The Marked Alpha Is Extremely Hard to Coax - Chapter 30

When Wen Yue went upstairs, the first thing she saw was Jiang Yunbian being thrown out of the door.

 

His hair was slightly curled and messy, his face filled with the confusion of someone who had just woken up, and his collar was crooked on one side, giving him the appearance of someone who didn’t quite understand what he had done wrong.

 

“Oh my,” Wen Yue exclaimed in surprise, “I don’t recall Xiao Die having a temper when he wakes up.”

 

Jiang Yunbian quickly adjusted his posture, mimicking a little puppy as he drooped his ears and wagged his tail, weakly calling out, “Auntie…”

 

Even though it was just an act, it was hard not to feel soft-hearted towards him. Wen Yue responded with a smile, “Yes?”

 

The door that had just closed opened again, and Zhou Die looked at him with a cold expression. “Jiang Yunbian, stop pretending.”

 

Jiang Yunbian looked at Zhou Die for a moment, then whimpered like a puppy, “He’s being mean to me…”

 

Zhou Die wanted to take this little puppy, who was feigning innocence and complaining, and tie him up in a blanket.

 

“Alright, stop messing around,” Wen Yue said with a laugh. “Wash up and come down for breakfast.”

 

When Jiang Yunbian finally sat down at the table, Wen Yue approached him with a tablet in hand. “Xiao Jiang, I didn’t know you could high jump? You’ve got a great form.”

 

Jiang Yunbian, who was drinking milk, choked slightly. He was surprised to see a photo of himself high jumping. “Auntie, how do you have this photo?”

 

“I asked Xiao Xu to take it, there are plenty more.” Saying that, she sat next to him and started discussing the photos with him.

 

Wen Yue immediately recognized the two little figures on the class uniform and even asked if the one with dog ears was him.

 

Jiang Yunbian admitted with some reluctance, and Wen Yue was delighted, “Now that you mention it, I do think Xiao Die looks a bit like a cat.”

 

When Zhou Die came downstairs, the first thing he saw was Jiang Yunbian animatedly recounting the relay race to Wen Yue.

 

He had previously assumed Jiang Yunbian wasn’t the type to get along well with elders, but after interacting with him, he realized that puppies are just like that—they whimper and act cute once they’ve been shown kindness. If you treat them well, they’ll expose their bellies in submission.

 

Zhou Die smiled lightly as he sat down.

 

After looking through a few more photos, Wen Yue put down the tablet and looked at her son across the table, asking softly, “Xiao Die, where’s your pendant?”

 

Jiang Yunbian noticed Zhou Die’s hand pause slightly.

 

Without any sign of guilt, Zhou Die explained, “It wasn’t convenient to wear during the school sports event, so I put it away.”

 

“Oh.” Wen Yue touched her cheek and didn’t ask any more questions, continuing to look at the photos.

 

Jiang Yunbian remained silent for a while before recalling Zhou Die’s pendant… the jade pendant that he had bitten and broken.

 

He had nearly forgotten about it.

 

“Oh, is this photo of you two?” Wen Yue asked curiously, covering her mouth in surprise.

 

Zhou Die raised an eyebrow and looked over, only to see Jiang Yunbian’s slightly stiff expression.

 

The little puppy had gone mute.

 

He asked, “What photo?”

 

Wen Yue held up the tablet, showing the hottest photo from the CP thread on the forum—the one where Zhou Die was waking up Jiang Yunbian as he lay asleep in the bleachers.

 

“Who took this?” Jiang Yunbian scratched his head. “Can’t a guy get some sleep?”

 

But Wen Yue couldn’t get enough of the photo, examining it closely before commenting, “It looks just like a couple.”

 

Jiang Yunbian and Zhou Die: “…”

 

This was a misunderstanding that needed to be cleared up. Jiang Yunbian straightened his face and said, “Auntie, there’s something I need to clarify.”

 

Wen Yue nodded, “Go ahead.”

 

“I’m an Alpha.”

