Chapter 28: Marking

Was it really okay for Fu Yumian to ask such a blunt question?

Their relationship wasn’t even close enough to discuss whether they had slept with someone before.

Even when gossiping with Lin Zhiyu, she wouldn’t ask such direct questions about private matters.

Lu Qingzhuo shook her head. "No, I’m a very traditional Alpha. I would never be with an Omega whom I have no prior romantic experience."

"Is that so?" Fu Yumian’s slender fingers rested on the gray-brown coconut shell, making her pale skin appear as luminous as white jade. "But as far as I know, you seem to have quite a bit of experience in relationships."

"President Fu, you’ve been out of the entertainment industry for quite a while now, haven’t you? Actually, all of that was just for the cameras. Those so-called ‘shipping CPs’ were nothing more than fabrications to generate buzz."

Lu Qingzhuo no longer felt confident speaking in front of Fu Yumian. The other woman always managed to grasp her thoughts with pinpoint accuracy. Sometimes, Lu Qingzhuo even suspected that Fu Yumian had studied psychology.

"President Fu, may I ask you a question?" After much hesitation, Lu Qingzhuo finally gathered the courage to speak.

"Did you really not study psychology?"

"I did take psychology courses in university for a while. Why do you ask?"

So she really had studied psychology! No wonder she could read minds so easily, leaving Lu Qingzhuo completely defenseless.

"Just one more question, and I’ll be done." Lu Qingzhuo struggled with herself, took a deep breath, and continued, "President Fu, you seem quite interested in my love life."

"Is that not allowed? You’re my wife now. Shouldn’t I at least show some concern?"

That wasn’t exactly the right way to show concern, was it? And the word "wife" coming from Fu Yumian’s mouth sounded strangely unsettling. Lu Qingzhuo decided it was best to keep quiet and not invite trouble.

She pressed her lips together and muttered, "Oh, I see. I don’t have anything else to ask."

"Wait a moment, drink this. It's too cold, I don't want it." Fu Yumian handed the coconut in her hand to Lu Qingzhuo.

"Thank you, President Fu." Lu Qingzhuo took the coconut, sipped it through the straw, and found it refreshingly cold. She silently noted this detail—Fu Yumian didn’t like iced beverages.

"President Fu, what should we do about the script?" Lu Qingzhuo looked at the newly added intimate scenes, filled with kissing and bedroom moments—it practically read like an overly romantic novel. 

Surprisingly, Fu Yumian didn’t seem angry. Was she planning to settle the score later?

"It's fine."

"But, President Fu, the scale of these scenes is quite bold." Lu Qingzhuo swallowed nervously, lowering her voice. "I personally don’t mind, but mainly. I’m worried about you, this level of intimacy…"

"What’s the big deal? Just consider it a dedication to art." Fu Yumian glanced at Lu Qingzhuo’s nervous expression, the corners of her lips curling slightly. "I didn’t expect you to be so resistant to bedroom scenes. You need more practice."

Lu Qingzhuo: "..."

Never mind. Either way, she wasn’t the one at a disadvantage.

---

At around two in the afternoon, filming resumed. Lu Qingzhuo splashed cold water on her face without worrying about her makeup. She hadn't even drawn her eyebrows, appearing on set with her natural, bare face.

Shen Shijun preferred casting naturally beautiful actresses as her leads. Acting skills could be honed over time, but a face like that couldn’t be artificially created, no matter how advanced cosmetic surgery became.

Surgically enhanced faces often appeared stiff and expressionless, giving off an unnatural vibe. Shen Shijun despised such artificial looks and could spot them instantly. She had blacklisted countless actresses—either their noses were augmented or their lips were altered. It was rare to find someone who naturally met her ideal standards.

Lu Qingzhuo was among the rare exceptions. The moment Shen Shijun saw her on the big screen, she knew Lu Qingzhuo's appearance was natural. It was baffling why so many netizens accused her of having had plastic surgery.

Perhaps her face had become a template for cosmetic enhancements, leading people to mistakenly lump her in with the surgically altered crowd.

During filming, Lu Qingzhuo was frequently given snacks by crew members and extras, all hoping for a photo or autograph in return.

She was known for being easygoing and approachable on set, never acting like a diva—completely different from the rigid image many had of her.

As the day neared its end, Lu Qingzhuo received a call from Lin Zhiyu. She had bought some snacks and wanted to drop by, requesting that Shen Shijun not chase her away.

Lu Qingzhuo placed a hand on her hip and chuckled at Lin Zhiyu’s cautious tone over the phone. "Relax, Director Shen is a good person. As long as you don’t leak any details about her new movie, she might even take a picture with you since you're such a devoted fan."

"Really? If you're lying to me, you're dead! I’ll storm into your room tonight!"

"Who are you talking to?"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded behind her.

