A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 1

 

The statement should have been taken at the police station, but due to Lu Xueyin’s poor physical condition, the officers came to question her instead.

Sheng Lan, being the one who reported the incident, accompanied them.

Originally intending to stay by Lu Xueyin’s side, she ended up being separated for individual questioning.

The living room was spacious, and neither raised their voices.

Sheng Lan’s exceptional hearing came into play, allowing her to catch Lu Xueyin’s responses.

The call had been made by Feng Zhitong, who impersonated Sheng Lan to lure Lu Xueyin to the “poisoned room.”

What Lu Xueyin couldn’t explain was why she had handed over her phone.

And she refused to answer.

Sheng Lan glanced over.

When Lu Xueyin pressed her lips together, her stubbornness became even more pronounced.

Since she was meeting the police, she had changed into a classic blazer.

Indoors, she didn’t need a coat.

The shirt hugged her slender waist, and her long legs were encased in tailored trousers.

The buttons were fastened all the way up, the stiff collar completely covering the scent gland at the nape of her neck.

Her long, curly hair was loosely tied up, a lazy style that clashed with the formal attire.

When refusing to answer questions, she would lower her head and avert her gaze.

This motion caused strands of hair to slip free, and her pale fingers would instinctively tuck them behind her ear.

Only for them to fall again the next time she looked down.

After watching this cycle repeat a few times, Sheng Lan felt an inexplicable itch in her chest.

The dark tresses seemed to coil around her heart, teasing.

She wanted to tie Lu Xueyin’s hair up properly.

Turning back, Sheng Lan continued explaining her relationship with Feng Zhitong.

“We’ve known each other since childhood classmates from kindergarten, lived in the same villa district until middle school. Later, my family moved away, and we attended different universities, but we kept in touch.”

“Acquaintances, but not friends.”

In normal adult social circles, few would go around declaring that they were merely acquainted with someone rather than actual friends.

Sheng Lan belonged to the type who didn’t broadcast such things. After so many years, maintaining surface-level civility was enough.

She couldn’t fathom Feng Zhitong’s motives.

In the original novel’s plot, Feng Zhitong was close to the scumbag Alpha. After learning about the poisoned room setup, the scumbag even publicly declared them best friends.

Sheng Lan’s expression twisted in disgust.

She had recorded her call with Feng Zhitong and submitted it as evidence.

Even if Lu Xueyin refused to reveal the real reason for handing over her phone, the other testimonies still pointed squarely at Feng Zhitong.

For now, things were proceeding smoothly.

They were told to keep their phones on, as the police might contact them again later.

After seeing the officers out, Sheng Lan stretched lazily.

She favored high-waisted pants and cropped tops, and the motion hiked her shirt up slightly.

Lu Xueyin didn’t notice whether her waist was slender or not.

Only that Sheng Lan’s toned abs were strikingly beautiful.

Firm, powerful, without an ounce of excess fat.

Noticing Lu Xueyin’s gaze, Sheng Lan immediately straightened up, smoothing her clothes with feigned decorum.

There was no shyness, she just didn’t want the “female lead” to mistake it for flirtation.

Her frail body couldn’t bear a second undeserved accusation.

To Lu Xueyin, however, it read as wariness.

She averted her eyes, slipping off the high heels she’d worn for appearances though she’d only taken two steps in them.

By the time the questioning ended, night had fallen.

Instead of retreating to her room, Lu Xueyin curled limply into the sofa.

Too lazy to even fetch slippers, she let her bare feet sink into the plush carpet.

The long, soft fibers cradled her toes, a few mischievous strands tickling her soles.

She shifted slightly before tucking her feet onto the sofa entirely.

Sheng Lan caught another whiff of the distinct, warm fragrance of May roses.

She shook her head, rubbed her stomach, and sat a little farther from Lu Xueyin before ordering takeout. Politely, she invited Lu Xueyin and Jiang Ling to choose their meals.

She even pulled open the coffee table drawer, intending to grab some suppressant spray.

Noticing Lu Xueyin looking her way, Sheng Lan casually moved aside and took out a small mirror instead, pretending to admire herself narcissistically.

Well.

Not that she needed to pretend.

Every time Sheng Lan looked in the mirror, her heart would politely skip a beat.

She was just too damn gorgeous!

This carefree attitude finally prompted Lu Xueyin to speak up.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Sheng Lan looked surprised. “You’d believe me if I did?”

So Lu Xueyin fell silent.

Both of them were waiting for the police report.

After a while, Lu Xueyin asked again, “Don’t you have anything to ask me either?”

Sheng Lan found her contradictory.

Wary and guarded, yet still testing and provoking.

Like a cat.

“You wouldn’t answer even if I asked.”

It was the blunt truth, but it made Lu Xueyin storm off in frustration.

Once she was gone, Sheng Lan could finally use the suppressant spray.

