After Transmigrating as a Scumbag Alpha, I Marked the Crazy Hotshot – Chapter 27
by Little PandaMarking Relationship
Cheng Jiqing practically collapsed holding Bai Xin.
Her hand cushioned Bai Xin’s back, the other barely managing to prop herself up beside Bai Xin’s leg, steadying her balance.
She looked at Bai Xin in shock, thinking she had misheard, until Bai Xin looked into her eyes and repeated once more: “Cheng Jiqing, marry me.”
It was the kind of soft murmur spoken when emotions run high in an idol drama.
But right now, Cheng Jiqing only felt panic, along with a sense of absurdity. Her panic stemmed from Bai Xin’s direct gaze; those eyes told her—Bai Xin wasn’t joking.
Thus, her heart felt like it was being lifted up, and she couldn’t help but hold her breath.
She didn’t dare exhale, afraid her startled breath would give Bai Xin something to laugh at.
She was an actor, after all, with extremely quick reflexes. She concealed this panic completely.
“Did the fever fry your brain?”
Bai Xin looked at her. “Why don’t you feel it and see?”
Cheng Jiqing: “…”
She thought, Bai Xin really saw her as a perfect gentleman.
“Miss Bai, I already said, I sell my skills, not my body.”
Cheng Jiqing tried her best to use a casual tone to alleviate this strange atmosphere.
After speaking, she pulled her hand back from behind Bai Xin. However, the next moment, Bai Xin’s fingers at the collar of her nape slid down along the white fabric, reddish fingertips grabbing the collar at the clavicle and yanking her down—
Perhaps all of Bai Xin’s strength was focused in her hand; Cheng Jiqing was forced to press down again.
She heard Bai Xin say, practically in her ear: “The skill of biting… also counts as… a skill.”
Her tone dragged out, breathy, like the tail end of a cat’s meow.
As Bai Xin spoke, her eyes gazed at Cheng Jiqing’s lips, as if she could see the white, smooth, and strong teeth behind those tightly closed, dry lips.
Cheng Jiqing also remembered the scene in the restroom just moments ago, pinning the person against the chair and biting their neck. The tips of her ears turned red.
Bai Xin meant she could also just want the skill, not the body.
Marking was also a technical skill.
They had just performed a marking while fully conscious. Bai Xin’s words threw Cheng Jiqing’s thoughts into chaos. What did Bai Xin suddenly mean by this?
Marriage was such a huge deal, could it be mentioned so casually?
The phone in the living room started buzzing again.
“I’ll just assume you’re joking.”
Cheng Jiqing quickly pulled her hand away, removed Bai Xin’s slender wrist, and stood up. “I’ll go get the door for Tang Jia.”
Cheng Jiqing turned and left.
Her steps were quick, as if afraid Bai Xin would say something else unnecessary.
Marriage?
This was simply more fantastical than the fact that she had transmigrated.
Her mind wasn’t very clear anymore.
She eagerly went to open the door for Tang Jia.
The moment Tang Jia entered, she smelled the scent in the air, let out a soft ‘tsk’, and immediately put on a specialized mask to block pheromones. Even faint, Bai Xin’s level of pheromones could affect alphas of lower rank.
She already felt uncomfortable just stepping inside.
If it were a slightly lower-ranked alpha, it might directly trigger an agitation period.
If Cheng Jiqing weren’t also present, she normally wouldn’t enter at a time like this. Of course, if it wasn’t a life-or-death matter, Bai Xin wouldn’t call her either.
Unless it was something like the incident in the parking lot that day.
Tang Jia stepped inside, smelling the intertwined scents in the air. “Can I leave now?”
She said she wouldn’t come, but was insisted upon. It seemed like her presence wasn’t necessary.
Cheng Jiqing shook her head. “Don’t leave yet, Doctor Tang. Can you check brains?”
Tang Jia: “…?”
“Go check on her.”
“…”
Tang Jia walked into Bai Xin’s room alone, standing at the doorway with her arms crossed, observing, not daring to take half a step closer. Bai Xin glanced past her towards the area behind her, making no effort to hide it, so Tang Jia easily caught the look.
