A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 19

At half past six in the morning, Sheng Lan entered the hospital room with the nurse.

Lu Xueyin was woken up.

Her spirits were low. Only with Jiang Ling present in the room could she muster the energy to turn over early in the morning, lying on her stomach as the nurse applied a Sampling Patch to the gland on the back of her neck.

The rest she had managed to get in the latter half of the night hadn’t done much to restore her condition.

Her skin was unnaturally pale, a stark contrast against the deep black of the Sampling Patch.

A few strands of hair lazily draped over her shoulders, faintly revealing slight red marks.

They were traces left by the straps of her nightgown.

Was her skin really that delicate?

Sheng Lan muttered inwardly before asking Jiang Ling if she wanted to rest. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Jiang Ling refused to rest in fact, she even wanted to chase Sheng Lan out.

That was just no fun.

Sheng Lan leaned back on the sofa and dozed off, too lazy to engage with her.

The sampling took half an hour. After tossing the Sampling Patch into the reagent and confirming the color depth indicated that the Pheromone levels had returned to normal, someone came to draw blood from Lu Xueyin.

The moment her sleeve was rolled up, she jolted awake, her eyes filled with fear and wariness.

That look made Sheng Lan’s heart clench.

This time, she voluntarily stepped back, moving to a corner where Lu Xueyin couldn’t see her at a glance.

After the blood draw, Lu Xueyin’s condition remained poor, but she didn’t go back to sleep.

By the time Jiang Ling helped her freshen up, the takeout Sheng Lan had ordered had just arrived.

Having been fed by someone the night before, there was no pretense today. After downing a cup of warm water, Lu Xueyin leaned against the headboard, holding a small bowl as she ate slowly and meticulously with a spoon.

Jiang Ling ate the meal Sheng Lan had bought but still couldn’t resist making snide remarks. “First, you nearly drive someone to death, then come back to play the savior. I’ve really seen it all now.”

Sheng Lan lifted her gaze. Without the light pink contact lenses she usually wore to match her hair color, her eyes lost some of their youthful playfulness, replaced instead by the cold, imposing aura unique to a top-tier Alpha.

And the moment she spoke, her true nature was laid bare.

“You’re eating my food least you could do is say something nice.”

Jiang Ling snorted. “If you want to hear nice words, try doing something decent first.”

Sheng Lan shrugged.

No point arguing with her.

Throughout breakfast, Lu Xueyin remained unusually quiet.

That silence weighed on Sheng Lan, so she called out to her, “What’s on your mind?”

Lu Xueyin’s wandering thoughts were pulled back by her voice.

Their eyes met.

Sheng Lan found the red veins in her eyes irritating.

She also thought Lu Xueyin’s eyelashes were beautiful, thick but not overly curled, with a slight straightness that lent her an aloof, distant air.

Her fingertips itched, and she idly twisted the fringe of the pillow in her lap.

Lu Xueyin asked Jiang Ling to step out first. “I need to talk to Sheng Lan.”

Jiang Ling wasn’t the least bit comfortable leaving the two of them alone.

Right now, she guarded against Sheng Lan like a thief.

Lu Xueyin let out a soft, mocking laugh. “Don’t worry. She’s a fake Alpha, she can’t Mark.”

Sheng Lan’s fingers stilled.

Recalling the scene from yesterday when she’d said those words, she blinked.

So when Lu Xueyin had asked her to Mark, she’d been fully conscious?

Lu Xueyin showed no guilt, staring straight at Sheng Lan as she asked if it was true.

Sheng Lan nodded without hesitation. “Yeah.”

She even repeated, “I’m a fake Alpha. I can’t Mark.”

Whatever Lu Xueyin said about her, she’d own it.

It wasn’t like Lu Xueyin had the power to make it true.

She could do whatever she wanted later.

Jiang Ling’s expression shifted from shock to suspicion, then to pity, and finally to sudden understanding.

No wonder Sheng Lan had never been involved in any scandals before turns out she was incapable.

Since Sheng Lan was “incapable,” Jiang Ling left without another worry.

The newlywed wives were alone in the hospital room, their gazes meeting once more.

Lu Xueyin asked if she wanted a divorce, and before Sheng Lan could even respond, she added with a more mocking tone, emphasizing each word, “You treated me like this just to get a divorce?”

What a baseless accusation.

Sheng Lan certainly couldn’t accept that.

Today, Lu Xueyin wasn’t as tense as yesterday. Her rationality had returned, and they could finally have a proper conversation.

“I didn’t ask you to go there. I’ve never stayed in that house since buying it. I’ve already reported it to the police, and they might need to take your statement today.”

Lu Xueyin was thrown off by her words.

Relying on her acting skills as an award-winning actress, she only flickered her gaze briefly before continuing calmly.

“The one who called me over was your friend.”

Sheng Lan nodded. “Exactly. Not me personally.”

Lu Xueyin showed her the call log.

Sheng Lan dialed the number saved under “Sheng Lan” right in front of her, it was already switched off.

Then Sheng Lan called Lu Xueyin with her own phone. Her number was saved as a string of digits that looked suspiciously like a “telecom scam.”

Lu Xueyin put her phone away without confirming whether she believed it or not, simply stating that divorce was out of the question.