 

Wen Yue stared at him for a while before realization dawned on her, “You’re an Alpha? But your neck…”

 

“This is a long story,” Jiang Yunbian said seriously. “But Auntie, I’m really not in that kind of relationship with Zhou Die.”

 

Zhou Die lowered his gaze, quietly picking up his glass of milk. He showed no expression and didn’t respond.

 

After whining all night for a mark, he wakes up saying they aren’t in that kind of relationship. He could really say that with a straight face.

 

After breakfast, Jiang Yunbian received a call from his sister.

 

As Zhou Die helped clear the table, Wen Yue gently placed her hand on his, “Xiao Jiang’s temporary mark… you’re the one who bit him, right?”

 

When it came to gender, Jiang Yunbian had no reason to lie. If it was true, then the only one who could mark an Alpha was an Enigma.

 

Wen Yue wasn’t so simple-minded that she couldn’t figure that out.

 

Zhou Die looked at the table and replied, “Yes.”

 

“Don’t you like him?” Wen Yue asked with concern. “You’ve marked him, so it must have had an impact on him. He says he’s not in that kind of relationship with you… Xiao Die, you wouldn’t hurt him and then leave him, would you?”

 

Sometimes, Zhou Die couldn’t quite understand his mother’s logic.

 

“I’ve always taught you, unless you’re fully committed, never do that to an Omega…”

 

“Mom,” Zhou Die interrupted her gently, “It’s not me, it’s Jiang Yunbian. He wants to be an Alpha, I can’t force him to be my exclusive Omega.”

 

Wen Yue was silent for a moment. “Then why did you mark him?”

 

Zhou Die sighed and explained the situation, which finally made Wen Yue understand.

 

“It’s been tough on that child. If I were Yunbian’s mother, I’d have given you a hard time by now.”

 

Zhou Die thought to himself that she had just been about to do that.

 

“Have you discussed this with him properly? That kid doesn’t want to rely on you, but if he’s constantly affected by your pheromones, it’s going to be very painful for him.”

 

“We haven’t discussed it yet, but the hospital recently developed a solution.” Zhou Die glanced at Jiang Yunbian, who had just finished his phone call and was returning.

 

It was something that had come up just this morning. His mother had said that the hospital had provided a treatment plan involving a year-long withdrawal process.

 

Ten months of physiological withdrawal, with the hospital monitoring Jiang Yunbian’s pheromones in real-time to increase his body’s tolerance, followed by medication to gradually reduce Enigma’s influence on him. The final two months would be free from monitoring, but he would still need to follow prescribed self-healing routines.

 

This was only a theoretically viable plan, as Enigmas were too rare, and there had been no previous Alpha cases seeking to revert back after experiencing a reverse reaction. They would be the first EA pair to attempt it.

 

He hadn’t had a chance to tell Jiang Yunbian yet.

 

“Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?” Jiang Yunbian asked as he walked over and picked up a game controller. “Wanna play?”

 

Quite carefree.

 

Zhou Die looked at him and took the controller.

 

Jiang Yunbian flexed his fingers, “Alright, if you lose, you’ll have to do my weekend homework.”

 

Zhou Die calmly replied, “What if you lose?”

 

“That’s impossible.”

 

Jiang Yunbian admitted that he had a bit of arrogance, but he hadn’t expected to lose every single game to Zhou Die.

 

“You weren’t this good last time,” he grumbled, then asked, “Zhou Die, your pendant…”

 

“It’s broken,” Zhou Die turned to look at him, his gaze meaningful, “Shouldn’t you be more aware of that than anyone?”

 

Jiang Yunbian was stumped, and after a long pause, he quietly said, “I wasn’t fully conscious at the time… Was it really important to you?”

 

“It was a gift from my mom.”

 

So, it was very important. Jiang Yunbian subconsciously clenched his right hand, feeling a slight pain in his palm.

 

Zhou Die tapped the game controller with his long fingers, changing the topic, “Jiang Yunbian, you don’t seem as resistant to temporary marks as you were before.”

 

Jiang Yunbian hadn’t expected him to switch topics so quickly. He turned his head and thought for a moment, “I was the one who asked you to mark me temporarily, and it was a special situation. If I were still resistant, wouldn’t that be ungrateful?”

