Omega, Always Wants to Mark Me - Chapter 5

Lu Jinxi watched Ming Xiaoyue’s retreating figure and hurried after her, her intuition telling her this banquet might not be as simple as it seemed.

Sure enough, the moment she opened the private room door, a chaotic mix of Alpha pheromones, alcohol, and a faint hint of cigarette smoke assaulted her senses.

Lu Jinxi remembered clearly that Ming Xiaoyue was still in heat. She glanced sideways at her with a worried expression.

But Ming Xiaoyue acted as if nothing were amiss, her smile sweet and radiant. She immediately approached the Director.

“Director,” Ming Xiaoyue greeted him.

“Ah, Brother Strong, let me introduce you,” the Director said, rising from his seat to welcome Ming Xiaoyue. “This is Ming Xiaoyue. She’s participating in the girl group training program. Come, Ming Xiaoyue, this is Brother Strong. You should know him.”

“Of course I know him,” Ming Xiaoyue replied with a smile, adopting a submissive demeanor as she bowed slightly. “Brother Strong is my idol! A rising star in rap. I’ve been wanting to meet you for ages.”

Luo Hong chuckled, his eyes raking Ming Xiaoyue up and down with a lecherous gaze. He casually grabbed a glass of wine and offered it to her. “Since we’re so fated to meet, let’s have a drink together.”

Behind Ming Xiaoyue, Lu Jinxi couldn’t help but take a small step forward. But before she could intervene, Ming Xiaoyue, her face beaming with a smile, spoke up: “Alright, Brother Strong, I’ll down it in one go. You can take your time.”

Without waiting for Lu Jinxi to react, Ming Xiaoyue boldly drained her glass in a single gulp. Luo Hong seemed genuinely pleased by her boldness, clapping and cheering, “Good! Very good! Ming Xiaoyue, right? Ah, is that the new girl group training program?”

As Luo Hong spoke, he turned to the Director, who quickly chimed in, “Exactly! The one you’re selecting the MV for. They’d like you to be a guest mentor for a few days.”

“Hmm, I’m fine with that,” Luo Hong replied, his gaze never leaving Ming Xiaoyue as he finished his own drink.

“Sit down, everyone!” Luo Hong announced.

Lu Jinxi, as inconspicuous as ever, quietly slipped into a corner seat. Her manager shot her a disapproving glare, but she ignored it.

Ming Xiaoyue, however, successfully secured the seat next to Luo Hong, basking in his attention.

The dinner proceeded smoothly, except for Ming Xiaoyue being constantly plied with drinks by the Director and Luo Hong. During the meal, the Director reluctantly tried to get Lu Jinxi to join in, but she politely declined, using the most common excuse: “I’m sorry, I’m allergic to alcohol.”

The others present were shrewd enough to see through the situation without commenting, but Lu Jinxi had already managed to offend a significant number of influential figures.

Lu Jinxi remained silent. In this new life, she had no intention of currying favor with anyone except Ming Xiaoyue. Her current dilemma was how to answer Ming Xiaoyue’s questions, as the latter had already grown suspicious of her.

The meal dragged on until late into the night. Lu Jinxi kept a close eye on Ming Xiaoyue, worried that someone might take advantage of her in her drunken state.

However, in such a chaotic environment, she couldn’t possibly monitor everything. At least, when Ming Xiaoyue rose to see Luo Hong off with the Director, Luo Hong slipped her a hotel key card behind his back as they stood at the door.

Ming Xiaoyue glanced at the tipsy Luo Hong and smiled knowingly, accepting the key card without protest.

Luo Hong smirked lewdly, and Ming Xiaoyue caught a stronger whiff of his pheromones. She wrinkled her nose slightly in the shadows, her expression betraying a hint of disgust.

After seeing Luo Hong off, Ming Xiaoyue turned to the Director and said, “Director, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back now.”

“Hmm, hmm,” the Director murmured, offering no further resistance. He cast a meaningful glance at Ming Xiaoyue before speaking solemnly, “Xiaoyue, in the entertainment industry, leveraging connections is crucial for success. Without money or connections…”

“Director, I’m leaving too,” Lu Jinxi’s sudden appearance interrupted his words. The Director’s face momentarily darkened with displeasure at the interruption, but he couldn’t openly object and could only wave his hand dismissively.

Ming Xiaoyue felt the glands at the back of her neck throbbing—her inhibitor was wearing off. Seizing the opportunity, she declared, “Then I’ll be going too, Director!”

“Go on, go on.”

At the elevator, Lu Jinxi, who had already taken a few steps ahead, stood waiting as if deliberately waiting for Ming Xiaoyue.

Ming Xiaoyue, her patience for pretense worn thin, let her cool facade crumble, her expression hardening. She seemed to deliberately ignore Lu Jinxi beside her.

Yet Lu Jinxi followed her without complaint, pressing the elevator button and stepping inside. The two remained silent.

Perhaps due to the mark they shared, Lu Jinxi could clearly sense that Ming Xiaoyue’s pheromones were slightly unstable.

“Ming…” Lu Jinxi began, her voice filled with concern, but Ming Xiaoyue cut her off. “So, what’s your answer?”

As she spoke, Ming Xiaoyue leaned against the elevator wall, rubbing her temples with one hand, her expression weary.

Though Ming Xiaoyue didn’t explicitly state the question, Lu Jinxi knew she was referring to the one from earlier that afternoon.

