The Marked Alpha Is Extremely Hard to Coax - Chapter 9

Zhou Die had considered apologizing sincerely to Jiang Yunbian, but Jiang Yunbian was too infuriating.

“Temporary marks don’t last long. If you don’t want to lose control again like that day, you’d better take the suppressant,” Zhou Die organized the bleeding tissue in his hand. “I have your check-up reports and medication in my backpack. Retrieve them yourself when you go back to the classroom.”

Jiang Yunbian glared at him. “Zhou Die, do you really think you can just gloss over this?”

“Well then, you…” The phone rang, and Zhou Die raised his hand to answer it.

Jiang Yunbian, clearly not satisfied, seized the opportunity to throw a punch at Zhou Die’s abdomen.

Zhou Die was caught off guard and grunted lowly in pain.

Jiang Yunbian thought it had worked, but the next second Zhou Die grabbed his wrist and pulled him into an embrace!

Zhou Die’s right hand tightened around Jiang Yunbian’s right hand, pulling him firmly into his arms to prevent any further trouble.

“Quiet.”

Jiang Yunbian still wanted to move but felt Zhou Die nuzzle the back of his neck.

Zhou Die had no intention of offending him, but he didn’t want the person on the phone to sense anything, so he had to restrain Jiang Yunbian first.

The most sensitive area being pressed like a warning made Jiang Yunbian feel a tingling sensation all over.

Reacting instinctively, he managed to pry Zhou Die’s hand off, but his phone had fallen to the ground and now lay dark and unresponsive.

Jiang Yunbian swallowed hard, the discomfort returning!

Zhou Die glanced at the floor, touched his upper palate with his tongue, and then looked back to see Jiang Yunbian breathing heavily.

Realizing what was happening, he pulled Jiang Yunbian up.

“Let go of me, you bastard!” Jiang Yunbian couldn’t even think of the right words to curse him with.

Zhou Die dragged him to the floor’s restroom and pushed him into a stall. “Stay here and don’t move. Lock the door.”

The strange sensation had come so suddenly. Jiang Yunbian braced himself against the door, struggled to push the lock, and then heard knocking.

“It’s me. Do you know how to use the suppressant and blocker?”

“Damn.” Jiang Yunbian struggled to unlock the door, snatched the already-opened suppressant and blocker, and slammed the door shut.

The process of injecting the suppressant was a bit difficult. Jiang Yunbian took some time to start, and during that, the person outside seemed to keep talking, but he couldn’t hear clearly.

Annoyed, he replied harshly, “Shut up and get lost.”

As the heat subsided, Jiang Yunbian realized how terrifying it was to be so close to Zhou Die.

“You really are a disaster.” When he opened the door, he found the restroom empty.

Now he could say “get lost” and people would actually leave, but why did Zhou Die dare to appear before?

Feeling dizzy, Jiang Yunbian went back to the classroom only to find that class had already started.

Zhou Die was not in the classroom. Jiang Yunbian was stopped by the homeroom teacher outside. “Late by almost half a class, even the gods can’t save you. Go stand in the corner.”

After class, he was also dragged to the office.

The homeroom teacher kept questioning him, trying to find out if his tardiness was related to Zhou Die, but Jiang Yunbian couldn’t keep up the lie any longer. “I’m not feeling well.”

The teacher, irritated, poked his belly. “With your health, how can you not feel well?”

Jiang Yunbian groaned in pain, half acting and half genuine. “Ouch, ouch.”

The teacher gave up. “Fine, go back. I’m too lazy to argue with you.”

Jiang Yunbian wasn’t entirely acting; his neck was really itching.

Zhou Die, that damn pest, what was he rubbing against?

Returning to the dormitory with frustration, Jiang Yunbian encountered a woman in her thirties at the male A dormitory’s door. Her long hair was tied over her right shoulder, and she looked gentle and poised.

Whose parent was visiting?

Jiang Yunbian walked to the stairwell, and the woman’s eyes lit up when she saw his movement, following him closely.

When they reached the seventh floor, the woman followed him out of the stairwell and stopped in front of the same dormitory door.

“Auntie.” Jiang Yunbian stopped. “Who are you looking for?”