Lu Qingzhuo had been engrossed in her conversation with Lin Zhiyu and hadn’t noticed someone approaching.

She quickly covered the phone and lowered her voice. "President Fu, it’s my friend."

"You can come over now if you want. We have just one scene left. Be careful on the road. I'll hang up now."

After ending the call, she turned to look at Fu Yumian, smiling. "President Fu, do you need something?"

"Yes. But you interrupted me just now, and now I’ve forgotten what I was going to say." Fu Yumian gazed into Lu Qingzhuo’s eyes and naturally continued, "After we wrap up the last scene tonight, take a walk with me by the sea. I’m a little bored."

"President Fu, I… uh…"

Lu Qingzhuo stammered hesitantly, making Fu Yumian frown. "What? You don’t want to?"

"No, I do! I’d be honored!"

Lu Qingzhuo flashed a sweet smile at Fu Yumian and immediately messaged Lin Zhiyu, telling her to leave after dropping off the snacks—no need to wait for the party tonight.

Lin Zhiyu: "…"

By the time work ended, it was already past 7 PM. Lu Qingzhuo dressed casually in sandals, following Fu Yumian onto the beach, with Ye Ye trotting alongside them.

"President Fu, the scenery here is incredible! This place is perfect for a vacation. You have great taste."

Fu Yumian turned her head slightly and suddenly asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"Plans?" Lu Qingzhuo hadn’t expected such a topic. After a moment of thought, she replied, "After I turn thirty, I want to settle down somewhere with beautiful scenery. I plan to raise three cats and four dogs, then travel the world with them."

Fu Yumian was momentarily surprised. "You don’t plan on getting married?"

"Marriage? I haven't really considered it. I just haven’t met the right person yet." Lu Qingzhuo sighed at the thought. "Actually, I do want a home of my own. No one has ever truly cared for me since I was little. I envy people with happy families."

In her past life, she lacked love. She had no family to dote on her. Even after being reborn into this world, her only true family was her younger sister, Geng Xingluo. Their home still felt incomplete.

Ye Ye barked twice at the waves, sensing Lu Qingzhuo’s shift in emotions. It then nudged her hand with its damp snout.

Lu Qingzhuo patted Ye Ye’s head. She wanted to open up to Fu Yumian, but just as the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back down. She didn’t want anyone to see her vulnerability.

Fu Yumian remained silent. Lu Qingzhuo kissed Ye Ye’s nose, playfully pinched its soft, fluffy ears, then looked up at Fu Yumian with a smile, her eyes shimmering like the stars.

"Right now, the only family I have is Xingluo. But one day, she'll have her own ties and responsibilities. I want to do everything I can to protect her from being bullied. As for everything else... it doesn’t really matter."

"And what if, in the future, you have ties of your own?" Fu Yumian crouched down, meeting Lu Qingzhuo’s gaze. One hand rested on Ye Ye’s head as she asked, "Would you want to build the family of your dreams with her?"

"I would. I dream about it all the time." Lu Qingzhuo bit her lower lip, stood up, and tossed a handful of seashells into the ocean. "But finding someone you truly love is just too difficult."

Fu Yumian stood behind her, silently watching. Her lips moved slightly, but before she could speak, Lu Qingzhuo turned her head and asked, "President Fu, what did you just say?"

"Nothing." Fu Yumian’s gaze landed on Lu Qingzhuo's hands. "Your hands are dirty."

Fu Yumian’s phone rang. She checked the screen—Han Tian had sent her a message. After reading it, she furrowed her brows slightly, looking somewhat resigned.

"You're trending again. This morning, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan’s owner appeared in the news section, and your ever-watchful anti-fans caught wind of it."

"Oh?" Lu Qingzhuo leaned over to take a look at Fu Yumian’s phone. She opened the link and saw a high-definition video, recorded from every possible angle, posted online. A headache began to form. "These people really have too much free time. They post everything online."

"People tend to do meaningless things when they're bored." Fu Yumian watched the full video. Although Lu Qingzhuo hadn’t said or done anything inappropriate, the comment section was filled with vile remarks.

[Isn’t this Lu Qingzhuo? You can't see her face, but the body shape looks like hers.]

[Driving a Cullinan with that much money? Maybe she’s being kept as a mistress.]

[Even a D-list celebrity like Lu Qingzhuo can afford a multi-million-dollar luxury car?]

[Her sugar mommy must be blind. Didn't they read the news? Not afraid of catching something?]

Lu Qingzhuo: "..."

At this moment, her so-called "sugar mommy" was right beside her, watching the same video on the same phone. Seeing Fu Yumian’s face darken more and more, Lu Qingzhuo quickly closed the comment section to spare her from reading any further.

"President Fu, don’t take these comments to heart. Back when no one cared about me, even having a few haters was a rare occurrence."

