Chapter 30

The night was hazy, the lights dim. In the midst of the misty darkness, a soft whimper echoed faintly through the silent room.

The woman who had just opened the door paused, tilting her head to listen. A barely audible breath drifted into her ears, light and shallow, accompanied by the faint fragrance of gardenia flowers. The scent wrapped around her, teasing the gland at the back of her neck—one that had already been suppressed with inhibitors.

Lu Xi tightened her grip on the doorknob, instinctively ready to turn and leave.

She might have entered the wrong room and disturbed an omega in the throes of her heat period.

“Wait a moment,” surprisingly, 001’s voice instructed her in her mind, urging her to stay.

Lu Xi eased the door almost shut. “What for?”

She had a vague suspicion in her heart. After all, her mission was to save the female supporting character from blackening. Anyone 001 wanted her to stay for had to be connected to that woman somehow.

“The person inside is your mission target, the female supporting character Chi Xingcen,” 001 confirmed without hesitation, even assigning a task. “Someone induced her heat period. Go in and mark her now.”

Lu Xi: “???”

Wasn’t this rushing things a bit? Meeting the mission target for the first time and immediately marking her? That seemed highly inappropriate!

001 was indeed cold and ruthless, issuing another reminder. “If the host fails to complete this task, you will face severe punishment.”

Lu Xi didn’t want to do it. She had read similar novels and knew what an alpha marking an omega entailed. Convincing herself to do that to a complete stranger was nearly impossible.

Ignoring 001’s so-called punishment, she prepared to close the door when a sharp pain stabbed through her heart, like countless needles piercing it relentlessly. The agony nearly stole her breath.

She doubled over weakly, clutching her chest and gasping heavily. In her mind, she nearly cursed out loud. “You’re serious?! Don’t push it! You’re asking me to be the villain, taking advantage of her vulnerability. Dream on!”

001 hadn’t expected her to be so stubborn. He quickly amplified the gardenia scent flooding her nostrils, clouding her mind, while advising her with mock seriousness. “It’s not entirely taking advantage. Think of it as doing a good deed. Otherwise, she’ll be humiliated and abandoned by the male lead. You might as well scrap this world’s mission and wait for the supporting character to blacken.”

Desire stirred slowly within her, heat building through her body. Lu Xi gripped the doorknob tightly and yanked open her collar, trying to dissipate the warmth.

“If you’re so capable, why don’t you help suppress it for her?”

001 fell silent and severed their mental link.

Lu Xi: “?”

In the next instant, cool fingers wrapped around her wrist. A petite omega leaned into her arms, rubbing against the exposed skin of her chest. Strands of sweat-dampened forehead hair brushed Lu Xi’s defined collarbone, sending tingles across her skin.

“Help me…” The omega’s low moan sounded in her ear. Hot gardenia breath caressed her earlobe, seeping into every pore and making Lu Xi shudder, her back arching.

“Can you… help me…” The girl in her arms pleaded again, her voice soft and trembling with a hint of sobs. “Please… help me…”

Lu Xi fought her rising agitation, taking a deep breath before lowering her voice. “Are you sure you won’t regret this?”

Chi Xingcen, teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, let out a soft hum of agreement. Sensing the alpha’s hesitation ease, she summoned her last bit of strength to cling to Lu Xi’s wrist and pull her into the room.

The night was already deep. Thick blackout curtains blocked the streetlights, leaving not a sliver of illumination on the disheveled bed.

Their breaths intertwined, the budding gardenia drawing in the faint chill of fresh snow, speck by speck. The first touch made her petals quiver at the icy cold. Then the snow melted, droplets sliding down to moisten the bloom, which glimmered faintly in the shadowed darkness.

Clothes were tossed haphazardly to the bedside. The soft mattress sank deeply, the sheets wrinkling under their movements. Slender fingers clutched one edge tightly, tense calves flexing and relaxing.

As more crisp snow fragrance spread, sharp canines targeted the gland at the nape of her neck. After dizzying probes, they sank in slowly, injecting a flood of pheromones.

The omega’s knuckles whitened, a low whimper escaping her bitten lips. Fine teardrops clung to the corners of her eyes.

The night was still long.

…

When Lu Xi woke the next morning, daylight had fully broken. The sounds of activity outside the window filtered in, rousing her foggy mind.

She blinked and suddenly remembered everything. Turning her head, she found the spot beside her empty—no trace of the omega supporting character.

“Don’t bother looking,” 001 snickered smugly. “She bolted before dawn.”

Relieved not to face her, Lu Xi let out a quiet breath. Yet worry lingered. What if what she had done last night affected the woman? According to 001’s plot summary, the supporting character had been set up and ended up here.

And she had marked her…

“Don’t worry. No one has discovered it yet. Once your pheromones fade, no one will detect that an alpha marked her,” 001 reassured her opportunely.

Lu Xi sat up on the bed, falling silent for a long moment.

Finally, she grabbed her phone from the foot of the bed and dialed a number.

“Lu Li, I marked an omega last night. Send her information to me as soon as possible.” Urged by 001, Lu Xi set aside her guilt toward the supporting character and proceeded with the plot.

…

That very evening, Lu Xi received the files from Lu Li. She skimmed them quickly, her gaze lingering on the final lines.

“…The Chi Family and Ming Family are about to join through marriage. Chi Xingcen, the sole daughter of the main branch, has been selected as the fiancée. The engagement banquet will be held three days from now at a hotel under the Ming Group…”

The plot segment flashed through her mind. Lu Xi asked Lu Li for an invitation from the Ming Family, planning to attend and rescue the pitiful supporting character.

Two days passed in a blur. The Capital City buzzed with excitement as malls and giant screens broadcast footage from the engagement banquet at the Ming Hotel.

