The Heartless Alpha Just Wants to Follow the Plot - Chapter 25

“You’re really awkward.”

Su Mo pounced on her without hesitation, pinning Qiu Fu’s wrists down. One knee pressed into the mattress as she leaned over to restrain her, tilting her head before sinking her teeth into Qiu Fu’s gland. A surge of rich, overwhelming pheromones flooded toward Qiu Fu.

“Mm.”

Qiu Fu let out a muffled groan of discomfort. In an instant, a blush spread across her entire body, her toes curling involuntarily in pleasure. The sensation of being thoroughly marked sent a strange ripple through her—foreign, yet irresistibly intense.

Her mind went dizzy and blank, as if fireworks were exploding inside her chest, a tingling numbness blooming amid the pleasure, comfortable yet laced with something unsettling.

By the time the pheromone injection ended, Qiu Fu was drenched in sweat. She lay trembling on the bed, completely drained, without the strength to even lift a finger.

Su Mo forced herself to suppress the restless pounding in her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut hard, only barely managing to stop herself from going any further.

“How long does a marking like this usually take?” she asked.

She brushed back her damp bangs, eyes half-lidded, her entire demeanor radiating an unintentional mix of allure and danger.

“I, I don’t know.”

Qiu Fu’s mind was still foggy, her breathing heavy and uneven.

This was her first time being marked—how could she possibly know?

Su Mo paused. This was her first time too, and she honestly didn’t understand it very well either.

“Then, should we look it up?”

True to her word, she took a deep breath and forced herself to get up. She went to the side, poured herself a glass of water, and dumped it straight over her head. The icy liquid cascaded over her overheated skin, steam almost rising from the contrast.

“Hah.”

Hands still trembling, she opened the Star Net and searched: How long should a first complete marking last?

The comment section fell into collective silence. No one had expected that someone would actually come to Star Net to ask such a question.

【Did I just get force-fed dog food?】

【Is this a flex?】

【Why do I suddenly want to punch someone?】

【They really dared to post this?】

【What does the other person even mean by this?】

Because the post was anonymous, no one knew who had asked it—but everyone agreed on one thing: this person was flexing way too hard and was practically begging to get beaten up.

That said, there were also sincere replies, mostly from omegas, offering honest advice.

【Dear Alpha, under normal circumstances, the duration depends on the physical compatibility of you and your omega. Longer isn’t necessarily better—it varies from person to person.】

【Don’t force the omega excessively. It’s bad for both of you.】

【Anyone claiming it lasts a whole month is bragging—don’t believe it. No omega can last that long.】

Su Mo nodded thoughtfully. So that was how it worked.

She had seen claims saying three days, a week, even a month. Turns out they were all nonsense.

Scrolling further, she found more straightforward answers.

【Usually one to three hours is ideal.】

She mentally calculated the time. It had already been two hours.That should count as acceptable, right?

Qiu Fu finally came back to her senses and asked suspiciously, “

Who did you ask?”

Su Mo replied casually, “The all-knowing netizens.”

Qiu Fu’s expression stiffened. “……”

She suddenly felt all the heat drain from her body, a shiver running through her uncontrollably.

“You.”

“You posted anonymously, right? It can’t be traced back to you?”

Su Mo answered without hesitation, her tone confident. “Of course.”

Behind the scenes, she quietly asked the system: 【I used anonymous mode, right? Untraceable, right?】

The system wasn’t entirely sure. It had been busy managing the plot and sneaking peeks elsewhere, not paying close attention to the terminal. Hesitating, it replied: 【Probably?】
It reasoned that public figures like them should automatically enter anonymous mode when asking questions on Star Net.

After secretly checking Star Net and confirming the anonymous status, the system finally relaxed.

【It’s anonymous. Don’t worry—carry on.】

With that reassurance, Su Mo felt much more at ease.

“The internet says one to three hours is normal. We’ve already done two hours—that’s not short.”

At that, Qiu Fu’s face flushed crimson. Though she usually acted indifferent, she was still an omega. Being asked such an intimate question by an alpha right after being marked was unbearably embarrassing.

She opened her mouth, at a loss for words.

How had she ended up with such a carefree alpha?

“You, you didn’t need to explain it in so much detail,” she said, pressing a hand to her bleeding nape, her expression composed. “After all, we didn’t go all the way.”

In the haze of marking-induced delirium, Su Mo’s pheromones had been her only guide—an anchor in the confusion, drawing her forward step by step.

When she was on the verge of losing control and forced herself to open her eyes to confirm Su Mo’s presence, what she saw instead was restraint—extreme restraint. From beginning to end, Su Mo had never intended to take things all the way. She had been prepared to stop from the very start.

That level of self-control, especially given their frighteningly high compatibility, cooled Qiu Fu’s heart considerably. Su Mo hadn’t been trying to take advantage of the situation at all.

Did that mean she simply wasn’t attractive enough?

