Accidental Marking (Transmigration into a Book) - Chapter 1

A light drizzle fell in the early morning, draping the lush, green mountains in a layer of mist. The scenery was hazy and ethereal, like a hidden fairyland.

A black private car wound its way along the curving mountain road. In the front, the driver gripped the steering wheel with focused caution. In the back sat a man in a charcoal-gray suit; his crisp white shirt was pressed so perfectly there wasn’t a single wrinkle in sight. His long, slender fingers were currently flipping through a legal file.

The man had handsome features but an expression of cold indifference. Simply by sitting there in silence, he exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure. His presence made the interior of the car feel exceptionally still; the driver hardly dared to breathe, terrified of disturbing him.

Beside him sat a young woman in her early twenties, radiating youthful energy. She wore a small pink dress with her hair tied up in a trendy bun, her eyes glued to a web novel on her phone. After reading for a moment, she suddenly turned her head to scan the man beside her.

Sensing her gaze, he asked tonelessly, “What is it?”

The girl’s eyes crinkled into a bright smile. “Brother, the protagonist of this novel has the same name as you, he’s also called Pei Shaoze.”

Pei Shaoze replied offhandedly, “What novel?”

“Accidental Marking. It’s an ABO story.”

“ABO?” Pei Shaoze had zero interest in web novels. He only ever read the scripts his film department filtered and sent to his desk. He naturally had no idea what ABO meant; he assumed it was a reference to blood types.

“Ahem.” Pei Xueqing felt a bit awkward explaining the details to her brother, so she kept it brief: “It’s a world-building setting from abroad. In an ABO world, people are divided into three types: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. Alphas and Omegas have ‘pheromones’—think of them as biological hormones that can trigger human instincts. The Pei Shaoze in this book is an Alpha. Even his identity is the same as yours; he’s the boss of an entertainment company.”

Pei Shaoze listened, but the concept remained a blur.

Pei Xueqing paused, then whispered a complaint: “But the Pei Shaoze in the book is a total scumbag. After the protagonist, Cheng Xia, loses control of his pheromones, this jerk torments him so badly that Cheng Xia is left covered in wounds and nearly dies. He shares your name, but his personality couldn’t be more different.”

“Mhm. A shared name isn’t that strange; my name isn’t particularly unique.” Pei Shaoze wasn’t interested in the topic. He lowered his head and continued reviewing his documents.

He was a busy man. He was only heading home because today was his 30th birthday, and his mother was hosting a banquet for him. The file in his hand was a contract for their next film project. The legal department had vetted it repeatedly, and it was now with him for final approval. Since it was an hour’s drive to the hotel, he had brought it along to finish on the way.

Ten minutes later, he tucked the contract into his briefcase. Seeing that her brother was free, Pei Xueqing couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, are ‘unspoken rules’ really common in the entertainment industry? If a beautiful star suddenly appeared in your bed one day, would you take advantage and sleep with them?”

Pei Shaoze replied expressionlessly, “No.”

Pei Xueqing: “?”

Pei Xueqing shrugged helplessly.

Her brother was too upright, too serious. Even if someone delivered themselves to his door, he would remain unmoved. There was no way he could ever become the “scumbag Alpha” from Accidental Marking.

In that novel, the scumbag Pei Shaoze had devoured Cheng Xia on the very first night he showed up, triggering a series of melodramatic, heart-wrenching, and physically abusive plotlines. It was supposed to be a tragic story, but because the villain had the same name as her brother, Xueqing kept getting distracted.

The villain in the novel often lacked basic intelligence—he couldn’t compare to her calm, brilliant brother.

Pei Shaoze was a man driven by his career. In Xueqing’s memory, he had never even been in a relationship. Despite his striking looks and immense wealth, and the countless women trying to get close to him, he remained impenetrable.

His self-discipline was terrifying; he woke up and ate at the same time every day. His world consisted only of work; everything else was a distant second.

Their father had passed away early, and their mother was in poor health. Pei Shaoze had taken over the company at just 22 years old, right after graduation. At the time, the company was drowning in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy.

One could only imagine the pressure he faced.

He did everything himself—market research, project selection, talent scouting. To secure investment, he once drank so much at a business dinner that he suffered a gastric hemorrhage and was rushed to the ER. He had lived with severe stomach problems ever since. During those years, he slept less than five hours a night, working like a machine.

Those experiences had forged his cold, decisive character. Under his leadership, the Pei family now controlled half of the entertainment industry. Every artist he scouted became a superstar, and every movie he invested in became a box-office hit. He was known as the boss with the sharpest eye in the business.

Now that he was nearing thirty, he could see right through the intentions of any “young starlet” or “pretty boy” who stood before him. He had no intention of dating. After all, why waste time on people who clearly just wanted to use him to climb the ladder?

