After Being Marked By A Love Rival - Chapter 27

There were only two classes in the afternoon, so after they were finished, they could return to the dorm.

Zhao Rongrong packed her things and stood up, waiting for the others. As she did so, she glanced at Xie Rong with a hesitant expression. Although she thought she was being subtle, she failed miserably even Mo Li, who was behind her, noticed her unusual behavior.

Mo Li’s gaze slid from Zhao Rongrong to Xie Rong. She frowned slightly, her eyes filled with curiosity and contemplation.

What Zhao Rongrong noticed, Mo Li naturally noticed as well. However, just like Zhao Rongrong, she didn’t consider the possibility of anything else, which was why she was confused. Furthermore, from her angle, she couldn’t clearly see the situation on Xie Rong’s neck, so Mo Li naturally didn’t have the same suspicions and fear as Zhao Rongrong.

After packing her things, she called out to Zhao Rongrong. Zhao Rongrong snapped back to attention and forced a smile, “Should we head back now? Do you two want to go eat first?”

Xie Rong said, “I have something to do; I need to go out for a bit.” Meaning she wouldn’t be going to the cafeteria with them.

Zhao Rongrong was secretly relieved and immediately nodded.

After Xie Rong left, Mo Li looked at Zhao Rongrong. As they walked out of the classroom, she asked, “What’s wrong with you this afternoon?”

“What do you mean, what’s wrong?”

Mo Li glanced at her. “Cut it out. You think you can hide that state from me? So, what exactly is the problem?”

The two were close friends, their relationship far more intimate than average roommates. Zhao Rongrong wasn’t surprised that Mo Li had noticed her abnormality. Normally, she would have immediately blabbed everything to Mo Li, perhaps even discussing the gossip with her.

But the situation today was different… The gossip involved one of their own.

And thinking of Xie Rong’s cold face, Zhao Rongrong absolutely dared not “stab her in the back.”

So she shook her head with a troubled expression. “I can’t talk about this.”

Mo Li lowered her eyes, a guess forming in her mind. “Is it about Xiao Rong?”

Zhao Rongrong didn’t nod, but her face already gave away the information. So, Mo Li didn’t press further. “Alright, let’s go back.”

Xie Rong left the school gate, unsure where to go for a moment. She simply didn’t want to return to the dorm. Although Xie Rong appeared fearless on the surface, deep down, she subconsciously wanted to avoid it and was even less willing to see Qi Musi, which was why she didn’t follow Zhao Rongrong and the others, choosing instead to leave.

But once she was out, she didn’t know where to go.

Finally, Xie Rong sighed softly and chose Lu Yuan’s coffee shop.

Her relationship with Lu Yuan was subtle. Because they were of different genders and cousins, their distance wasn’t as close as one might imagine. On the other hand, Xie Rong was unfamiliar with her relatives on her paternal grandmother’s side from a young age, but she was very close to her maternal grandmother’s family. Her maternal aunt, being her mother’s only sister, was naturally wonderful to Xie Rong. Therefore, Xie Rong’s relationship with Lu Yuan was better than most.

They weren’t direct siblings, yet in some ways, they were closer than siblings.

Being marked accidentally… Xie Rong wasn’t afraid of Lu Yuan knowing.

When she arrived at the coffee shop, Lu Yuan wasn’t there. The waiter glanced at her and immediately started with “Welcome,” then asked Xie Rong what she would like.

Xie Rong’s brows slightly twitched; she couldn’t tell if she was more disappointed or relieved.

She simply ordered a drink and a dessert, then sat in a secluded corner, lowering her gaze and slowly relaxing her mind.

Before long, a cat voluntarily came over.

Xie Rong looked over, picked up the cat and held it in her arms. The orange and white cat didn’t resist instead, it purred comfortably and rubbed against Xie Rong.

Xie Rong’s previously suppressed and irritable emotions were significantly relieved.

Her fingers stroked the cat’s smooth fur, but her mind inappropriately drifted to someone’s long hair… slightly wavy, with a sheen and curve.

Xie Rong’s fingers suddenly froze, as if they had been burned.

This damned aftereffect.

Xie Rong took out her phone and checked, finding no messages. She had no way of knowing Qi Musi’s current situation whether she had returned to the dorm or gone to the hospital after leaving.

Xie Rong came back to herself, feeling that she must be crazy. She coldly threw her phone back, thinking: How does she concern me?

When Lu Yuan returned to the shop, Xie Rong had already finished eating and was petting the cat.

Lu Yuan spotted the Alpha sitting there right away. Although the spot was tucked away, some things about the person couldn’t be concealed, such as her beauty, and also…

Lu Yuan approached, his eyes narrowed slightly. He tapped on Xie Rong’s table with a bent finger.

Xie Rong looked up. As soon as their eyes met, she knew Lu Yuan had noticed something was wrong. She let the cat go, rubbed her temples, and motioned for Lu Yuan to sit down.

Lu Yuan was silent for a moment. “Tell me.”

Xie Rong said, “It’s exactly what you guessed.”

Lu Yuan’s nerves twitched, and his expression changed. He lowered his voice and restrainedly said, “What do you mean, ‘exactly what I guessed’? Do you know what I guessed? Come on, tell me.”

