Temporary Mark

When Zhao Shu walked out of the hospital, a white Bentley was parked at the main entrance.

Guards he recognized and guards he didn’t all stood around in formal suits.

There were so many of them that they could probably storm and seize the entire private hospital within half an hour.

The scene was grand.

As Zhao Shu approached, the window of the white Bentley lowered halfway.

The man in the back seat didn’t even look up.

He was reading something on an iPad.

The dim light illuminated only his sharp jawline and the thin line of his pressed lips.

“Get in.”

The man’s voice carried no emotion.

But the tense expressions of the surrounding guards told Zhao Shu that the person in the car was in a bad mood.

The young master of the Zhao family, who normally feared nothing, did have one person he feared.

The skin on his back tightened slightly.

He slid into the car through the open door, pretending to sound relaxed.

He was just about to joke about when their family had hired so many bodyguards—

But before he could say a word, a bottle of pheromone deodorizer was tossed onto his lap.

Zhao Shu turned the new bottle in his hand before setting it aside.

Then he turned to his brother.

“Is the smell on me that obvious?”

There were currently two scents on him.

One was Omega agave leaf pheromone, which had rubbed onto him when he temporarily marked Lin Zuwen earlier in the hospital room.

Lin Zuwen had been in terrible condition.

He had clung to Zhao Shu and refused to let go.

Even Zhao Shu had needed some effort to restrain him.

The other scent belonged to Zhao Shu himself—

Tequila pheromone.

Actually, the two scents didn’t clash.

Zhao Shu personally didn’t think it was unbearable.

But Zhao Guipu didn’t share that opinion.

He set down the iPad and said flatly,

“It makes me want to vomit.”

Zhao Shu had nothing to say.

He obediently got out of the car and sprayed half the bottle on himself.

When he returned wrapped in the smell of cheap artificial lemon fragrance, he was full of resentment.

Zhao Guipu had probably done it on purpose.

Instead of buying expensive scentless deodorizer, he had deliberately bought a cheap supermarket brand.

Zhao Shu tossed the remaining half bottle back to him.

Zhao Guipu casually opened his window and threw it out.

“You should be glad you didn’t completely mark Lin Zuwen.”

“Brother, don’t talk like a criminal boss.”

Smelling like a pickled lemon, Zhao Shu forced a smile.

“What was I supposed to do, watch him die?”

Zhao Guipu glanced toward the hospital outside the window.

“If a private hospital doesn’t stock special inhibitors, my suggestion would be to shut it down.”

Zhao Shu choked on his words.

When Zhao Shu didn’t respond, Zhao Guipu turned back.

“You didn’t think of that?”

“I did!”

Zhao Shu gritted his teeth.

Zhao Guipu nodded calmly.

“I almost thought I needed to register you for a brain examination.”

“…Even if I had fully marked him, what then? Would you have killed Lin Zuwen on the spot? The Lin family isn’t some small household.”

He turned to look at his brother.

But when he saw Zhao Guipu’s expression, Zhao Shu’s smile slowly faded.

The darkness in his eyes settled into silence.

“A-Shu.”

“You have a fiancé.”

Zhao Guipu tapped his finger lightly on his suit pants.

“The Lin family doesn’t matter.”

The tone was light.

The meaning was ambiguous.

The car fell into silence.

A minute later the window closed.

The white Bentley drove away.

As if nothing had happened.

***

On Monday, Lin Zuwen returned to school.

Around his slender neck was an Omega anti-bite collar.

But unlike the mass-produced collars most students wore, Lin Zuwen’s was customized.

The special material had been crafted into delicate black lace.

A large, dazzling aquamarine pendant hung at the front.

It made his already beautiful swan-like neck even more eye-catching.

Lin Zuwen truly looked like a natural Omega.

Even before he differentiated at nearly eighteen, no one had ever doubted it.

“Lin Zuwen differentiated into an Omega” wasn’t the shocking news.

What shocked people was the scent surrounding him.

It was a pheromone smell everyone recognized.

The scent had filled the school not long ago.

The school had even sent cleaning staff to remove it.

Tequila.

Strong and rich.

Lin Zuwen carried Zhao Shu’s pheromone scent.

Zhao Shu had given him a temporary mark.

“So fast?”

“I told you they were together.”

“Not necessarily. I heard Lin Zuwen is allergic to inhibitors, so Zhao Shu helped him.”

“But pheromone compatibility must be high to help like that. I’ve never seen a highly compatible Alpha and Omega not end up together.”

