After Being Marked By A Love Rival - Chapter 26

Xie Rong came out of the restroom, but she didn’t go back immediately. After all, if someone saw her in her current state, they might speculate.

Her clothes were disheveled, her body still held the lingering scent of two pheromones, her hair was slightly messy, the corners of her eyes were bloodshot, her breathing was unstable, and faintly visible beneath the strands of hair, her scent gland was purplish-red and swollen with distinct, reddish bite marks.

Xie Rong gritted her teeth, her emotions churning.

Damn it.

If Qi Musi were still in front of her, Xie Rong would definitely, absolutely, beat her half to death again.

There were no students taking classes on this floor, so Xie Rong could rest here briefly without worrying about being discovered. She found an unlocked classroom, walked in, and sat down to catch her breath.

It was only then that Xie Rong realized the cold sweat on her back.

The stinging pain and other strange sensations on the back of her neck had gradually subsided, leaving only a slight, dull ache and a feeling of swelling.

The scent gland, which had never been treated this way before, experienced the feeling of an Omega for the first time. The sensation was unpleasant and extremely unfamiliar, carrying a discomfort that was hard to adapt to.

Xie Rong took out a tissue and, with a cold face, wiped the back of her neck. When her fingers brushed against the uneven bite marks, the coldness on her face intensified.

Qi Musi.

Xie Rong silently and fiercely cursed the name in her heart.

Although Xie Rong was generally cold, she rarely got provoked to anger, yet she made an exception for Qi Musi every time, and this time, the exception was even greater.

The damp, hot sensation seemed to linger on the back of her neck, along with the painful, sore feeling when the Alpha bit down. Xie Rong clenched her fingers and silently muttered a swear word.

Truthfully, when she was first bitten, her mind was blank it wasn’t an overreaction. It wasn’t until the pain reached her brain that Xie Rong truly realized what had happened.

She had been bitten by an Alpha of the same gender.

To be more precise, she had been marked by an Alpha in a susceptible period.

…Shit.

Xie Rong’s breathing was erratic, and the coldness in her eyes was like ice shards, chilling.

Moreover, that Alpha was her roommate and rival.

What the hell is this?

Xie Rong took a deep breath, but she couldn’t suppress the restless and angry emotions.

She even regretted meddling now. She should have known not to look for her, not to knock on the door, and just let her be, dead or alive.

However, these were all just hindsight, because Xie Rong knew… if it happened again, and she didn’t know what would happen, she would still go looking for her.

Xie Rong took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She simultaneously suppressed the pheromones that were still constantly radiating and wiped her scent gland clean.

If she didn’t currently feel unwilling to turn back or venture to the restrooms on other floors, Xie Rong would definitely wash the area thoroughly with water several times.

Xie Rong radiated coldness. After wiping the area clean, she tossed the tissue into the trash without looking at it, so it was out of sight, out of mind.

Then, she flipped the folded collar of her sweater back up, covering the exposed back of her neck.

…Fortunately, she was wearing a high-neck sweater today, or the hair alone might not have covered it.

After finishing all the tidying up, Xie Rong slowly began to relax. She leaned back against the chair, closed her eyes briefly, and then let out a light sigh.

What happened today was not as simple as just being bitten.

As the marked party, even though Xie Rong was an Alpha, she still received more or less of Qi Musi’s pheromones. Xie Rong could sense the cherry scent on her body, mixed with a faint wine aroma, even without trying to sniff carefully.

Undoubtedly, these were Qi Musi’s pheromones.

Unlike the scent picked up from simply being in the same room, the scent currently on Xie Rong was long-lasting and emitted from her scent gland.

Because she was marked, she had been branded.

In addition to these effects, the more significant change was Xie Rong’s psychological state.

Different from the psychological changes after an Omega is marked, Xie Rong felt not only a slight sense of dependence but also an indescribable possessiveness rising in her heart.

She even started subconsciously caring about Qi Musi.

Xie Rong irritably bit her lip, unwilling to think about Qi Musi’s condition anymore.

After about five minutes, Xie Rong stood up, ready to leave.

She had already adjusted her state; she had to go back to the classroom.

As Xie Rong exited, she glanced toward the restroom, then frowned slightly, turned, and walked toward the stairs to go down.

Whatever Qi Musi’s situation was, it was none of her business. Dead or alive, it was up to her.

On her way back, Xie Rong recalled the incident in the restroom.

There was something she hadn’t noticed at the time, but thinking about it afterward, she was still a little bothered. That was the impact on Xie Rong when the pheromones of the two of them strongly clashed and merged.

Xie Rong had originally thought that when the pheromones of two Alphas went to the extreme, it would trigger the inherent savagery and mutual repulsion of Alphas, with the worst result being mutual injury and a fight to the death.

But when she herself was in that environment, Xie Rong rarely entertained thoughts of aggression.

Just like in the dorm bathroom earlier.

She wasn’t sure if it was because Qi Musi was marking her at the time, so she didn’t have a particularly strong urge to attack, or if it was…

The so-called “stress response” between Alpha pheromones.

But none of this mattered to Xie Rong.

