A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 20.1

Sheng Lan didn’t like listening to voice messages.

If the relationship was good, she could tolerate listening to the beginning.

If the relationship was bad, she’d simply pretend she never saw it.

Yu Cheng belonged to the former category.

She tapped to listen to the first and last parts both were full of angry rants.

Only then did she remember she’d left her poor friend, who had come to deliver her phone, stranded at the hospital.

There was still time to salvage the situation.

Sheng Lan cleared her throat and, amidst the barrage of voice messages, cautiously sent a single text: Weren’t you just there to sightsee?

Yu Cheng exploded.

Sheng Lan went into hiding.

Her current residence was close to Starlight Entertainment, a spacious riverside apartment with a price tag higher than many villa districts in Jinhe City. The security was also top-notch.

No stalkers or paparazzi could sneak in, which put Sheng Lan at ease.

It was the perfect place to catch up on sleep.

If not for Jiang Ling’s incessant calls the moment she stepped out of the elevator, she would’ve slept for a full day.

Jiang Ling said there were swarms of reporters outside Lu Xueyin’s place.

Lu Xueyin had two residences: one was a privately purchased apartment, and the other was a company dormitory.

The dormitory also housed trainees, and the rooms were often littered with “business cards.” Unable to tolerate the disturbance, Lu Xueyin moved out as soon as she saved enough money.

The apartment was barely considered mid-to-high-end, but the entry and exit controls weren’t strict.

The security was passable not particularly good, but not terrible either.

Sheng Lan found it odd. “Did she say she was coming to my place?”

Given how little Lu Xueyin seemed to trust her, she’d probably rather be surrounded by reporters than step foot in Sheng Lan’s home.

And besides, “Can’t she stay at your place?”

Jiang Ling asked for her address. “Hurry up. People are already noticing my car parked here.”

Sheng Lan gave the address, and the call ended abruptly.

She ran a hand through her pink hair.

If moods had colors, hers would’ve upgraded to a full rainbow complicated and hard to decipher.

Before Lu Xueyin arrived, Sheng Lan moved all her personal belongings from the living room into her bedroom.

She also tidied up a guest room.

Then, she ordered takeout.

This marriage was something else.

She felt like a scapegoated live-in maid.

Unsure how long they’d take, Sheng Lan grabbed a yogurt, curled up on the sofa, and sipped slowly through a straw.

Even her phone wasn’t entertaining anymore. She clicked into Lu Xueyin’s social feed.

This woman was boring.

Her feed was as polished as her official account filled with promotional posts. Some mutual friends had liked and commented, but Lu Xueyin hadn’t replied to a single one.

Ice-cold.

The latest update read: “On leave for three days. Do not disturb.”

Three days just enough for the wedding formalities.

Day one: meeting the parents. Day two: getting the certificate. Day three: newlywed cuddles.

Remembering she also had three days off, Sheng Lan immediately sent her agent, Liang Jiao, a photo proof of her 39.2°C fever and her determination to take leave.

Divorce wasn’t an option yet mainly because she couldn’t force Lu Xueyin’s hand.

So, they’d just have to lay low. During the marriage, they’d keep it under wraps, leaving no traces for netizens to sniff out.

Liang Jiao sent a voice message: “Trying to avoid Lu Xueyin, huh? Then get back to work early.”

Sheng Lan: “Jiaojiao, you’re busy. I won’t bother you.”

But Liang Jiao didn’t let her off the hook. After hanging up, she sent a document and demanded a response.

“Your rival Ji Xinlan wants this variety show spot too. She’s already started the promo hype. I snatched it for you first. You have until noon tomorrow to decide.”

In her three years in the industry, Sheng Lan had only one real rival: Ji Xinlan.

Back when they debuted from the same talent show, the competition for resources started from day one.

This was trivial competition exists everywhere in the entertainment industry, hardly worth mentioning.

The real issue was Ji Xinlan wanting to create a CP with Sheng Lan, marketing them as a top-tier Alpha paired with a sweet, delicate Omega.

After Sheng Lan refused, Ji Xinlan turned around and tried to expose Sheng Lan for allegedly attempting to forcibly Mark her.

Too bad for her.

Sheng Lan was always vigilant.

She didn’t believe for a second that a woman who had just failed to negotiate a CP partnership would invite her to a late-night room visit for a heart-to-heart chat.

So she went live.

That feud had lasted for years.

Ji Xinlan was ruthless she immediately switched to playing the lovelorn victim that very day.

Sheng Lan had been forced to endure her “affection” for over two years, finally breaking free early this year.

Ji Xinlan found another Alpha, and while flaunting their relationship, she loved nothing more than dragging Sheng Lan down.

Sheng Lan, in turn, loved snatching her resources.

The variety show Liang Jiao presented to her was undoubtedly problem-free.

Coincidentally, Sheng Lan also wanted to lay low for a while and create some distance from Lu Xueyin, so she agreed without hesitation.

“Thanks, Sister Jiao, for the opportunity.”

She didn’t even bother checking what kind of show it was.

Since food deliveries couldn’t reach the residential area, Sheng Lan had them left at the security booth.

She also informed the guards that friends would be coming by later and asked them to bring everything up together.

Jiang Ling arrived in a huff, scolding Sheng Lan for not coming down to greet them.

Sheng Lan had a solid excuse. “If I went down, the paparazzi tailing me would’ve snapped a dozen shots.”

Jiang Ling set the things down and helped Lu Xueyin to the couch.

Being a guest softened her temper slightly. “Didn’t you say your PR team was handling things these days?”

Sheng Lan unpacked the takeout and arranged it on the coffee table. “Giving the PR team’s hardworking ladies a break.”

Jiang Ling: “…”

Sheng Lan handed chopsticks to Lu Xueyin.

Lu Xueyin gave them a faint glance, her expression practically saying: Alphas really are pigs, eating two meals in one morning.

So Sheng Lan took the chopsticks for herself.

At the hospital, she had only ordered plain congee and side dishes. She wasn’t familiar with Lu Xueyin’s eating habits.

Afraid of ordering too much she hated waste and didn’t want to appear weak in front of her, she had stuck to small portions. If she couldn’t finish, she’d force herself to, so she only ordered small bowls of porridge.

Perfect for a patient like Lu Xueyin, but for an Alpha like her, whose energy and stamina were heavily depleted, eating that little was like having nothing at all.

She pointed to the kitchen. “There’s rice, noodles, meat, and veggies, you can cook if you want.”

Too much trouble.

Jiang Ling urged Lu Xueyin to eat more. “Have something before resting. Waking up hungry will feel worse.”

The same plain disposable wooden chopsticks when handed by Jiang Ling, Lu Xueyin accepted them.

Sheng Lan felt a twinge of dissatisfaction. She ladled out a bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup for Lu Xueyin.

She could’ve set it on the table, but she insisted on passing it directly.

Lu Xueyin’s skin was a translucent white, like untouched snow atop a cliff, untainted by any hue.

The faint blue veins beneath her skin resembled delicate strings, waiting to be plucked.

There were also tiny blood spots on the back of her hand from IV injections.

This reminded Sheng Lan of last night, when Lu Xueyin had “provoked” her, the brush of the patient gown’s sleeve against her own hand.

Her fingertips itched.

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