 

Zhou Die picked up a candy, but didn’t unwrap it, just rolling it around in his palm.

 

“Actually, I used to find you annoying,” Jiang Yunbian cleared his throat, “But you didn’t mark me to take advantage.”

 

Their relationship was complicated, with many unexpected incidents that couldn’t be resolved in the usual way.

 

Especially considering last night’s situation, Jiang Yunbian simply put himself in Zhou Die’s shoes. If it were an unruly Omega speaking to him that way, staying composed would be a different story.

 

His words clearly indicated that he now saw their relationship as “good brothers.”

 

Zhou Die enclosed the candy in his hand. “You still want to be an Alpha, right?”

 

“Of course,” Jiang Yunbian changed characters in the game, “Get ready.”

 

Zhou Die’s gaze darkened slightly as he locked in his character selection. “What if…”

 

Jiang Yunbian, distracted, replied, “Hmm?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

*

 

When the weekend ended, Jiang Yunbian, having lost nine games to Zhou Die, was responsible for bringing him breakfast every day.

 

On Monday morning, Jiang Yunbian, who had gotten up early to grab breakfast from the cafeteria, belatedly realized something was wrong.

 

Why couldn’t he win?

 

When he returned to the classroom, his deskmate, who looked exhausted, was lazily gazing out the window with the air of a young master waiting to be served.

 

Jiang Yunbian placed soy milk and bread on his desk. “I bought this for you, no room for complaints.”

 

Zhou Die, still drowsy, replied nonchalantly, “Is it sweet soy milk?”

 

“No!” Jiang Yunbian threatened, “Drink it or don’t, I don’t care!”

 

When Xu Zhan returned, he overheard them arguing over a cup of soy milk. Carrying his own breakfast, he commented, “What’s gotten into you today, Jiang? You actually went to the cafeteria for breakfast.”

 

Jiang Yunbian, in his usual bully-like manner, responded, “Got a problem with that?”

 

“Not at all.” Xu Zhan raised his hand, “Zheng Xinglin bought too much again, I was going to share it with you, but I guess that’s unnecessary now.”

 

Jiang Yunbian didn’t pay much attention, but Zhou Die noticed the extra breakfast in Xu Zhan’s hands.

 

It seemed like that student from the neighboring class, Zheng, often bought more than needed.

 

After morning reading, the bell rang and the head of the grade started speaking over the broadcast.

 

“Recently, there has been an incident near the school involving an Omega being attacked,” the head of the grade briefly mentioned the incident and announced that the first period for all classes would be changed to a physiology lesson.

 

“The school has recently partnered with the central hospital. Students in the Omega classes of each grade are required to fill out a form, and the hospital will prepare pheromone bracelets based on the responses.”

 

The hospital would organize a blood draw in the afternoon for the Omega class, then scientifically formulate pheromone bracelets with a 50% match rate for each student. The bracelets are designed to temporarily suppress pheromone influence in case of malicious inducement.

 

“As expected of this top school, I heard this project was only recently developed,” Gao Zining remarked.

 

While Zhou Die listened, his gaze drifted to Jiang Yunbian’s neck, where the smooth, pale skin was hidden securely beneath his collar, revealing only a perfect portion. The bite marks from the marking were perfectly concealed.

 

Zhou Die couldn’t help but lick his canines; perhaps Omegas weren’t the only ones who might need a pheromone bracelet.

 

After the broadcast, the physiology teacher came to each class, discussing new types of inducement agents on the market and various contraband items that must be guarded against.

 

“And now, about the fourth gender, Enigma,” the teacher said, pulling up a new slide on the projector. “This gender is extremely rare, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Especially for you Alphas, don’t think you can ignore it—this gender can be marked by ABO.”

 

“Wow, isn’t that unbeatable?” He Ru exclaimed.

 

This sparked a wave of discussion, as the idea of an Alpha being marked was truly novel.