The thought made Qiu Fu feel faintly humiliated.

Unaware that her greatest source of pride, her self-restraint had caused such distress, Su Mo held her breath and walked into the bathroom.

Click.

The lock slid into place.

Ice-cold water poured over her body. Though it couldn’t fully extinguish the fire burning inside her, it was enough to clear her head and let her think about what to do next.

She tilted her head back into the stream, letting the water soak her completely. The damp fabric clung tightly to her body, outlining her well-defined figure.

She turned off the water and wiped the excess droplets from her face. When she opened her eyes again, the desire that had overflowed from them was completely reined in.

[System, suppressant.]

The voice that echoed in her mind was still calm and indifferent—so detached that it felt as though the one who had just lost herself while marking Qiu Fu hadn’t been her at all.

[Host, sometimes I really can’t understand you. Most of the time, it’s clearly you who feels moved first, yet the moment you turn around, you’re able to pull everything back as if none of it ever mattered.]

The system tilted its head, puzzled.

[You feel like someone who’s truly living here, yet at the same time, like someone who’s always standing outside of it—never, never fully belonging. So, which one is the real you?]

[Or is all of this just an act, and none of them are actually you?]

If that was the case, this wouldn’t just be a matter of good acting anymore. It would mean even her emotions and temperament were under absolute control—which was terrifying.

Su Mo’s hand paused.

For the first time, a trace of confusion crept into her usually composed gaze.

[I don’t know.]

[All things are me, and all things are not me.]

[Actors wear a thousand faces. If you stay in character for too long, if you grow accustomed to pretending, you eventually become the role itself.]

If she continued like this, she would truly become “Su Mo,” and in doing so, forget who she once was.

Yet from the moment she arrived here, she had already changed “Su Mo” far too much. So, Su Mo was her—and yet not her. In the end, there was always an element of performance.

[Host, you make me feel like you’re very tired.]

Su Mo picked up the towel beside her and wrapped it around herself, then walked out barefoot and into the dressing room to change.

She dried her hair in the partitioned space inside, and once dressed, casually gathered it up with a simple, unadorned hairpin. Pale slippers covered her feet.

On the bed, Qiu Fu had already sat up.

Although they hadn’t gone all the way, she had undeniably been successfully marked by Su Mo. Once the gland was marked, it was no different from the body itself being claimed.

When she saw Su Mo walking toward her, her expression shifted—awkward, tinged with shy embarrassment. Her body reacted instinctively to Su Mo’s approach, trembling faintly with a familiar sensitivity.

After being marked, an omega’s body instinctively opens itself to its alpha, entering a state of readiness for conception. If the alpha wished it, the moment of marking was the optimal time for pregnancy.

Naturally, Su Mo who knew nothing about this, would never do such a thing.

And even if she did know, without Qiu Fu’s consent and genuine affection, she would never cross that line.

Qiu Fu lowered her gaze slightly. Several buttons on her clothes had been undone, revealing a tantalizing glimpse beneath—and every bit of it was caught by Su Mo’s eyes as she approached.

Su Mo didn’t make any special move. She merely lowered her head calmly, carrying the air of a scumbag who, after being satisfied, walked away without looking back.

Completely unaware of how she appeared at the moment, Su Mo paused and said:

“Since I’ve marked you, I’ll naturally fulfill my obligations according to the contract. Don’t worry.”

Qiu Fu: “……”

That single sentence sent Qiu Fu’s heart crashing to the bottom.

The softness that had lingered in her body instantly vanished, replaced by stiffness like a statue frozen in place.

“Is that really how you see it?”

She felt humiliated.

Su Mo: “……”

“That’s not what I meant.”

She struggled to find the right words. She truly hadn’t meant it that way.

“Your poison is resolved, but at the same time, you’ve lost your freedom. I’m an S-class alpha, I can permanently mark you and exert dominance over you.”

This was something she’d learned from Star Net: alphas of the same rank could dominate an omega after marking them, forcing obedience.

“Even though I might never do that, human nature is the hardest thing to control. I can’t guarantee that I won’t do something in the future that you’d regret. So, to give you some protection, let’s sign another contract.”

She pulled up a free contract template she’d found online, modified it according to their situation, and finished drafting it in under five minutes.

Qiu Fu: “……”

Looking at the already-signed contract, her expression was indescribable. She’d truly never expected Su Mo to do something like this.

“You.”

“You’re really special.”

Su Mo: “?”

Other alphas were always trying every possible way to take advantage—yet Su Mo was doing her best to push everything away.

“Specially stupid.”

With that, Qiu Fu signed the contract, sent it back, and then headed into the bathroom to clean herself up.

Left behind was a completely bewildered Su Mo: “?”

[System, why do I feel like I don’t understand these people at all? Why does it feel like every single one of them wants me to take advantage of them?]

The system choked, its program momentarily stalling.

[You really are incredibly infuriating.]

A textbook case of getting the benefits and still acting innocent.