Lu Jinxi could already faintly detect Ming Xiaoyue’s citrus scent, her body instinctively reacting with a slight swallow.

“Because I love you too.” That was Lu Jinxi’s simple answer, given after she had accidentally ruined a banquet.

Recalling the past, Lu Jinxi realized this had always been her truest feeling.

But the moment the words left her lips, Ming Xiaoyue straightened up with a soft pfft, lowered her hand, and fixed Lu Jinxi with an undisguised, dark gaze. Her crimson lips parted slightly.

“Lu Jinxi, are you drunk? Hmm?”

The expected skepticism. Lu Jinxi’s lips barely moved as she murmured, “I haven’t had any alcohol.”

“You like me?” Ming Xiaoyue pressed closer, cornering Lu Jinxi against the wall, then began toying with her, her touch light and teasing.

“Mm,” Lu Jinxi replied, lowering her gaze.

“Really?” Ming Xiaoyue murmured, her fingers tracing the curve of Lu Jinxi’s exposed collarbone, gradually sliding downward. But as her hand reached Lu Jinxi’s chest, she felt the sudden frantic pounding of her heart. Startled, Ming Xiaoyue looked up at Lu Jinxi.

“Really,” Lu Jinxi insisted. As her words fell, Ming Xiaoyue’s hand landed directly over Lu Jinxi’s violently beating heart. Ming Xiaoyue’s expression turned cold, and she abruptly pulled away.

“Then why didn’t you accept my confession right away?”

“Because our positions are complicated. I wanted to think things through carefully, to be responsible to both of us.”

“Ha,” Ming Xiaoyue scoffed. The explanation sounded reasonable, but she didn’t believe a word Lu Jinxi said. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Lu Jinxi might also be a reborn.

The thought flashed through her mind, and Ming Xiaoyue’s gaze sharpened with hatred. No matter, she thought. Lu Jinxi likes to play pretend? Then I’ll tear through her layers of deception, one by one.

“Click,” Ming Xiaoyue said, pulling out the room key Luo Hong had given her. “You handle this.”

Lu Jinxi took the room card, puzzled. When she saw it wasn’t Ming Xiaoyue’s room number, a suspicion formed in her mind. She looked up at Ming Xiaoyue, her expression questioning.

Just then, the elevator arrived. Ming Xiaoyue smiled and said, “Oh, and don’t make a scene. If things get too difficult, just buy a fake O-suppressant, lie on the bed, and I’m sure Luo Hong won’t notice. After all, you love being marked by others so much.”

Her words were flippant and deeply insulting.

Even Lu Jinxi, who had always been tolerant of her, couldn’t help but clench the card in her hand.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? As your girlfriend, you’re not going to make me go, are you?” Ming Xiaoyue said, reaching for the card in Lu Jinxi’s palm.

She tugged twice, but Lu Jinxi held the card tightly, refusing to let go.

Right in front of Ming Xiaoyue, Lu Jinxi folded the card in half, stepped out of the elevator, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. “Neither of us needs to go,” she said.

Ming Xiaoyue’s face turned cold. “What do you mean, Lu Jinxi?!” she snapped.

“I’ll handle it,” Lu Jinxi murmured, standing before Ming Xiaoyue for the first time.

“Ha! What can you possibly solve? Huh? Luo Hong could ruin our futures with a flick of his finger, you know? If you don’t want to debut, Lu Jinxi, don’t drag me down with you. Oh, and by the way, I don’t like you anymore. Let’s break up.”

Ming Xiaoyue suddenly felt utterly bored. Heaven had given her a second chance at life—why was she still wasting time on this woman?

From now on, she would keep her distance. Ming Xiaoyue didn’t care whether Lu Jinxi had also been reborn. If she could become Best Actress in her previous life through her own efforts, she could certainly debut successfully this time around.

“Oh, and let’s not see each other much anymore. Goodbye!”

After cutting ties decisively, Ming Xiaoyue strode away from the elevator entrance, returned to her room, and slammed the door shut. A strong citrus-scented pheromone had already permeated the air.

Ming Xiaoyue didn’t understand what was happening to her. It seemed her immunity to pheromones from her previous life had carried over into this one. At least, as she maintained her cold expression, she casually grabbed an inhibitor and injected it into her gland without the slightest hesitation, her face remaining completely impassive.

The alcohol she’d drunk earlier was starting to cloud her mind. After a quick wash, she collapsed into bed, exhausted.

Even without Lu Jinxi breaking her room key earlier, Ming Xiaoyue wouldn’t have sought out Luo Hong. He was just a commodity, a product of capital’s hype, nothing to fear.

Later that night, Ming Xiaoyue was jolted awake by a noise at the door. In the darkness, her eyes snapped open, like those of a predator hunting in the night.

Her mind raced: Who could it be? Lu Jinxi?

She shifted slightly in the darkness, reaching for the small bedside lamp and gripping it tightly.

Unexpectedly, a familiar Alpha pheromone drifted into her nostrils—Luo Hong.

Ming Xiaoyue frowned. She didn’t know how he’d gotten the passcode to her room, but the approaching footsteps and the increasingly potent pheromones left no doubt.

The glands at the back of her neck throbbed, and a wave of heat washed over her. Her eyes widened in disbelief—How is this happening? Didn’t I take the inhibitor?

Behind her, Luo Hong murmured, “Baby, I’m here. The drug should be kicking in by now…”

Ming Xiaoyue knew she was in trouble.