Mistakenly Marked – Chapter 17
by Little PandaDifferentiation
‘Xu Jialuo, it’ll be okay…’
Coming out of the recording studio, it was already one in the morning.
Binxi City’s days had no sharp dividing line—the late-night streets still flickered with neon.
Xu Jialuo pulled her cap brim lower and walked toward her car parked by the roadside.
Her phone rang along the way. Glancing down at the number on the screen, Xu Jialuo knitted her brow and rejected the call outright.
“It’s right here—the next ad is the one!”
Two girls rushed past her, chattering as they hurriedly raised their phones, standing next to Xu Jialuo’s black Bentley, spinning around to snap a string of selfies.
Xu Jialuo looked up instinctively and spotted the large screen atop the shopping mall ahead.
The footage changed at just the right moment. Amid the girls’ delighted gasps, a massive bouquet of snow-white flowers filled the screen.
A slender hand, pale as white jade, reached through the blooms. Lustrous fingertips lightly turned an exquisite gemstone ring, then brushed aside the petals filling the screen.
The camera pushed in. A face of flawless beauty appeared.
Those signature, rare silver-gray eyes gazed quietly outward through the screen.
The next instant, the gem on her fingertip flashed—and the field of white erupted into crimson roses, setting the screen ablaze like fireworks.
In the same breath, those peach blossom eyes1 curved lazily, lips hooking into a smile.
Glaciers melting, light spilling in every direction. A beauty that seized the soul.
“Oh my god!”
The two girls pressed their heads together, huddling to review the footage they’d just captured.
“A goddess like her was born for a screen that big!”
Withdrawing her gaze coolly, Xu Jialuo stood under the eaves of a nearby building, waiting for the photo-takers to leave.
But whether by some prearranged plan or not, more and more fans gathered.
The group’s discussion gradually spread from the advertisement to the afternoon’s trending topics and the gala livestream.
Until she faintly caught the name “Xu Jialuo.”
“It’s definitely Xu Jialuo’s team pulling strings behind the scenes—because of that theme song thing!”
“I think so too. Deliberately timing the leak to coincide with the drama’s broadcast—so disgusting! And riding Suiqing’s coattails to trend together. Just awful!”
“At the end of the day, that Xu Jialuo isn’t any good either. I just scrolled past a gossip post saying her mom was a mistress usurping the legal wife! Too bad it got blocked super fast…”
“Really? I remember seeing gossip accounts say her family’s super rich—like a wealthy heiress.”
“That’s exactly why you can’t trust gossip accounts—it’s all fake personas!”
“Exactly. Only our Suisui is a real young lady.”
“Hey, let’s be careful—this car next to us is super expensive. We can’t afford to scratch it.”
…
Another surge of heat pulsed through the back of her neck, seemingly intensifying.
Xu Jialuo tossed her car keys back into her jacket pocket. She was about to move further away when a passerby tossed a half-finished water bottle into the nearby trash bin.
The bin seemed nearly empty—it landed with a clang, turning heads around the area.
Xu Jialuo wore an oversized jacket and cargo pants, a black mask covering her face, hair spilling out from under her baseball cap to block it thoroughly.
But her tall, striking frame, long straight legs, and silk-dark hair—even as a silhouette, she invited imagination.
The more she concealed herself, the more people wanted to uncover the truth.
Xu Jialuo could only turn sideways to avoid their stares.
The discomfort across her body worsened. Turning her back to the crowd clustered around her car, Xu Jialuo scanned the roadside for a taxi.
Her phone rang again. Xu Jialuo frowned and picked it up—this time it wasn’t the same caller.
After connecting, Lin Qingman’s voice came through. “You’re still awake?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Um… I just heard people talking about what’s going around online, so I thought I’d call and check on you.”
She added quickly, “Just checking in as a friend, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you upset about it and can’t sleep?”
“No, I just finished recording at the studio.”
“Are you heading home then?”
“Not yet.” Looking at the packed crowd, Xu Jialuo let out a breath and explained simply, “Some fans have gathered here. It’s hard to drive out.”
Lin Qingman said, “I remember Grandmother Xu mentioning that your studio is near the 813 Building, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m pretty close then. I’ll come pick you up.”
Before Xu Jialuo could refuse, Lin Qingman continued, “I’ve only ever bossed you around before—let me return the favor this once!”
“I’ll be right there!”
Before Xu Jialuo could respond, the call disconnected.
Xu Jialuo raised her eyes to the ever-growing crowd ahead and lifted a hand to press against her faintly aching nape.
Under normal circumstances, she would’ve called back, politely declined Lin Qingman, and hailed a cab herself.
But right now, she genuinely felt awful.
There were some stools outside a restaurant nearby. Xu Jialuo sat down, leaned against the backrest, and breathed slowly.
“Hey, look at that car!”
“I think it’s Jiejie’s commercial van!”
The gathered fans noticed something and suddenly took off chasing toward the intersection on the other side.
Amid the commotion, Xu Jialuo pushed herself up, walked to the now-unattended Bentley, and opened the door.
Settling into the driver’s seat, Xu Jialuo took out her phone, ready to call Lin Qingman and tell her not to come.
A violent wave of dizziness struck first.
…What’s happening?
An unknown, never-before-felt ache and swelling began at the nape that had bothered her all day, spreading like an electric current down her spine and through her entire body.
Some sudden illness?
Before she could react, Xu Jialuo’s whole body shuddered, and all her strength was drained in an instant. A weakness laced with pain seeped from the marrow of her bones. Even her senses blurred, and she could only slump forward onto the steering wheel.
Couldn’t get up. Couldn’t move.
