We Can Get Married

Li Chu took a deep breath and said, "Hello, I'm Li Chu."

"Can we talk about what happened that day?"

Ning Manqing's voice was soft and apologetic.

Li Chu, who was completely captivated by her gentle tone, felt like she'd lost her soul. She replied in a trembling voice, "It's inconvenient."

A clear rejection.

Li Chu is like a salted fish, lacking the ambition to take advantage of her foresight and steal the heroine's opportunities to become successful. She doesn't have any intention of holding on to the heroine's favor to secure a bright future. At this point, she doesn't even know how to handle her relationship with the heroine. She planned to wait and see before making any moves.

There was no need to meet in person. Besides, she was still shaky. What if she saw Ning Manqing and started acting weak and helpless? She wasn't sure she could handle such a scene.

She's a respectable person!

There was a moment of silence on the phone, and then Ning Manqing's voice came through again.

"I'm really sorry for what happened that day. I don't even know how I ended up differentiating all of a sudden."

"You don't need to apologize. I was the one who differentiated first, and I didn't expect it to happen so suddenly."

Li Chu quickly responded. Her previous gender wasn't a secret, so she figured it was best to be honest and try to downplay the incident with the drug.

Thankfully, the original owner didn't conspire with anyone. It would've been troublesome if someone else knew about it.

Besides, Li Chu honestly didn't think Ning Manqing needed to apologize at all. Ning Manqing was probably a peerless beauty. The real protagonist here was splitting the plot and taking it to another level.

The silence on the other end lasted longer this time. When Ning Manqing's low voice finally reached Li Chu's ears, it felt like a thunderbolt. She jumped off the sofa in shock, even dropping her book, Actor's Self-Cultivation, onto the floor.

Ning Manqing said she could take responsibility for her and that they could get married.

No, no, no! Stop! Stop!

"I don't need you to be responsible for me. It was just an accident!"

Li Chu refused immediately. She hadn't even figured out what her future would look like yet. How could she skip straight over love and jump to marriage, regardless of whether the person was the heroine or not?

And besides, she didn't lose anything! She'd enjoyed it!

"Miss Ning, I believe marriage should be a mutual decision between two people based on their relationship. You only gave me a temporary mark, and that was caused by my pheromones going out of control. There's really no need to take this step."

There are two types of alpha-to-omega marks: temporary and permanent.

A temporary mark happens when an alpha bites through an omega's gland and injects their pheromones to soothe the omega's heat. The duration of the temporary mark depends on how much pheromone is injected, and the omega will retain the pheromones for anywhere between a day to a week.

A permanent mark, on the other hand, involves a complete invasion of the omega's body with the alpha's pheromones. The alpha's scent will fill the omega entirely, and their pheromones will intertwine. Once someone sees an omega who has been permanently marked, they will instantly know that the omega already belongs to someone.

Temporary marks can happen multiple times, but permanent marks usually happen only once, unless the partners divorce and one of them chooses another mate. An omega can go to the hospital to wash off a permanent mark, but the process is incredibly painful it's akin to scrubbing away pheromones that have become a part of their body, intertwined with their flesh and blood.

When Li Chu's thoughts wandered, Ning Manqing responded.

"You're right, I took it for granted. If you ever need help, just let me know. This is my private number."

"Okay."

Li Chu happily replied. Although she didn't plan to rely on the heroine for her success, she was still thrilled to have the boss's contact info. She already had a plan—who knows, maybe she could be taken care of in the future.

"Shall we exchange contact information?"

"Sure, I'll add you."

Li Chu eagerly agreed. After all, Ning Manqing was the future powerhouse in the industry. Li Chu was fully aware of how important it is to maintain good connections in this business.

"You don't have to be so formal..."

Ning Manqing felt a little uncomfortable with Li Chu's change in attitude. When they first met, Li Chu would give her a lot of side-eyes, and she even overheard Li Chu speaking badly of her a few times. Their current relationship felt delicate. At first, Ning Manqing was polite toward her, but it wasn't like before.

