After Being Marked By A Love Rival - Chapter 28

Zhao Rongrong and Mo Li were the first to return to the dorm. Along the way, Mo Li naturally noticed Zhao Rongrong’s unusual state, a state that had persisted since Xie Rong returned to the classroom.

Mo Li knew something must have happened, but she also understood that she shouldn’t force an inquiry if Zhao Rongrong didn’t want to talk about it.

She knew her limits.

And… even if Zhao Rongrong didn’t say anything, Mo Li had probably figured out some information. But it was too early to dwell on these thoughts, and some matters weren’t for her to gossip about, so Mo Li merely brushed the thought aside and stopped thinking about it.

The two of them ate their meal in the dorm and then started doing their own things. Although Zhao Rongrong was about to burst, she was stubbornly guarding her secret, not daring to reveal anything.

When Xie Rong returned, she had largely adjusted her state. The wound on the back of her neck had been treated and covered with an adhesive bandage. Given that it was the season for wearing high-collared clothes, the wound would not be discovered unless someone deliberately pulled the collar away to look.

She was behaving normally, except for the lingering scent of cherries around her.

Xie Rong tried her best to control her pheromones and the cherry scent clinging to them, only returning to the dorm after the cold wind outside had blown the scent off to a certain degree.

Normally, Zhao Rongrong was the most lively person in the dorm, but now she was uncharacteristically silent, tossing and turning on her bed.

When Xie Rong returned, Zhao Rongrong jolted up and locked eyes with Xie Rong from her bed.

Xie Rong quietly raised her eyes, her gaze revealing no emotion. The uncontrollable irritability she had in the classroom was completely gone, leaving only her original composure.

Zhao Rongrong observed her for a moment, then quietly lay back down.

The three person dorm remained silent.

Time flew by, and soon it was evening.

Xie Rong glanced at the time and slightly frowned. Although it was a university dorm with no room checks, the dorm building had a curfew. Seeing that it was almost time for the doors to close, Qi Musi still hadn’t arrived… This meant that she most likely wouldn’t be returning for the night.

Thinking of this, Xie Rong narrowed her eyes.

Good, trying to hide?

She sneered inwardly. Fine, she can run, but she can’t hide forever. She’d see how long Qi Musi could hide.

If the other party simply decided to move out of the dorm altogether, that would be acceptable, considering her lucky escape.

Xie Rong lowered her eyes, thinking this.

When the doors closed at eleven o’clock, Zhao Rongrong finally couldn’t help but carefully say, “…Is Musi not coming back tonight?” Her voice broke the silence.

Mo Li looked at Xie Rong’s back and then nodded, “It’s this late, so probably not.”

“Oh…” Zhao Rongrong didn’t know what else to say. The usually talkative person was now extremely reserved.

Zhao Rongrong felt like she had truly uncovered some secret. But she dared not speak of it, nor discuss it with anyone, feeling like she was about to explode from holding it in.

Xie Rong had already gone to wash up. She had class tomorrow morning, so there was no need for her to stay up waiting for Qi Musi.

Moreover, she could run but she couldn’t hide, and Xie Rong wasn’t overly concerned.

After eleven-thirty, the lights in their dorm went out.

Turning off the lights wasn’t a universal school requirement, but a rule their dorm had established early on, both to accommodate everyone and to promote dorm unity.

Usually after lights out, if anyone was still awake, Zhao Rongrong would inevitably chatter for a bit, but today she uncharacteristically pulled her curtain closed, lay down, and didn’t utter a sound.

Xie Rong also got into bed, and soon, the dorm fell silent.

Lying in bed, Xie Rong didn’t fall asleep immediately. She lay on her side, one hand on the back of her neck, gently rubbing the slightly granular adhesive bandage, deep in thought.

The wound was already treated and would scab over in a few days. By then, Qi Musi’s pheromones would fade, and everything would be as if nothing had happened. Xie Rong would no longer have any worries.

However…

The deeper the night became, the more Xie Rong uncontrollably recalled everything from the day.

She closed her eyes, her eyelashes lightly trembling. She felt the warm, moist breath on the back of her neck again, along with the other person’s burning temperature.

The person was embracing her, restraining her waist, their lips slowly kissing her scent gland, teeth grinding, seemingly about to bite down fiercely, like a leopard, heedless of anything else…

Xie Rong abruptly sat up in bed, her hands clenched into fists. In the darkness, she silently cursed.

Xie Rong lay back down. This time, she didn’t allow herself to overthink, instead forcing her mind blank, desperately trying to quickly fall asleep.

The air was scorching and dry, carrying an all-consuming heat. Being in it quickly left one parched and short of breath.

Xie Rong felt hot sweat all over her back and forehead, unable to break free. The more scorching it was, the more a temperature even hotter than the environment covered her from behind.

