She doesn’t want to pretend to be an Omega either! - Chapter 9

If looks could kill, Wen Mo felt she would have died ten thousand times already.

The so-called “top-tier male Alpha” described in the novel wasn’t an exaggeration—his presence was overwhelming.

In the ABO world, Alphas could suppress each other through pheromones.

Of course, releasing pheromones in public was considered highly improper, and so far, Wen Mo had never personally experienced it.

She was a little curious.

After all, humans on Earth didn’t have such a function. So even though she’d read plenty of novels and inherited the original Wen Mo’s memories, allowing her to accept this strange biological feature without question, she still found pheromone suppression mysterious—something far beyond the bounds of her common sense.

But then again, if transmigration into a book could happen, what was so impossible about pheromone suppression that felt like some kind of psychic superpower?

Someone like Zhu Shen, a top Alpha, would no doubt have pheromones that were equally domineering.

From her past experience reading ABO novels, Wen Mo knew some Alphas were said to be so strong they could force other Alphas to their knees in seconds, disarming them with nothing but pheromone pressure.

And in this story, Wen Mo was written as an Alpha with notoriously weak control—the kind who would lose it at the mere scent of an Omega in heat, even if their compatibility rating was low.

So in the face of Zhu Shen, her pheromones would be utterly crushed.

If Zhu Shen got serious, he wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—he could finish her in seconds.

Tragic. Absolutely tragic.

In short: cannot provoke. Really cannot!

Wen Mo quickly tore her gaze away, ready to remind Yin Qingyue to turn back toward her admirer and stop wasting her precious attention on her.

But the moment she turned her head, she was caught by Yin Qingyue’s smiling eyes, glimmering with a strangely meaningful look.

Wen Mo froze. “…What?”

Yin Qingyue’s eyes lingered on her for a moment longer before she softly said, “Nothing.”

Wen Mo: “…”

What the heck?!

Big sister, don’t be like this! Just say what you mean! You’re scaring me!

Before Wen Mo could ask, Yin Qingyue smoothly shifted the subject. “You heading out?”

Wen Mo nodded, though her mind was still stuck on that enigmatic look just now.

“Where to?”

Wen Mo reported the name of the nearest large shopping mall.

“What a coincidence! Zhu Shen and I are going there too. Let’s go together!” Yin Qingyue said warmly.

Wen Mo flapped her hands. “Oh, no, that would be too much trouble. I’ll just take a cab.”

“It’s no trouble at all. It’s on the way.”

With that, Yin Qingyue slipped her arm through Wen Mo’s, smiling affectionately. “This way we can chat on the road.”

Wen Mo was stunned by the gesture, her eyes going wide. Her first instinct was to glance at Zhu Shen.

Unsurprisingly, his brows were drawn even tighter now, his sharp gaze locked on their joined arms.

Wen Mo felt her arm burning under his glare and hurried to pull it back.

Don’t let her petite frame fool you—Yin Qingyue’s grip was stronger than expected. Wen Mo gave a little tug, but couldn’t break free.

Still, Yin Qingyue sensed her resistance. After a brief pause, she loosened her hold, dropped her arm, and said with a touch of apology, “Sorry, are you not used to that?”

“Yes, exactly!” Wen Mo nodded vigorously, then added quickly, “Besides, everyone still thinks I’m an Alpha. If you hold on to me like that, people might misunderstand.”

Yin Qingyue tilted her head, studying her. “You seem… different somehow.”

Wen Mo had heard this plenty of times lately, so she didn’t even flinch. “That’s good! Means my attempt at turning over a new leaf is working.”

Yin Qingyue blinked, then broke into a smile. “True, it’s working very well. But I thought maybe it was because you trusted me—since I know your secret, you could finally be yourself around me. Seems I was overthinking.”

Wen Mo’s eyes lit up with regret. Why hadn’t she thought of such a beautiful, heartwarming excuse?

Still, it wasn’t too late to fix it. She quickly nodded. “That’s part of it too. I want to get along with you, be real friends. Of course I need to be considerate of your reputation.”