The woman responded with a surprised “Oh,” looking at the dormitory number 707 on the door, and apologized, “Sorry, my son also stays here, but I forgot if his dorm is 701 or 707…”

707 only had himself and Zhou Die; the other person had left long ago, so there was no reason for his mother to be at the school. Dorm 701 belonged to Class 8, and the door was tightly shut.

“He probably hasn’t returned. Why don’t you go check the teaching building?” Jiang Yunbian opened the door to show her the empty dorm.

“Oh, okay.”

Jiang Yunbian went in, changed clothes, and took a shower. To avoid people noticing the bite marks on his neck, he had covered them with bandages and hidden them with his collar. The sealed wound was itching a bit, and the hot water made it sting.

After his shower and drying his hair, he noticed a faint cedar scent in the dorm.

How the hell does Zhou Die’s pheromone last so long!

The place reeked of that smell, yet Jiang Yunbian didn’t find it unpleasant. The intense anger from being marked made him unable to stay there for a moment. He sprayed some scent blocker and threw on a jacket before heading out.

As soon as he opened the door, the woman from earlier stood right in front of him.

“Sorry, sorry.” The woman said awkwardly. “I also don’t know where your teaching building is…”

Anyway, since he wasn’t staying there, Jiang Yunbian sighed in relief. “I’ll take you.”

On the way, Jiang Yunbian learned that her name was Wen Yue, thirty-seven years old, and a single mother. Her son was an Alpha, very well-behaved and obedient, and he would send her messages every night. Recently, though, he seemed to be having some trouble, and she hadn’t been able to contact him.

Indeed, any parent would be worried if their child, especially a well-behaved one like Wen Yue’s son, went missing for two days.

But Wen Yue seemed rather unreliable; her son was in his third year of high school and she didn’t even know which class he was in.

“Auntie, what’s your child’s name…” Just as he was about to ask, Wen Yue’s phone suddenly rang.

“Good boy, where are you?” Wen Yue said with a sigh of relief, “Oh, oh, you’re at the library? It’s okay, it’s just that Mommy was worried… I, I certainly didn’t come to school! Ah, you’re coming back tonight? Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking now, I’m going to get dinner ready.”

Seeing her embarrassed expression, Jiang Yunbian guessed that her son might not be happy about her coming to school to look for him.

Since she didn’t want to be known, there was no need for him to ask her son’s full name.

Wen Yue rambled on a bit more and then hung up. “Thank you, student. My son called me.”

Jiang Yunbian didn’t ask any further questions and saw her to the school gate.

Wen Yue stood at the gate and looked at him for a moment. “Aren’t you going to your evening self-study session?”

Jiang Yunbian found her probing question somewhat novel and didn’t want to hide it. “Hmm, I want to go online for a while.”

Wen Yue’s expression changed slightly.

Jiang Yunbian noticed a hint of disappointment in the eyes of someone else’s mother, and he waved goodbye with a smile.

But just as he turned around, he heard a gasp from behind.

At the school gate, there were two speed bumps for security. Wen Yue tripped over one and stood frozen in shock.

When Jiang Yunbian turned back, Wen Yue was awkwardly waving her hand, indicating she was fine, but she couldn’t even take a step.

It seemed she had twisted her ankle.

Watching her limp slowly forward, Jiang Yunbian couldn’t describe his current feelings.

He suddenly thought of the silly, naive female leads in the dramas he watched as a child.

Indeed, art truly comes from life.

“Auntie, let me take you back.”

*

On the way, Wen Yue talked a lot about her son’s virtues.

He was an Alpha, handsome, good grades, well-liked, sunny and cheerful at school, and seemed to be very popular.

Jiang Yunbian wanted to ask his name a few times but felt it was unnecessary.

What did it have to do with him?

Wen Yue’s apartment was at the second stop on Route 3. Before going upstairs, Jiang Yunbian bought an ice cream from a convenience store and carried her up to the seventh floor.

Wen Yue’s duplex apartment wasn’t large but was well-equipped and decorated warmly.

Jiang Yunbian set her down on the sofa and placed the ice cream he had been holding on her ankle. “Apply this for a while. If it still hurts, you should go to the hospital.”

