After Being Marked By A Love Rival - Chapter 31

Qi Musi’s lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing. She did not explain her “fickleness,” nor did she clarify her feelings for Zhuang Xinbai. Because she knew that no matter what she said at this moment, Xie Rong was unlikely to want to hear it.

Because Xie Rong wanted to cut ties with her once and for all.

But Qi Musi would not allow it.

So, even if it meant provoking Xie Rong, she did not want Xie Rong to leave now. Because once the other person turned and walked away, they might never look back.

Qi Musi’s fingertips, hidden in her pocket, trembled slightly.

She had not yet appeased Xie Rong, had not had the chance to speak of her affection, and had not successfully pursued Xie Rong. How could she give up here?

Absolutely not.

So, Qi Musi took a deep breath, raised her eyes to look at Xie Rong, and put on the most familiar mask she had.

She gave a light chuckle, “Xiao Rong, what are you talking about? Liking is just liking. Do you think that the feeling of liking must be unchanging?”

“It’s impossible for liking to remain the same in this world. I liked Xinbai before, and now I can naturally change my mind and like someone else. Things like loving one person forever, for one’s whole life… they only exist in novels. In reality, they simply don’t.”

Xie Rong narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips together, feeling somewhat provoked.

She gave a slightly mocking smile, “So, that’s your reason for being a philanderer and changing affections?”

Qi Musi paused, and then gave Xie Rong a flawless smile.

No, of course not.

But Qi Musi knew that if she truly explained her honest thoughts right now, Xie Rong would certainly not believe her, would remain unmoved, and would turn to leave.

The marking she desired, the attempt to reconcile, would be lost.

The explanation… could wait until later, gradually, but Xie Rong absolutely could not leave now.

After hearing Qi Musi’s words, Xie Rong seemed to be completely enraged by her smile. She grabbed Qi Musi’s collar and slammed her back heavily against the wall.

Qi Musi’s body stiffened, and she couldn’t help but frown. Xie Rong’s action had aggravated her unhealed injury.

“Then you really are quite…” Xie Rong looked down at her, unable to find the right descriptive word. But the coldness in her eyes had completely settled.

Qi Musi raised her chin and stared at Xie Rong, a look of indifference in her smile, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say you wanted to mark me and get your revenge? Why are you hesitating now that it’s come down to it? Or is it that you can’t do it?”

The flare of provocative anger in Xie Rong’s heart passed quickly, but soon, she calmed down.

The emotion in Xie Rong’s black eyes slowly subsided, like a glass of originally murky water that has been left to settle and clear. Then, she slowly released her fingers and turned to the adjacent sink.

Qi Musi’s lips twitched, a hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes. She wanted to call out to Xie Rong, but was also afraid. Only after seeing that Xie Rong had not actually left did she quietly hold her tongue.

Xie Rong lowered her eyes, watching the water flow over her fingers. As the “hot blood” in her brain subsided, she was able to recover from that primal and childish feeling of revenge. A long-dormant sense of cleanliness overwhelmed her, and Xie Rong only felt uncomfortable being in this environment.

Then she remembered that Qi Musi had also pressed her here and marked her once… her expression grew even darker.

The cold water was unpleasant on the skin in this season, but it miraculously allowed Xie Rong to cool down. She took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.

Qi Musi watched her through the mirror and slowly quieted down as well.

What should she do now? Qi Musi couldn’t think of anything.

Her original plan was to go with the flow, let Xie Rong mark her, then play the victim, apologize sincerely, slowly mend the rift between her and Xie Rong, and then use the relationship of having marked each other to move closer to Xie Rong.

After all, even as Alphas, the influence of pheromones is significant. Whether marking or being marked, one will deeply remember that person.

If Xie Rong marked her, she would inevitably be affected, perhaps by an Alpha’s possessiveness or dominance. Then, Qi Musi could use this point to get closer to Xie Rong and slowly pursue her…

But now, nothing mattered. The plan had been thrown off course.

Qi Musi felt utterly lost, and a little frightened, unsure of what to do.

Xie Rong turned off the tap, took out a paper towel, and slowly dried her hands, wiping the moisture from her finger joints and under her nails. Only after her hands were dry and cold did she throw away the paper towel.

She lifted her eyes, glanced at Qi Musi behind her in the mirror, and then said, “Let’s leave it at that.”

Qi Musi suddenly looked up, “What does ‘leave it at that’ mean?”

Xie Rong frowned in annoyance, realizing for the first time that the saying “when will injustice be repaid” might actually have some merit.

Having broken free from that burst of anger, she felt like someone who had suddenly sobered up after drinking. She was inexplicably subdued and no longer felt motivated to “get revenge” on Qi Musi.

“Don’t provoke me again,” Xie Rong said, one word at a time. “This matter is over. Let’s drop it here.”

Her words indicated an intention to reconcile.

However, Qi Musi felt no joy; instead, her heart sank.

She couldn’t help but take a step forward and clutched her hands together, “So, you’re going to let me go?”

Xie Rong glanced at her, “Strange, aren’t you happy that I’m giving you a pass?”

Of course not happy.

