Mistakenly Marked – Chapter 4
by Little PandaA Debt of Kindness
Yet she also kept the keen edge of orchid oars slicing through water ripples.
The villa, not long ago a scene of chaos, now held nothing but the steady rhythm of rain.
“Miss Bo… are you feeling better?”
Bo Suiqing drew her gaze back, letting it settle on Xu Shangning’s face. “Mm.”
Her beautiful glass-like irises had already returned to their normal hue, yet their depths held a faint silver—like luminous currents winding through a glacier.
A pair of peach blossom eyes that looked tenderly upon everyone, paired with a gaze this aloof.
A face as striking as a blossom in full glory, veiled in a frost that kept all at arm’s length—a stark, fractured contrast.
And precisely because of it, all the more bewitching.
Among all the countless precious things in this world, the more unique a thing was, the more people deemed it precious.
The harder the warmth was to win, the more everyone flocked to it, craving the singular favor of affectionate regard from beneath that glacier.
Only, no one had ever been known to succeed.
After all, the Bo family’s empire was vast—no one dared truly press their suit. And beyond that, an apex omega, one in a million, possessed first-rate mastery over her pheromones. She had once been jokingly dubbed the Hardest-to-Flirt Goddess #1 in entertainment circles.
So how had it come to this…?
Xu Shangning asked whatever came to mind. “That’s strange. An S-Class omega like you wouldn’t be easily affected. What happened just now—”
Bo Suiqing curved her lips into a smile. “Director Xu, my car is here.”
It was a smile entirely unlike Xu Jialuo’s.
Eyes bending into crescents, shattered starlight spilling into her gaze. The one smiling knew full well it would steal souls, yet gave it freely, without stint.
Xu Shangning’s eyes flickered, caught off guard by that smile, before she turned and saw a commercial sedan that had just pulled up to the entrance. “Oh… alright.”
Bo Suiqing descended the stairs, carrying a bag in her hand, and passed Xu Shangning.
A uniformed woman driver hurried out and held an umbrella over Bo Suiqing. As the driver opened the car door, Xu Shangning suddenly spoke up: “Miss Bo.”
Xu Shangning narrowed her fox-like eyes and let the nonsense roll right off her tongue. “Actually, Luoluo told me before that she really loves the dramas you’ve acted in. She said if I ever got a suitable new script and approached you, she’d definitely fight to write a custom score for you.”
Bo Suiqing paused beside the car and glanced back.
“Just now, she was the one who helped you. Even though you two seemed to have some small misunderstanding before, having one more friend is always better than one more enemy, right?”
From several meters away, Bo Suiqing stood in the curtain of rain, her dark eyes shimmering with light and shadow, their depths unreadable.
But at least she did not refute it, so Xu Shangning pressed on: “Luoluo is my little sister. I know her character. If you spent more time around her, Miss Bo, you definitely would not dislike her.”
“…”
Half of her graceful silhouette bathed in the umbrella’s shadow, the figure in the rain tilted her head slightly, as if pricked by the words.
The dividing line of light and shadow swept across the bridge of her elegant nose. Then her lips curved. “Is that so?”
“But just now, when Director Xu was outside the door, you deliberately concealed my name.”
The smile brimming beneath the umbrella was radiant, yet her voice carried finely shattered ice. “If you had known who was in the room, would you still have helped me?”
She was asking: if Xu Shangning had revealed that it was Bo Suiqing in the room, and Xu Jialuo had known which omega was inside, would she still have patiently endured being pinned and held, still administered the suppressant?
Xu Shangning: “…”
She had not expected that an omega whose pheromones had spiraled so severely out of control could still catch the fine details of what she had said outside the door—much less that she would counter so bluntly.
But the first answer that came to mind was: almost certainly not.
“Great Director Xu has quite the sense of humor.” The words grew more direct, the tone colder. “What you said just now about your sister liking my dramas—that was a joke too, I take it.”
Xu Shangning: “…Uh, haha.”
She had not outright called her a liar—still saving her face.
“The rain is too heavy, Director Xu. Let us chat another time, when there is a chance.”
“…”
Xu Shangning stood in place, watching the commercial sedan vanish into the rain, before it dawned on her: “She did not bring anything when she arrived. Why is she leaving with a bag?”
The maid who had followed Bo Suiqing downstairs explained: “Miss Bo said a few pieces of clothing in the room had accidentally fallen on the floor. She said they were dirty and insisted on taking them back to wash before returning them.”
“Such a small matter—why trouble a guest? We could have just washed them ourselves.”
“I said the same thing, but for some reason, Miss Bo would not let us touch them. She insisted on taking them to clean herself…”
So particular?
Xu Shangning narrowed her eyes in thought, then pulled out her phone, typed in a string of numbers, and hit send.
Addressed to Bo Suiqing.
Xu Shangning continued editing the message, sending it along together:
“Miss Bo, this is Luoluo’s phone number. Her WeChat is the same. The clothes you took belong to her. Once they are washed, please contact her directly.”
The vehicle traveled smoothly along the highway.
The interior was dim, shifting patches of light flickering rapidly, illuminating the figure in the back seat who had not spoken a word.
