The Omega Pretending to Be an Alpha Was Accidentally Marked by His Boss - Chapter 3

When Qiu Nan woke up, the last rays of the setting sun were filtering through the hospital window, casting an orange-gold glow that softened his pale features.

His long eyelashes fluttered a few times before his eyes slowly blinked open. He was greeted by the sight of sterile white sheets and curtains, while the sharp, unmistakable stench of disinfectant invaded his nose.

He frowned in discomfort, but froze entirely the moment his eyes landed on the person standing right next to his bed.

It was that bastard who had marked him!

A permanent mark, no less!

Worse yet, standing right beside that idiotic, godforsaken Alpha was his immediate superior—Lan Mingliang, the Chief of the Bureau’s Field Operations Department.

Qiu Nan instinctively opened his mouth to lodge a complaint with Chief Lan, but a sudden wave of guilt washed over him.

Did the Chief already find out my secret?

Qiu Nan shot the Alpha a threatening glare before weakly testing the waters. “Chief Lan, uh, about the mission.”

“It failed!” Lan Mingliang replied bluntly, completely devoid of his usual managerial stress.

Qiu Nan pressed a hand against his forehead, groaning inwardly.

Lan Mingliang glanced at Xie Yunnian, adopting the persona of a deeply considerate and understanding leader as he consoled his subordinate. “It’s no big deal. You just had a sudden, severe allergic reaction that compromised the mission. Don’t take it to heart.”

Qiu Nan looked back and forth between the uncharacteristically lenient Chief Lan and the actual culprit behind his misery.

It looks like the Chief doesn’t know I’m an Omega? Did this guy actually cover for me?

Lan Mingliang waved his hand dismissively. “Captain Qiu, if you’re feeling alright, I’ll head out and clean up the aftermath of the botched operation.”

Qiu Nan: “Thank you for your hard work, Chief. Goodbye!”

Please, just leave already!

For some reason, even though the Alpha was the one entirely in the wrong, Qiu Nan found his own confidence withering under the man’s calm, steady gaze. The guy felt like a ticking time bomb—one that could detonate at any moment.

Qiu Nan only hoped that when it did blow up, Old Lan wouldn’t be anywhere near the blast radius.

Lan Mingliang gave the Alpha a polite nod, offered a friendly smile, and turned to leave.

Qiu Nan: “?”

Why is Old Lan being so courteous to him?

With Old Lan’s notorious temper, the last time Squad Nine accidentally scraped the skin of a research subject during a mission, the entire squad had to post their written self-reflections in the Bureau’s main hallway for two solid months!

Judging by his clothes and aura, this bastard Alpha clearly held a decent amount of social status. Old Lan must have no idea his star Captain had been utterly screwed over by this guy; he probably viewed the man as a heroic, good Samaritan who had done a civic duty!

The moment Lan Mingliang left, Xie Yunnian closed the hospital door and turned back toward Qiu Nan, letting out a soft chuckle.

His smile carried a hint of mockery, along with a distinct touch of casual indifference.

Qiu Nan’s hair stood on end.

“Don’t you feel a single shred of remorse?” Qiu Nan exploded on the spot. “Because you forcefully dragged me away from the perimeter, my mission failed! I have never failed a mission before!” That was the part that truly cut him to the quick.

A slight shift finally registered in Xie Yunnian’s expression. “Your boss just said not to take it to heart.”

“What do you know? This is a matter of professional dignity!” The more Qiu Nan spoke, the angrier he became, snapping upright on the mattress. “Because of your permanent mark, my entire life is ruined! I want to break your neck.”

Xie Yunnian tilted his chin up, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous squint. “Go ahead. Kill me, and by tomorrow morning, the entire world will know you’re an Omega.”

Qiu Nan froze mid-tirade, his fiery bravado vanishing into thin air.

Xie Yunnian: “Call me Daddy.”

Qiu Nan: “?”

His utterly dazed expression made Xie Yunnian chuckle softly. “Aren’t you incredibly fond of inciting others to call you ‘Daddy’? Well, the aggrieved party has arrived.”

Qiu Nan: “???”

He watched as the Alpha reached into his pocket and smoothly retrieved an ID card holder.

It was a small, black booklet. Stamped on the front cover in gold foil were several tentacle patterns that seemed to faintly writhe when the sunlight caught them.

It was identical to the credential Qiu Nan had flashed back in the woods to bluff him.

Qiu Nan frantically patted his own pockets; his ID was still there.

He sat there completely dumbfounded, his heart hammering wildly against his ribs.

He watched as his Alpha unhurriedly flipped open the credential and held it directly in front of his face. Stamped across the top was the highest-level authorization seal in crimson red.

Monster Control Bureau

Nandong Sector

Director: Xie Yunnian

Game over. I walked straight into the firing line.

Like a turtle retreating into its shell, Qiu Nan grabbed his blanket and pulled it completely over his head, burying himself under the covers. After a few suffocating moments, a pale hand crept out from beneath the sheets, blindly groping around until it managed to drag the oxygen mask inside the blanket cocoon.

Amusement danced in Xie Yunnian’s eyes. He stepped forward and forcefully yanked the blanket away.

“Well, Captain Qiu? What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Da—Director, I was wrong!”

Although he routinely messed around with his teammates by throwing around terms like “Daddy” and “Son,” there was absolutely no way he could bring himself to utter that word to the absolute highest authority figure in the sector. His only option was to tuck his tail and immediately surrender.

Slowly lowering the oxygen mask, his face flushed a deep crimson that rivaled the setting sun. Adopting a thoroughly pitiful, victimized expression, he buried half of his face into the plush pillow, leaving only one eye exposed to peek warily at Xie Yunnian.

Seeing that Xie Yunnian didn’t seem actively intent on making his life a living hell right then and there, Qiu Nan attempted to bargain for leniency. “Director, I promise I’ll quietly go get the mark surgically removed. You’ve seen my track record—I work incredibly hard, and I’ve never made a single mistake on duty. So, regarding my gender classification.”

If it weren’t for the IV needle currently taped to the back of his hand, Xie Yunnian felt certain the young man would have lunged out of bed to physically beg at his knees.

Xie Yunnian exhaled a slow, quiet breath.

He silently locked eyes with Qiu Nan. Qiu Nan sat perfectly still, staring right back at him. The silence in the hospital room grew so profound that one could have heard a pin drop.

After a long pause, Xie Yunnian smoothly fished the hundred and fifty yuan out of his pocket, meticulously smoothing the crumpled bills before slipping them into his designer wallet. The deliberate display made Qiu Nan’s face burn with fresh embarrassment.

“I wish you a speedy recovery and a prompt return to active duty, Captain Qiu,” Xie Yunnian murmured, his lips curling into a sharp smirk. “I shall take my leave now.”

Long after Xie Yunnian had departed, Qiu Nan remained sitting on the bed, staring blankly at the closed hospital door.

Was that his way of saying he’s letting it slide?

The crisis that had terrified him the most was just solved like that?

But seriously, why did he so solemnly demand to be called ‘Daddy’? Is that some kind of bizarre personal fetish?

Or do all Omegas who get permanently marked automatically develop a psychological urge to call their Alpha ‘Daddy’?

Hiss.

He wasn’t sure if it was just a psychological illusion or if his gland hadn’t been fully cleansed of the allergens yet, but he could swear he still caught the faint, lingering trace of a crisp pine scent in the air.

This was going to be the absolute death of him!