She spoke lightly, but who knew how much bitterness lay behind those words? Fu Yumian looked at Lu Qingzhuo, catching a hint of loneliness in her eyes.

"I’ll take care of it."

"President Fu, it’s really not necessary. These things blow over with time. People just have nothing better to do, and soon enough, they’ll find something else to focus on."

Lu Qingzhuo wasn’t wrong. In an age where news cycles moved faster than outfit changes, trending topics came and went in a flash.

Fu Yumian found herself caring about Lu Qingzhuo’s feelings more than she had expected. She stroked Ye Ye’s head in silence.

The two of them strolled back to the hotel together. On the way, Lu Qingzhuo’s phone ran out of battery. When they arrived, they saw Su Lan standing anxiously at the entrance, looking around.

The moment Su Lan spotted Lu Qingzhuo, she let out a sigh of relief. She greeted Fu Yumian first before turning to Lu Qingzhuo. "Qingzhuo, I need to talk to you."

Lu Qingzhuo followed Su Lan to her room. They sat on the sofa, and noticing Lu Qingzhuo’s slightly downcast mood, Su Lan hesitated, losing the courage to bring up her original question.

"What’s wrong? You don’t seem like yourself. Is it because of the trending news?"

"No." Lu Qingzhuo shook her head. "I was just reflecting on life."

Su Lan: "..."

Great. A moment ago, she had been worried that Lu Qingzhuo was troubled by something serious. Turns out, she was just overthinking—about life, no less.

"That Rolls-Royce Cullinan... is it really yours?"

Lu Qingzhuo had been acting for a few years, but she didn’t have much in savings. And since Su Lan had always kept an eye on her, how could she suddenly afford a luxury car under her name?

Lu Qingzhuo asked the question Su Lan had been dying to ask: "Sister Lan, do you also think I’m being kept?"

Su Lan was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected Lu Qingzhuo to be so blunt. After a brief pause, she nodded. "I’m just worried about your safety. A lot of people have tried to get close to you through me, and I’ve blocked them all. Back then, you were still young, but now it’s time to think about your future."

"But Sister Lan, I’m really not being kept, and no one would dare to do that to me."

After all, she was legally married. She had a legitimate wife, but she couldn’t let anyone know. Otherwise, Lu Qingzhuo wouldn’t be hiding like this.

"Is it Fu Yumian?"

Lu Qingzhuo looked up at Su Lan. She opened her mouth, then decided not to hide it. "You figured it out."

Su Lan nearly rolled her eyes. "Idiot, anyone with a brain could see it."

"But you can’t tell anyone that... that we’re together."

"Do you think I’d say anything?" Su Lan had already suspected as much. The way Lu Qingzhuo was completely obedient to Fu Yumian, doing anything she asked, made it obvious to anyone who wasn’t blind.

"But I am really curious. How did you and Fu Yumian end up together? You two are from completely different worlds."

"Do you need a reason to love someone?" Lu Qingzhuo propped her chin on her hand, plugged in her phone, and lounged on the sofa. Her tone carried a hint of smugness. "She likes me, she’s willing to spend money on me, I’m happy, and she’s happy."

Su Lan: "..."

She never expected Lu Qingzhuo to have the potential to be such a "scummy" Alpha. This was a side of her she had never seen before.

Su Lan asked, "Do you love her?"

Lu Qingzhuo answered without hesitation, "Of course I do."

Su Lan sighed and pressed further. "I mean, if you take away her money and her looks, would you still love her?"

Lu Qingzhuo met Su Lan’s gaze, her expression firm. "I can’t separate them."

Su Lan was about to be infuriated by Lu Qingzhuo’s shameless Alpha behavior. By all logic, Fu Yumian was someone who had seen the world—how could she willingly be with Lu Qingzhuo?

Of course, it wasn’t that Lu Qingzhuo was a bad person. It was just that the two of them had nothing in common.

"Let me ask you a question," Su Lan took a deep breath and said, "Which do you like more, money or looks?"

"Money," Lu Qingzhuo answered without hesitation. "No matter how you look at it, my answer is always money."

A shameless Alpha!

A terrifyingly shameless Alpha!

Poor President Fu was being toyed with by this awful Alpha.

Su Lan sighed and said earnestly, "Alright then, I wish you happiness. But I still have to give you a piece of advice—don’t go too far. Leave yourself a way out."

"I understand," Lu Qingzhuo replied, still unaware that, in Su Lan’s mind, she had already been certified as a heartless Alpha. She casually picked up her phone, held a grape near her lips, and snapped a selfie. "I know my limits. President Fu is very satisfied with me."

Su Lan’s eyes widened in shock. Was this something one could just casually share?