"Miss Ning, you're a senior in this field. I should be respectful. I'll add you now, okay?"

Li Chu's mindset was now that of a newcomer to the entertainment industry. Even though Ning Manqing hadn't skyrocketed to fame after two years, her acting skills were highly praised. Li Chu always admired capable people and genuinely respected them.

"Oh, sure."

Ning Manqing was taken aback by Li Chu's words and responded after a brief pause.

Li Chu's friend request was quickly accepted, and she sent a cute cat emoji to say hello.

[Li Xiaochu]: Hello, Teacher Ning

(Along with a cat bowing emoji.)

Li Chu was pleased with herself. She was professional yet playful.

[Ning]: Hello

Ning Manqing typed the message carefully, staring at her phone screen. She hesitated, unsure of what to say next. After some thought, she decided to wait for Li Chu to message her again before replying.

Looking at Li Chu's cute hand-drawn peach avatar, Ning Manqing remembered the peach fragrance she had smelled that day.

Not only did she smell it, but she also tasted the sweetness of peaches—pale fingertips, faint pink knees, and the soft sobs of Li Chu. It was like a dream, sweet and tender.

Li Chu, however, was unaware that Ning Manqing was waiting for her next message. After sending the initial greeting, she set her phone aside and focused on studying. She practiced facial expressions in the mirror with professional determination.

In the evening, Tang Congnan came over with food, watching Li Chu as she ate. Her cheeks puffed out like a small hamster, and Tang Congnan smiled fondly.

"Brother Nan, why are you looking at me like that? It's creepy."

Li Chu raised her head, her mouth full of food, and nearly choked on Tang Congnan's sparkling eyes.

"I'm just picturing our bright future winning awards, reaching the top of the industry!"

"Brother, it's getting late, and you're still daydreaming."

Li Chu ruthlessly burst his bubble. She never imagined reaching such heights.

Tang Congnan laughed happily, saying, "This isn't a dream, it's a goal! You're an omega, and you're gorgeous! Just look at this pretty face, this waist, and those legs. We're just one step away from making it big! You're bound to be a star!"

He laughed so hard that he slapped the table like a proud aunt boasting about her children during Chinese New Year.

"Yeah, yeah, hard to ignore," Li Chu replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she finished her dinner.

As Tang Congnan helped clean up the table, he rambled, "You need to show some ambition. Do you know that the whole company is eagerly awaiting your rise to fame?"

"I get it," Li Chu responded, drawing out her words. Then, with a playful salute, she added, "I'll work hard to live up to the organization's expectations."

Tang Congnan laughed and said, "Next week, there's an audition for This is the Actor. You're going."

"Me? In a week? Am I ready for that?"

Li Chu was stunned. She had just started her career and hadn't even fully grasped the basics of acting. And now she was expected to compete on a show that's all about acting?

"We only have one spot in the next episode. If you miss this, there won't be another big exposure opportunity like this anytime soon."

Tang Congnan was also nervous. Although their company wasn't a small player, it wasn't a giant either. It wasn't easy to secure a spot on such a popular variety show.

This is the Actor was a huge hit. Only three episodes had aired so far, but it already ranked as the top variety show of the season. It would be great exposure for Li Chu.

Seeing her hesitation, Tang Congnan encouraged her, "Just give it a shot. It's an elimination-style show, so there's a chance you won't even make it past the first round."

Li Chu: Thank you.

Tang Congnan suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh, by the way, I heard Ning Manqing will be in the next episode. Be careful on camera don't let your emotions show. And try not to interact with her too much. You're on different paths, so don't compare yourself to her, alright?"

Li Chu thought to herself that she wasn't competing with Ning. She had already settled into her own lane and had no plans of stepping into Ning's territory.

But she replied obediently, "Got it. I'm not jealous anymore. I realized how amazing she really is."

And she really is something so powerful and fierce, Li Chu thought to herself with a shy smile.