A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 23

With Sheng Lan’s disinterest as a premise, Lu Xueyin didn’t let her thoughts wander when hints of her heat cycle emerged.

The wariness and defensiveness from last time had already left her thoroughly embarrassed.

But she managed to offend Sheng Lan in a different way. “Does that mean the mark you gave me last time was ineffective?”

Sheng Lan could read the implication in her eyes clear as day, it said, You really are useless, even with suppressants.

If one were to twist it maliciously, it’d be: Calling you a fake Alpha is being generous, you’re downright pathetic.

That marking hadn’t been pleasant for Sheng Lan either.

So Lu Xueyin’s words truly pissed her off beyond repair.

She waved a hand dismissively. “Go back to sleep.”

Without another word, she strode back to the window.

Half-mocking, half-reminding her, “Do you know what my appearance fee is? Don’t bother with a three-digit ‘payment.'”

She didn’t wait for Lu Xueyin’s response. With effortless grace, she vaulted over the windowsill, landing lightly on the ground below. Too lazy to hide, she texted Xiao Tao on the way, telling her not to bother disabling the cameras.

Xiao Tao, freshly awake, asked if something had gone wrong.

[Mountain Wind]: Got a new task for you.

[Mountain Wind]: Go pick someone up from Dr. Meng’s place and bring her here.

Lu Xueyin had gotten her suppressants from Meng Chan, and the dates lined up, Meng Chan would know what was going on.

Sheng Lan had planned to slip back into her own room.

But when she glanced up, she noticed Meng Qing’s light was still on.

She took two steps back, studying the curtains.

They swayed slightly likely from the wind.

Do none of these girls close their windows when they sleep?

Being angry at Lu Xueyin didn’t mean she wanted to leave her in an awkward position.

She could ignore Lu Xueyin today, but she needed to divert attention.

Going into heat on a Live Broadcast Variety Show was no different from doing it in public.

With Lu Xueyin’s thin skin, she’d probably have to quit the industry just to recover.

Better work hard to survive, Sheng Lan thought.

She climbed through Meng Qing’s window.

Meng Qing was in the shower and called her insane.

“What are you doing here at this hour instead of sleeping?”

Then, puzzled, “How’d you even get in? Did I forget to lock the door?”

Sheng Lan warned her to watch her mouth. “I turned on the mics. You’ll trend for cursing in a second.”

Those who knew her understood she rarely spoke harshly.

If she did, she was genuinely pissed.

Meng Qing told her to wait.

After staying up late, her face was oily, and she needed to clean up.

Only after Meng Qing had blow-dried her hair, applied a no-makeup makeup look, and settled back into bed, pretending to be asleep, did Sheng Lan turn on the cameras and audio equipment.

Her opening line was pure provocation: “Alphas are so intense.”

It wasn’t even seven yet, but the live chat was packed.

Meng Qing’s viewers were mostly her own fans.

Since everyone knew she and Ji Xinlan had zero chemistry, Ji Xinlan’s fans were nonexistent here, the few shippers were negligible.

Sheng Lan’s voice jolted them awake.

First came a flood of question marks.

Then exclamation points.

Then the screen exploded with variations of “Holy shit!”

The new day’s broadcast kicked off with the trending tag: #ShengLanAndMengQingSleptTogether#

Sheng Lan’s fans and Lu Xueyin’s fans still lurking in the stream: WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!

Newly converted shippers: Did the ship sink already???

With one sentence, Sheng Lan set the internet on fire, demonstrating how to trend with a single line then turned and walked away.

Meng Qing yelled, “Mountain!” and hurled a pillow at her.

Sheng Lan took the hit without dodging.

Meng Qing’s eyelid twitched. “Shut the hell up!”

Sheng Lan didn’t shut up and handed her a second trending topic, “You’re still so energetic must mean I didn’t try hard enough last night.”

Free publicity, of course, should go to her own people.

But Meng Qing, one of her own people, absolutely did not want it!!

Sheng Lan turned and headed back to her room to start her new day of work.

She turned on the camera and audio equipment, picked up her iPad to check the scrolling comments, and selectively replied.

“I’m not in a bad mood. What do you mean I look grumpy? Don’t I look cool?”

“Fine, if not cool, then how about this does this face look like it’s unsatisfied?”

“Trending? If it’s trending, then it must be true.”

“How is that cheating? Meng Qing and I are purely sisterly, just helping each other out.”

“Oh, correction: I helped her.”

Then, on her phone, she accepted Meng Qing’s challenge to a fight.

Not content with stirring the pot enough, she didn’t text she sent a voice message.

“Sure, let’s fight on the bed tonight.”

Meng Qing: ???

She was terrified.

On her livestream, she said to the audience with a grave expression, “I think Sheng Lan’s been cursed.”

She even found a plausible explanation, “After all, there’s a haunted house not far from here.”

[No need to explain, those who know, know.]

[Always thought you two were kinda gay, thank you, show crew, I’m fed.]

[Wait, are there no solo stans left these days???]

[No solo stans, already unfollowed. Need Qingqing’s kiss to come back / collapses]

Meng Qing: …

Numb. Whatever.

Meanwhile, Lu Xueyin didn’t go back to sleep after Sheng Lan left.

After splashing cold water on her face in the bathroom, she realized she’d said the wrong thing.

The mark was something she had asked for, and she’d even taken it upon herself to prescribe Sheng Lan medicine, insisting on making sure she took it.

Given her current physical state, the mark wouldn’t take the most likely reason was her unstable pheromones. Sheng Lan’s issues accounted for, at most, 20% of the problem.

After washing up, she changed and did her makeup as usual.

Perhaps because she’d been reminded, the strange sensations in her body grew stronger.

Weakness, exhaustion, a burning heat.

Her skin flushed beautifully.

Like a rose on the verge of withering, silently begging for nourishment, tempting someone to pour sweet rain over her.

Too bad there was no one around.

A group notification from the production team popped up.

It was time to start work, business as usual.

The message to Lu Xueyin in particular emphasized:

There was a livestreaming quota to meet.

In a world where everyone had a secondary gender, an Omega saying they were in heat was as ordinary as an Alpha mentioning their susceptibility period.

But Lu Xueyin’s fingers hovered over her phone, tapping several times without managing to type the words out.

The buzz Sheng Lan had stirred up yesterday was huge. If Lu Xueyin took the day off now, she’d be dragged mercilessly.

In a CP scenario, this choice would also leave Sheng Lan solo, indirectly wasting her time.

But pushing through wasn’t an option either.

Today’s livestream included outdoor segments.

They had to pick riding outfits and horses.

Recalling Sheng Lan’s words, Lu Xueyin hesitated before finally sending her a message.

[Lu Xueyin]: What’s your appearance fee?

[Lu Xueyin]: Just to clarify, I’m not in good condition today, so it might affect your stream too. (No other meaning.)

Her survival instincts were strong, to say the least.

Sheng Lan, holding a breakfast tray in one hand, replied with the other.

[Shan Feng]: Not sure what you’re talking about.

[Lu Xueyin]: Come mark me. Name your price.

She didn’t even imply Sheng Lan might fail.

Nor did she mention the medicine.

Lu Xueyin figured if Sheng Lan couldn’t mark her, she’d say so outright upon seeing the message.

She would think of another way when the time came.

But Sheng Lan replied: Alright, you just wait for me.

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