SCOM - Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Ji Yuezhi was not doing well.
Zuo Luohuan could clearly sense it after the second temporary mark.
An Omega should be joyful, instinctively attached to the Alpha who marked them. Although a temporary mark wasn't as powerful as a complete mating mark, the Omega would still feel the Alpha's strength. The stronger the Alpha, the safer the Omega would feel.
But that wasn't the case with Ji Yuezhi, who now showed a faint state of resistance.
That little bit of resistance was subtle, almost imperceptible. But Zuo Luohuan was too sensitive to his pheromones, and once she noticed the sign, it lingered in her mind.
Perhaps it was because his second heat wasn't as intense as the first, leaving his mind clear, which was why he was resisting her.
Zuo Luohuan wanted to be more restrained and keep a certain distance from Ji Yuezhi. But as soon as she pulled away, the Omega would draw near, not saying a word, just watching her from the side with those beautiful eyes.
For an Omega, this was already proactive enough. The Alpha couldn't let him continue like this, or the Omega would feel uncomfortable, thinking the Alpha didn't care about him.
Zuo Luohuan sat on the sofa, half-embracing him. She looked down at Ji Yuezhi's pale face and asked, "Do you want some candy?"
Ever since the second temporary mark, Ji Yuezhi had been in this listless state. The Alpha's pheromones brought him a feeling that was both pleasurable and painful.
Ji Yuezhi looked up at Zuo Luohuan and asked softly, "What kind of candy?"
"Close your eyes and guess." Zuo Luohuan had only said it casually, but the Omega immediately and obediently closed his eyes, waiting for her.
Ji Yuezhi heard the sound of a candy wrapper being opened, followed by Zuo Luohuan telling him to open his mouth. He did as he was told, parting his lips slightly, waiting for her to feed him the candy.
Since the second temporary mark yesterday, Ji Yuezhi had been perfectly aware of Zuo Luohuan's attempts to distance herself from him. But... they had already been temporarily marked, which meant an Alpha would be infinitely tolerant of the Omega they had marked.
The moment Zuo Luohuan fed him the candy, he feigned carelessness and closed his lips, catching not only the candy but also her fingertip, even licking it gently with the tip of his tongue.
Before she could pull her finger away, Ji Yuezhi's eyes fluttered open, revealing a perfectly timed expression of confusion.
Zuo Luohuan wouldn't hold it against an Omega in this state. Even though the warm, moist sensation from her fingertip sent a numbing feeling through her, she remained composed and gently pulled her trapped finger free.
Her fingertip was a little wet when she pulled it out, so she discreetly took a tissue from the coffee table to wipe it, then lowered her eyes and asked him, "What flavor did you taste?"
Although Ji Yuezhi had the candy in his mouth, his mind was elsewhere. It was only when Zuo Luohuan asked that he belatedly replied, "...Grape."
"Yes, you guessed right." Zuo Luohuan straightened his disheveled collar and fastened the button. "A doctor will come tonight to check on you."
Ji Yuezhi froze. "A doctor?"
"Your condition isn't quite right. I want a doctor to take a look." Even though Zuo Luohuan privately believed Ji Yuezhi was subconsciously resisting her because he disliked her, forcing him to submit to her pheromones, the need for a second temporary mark so soon was rare. Coupled with the extremely late onset of his differentiation, she wanted to rule out any physical factors.
Ji Yuezhi suddenly knelt up on the sofa, wrapped his arms around Zuo Luohuan's neck, and pressed himself against her, leaning close to her ear. "I'm fine. I don't want a doctor."
The Omega was clearly unhappy.
"Your body..." Zuo Luohuan patted his back, trying to soothe him.
"I don't want anyone else to come in." Ji Yuezhi released her, his voice turning cold. "Zuo Luohuan, you should at least wait until the effects of the temporary mark have passed."
Hearing him use her full name, Zuo Luohuan was taken aback. Ji Yuezhi was indeed lucid and not completely lost in his heat.
An Omega in heat dislikes strangers entering their territory. That was why Zuo Luohuan always went out to pick up their ordered meals and then came back. It was a subconscious desire to keep outsiders from their space, similar to the behavior after 'nesting'.
The speed at which the Omega's mood changed was unexpected for Zuo Luohuan, but she didn't dislike it. She simply soothed him in a low voice, "Alright, no doctor will come."
After hearing this, Ji Yuezhi's tense body gradually relaxed. He leaned against Zuo Luohuan again, pressing softly against her, reverting to the image of an Omega attached to their Alpha.
...
The effects of the temporary mark were fading, and Ji Yuezhi's heat was also coming to an end.
On the last night, Zuo Luohuan slept beside him as usual. After watching Ji Yuezhi fall into a deep sleep, she found she couldn't take her eyes off his face.
She had long known he was handsome; every feature, one could say, met her standards.
The Zuo and Ji families were at odds, a fact Zuo Luohuan had heard about for as long as she could remember. Because of this, she was very interested in Ji Xixiu, the man rumored to be her father's mortal enemy.
Zuo Luohuan had never been an obedient child. From a young age, she was a natural at skipping class and getting into fights. She felt no respect or fear for Zuo Dihong, only wanting to one day get the better of her father.
However, she was too young and couldn't beat Zuo Dihong, but that didn't stop her from being interested in Ji Xixiu.