Tang Jia said, “She went to the balcony. She asked me to check if you’re still mentally sound.”
“You scared her, Boss Bai.”
Bai Xin struggled to sit up in bed. Tang Jia didn’t offer to help; she knew Bai Xin disliked being touched, especially by alphas. Besides, she couldn’t get close right now anyway.
Bai Xin said, “Expected.”
Tang Jia closed the door slightly, lowered her voice, her expression turning a bit serious. “You clearly know that frequent marking will increase your dependency on Cheng Jiqing, so why still do this? Let’s not talk about the first two times, but today wasn’t like you. You’ve endured worse situations before. Isn’t this a bit risky?”
Previously, Bai Xin had encountered worse situations and endured them.
She thought Bai Xin kept Cheng Jiqing around to alleviate symptoms through appropriate contact, not marking.
Bai Xin said, “Don’t know.”
Tang Jia: “…Don’t know?”
“Anyway, I just did it.” Bai Xin said, “Doesn’t matter. Even without marking, I still need her just the same. Since it’s like this, might as well let myself feel better and more comfortable.”
Tang Jia paused, remembering her encounter with Qin Yufu today. She looked at Bai Xin for a moment and said, “Is it for physical comfort, or emotional comfort?”
Actually, it was superfluous for her to ask. Aside from Bai Xin’s physical condition, she never interfered in her affairs.
She just noticed Bai Xin hadn’t realized it herself, so she pointed it out.
Bai Xin had a possessiveness towards Cheng Jiqing.
Back in Xiao Nanzhou, she had already seen some signs1.
Hearing this, Bai Xin glanced over, her expression terribly cold and emotionless.
Tang Jia said, “Then let me ask one more superfluous question. What if Cheng Jiqing really gives you a permanent marking?”
Even if Cheng Jiqing was a decent, clean person, there were still times for impulsive mistakes.
Every time Bai Xin consented to Cheng Jiqing’s marking, she was actually giving Cheng Jiqing the opportunity for a permanent marking.
What if? What if Cheng Jiqing threw caution to the wind?
The biggest difference between a permanent marking and a temporary one is that the omega could potentially get pregnant.
Bai Xin thought of Cheng Jiqing just now, in that final second of being provoked. When Cheng Jiqing held her and bit down from behind, when Cheng Jiqing fiercely told her not to regret it, she truly thought—Cheng Jiqing was going to give her a permanent marking.
Bai Xin’s pulse fluctuated.
Her lower abdomen still seemed to be constricted, her knees ached slightly, and the scent of the alpha’s peach blossom wine lingered on her body.
She said, “Just wash it off.”
Her voice was hoarse, extremely faint, understated2.
As always.
Tang Jia’s expression shifted for an instant, then she smiled. “You really are—ruthless enough.”
Washing off a permanent mark wasn’t as easy as saying it. Some people even fainted from the pain at the start of the cleansing process because anesthetics couldn’t be used.
It was like having your skin peeled off while fully conscious.
Tang Jia thought.
Whenever it came to times like this.
When Bai Xin was ruthless even towards herself, this person seemed particularly devoid of emotion.
Bai Xin acted as if she hadn’t heard.
She was also thinking. When she provoked Cheng Jiqing, deep down, her subconscious knew Cheng Jiqing wasn’t that kind of person. If Cheng Jiqing had wanted to do it all these times, she would have done so long ago.
Besides that.
—In front of Cheng Jiqing, she seemed to have a feeling of being secure in the knowledge of backing.
Even with long-standing acquaintances like Tang Jia, or that friend she was in contact with, she had never felt this way.
It was Cheng Jiqing’s tolerance towards her that gave rise to the thought of wanting to test, wanting to provoke Cheng Jiqing, which then translated into action.
Like in the car, at the elevator entrance, in the restroom.
Time after time.
She told Cheng Jiqing to let go, she told Cheng Jiqing—if you don’t dare, then scram.
But Cheng Jiqing didn’t let go, nor did she leave.
