Omega, Always Wants to Mark Me - Chapter 32

“Okay,” they both said in unison, their voices overlapping. As soon as the words left their lips, they exchanged surprised glances.

Great, Song Wanwen thought, now even more certain she was the odd one out.

Even before entering, they spotted Wen Yifan pacing anxiously near the entrance. When she saw Song Wanwen, she rushed over.

“Wanwen, you’re finally back! The production team is already calling us to get ready,” Wen Yifan said urgently.

“Mm, let’s go,” Ming Xiaoyue replied in a low, steady voice, calming their frayed nerves.

“Let’s do this!” Ming Xiaoyue growled softly, her words directed at both her teammates and herself.

“Yeah! Let’s all give it our best!” Song Wanwen echoed.

This time, they headed down a different corridor. As they moved toward the light, the roar of the crowd outside grew louder, like crashing waves.

Their breathing grew heavy, and their hearts pounded uncontrollably.

“What took you so long? Hurry up and get ready! Get ready now!” the director barked, pulling them backstage. Through the curtain, they could glimpse the audience filling the stadium.

Wen Yifan and Song Wanwen stood at the front, while Lu Jinxi watched Ming Xiaoyue. Suddenly, Ming Xiaoyue turned her head and offered a reassuring smile, leaving Lu Jinxi momentarily stunned.

“Next up! A2 Group presents You Are My Only One!”

As soon as the announcement ended, the group took the stage. A deafening roar erupted from the crowd as the familiar music filled the gymnasium. The performers quickly fell into their routines.

Unlike the synchronized group dances of other teams, A2 Group opened with Lu Jinxi’s solo performance. Her crisp, precise movements during the brief opening segment drew particularly fervent cheers from the audience.

Ming Xiaoyue followed immediately after. Though their group lacked the uniform precision of a synchronized dance, each member’s solo performance was explosive, complemented by Wen Yifan’s consistently strong vocals.

Song Wanwen had the longest segment, effectively performing two people’s parts alone. As the climax approached, Lu Jinxi and Ming Xiaoyue, positioned at the far left and right edges of the stage, moved toward the center.

First, Lu Jinxi forcefully pulled Ming Xiaoyue close, their chests colliding. Without a moment’s pause, their hips twisted slightly.

Lu Jinxi’s world-weary expression tightened, her profile sharp, her gaze haughtily looking down at Ming Xiaoyue. Her hand traced Xiaoyue’s cheek, shoulder, and finally drifted back to her waist, then lower to her hips.

A sudden crescendo in the music prompted Lu Jinxi to lightly pat Xiaoyue’s butt. She then braced her hand against Xiaoyue’s shoulder, creating distance between them before turning her back.

As the song ended, the crowd erupted in cheers. Unexpectedly, the opening notes began again. Just as the audience assumed it was a technical error, Wen Yifan stepped forward to finish the performance.

By the end of the second rendition, the dancers were breathing heavily as they bowed in unison to the audience.

For any group standing on stage, the sight of a packed stadium filled with tens of thousands of cheering faces must have sent a surge of adrenaline through their veins.

“Alright, thank you to A2 Group for that surprise performance! Viewers can now begin voting.”

On the giant screen opposite the stage, the dancers watched anxiously as the vote count climbed steadily: 10,000, 20,000, 30,000…

As the final vote count gradually plateaued, settling at 80,000, even the directors in the control room stared in astonishment. After all, today’s audience numbered only 110,000, in a venue with a capacity of 120,000, with some fans absent.

“Alright, it seems everyone is thoroughly impressed with A2 Group’s performance,” the host announced. “They’ve left the competition in the dust, setting a new record for the highest vote count!”

As the host spoke, the director’s voice crackled through her earpiece, urging her to capitalize on this unprecedented surge in viewership by asking who had conceived the idea for the solo dance.

“Could you tell us why A2 Group changed the dance routine just a few days before the performance?” the host inquired.

Song Wanwen, as the group’s captain, spoke first. “It was A-Yue’s idea,” she said, recalling the awkwardness of yesterday’s interview. She quickly added, “Due to some personnel changes within the group, we decided to adapt the routine.”

“Hmm,” the host murmured, glossing over the Wu Yingyun incident—a blunder the production team preferred to avoid discussing publicly. “Very well. The newly adapted dance was incredibly creative and broke with convention. Ming Xiaoyue, could you share what inspired you to come up with this idea?”

Ming Xiaoyue spoke with poise and confidence: “Because I’ve always believed our team is a unified whole, and within that whole, each member deserves to shine with their own unique brilliance.”

“Very well, that’s quite interesting. Please return to the waiting room and await the results.”

“Understood,” the four girls replied in unison, and they left the stage.

Back in the waiting room, the other contestants’ gazes involuntarily turned toward them, filled with admiration, envy, and jealousy.

They had barely settled down when the production team announced: “Alright, the results are in! Please proceed to the stage in an orderly fashion!”

The crowd surged forward, but the four girls remained momentarily stunned, still reeling from the recent excitement. It was Song Wanwen who finally broke the silence, her voice tinged with disbelief.

“Wait… did we really get 80,000 votes?”

The other three fell silent. In the shadows, Wen Yifan’s trembling hand gripped Song Wanwen’s arm, the sharp pinch snapping her out of her daze.

“We really got 80,000 votes! This isn’t a dream!” Song Wanwen suddenly exclaimed.

“Mm,” Lu Jinxi murmured, her voice soft but firm. “It’s true.”

