Omega, Always Wants to Mark Me - Chapter 45

As Lu Jinxi finished speaking, Ming Xiaoyue immediately replied, “Good. Now quickly tidy up and come downstairs.”

Only then did Lu Jinxi realize she was standing in front of her dormitory building. She nodded frantically and, before leaving, added, “I’ll be back soon.”

“Mm,” Ming Xiaoyue responded.

Remembering Ming Xiaoyue’s Omega status, Lu Jinxi worried about her being seen standing in front of the Alpha dormitory. She quickly tidied up and hurried downstairs.

“Let’s go,” Ming Xiaoyue said, looking at the almost completely refreshed Lu Jinxi.

“Mm,” Lu Jinxi replied, aware of the urgency and the inappropriateness of discussing certain topics right now. She quickly followed Ming Xiaoyue.

As they entered the main hall, countless eyes suddenly turned toward them—some filled with pity, others with jealousy, and still others with envy.

The mix of emotions was too complex for either of them to dwell on.

Song Wanwen spotted them and rushed over, asking, “Where have you two been? The production team sent people to look for you!”

“Just a little thing? What’s going on? Why is everyone standing around here instead of doing interviews?” Ming Xiaoyue found the atmosphere too strange.

Song Wanwen cleared her throat and said, “Don’t you know you were voted to perform first?”

The two finally looked up and saw their names prominently displayed.

“Oh, we see now. So, what’s the deal?” Ming Xiaoyue asked.

“Well, the production team said it was based on the highest number of votes. The interview will be live-streamed. Everyone’s been waiting for you two to arrive.”

After Song Wanwen’s explanation, Ming Xiaoyue and Lu Jinxi exchanged glances. Lu Jinxi coughed and tactfully took over the conversation, saying, “Right, we understand. Where’s the director?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the director’s voice carried over from nearby: “Alright, alright, everyone’s finally here! When you go in, the interview will be live-streamed. It’ll just be simple questions about your preparations and such. Relax, everyone, no need to be nervous.”

“You’ve all seen the rankings, but they’re still subject to change until 5 PM tomorrow. The final order at that time will determine the experts’ order of appearance, so please, those in the top groups, be prepared.”

“Alright, Group One: Ming Xiaoyue and Lu Jinxi!”

Ming Xiaoyue and Lu Jinxi hurried forward. The Director patted their shoulders and said, “Go ahead and enter.”

“Okay, thank you, Director,” Lu Jinxi replied, leading Ming Xiaoyue toward the door. As Lu Jinxi’s hand gripped the doorknob, her other hand, nervously clutching her pant leg, was suddenly enveloped by a strong, reassuring hand.

Lu Jinxi glanced back. Ming Xiaoyue smiled gently and said, “It’s okay.”

As they opened the door, the host immediately stood up and greeted them warmly, “Welcome, welcome!”

Ming Xiaoyue nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

“Please take a seat, ladies. We have questions prepared by the production team, questions submitted by viewers, and a few surprises. If there’s any question you’d rather skip, feel free to do so. Now, are you both ready?” The host spoke with exceptional humility.

“Yes, I’m ready,” Lu Jinxi replied.

“Great! First, a question from the production team, Miss Ming: are you aware of how incredibly popular you are right now? You’re ranked first, and most fans are here specifically for you. Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans?”

“First, I want to sincerely thank my fans for their support. I’m aware that many sympathize with my past experiences, but since this is a girl group competition, I believe performance should be the primary criteria for evaluation. I hope our dance performance will satisfy all our fans.”

“Thank you, Miss Ming. Next, Miss Lu: as Miss Ming’s partner, do you feel any pressure, especially now that the preliminary rankings are out? Your duo has a commanding lead in votes. Does that add to the pressure?”

“There’s definitely pressure, but if it’s with Ming Xiaoyue, I’m willing to face it together,” Lu Jinxi said, suddenly turning to look at Ming Xiaoyue.

“Wonderful! No wonder you’re the hottest CP! Now for fan questions. First, a fan asks: as an Alpha and an Omega, have there been any unexpected incidents during practice?”

“That won’t happen. We’ve paired up quite a few times since filming began, and we’ve established clear boundaries. Besides, not all Alphas and Omegas…”

Before Ming Xiaoyue could speak, Lu Jinxi’s lie slipped out almost instinctively.

The host smiled at Lu Jinxi, clearly amused. Lu Jinxi, oblivious to her overreaction, only made the fans more convinced there was something between them with her defensive behavior.