 

Lacking any sense of tact, Gao Zining approached Jiang Yunbian and Zhou Die. “Hey, you two top Alphas, what would you do if you encountered an Enigma?”

 

Jiang Yunbian, Zhou Die: “…”

 

You really are a genius at asking questions.

 

Evidently, the physiology teacher overheard their conversation. “After being marked by an Enigma, regardless of the pheromone type, Betas and Omegas will reach 100% physiological compatibility with the Enigma.”

 

“What about Alphas?” Yang You raised his hand to ask.

 

“Alphas are a special case. After being temporarily marked, they experience a Reverse Reaction. Upon a second temporary marking,” the physiology teacher switched to a slide showing human anatomy and pointed to the lower abdomen area, “a marking pattern will appear here. Typically, it resembles a flower.”

 

“Wow… That sounds so…” The class monitor blushed, covering her mouth as she whispered, “Alphas, who are supposed to be at the top of the physiological hierarchy, end up having a flower bloom in such a hidden place after being marked by an Enigma. Wow, that’s intense.”

 

Jiang Yunbian, who had been zoning out, suddenly froze and, against his will, turned around, coincidentally locking eyes with Zhou Die.

 

In that moment, he felt a strange heat in his lower abdomen.

 

Zhou Die noticed the fleeting panic in Jiang Yunbian’s eyes, which then awkwardly shifted back.

 

Zhou Die took in all of Jiang Yunbian’s facial expressions. Leaning his chin on his hand, he slightly tilted his head as he watched the person in front of him, asking softly with a hint of amusement, “Aren’t you going to answer Gao Zining’s question?”

 

Jiang Yunbian didn’t turn around. “If you like it so much, why don’t you answer?”

 

Zhou Die raised an eyebrow and looked back at Gao Zining. “Jiang Yunbian says you should mind your own business about Enigma matters.”

 

Gao Zining: “?”

 

Jiang, that’s going too far.

 

After morning classes ended, Jiang Yunbian skipped lunch and headed back to the dormitory.

 

The physiology teacher’s words had hit the bullseye, leaving Jiang Yunbian unsettled all morning.

 

He went to the bathroom first, lifting his shirt to check himself carefully. After confirming that nothing had appeared, he finally sighed in relief.

 

It was just a self-induced illusion. Enigmas were so rare, with barely any cases reported. How could it be that after two marks, there would definitely be some flower pattern?

 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jiang Yunbian opened the door only to meet Zhou Die’s gaze at the doorway. He froze, unsure of what expression to wear, so he simply turned his head away.

 

Before he could think of something to say, Zhou Die spoke first. “Jiang Yunbian, there’s something I need to tell you.”

 

Jiang Yunbian feigned nonchalance. “What?”

 

“About the withdrawal symptoms. Don’t you want to be an Alpha?”

 

Zhou Die sent the hospital’s plan to his phone.

 

Jiang Yunbian looked at it for a while before raising his head. “So, you’re saying that if I want to return to normal, it’ll take over a year?”

 

“Yes.” Zhou Die looked at him. “The Zhou family will cover the costs.”

 

Jiang Yunbian turned his head to study Zhou Die’s expression, thinking for a moment before replying, “Zhou Die, even though it’s what you should do, I still want to thank you.”

 

Enigmas were so rare that many of Zhou Die’s decisions were likely beyond his control. Jiang Yunbian wasn’t the type to hold a grudge indefinitely.

 

In the past, he hadn’t had a strong preference regarding gender. He thought that even being a Beta wouldn’t be so bad since his life wasn’t supposed to revolve around his gender.

 

Although things had gotten more complicated since his interactions with Zhou Die began, as long as there was a solution, he could accept it.

 

Zhou Die’s gaze softened, reflecting the light as he looked at Jiang Yunbian. “I won’t hurt you.”

 

At the edge of the clouds, Jiang Yunbian felt as if his awkward personality was gradually being worn down by this person. Zhou Die’s straightforwardness made him feel a bit at a loss.

 

So, as if in response, Jiang Yunbian lifted his school uniform, revealing his lower abdomen. “But I probably won’t grow flowers here, right? I heard their descriptions this morning, and it sounded pretty creepy.”