Wen Yue looked at the unopened ice cream and blinked in surprise. “Thank you.”

Jiang Yunbian smiled. “I’ll leave now.”

“Ah… wait, why don’t you stay for dinner?” Wen Yue gently held the ice cream. “It’s getting late, and you can have a meal before going online.”

Jiang Yunbian wanted to refuse but saw the cautious expectation in Wen Yue’s eyes.

It was the same look Jiang Yun had when he hoped Jiang Yunbian would stay.

His lips parted and closed again, unable to say no.

Wen Yue’s foot wasn’t seriously injured, but her clumsy manner made Jiang Yunbian worry.

“It’s really not necessary. You just stay in the living room.” Wen Yue was struggling with a new bottle of soy sauce, having a hard time opening it. “It’s almost open…”

Jiang Yunbian watched her struggle. “Let me do it.”

“No, I can do it.” Wen Yue seemed reluctant to appear too unreliable, grabbing a chopstick to pry it open.

Bang—

The soy sauce bottle popped open, splattering all over Jiang Yunbian’s pants.

Fortunately, Jiang Yunbian was quick and managed to recover half of the bottle, enough for tonight at least.

Wen Yue, with tearful eyes, apologized and offered Jiang Yunbian a set of her son’s clothes. Jiang Yunbian didn’t bother to wash up, but the smell of soy sauce from his knee to calf was quite unpleasant.

Just as he entered the bathroom, the doorbell rang.

Wen Yue went to answer the door with a smile. “Xiao Die, come in.”

Zhou Die looked down. “Mom, what happened to your foot?”

Wen Yue’s expression changed, and she replied nervously, “Oh… I twisted it while buying groceries. I happened to meet a student from your school, and he carried me back. I’m invited him to dinner!”

After learning the details, Zhou Die put the items he brought into the entryway. “I asked you to tell me who the student was, but you wouldn’t. How am I supposed to thank him?”

Wen Yue didn’t want to admit she didn’t remember the student’s name. “A friend is someone you don’t necessarily know from others. You should introduce yourself properly later, understand?”

Zhou Die agreed and rolled up his sleeves to help his mother with the dishes.

When Zhou Die placed the bowls and chopsticks, his injury was exposed. He tried to hide it but was noticed by Wen Yue.

“What happened?” Wen Yue’s face changed instantly.

Zhou Die sighed. “I met a dog on the way. I tried to pet it, and it bit me.”

“Ah? Did you get vaccinated? Even if you like dogs, you shouldn’t just pet them. Dogs have territorial instincts. To them, it’s an intrusion!”

Wen Yue’s description of Jiang Yunbian was apt. “Yeah, I won’t provoke him again next time.”

Wen Yue prepared dinner and held Zhou Die’s hand to reapply medicine. “How come you kids get hurt everywhere? That student you brought back is the same.”

Zhou Die looked at his hand absentmindedly. “Is that student an Omega?”

“Huh?” Wen Yue remembered the bandages on Jiang Yunbian’s neck. “Someone with a temporary mark should be an Omega, right?”

But she hadn’t detected any sweet or soft scent from Jiang Yunbian.

“That student is thoughtful and gentle. He carried me back even with a twisted foot. Definitely a good student.” Wen Yue reapplied the bandage. “It’s a shame your mom is so clumsy, spilling soy sauce all over someone.”

Gentle and thoughtful.

Zhou Die thought these four words might be the opposite of Jiang Yunbian.

“I’ll go up and apologize for you.”

“Mm, I’ve found a set of your old clothes for him to change into. He’s upstairs taking a shower now.”

As they spoke, the sound of rain began to patter against the window. Wen Yue turned on the TV and saw a severe weather warning.

Looking at the red alert, Wen Yue exclaimed, “Oh no, why did it suddenly start raining heavily?”

Whether Zhou Die stayed or left didn’t matter much, but the person upstairs did.

Holding the new towel his mother handed him, Zhou Die waited in his bedroom until the sound of the shower stopped. He then knocked on the bathroom door.

“Hello, student. Here’s the towel.”

“Okay.”

The bathroom door opened, and a refreshing mint scent greeted Zhou Die as he met Jiang Yunbian’s gaze.