Cheng Jiqing’s soft-heartedness towards her.
Cheng Jiqing’s tolerance and concessions, Cheng Jiqing’s gentleness and kindness, gave rise to an idea that she could only possess this herself.
She hoped Cheng Jiqing would only be like this towards her.
Perhaps this idea had started after Cheng Jiqing met with Qin Yufu…
Only now did she understand.
Tang Jia was actually right; her provoking Cheng Jiqing to mark her wasn’t necessarily just for physical comfort.
When Cheng Jiqing kissed her neck, breath burning her skin, and bit down, her heart felt comfortable too.
She had never experienced this kind of goodness, so she thought, Cheng Jiqing should just stay by her side.
She didn’t like sharing, so Cheng Jiqing could only stay by her side.
At least, during this period when she needed Cheng Jiqing.
…
Bai Xin rubbed her arm; she felt sore all over when she had a fever. She looked at Tang Jia and asked, “Did you go see Tong Yanxi3?”
That name made Tang Jia pause slightly, then nod. “Mm, she came to move the rest of her things.”
Bai Xin looked at Tang Jia’s expression. “Why bother divorcing?”
Tang Jia said, “If there’s no love, naturally you divorce.”
After saying that, the expression under Tang Jia’s silver-rimmed glasses darkened. Since Tong Yanxi proposed the divorce, she rarely spoke of their matters in front of Bai Xin.
But thinking about how, after Tong Yanxi left today, even the familiar slippers by the door had completely disappeared, she confided in Bai Xin, “She won’t be coming back anymore.”
She finished with a faint smile, different from usual, tinged with a trace of bitterness.
Bai Xin didn’t speak; she was never good at comforting.
She, Tong Yanxi, and Tang Jia had known each other since university. She only knew they had initially gotten together as partners, but clearly, Tang Jia had later become serious.
Tong Yanxi initiated the divorce.
To this day, sorrow could still be seen on the usually calm doctor’s face.
Tang Jia saw that expression and knew saying this to Bai Xin was useless4.
A ruthless person like Boss Bai wouldn’t understand.
At least not now.
Tang Jia composed herself and asked, “Cheng Jiqing isn’t the casual type. She might not agree. What are your plans next?”
On the balcony.
Cheng Jiqing didn’t know what was being said inside, but she hoped Tang Jia could cure Bai Xin, in every aspect.
She held her phone, having just finished reading Qin Yufu’s message.
Old Madam Qin refused to give up; perhaps she and Qin Yufu would have a second meeting.
As she thought about it, she unconsciously wondered why Bai Xin cared so much today about whether she went to the movies with Qin Yufu.
Was it just because Bai Xin misunderstood that she had lied?
Cheng Jiqing shook her head. Why was she even thinking about this question?
The more she tried to pull her thoughts away, the more they drifted towards Bai Xin. So she wondered again, why did Bai Xin want to marry her?
Connecting these questions, a very outrageous5 idea formed in her mind, and Cheng Jiqing’s chest felt slightly warm.
She had never considered this possibility.
The responsibility Bai Xin wanted her to take was to marry her. For one person to want to marry another, it was hard not to make her overthink…
Suddenly.
The phone’s vibration interrupted her thoughts.
An unknown number. She waited a few seconds before answering.
“It’s me.”
If she were in a certain environment or saw the face, she might know who it was. Just hearing the voice, how could Cheng Jiqing know?
She didn’t speak, waiting for the other end to continue.
“Come back to the main house tomorrow. I have something to say.”
Hearing this, Cheng Jiqing roughly guessed who it was.
Besides Cheng Jing, the only other person in the Cheng main house was the original host’s omega mother, Fu Rongjun6.
Cheng Jiqing knew absolutely nothing about this person; there were only scattered descriptions in the book. She thought about it; she’d have to meet her sooner or later anyway.
“En.”
After hearing her response, the other end said nothing more and hung up directly.
Cheng Jiqing got the picture. It seemed the reason the original host moved out was also related to this mother. The relationship seemed even worse than with Cheng Jing.
Meet her and see what the situation is like7.