Success had brought him to a point where every “Top Stream” idol in the industry greeted him respectfully as “President Pei.” Yet, Xueqing felt her brother lacked a bit of “humanity.” He was too cold, like a walking work-bot. She truly hoped someone would appear who loved him for who he was, and not his status.

The birthday banquet was held at a famous five-star hotel.

The Pei relatives were out in full force, and the company’s artists were all present. Wealthy socialites had dressed to the nines, hoping to leave an impression. The ballroom was sparkling with stars, and the pile of gifts for Pei Shaoze had grown into a small mountain.

When Pei Shaoze appeared, the crowd instinctively parted to create a path.

With a calm expression, he led his sister to the center of the hall, walked up to his mother, and gave her a gentlemanly hug.

Mrs. Pei patted her son’s shoulder gently and smiled. “Shaoze, Happy Birthday. I wanted your 30th to be lively, so I invited many acquaintances. You don’t mind, do you?”

For a rare moment, the corners of Pei Shaoze’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Of course not.”

He usually maintained a stern facade; only before his family did he show such a relaxed smile.

From a distance, several young women felt their hearts race. They whispered among themselves: “With President Pei’s looks, he could totally debut as an actor, right?”

“He’s worth billions; why would he bother acting?”

“True, he’s always been single. I wonder what kind of girl he likes?”

“Well, definitely not the gossiping type like you!”

The banquet began at 8:00 PM. At his mother’s gesture, Pei Shaoze took the microphone for a brief speech and cut the cake. Warm applause followed, leading into the buffet where guests continuously approached him for toasts.

“President Pei, Happy Birthday! May everything go your way!”

“Happy Birthday, President Pei.”

Glass after glass of red wine went down. Pei Shaoze began to feel a dull dizziness. He disliked noisy occasions but couldn’t dismiss his mother’s efforts. Near the end of the event, he called his assistant and said in a low voice, “Have the driver take my mother and Xiaoqing home later. Take me to the West Suburb Villa. I want to rest there for a few days.”

The assistant immediately replied, “Understood, President Pei. I’ll be right there.”

Soon, the assistant picked him up. Pei Shaoze sat in the back, pressing a hand to his temple. His tolerance for alcohol wasn’t bad, but he had overindulged today. His temples throbbed with a bloated pain, and his head buzzed as if it might explode.

The assistant glanced at him through the rearview mirror. Seeing his boss’s pale face, he asked with concern, “President Pei, is your headache back? Do you want some painkillers?”

“No,” Pei Shaoze’s voice was hoarse. “Just drive. I’m going to sleep for a bit.”

He pulled the curtains shut, turned off the interior lights, and leaned back to rest.

The city was shrouded in thick fog. Visibility was less than 30 meters, so the assistant drove with extreme care, keeping the speed low. It took two hours to reach the villa. The assistant helped a visibly unwell Pei Shaoze to the bedroom and thoughtfully placed a glass of warm water on the nightstand.

The headache was unbearable. Pei Shaoze pulled a few sleeping pills from the drawer, swallowed them, and finally fell into a deep slumber.

After an unknown amount of time, strange mechanical sounds echoed in his mind.

【Welcome to the Transmigration System. System No. 1022 is at your service.】

【Player account activated.】

【Checking recently read novels. Apologies, no novels found in the player’s reading history for the past three months.】

【Retrieving memory.】

【Recent memory found: Accidental Marking by author ‘Butterfly Flying’.】

【Loading novel world.】

【Linking Character. Binding complete.】

【Mission Start.】

Pei Shaoze sat up abruptly.

He remembered the alcohol, the headache, and taking sleeping pills back at the villa. Taking pills when he couldn’t sleep had become a habit over the years. But why had he woken up so suddenly? And what was that voice in his head?

As he sat in confusion, a warm body suddenly pressed close to him. A pair of slender hands reached out, fumbling to hug his waist. Their skin met in intimate contact; the other person clearly wasn’t wearing clothes.

Neither was he.

Pei Shaoze: “??”

Pei Shaoze immediately snapped on the light, his sharp gaze cutting toward the person beside him.

A youth lay on the bed, the quilt partially covering him to reveal a pale face and delicate collarbones. The boy’s skin was very fair, his features refined. Under the warm light, he looked somewhat boyish and innocent, yet undeniably handsome. Even in the star-studded entertainment industry, his looks would be top-tier.

However, the youth’s face was currently flushed a deep red, and he was moving restlessly under the covers.

Pei Shaoze thought back to his sister’s question about “unspoken rules.” Had someone really climbed into his bed to trade their body for resources?

He quickly pinned the boy’s wandering hands and asked coldly, “Who sent you here?”

His voice was low and freezing, causing the temperature in the room to drop several degrees.

The youth looked up. Upon seeing who it was, he immediately curled into a ball under the quilt. His lips trembled, and his breathing was erratic as he gasped out, “Pre… President Pei. I-I’m Cheng Xia. My Omega pheromones, I think they’re out of control.”

Cheng Xia? Omega pheromones?

Why did these words sound so familiar?