Does An Inferior Omega Also Have To Marry First, Then Fall In Love? - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: It’s Not a Particularly Good…

It was not a particularly good day. The muggy heat and the buzzing of cicadas made Ji Qingyu feel uncomfortable. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said goodbye to his student.

He didn’t like this weather. The heat condensed into a tangible substance, turning into sweat on his eyes. Whenever this happened, he felt the ugly bite mark on his neck throbbing faintly.

Ji Qingyu received the message just as he stepped out of the student’s door. His eyes carried a peaceful sense of weariness, yet they were still clear.

“Teacher Ji, be careful on your way back. Nannan, say goodbye to the teacher.”

“See you next week, Teacher! I’ll treat you to osmanthus cake next week!”

Ji Qingyu stroked the little girl’s head, showing a lovely smile. His voice lifted, his eyes like tiny crescent moons, and he said softly, “Okay, see you next week, Nannan.”

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

He looked down to retrieve the phone, and a strand of hair escaped from his loose braid, falling onto his porcelain-white, delicate cheek. He slipped, and the phone dropped down the stairs, cracking the screen.

He sighed and walked over to pick it up.

The person on the other end urged him to get to the hospital as soon as possible. He asked, “What happened?”

“Nothing yet, but if you don’t come over soon, I can’t guarantee anything.”

“…I’ll be right there.”

The sun beating down almost blinded him.

He thought this was just an ordinary day. Perhaps Ji Ran was having some trouble in the entertainment industry again and was holding back his temper, ready to vent it on him. He didn’t feel anything special, as he had been living this way for a long time.

This was the most expensive private hospital in the city, with bright, clean décor and spacious corridors. One might mistake it for a five-star hotel.

Ji Qingyu didn’t wait for the elevator but climbed the stairs to the corner he had been to countless times. Someone was already waiting outside the room.

The person’s face was completely obscured, wearing a pair of large sunglasses, and they were looking down, playing on their phone. Seeing Ji Qingyu arrive, they turned their head, speaking in a casual, familiar tone, “You’re here?”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen to my mother?” Ji Qingyu asked anxiously. “Where is she?”

Ji Ran watched Ji Qingyu fret like an ant on a hot pan, saying unhurriedly, “What are you so anxious about? Auntie was moved to a VIP room. I hired the best team. The attending physician said her condition has been excellent lately, and it looks like she might wake up. Maybe she’ll be discharged soon.”

Ji Qingyu blinked, his eyes guarded, and he didn’t speak.

Ji Ran sighed, sounding somewhat helpless, “Brother, if I really wanted to make things difficult for you, would I need to lie?”

Ji Ran reached out and pulled Ji Qingyu’s arm forward. “Don’t be so wary. Actually, I called you over today because I have something to discuss with you.”

Ji Qingyu turned his head to look at Ji Ran, frowning, and tried to pull his hand away. “Discuss? …What is it?”

“It’s good news. The Fu family and our family are forming a marriage alliance. Fu Han is going to marry you.”

Ji Ran’s eyes were fixed on Ji Qingyu, observing his reaction, a flicker of unconcealed mockery in his smile.

Ji Qingyu processed the information for a few seconds, seemingly not grasping Ji Ran’s meaning. His face instantly turned pale, his eyes wide with utter disbelief, and he said stiffly, “Don’t… don’t joke with me.”

“Who has the time to joke with you?” Ji Ran said impatiently. “Do I look like I’m joking with you?”

Ji Qingyu remained silent, taking a few steps back, his fingers twisting together, his face looking even worse.

“I said, didn’t he just bite you once in high school? You were the one who suffered the loss, not him. Besides, he doesn’t even know about the child.”

Ji Qingyu froze completely. The word “child” made him numb all over. His ears rang, and he opened his mouth, speechless, mumbling, “I don’t want to. I don’t want to marry him.”

“Then I’m sorry,” Ji Ran looked back at him. “I’ll have to ask Auntie to leave this hospital.”

