Omega, Always Wants to Mark Me - Chapter 39

The moment Lu Jinxi heard Ming Xiaoyue’s voice, she immediately retracted her dominant pheromones.

An indescribable feeling stirred within her, like accidentally pouring too much vinegar into a bowl of noodles, leaving her heart a tangled mix of emotions.

“What’s this? Now that you’ve latched onto the Tang Family, you’ve suddenly found your backbone?”

Lu Jinxi listened to Ming Xiaoyue’s voice behind her, laced with sharp mockery, and the sound of her approaching footsteps.

“That’s not true,” Lu Jinxi murmured in protest, her head unconsciously tilting downward, her gaze fixed on her toes, perhaps out of guilt.

“Lu Jinxi,”

This time, she could feel Ming Xiaoyue’s presence behind her. Though the distance wasn’t as close as she’d imagined, she sensed the warning in Ming Xiaoyue’s pheromones.

“I have no right to interfere in your affairs, so mind your own business! And stop with those pathetic little tricks. You can’t possibly think I’d fall for them like other Omegas, completely bewitched by you?”

Lu Jinxi’s hand clenched at her side, an overwhelming impulse surging within her. Her mind raced with the urge to throw caution to the wind and reveal the truth about everything.

As long as things remained unclear, there was still a chance. She could clearly sense Ming Xiaoyue’s pheromones radiating disgust toward her—not sarcasm, nor the usual empty words. This was genuine loathing.

The realization stabbed Lu Jinxi’s heart. Her throat tightened, and her composure threatened to shatter. Reason snapped.

She whirled around, taking a step closer before Ming Xiaoyue could react. “Ming Xiaoyue,” she blurted out, desperate to explain, “actually, I…”

But before she could finish, Tang Jinshu’s deliberately saccharine, nauseating voice called out from behind: “A Jin~, you were here all along? My dad’s in the reception room—he’s been looking for you everywhere.”

Tang Jinshu’s words carried a wealth of information, disrupting Lu Jinxi’s confession and snapping her back to her senses. Only then did a cold sweat break out across her back.

Lu Jinxi had nearly confessed her own rebirth. Under normal circumstances, if they were alone, she might have understood her impulsive urge. But the Assistant Director and another crew member had been right there.

A wave of relief washed over her. If such a secret were exposed, she feared she’d be dragged away to become a lab rat.

Just then, Lu Jinxi glanced up and met Ming Xiaoyue’s gaze. She saw no ripple of emotion in Ming Xiaoyue’s eyes, but Lu Jinxi’s fingertips trembled slightly as she released Ming Xiaoyue’s hand.

Torn between choices, Lu Jinxi instinctively glanced at Tang Jinshu waiting for her nearby, then back at Ming Xiaoyue.

Seeing the unspoken urgency in Tang Jinshu’s eyes, Lu Jinxi knew she couldn’t delay. For someone like Tang Jinshu’s father, who had long held a position of power, time was paramount.

“Ming Xiaoyue, I’m sorry. I… I’ll explain later,” Lu Jinxi said, turning to walk toward Tang Jinshu.

Before she could take a step, Ming Xiaoyue’s cold voice cut through the air behind her: “Lu Jinxi, are you sure? I’m giving you a chance right now. If you walk away, there’s no need to explain anything to me later!”

Ming Xiaoyue admitted she had been startled by Lu Jinxi’s sudden movement.

But when she saw the sincerity and determination in Lu Jinxi’s eyes, she felt an overwhelming urge to believe anything Lu Jinxi said.

Yet, at that crucial moment, Tang Jinshu interrupted Lu Jinxi’s words, leaving her hanging.

Lu Jinxi’s brief words lingered in Ming Xiaoyue’s mind, refusing to fade.

And now, Lu Jinxi was about to abandon her again, choosing Tang Jinshu without hesitation. Ming Xiaoyue could no longer tolerate this feeling of losing control over herself because of one person.

Back in the RV, she had wanted to disregard Lu Jinxi’s wishes and drag her away. Fortunately, she had restrained herself then, but now…

Ming Xiaoyue pressed her lips together, impulsively revealing her trump card. She wanted to hand the blade to Lu Jinxi, forcing her to choose where to strike.

Ming Xiaoyue rarely regretted her words the moment they left her lips. She immediately hated herself for losing her composure and blurting out her hidden feelings, making it seem as if Lu Jinxi’s choice mattered deeply to her.

But there was also a flicker of hope, and an almost imperceptible tension. All of it shattered like a bubble the moment Lu Jinxi spoke.

Ming Xiaoyue heard Lu Jinxi whisper, “I’m sorry…”

The rest of Lu Jinxi’s words barely registered. Ming Xiaoyue felt as if she’d been struck over the head with a club, and the person wielding it was someone she’d never expected.

Later, Ming Xiaoyue couldn’t recall how she’d responded to Lu Jinxi. She simply watched Lu Jinxi’s retreating figure, her heart aching faintly.

Meanwhile, Lu Jinxi hurried over to Tang Jinshu and whispered urgently, “Why did your father suddenly show up?”

Tang Jinshu evaded the people following them and leaned in to whisper in Lu Jinxi’s ear, “I don’t know. Is Ming Xiaoyue okay?”

Tang Jinshu had clearly seen Lu Jinxi’s face pale visibly after hearing Ming Xiaoyue’s response, even her lips turning white.

