Mistakenly Marked – Chapter 20

Lying

“Smells like cherry.”

Lin Qingman did the introductions. “This is the Miss Zhang who brought you to the hospital.”

            

Xu Jialuo looked the girl over — hands clasped behind her back, standing ramrod straight.

“I was out with some friends. After we parted ways, I happened to be passing the 813 Building on my own.

“Then I happened to notice Miss Xu slumped over in her car. She didn’t look like she was feeling well.”

            

“The door was unlocked. Once I opened it and saw how bad Miss Xu’s condition really was, I drove her car and brought her to the hospital.”

The answers came out perfectly fluent, rapid-fire — as though she’d rehearsed them in her head many times over.

Xu Jialuo’s gaze swept across the girl’s neat, short ponytail. A few seconds of silence. “Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”

            

“I have somewhere to be. Now that you’re awake, I’ll be going. Goodbye.”

Even as she spoke, the girl was already striding for the door.

“Hey, Miss Zhang, at least stay for breakfast before—”

            

Lin Qingman’s invitation died half-formed. The door had already opened and shut, footsteps hurrying rapidly away.

“That Miss Zhang seems kind enough,” Lin Qingman murmured. “It’s just… the way she talks is strange…”

Like talking to an NPC¹.

            

Xu Shangning picked up one of the breakfast trays and handed it over. “Here, Luoluo — have some congee, get something in your stomach. I asked around; they already ran your tests earlier. The results should be out any minute.”

Half the congee gone, the nurse pushed the door open.

“Miss Xu, Doctor Chen would like a word with you.”

            

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“A case like this is extremely rare. But going by the test results—”

“you have, in fact, differentiated.”

The doctor held out a lab report. “Differentiated into an Alpha.”

            

The flimsy sheet of paper arrived before her eyes, glaring a little in the sunlight slanting through the window.

Xu Jialuo sat facing the doctor and did not reach for it.

Her spine had gone rigid without her noticing. She lifted her gaze. “I’m twenty-five, not fifteen.”

            

“Ordinarily, differentiation occurs between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. But your gland suffered an injury that kept it from differentiating normally — is that right?”

Images laced with the memory of pain flashed past in an instant. Xu Jialuo closed her eyes, then opened them. “…Yes.”

“It may be that the gland recovered over the years and finally matured. Or it may have been triggered by some kind of stimulus…

            

“Either way, you have now differentiated into an Alpha.”

“So that means… she’s an Alpha now?” Lin Qingman stared at Xu Jialuo in astonishment.

“That’s right. It’s simply that your pheromones are too unstable at present — we can’t yet determine what class of Alpha you are.”

            

There was a thread of congratulation in the doctor’s voice, because any Alpha, whatever the class, stood far above an ordinary Beta.

Greater mental reserves. A stronger body. Greater social recognition.

But the patient sitting across from her — that cool, pale face like an ink-wash painting — wore an expression of perfect placidity, still as a lake.

            

For some reason, there wasn’t a trace of delight in it.

“This is wonderful, Luoluo! Doesn’t that mean you can smell pheromones now?”

Xu Shangning beamed and leaned in close. “Come on, take a whiff of your big sister’s scent—”

            

“No!”

The doctor’s warning came fast — but a step too late.

Xu Shangning had already released her pheromones for real, and Xu Jialuo, head turned, breathed in a mouthful with no warning at all.

            

The next instant, her throat seized, her whole body locked rigid, and pain detonated inside her skull.

Seeing Xu Jialuo’s face drain white, Xu Shangning froze — then hastily reined her pheromones back in and steadied her. “What was that?”

Between Alphas, one’s pheromones shouldn’t appeal to the other. They might even repel.

            

But at worst that meant finding the smell unpleasant, or a little sickening. Nothing that justified a reaction this violent.

Xu Shangning ducked her head and sniffed at herself, dubious. “…Do I really smell that bad?”

“It’s not the pheromones.”

            

The doctor shook her head. “Miss Xu simply can’t withstand them at present.”