Lu Qingzhuo didn’t realize they were talking about completely different things. The corner of her mouth curled up slightly. "I work hard and apologize when necessary—she has absolutely no complaints."

"That makes sense..." Su Lan asked again, "How long have you two been together? Has it been three months?"

"Not even a month. Though it hasn’t been long, President Fu treats me very well."

Su Lan nodded. It seemed that, as an Alpha, Lu Qingzhuo’s skills in bed were quite decent. Otherwise, given her personality, Fu Yumian wouldn’t have kept her around for this long.

"But you still need to be careful, especially you. There are plenty of quality Alphas out there now. If you don’t put in the effort, you won’t be able to keep her."

Lu Qingzhuo held back a chuckle. "Sister Lan, don’t worry. President Fu and I are not engaged in any improper physical transactions. We’re not breaking any laws."

After Lu Qingzhuo repeatedly reassured her, Su Lan finally relaxed. "I’m leaving now. Go to bed early, and remember what I said—young people need to practice restraint. Don’t overindulge."

Lu Qingzhuo scratched her head, feeling that Su Lan’s words sounded a little strange. Had she mentioned her sex life just now?

Probably not. She had no idea what Su Lan was even worried about.

---

Lu Qingzhuo was already fast asleep, but she had a habit of keeping her phone’s ringer on at night.

A sudden, urgent ringing woke her up. She rubbed her eyes and saw that it was a call from Fu Yumian. She answered immediately.

"President Fu, do you need something?"

"Come over."

The voice on the other end was slightly hoarse, but Lu Qingzhuo, still groggy from sleep, didn’t notice anything unusual. Nor did she overthink it.

Without hesitation, she put on her shoes, opened the door, and walked out. She stopped in front of Fu Yumian’s room and knocked.

As soon as she knocked once, the door cracked open from the inside. A strong scent of red wine poured out, making her dizzy. Before she could react, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside.

"Fu... President Fu…?"

What was going on?

Why was the scent of pheromones so overpowering?

Lu Qingzhuo quickly glanced at the door lock. After confirming that the door was securely shut and no pheromones would leak out, she turned to check on Fu Yumian.

Fu Yumian was panting, her breath hot against Lu Qingzhuo’s neck. The warmth seeped into her skin, sending tiny goosebumps down her arms.

Lu Qingzhuo wasn’t an inexperienced Alpha. She immediately panicked, instinctively wanting to push Fu Yumian away, but she was afraid of hurting her.

One of her hands was still being tightly held by Fu Yumian. She didn’t know where to place her free hand, so she awkwardly clutched her nightgown and turned her head to the side. "President Fu, are you... in heat?"

"Mm…"

Fu Yumian let out a soft moan through her nose. The sound made Lu Qingzhuo’s entire body tense up, and she bit her lower lip, not daring to move.

Finally, she picked Fu Yumian up and gently placed her on the bed. The usually composed and aloof Fu Yumian was now tormented by her heat period. Her nightgown was slightly undone at the collar, revealing smooth, snow-white skin. Her lips were slightly parted, dewy and alluring.

Seeing this, Lu Qingzhuo hurriedly turned away. The scent of red wine in the air was making her dizzy. She got up, preparing to leave. "President Fu, I’ll go get you a suppressant!"

Before she could turn around, a hand grasped her wrist.

The scorching warmth spread from her wrist to the rest of her body. The intoxicating scent of red wine teased her nerves, and her brain was nearly overwhelmed by the rush of pheromones.

Fu Yumian’s voice was still ragged. "No. I’m allergic to suppressants."

"Then... then what should I do…?"

Lu Qingzhuo had never heard of an Omega being allergic to suppressants before.

She was pinned against the bed by Fu Yumian, frozen in place. The heavy scent of pheromones filled the air, and she clutched the bedsheet tightly with both hands. Right now, she looked even more enticing than the Omega suffering through her heat.

Fu Yumian’s damp, misty eyes stared at Lu Qingzhuo’s flushed profile. Seeing her so tense and unmoved made her displeased.

But her Omega instincts told her that this Alpha, whose pheromones were already responding to her, was the best remedy for her heat.

"Qingzhuo."

Their pheromones tangled in the air—fresh, fragrant green tea intertwining with thick, intoxicating red wine, forming an irresistible blend.

Fu Yumian leaned against Lu Qingzhuo’s shoulder, whispering into her burning ear.

"Help me."

Lu Qingzhuo turned her head away, resisting with all her might. "No… President Fu… we can’t…"

A pale, slender hand slipped into the collar of Lu Qingzhuo’s nightgown, tracing over her prominent collarbone. The next moment, a warm, soft body pressed against her from behind.

“Qingzhuo…”

Beads of hot, damp sweat dripped from Fu Yumian’s chin onto Lu Qingzhuo.

--------

Translator's Note:

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