The pearl-white silk dress, set against the black leather seat, appeared all the more immaculate. Thick lashes like butterfly wings rested quietly, her gaze fixed on the newly received message.
A few seconds later, she extinguished the phone screen and looked down at her bandaged palm.
A faint crimson seeped through the edge of the bandage.
The woman driver glanced in the rearview mirror with concern. “How did you get injured? Should I take you to the hospital first to—”
Bo Suiqing raised her head, silver-flowing eyes meeting the driver’s in the rearview mirror. “I remember you are a beta.”
The driver nodded. “Yes, Miss.”
“Cannot sense pheromones, and cannot emit them either.”
The words sounded like conversation, and also like quiet murmuring to herself.
The driver glanced at the rearview mirror again, bewildered, nodding like a pecking chick. “…Yes, Miss.”
Bo Suiqing reached out, slipping her hand into the bag of clothes, fingertips lightly rubbing the soft fabric.
Breathing.
An S-Class omega’s perception of scent was extraordinarily acute.
She could detect, beyond the pheromones she herself had left on the garments, a familiar warm yet crisp scent that was uniquely that person’s.
But unlike before—
Bo Suiqing raised her hand, fingertips lightly touching the nape of her neck, where the gland felt no discomfort whatsoever.
…
It was not just the suppressant’s effect.
It was also because…
Still lingering around her was the last wisp of residual wine fragrance.
Beta attributes were common knowledge. Unable to sense any pheromones, unable to emit any pheromones.
So could it be…
In the darkness, her lashes trembled. Silver-white, snow-like eyes suddenly rippled.
A black Bentley pulled into a street lit bright as day, stopping beneath the Yuzhou Bay sign.
Nightfall—for this place, that was when things truly began.
Xu Jialuo stepped out of the car and handed the keys to the valet.
Yuzhou Bay’s private rooms were on the third floor. The first floor held a dance floor and open seating. She had to cross through to reach the elevator to the third floor.
Xu Jialuo wore a mask. The moment she entered the dance floor, the people dancing around her pressed closer.
And in the next second, they all pivoted, recoiling away from her as if dodging.
“Oh my god, that pheromone scent is so strong—are they insane? Wrapping someone up like a zongzi1?”
“And it is actually… S-Class omega pheromones!”
“Mom, I finally smelled top-tier pheromones too.”
“Ah, sister is eating so well…”
“But wait, is not that a beta?”
“No way, it has to be an alpha. My nose is super sharp—I can smell a little bit of alpha pheromone on them.”
Unable to hear the chatter behind her, Xu Jialuo walked straight toward the elevator.
Zou Wan’s call came through. “How did it go? Did you go to the villa?”
“Went.” Xu Jialuo pressed the up button, her answer terse. “Caught them red-handed.”
“Then please record one merit for this humble servant seeking to redeem herself. I will treat you and Liang Xiao to a big meal tomorrow.”
As Zou Wan spoke, she heard the chaotic noise on Xu Jialuo’s end and exclaimed in surprise, “Why is it so loud over there? Did you join Xu Shangning’s party?”
“No, I am at Yuzhou Bay right now.” Xu Jialuo stepped into the elevator and pressed the floor button. “Lin Qingman asked for me.”
“Lin Qingman? She asked for you again? And you went again? Wait, are you still the Xu Jialuo I know?”
Xu Jialuo looked up at the jumping floor numbers, her voice lazy. “What is the one you know like?”
Zou Wan could not quite articulate it. “Just… anyway, you have never let people push you around like this.”
Not that she was rebellious—she could even be called very well-behaved.
Top of her class in her studies, restrained and polite in her conduct, the quintessential other people’s child2.
But a girl who had lived for over a decade among mountains and waters carried the softness of mist drifting over green peaks, yet also kept the keen edge of orchid oars3 slicing through water ripples.
Beneath her gentleness lay a spine of freedom that no one could ever easily bend.
“I really do not get it. Why do you listen to Old Lady Xu so much on this matter?”
Zou Wan went silent for a second, then shrieked in astonishment: “Damn, do not tell me you have actually fallen for Lin Qingman?!”
Pulling the phone a few centimeters from her near-deafened ear, Xu Jialuo frowned. “What nonsense are you spouting.”
“Nonsense?” Zou Wan’s words came rapid-fire. “Let me tell you, her family’s motives for approaching you are not pure. Do not let the Lin family’s flashy exterior fool you—these past few years, her uncle’s reckless investments have bled them dry. Her family is pushing her forward now, nothing more than hoping to ride your coattails so the Xu family will bail out the Lin corporation.”
“I know.”
“You know? Then why are you still…”
Ding—
The elevator arrived, its doors sliding open. Light of different colors merged on the floor.
Xu Jialuo stepped out, light cascading off her shoulders like a shawl. “Just repaying a debt of kindness,” she said quietly.
The memory flowed through her mind like water.
An empty classroom. A girl stood beside her desk, holding a clean, brand-new school uniform.
When she looked up and saw her, she startled like a frightened fawn, flushing red, stammering, “Th-this is… it is for you.”
