-tongued, seizing on the Wu Yingyun incident to press further. “If your team achieves a strong result this time, Ming Xiaoyue, what would you like to say to Wu Yingyun?”

Lu Jinxi frowned at the question. The host was clearly trying to set a trap for Ming Xiaoyue.

With the interview concluded, the group dispersed to their dorms to rest, knowing tomorrow would be a full day of preparations.

Wen Yifan, Song Wanwen, and Ming Xiaoyue walked together until they parted ways. As they separated, Song Wanwen turned to Lu Jinxi and said, “See you tomorrow.”

Lu Jinxi merely nodded coldly before leaving.

Only after Lu Jinxi had disappeared from sight did Song Wanwen finally ask, “A-Yue, weren’t those things you said to A Jin during the interview a bit harsh?”

Ming Xiaoyue raised her eyes dismissively and murmured, “Just speaking the truth.”

“But…” Song Wanwen hesitated, unable to hold back her question. “Are you planning to dissolve your CP with Lu Jinxi?”

“Just cutting my losses,” Ming Xiaoyue replied, stopping in her tracks. She added gravely, “Song Wanwen, in the end, we might all become competitors.”

Song Wanwen and Wen Yifan both froze in their tracks.

Ming Xiaoyue looked at them and continued, “Besides, I won’t treat Lu Jinxi the way you treated Wen Yifan. Let’s consider everything before this a sunk cost.

Cutting your losses in time is sometimes the wisest choice. As long as I’m not wrong, saying goodbye in time isn’t wrong either. It’s just a personal choice.”

Hearing Ming Xiaoyue utter these cold words herself, Song Wanwen, even as an outsider, felt a pang of sympathy for Lu Jinxi.

Yet, considering Ming Xiaoyue’s perspective, this was undoubtedly the best outcome.

The harsh words were absolute, but her conscience remained uneasy. When Ming Xiaoyue woke up at dawn, she found herself questioning whether her decision had been right—a rare moment of self-doubt for someone who had long prided herself on unwavering conviction.

After all, hesitation leads to defeat.

Throughout the morning, everyone was busy with elaborate makeup preparations. During this time, Ming Xiaoyue, unusually feeling guilty, avoided Lu Jinxi, while Lu Jinxi reciprocated by steering clear of any place where Ming Xiaoyue might be.

Watching the two, Song Wanwen could faintly discern dark circles beneath their makeup. She couldn’t help but wonder why, despite their obvious concern for each other, they had allowed things to become so strained.

Perhaps this was a classic case of the observer seeing clearly what the participants themselves could not.

By afternoon, the stadium was already buzzing with activity. As the cameras connected, everyone in the backstage lounge could see the scene outside: a vast sea of faces.

Ming Xiaoyue felt an unusual surge of nervousness. Acting and being in a girl group were completely different experiences. On a film set, there might be a few dozen people at most, but the thought of millions watching made her heart race.

Xi Ruoqiong’s A3 Group was the first to perform. Although their performance was polished, it was clear that being the opening act had affected their execution. The equipment was still being adjusted, which added to the pressure.

When their final vote count barely exceeded ten thousand, they visibly tensed. It was a dangerously low number.

Just like before, the backstage area buzzed with activity—people rushing back and forth, and members nervously preparing.

“Third group, get ready! Second group, take the stage!”

Ming Xiaoyue and Lu Jinxi sat on opposite sides of their group. As the second group took the stage, Lu Jinxi felt increasingly uneasy.

The resting room was filled with the mingled pheromones of Alphas and Omegas, all wearing suppression patches. Yet she could still clearly smell the scents.

Her nape throbbed violently, and her body flushed with heat. At first, she dismissed it as due to the crowded room and poor ventilation, combined with her nervousness.

As the situation escalated, Lu Jinxi touched the throbbing gland at the back of her neck, realizing she was going into heat.

“I’m going to the restroom,” Lu Jinxi said to Wen Yifan beside her in a rush, before hurrying away.

Wen Yifan hadn’t even had time to react, but Song Wanwen, who had been watching Lu Jinxi and Ming Xiaoyue, couldn’t help but ask, “What’s A Jin doing?”

“She said she’s going to the restroom,” Wen Yifan replied truthfully.

Meanwhile, Ming Xiaoyue had just sensed a sudden, intense surge of Lu Jinxi’s Alpha pheromones, causing a wave of unease to wash over her.

She tried to suppress her growing anxiety, reassuring herself, It can’t be. Having resolved to cut ties with Lu Jinxi this time, Ming Xiaoyue felt she shouldn’t give her any false hope.

But as the third and fourth groups prepared to take the stage, Lu Jinxi still hadn’t returned.

Even Song Wanwen, watching the current group nearing the end of their performance, began to panic. She looked around and asked Wen Yifan, “Has A Jin come back yet?”

“I haven’t seen her. Should we go look for her?” Wen Yifan suggested gently.

At that moment, Ming Xiaoyue couldn’t contain herself and suddenly stood up, startling Song Wanwen with her swift movement.

“I’ll go look for her. You guys stay here and keep an eye on things. We’re up in just two groups, so don’t wander off,” Ming Xiaoyue said, her voice low and the atmosphere around them heavy.

Song Wanwen, seeing Ming Xiaoyue’s unusually intense aura for the first time, paused before belatedly replying, “Ah? Okay, got it.”

By then, Ming Xiaoyue had already hurried away. Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out of the lounge, she could faintly sense Lu Jinxi’s pheromones—a strong distress signal?

Ming Xiaoyue couldn’t be sure. The Alpha pheromones around her nose kept disappearing and then surging back with overwhelming intensity.

She headed straight for the restroom, but just as she reached it, she unexpectedly stopped. She sensed that Lu Jinxi was likely in the stairwell next door.

After checking her surroundings to ensure no one was watching, she pushed open the door. As the outside light flooded in, she saw no one in the dark stairwell.

Ming Xiaoyue frowned, pursed her lips, and decided she must have imagined it. Just as she was about to release the door and leave, a sharp crash echoed from upstairs in the empty stairwell.

She caught the overwhelming scent of Alpha pheromones again—Lu Jinxi. Without realizing it, she had already closed the door and stepped into the darkened stairwell.

In the darkness, Ming Xiaoyue tentatively called out, “Lu Jinxi?”

There was no response. But as she hurried up a flight of stairs and rounded the corner, a shadowy figure loomed in the farthest corner.

The Alpha pheromones washed over Ming Xiaoyue again, more intense than ever before.

“Lu Jinxi?” Ming Xiaoyue approached, instinctively reaching for her pheromone suppressant and spraying it liberally.

As she crouched down, she felt a faint tremor in the gland at the back of her neck. In that brief moment, she had been affected by the Alpha pheromones after all.

Then, in the darkness, she heard Lu Jinxi’s pained groan: “Ugh.”

As Ming Xiaoyue approached Lu Jinxi and touched her, she immediately sensed the abnormal heat radiating from her body. Sweat had already soaked through Lu Jinxi’s temples and hairline.

Though Ming Xiaoyue couldn’t clearly see Lu Jinxi’s face in the dim light, she knew the other woman was in heat.