A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 20.2

She wanted to peel off the thin scab over the blood spot on Lu Xueyin’s hand, to see if the bead of blood that welled up would be the red of a rose.

This thought made her surrender in their silent standoff.

Drinking the soup herself was her last act of defiance.

As the hot broth warmed her stomach, she thought she heard Lu Xueyin chuckle.

Sheng Lan glanced over but it might have been her imagination.

Jiang Ling stepped out to the balcony to take a call.

Sheng Lan asked Lu Xueyin why she wanted to come here. “My place probably wasn’t your first choice for accommodation, was it?”

If it really came down to it, booking a hotel room would be better than staying here.

Lu Xueyin just couldn’t let go of the “fake Alpha” joke.

She said, “You’re a fake Alpha, which makes me feel very safe.”

There was genuine resentment in her words.

Even though she was already in Sheng Lan’s territory, she could have easily changed her phrasing and tone said she trusted Sheng Lan, flattered her a little to make her happy.

But she deliberately poked at Sheng Lan’s sore spot, even casting her a faintly mocking glance.

As if lamenting that such a top-tier Alpha, so alluring in appearance, was unfortunately, dysfunctional.

Sheng Lan took another sip of soup.

“Be serious. Is this a temporary one-day stay, a frequent arrangement, or a long-term living situation?”

Lu Xueyin said it depended, but they could consider it a frequent arrangement for now.

“Doesn’t your family care about our post-marriage situation?”

Sheng Lan seized the chance to snipe back at Lu Xueyin. “After all, you’re the entertainment industry’s number one beauty Omega. My family has no idea I’m… incapable.”

Lu Xueyin replied coolly, “I could notify them for you.”

Sheng Lan didn’t want to talk to her anymore and focused on eating.

When Jiang Ling returned from her phone call, she found the atmosphere between the two unbearably frosty and expressed concern about Lu Xueyin’s decision to stay over.

She didn’t support Lu Xueyin staying here at all.

After all, using a large dose of Inducer on one’s spouse on their wedding night and landing them in the hospital was undeniably scummy behavior.

Lu Xueyin insisted.

She even defended Sheng Lan with an explanation.

Truth be told, Jiang Ling only grew angrier after hearing it.

Unwilling to leave Lu Xueyin alone here, she declared she would stay too.

Sheng Lan was indifferent. “Do whatever you want.”

“I start work tomorrow. Make yourselves at home.”

If they stayed long enough, she’d just buy another property.

Feeling petty, she showed them to the guest room after dinner, explained they could go anywhere except her own bedroom, then retreated to her room.

After freshening up, she played a few rounds of mobile games before checking the documents Liang Jiao had sent her.

It was details for a dating variety show called Trial Love Period.

The invited guests were all single celebrities who would randomly draw cards to form CPs, then engage in a month-long simulated relationship.

Live broadcast plus edited versions.

The last variety show Sheng Lan participated in was a reality show.

It had shattered her public image because she’d always been known as the “cool sister.”

But on the show, she became a walking meme.

She’d tried her best to stay serious.

But because she was too serious, it backfired.

To this day, countless clips still circulate online, and the memes… well, let’s not talk about the memes.

A live broadcast variety show?

Her goofiness would be impossible to hide.

Compared to that, dating was a minor issue.

Who could fall for a walking meme?

She’d turn any romantic tension into pure sisterly camaraderie in seconds.

Moreover, if this was a dating show, she wouldn’t be stealing Ji Xinlan’s resources, it was more likely she’d be taking the spot meant for Ji Xinlan’s Alpha.

What if Ji Xinlan joined the show and got paired with her…

Yikes.

Hesitantly, Sheng Lan opened Liang Jiao’s chat window and tentatively expressed her desire to maintain her cool image, adding that there was no way she’d do a trial relationship with Ji Xinlan.

Liang Jiao mercilessly shut her down. “Your real personality is more appealing than your manufactured image. I’ve already given the show our confirmation.”

She even dangled a carrot. “If you don’t want people connecting you to Lu Xueyin, what better way than joining a dating show? Who would ever suspect you two are involved?”

She reassured her, “I’m friends with the director. I’ll pull some strings for you when the time comes.”

Sheng Lan immediately felt at ease and sent Liang Jiao ten thumbs-up emojis in a row.

【Mountain Wind】: Sister Jiao! You’re the best!

Then she tossed her phone aside and went back to sleep peacefully.

Outside, Jiang Ling inspected the room to confirm Sheng Lan hadn’t tampered with anything.

No hidden cameras, no listening devices, and no alterations to the daily necessities especially the Inhibitors. She checked each one carefully, and everything was normal.

Only then did she call Lu Xueyin back to rest.

Lu Xueyin had just wrapped up her last film, and with no urgent schedule, she was arranged to get married.

She currently had some endorsements and didn’t need to join any film sets, leaving her relatively free.

But being free meant staying at home.

And staying at Sheng Lan’s home was unacceptable.

Jiang Ling mentioned that she had turned down too many opportunities in the past, making things difficult now.

“Right now, it’s mostly endorsement ads and scripts. But since you’re a method actor, you need a break after each project. Jumping into another role too soon would be too mentally draining.”

Jiang Ling skimmed through emails, automatically filtering out invitations from unknown sources accepting them would lower her status.

As she browsed, she added, “At the beginning of the year, you turned down a variety show. Now the industry assumes it’s pointless to invite you.”

Jiang Ling suddenly sounded surprised. “《Trial Love Period》?”

Lu Xueyin looked up.

Though she didn’t participate in variety shows, she still kept up with what was trending in the industry.

This dating show was currently the hottest one.

In the entertainment industry, even slightly famous stars tend to have some shipping fandoms.

For someone like Lu Xueyin, who had acted in numerous TV dramas and films, the number of fan-made pairing videos was overwhelming due to her many co-stars.

Two of her character pairings ranked high in Super Topics.

The show’s biggest draw was that the director dared to invite popular on-screen couples to participate.

Fans were going wild over it.

Lu Xueyin asked about the duration.

It would start in three days and last for a month.

She told Jiang Ling, “Let’s go with this one.”

Jiang Ling frowned. “It’s a live broadcast format. You’ve never done variety shows before, and jumping straight into this.”

Lu Xueyin said it was fine. “I know how to behave in front of cameras.”

Jiang Ling thought it might be better to pick a script and join a film set instead acting was acting, after all.

After finishing the emails, she also texted some industry friends.

Aside from this show, there was also an extreme challenge variety show.

Extreme shows were notoriously unfriendly to Omegas, with audiences sharply divided.

Half wanted to see Alpha’s breeze through the challenges, while the other half wanted to see Omega’s whimper and struggle.

《Trial Love Period》would finalize its lineup by noon the next day.

The filming location was in the same city, so there’d be no issues with acclimatization, and it would also keep her away from Sheng Lan for a month.

Jiang Ling replied to the show’s email.

The newlywed couple, each trying to avoid the other, had no idea they were about to cross paths again on the same variety show.

In the afternoon, when they received a call for a statement to be taken, Sheng Lan got up to accompany Lu Xueyin.

While waiting.

Sheng Lan suppressed her delight and deliberately teased Lu Xueyin, “I’d love to stay home with you, but alas, Sister Jiao got me a gig. I’ll be leaving in a few days.”

Lu Xueyin couldn’t care less about where she was going or what job she’d taken.

She said, “Don’t worry, I won’t be staying at your place for long either.”

She’d be leaving in a few days too.

From her tone, Sheng Lan could hear a hint of relief and cheer.

Seems like stopping by her place today hadn’t made Lu Xueyin very happy either.

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