Teachers whispered among themselves during the morning assembly.

“Teacher Wu, Zhao Shu didn’t give you trouble because of that fight over Lin Zuwen, right? I heard you’ve been supervising the basketball team lately…”

A short-haired Beta teacher leaned over to speak with Wu Qie.

She was Teacher Wang, a biology teacher who sat at the desk across from him.

They usually got along well.

Wu Qie was looking ahead.

His gaze fell on the two boys from Class F standing side by side.

The Alpha was tall.

The Omega beside him was slimmer, reaching just below his ear.

In identical school uniforms, their silhouettes looked very compatible.

Many people probably thought the same.

Hearing his name, Wu Qie turned and smiled gently.

“I’m fine.”

Another teacher leaned over.

She was a beautiful Omega teacher with long hair and elegant clothing that clearly didn’t belong to an ordinary salary worker.

She patted Teacher Wang’s shoulder.

“You worry too much.”

“And besides, I heard Zhao Shu and Lin Zuwen aren’t actually together.”

Wu Qie blinked.

The long-haired Omega shrugged but kept her eyes on him.

“I heard the Zhao family has arranged a marriage for Zhao Shu.”

“And that person definitely doesn’t have the surname Lin.”

The teachers exploded in shock.

Wu Qie: “…”

Teacher Wang stared in disbelief.

“He has an arranged partner? Then he can still mark another Omega? Is that even acceptable?!”

Wu Qie suddenly had a headache.

He didn’t know which family the long-haired Omega teacher belonged to.

But the fact that this rumor came from someone he barely knew meant it probably wouldn’t stay secret much longer.

“If the compatibility is high, it can’t really be helped,” he said slowly.

Teacher Wang whipped her head around.

She looked at Wu Qie like she was seeing him for the first time.

“Even if you’re a Beta, this is common sense!”

“Pheromone marking is an intimate act!”

“How can you say it’s something that ‘can’t be helped’?”

“If he already has a fiancé, he shouldn’t mark another Omega!”

“That’s basically disloyalty!”

“…”

Wu Qie wasn’t trying to defend Zhao Shu.

He just didn’t want to be forcibly labeled a cuckold.

“I really think it’s fine.”

Teacher Wang snorted.

“Then your moral standards are clearly too low!”

Wu Qie: “…”

Under the amused snort of the long-haired Omega teacher, Teacher Wu was inexplicably disliked by his colleague.

Teacher Wang was clearly still angry.

Normally she filled Wu Qie’s thermos with hot water every morning before first class.

But today when she went to refill water—

She didn’t bring his thermos.

***

Wu Qie suspected he had forgotten to check the almanac before leaving home.

Otherwise how had he become everyone’s punching bag without doing anything?

During the morning assembly, unable to endure the growing rumors about the metaphorical green hat on his head, Wu Qie sent Zhao Shu several messages asking about canceling their engagement.

He watched Zhao Shu pull out his phone.

Look at it.

Then calmly put it back in his pocket.

As if it were just a telecom balance notification.

“Who is it?” Lin Zuwen asked.

“Spam message,” Zhao Shu replied.

For the entire day, Zhao Shu ignored him.

No replies.

No calls answered.

At noon the basketball team had extra training.

Because of Teacher Wang’s icy attitude at their desk, Wu Qie left early for the gym.

He originally planned to corner Zhao Shu before training and ask what his brother had said about breaking the engagement.

But when he arrived—

Zhao Shu wouldn’t even look at him.

Wu Qie tried to approach him.

Before he could speak, Zhao Shu walked straight past him like he was invisible.

Leaving him standing there in confusion.

By the end of training he still hadn’t managed to talk to him.

Today Wu Qie wasn’t acting as practice opponent.

He sat on a chair beside the court with Coach Sun Mi.

Sun Mi held a notebook while Wu Qie evaluated the players one by one.

“Number three is fast but lacks endurance.”

“Number seven’s three-point accuracy is terrible. Needs practice.”

“Number thirteen is two meters tall but holds the ball too high.”

“Number seventeen needs to move more. As a point guard you can’t organize without the ball.”

Wu Qie spoke seriously.

The scrimmage whistle blew but he still hadn’t finished.

Sweaty and smelling of tequila pheromones and sweat, Zhao Shu walked past him.

The tall Alpha bent down nearby, grabbed a sports drink, and gulped it down.

Wu Qie forced himself not to look.

Even though Zhao Shu’s presence was impossible to ignore.