The irritable heat of summer suddenly surged, engulfing his whole body like a tsunami. He felt an inexpressible surge of frustration and depression within him. He curled his fingers, frowning as he stared at Ji Ran.

Ji Ran was in no rush. He leaned against the wall, his beautiful, delicate face showing the joy of catching prey. The smile on his lips was certain; he was sure Ji Qingyu would agree.

He guessed correctly.

Ji Qingyu had no choice.

Ji Qingyu stood by the hospital window. Sunlight plated the side of his face with a pale gold. He was dressed plainly, looking haggard.

“Hey, you don’t need to worry too much,” Ji Ran added another blow. “He was originally going to form an alliance with me. I didn’t want to, which is why I called you. It’s not like he specifically wants to take revenge on you.”

“Besides, even if he really wanted to take revenge on you, what could he do? Not give you pheromones? Say some harsh words? It’s not like he’ll hit you, right? Haven’t you gotten through all these years of heat cycles on your own anyway?” Ji Ran said. “An Omega who has been permanently marked and can handle heat cycles by himself can handle anything else.”

Ji Ran’s words were merciless, deliberately digging at Ji Qingyu’s most embarrassing points. He felt torn and miserable by these few sentences, as if someone had stabbed him in the heart with an awl.

Ji Qingyu opened his mouth, unable to speak.

The world is divided into three genders: Alpha, Beta, and Omega (ABO). An Alpha can mark an Omega, even many Omegas. Once an Omega is marked, they can only obtain pheromones from the Alpha who marked them.

After being permanently marked, the effect of inhibitors is greatly reduced. Only the Alpha who marked them can release pheromones to alleviate the turmoil in their body, otherwise, they must endure it completely.

Ji Qingyu was the example.

His chaotic pheromones caused him insomnia, lack of concentration, and increasingly dull reactions. He couldn’t count how many nights he had endured, soaked in cold sweat, curled up in a ball, collapsed and helpless. No one helped him, and no one saved him.

Ji Qingyu compulsively dug his nails into his palms, the nails clenching into his flesh.

“Let’s go. Don’t think about useless things. I’ll take you to see Auntie.”

He was slowly dragged upward by Ji Ran, his wrist held tightly in Ji Ran’s grip. The woman in the VIP room lay quietly, silent, as if asleep.

Ji Qingyu watched in silence for a while, his fingers pressed against the bright, large glass wall of the room, his fingers white, his eyes fixed. Scenes of past warm memories surfaced before his eyes, like yesterday, but in reality, he and his mother hadn’t been able to speak for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, Ji Qingyu withdrew his hand, his voice tinged with exhaustion. He closed his eyes and slowly said, “I agree.”

Ji Ran was not surprised. He laughed twice, took out the pre-prepared agreement, and said, “Wouldn’t it have been better if you had just done this earlier? You wasted my time. Take a look. This is the prenuptial agreement. Sign it if you have no problem.”

Ji Qingyu lowered his eyelids, not looking at the content of the agreement, and just said, “You give her the best treatment, or I can leave at any time.”

“Fine, I will.” Ji Ran shrugged. The next second, his hand reached for the back of Ji Qingyu’s neck, his cold fingertips touching Ji Qingyu’s neck. “Your mark needs to be cleaned up. That’s Fu Han’s request.”

“Why? This is clearly his mark.”

Ji Qingyu’s expression looked very strange. That mark was given to him by Fu Han, and now they were getting married, yet Fu Han wanted to take it back. Does he hate him that much?

Ji Ran shrugged: “It’s Fu Han’s decision; how should I know? You don’t need to feel like you’ve lost out. He gave you a large sum of money. Just live well with him after marriage.”

“A gland surgery, or Mom’s life, choose one,” Ji Ran concluded, leaving no room for argument. His gaze fell on a nearby guitar, with some disdain. “What good is your talent, brother? Your feathers are already covered in dust, and your wings have been clipped. How can you fly anymore?”

“Just get the gland surgery done and stay by Fu Han’s side with peace of mind. You should know that becoming a caged bird trapped beside him is already a very good way out for you, shouldn’t you?” Ji Ran finally sighed and stood up. “Don’t let Fu Han know about what’s between us. Don’t go looking for trouble.”