Finally, Ming Xiaoyue subtly tugged at her sleeve, making Lu Jinxi belatedly realize she’d gone too far.

Turning to meet Ming Xiaoyue’s eyes, Lu Jinxi instinctively reached for the back of her neck, but froze mid-air, stopping herself just in time.

“Hmm?” The host looked at Lu Jinxi, who had abruptly stopped speaking. “Miss Lu, do you have anything else to add?”

“Uh, not for now,” Lu Jinxi said awkwardly, lowering her hand and fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, her head bowed like a child caught doing something wrong.

“And Miss Ming, have you encountered any challenges while working with Miss Lu?” The host turned the questioning to Ming Xiaoyue.

“Not at the moment. Miss Lu is a very gentle Alpha and treats me with great respect, so collaborating with her has been a pleasure,” Ming Xiaoyue replied, her words measured and leaving no room for criticism.

“Mm, good. Now, for the final segment, do you both remember the group interview we conducted last time, followed by separate individual interviews?” the host asked, smiling knowingly at Ming Xiaoyue.

Ming Xiaoyue already suspected what was coming. Lu Jinxi, however, visibly wilted at the mention of that group interview, her mood darkening.

“Yes, I remember,” Lu Jinxi said, lowering her gaze.

“Alright, let’s take a look back,” the host announced. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and a nearby screen illuminated the faces of the interviewees.

Lu Jinxi reluctantly raised her head to watch.

The video began with footage of the group entering the studio. Clearly edited, it skipped past the initial greetings and jumped straight to the host’s question:

“Miss Lu, regarding the Wu Yingyun incident within your group, do you think it stemmed from being too indiscriminate in choosing your CP partners?”

The host’s question was deliberately tricky, implying that Lu Jinxi might be playing both sides.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not very close to Miss Wu,” Lu Jinxi quickly clarified, eager to distance herself from the situation.

However, the host pressed on, saying, “But as far as I know, Miss Lu, you and Wu Yingyun are performing a duet in this competition. Miss Ming, what’s your take on this?”

The audience was clearly surprised by the host’s sudden shift of focus to Ming Xiaoyue.

“Do you have any thoughts on this matter?” the host asked.

For a moment, all four women fell silent. They understood that a poorly worded answer could easily invite criticism.

Just as Lu Jinxi was about to speak, Ming Xiaoyue cut in, “I’m sorry, but I think you might be mistaken. Lu Jinxi and I are no longer promoting a CP. We’re simply teammates.”

The host hadn’t expected Ming Xiaoyue to give such an answer and quickly pressed further, “If you’re saying you’re not in a CP with Miss Lu, then what happened at the hotel back then?”

“It was just an accident,” Ming Xiaoyue replied, looking directly at the host with unwavering sincerity. “Miss Lu and I don’t have much of a relationship. Even being on the same team now is just because we happened to be assigned together. That’s all.”

Ming Xiaoyue’s words were excessively cold, not only distancing herself from Lu Jinxi but also seemingly excluding Song Wanwen and Wen Yifan. It gave the impression that they were merely teammates working together out of necessity.

The host seemed pleased with Ming Xiaoyue’s response and smiled. “Alright, does anyone else have anything they’d like to say to each other?”

The attempt to stir up conflict was blatant, but the other three remained silent for a moment. Lu Jinxi tilted her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Ming Xiaoyue, while Ming Xiaoyue stared at the screen, refusing to meet her eyes.

“I won’t leave with Wen Yifan,” Song Wanwen declared, breaking the silence.

Wen Yifan rarely spoke, but he murmured in agreement, “Me neither.”

The host turned her gaze to Lu Jinxi, who finally looked up at the camera, biting her lower lip. After a long pause, she whispered, “I’m very grateful for our collaboration during this time, but I also know that we might part ways later. Right now, I… I might…”

Her voice caught in her throat, and she trailed off.

“Um, that’s all,” Lu Jinxi murmured, her head half-lowered.

Seeing that she had asked enough questions and gotten the sound bites she needed, the host smiled and said, “Alright, that concludes today’s interview. You can all head back now.”

The four of them looked completely different from when they had arrived, their faces pale and somewhat dazed. Lu Jinxi, standing at the edge, seemed particularly lost in thought, remaining motionless.

It was Song Wanwen who subtly nudged her, snapping her out of her trance. Lu Jinxi nodded as if waking from a dream and walked out.

The screen went dark, plunging the room into darkness. The host spoke up, “So, now that you’ve seen this interview, what would you like to say to each other?”