The venue’s soft blue decor was tastefully elegant. Members of the Chi Family’s main branch, dressed festively, mingled confidently with guests from various clans. The alliance with the Ming Family had bolstered their spirits; their postures were ramrod straight like chiseled peaks, their smiles radiating pride.

Under the beaming witness’s cheerful voice, the couple entered the hall. The bride in her white gown had raven hair and red lips, her curled lashes fluttering like tiny brushes—utterly endearing.

With all present as witnesses, the engagement ceremony began.

Chi Xingcen, feeling as if a piece of her heart were missing, slowly closed her eyes, numbly awaiting the inevitable outcome.

“I refuse!”

A loud male voice spiked two octaves, crashing like thunder into the ears of the hall’s guests. Whispers erupted soon after.

This was the highly anticipated engagement between the prestigious Ming and Chi Families. Attendees were all elites of wealth and status. For such a grand event to go so spectacularly awry?

In the stunned silence of the hall, amid everyone’s shocked stares, the man who had spoken repeated himself with icy features. “Sorry, but I refuse to become engaged to Miss Chi Xingcen.”

With those words, he carelessly dropped the engagement ring, which rolled several times before vanishing into an unnoticed corner.

Amid rising gasps of astonishment, the man didn’t spare a glance at Chi Xingcen standing opposite him. He turned indifferently and walked away.

Only then did everyone notice the petite, bashful girl who had appeared at the hall’s entrance.

Dressed in white, her long hair half-loose behind her with a white silk ribbon fluttering in the breeze, she looked even more delicate and pitiable.

The man strode toward her. The coldness in his eyes melted into tender warmth. Under the crowd’s gaze, he took her slender, boneless hand as if handling a treasure. “Xiao Qing, I won’t marry her. I love only you.”

The pair gazed at each other passionately, like lovers defying the world, embracing tightly before hand-in-hand departing the venue that apparently couldn’t hold their love.

Dead silence blanketed the hall.

The once-joyous engagement banquet had its groom abandon the bride without a second thought for another woman.

This outrageous affair instantly stirred massive waves. Guests who had come for the occasion whispered among themselves. Shifting their eyes from the door, they fixed intently on the would-be bride in her pristine white mermaid gown—Eldest Miss Chi, Chi Xingcen.

The girl, enduring unprecedented humiliation, trembled from head to toe. The delicate blush had drained from her pretty face, leaving it deathly pale. Her long lashes quivered nonstop, as if desperately holding back the misty tears welling in her eyes.

The scene perfectly satisfied the guests’ appetite for drama. Their mouths uttered words of sympathy, but their eyes gleamed with detached mockery.

The Chi Family’s reputation in the local wealthy circles wasn’t great. After all, a clan that peddled its omegas for business ties drew behind-the-scenes scorn as inferior.

Though the guests disdained the Chi Family’s marriage ploy with the Mings, they attended for appearances, to give the Ming Family face.

They never expected such a spectacle.

“…I thought omegas raised by the Chi Family were master seductresses. Who knew she’d be dumped publicly? So pitiful~”

“Look at Eldest Miss Chi’s face. What a sight… Think she’ll shamelessly chase after him?”

“The Chi Family finally cozied up to the Mings. Of course they’ll cling. They’ll probably swallow the insult and get their miss to lure Young Master Ming back…”

“Tsk tsk. Wonder what tricks she’ll use?”

“Beats me…”

In the noisy din, a few gloating voices carried just loud enough into Chi Xingcen’s ears.

As the jeers turned ambiguously salacious, her already shaking body plummeted into an endless abyss. Icy winds assailed her from all sides, eroding her bit by bit.

She cast a helpless glance toward the elders’ seats, seeking comfort. But the alpha seated there had a stern face, brows furrowed like a river character, his dark eyes staring at her briefly before giving a pointed look.

Years of strict upbringing made Chi Xingcen understand her father meant for her to chase after Young Master Ming and win him back immediately.

But after such humiliation, even her ingrained submissiveness couldn’t make her act as if nothing happened! She felt hurt, lost, helpless too!

A chill wind blew from somewhere, stirring dread in her heart. She clenched the engagement ring, repeatedly telling herself this wasn’t her fault. She shouldn’t bear the consequences alone.

Yet… her family’s indifference hurt more than the groom’s elopement shame…

“Ladies and gentlemen, today’s incident was an accident. The engagement between the Ming and Chi Families is postponed for now.” Apparently recovering from the shock, the Ming Family’s eldest son stood and bowed slightly to the crowd. “We must handle the aftermath. We apologize for the poor hospitality.”

This was the polite dismissal.

Though reluctant to miss more entertainment, with the hosts speaking thus, the guests offered perfunctory comforts and trickled out.

“Slap!” Before everyone had left, the alpha of the Chi Family’s main branch stormed up to Chi Xingcen and delivered a resounding slap.

“You bastard!” Even hushed, Chi Xianrang’s fury was palpable. “Why didn’t you chase down Young Master Ming? Are you deliberately trying to shame our family?!”

The blow was forceful; Chi Xingcen’s head snapped aside, her feet staggering back. Burning pain bloomed on her cheek, a relentless reminder of her father’s rage.

She instinctively cupped her slapped cheek, humiliation flashing in her downcast eyes. Glimmering tears hung on her fluttering lashes. Biting her lip tightly, Chi Xingcen suppressed the surging emotions, refusing to let them fall.

But Chi Xianrang, consumed by anger under everyone’s eyes, slapped her again. “You bastard! Can’t even handle this trifle!”

Caught off guard, the girl cried out softly and stumbled backward, toppling straight away.

Tears blurred her vision. The world spun, the ornate chandelier overhead glaringly bright, stripping her even of the chance to hide her disgrace…