 

His skin, as white as silk, suddenly appeared in front of Zhou Die’s eyes, causing his gaze to deepen a shade.

 

He really was like a little dog that would show its belly whenever someone was a bit nice to him.

 

Jiang Yunbian’s slender fingertips brushed over his skin before he lowered his shirt again, looking somewhat puzzled. “Your gender really seems like that of a tyrant.”

 

Zhou Die: “…”

 

During the afternoon class, Jiang Yunbian went over what Zhou Die had said at noon, increasingly feeling as if he had been taking advantage of him all along.

 

He stayed at his house, arranged for follow-up treatment, and yet he still brought him a lot of trouble.

 

Jiang Yunbian recalled Wen Yue’s expression from yesterday, pressed his brow, and took out his phone from the desk drawer.

 

He rarely contacted his father, and their so-called emotional connection was excessively thin. Even when he moved out of that house, Jiang Yunbian hadn’t listened to a single word of persuasion.

 

Perhaps every rebellious teenager needs to lower their head once. He sent a message.

 

After school, Xu Zhan turned around to ask Jiang Yunbian if he wanted to go to the newly opened hot pot place nearby, but he shook his head while carrying his backpack.

 

“My dad is coming.”

 

Xu Zhan was stunned for a moment. “You… Uncle Jiang is coming? What’s wrong? Is there trouble at home again?”

 

“No.” Jiang Yunbian exhaled a breath, “There’s something I need his help with.”

 

Jiang Yunbian raised his hand and ruffled Xu Zhan’s hair. “I’ll bring you snacks when I get back. Be good and guard the door.”

 

Xu Zhan: “…You really don’t like doing anything that involves other people.”

 

Just as Zhou Die wasn’t at his seat, Jiang Yunbian also skipped the step of saying goodbye to him and saw his father’s car as soon as he exited the school gates.

 

Jiang Mu had come alone and opened the door for him when Jiang Yunbian arrived.

 

“Seems like you’ve grown a bit taller?” Jiang Mu touched the top of his head as Jiang Yunbian got in.

 

Jiang Yunbian frowned and dodged, then lowered his head and sat inside the car.

 

Jiang Mu didn’t take his child’s bad attitude to heart. Jiang Yunbian’s odd temperament wasn’t new: “Let’s go have some Western food.”

 

Jiang Yunbian looked out the window, responding with an indifferent “Mm.”

 

Sometimes he even felt that his relationship with his father was excessively estranged.

 

It was only when the car stopped that Jiang Yunbian realized Jiang Mu had brought him to Mrs. Bai’s favorite restaurant.

 

Mrs. Bai, Jiang Mu’s current wife, was a young Omega with a sweet, soft peach-like fragrance.

 

He suddenly lost his appetite. Even when seated in the private room, he responded with “whatever” to every suggestion.

 

Jiang Mu kept his eyes down as he flipped through the menu. “Yunbian, when asking someone for a favor, don’t show attitude. Your personality is going to cost you.”

 

Jiang Yunbian didn’t argue, keeping his gaze down on his phone.

 

“How’s Yunyi doing lately? She never answers my calls.”

 

Every time his father mentioned his sister, Jiang Yunbian felt a surge of disgust. He lowered his eyes and said, “Dad, I broke my classmate’s jade pendant, and I don’t have enough money.”

 

Jiang Mu raised his eyes to look at him. “Did you get into a fight again?”

 

“No, it was an accident.”

 

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Jiang Mu didn’t press the issue. “Didn’t you take the card?”

 

“What card?”

 

“The one I asked Aunt Bai to give you. I deposit living expenses into it every month.”

 

Aunt Bai had never mentioned this to him. Jiang Yunbian smiled faintly and simply said, “Oh, I forgot to take it.”

 

Jiang Mu frowned slightly. “I’ll transfer it to you then.”

 

Jiang Yunbian looked at the large sum transferred to his account, remaining silent for a moment. “Thanks, Dad.”