Sheng Lan leaned back in her chair and studied her.

Their seating positions created a height difference Lu Xueyin sat against the headboard, keeping her distance, her posture haughty. But her exhaustion dulled her sharpness, and her voice remained hoarse, keeping the conversation from escalating.

Her reasoning was simple.

This was an arranged marriage demanded by their families. If she could have refused, they wouldn’t have gotten married in the first place.

Sheng Lan had been forced into it under the threat of leaving the entertainment industry. Lu Xueyin’s situation was different.

Her mother had cancer, it was practically a dying wish.

Not only would she not divorce now, but last night’s incident also had to be kept secret.

If necessary, they might even have to pretend to be a loving couple to show their relationship was strong.

Sheng Lan sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

So that’s why Lu Xueyin hadn’t mentioned divorce yesterday.

She really wanted to channel a salesperson’s enthusiasm and shout, “Here’s your chance to get rid of the ‘scumbag Alpha’ forever don’t miss it!”

So she tried negotiating with Lu Xueyin: “How about we quietly get a divorce behind their backs?”

Lu Xueyin responded with a flawless, professional smile.

Sheng Lan lowered her gaze, recalling the original novel.

In the book, Lu Xueyin endured long-term abuse from the scumbag Alpha, landing in the hospital multiple times, yet never once brought up divorce during that period.

It wasn’t until her Gland was forcibly removed that she finally snapped.

A single forced Marking wasn’t as severe as losing her Gland. But enduring a year of domestic violence, emotional abuse, and career setbacks was beyond what most people could tolerate.

Besides, Lu Xueyin was an adult. The moment she agreed to go to the suburban villa, she should have guessed what might happen.

Yet she hadn’t resisted.

Thinking back to Lu Xueyin’s attitude toward her yesterday she didn’t want multiple Markings, but she was willing to accept Sheng Lan’s.

Sheng Lan was momentarily speechless.

She looked up at Lu Xueyin again, feeling a pang of frustration.

Even with the original plot in mind, she didn’t truly feel like the “scumbag Alpha” because her personality was worlds apart from that character.

But if she didn’t want to end up as cannon fodder, she had to shed that label.

The fastest way to do that was to stay far away from the original storyline.

And the best way to avoid the plot was to get a divorce.

Yet seeing Lu Xueyin’s pale face now, barely holding onto her composed facade as she spoke, and considering the suffering she would endure Sheng Lan’s heart softened. She couldn’t bring herself to insist on divorce.

As they remained deadlocked, Meng Chan arrived for her shift.

She brought the test results, with Jiang Ling following close behind.

Meng Chan was the straightforward type she got right to the point.

Seeing both Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin nod, she got straight to the point. “You don’t have Pheromone Imbalance Syndrome.”

Just as everyone was about to look relieved, Meng Chan’s words took a sharp turn: “But—”

“You’ll need medication to flush out the Inducer, be cautious with Inhibitor use, and receive injections for three more days. Come back for a follow-up in a week to check the residual Inducer levels and adjust the dosage.”

If the treatment plan isn’t followed during this period, symptoms could recur.

Not having Pheromone Imbalance Syndrome was the best news everything else was bearable.

Lu Xueyin requested discharge again, and Meng Chan once more presented her with the liability waiver, which only required a signature to leave.

As a married individual, Sheng Lan also needed to sign.

Sheng Lan hesitated. “Stay one more day. You look like you might faint any moment.”

Lu Xueyin resisted staying at the hospital. “Just sign it. I won’t be able to sleep here anyway.”

Sheng Lan picked up the pen, her mind wandering.

Married people had it so troublesome even leaving the hospital required a spouse’s signature.

If she used this to reason with Lu Xueyin, would it make her more eager to divorce?

The thought was despicable.

Taking advantage of someone’s weakness to threaten them.

Sheng Lan.

You’re done for.

Your mind has been corrupted by “scummy Alpha” tendencies.

She signed swiftly.

As long as she bore the title of Lu Xueyin’s wife, she’d fulfill the role properly.

Sheng Lan handled the discharge procedures, arranged transportation, and assured that PR would prevent any negative trending topics for the next couple of days.

She was also self-aware after seeing Lu Xueyin into the car, she didn’t follow.

After placing the newly prepared medical kit in the vehicle, she exchanged contact information with Jiang Ling and made sure Lu Xueyin saved her number.

Her final reminder: “Someone will contact you for a statement.”

Then she closed the car door.

Once outside the hospital’s confines, without the dual effects of blocking agents and deodorizers, Lu Xueyin’s May Rose Pheromones began seeping into Sheng Lan’s senses again.

As the car door shut, the pheromones seemed to surge outward, mingling with the gust of wind from the closing door and rushing toward Sheng Lan.

Rich, clear a warm fragrance that could lull one’s guard completely.

Sheng Lan pulled a portable Inhibitor from her pocket and, without hesitation, closed her eyes and spritzed it over her face.

Mere pheromones.

A mere little rose.

She wasn’t afraid.

Only after her own car had driven some distance did she realize she’d forgotten something.

Sheng Lan tilted her head, thinking. If she couldn’t recall it, it couldn’t be important. Better to go home and catch up on sleep.

Back at the hospital.

Meng Chan knocked on Yu Cheng’s door.

“Room check.”

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