Jiang Ling, still in the living room: “…”

Takeout arrived again, but there was no way the two divas in the house would go downstairs to get it.

Sheng Lan sighed and resigned herself to the errand.

When she returned, the living room had already been sprayed with deodorizer. Jiang Ling came out to grab the food and ate with Lu Xueyin in their room.

Through the crack in the door, Sheng Lan saw Lu Xueyin hooked up to an IV drip.

Had she not gotten any injections in the afternoon?

Her ability to focus on the key details was always on point. “Ling-jie, you even know how to give injections? Impressive.”

Jiang Ling: “No need to force small talk with me.”

Perfect.

Sheng Lan saved herself the polite smile.

She didn’t like eating in her room and had a bit of an extrovert streak even with two guests in the house, she still ate at the dining table as usual.

She even pulled up a video to watch, a fan-made shipping edit of Lu Xueyin and someone else.

The moment the background music played, Jiang Ling knew exactly what she was watching.

After a moment of speechlessness, she closed the door expressionlessly.

Lu Xueyin had insisted on coming to Sheng Lan’s place, but once there, she felt uneasy. Even with Jiang Ling by her side, she remained tense, waking up three to five times in just a minute of attempted napping.

The more she slept, the more exhausted she became.

She had barely held it together during the afternoon interrogation, and afterward, she had tried to bait Sheng Lan into saying something.

Not a single word came out, and the effort drained what little energy she had left.

Jiang Ling urged her to eat a little before resting and added, “I don’t know what you’re trying to probe from her, but if you’re like this barely able to exchange a few words, how are you supposed to test her? Rest well tonight, gather your strength, and try again tomorrow.”

They were staying for three days. If she recovered properly, she could test Sheng Lan three hundred times a day.

Lu Xueyin nodded but didn’t want to eat. She pulled the blanket over her head and went straight to sleep.

She had a temper when waking up, and when she got serious, even Jiang Ling couldn’t push further. She took out bedding from the closet and prepared to sleep on the floor.

With the living room quiet, the sound from Sheng Lan’s phone became annoyingly loud.

Thinking of Lu Xueyin’s pale, exhausted face, Sheng Lan silently turned off the video.

After finishing her meal, she also went back to her room to sleep.

Maybe it was because she had napped in the afternoon, or maybe her rut wasn’t completely over yet but once she lay down again, sleep eluded her.

Tossing and turning, her thoughts kept circling back to Lu Xueyin.

There were too many questions.

Sheng Lan never liked overcomplicating things. In short, it was about Lu Xueyin’s pheromones.

Their relationship was awkward, and they didn’t particularly like each other. When they weren’t speaking, they could easily ignore one another. Having an extra housemate was no big deal Sheng Lan could treat her as invisible.

But Lu Xueyin’s pheromones were stubbornly persistent.

Sheng Lan hadn’t even gotten close or touched her, yet her clothes were already saturated with the scent.

Rolling around in her blanket, she felt like the delicate rose fragrance was everywhere.

Changing clothes now would be pointless.

Sheng Lan unlocked her phone.

Asking Baidu would only lead to cancer diagnoses.

So she turned to Meng Chan instead.

[Mountain Wind]: Under what circumstances would an Alpha feel like another Omega’s scent is everywhere?

Meng Chan told her to just say Lu Xueyin’s name outright.

The overworked office drone had no patience for a young Alpha’s restless nighttime thoughts and replied bluntly, “Do you really think Lu Xueyin is trying to seduce you?”

Sheng Lan blinked.

That couldn’t be.

So it must be that Lu Xueyin couldn’t control her pheromones yet.

That made more sense.

This was a private chat, no ratings here.

Sheng Lan knew the rules. She sent money in timed red envelopes, manually giving a five-star review.

[Mountain Wind]: I’ll send you a commendation banner tomorrow. [Heart]

Then she woke up the next morning and realized that Lu Xueyin might, in fact, actually be trying to seduce her.

Lu Xueyin sat on the edge of the bed, facing the window, her back to Sheng Lan. She leaned back slightly, hands braced behind her on the mattress.

The blackout curtains blocked most of the sunlight, leaving only a thin beam slipping through the gap, skirting around them to land on the carpet nearby. The dimness hid the intimacy of the moment.

Sheng Lan could see the delicate, elegant butterfly bones beneath the white lace.

She could also see the faint flush on the back of Lu Xueyin’s neck her scent gland, practically inviting a bite, a kiss, a deep mark.

Her throat went dry.

Her teeth itched.

Sheng Lan closed her eyes, suspecting it was the pheromones messing with her.

They had haunted her all night, finally leading to this ambiguous, dreamlike haze.

She turned over.

Trying to escape, but unable to resist instinct.

She inched closer to Lu Xueyin.

Lu Xueyin seemed to favor strappy nightgowns, leaving large swaths of snow-white skin exposed.