While Wu Qie stared blankly at a patch of rust on the basketball hoop, Sun Mi pointed at Zhao Shu.

“What about him?”

…Sigh.

Wu Qie had no choice but to turn his head.

The Alpha who had ignored him all day stood there.

Just last week they had at least spoken normally.

Now he was acting strange again.

The moment Wu Qie looked over, Zhao Shu stopped drinking.

“Same old problem,” Wu Qie said lightly.

Even Sun Mi noticed the perfunctory tone.

The plastic bottle crinkled loudly in Zhao Shu’s grip.

Wu Qie turned again and met Zhao Shu’s dark eyes.

The Alpha looked like someone owed him millions and refused to pay.

Half the drink bottle had been crushed in his hand.

Like an enemy’s neck.

Wu Qie thought silently.

I paid for that drink.

Zhao Shu’s expression remained cold.

Sweat dripped from his elbows, pooling on the floor.

“I played forty-five minutes including overtime.”

“I got over ten rebounds.”

“Thirty-five points.”

“And that’s all I get?”

Wu Qie blinked.

Four words wasn’t little.

The longer evaluations he gave other players weren’t compliments anyway.

Zhao Shu lowered his gaze.

Then glanced toward the substitute small forward wearing number seven.

The one who had received the longest evaluation earlier.

Seven immediately felt terrified under Zhao Shu’s stare.

He looked helplessly toward Wu Qie.

Wu Qie didn’t know how to respond.

“I’ve arranged extra training with Teacher Wu after school.”

Zhao Shu suddenly said.

This was directed at Sun Mi.

Wu Qie looked confused.

“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

Zhao Shu glanced at him lazily.

“Oh.”

“I wonder if Pei Qingyu checks his Moments often.”

Wu Qie: “…”

With everyone around unaware of the coded conversation, Wu Qie was forced to accept unpaid overtime.

Most bosses at least promise a bright future before exploiting employees.

Zhao Shu didn’t even say thanks.

After speaking, he turned away like a monarch and walked toward the locker room.

Leaving everyone in the gym confused.

Wu Qie quickly followed him outside and called him through WeChat.

The call rang half a song before being answered.

“Hello.”

The voice sounded hoarse and lazy.

Finally.

Wu Qie glanced at the long list of unanswered calls.

He went straight to the point.

“You ignored me all morning.”

“Can we talk about something serious?”

“You marked Lin Zuwen.”

“What did your brother say about canceling our engagement?”

Silence.

Then Zhao Shu asked,

“What do you mean by ‘turning raw rice into cooked rice’?”

“…”

“It was a temporary mark,” Zhao Shu emphasized.

“Lin Zuwen had pheromone instability caused by me.”

“I happened to be there.”

“I helped.”

“I repaid a debt.”

“That’s all.”

Wu Qie resisted the urge to yell.

“And then?”

“What ‘then’?”

“Forced melons aren’t sweet!”

“Are you crazy?”

“Who forced who between Lin Zuwen and me?”

“You think I forced him?”

“I meant us!”

“What about us?”

“Forced melon—”

“I mentioned it.”

“But I didn’t say we were tangled together because I didn’t know we’d reached that stage.”

“…?”

Wu Qie sighed.

“Stop acting crazy and talk properly.”

“My brother said if I bring it up again he’ll break my legs.”

“If I mention Lin Zuwen he might kill him.”

“If you want to cancel the engagement, you go say it.”

“The bad news is they might buy a house next to the school and force us to live together.”

“The good news is my brother seems oddly obsessed with you.”

“So he probably won’t kill you.”

“…”

“Go ahead.”

The call ended.

Under the shade of the tree, Wu Qie stared at his phone.

Finally he realized why Zhao Shu had been in such a bad mood.

It was probably because of Lin Zuwen.

He had been scolded badly by his brother.

As an Alpha, Zhao Shu might already care about Lin Zuwen.

Maybe he resented Wu Qie, the Beta who appeared out of nowhere.

Wu Qie sent another message.

[Wu Qie: Then Lin Zuwen must feel really wronged.]

[Shu: None of your business.]

[Wu Qie: You marked him.]

[Shu: None of your business.]

[Wu Qie: Even a temporary mark is still a mark. Everyone at school knows.]

[Shu: None of your business.]

Wu Qie stared at the screen.

…Alright.

Completely impossible to communicate.

Who could understand what it felt like when the person you were talking to had the temper of a 1.94-meter giant Chihuahua.