Yin Qingyue’s smile deepened. “Then thank you.”

Wen Mo nearly melted.

No wonder she was the heroine—so sweet, so kind, so considerate. Even a straight girl like her couldn’t help but feel a little moved.

“Let’s go.” Yin Qingyue beckoned, motioning for Wen Mo to follow.

Wen Mo: “…”

The heroine was perfect in every way—except maybe a little too enthusiastic, which left her scrambling to keep up.

But since Yin Qingyue had already turned and started walking, refusing again would just seem rude. Wen Mo could only follow.

If you can’t dodge it, face it head-on!

And really, it wasn’t without perks. Being friends with the heroine couldn’t be a bad thing.

“Brother Zhu Shen, do you remember Wen Mo?” Yin Qingyue stopped before Zhu Shen, gesturing to Wen Mo with a bright smile.

Wen Mo braced herself, forcing a smile under his frigid gaze. “Hello.”

She even used the polite honorific—surely that was respectful enough!

Zhu Shen gave her a once-over.

At first glance, he hadn’t recognized her.

He’d only noticed someone staring at him, so he followed the gaze—and found her grinning brightly, nodding as though they were familiar acquaintances.

It struck him as odd.

But on closer inspection, she did look vaguely familiar. So he had kept staring.

Yet instead of approaching him, she just kept smiling stiffly, frozen in place.

If she really knew him, then once their eyes met, politeness—or ulterior motives—would usually drive her to come over and exchange a few pleasantries.

But she hadn’t.

In fact, her smile had grown rigid.

That was enough for Zhu Shen to judge: she wasn’t sincerely greeting him at all.

Zhu Shen was no stranger to false smiles. Some courted him, hoping to curry favor. Others resented him but, constrained by his family’s influence, had no choice but to greet him anyway.

This girl clearly belonged to the latter.

And whether fawning or forced, Zhu Shen disliked both.

If anything, the forced smiles were rarer, which was why he’d studied her longer than usual.

It wasn’t until Yin Qingyue called her “Wen Mo” that Zhu Shen finally remembered who she was.

Normally, he wouldn’t recall someone he’d only met once.

But this one had left an impression.

She’d cried far too miserably.

And she’d claimed to be a “fake Alpha.” Hard to forget that.

Who would’ve thought that without makeup, she’d actually look so… Omega.

But pulling off a disguise that thorough? That stretched belief.

Her excuse was that family circumstances forced her to pretend. If that was true, was her family members complete fools, so easily deceived?

Zhu Shen doubted it.

Even if her mannerisms did suggest Omega traits, he suspected she was faking it—or simply weak-natured, which proved nothing.

After what had happened last time, he assumed she wouldn’t dare show her face around Yin Qingyue again.

And since Yin Qingyue hadn’t mentioned her lately, he hadn’t given her a second thought.

But seeing them together now—

Clearly, they’d kept in contact.

Worse, Yin Qingyue seemed to believe her excuse. Their relationship even looked… friendly?

After such an unpleasant misunderstanding, how could this girl still be giggling with Yin Qingyue? Was she thick-skinned? Reckless? Either way, it didn’t match the pitiful crybaby image she had shown before.

Or maybe—she had another agenda.

Zhu Shen frowned, his gaze sharpening with suspicion.

He stared at Wen Mo in silence, the air turning heavy.

To Wen Mo, his eyes were downright murderous, practically saying: Why are you here? And how dare you steal Yin Qingyue’s attention?

It felt like at any moment he’d swing a fist her way again.

Wen Mo quickly edged behind Yin Qingyue for cover.

Yin Qingyue noticed the tension—and Wen Mo’s subtle retreat.

She stepped forward, shielding Wen Mo, and said gently, “Brother Zhu Shen, don’t be so stern. You’re scaring her.”

Wen Mo nodded furiously, widening her big, innocent eyes, doing her best impression of a fragile little white rabbit.

And truthfully, it wasn’t all an act. She was a little afraid of Zhu Shen—just exaggerating it a bit for effect.