She didn’t care what kind of stress response it was. In short, this kind of thing would absolutely not happen again, and as for her and Qi Musi…

Thinking of this, Xie Rong narrowed her eyes, letting out a cold sneer.

She only hoped Qi Musi would be sensible, or else Xie Rong wouldn’t mind a complete fallout.

Xie Rong returned to the classroom. It was already time for the class to start, and the teacher was beginning a new lecture, facing the PPT.

Xie Rong entered through the back door, moving lightly, hardly drawing any attention.

University classes were like this. If the teacher didn’t strictly manage or didn’t mind, university life was much more relaxed and lenient compared to middle school. Thus, it was common for students to play on their phones, sleep, or enter and exit freely during class.

In a situation like Xie Rong’s, the teacher would usually just glance and then ignore it.

Xie Rong couldn’t help but feel fortunate that the teacher for this class wasn’t very strict.

She returned to her seat. Zhao Rongrong looked back at her and subconsciously said, “Why were you gone so long at the restroom?”

Of course, this question was only casual, and Zhao Rongrong could answer it herself.

Just as she was about to say, “Did you take a big one?” she suddenly paused.

Zhao Rongrong looked Xie Rong up and down again, then twitched her nose, making a sniffing gesture.

Xie Rong: “…”

Zhao Rongrong’s expression changed, showing shock.

“I, you, that… ah, this…”

Xie Rong said coldly, “Say what you want to say.”

Since she had sat down here, she had guessed Zhao Rongrong would ask questions.

Xie Rong wasn’t panicked or guilty. After all, regarding this matter… as long as she denied it, no one would guess that aspect.

Zhao Rongrong swallowed, thinking, You asked me to speak.

She glanced at the teacher above and controlled her volume, making it just right so that others couldn’t hear, while still expressing her shock.

“Friend, your pheromone scent isn’t quite right…” Zhao Rongrong started tentatively.

Xie Rong’s expression shifted slightly, and she didn’t answer.

Zhao Rongrong continued, “Friend, your pheromone scent is a little familiar.”

Xie Rong pursed her lips, her face growing colder.

Zhao Rongrong’s emotions were so complicated that she didn’t know what to say. Although this situation felt familiar, her conjecture had to be dismissed because of Xie Rong’s gender.

After all, it’s impossible, impossible. How could such a thing happen? Xie Rong is an Alpha, so the current situation is only similar! Right!

However, just as she was comforting herself, Xie Rong happened to lower her head. From Zhao Rongrong’s angle, she happened to catch a tiny, subtle, faint… mark.

She gasped, “Wait, Xiao Rong, did you get” bitten?!

The last three words didn’t come out she silenced herself in time.

Because even Zhao Rongrong herself felt that this was too alarming.

She reassured herself, I must have seen it wrong, haha.

Xie Rong heard her sharp intake of breath, looked sideways, and narrowed her eyes.

Her gaze was dark, containing undisguised coldness, like the ice on a glacier, scaring Zhao Rongrong into immediately swallowing the last three words.

But despite swallowing them, she was tormented by curiosity.

Xie Rong withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to look at her phone again.

Zhao Rongrong hesitated for quite a while.

When Xie Rong regained her focus, she happened to catch Zhao Rongrong secretly peeking over again. Zhao Rongrong thought she was being secretive, but she wasn’t.

Xie Rong paused, then said to Zhao Rongrong, “Say what you want to say.”

Zhao Rongrong, however, didn’t dare, but she felt incredibly stifled if she didn’t say anything.

After much hesitation, Zhao Rongrong tentatively asked, “I accidentally glanced just now, your neck…”

Before she could finish, Xie Rong coldly flipped her phone face down onto the desk.

Thud. The sound wasn’t loud, but it struck Zhao Rongrong’s heart, making her tremble.

Xie Rong’s face was cold, her tone containing barely discernible anger, “I was bitten by a dog.”

Zhao Rongrong: “Ah, ah?”

Xie Rong closed her eyes briefly, suppressed the instantaneous irritable emotion, and took a breath, “It’s nothing, you saw wrong.”

Zhao Rongrong smiled awkwardly, not daring to question or say anything more. She didn’t even dare to share this discovery as gossip with Moli.

Zhao Rongrong leaned back down, guarding this secret as if guarding her own life.

Xie Rong let out a breath, calming her inner turmoil.

She hadn’t expected Zhao Rongrong to inadvertently discover the bite mark. In that instant, what surged within Xie Rong was not guilt or panic, but irritability, causing her to instinctively reply with that sentence.

It must be the lingering effects.

However, Xie Rong wasn’t afraid that Zhao Rongrong would blab, as she understood Zhao Rongrong’s nature.

Moreover, this matter… although it made her angry and feel provoked and insulted, strictly speaking, it wasn’t as serious as she imagined. After all, mutual assistance sometimes occurred between male counterparts of the same sex, and mutual assistance among females also existed. So, even if Zhao Rongrong guessed this, the other person would only be surprised and wouldn’t have excessive speculation.

Although… there really wasn’t anything to speculate about.

Mutual assistance.

Thinking of this term, Xie Rong lowered her eyes and gave a cold laugh.

Good, she had thought of a way to retaliate.