A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 3

The process of meeting the parents was dull and tedious.

Mainly because it was awkward, every moment felt painfully long.

After dinner, it was Sheng Lan’s mother who pulled Lu Xueyin into small talk.

The Sheng and Lu families had been close two generations ago.

But as their fortunes rose in the previous generation, the connection gradually faded.

Moving homes, changing social circles, busy lives.

Because of the wealth gap, one side didn’t want to appear ostentatious, so they were cautious in every way.

The other side didn’t want to seem like they were currying favor, so they restrained themselves in every way.

Slowly, the desire to share faded. Only the old affection remained, exchanging holiday greetings once a year.

This engagement was the kind of clichéd arranged marriage you’d find in a soap opera.

Neither family had actually brought it up. It was Lu Xueyin’s mother, diagnosed with cancer and given a year to live, who dug out the yellowed engagement contract and knocked on their door.

She was worried about Lu Xueyin, fearing the chaos of the entertainment industry and that her daughter would be left alone and bullied.

So Lu Xueyin’s reason for agreeing to the marriage was simple: to fulfill her mother’s dying wish, so she wouldn’t spend her last days worrying.

What happened after the wedding, however, was unexpected.

That evening, the two didn’t stay long, rushing back for Lu Xueyin’s injection.

Amid the enthusiastic attempts to keep them, Sheng Lan said breezily, “We’re newlyweds, we’re going home to sleep. Why are you trying to keep us?”

Both mothers slapped her.

Sheng Lan successfully got Lu Xueyin out the door.

Lu Xueyin wasn’t grateful. Once in the car, she dropped the sweet, docile wife act, buckled her seatbelt, and closed her eyes to rest. Her exhaustion was palpable.

Sheng Lan didn’t comment, driving smoothly.

When they reached the garage, Lu Xueyin opened her eyes.

Clearly, she hadn’t slept at all.

Being treated with wariness and distrust didn’t feel great. Sheng Lan, new to catering to a princess, lacked experience.

She said, “Must be my bad driving that kept you awake.”

Taking the blame and playing the sycophant both came off as sarcastic.

Lu Xueyin unbuckled but didn’t get out.

Her lips pressed tight, brows slightly furrowed, as if she had something important to say.

Sheng Lan leaned against the steering wheel, watching her.

“Sister, maybe we can talk at home?”

Lu Xueyin hated being called “sister.”

Sheng Lan had a lovely voice and knew how to use it.

Maybe it was her personality, or maybe she was teasing, but the lightness in her tone and the sweetness of her voice made “sister” sound unbearably intimate.

Lu Xueyin asked Sheng Lan to accompany her to the hospital the next day. “To see my mom.”

They’d discussed it before Sheng Lan wanted a divorce, Lu Xueyin refused.

If necessary, they’d even have to fake affection in front of their elders.

Sheng Lan hadn’t agreed outright, leaving Lu Xueyin uncertain.

“I went home with you today,” she said.

And she’d performed flawlessly.

Whether on the phone or in person, there was nothing to criticize.

Sheng Lan chuckled.

Lu Xueyin looked up. “What’s so funny?”

Sheng Lan: “I think you’re interesting.”

Meeting the parents, and now this “take-it-or-leave-it” attitude?

Lu Xueyin felt guilty.

By nature, she couldn’t banter like Sheng Lan, saying things like “You’d have to meet her eventually.” Instead, she repeated, “Will you go or not?”

Sheng Lan tapped the steering wheel. “Say it again. Listen to yourself doesn’t it sound like you’re cursing at me?”

Lu Xueyin hadn’t meant it that way at all.

She hadn’t had her injection yet, and with her emotions running high, her pheromones grew restless.

Sheng Lan caught the scent of roses.

She really wanted Lu Xueyin to rein it in.

She found Lu Xueyin’s struggle to maintain composure quite amusing though the girl tried hard to appear calm, her ears betrayed her emotions.

The tips of her ears were flushed crimson.

Lu Xueyin undid her hairband, tousling her long curls to cover her ears, but her face remained exposed and equally flushed.

She forced a composed expression, lips pressed into a tight line, her demeanor cool and distant.

