A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 30.1

Sheng Lan quickly muted the microphone, cutting off Lu Xueyin’s angry outburst.

Without warning, she leaned in and kissed Lu Xueyin deeply, catching her mid-scolding with her lips parted.

It was so sudden that Lu Xueyin didn’t react immediately.

Caught mid-sentence, her momentary hesitation gave Sheng Lan the perfect opening.

When she finally regained her senses, her first instinct was to pull away.

When that failed, she tried to push Sheng Lan off.

Her restrained movements only made it seem like she was playing hard to get.

Only their lips remained unyielding, one lightly biting, the other retaliating in kind.

When Sheng Lan opened her eyes, she saw Lu Xueyin’s eyes glistening with moisture and couldn’t help but smirk at her handiwork.

Breaking the kiss briefly, she nuzzled her nose against Lu Xueyin’s, her voice husky. “When you were staring at me earlier, all I wanted was to kiss you.”

Then she silenced every sharp retort Lu Xueyin had ready, pinning her against the wall and kissing her until her legs went weak, only releasing her when she needed support.

If this were a film set, Sheng Lan would be a terrible actress.

The moment she got into character, she’d want to kiss and none of her co-stars ever escaped it.

Lu Xueyin raised a hand to cover her mouth, breathing unevenly, her gaze still wary as she watched Sheng Lan.

She desperately wanted to glance past her at the camera.

But Sheng Lan gripped her chin, refusing to let her look.

“Do you know what your expression looks like right now?”

Lu Xueyin knew her own appearance well.

She had spent years practicing every possible expression in front of a mirror, and even now, she still trained for minor roles.

So she knew exactly how impactful it was her flushed cheeks, damp eyes, and lips swollen from kissing.

She accused Sheng Lan of crossing the line.

Sheng Lan said she was just too tempting.

Smooth talker.

Completely shameless.

Lu Xueyin finally realized that when Sheng Lan had said earlier, while washing the horse, “It’d be even better if water flowed from somewhere else,” it wasn’t just ad-libbing for the scene, she was being completely genuine.

“Pervert!”

She was furious.

It was a reflexive reaction.

Anger made her face turn cold, her eyes frosting over as she tried to hide behind detachment and indifference, as if to prove just how enraged she was.

But perhaps she hadn’t fully shaken off the lingering tension from the afternoon, or maybe the kiss had been too deep, too intoxicating.

The heat in her cheeks melted the ice in her gaze.

Her sharp glare held an irresistible pull, tempting Sheng Lan to lean in again.

Lu Xueyin was physically weaker than Sheng Lan, and she didn’t want the camera to catch her struggling during what looked like a forced kiss. So instead, she raised her hands, trying to push Sheng Lan away from the front.

The movement would inevitably brush against Sheng Lan’s chest anyone with a shred of shame would stop immediately.

Sheng Lan did pause, glancing down at Lu Xueyin’s hand.

Her riding outfit was mostly deep black, making Lu Xueyin’s pale fingers stand out starkly against it.

To push, she had to exert force forward.

And when she did, even through the fabric and protective padding, she could feel the softness beneath.

Sheng Lan, the shameless rogue, had the audacity to ask how it felt.

Lu Xueyin recoiled as if burned, instantly pulling her hand back.

Sheng Lan took half a step back, leaving a token distance between them, one that meant nothing.

Lu Xueyin immediately wiped her lips.

The motion seemed like disgust, but the smudged lipstick only made the scene even more suggestive, dragging the atmosphere back into heated tension.

She wasn’t the type to take a loss without retaliation. Since she’d already been kissed, she refused to dwell on Sheng Lan’s real motives, she’d just label her a pervert and be done with it.

Without crying or making a fuss, she calmly negotiated terms with Sheng Lan, “You owe me one Marking.”

This was the exchange condition Sheng Lan had proposed.

A kiss in exchange for a Marking.

Now it was Sheng Lan who owed her.

Sheng Lan let out a strange laugh, “But I’m a fake alpha.”

Lu Xueyin replied, “You can take medication.”

It was possible.

Now that she was the “creditor,” her confidence surged.

They didn’t linger for long. The two left the corner, both instinctively lowering their heads to watch their steps as they headed back to the dressing room to change into casual clothes.

During this time, they turned on their microphones, but neither Sheng Lan nor Lu Xueyin spoke much. The audience could only hear the rustling sounds of them changing clothes.

Lu Xueyin reapplied her lipstick.

When Sheng Lan joined her, they walked together toward the main house.

Today’s filming session had ended.

