Running a Food Stall to Support My Deceptive Omega - Chapter 23.2

When a lush green leaf fell, creating ripples, Rong Heng’s arms also draped over Mu Jinyu.

Two bright red blood-moles flickered, giving Mu Jinyu a momentary flash of clarity. She backed away, nearly falling off the bed, only to be pulled back by Rong Heng and collapsing onto the bed.

What was going on?

Mu Jinyu was no longer clear-headed. Rong Heng lay on top of her. That soft body no longer made her afraid; instead, she wanted to treat it gently. Rong Heng’s fingertips were like the falling, tangled petals of the Phoenix Vibration Feather, gently tracing circles on her chest.

Round and round. Round and round.

It made her dizzy, unable to think. Mu Jinyu’s body jerked. She turned her head away forcefully, still making a final, futile struggle. She bit her lower lip, tears flowing involuntarily.

Rong Heng was like a most intimate sister. Her cool lips kissed the corner of Mu Jinyu’s eye, her warm tongue licking away the fallen tears. Her cheeks were kissed repeatedly by Rong Heng.

She began to feel a parching heat. The scent of her Xinxiang (Information Scent/Pheromones), which she usually never noticed, began to leak out. A clear, inclusive woody scent tangled with the floral fragrance in the room.

Rong Heng kissed Mu Jinyu’s lips, her clever tongue prying open the teeth that were biting the lower lip. She explored inside.

Mu Jinyu’s body shivered, her cheeks flushed, her expression pained. She was being possessed. She had no power to resist.

What was she holding on for? Having no power to resist, she retreated again and again, trying to avoid Rong Heng’s advance. But it was useless. Blindly retreating was merely indulging Rong Heng. She could only rely on that one point of persistence in her heart to make herself feel a little more at ease.

The petals wandered over every inch of the tree’s branches, and Rong Heng’s kisses fell more densely. When they reached her neck, a shiver traveled from Mu Jinyu’s back to the top of her head, and more flowers exploded in her mind.

Submersion. She could only follow the floral scent into the depths.

She drifted up and down in a sea of flowers—a dreamlike, gentle country.

Clothing fell away. Rong Heng’s fingers slid into her hair, pushing her gently but irresistibly toward her own neck.

“Mark me.” Rong Heng stroked her hair. “Be good.”

What… what?

Mu Jinyu actually knew nothing about the process of marking. She couldn’t even distinguish between Qianyuan and Kunze—how could she know how to mark someone? She had imagined how this would happen, but when the moment came, she realized all her imagination was too hollow.

Only when it happened did she realize that humans have instincts.

When Rong Heng’s neck was brought before her, she thought it smelled so good. She couldn’t help but want to bite the neck of the person in front of her and inject her pheromones into the other’s gland.

So this was marking.

Mu Jinyu didn’t have the slightest room to resist. By the time she came to her senses, the marking was over.

She curled up in the corner of the bed, facing the wall, hugging her legs. She touched her lips with her fingers. The temperature of Rong Heng’s neck still remained there, along with the softness of that patch of skin.

So, the gland was soft. So, marking meant biting the other’s gland, injecting pheromones, filling the other person until their entire body could only emit the scent of one’s own pheromones.

The Phoenix Vibration Feather that had been haunting her finally bloomed at its most vivid. The slender petals, as if welcoming the final splendor of life, stretched outward desperately, like a dancer pulling themselves to the limit. They achieved the most extreme movements and bloomed with the most wonderful colors. Finally, they curled back into a tight bud, waiting for the next bloom.

Rong Heng was also hugging her tightly, her chin against her head, her fingers clutching her hair. Rong Heng was trembling, enduring pain, her skin turning pink. When the marking was finished, the other had already collapsed in her arms, exhausted.

The room was filled with the scent of flowers, and Rong Heng was filled with her scent.

Mu Jinyu suddenly clutched her hair with both hands and banged her forehead against the wall twice, her expression completely broken.

Was she some kind of pervert?! Why did she remember everything so clearly afterward?! This wasn’t something she did voluntarily—why did she remember it?!

It was terrifying. For some reason, she had ended up entangled with Rong Heng. This feeling of being beyond her own control, of being powerless. This feeling of having committed a mistake for no apparent reason.

It was too scary. One moment she was worried if Rong Heng was okay, the next moment it was like this. How could it be like this?

Mu Jinyu wiped her falling tears, not wanting to face the current situation at all. She straightened her rumpled clothes and pulled her collar tight.

…Rong Heng… Rong Heng was too forceful… completely different from her usual self… and…

She touched her. Rong Heng took advantage of her. The sensation of those cool fingers was still on her body. The tears fell more fiercely; she felt wronged.

Even though she knew that as the one who marked the other, she should be the one who “took advantage,” she couldn’t accept either situation right now. Mu Jinyu kept her head against the wall, refusing to face reality.

Behind her, Rong Heng was sound asleep under the covers. Except for a ring of red tooth marks on her neck, there were no other signs of the recent entanglement. Mu Jinyu could only be grateful that she had, in fact, only bitten the other and hadn’t done anything more excessive. Otherwise, she would truly be an indefensible pervert.