Everything around her warped. Sounds reaching her ears and scents entering her nose grew alternately sharp and pressing, then distant and muffled.
The only sensation that remained clear was a searing heat she had never felt before—burning like magma from her nape through her entire body.
So hot…
So agonizing…
Her slender fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly. Xu Jialuo gasped, rapid and disordered.
As if returning to that endless alley swallowed by darkness, sinking once more into the bone-chilling lake beneath the torrential rain.
Her trembling fingers tried to grip tighter, to no avail.
…No…
…Someone…
…Someone, please come…
She didn’t know how long passed before the seat beneath her shifted. Someone opened the passenger door and slid in.
A pair of hands steadied her shoulders and arms, pulling her upright.
Then, soft palms cradled her face, cool fingertips pressing gently against her burning cheeks.
“Xu Jialuo…”
The voice at her ear was a blur. Xu Jialuo tried to open her eyes and failed.
She opened her mouth, but only ragged, tuneless breaths came out.
She raised her hand. In the confusion, her fingers found a face wearing a mask, brushing against the smooth temple of a pair of sunglasses.
…Who is it?
The question flashed through her mind and vanished—the last shred of reason swallowed by pain.
“Xu Jialuo!”
Her fingertips were dampened by freshly fallen tears. Bo Suiqing froze, looking at Xu Jialuo’s contorted face—brow knit tight, drenched in a mix of tears and sweat.
A person who’d lost all strength was heavy. Bo Suiqing strained upright, bracing Xu Jialuo against her shoulder and back, pulling her into an embrace.
Burning hot all over, Xu Jialuo slumped against her like a sponge pulled from boiling water.
Like a large dog, chin pressed into the hollow of her shoulder, head sliding back unconsciously, scorching damp lips dragging along her neck—down to the most sensitive nape.
Bo Suiqing went rigid.
Xu Jialuo suddenly caught a scent.
Sweet and fresh, tender, cold yet warm.
It sliced through her muddled perception, flooding her nasal cavity, surging straight to her skull, piercing into her heart.
…She wanted more.
The unfamiliar scent was like a shot of adrenaline. Her drained limbs suddenly regained a sliver of strength.
Xu Jialuo’s hand shot out, groping to grip the shoulders of the person before her. In a single second, she flipped their positions, pinning the other down against the seat.
Dark lashes fell. Her mist-black eyes held no light—just hollow emptiness.
Like a beast that had caught its prey, she lowered her head into the prey’s vulnerable throat.
“Mm—!”
Bo Suiqing’s eyes flew wide. The instant she instinctively struggled, her hands were seized and pinned to the car ceiling. Her chin fell into Xu Jialuo’s burning palm, which wrenched her face to the side.
Exposing her nape.
It wasn’t a kiss. Chaotic, clumsy, fever-damp lips pressed down.
Her breath caught sharply. Bo Suiqing’s entire body locked up.
Sensing she’d stopped struggling, Xu Jialuo released her grip on Bo Suiqing’s hands and pressed down on her shoulders instead.
Continued searching along her neck.
Searching for the source of that wonderful scent.
A barely visible canine tooth2 grazed against her skin, sending waves of shivers through her.
A faint wine scent drifted into the air.
It had only been a few hours since she’d injected a suppressant—the medication was still active, so Bo Suiqing’s glands wouldn’t be affected at this point.
The part of Bo Suiqing that still held reason gradually understood what was happening—and what might continue to happen.
Her earlier suspicion was right. The person before her was indeed about to differentiate.
And right now, like every newly differentiated Alpha, Xu Jialuo had no awareness—she was completely unconscious.
This wasn’t a normal rut. It was the chaos of fresh differentiation.
Carrying a glaring signal of loss of control and madness—the kind that caused harm.
Bo Suiqing’s gaze shifted, landing on the crystal aromatherapy ornament on the dashboard.
If she reached out, with a little effort, she could reach it.
It was heavy enough to knock the person on top of her unconscious—or at least force them back, stopping whatever violation might follow.
Bo Suiqing slowly extended her trembling hand—
—and wrapped her arms around Xu Jialuo’s waist and back.
“Xu… Jialuo.” Fighting the instinctive urge to flee, Bo Suiqing ran her palm gently down Xu Jialuo’s taut spine.
In a low voice, “I’ll… get you to a hospital.”
Even though that was probably impossible for now.
If she really was suddenly differentiating into an Alpha.
The terrible things a reasonless Alpha could do were all over the news, spelled out in the self-defense manual every Omega carried.
Her Omega instincts were terrified. Trembling.
But Bo Suiqing tightened her hold and quietly closed her eyes.
“Xu Jialuo, it’ll be okay… Don’t be afraid…”
“…”
Someone was telling her not to be afraid.
Xu Jialuo faintly understood those words.
In a voice that sounded on the verge of tears.
Telling her not to be afraid.
When this person was the one shaking so badly.
Her fingernails dug into her palm. The sharp pain bought a fleeting sliver of reason.
The hands on her chin and shoulder withdrew. Bo Suiqing opened her eyes, dazed and surprised.
She felt Xu Jialuo’s lips leave her neck.
The barely conscious girl slowly lowered her head, forehead resting on Bo Suiqing’s shoulder.
Between breaths still ragged and pained, she gave a small nod.
Footnotes
- 桃花眼 | taohuayan | Literally 'peach blossom eyes'—a Chinese beauty term for an eye shape with slightly upturned outer corners and a gentle curve, historically associated with romantic allure and charm.
- 虎牙 | huya | Literally 'tiger tooth'—a Chinese term for a slightly protruding upper canine tooth, culturally regarded as a mark of endearing, youthful attractiveness in East Asian beauty standards.
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