Xu Shangning frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Because Miss Xu differentiated far too late. Her gland is overloaded.”

            

Lin Qingman was lost too. “Doctor, could you try plain language?”

“As a person ages — up until about forty — the volume of pheromones in an Alpha’s or Omega’s body keeps climbing.

“To keep pace with the ever-growing load, an Alpha’s or Omega’s gland keeps developing as well.

            

“But Miss Xu’s gland has only just finished forming.”

The doctor raised a hand and traced a small circle in the air.

“The volume of pheromones Miss Xu’s gland can currently process is this much. But the volume of pheromones in Miss Xu’s body that needs processing—”

            

The doctor spread her hand and drew an enormous circle. “Is this much.”

“So for Miss Xu’s gland as it stands, just barely handling her own pheromones and keeping herself stable is a struggle. Never mind processing interference from outside.

“Even the slightest trace of pheromones will set off a violent reaction, like the one just now.”

            

“…”

Xu Jialuo lowered her eyes, brow furrowed tight.

After a few seconds she raised her head, voice level. “What are the solutions?”

            

“For emergencies, you can lean temporarily on aids — suppressant patches, suppressants — to regulate the pheromones.

“But it’s better to channel than to block².

“Suppress them relentlessly, and you’ll invite consequences that are more severe and harder to control. You’d only make things worse.”

            

“Then what about letting the gland adapt on its own,” Xu Shangning asked, “would that work?”

“No.” The doctor shook her head. “Run overloaded for long enough, and the gland will sustain damage — and gradually drag the other organs down with it.”

“Not this, not that — so becoming an Alpha turned out to be a bad thing.” Xu Shangning’s expression turned serious. “I want to hear a treatment plan that’s actually viable.”

            

The doctor paused a few seconds and looked at Xu Jialuo. “As a physician, I have no standing to meddle in a patient’s private life. But Miss Xu — is there an Omega near you, someone who could become… a romantic partner, something of that sort?”

“…Why do you ask?”

“In your current state, your pheromones will be highly unstable.

            

“Especially once you enter estrus — your first heat — the pheromones inside you will surge even higher. It will be a very rough time.

“An Omega’s pheromones can help channel what’s overflowing past what you can hold.”

The doctor went on: “My recommendation is that you find a compatible Omega partner as soon as possible, and complete the marking before your first heat.

            

“That way, your partner can soothe you with their pheromones in time, and keep your gland from being damaged when the first heat arrives.”

---

They reached the parking area, and Xu Shangning spoke first. “Miss Lin, you ride in Luoluo’s car. Since the doctor put it that way, I’ll leave Luoluo in your care these next few days — I won’t be in the way!”

Lin Qingman, silent the whole way, blinked. “I…”

            

Xu Shangning teased on purpose. “When you and Luoluo make it official, I promise I’ll give the biggest gift³ of anyone there.”

The words of a promise landed — and Xu Jialuo, walking ahead, stopped short. She turned to look back at Xu Shangning.

Dark eyes heavy, the cold-pale lines of her face drawn taut. Displeasure, plain as day.

            

Xu Shangning faltered under the stare. “Uh… what?”

She hadn’t meant to bring that up. But with the words sitting right there in front of her, Xu Jialuo couldn’t help but think:

Had Xu Shangning made promises to Bo Suiqing the very same way?

            

Xu Jialuo said it flat out. “You gave her my private number.”

Xu Shangning blinked — and instantly knew who this was about.

Her fox eyes curved, and she feigned a few stammering sounds. “Ah, right! It slipped my mind to tell you, haha.”

            

In truth, so long as Xu Jialuo never asked, that little matter would one hundred percent have rotted away in her stomach.

“For what?”

“I just… wanted you two to soften toward each other, that’s all.”

            

Lin Qingman, with no idea what they were discussing, listened on in a daze.

But Xu Jialuo’s tone was angry — a rare thing. This might actually be something that mattered.

She simply stepped several paces away, leaving the sisters to their family business.