…

She didn’t know how long she sat curled in the corner against the wall until her cheeks and body were cooled by the chilly night wind. Mu Jinyu realized it was already night.

Had a whole day passed?

Her stiff body moved slightly. Her dull eyes looked at the night sky outside. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to get out of bed. She had no time for anything else, only smoothing her wrinkled clothes and fixing her messy hair. She rubbed her cheeks a few times to make sure she didn’t look too distressed.

She took her pots and pans out and placed them on the night market cart. Then she went to the fish stall to get the fish meat the owner had slaughtered long ago. It took some effort to move the small tables and stools behind the cart.

It wasn’t early anymore; it was almost the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), and the night market street was already crowded. Many people saw Mu Jinyu coming to set up her stall and scrambled for seats, waiting for her to cook the noodles. Those who didn’t get a seat had to stand in line.

Qiao Yu Mian (Knocked Fish Noodles) was a novelty. If they dared to go shopping before eating, the noodles would be sold out, and they wouldn’t even catch a whiff of the scent!

“Boss Mu, why are you so late today?” someone asked with a smile.

Normally, Mu Jinyu would have laughed and answered loudly. But today she was so dazed that she was making the noodles out of pure instinct, completely unaware of what the customers were saying.

A friend accompanying the person who asked pulled on their arm and pointed to their own nose. This person was a Zhongyong (Beta), but their friend was a Kunze (Omega).

Pointing to the nose meant the pheromone scent on Mu Jinyu wasn’t right.

Sure enough, the friend whispered, “Boss Mu has the scent of a Kunze on her.”

Many Betas nearby pricked up their ears. Betas couldn’t smell pheromones, but that didn’t stop them from listening to the gossip.

Mu Jinyu had no idea what they were talking about. She just mechanically cooked noodles, serving them bowl by bowl. After working in a daze for over an hour, she brought everything back home, only then gradually coming to her senses.

She sniffed the scent on herself. For the first time, she could clearly distinguish between Alpha and Omega. Had she really been working all night with this scent on her? Mu Jinyu sighed, mocking herself for not knowing what she was doing.

She boiled a pot of water and carried it to the utility room to bathe. During this, she wondered: could this pheromone-induced confusion be addictive? Would she have to quit? She remembered this world seemed to have things to mask the smell of pheromones.

Yes, Mu Jinyu recalled some things about Alphas and Omegas.

Alphas have an “Enthusiasm Period” (Rut) once a month where they become extremely sensitive, fragile, and unstable, needing an Omega’s comfort. Omegas have a “Heat Period” once a month, needing an Alpha’s comfort. Whether Omega or Alpha, if they don’t have a partner to comfort them, they need to wear a special sachet to suppress the scent.

Come to think of it, her home was indeed lacking sachets.

After bathing, Mu Jinyu had accepted reality. To her, she had just been touched a few times and then nipped Rong Heng—it wasn’t a huge deal. As long as the pheromone scent wasn’t something addictive, it wouldn’t have a major impact on her.

Rong Heng, on the other hand… they said an Alpha’s marking had a huge impact on an Omega. She had to watch Rong Heng’s emotions.

Rong Heng hadn’t woken up yet. She hadn’t eaten all day; it wasn’t good for her to keep sleeping. Mu Jinyu quickly cooked rice and stir-fried a dish of eggs and greens. She brought the food into the room.

Now that she was clear-headed, she noticed the little cat had been curled up on the bed sleeping; it seemed it had also been scared. She hadn’t even thought to take it out with her. And the large hole under the bed was still exposed; she hadn’t filled it back in.

Mu Jinyu set down the bowl and called Rong Heng a few times. When the other didn’t wake, she said, “If you don’t wake up, you won’t get any food.”

Rong Heng’s eyes snapped open, looking at her with bright eyes. As expected, mentioning food worked.

Mu Jinyu handed the bowl and chopsticks to Rong Heng while she knelt to start filling the hole under the bed. The things in the hole were a mess. She organized the ledgers and deeds. Her fingers touched a crumpled piece of oil paper.

What was this?

Mu Jinyu thought for a moment before realizing this was the medicine she brought back from the clinic. Looking closely, the black, twig-like things scattered in the hole were Chinese herbs. Each piece of herb had been bitten.

It didn’t take a genius to know Rong Heng did it.

In an instant, everything clicked in Mu Jinyu’s mind! These were the “useful” (libido-enhancing/fertility) medicines the doctor had prescribed! Was it because of these herbs that Rong Heng’s Heat was triggered, causing them both to fall into confusion?

So that was it!

Mu Jinyu tapped her own head, lamenting her carelessness in leaving such important things lying around. Hopefully, these things wouldn’t have an impact on Rong Heng’s health or leave any lasting effects.

She put the herbs away and filled the hole. Then she stood up and asked, “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Rong Heng, buried in her food, looked up and shook her head. Just as she was about to go back to eating, she paused and touched her neck.