In the dim light, her scent intertwined with Sheng Lan’s, turning that irresistible pull into something tangible, something she could reach out and touch.

Sheng Lan’s desire intensified.

A little voice in her head tempted her further.

She had explicitly said Lu Xueyin couldn’t enter her room.

She didn’t think Lu Xueyin would defy her on purpose.

This was practically offering herself up.

But then she remembered the way Lu Xueyin had looked at her when asking for a mark those eyes brimming with emotion, those breathy, enticing moans.

Heat spread across her thighs.

Like a touch, teasing and electric.

She pulled her hand back, scratching her own leg.

The itch wasn’t there.

Her fingers twitched, nearly brushing against Lu Xueyin.

Sheng Lan caught the scent of May roses growing stronger.

She called Lu Xueyin’s name.

No response.

Sheng Lan threw off the covers and sat up.

Alphas in rut were rarely patient.

Her worst impulses, coaxed out by her pheromones.

She didn’t get out of bed, instead shifting to kneel beside Lu Xueyin.

Her hands settled beside Lu Xueyin’s on the mattress not pressing down, not covering them completely, not lacing their fingers together.

Just close enough that their arms barely touched as she leaned in.

Sheng Lan’s body burned like fire, soothed by Lu Xueyin’s cool skin.

But that wasn’t her goal.

She was taller than Lu Xueyin, and in this position, she loomed over her.

Her pink-brown curls, playful by nature, tumbled over Lu Xueyin’s shoulder, slipping down into the neckline of her nightgown.

Lu Xueyin tensed.

Sheng Lan bent lower, inhaling the scent at her nape.

The source of the rose’s fragrance.

One bite, one mark, and this little rose would be hers alone.

Lu Xueyin’s body stiffened further.

Sheng Lan’s breath was fire.

From her nape to the curve of her ear.

It was strange.

If she hadn’t seen it herself, Sheng Lan wouldn’t have believed it.

Someone could blush at the ears while paling in the face at the same time.

She murmured against Lu Xueyin’s ear, voice low,

“Jiejie, did you get the wrong room?”

Sheng Lan was a singer, skilled in controlling her voice.

Suppressing her tone, restraining her restlessness, the heat in her voice roasted it into a husky rasp.

The way she called out “sister” was dripping with seduction.

Lu Xueyin couldn’t keep up the act any longer.

Her face turned from pale to red, matching the color of her ears.

Like a crimson rose blooming in a pure white porcelain vase, radiant and alluring.

Her body temperature naturally rose, and by the time she left Sheng Lan’s room, it was practically a hasty retreat.

Today, Sheng Lan was bold. She sent Lu Xueyin a message: “All bark and no bite.”

Then she got up to take a shower.

When she came out, she opened Meng Chan’s chat window.

Picking up last night’s conversation, she typed, “Dr. Meng, your commendation banner is canceled.”

On the other side.

Lu Xueyin returned to her room and immediately sprayed suppressants before burying herself under the covers, pretending nothing had happened that morning.

Her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw Sheng Lan’s message.

Her lashes veiled her gaze as she pressed and held the message bubble, deleting it.

Then she went back to sleep.

After reconfirming, she was certain Sheng Lan wasn’t just all talk, she was genuinely a fake Alpha, the utterly incapable kind. So, Lu Xueyin slept soundly.

When Jiang Ling woke up, she didn’t notice the undercurrents that had unfolded between the newlywed wives that morning.

Only from the lingering warmth in the air during breakfast did she sense a hint of something.

As if overnight, they had developed a secret between them.

Even though they barely spoke, there was now an unspoken closeness that outsiders couldn’t penetrate.

This feeling was shattered when Sheng Lan ordered a fingerprint lock via same-day express delivery and had it installed.

Jiang Ling was practically stunned.

“Xueyin, look at her, does she have some kind of persecution complex? She’s an Alpha, yet she’s putting a lock on her room. Who’s she guarding against?”

Lu Xueyin sipped tea from her cup, calmly flipping through the dating show script and past episode outlines Jiang Ling had printed for her.

She looked utterly unruffled.

Jiang Ling: “Does she seriously think you’d go into her room? She’s dreaming!”

Lu Xueyin: “…”

Her lashes fluttered slightly as she told Jiang Ling to drop it.

“It’s her house. She could install a security door, and it still wouldn’t be our business.”

Sheng Lan heard Jiang Ling’s accusation and also caught Lu Xueyin’s “indifference.”

As a cannon fodder character with a strong will to survive, she immediately clarified, “If you need a security door, I can install one for you too.”

Then, addressing Jiang Ling’s question, she added, “Isn’t it obvious? It’s to prevent me from having ‘ulterior motives’ toward my sister.”

Lu Xueyin: “…”

You fake Alpha, what’s with the sarcasm?