When Tang Jia walked onto the balcony, Cheng Jiqing was leaning over it, elbows resting on the edge, gazing at something unknown.
“It’s a symptom combining the heat period disorder and after-effects. Maybe she endured it for quite long today and didn’t use inhibitors, so the fever is quite severe.” Tang Jia closed the balcony door, finally able to lower her mask slightly. She took a cigarette from her bag and asked, “Smoke?”
Cheng Jiqing didn’t smoke, but right now, she kind of wanted to. Her mind was a mess.
She took one, holding it in her mouth somewhat awkwardly.
Tang Jia leaned down to light it for her. The flame flared brightly before her eyes, and Cheng Jiqing instinctively took a sharp step back.
“What’s wrong?” Tang Jia paused, also startled by the sudden movement.
The flame dimmed.
Cheng Jiqing took the cigarette from her mouth, placing a hand over her heart. “It’s nothing… please continue.”
Just then, it felt like her breathing had stopped.
The feeling was like the nervousness she felt as a child after watching a horror movie, every time she saw a rabbit’s red eyes afterward.
Tang Jia observed her reaction and continued, “If it were ordinary marking after-effects, they’d basically ease within a month. But hers are mixed with the after-effects of an inducer agent. So the period of discomfort might be longer.”
“Also, this is the third time now, right? Three times?”
Cheng Jiqing: “…Mm.”
“You should also know that with multiple markings, the omega’s dependency on the alpha increases.”
“Overall, her current symptoms won’t ease in the short term, and she might even need inhibitors every two days. However, due to the multiple markings, your soothing is more effective for her than inhibitors, and the effect will last longer.”
“Of course, over time, and once the inducer agent component in her body is dealt with, things might get a bit better.”
Cheng Jiqing fell silent for a moment.
—Am I the only one you need?
—Marry me.
Bai Xin’s words echoed in her ears. Did Bai Xin propose such an absurd thing because she needed her? This speculation left her unsure of her emotions.
Indescribable.
Cheng Jiqing asked, “The medicine you mentioned before, the one to resolve the inducer agent component in her body, how much longer until it’s developed?”
Tang Jia paused for a moment. “It’s not that easy. About that matter I mentioned needing your help with last time… if you have time these next couple of days, would you mind coming in to give some blood?”
“Sure.”
Cheng Jiqing remained straightforward.
As Cheng Jiqing agreed, Tang Jia thought, given the current relationship between Bai Xin and Cheng Jiqing, Cheng Jiqing would likely discover the secret of Bai Xin’s second gland sooner or later.
Would Bai Xin tell her the truth then?
When Cheng Jiqing finds out the truth about the marriage proposal—that it was merely because Bai Xin wanted a legitimate8, more convenient way to get relief, and only because Bai Xin wanted to resolve the trouble brought by the second gland—
What would Cheng Jiqing’s reaction be?
She also wondered, had Bai Xin realized yet that her feelings for Cheng Jiqing might not solely be driven by purpose?
“It’s getting late. Since you’re here anyway, I’ll head out first.”
Cheng Jiqing held the cigarette but ultimately didn’t smoke it.
She knew leaving now carried a hint of avoidance, but if she stayed at Bai Xin’s place after Tang Jia left, wouldn’t that be even stranger?
Tang Jia shook her head. “Miss Cheng, Bai Xin is an omega with a heat disorder. It’s not appropriate for me to stay.”
“…?” Cheng Jiqing: “Am I not also an alpha?”
Tang Jia said, “We’re different. If I stay, with Bai Xin’s pheromones like this, I won’t be able to protect myself. But you two have a marking relationship. You still have alpha pheromones on you now; going out would attract attention too. Staying would be more comfortable for both of you.”
AO pheromones could attract each other, and also soothe each other.
Cheng Jiqing thought again of Bai Xin’s ‘Marry me.’
She said, “You’re wrong. I can’t protect myself either.”
Cheng Jiqing didn’t stop Tang Jia. Her back-and-forth with Tang Jia gave her a momentary new understanding of her own shortcomings.