“Dividing it evenly, we each get 20,000 votes! We don’t even need to participate in the individual rounds tomorrow, and we won’t get eliminated!” Song Wanwen exclaimed, her excitement growing.

“No, we still have to compete,” Ming Xiaoyue countered. “But this is the first time I’ve ever experienced being guaranteed a spot—it feels amazing!”

“Alright, let’s get on stage first. We can chat later,” Wen Yifan said softly.

“Right, let’s go!” Song Wanwen agreed with a smile.

“That concludes today’s team competition! Did everyone enjoy the show?”

“Yes!” the crowd roared.

“I’m sure you all have your favorites in mind. Now, let’s welcome our special guest, He Tingfeng—Teacher He!—to announce the top three teams! Give him a warm welcome!”

“Aaaah!” The crowd erupted into a frenzy of screams. He Tingfeng, last year’s rising star, had debuted as the leader of the top boy group. His team had already expanded internationally and was Yi Tian Company’s flagship act.

He Tingfeng looked exactly like the warm, youthful college student he portrayed online. His face wore a genuine smile as he approached to congratulate Ming Xiaoyue’s team.

Ming Xiaoyue’s eyes instantly welled up with tears at his smile.

Lu Jinxi’s expression shifted slightly at Ming Xiaoyue’s sudden emotional shift. Just as the camera panned over, He Tingfeng reached out to shake Ming Xiaoyue’s hand. Her sudden tears caught him completely off guard.

“Um, are you okay?” He Tingfeng asked gently, his voice as warm as a breeze.

“Y-yes, I’m fine,” Ming Xiaoyue said, blinking back her tears. Behind her, Lu Jinxi, her face tense, thoughtfully handed her a tissue, which Ming Xiaoyue accepted without hesitation.

He Tingfeng suddenly felt the possessive aura unique to Alphas wash over him. Normally, he might not have noticed it, but…

His smiling facade flickered momentarily before he regained his composure, offering Lu Jinxi an apologetic smile.

“You have to take good care of yourself!” Ming Xiaoyue blurted out, her words sounding strangely urgent.

“Oh, right! I’m still your fan. Could you…” Ming Xiaoyue hesitated, then asked shyly, “Could you sign an autograph for me?”

“Of course!” He Tingfeng replied warmly, his tone exceptionally considerate.

It wasn’t normal for anyone to carry a pen and notebook. He Tingfeng simply said, “I’ll have my assistant bring you one later.”

“Okay!” Ming Xiaoyue realized she had lost her composure and quickly released He Tingfeng’s hand. He Tingfeng then extended his hand to Lu Jinxi, saying, “Congratulations.”

Lu Jinxi’s expression remained cold. The Alpha pheromone clash unique to the two of them filled the air as she enveloped the man before her with her aggressive Alpha pheromones.

He Tingfeng smiled, seemingly unaffected. After a brief handshake, he smiled again, released her hand, and went to greet Song Wanwen and Wen Yifan.

As the event concluded, He Tingfeng moved to the center of the stage, while Lu Jinxi stood behind Ming Xiaoyue. After a moment of hesitation, she couldn’t resist leaning in to ask, “Do you know him?”

“I’m his fan,” Ming Xiaoyue replied firmly, her eyes fixed on He Tingfeng’s retreating figure.

Lu Jinxi felt a strange pang of bitterness in her heart and simply murmured, “Oh.”

Fortunately, He Tingfeng was a highly sought-after celebrity. After only a few minutes of public appearance, he was escorted away, allowing Lu Jinxi to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

“Alright! Today’s performance is over. Contestants, please leave first!” the host announced. A large group of people began to exit, while the fans below the stage continued to chant tirelessly.

Upon arriving at the practice building, the director produced the lottery slips and said, “Let’s draw for tomorrow’s individual competition opponents first.”

As soon as the director finished speaking, no one moved. Their gazes involuntarily turned toward the four members of Ming Xiaoyue’s team.

In the past, they might have seized this opportunity to turn the tables. But with Ming Xiaoyue’s team leading by an overwhelming margin, drawing them meant almost certain elimination—a foregone conclusion.

Ming Xiaoyue and her teammates wouldn’t stoop to such petty tactics. Seeing the stalemate, the production team was about to intervene when—

“Tch, what’s there to be afraid of?! So they have a few more votes?! I’ll still win tomorrow!” Yang Yuting declared arrogantly, striding fearlessly to the lottery box and drawing a slip.

Seeing Yang Yuting step forward, Xi Ruoqiong hurriedly followed, with the other members trailing behind reluctantly.

Fate, however, had other plans. As Yang Yuting unfolded her lottery slip, the name she had desperately hoped to avoid—Ming Xiaoyue’s—stared back at her.

Yang Yuting glared at Ming Xiaoyue before rolling her eyes dramatically.

She strode up to Ming Xiaoyue, looming over her as she spat, “Ming Xiaoyue, you’d better be ready tomorrow!”

The other members who hadn’t drawn one of the four names breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Ming Xiaoyue, who usually ignored Yang Yuting, suddenly flashed a smile, her gaze matching Yang Yuting’s intensity as she retorted, “Fine, I’ll be waiting!”

“Tch!” Yang Yuting tossed her head and stormed off. Xi Ruoqiong, however, wore a worried expression. Even if Yang Yuting’s individual skills were superior, she would still be eliminated if her total votes fell short.

“I’m going to check on her,” Xi Ruoqiong said quickly, hurrying after Yang Yuting.