Ji Qingyu was somewhat dazed, unsure how to face everything that had suddenly happened.

His life would always be interrupted again just as it became slightly stable, and a large part of the reason was the person in front of him. But he couldn’t do anything to Ji Ran. He could only follow this small boat, whose ending had been written from the very beginning, to drift onward.

He still wanted to say: “I don’t want to marry him.”

“Alright, brother, take some time to accept this. It’s actually not bad for you. How many people are lining up, desperate to marry him?” Ji Ran put away the contract and put on his sunglasses. “I have to rush to an announcement. You’ve delayed me quite a bit. The collaborating party is waiting. I’m very busy with the upcoming concert.”

Ji Ran glanced sideways, pulled down his sunglasses, and smiled at Ji Qingyu: “Oh, and you should talk less. Your voice is unpleasant to my ears.”

Ji Qingyu froze in place. After a long time, he cleared his throat. His voice had a kind of hoarseness, as if his vocal cords had been eroded. Ji Ran deliberately called him here, picking his most sensitive spots to mention, enjoying his distress and helplessness up close—it had been a fixed routine for so many years.

But this move was always effective. Ji Qingyu pressed his throat and stopped talking. Ji Ran left, surrounded by bodyguards.

A doctor approached with a medical record. “Mr. Ji, the gland surgery needs to be done within these two days. Your rut period just ended recently, so this might not be the most suitable time, and recovery will be very slow. An Omega’s gland is fragile. One gland surgery is the limit of what you can bear. You need to be prepared.”

“I know.” Ji Qingyu felt helpless, almost wanting to laugh. He thought Ji Ran had already squeezed every bit of value out of him, but there was still a move left.

He rested his hand on the wall and slowly sat in a seat for a while. He thought, it might be good to have the surgery. At least he wouldn’t have to face Fu Han so miserably.

He comforted himself that the heat cycles and the permanent mark had tormented him for six years. Now someone was offering to remove it for free; he should be happy.

After discussion, the gland surgery was scheduled for tomorrow. Ji Qingyu sat by Lin Ying’s bedside, deciding to postpone his upcoming tutoring lessons.

“Brother, aren’t you coming next week?” Nannan’s voice message popped up. After listening, Ji Qingyu felt a lump in his throat.

“Brother has something to do and might not be able to go next week. Brother will send you the music score. Nannan, practice the piano every day by yourself. Remember, practice makes perfect; you must build a solid foundation.”

“I know! Brother, but I still want you to eat the osmanthus cake. Can you come over when you have time? You promised me we’d meet next week!”

“Brother, don’t lie to Nannan.”

Ji Qingyu didn’t know how to reply. He wanted to send an emoji to cheer Nannan up, but his vision blurred slightly. He immediately moved away from his mother’s window. His phone popped up with an automatically pushed entertainment news article.

“The Identity of Ji Ran’s Illegitimate Older Brother Surfaces.”

“Fu Han Was Once Ji Ran’s Number One Fan, Attending Three Concerts and Failing in His Passionate Pursuit, Resorting to a Lesser Option. Ji Ran, The Man the Fu Corporation CEO Couldn’t Get.”

“Latest News! Exposing the Third Party Caught Between the Singer and the CEO’s Romance, the Biggest Beneficiary of the High Society Marriage: High School Dropout, Permanently Marked, Questionable Character…”

“Is my CP about to meet its end? Counting up all the ‘Fu-Ran’ moments.”

Ji Qingyu looked at the lines of text, gritted his teeth, and struggled to remain calm.

These words sliced through his heart like knives. His heart pounded violently. He couldn’t understand why Fu Han was still willing to marry him. Perhaps to Fu Han, as long as it helped his career, marrying someone he detested didn’t matter.

Ji Qingyu gripped his phone tightly. A notification popped up on the screen: Fu applied to add you as a friend.

“Contact me after the mark is thoroughly cleansed.”

Ji Qingyu curled his fingers, staring blankly at the message.