For a moment, he regretted teasing the two earlier. After all, Lu Jinxi was genuinely helping him, and his actions now felt like repaying kindness with malice.

“Huff,” Lu Jinxi stopped just around the corner, bracing herself against the wall and taking a deep breath. Yet the suffocating feeling in her chest persisted.

It felt like a powerful hand was squeezing Lu Jinxi’s heart, making it hard to breathe.

“You…” Tang Jinshu was surprised by Lu Jinxi’s intense reaction. Ming Xiaoyue’s words had seemed simple enough, though admittedly a bit cutting.

“Are you alright?” Tang Jinshu finally couldn’t help but ask.

“Mm, let’s go see your father first,” Lu Jinxi said, forcing herself to stand straight. But her mind was still consumed by Ming Xiaoyue’s final words.

History always repeats itself in uncanny ways. Lu Jinxi’s fingertips trembled slightly at her side. Ming Xiaoyue’s words—Never appear before me again—hung in the air like a curse.

Lu Jinxi closed her eyes, bit her lower lip until the metallic taste of bl00d filled her mouth, and forced her thoughts back to the present.

She knew she couldn’t afford to collapse now. Not yet.

Knock, knock! A knock at the door made Tang Jinshu tense up, tugging nervously at Lu Jinxi’s sleeve.

Lu Jinxi forced a smile to reassure Tang Jinshu.

A muffled voice came from behind the sandalwood door, its very tone conveying an air of inviolability.

“Enter!” Tang Lianchan’s voice boomed from within.

Someone opened the door from inside. As the guest, Lu Jinxi stepped forward first. The conference room curtains were drawn tightly, blocking out every trace of light.

Lu Jinxi realized where Tang Jinshu had learned her manipulative tactics during their first meeting.

However, compared to Tang Jinshu’s superficial display, Tang Lianchan, seated at the far end of the conference table, unleashed an overwhelming Alpha pheromone before Lu Jinxi could even take a few steps.

“Lu, Jin, Xi, is it?” She enunciated each syllable of Lu Jinxi’s name, her tone tinged with disdain for the last two characters.

Lu Jinxi’s pheromones were still unstable after Ming Xiaoyue’s recent blow. Sensing the invasive Alpha pheromone, she instinctively began to resist. But the two potent Alpha pheromones clashed in the darkness, leaving Lu Jinxi’s eyes suddenly rimmed with red. A fierce impulse surged through her.

Forget the truth! Forget my debut! I just want to go back to Ming Xiaoyue right now and explain everything that’s happened!

Thump!

Tang Jinshu, still beside Lu Jinxi, finally succumbed to the oppressive Alpha pheromone. As an Omega, she collapsed weakly against the conference table.

Snapping back to reality, Lu Jinxi quickly suppressed her own Alpha pheromone and frantically sprayed pheromone suppressants around Tang Jinshu as if they were free.

Tang Jinshu finally snapped out of her daze, albeit reluctantly.

“Hmph, what a disgrace!” Tang Lianchan sneered. “After all that Alpha desensitization training, you still can’t resist Alpha pheromones? Guards, take the young lady away!”

Suddenly, a man in black approached and whispered, “Miss Lu, please release our young lady.”

Lu Jinxi thought the man was an idiot. What kind of normal Alpha would bully an Omega like this, especially when that Omega was their own daughter?

Knowing it was best for Tang Jinshu to leave, Lu Jinxi released her grip.

As the door slammed shut, plunging the conference room back into darkness, Lu Jinxi suppressed her anger with steely resolve.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Tang Lianchan’s voice softened slightly. “You’re quite impressive. You’re the first Alpha to dare confront me directly.”

He fell silent again.

Logically, Lu Jinxi knew she should regain her composure and seize this opportunity to negotiate with Tang Lianchan. But her mind was still consumed by Ming Xiaoyue’s final words: Never show your face to me again.

Should she try to explain? How could she convey that she had her own plans, that Lu Jinxi might no longer be the optimal path for her debut?

Otherwise, why would Ming Xiaoyue have insisted on meeting Xi Ruoqiong through the show’s producers? That behind-the-scenes manipulation had clearly hurt her deeply. Why?!

As Lu Jinxi thought this, her hand had unconsciously clenched into a fist. Why Xi Ruoqiong?! For a moment, Lu Jinxi didn’t want to let go.

She’s just a Beta! What could she possibly…

Lost in her thoughts, Lu Jinxi struggled to pull herself back to reality. It was Tang Lianchan’s words that finally snapped her out of it.

“Alright, I can see you’re a smart woman, so I’ll cut straight to the point. I want you to marry into the Tang Family. Name your price—anything within reason, I’ll grant it.

In return, I expect you to pursue a career in politics. The Tang Family doesn’t tolerate idlers. As a basic requirement, you’ll need to sign an agreement relinquishing any claim to the Tang Family’s inheritance.

Whether you ever gain true standing within the family will depend entirely on your own capabilities.”

Tang Lianchan rattled off his domineering terms as if victory were assured, as if Lu Jinxi wouldn’t dare refuse.

Too bad she was facing Lu Jinxi today.

“I refuse,” Lu Jinxi stated bluntly, without hesitation.

Tang Lianchan felt his authority challenged. His face darkened, and he hissed, “What did you say?!”

Undaunted, Lu Jinxi withstood Tang Lianchan’s oppressive pheromone and repeated, “I said I refuse to marry into the Tang Family.”