It reminded Sheng Lan of the first time their paths had crossed.

She had greeted Lu Xueyin, only to be met with a brush past, no acknowledgment.

Her gaze had followed Lu Xueyin’s retreating figure for a long while, noticing how the girl regarded everyone with that same detached, wary look, a natural chill, as if distrust were woven into her bones.

A lack of security.

Now, Lu Xueyin steadied herself and even offered Sheng Lan a faint smile. “Are you free tomorrow? I’d like to visit my mother at the hospital. Could you come with me?”

Sheng Lan sighed inwardly.

She knew Lu Xueyin had noted her earlier hesitation in agreeing to accompany her.

No point explaining now.

Doing so would only make it seem like she was forcing Lu Xueyin to admit fault making things worse.

When they returned, Jiang Ling was in the living room, ostensibly working though in reality, she was on the phone, berating someone.

A full three minutes passed before she finally asked Lu Xueyin whether she wanted her IV now or later before bed.

“I’ll be working late tonight, so I can keep an eye on it. I’ll remove the needle when it’s done.”

As she spoke, she also noticed the shift in atmosphere between the two women.

In the morning, there had been secrets; when they left, a hint of familiarity. Now, distance had crept back in.

Sheng Lan couldn’t help with the IV, so she retreated to her room to avoid being in the way.

She reached for the handle out of habit, only to find the door locked. Instinctively, she pushed harder, then remembered she had changed the lock.

A quick fingerprint scan later, the lock clicked open.

Once she was inside, Jiang Ling finally asked Lu Xueyin, “What happened? Did she give you trouble?”

Lu Xueyin shook her head. “Everything went fine. I’m just tired.”

Back home, her exhaustion became more apparent.

Jiang Ling, a beta, couldn’t detect pheromones.

Lu Xueyin sprayed herself with suppressants, then swallowed her medication with warm water.

Too weak for a shower, she removed her makeup and settled in for the IV drip, planning to wash up afterward.

Being ill, skipping a shower for a day was understandable.

Jiang Ling didn’t even intend to wake her, figuring she could bathe in the morning.

Aside from her morning grumpiness, Lu Xueyin had another quirk, if woken mid-sleep, she couldn’t drift off again.

But Jiang Ling didn’t know that without washing up, Lu Xueyin couldn’t sleep deeply either.

When the needle was removed, exhaustion kept her from stirring.

Later, as her body recovered slightly, she forced her eyes open.

Not wanting to disturb Jiang Ling, who was still asleep, Lu Xueyin grabbed her nightgown and undergarments, heading for the guest bathroom.

The moment she opened the door, she collided with Sheng Lan, who was holding a water glass.

Both froze.

Recalling Lu Xueyin’s morning intrusion into her room, Sheng Lan suddenly understood and teased, “Can’t sleep, so you came looking for me?”

That had been Lu Xueyin testing her.

Now, certain Sheng Lan was a fake alpha, one who showed no respect for the unspoken rules of an omega’s safety when encountering a top-tier alpha late at night Lu Xueyin clutched her clothes tighter.

After stepping out, she gently closed the door behind her, exposing the slender, pale nape of her neck.

Sheng Lan’s tongue pressed against her teeth.

The realization hit her belatedly.

Ah.

Not seduction.

A test.

Suddenly, the idea of spending a year like this with Lu Xueyin didn’t seem so bad.

It was interesting.

Lu Xueyin passed by her, carrying the unrestrained warmth of rose fragrance.

When sleeping, Alphas and Omegas are mentally relaxed, not deliberately suppressing their pheromones, which become more intense than usual.

With one fake Alpha and one Beta at home, and Lu Xueyin getting up in the middle of the night to shower without even spraying suppressants.

She had absolutely no guard up against an Alpha!

Driven by her competitive nature, Sheng Lan called out to her, “Actually, I’m not a fake Alpha.”

Lu Xueyin stepped into the bathroom, and just as the door was about to close, she spared Sheng Lan a response through the crack.

“Right, you’re not a fake Alpha, you’re just genuinely incapable.”

Sheng Lan: ?

Do you really think it’s appropriate for an Omega to discuss this with me in the middle of the night?

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