So she found out which class Ji Xixiu's son was in and followed him after school every day, hoping for a chance to see Ji Xixiu.
Unfortunately, Ji Xixiu was fiercely contending for power at the time and was rarely home. Zuo Luohuan never saw him come to pick up his son. Instead, by following Ji Yuezhi from school every day, she developed feelings and wanted to be friends with Ji Xixiu's beautiful and clean son.
Back then, Zuo Luohuan was too young. Always climbing trees and digging in the dirt, she was a mess when she cornered Ji Yuezhi in a corner of the school and demanded, "Let's be friends."
What happened after that?
Zuo Luohuan dredged up the rest of the memory.
Ji Yuezhi, who was as clean as a little prince, frowned, gave her a look of utter disgust, and left without a word.
The extremely prideful Zuo Luohuan of that time had kept her distance from Ji Yuezhi ever since.
In the bedroom, Zuo Luohuan reached out to brush the stray hair from Ji Yuezhi's forehead. Watching him sleep, she was lost in thought: even now, after a temporary mark, he still disliked her.
Immersed in her own thoughts, Zuo Luohuan completely failed to notice that from the moment her hand drew near, Ji Yuezhi had turned his face towards it, a picture of attachment and affection.
Zuo Luohuan didn't go to rest right away. She went out, brought back some medicine, squeezed it onto her finger, and leaned over to apply it to the gland on the back of Ji Yuezhi's neck to help the wound heal faster.
Her bite had been relatively restrained, and a few days had passed since the second temporary mark. After applying the ointment, the wound on his gland should be mostly healed by morning.
...
The mingled pheromones in the bedroom were already dissipating. Everything was gradually returning to normal.
When Zuo Luohuan woke up in the morning, she recalled the events of the past few days and felt inexplicably awkward. Thinking that Ji Yuezhi might be even more uncomfortable than her, she opened the door and went straight out.
She didn't go far, just stood in the stairwell of the emergency exit to give Ji Yuezhi time to react when he woke up.
Zuo Luohuan stood at the turn of the stairwell, leaning against the wall with a jumble of thoughts she couldn't sort out, so she simply let them be.
After a moment, she subconsciously reached out to pat her clothes pocket but found nothing.
"Want a smoke?" a voice came from the stairwell landing above.
Zuo Luohuan looked up alertly and saw a man walking towards her.
As he walked, he pulled an unopened pack of cigarettes from his pocket and explained, "I was just up there. You seemed to be lost in thought, so I didn't make a sound. But I saw you pat your pocket, so I thought I'd ask."
Zuo Luohuan looked at the man. He appeared to be in his early thirties, with an ordinary face, and was dressed in loungewear, looking like he had just woken up. "Are you a resident from upstairs?"
"Yes, just moved in not long ago." The man walked up to Zuo Luohuan, opened the cigarette pack, took one out, lit it, and took a deep drag. He then exhaled a cloud of white smoke and sighed, "It's tough making a living in the capital. The pressure is immense. Want one?"
Zuo Luohuan looked at the cigarette he offered and refused, "No, thank you."
"Quitting?" The man held the cigarette between his fingers and leaned against the wall like Zuo Luohuan. "That's good. Smoking isn't a good thing for young people."
Normally, Zuo Luohuan would have definitely bantered along with him, but today she wasn't in the mood and remained silent.
The man smoked fiercely, finishing more than half the cigarette in no time. The pressure really did seem immense. Only when he was almost done did he suddenly remember, "You don't mind me smoking here, do you?"
"Go ahead." Zuo Luohuan shook her head.
The man smiled. "I usually smoke here and have never seen anyone else. This is the first time I've seen you. You must have just moved in too."
"Mhm." Zuo Luohuan replied without any guilt.
...
Not long after Zuo Luohuan left, Ji Yuezhi woke up. He immediately noticed he was alone in the bedroom. He walked out quickly, only to find no sign of Zuo Luohuan in the living room or on the balcony. His heart instantly turned cold.
Now that the temporary mark was over, she had left without a second thought?
However well Zuo Luohuan had treated him during that time was how disappointed Ji Yuezhi felt now.
Ji Yuezhi returned to the bedroom and unbuttoned his clothes. Instead of changing immediately, he turned to look at the gland on the back of his neck, only to find that the last trace of the mark had vanished. Without looking closely, the bite mark was completely unnoticeable.
He had clearly expected to still see the bite mark when he woke up today.
Ji Yuezhi lowered his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line. He touched his gland, then brought his fingers to his nose and sniffed, catching the faint scent of medicine.
After he had fallen asleep, she had even applied ointment for him.
The Omega was not happy at all, he was even sad. This was the only trace the Alpha had left on him after the temporary mark disappeared, and now it was almost gone.
Zuo Luohuan didn't stay in the stairwell for long. The breakfast she had ordered had arrived, and she needed to go down to get it.
"I have to get back to work too." After finishing his cigarette, the man smiled and headed upstairs.
Zuo Luohuan nodded, turned back, entered the elevator, and went down to get breakfast.
When she went back upstairs and pushed open the door, she saw Ji Yuezhi, whose mood was indeed obviously low. Her heart sank slightly, but her expression remained unchanged as she said, "I ordered breakfast. Let's eat something first."
Zuo Luohuan's tone was still habitually coaxing, much gentler than before the temporary mark, but Ji Yuezhi was not happy at all.
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