 

After a silent dinner, Jiang Mu offered to drive him back to school, but Jiang Yunbian refused.

 

He hesitated for a long time on the street before finally calling Wen Yue.

 

“Aunt Wen, I’m sorry, I broke Zhou Die’s pendant.” As soon as the call connected, he confessed honestly.

 

Wen Yue was a bit surprised but smiled as she listened to his sincere apology. “It’s okay, child. That pendant was just something I picked up casually; it doesn’t hold much significance.”

 

Jiang Yunbian asked for the address and took a taxi to the antique street. He went through each store, taking photos of all the nice jade pendants to send to Wen Yue.

 

Wen Yue chose the most suitable one, and he paid for it.

 

Wen Yue kept asking about the price, but Jiang Yunbian didn’t say, eventually playing his trump card to avoid answering, “Auntie, I eat at your house every day, break something, and don’t compensate. Doesn’t that make me a bit of a scoundrel?”

 

Wen Yue couldn’t win against him and had to let him be.

 

By the time Jiang Yunbian returned to school, evening self-study had already ended. He hurried back before the security patrol started.

 

But Zhou Die wasn’t in the dorm.

 

The carefully rehearsed pendant return scene in his head was now useless. Jiang Yunbian scratched his head and placed the pendant on Zhou Die’s desk.

 

By the time he came out of the shower, the lights were out, and there was still no sign of Zhou Die. Jiang Yunbian walked over to dorm 705.

 

When Xu Zhan found out he was there to look for Zhou Die, he let out a laugh. “Seriously, Little Jiang, do you think everyone is like you? Running to my place whenever something happens? Zhou Die seems to have something going on; he took a leave of absence during evening self-study and went back.”

 

Jiang Yunbian responded with an “Oh,” and closed the dorm door.

 

Xu Zhan stood there dumbfounded for a long time. “Damn, who’s outside the door! How dare you close it on me!”

 

Ignoring him, Jiang Yunbian went back and sent Zhou Die a question mark.

 

Third High’s Movie Emperor, Young Master Zhou: Meow Meow Scratching.jpg

 

Jiang Yunbian didn’t like using emoji strategies, so he directly called him.

 

Straight to the point, Jiang Yunbian asked, “Why did you take leave?”

 

Zhou Die answered slowly, “Did Jiang-classmate discover his roommate’s disappearance and get anxious?”

 

“Yeah, I’m so worried,” Jiang Yunbian laughed, “When are you coming back?”

 

“Probably the day after tomorrow.”

 

Jiang Yunbian frowned, “That long?”

 

“Why? Are you not feeling well? The inhibitors are on your bookshelf.”

 

“No, it’s nothing. Just bring me something to eat when you come back, thanks.” Jiang Yunbian promptly hung up the phone.

 

Lying in bed, unable to sleep, Jiang Yunbian randomly opened an app to browse, only to realize he had accidentally clicked on Weibo when the page refreshed.

 

Looking at the account interface, he clicked to log in.

 

Back when he recorded songs, Jiang Yunyi had set up the account for him. After she was hospitalized, he hadn’t paid much attention to it.

 

As soon as he logged in, Jiang Yunbian noticed three private messages.

 

When he initially stopped updating, a few followers would still send him messages, and Jiang Yunbian would occasionally check them. But as time went on, the number of followers decreased, and no one sent him anything anymore.

 

Suddenly seeing a message startled him.

 

The profile picture was a chibi ragdoll, and the ID was “Sweet Milk Kitty.”

 

Jiang Yunbian had some impression of it; this seemed to be one of his earliest followers. Back then, Jiang Yunyi even joked that the name sounded like a cute Omega.

 

Sweet Milk Kitty: [Thank you for all the company over the years.]

 

It sounded like a girl’s farewell to the past.

 

Normally, Jiang Yunbian would just close the message after reading it.

 

But tonight, he tapped the screen and replied: [You’re welcome, I wish you happiness every day.]

 

Author’s Note: Wahhh, so many little angels have been sending me nutrition fluids recently~ I’m overwhelmed!! I will keep working hard!!