The young Xu Jialuo, soaked and wretched, looked over with numb eyes.
When she saw the lost-and-found sun necklace wrapped between the folds of the uniform, her lifeless eyes suddenly lit up.
The girl set down the uniform and dashed past her, her arm brushing against cold skin gone pale from icy water—leaving behind the only burning warmth on that cold spring day.
…
Standing outside the elevator, Xu Jialuo raised her hand. Through her coat, her fingertips traced the chain pressed close against her skin, touching the metal sun resting in the hollow of her collarbone.
As far back as Xu Jialuo could remember, her mother Jiang Yi would hold her, sitting in a wicker chair beneath a great tree, rocking gently. A palm-leaf fan sent cool breezes her way again and again, and Jiang Yi would tell her, over and over, in her soft voice, that this was something her biological mother had left for her.
“This was handmade by our Ah Wen’s mama, just for Ah Wen. Because she said she hoped Ah Wen would be like the sun—no matter what, always full of light and hope.”
“So you must treasure it dearly.”
Hanging up the phone, Xu Jialuo turned toward Room 307. A service attendant hurried after her. “Miss…”
“You see, some guests have reported that your pheromone scent is… ahem, rather overwhelming. To avoid affecting other guests, please allow me to help you take care of it!”
Recalling the omega who had lost control and pressed against her not long ago, Xu Jialuo stopped in her tracks.
“…Sorry to trouble you.” Xu Jialuo stood obediently still and let the attendant spray her thoroughly with pheromone-clearing mist for a good while.
Only then did she proceed to Room 307.
Before she even entered, voices carried through the door.
“Qingman, I keep saying, this is really too unfair to you.”
“Exactly. A lowly beta—how could they ever be worthy of an omega heiress like you?”
“Do not say that. She is a hugely popular musician. So many people in the entertainment industry are lining up to collaborate with her.”
“Music? What good is that?!”
“That is enough, you guys. You are clearly drunk. Miss Xu is a member of the Xu family. Do not say too much—watch out for the consequences.”
“Xu family, my ass. Does she even have Xu family blood? She is just a tagalong who latched onto the Xu family through her mother—”
A knock sounded at the door.
Without waiting for a response, Xu Jialuo pushed the door open and walked in.
Long strides carried her inside. Unflinching, she took a seat directly across from the last person who had been speaking. Her pale face was expressionless. She lifted her lashes, and dark, misty eyes fixed on him without a flicker of emotion.
The young man stiffened and fell silent.
Even drunk, a person still retained basic reason.
Talking behind someone’s back over the phone was one thing. Saying it to their face was another.
Especially when being stared down so directly.
If Xu Jialuo’s expression had shown even a trace of avoidance or embarrassment, the insults would have been repackaged as jokes and continued flowing.
But as it was, the young man felt something catch in his throat. Meeting those dark, fathomless eyes on that cool, unruffled face, he actually felt a chill down his back.
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong was a base instinct of human nature.
“Miss Xu,” a woman across the table broke the silence, greeting Xu Jialuo with a smile. “Good evening.”
It was the same voice that had earlier, while she was on the phone, been cautioning the others not to talk nonsense.
Xu Jialuo nodded. “Hello.”
Lin Qingman was also seated across the table, in the center seat—the position of honor. Flanked on both sides by men whose postures were careless, the slender heiress looked even smaller by comparison. But when she looked at Xu Jialuo, she straightened her spine once more. “What took you so long?”
Her tone was thoroughly imperious.
But all Xu Jialuo saw was that she was uncomfortable.
Xu Jialuo stood up. “I came from the villa. The rain was heavy, so I drove slowly.”
As she finished speaking, she stopped in front of the man on Lin Qingman’s left. “Make room.”
Her tone was flat—not a question, but a statement.
She left no room for rebuttal.
The man glanced at Lin Qingman and gave a dry laugh. “Right, right—of course Miss Xu should sit next to our Miss Lin.”
The man stood, intending to shift left and free up the seat to Lin Qingman’s left. But Xu Jialuo stopped him with a hand.
She reached out and pulled Lin Qingman to her feet with steady, measured strength.
She settled Lin Qingman into the seat the man had been about to take, then sat down beside her.
Now Lin Qingman had a female friend on her left and Xu Jialuo on her right.
Before the man could sit back down, Xu Jialuo leaned back against the sofa, her movement unhurried, almost elegant, as she spread one long leg to the right.
Filling the empty space completely.
“…”
The private room fell silent for several seconds.
A few more seconds passed. The man who had been sitting with legs splayed wide quietly straightened up, yielded the space, and let his standing companion sit down.
Footnotes
- 包粽子 | bāo zòngzi | Literally 'wrapping zongzi'—sticky rice dumplings bound in leaves; slang for being smothered or tightly wrapped up.
- 别人家的孩子 | biérén jiā de háizi | Literally 'other people's child'—a ubiquitous Chinese cultural trope for the ideal model child held up by parents as a benchmark.
- 兰桨 | lán jiǎng | 'Orchid oars'—a classical Chinese literary image from poetry evoking elegant boatmanship; here a metaphor for a hidden sharp edge beneath beauty.
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