Xie Rong glanced at his expression and said softly, “Don’t rush.”

“How can I not rush!” Lu Yuan yelled in a low voice. Then he took a deep breath. “Who is it?”

Xie Rong’s fingertips paused. “Aren’t you going to ask me what the situation is first?”

“…”

Lu Yuan leaned back against the chair. “Fine, tell me. It’d better be that you were willing, that you encountered an Alpha in heat, and voluntarily offered yourself, putting your scent gland out for them to bite, and were marked willingly.”

Xie Rong’s expression shifted slightly at Lu Yuan’s choice of words.

To be honest, there were moments when she felt uncomfortable and wanted to flare up, as both Omegas and Alphas sometimes had moments when they were prone to emotional fluctuations.

But when she looked up and saw Lu Yuan’s unconcealed worry and anger, Xie Rong calmed down.

She paused and recounted the incident to Lu Yuan.

As Lu Yuan listened, his initial outward anger subsided. By the end, only cold sarcasm remained on his face, and he commented mercilessly, “F*cking Alphas.”

Then he looked at Xie Rong. “Oh, except for you.”

Xie Rong: “…”

Lu Yuan said, “So what are your thoughts now? What do you want to do? Beat her up? Or break her legs? Tell me, I’ll help you.”

Xie Rong’s expression softened slightly, showing a hint of tenderness. She rarely curved her lips into a smile. “Sometimes you really don’t seem like an Omega.”

Lu Yuan glanced at her. “You can still smile at a time like this?”

Xie Rong gave him a cold look in return. “What else? I was just bitten. I’m not an Omega it won’t have any effect.”

Lu Yuan held back, unsure what to say. Because what Xie Rong said was true. But… that momentary feeling was negative, wasn’t it?

Xie Rong said, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing and won’t let myself be wronged.”

Lu Yuan nodded. “Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing. So, what’s your plan? Tell me about it.”

Xie Rong lifted her eyes, silent for a moment, a slight coolness and indifference in her gaze. “An eye for an eye.”

Lu Yuan was silent for two seconds. “Okay, very strong. I agree with that.”

The atmosphere between the two finally warmed up.

Lu Yuan looked at Xie Rong. “So, you’ve already figured out what to do. Why did you come here this time?” He thought for a moment. “Do you need me to comfort you?”

Xie Rong paused. “That’s not necessary.”

She just wanted a place to be alone; she hadn’t specifically intended to find Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan leaned against the back of the chair and gradually quieted down as well.

Xie Rong thought of the stress reaction and couldn’t help but ask Lu Yuan, “When you encounter an Alpha in heat and smell their pheromones, what does it feel like?”

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. “What does it feel like? Like beating them up.”

“…”

Xie Rong pulled the topic back. “There aren’t any moments of sexual arousal?”

Lu Yuan’s face darkened. “Arousal my ass! I’d kick his balls off.” Then, he exhaled and reluctantly answered truthfully, “Of course there would be, after all, I’m an Omega. But it wouldn’t be very severe. After all, in the situations I’ve encountered before, my compatibility with those Alphas wasn’t high, so naturally, I didn’t care I just endured it.”

Compatibility.

Xie Rong’s eyes subtly changed.

She mused, “The rumor is that the higher the compatibility between AOs, the greater the attraction of their pheromones to each other.”

Lu Yuan casually said, “That’s right. There’s also a saying that AOs with over 100% compatibility are the legendary perfect match, fated lovers.”

“…”

Xie Rong lowered her gaze and said softly, “No one has measured the pheromone compatibility between Alphas and Alphas.”

Lu Yuan instinctively said, “Nonsense, A’s and A’s don’t pair up.”

However, after a pause, he still replied, “There are some, though.”

Xie Rong looked up. “What?”

Lu Yuan shifted his posture. “Testing the pheromone compatibility between Alphas and Alphas, but the results weren’t satisfactory. After all, think about it with the inherent invasiveness and aggression in you Alphas, how could you possibly be compatible with someone of the same gender? It’s funny to think about…”

His words gradually trailed off, and he looked at Xie Rong. “Wait, you’re not suggesting…?”

Xie Rong calmly looked back at him. “Suggesting what?”

Lu Yuan contemplated. “Nothing.”

When Xie Rong felt she had stayed long enough, she prepared to leave. Lu Yuan didn’t try to keep her. “Alright, call me if anything happens.”

Xie Rong nodded and left.

On the way, she thought about her conversation with Lu Yuan today and narrowed her eyes.

She now had some doubt about the pheromone compatibility between herself and Qi Musi.

But this thought and notion only flashed for a moment. Xie Rong came back to herself, feeling a bit obsessed and ridiculous. Why did she care about Qi Musi? Regardless of their pheromone compatibility, it had nothing to do with Xie Rong.

Xie Rong knew she shouldn’t waste too much time or thought on Qi Musi. What she should be considering now was how to confess to Zhuang Xinbai.

Thinking of this, all of Xie Rong’s emotions finally calmed down.

When she returned to the dorm, Xie Rong briefly wondered how she should interact with Qi Musi later and how to get her “revenge.”

Although she wasn’t interested in marking an Alpha, it was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Since Qi Musi had bitten her, Xie Rong would bite back.

But Qi Musi didn’t return to the dorm until late that night.