She struggled to escape forward, but the other person followed her like a shadow.

An arm lay across her waist, then pulled gently, bringing Xie Rong back.

“Xiao Rong…” A familiar voice called her name.

Xie Rong felt no emotional stirring, only anger and vexation. She wanted to push the person away, to teach them a lesson, but the Xie Rong in the dream was just limp, helpless and alone, dependent on the other.

Xie Rong couldn’t help but curse, trying to resist the power of the dream, but only sinking deeper.

Qi Musi embraced her from behind, as if giving her support, and also as if holding Xie Rong completely in her arms, tightly refusing to let go.

Then, she lowered her head.

Xie Rong noticed what the other person wanted to do. She moved, trying to pull away, but found she had no strength, allowing Qi Musi to hold her.

“…Go away…” The end of the word was strained, drowned in the wave of heat.

Xie Rong opened her eyes, breathing rapidly. Inside the closed curtains, the scent of her pheromones, dense and potent, filled the air, as if she had entered a period of estrus.

But Xie Rong knew she wasn’t in estrus; she had merely had a dream.

And she had dreamt of Qi Musi.

What was even more bizarre was that she dreamt she was marked by Qi Musi again. But this time, she felt no pain, only comfort.

Xie Rong lay on the bed with a terrible expression, and after a long while, she punched the bed.

In the dark silence, Xie Rong got out of bed. She used the light from her phone to illuminate the way, then drank a glass of cold water at her desk.

The icy water going down her throat temporarily eased the heat on Xie Rong’s body, but her expression remained as grim as ever.

She tilted her head, looked in the direction of Qi Musi’s bed and desk, and after a long moment, she gave a slight, chillingly cold smile that made people shudder.

A person who was usually calm, indifferent, and expressionless, once showing such an expression, became even more frightening.

“Very well,” she said, without any sign of anger in her expression, as if merely making a simple observation. Yet, Zhao Rongrong shivered, close to tears.

She didn’t know why Qi Musi had sent her a message, but now… this was truly a hot potato!

Sometimes, Zhao Rongrong wished she knew nothing, which would relieve her of the pressure.

Just as she was at a loss, she saw Xie Rong stand up and walk over to her.

The cold and beautiful Alpha looked at her, then held out her hand. Her fingers were very pale, with light pink nails, looking quite appealing.

Xie Rong slightly raised her eyes: “Give me your phone.”

Zhao Rongrong handed it to her without a second thought.

Xie Rong lowered her eyes to look at their chat history, narrowed her eyes, then clicked on the voice message button and sent a voice message to Qi Musi.

Her voice was faint, carrying a jade-like clarity and coldness, just like her personality.

“I know.”

Xie Rong didn’t say anything else; these simple four words, however, sent a chill down one’s spine.

She didn’t know if Qi Musi on the other end heard it, but she never replied again.

Qi Musi naturally heard it.

The moment she saw the voice message, she had a faint premonition, so Qi Musi couldn’t treat the brief two-second message like any ordinary voice clip.

Her heart pounded rapidly, filled with nervousness and anticipation.

…What would Xie Rong say to her?

But then Qi Musi smiled bitterly. It would probably be a message cursing her, after all, she had just done something so outrageous.

And she was also “fleeing the scene” today.

Ever since she did that, after sobering up, Qi Musi realized what consequences would follow. Although she was terrified and scared, she was absolutely not running away.

Qi Musi would naturally take responsibility for her actions.

No matter how Xie Rong chose to retaliate, she would accept it, as long as Xiao Rong could forgive her.

However, the reason Qi Musi hadn’t gone back last night and today wasn’t because she was suddenly scared, but because her matter… was not over yet.

Qi Musi didn’t know what exactly Qi Muyan had drugged her with, but without a doubt, it was very effective.

The seemingly one time drug unexpectedly triggered a change in her estrus period, leading to the arrival of Qi Musi’s genuine estrus after the drug’s effects wore off.

Although this time was much more severe than before, thankfully it hadn’t reached an uncontrollable point. Therefore, Qi Musi was currently in a hotel room, injecting suppressants while dealing with the after effects of her estrus.

That’s why she couldn’t make it back in time.

Xiao Rong must be furious.

Thinking of this, Qi Musi couldn’t help but sigh.

Subsequently, she glanced at the voice message, held back for a while, but finally couldn’t resist clicking on it.

She pursed her lips, feeling nervous.

Soon, the voice of a girl echoed in the spacious room, carrying a clear, cold tone, like pristine white snow, with coldness even in the breath.

There were no curses, just four simple words.

Qi Musi was slightly stunned, then couldn’t help but play it again.

And so, “I know” echoed more than a dozen times in the room.

After a moment, Qi Musi’s face changed slightly. She…