Bai Xin wasn’t some terrifying monster9; it was just that she subconsciously wanted to escape.
Cheng Jiqing took a shallow breath, poured a glass of warm water, and knocked on Bai Xin’s door.
Bai Xin was sleeping quietly, the sweat on her forehead yet to fade. The overhead light was off, leaving only a dim bedside lamp illuminating her face, making it look like it was dusted with gold powder.
Radiant and captivating.
Cheng Jiqing averted her gaze, placed the water glass on the table. Even this slight movement woke Bai Xin.
“Did I wake you?”
“Mmm…” A hoarse sound.
Bai Xin added, “Didn’t fall asleep.”
“Oh.”
Cheng Jiqing stood by the bed. She saw Bai Xin turn her head to look over. Their eyes met, seemingly both waiting for the other to speak.
After a few seconds, Cheng Jiqing said, “What you said earlier, were you serious? I mean about marrying me.”
Bai Xin’s eyelashes lifted. “Yes.”
“Sorry, I can’t agree.”
Bai Xin slowly asked her, “Why?”
Cheng Jiqing said, “Marriage isn’t child’s play. That’s something only people in love can do.”
Besides this reason, what other reason could there be not to marry?
The air conditioner was on, but Bai Xin still habitually left the window open a crack for ventilation. She didn’t feel the hot air coming in from the bed.
But she heard the wind blowing outside.
Later tonight, a heavy, stuffy/oppressive rain would likely fall.
At this moment, Bai Xin strangely recalled Tang Jia’s words—If there’s no love, naturally you divorce.
Her emotions surfaced bit by bit, unable to make head or tail of them. Just looking at Cheng Jiqing’s serious face, the next few words she intended to say lacked their initial certainty.
But she still said them.
“Then what if I was talking about… a contract marriage?”
The author has something to say:
Chengcheng: Oh, so you don’t like me. Fine, I don’t like you either.
Bai-jie now: Mm, cooperative relationship, pretty good.
Bai-jie later: Why don’t you like me? If you don’t like me, who do you like?
Their interactions, goals, and thoughts are different in each period, so their attitudes are different too. Let’s not rush, ha. Saying they’d marry quickly was me misunderstanding my typing speed, wuwuwu. They will definitely get married!! Soon! Wait for me! There will be a bit of a cremation ground10 too!
Thank you all for your support, I’ll work hard writing, hope everyone enjoys reading.
It’s very cold today, my stomach feels uncomfortable from the cold, babies11 should also pay attention to staying warm ao12! Remember to add clothes when going out! Don’t catch a chill, drink hot water!
Footnotes
- 苗头 | miáotou | Lit. “sprout head”; Signs, indications, inklings.
- 轻描淡写 | qīng miáo dàn xiě | Lit. “lightly sketch and faintly write”; To describe something lightly or casually, often understating its importance or severity.
- 童言希 | Tóng Yánxī
- 白说 | bái shuō | Lit. “speak white/in vain”; Means speaking uselessly, saying something that will have no effect.
- 离谱 | lípǔ | Lit. “off the musical score”; Means outrageous, absurd, unreasonable, excessive.
- 付荣君 | Fù Róngjūn
- 瞧瞧什么风水吧 | qiáoqiao shénme fēngshuǐ ba | Lit. “see what kind of feng shui it is”; A colloquial way to say “see what the situation/atmosphere is like” or “check things out.”
- 名正言顺 | míng zhèng yán shùn | Lit. “name correct, words smooth”; Means perfectly justifiable, legitimate, proper, fitting.
- 洪水猛兽 | hóngshuǐ měngshòu | Lit. “floodwaters and fierce beasts”; Great disaster, terrifying thing, dreadful monster.
- 火葬场 | huǒzàngchǎng | Lit. “cremation ground”; Webnovel slang for a story arc where a character suffers consequences/painful emotional reckoning for past actions, often related to romance.
- 宝贝们 | bǎobèi men | Lit. “babies/treasures”; An affectionate term for readers.
- 嗷 | āo | An interjection, often used for cute emphasis or excitement.
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