            

Xu Jialuo looked at the smile Xu Shangning always used to bluff her way through everything — and this time, unlike always, she couldn’t be bothered to let it slide. “So what did you promise her? What was in it for her?”

Enough to make someone lower herself that far — begging her, over and over.

Now it was Xu Shangning’s turn to be baffled. “Huh?”

            

Assuming Xu Shangning was deploying her playing-dumb routine again, Xu Jialuo’s brow knotted.

Seeing that Xu Jialuo seemed genuinely angry now, Xu Shangning hurried after her, explaining at speed. “All I said was for her to spend more time around you — I thought it might smooth things over! And I told her you like her dramas — that was just to make her happy!”

“And?”

            

“There’s no ‘and.'”

Xu Jialuo went still for an instant. “That’s everything you said?”

“Of course.” Xu Shangning was blank. “Really. That’s all.”

            

…No exchange of terms. No promises at all?

Xu Jialuo studied her for a few seconds. Years of knowing her — she could tell Xu Shangning wasn’t lying.

In which case, the one who lied was—

            

…Why?

In her mind’s eye, in a flash: pale silver irises, the light in them shattering as the woman said those words.

Her head still ached faintly; the tangle of thoughts made it ache worse. Xu Jialuo pressed her temple. “Don’t… go doing anything extra like that again.”

            

“Got it.” Xu Shangning knew she was in the wrong and took her scolding meekly. “Hurry and take Miss Lin home. Get some proper rest.”

---

Xu Jialuo slid into the car and glanced at the rigid Lin Qingman beside her. “I’ll take you home first.”

Lin Qingman started. “Huh?”

            

Xu Jialuo started the engine, voice mild. “Relax. I have no designs on you.”

“…” Caught with her thoughts laid bare, Lin Qingman cleared her throat, a little embarrassed.

“In that case, then… do you already have someone you like? Someone who happens to be an Omega?”

            

Someone who could match up and complete the marking.

But Xu Jialuo said, “No.”

“N—no? But your first heat could be days away — it could happen any time…” Lin Qingman’s voice climbed with urgency. “If you only start looking now, isn’t that a little late?”

            

Xu Jialuo pulled out of the hospital, tone even. “That’s my problem to handle. Don’t worry about it.”

“…”

Lin Qingman turned her head and stole a glance at the nape of Xu Jialuo’s neck, half-hidden beneath black hair.

            

A barrier patch the doctor had supplied was stuck there — it would keep her from sensing pheromones, just enough to get home safely.

Lin Qingman bowed her head and thought it over for a long while. At last, she made up her mind.

“Even if I’m marked — as long as… it isn’t permanent, it can be surgically washed out afterward. If it really comes to that, call me. I… could help.”

            

“My mom said yesterday that your family advanced a round of working capital to our company — it eased the crisis at once, and she and your uncle were both delighted. So…”

Lin Qingman kept her voice low. “Consider it my way of repaying you.”

Xu Jialuo lowered her eyes and let out a breath. “I’ve told you — I’m helping you because I want to repay you for helping me back then. You don’t have to feel any pressure.”

            

“…”

She’d said no pressure — but for some reason, the person beside her seemed to wind even tighter.

Lin Qingman sat quietly for a few seconds, biting her lip over and over, on the verge of saying something — then changing her mind.

            

“Either way. If anything happens, call me. It’d be no trouble to look after you a little.”

The car turned onto the main road and stopped at a red light. Xu Jialuo didn’t waste more breath declining. “Mm.”

Then, abruptly, she asked: “Was it that Miss Zhang alone who brought me to the hospital?”

            

“Hm?” Lin Qingman nodded. “Yes. When we got to the hospital, Miss Zhang was standing alone outside your room. Why?”

The signal turned green. Xu Jialuo released the brake. “No reason.”

Lin Qingman, though, pinched her nose. “So Miss Zhang’s an Omega… your car still seems to be holding a trace of her pheromones.

            

“Hmm… smells like cherry.”

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