She said, “Hurts.”

For some reason, after waking up, she felt her neck was very painful, almost like it was swollen.

Hearing her say it hurt, Mu Jinyu’s eyes landed on her neck. On that snow-white, slender neck, there was a glaring tooth mark, and it was swollen—it looked quite serious. She should have been worried about Rong Heng’s injury, but Mu Jinyu suddenly felt her own teeth itching.

She really wanted to bite it again.

She stared blankly at Rong Heng’s neck. Facing the Omega she had just marked, she had no willpower at all. Instinct urged her to take a step closer to Rong Heng. Rong Heng, however, was oblivious. After speaking, she went back to focusing on her rice. To her, eating was the most important thing. Nothing else mattered much.

Mu Jinyu raised her hand, wanting to touch Rong Heng, but Rong Heng placed her clean, empty bowl into Mu Jinyu’s hand.

She said, “Hungry.”

That one word startled Mu Jinyu back to her senses like an electric shock. She couldn’t believe she was losing control of herself again! She scrambled back several steps.

“You’ve eaten a lot already. Wait until morning to eat more. It’s too late now. If you can’t sleep, play by yourself for a bit.” With that, she fled with the bowl.

She didn’t dare get close to Rong Heng anymore. They said an Omega’s Heat lasted several days. And marking made the two naturally attract and want to be close to each other. They had to keep their distance to get through these few days.

Mu Jinyu sat by the stove, pressing her head hard with both hands, telling herself she absolutely could not overstep again. After warning herself, she placed all the copper coins she had earned recently on the stove and began counting.

She had earned quite a bit lately. Selling ten pounds of fish noodles a day brought in about one tael of silver. After expenses, she made over five hundred wen a day. In four days, she had earned over two taels of silver.

With this money, she could buy some meat tomorrow to nourish Rong Heng! Selling food was indeed profitable, mostly because she had a good location and business was booming every day. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made so much.

However, the stall fee in the night market was naturally expensive—two taels a month. Mu Jinyu felt she was quite lucky. The original owner’s two mothers had paid for a year’s stall fee, and she still had three months left. For these three months, she didn’t have to worry about the stall fee. And this courtyard and house were also bought by the original owner’s mothers; she didn’t have to worry about rent. She only had to make money for her daily expenses.

Thinking this, a smile appeared on Mu Jinyu’s face. She was starting to experience what happiness felt like. After carefully stringing the coins together, Mu Jinyu felt rested enough and began boiling water to wash the dishes.

Once the water was hot, she specifically filled most of a bathtub for Rong Heng. She called through the door, “Rong Heng, go bathe.”

Inside, Rong Heng was lying on the bed, her head close to the little cat, watching it intently. The little cat had been in this house for so long, but only today did she have the chance to get close to it. It felt very fresh. She thought this thing would die, but it was living well. Truly strange.

“Cat~” Rong Heng rubbed her nose against the cat’s head, smelling the full scent of kitten. The cat had been sleeping on this bed for several days and had no defenses at all. Even when touched by Rong Heng, it continued to sleep soundly. It even accidentally flipped over, belly up, all four paws in the air.

Seeing this, Rong Heng’s eyes lit up. First, she rubbed her nose against the cat’s—it was hot and wet. Very well-behaved. Then she buried her face in the cat’s belly. The soft fur made her face a bit itchy, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

She also did like the cat, flipping her belly up, her head pressed against the cat’s. She found it quite interesting. No wonder Mu Jinyu brought it every day; it was so much fun.

“I’m coming in.”

Mu Jinyu, who had been waiting outside for a response, slowly pushed the door open. She saw Rong Heng lying on the bed with the little cat. She was stunned; she didn’t expect them to get along so well.

Rong Heng won’t hurt the cat.

This thought appeared in Mu Jinyu’s mind. She suddenly felt her prejudice against Rong Heng might have been too much.

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of the voice, Rong Heng retracted her gaze from the cat and looked at Mu Jinyu. She was looking at Mu Jinyu upside down, her face showing clear confusion. She didn’t understand why the other was suddenly apologizing. She remembered an apology was an important thing—it meant taking responsibility, so it shouldn’t be done lightly.

Wait, what is responsibility?

Rong Heng’s head was empty. She couldn’t figure it out, so she didn’t think about it, just continued looking at Mu Jinyu.

Mu Jinyu didn’t explain. She just said, “It’s nothing. Come bathe.”

Rong Heng knew what bathing meant—using water to wash herself clean and fragrant. But she was already very fragrant. She really liked the scent of the parasol tree on her. No need to bathe.

She shook her head in refusal.

“Not bathing?” Mu Jinyu said. “If you don’t bathe, your body will have a smell, you’ll feel uncomfortable, and you’ll get sick. If you get sick, you won’t be able to eat.”

Eating always worked for Rong Heng, so Mu Jinyu thought she would immediately obey. To her surprise, Rong Heng shook her head again.

“The scent of the parasol tree… the body is very fragrant.”