Qi Musi didn’t want Xie Rong to let her go. She only wanted Xie Rong to push her, part her hair, and bite her scent gland… Thinking of this, her eyes darkened.

Xie Rong looked down, feeling listless, “I’m going back.”

At this moment, Xie Rong couldn’t quite articulate her thoughts. The anger and frustration before were real, and the desire for revenge was genuine, but… when she considered the principles she upheld, it was like a bucket of cold water being poured over her head a moment of “sudden enlightenment” and “epiphany.”

She instantly cleared her head.

Then she slowly realized that her actions would be no different from Qi Musi’s.

And this was while she liked Zhuang Xinbai.

Thus, Xie Rong no longer had the idea of “an eye for an eye.” She found it repulsive.

As Xie Rong walked past Qi Musi, the latter grabbed her hand.

The warm and cold hands formed a stark contrast.

The coldness naturally belonged to Xie Rong, as she had just rinsed them with cold water.

Xie Rong looked at her sideways, subtly frowning, “What is it?” As she spoke, she tried to pull her hand back.

Qi Musi looked down at their clasped hands, unconsciously tightening her grip, unwilling to let go. However, the next moment, she heard Xie Rong’s indifferent voice: “Let go.”

Qi Musi froze and released her hand.

Seeing Xie Rong about to leave, Qi Musi knew the opportunity was gone. She turned around, looked at Xie Rong, and asked, “Then can you tell me the reason? I thought… you were going to bite back.”

Xie Rong stopped, her eyes slightly lowered, but she still gave Qi Musi an answer.

“You’re not wrong, I did have that thought initially, but…”

She raised her eyes slightly, which held a beautiful, clear, and clean color, like jade.

“I later realized I couldn’t. If I did that, I would be just like you. And…”

The emotion in her eyes unconsciously softened, “My mark, I will only give it to the person I like. I won’t use it for childish or other purposes, nor will I give it to someone without emotion.”

“If I could bite and mark just anyone, what difference would I be from a beast with no rationality, only rutting?” With these words, she implicitly criticized Qi Musi.

After saying this, she didn’t bother to wait for Qi Musi and left on her own.

Qi Musi stood rooted to the spot, her face still showing a stunned expression. She wasn’t startled by Xie Rong’s words, but rather…

Qi Musi slowly reached out and pressed her chest. Her heart was thump-thump-thumping there, radiating warmth and vitality.

She just felt that the very thing she had been searching for and pursuing seemed to be right there in Xie Rong.

If her previous liking for Xie Rong was merely an interest based affection derived from curiosity and exploration, then after what just happened and hearing Xie Rong’s words, Qi Musi realized that she might truly be unable to get out.

Because she didn’t want to let go of a Xie Rong like this.

She wanted to possess her.

And so, Zhao Rongrong found that the atmosphere in the dorm room had changed once again.

This time it wasn’t as tense as before, mainly because Xie Rong was no longer radiating anger. She had gone from a volcano on the verge of eruption two days ago back to a smoldering iceberg.

But at the same time, Qi Musi didn’t talk much either, and she didn’t smile much.

Communication between the two of them was nearly nonexistent.

Zhao Rongrong began to panic. She didn’t even know if her earlier guess was correct, nor did she know how to handle it. In short, the matter was extremely tricky.

Help, why did she, an ordinary Alpha, have to go through all this?

If you have the guts, go bite each other outside! !

However, Zhao Rongrong only dared to be so reckless in her mind.

Recently, the seating arrangement was her and Xie Rong together, and Qi Musi and Mo Li together. Although it was a four person dorm, it felt like only two people were alive, and the room was filled with the air of a cold war.

Zhao Rongrong was exhausted.

So she decided to come up with a solution. Regardless of whether they bit each other or not, she would pretend not to know. She was just an ignorant person who wanted to revive the dorm atmosphere.

Thus, Zhao Rongrong began to plan a dorm outing.

So, after class that day, Zhao Rongrong stood up and declared spiritedly, “Let’s all go out and have fun together!”

Mo Li raised an eyebrow and, quite obligingly, asked, “Where are we going and what are we doing?”

Zhao Rongrong: “KTV, a movie, eating, and strolling the whole package!”

Xie Rong finished packing her bag coolly and stood up, simply saying, “I’m not going.”

Qi Musi paused and also said, “I’m not going either.”

Zhao Rongrong: “…”

“No, you all have to go!”

Xie Rong frowned and then looked back at her, as if Zhao Rongrong were crazy.

Zhao Rongrong grabbed Xie Rong’s arm, tears welling up, “It’s a dorm outing.”

Xie Rong tried to pull her hand away, but Zhao Rongrong was holding on tightly, and she couldn’t break free.

Just as she was about to refuse again, Zhao Rongrong suddenly had a flash of inspiration, “My birthday is in three days! But I’ll be busy that day, so why don’t we celebrate it in advance with me today!”

Zhao Rongrong swore this was her fastest and smartest reaction ever.

Xie Rong’s movement, which had been set on resisting, paused. She looked at Zhao Rongrong, pursed her lips, and finally did not refuse again.