Lu Xueyin brought up the sleeping arrangement, “In your room or mine?”

This was a topic they could discuss openly with their mics on, a hook to keep the audience engaged until the end.

Unfortunately, Sheng Lan had already cast her own hook much earlier.

Once they entered the room and Lu Xueyin got her phone, it would take no more than three to five minutes for her to find out that Sheng Lan knew how to ride a horse.

This was something the audience had been eagerly anticipating all day. Compared to the nighttime sleeping arrangement which would happen behind closed cameras, they were far more interested in Lu Xueyin’s reaction upon realizing she’d been tricked.

Sheng Lan said, “Is this something they should get to hear for free? Turn off your mic first.”

She turned hers off immediately. Though Lu Xueyin didn’t understand why, she followed suit.

Sheng Lan called her “Teacher Lu.”

After days of being relentlessly addressed as “sister,” hearing this title suddenly gave Lu Xueyin a subtle sense of discomfort and a faint trace of grievance.

She looked at Sheng Lan.

Sheng Lan’s voice carried an apologetic tone, “There’s something I need to confess. Sorry, but you’ll have to put on another act later.”

Under Lu Xueyin’s gaze, Sheng Lan spoke softly but clearly, “Actually, I know how to ride a horse. The audience is probably waiting for your reaction.”

Lu Xueyin’s steps faltered slightly, but she continued walking as if nothing had happened.

Perhaps it was because, for as long as she could remember, few people around her had shown her much kindness.

Incidents like this where everyone was in on the joke, watching her bustle about while mocking her behind her back, treating her like a fool had happened too many times. Hearing Sheng Lan’s confession, all she could muster was a flat “Oh,” with no other strong emotions.

If there was any emotion at all, it might have been disappointment.

Because as her fame grew, her status rose, and with three major acting awards under her belt, her world had largely been confined to the entertainment industry. It had been a long time since anyone treated her this way.

And she never expected it would be Sheng Lan.

Sheng Lan nudged her arm, “Are you angry?”

Lu Xueyin shook her head, “No.”

She wasn’t angry.

But she could now categorize Sheng Lan into the “ordinary people” circle of her social interactions.

This meant Sheng Lan was no different from anyone else, nothing special about her.

Sheng Lan clearly sensed a shift in Lu Xueyin’s demeanor.

It was something she had been confident about just that morning.

Lu Xueyin’s gaze held no distinction between people.

No matter how much or how little someone collaborated with her, it made no real difference to her.

It was as if she was born emotionally detached, her heart made of stone, no one could ever break through.

Sheng Lan didn’t let this ice form an insurmountable wall between them. She explained to Lu Xueyin, “I hinted at it before, but you were so serious. If I’d told you outright, you would’ve deliberately messed with me, and we’d have had to rethink today’s interactions and gags.”

Improvising interactions without a script in front of the cameras was a dangerous game.

Newly in love couples can’t even go 30 days without repeating the same routine, with a minimum of 8 ultra-sticky, ultra-sweet and ultra-witty hours per day.

The two of them had never collaborated before coming here. Without prior discussions, their understanding of each other was limited, leaving few interactions possible. Even their banter had potential landmines to avoid, making it uncertain if the effect would be better than their current performance.

Lu Xueyin lowered her gaze.

She had her own thoughts about this matter.

She understood Sheng Lan’s meaning because she hadn’t noticed the hints, she chose dull and tedious teaching at the riding grounds, willingly sacrificing some popularity to prioritize personal safety.

This choice made it impossible for Sheng Lan to openly hint at her intentions.

Had she made the opposite choice, she could have uncovered Sheng Lan’s hidden script.

She knew Sheng Lan could ride, but Sheng Lan didn’t know she knew.

With that script, by the end of today’s performance, it would be Sheng Lan waiting for the audience’s reactions.

From the start, both of them had been part of the calculation, but the initiative actually lay in Lu Xueyin’s hands.

Sheng Lan said, “You’re too soft-hearted.”

Lu Xueyin shook her head. They had already reached the courtyard. She asked Sheng Lan how to act. “Act angry?”

Sheng Lan nodded. “Yes, but don’t give me the same reaction as before. It made me uncomfortable.”

Lu Xueyin wanted her to feel uncomfortable. “If you’re uncomfortable, isn’t that genuine emotion? That’s how I really act when I’m angry.”

Sheng Lan stopped holding back. “Sister, we’re sharing a room tonight. Think carefully about the script you want to follow, your script will decide mine.”

Her gaze lingered suggestively on Lu Xueyin’s lips. “I think you understand what I mean. I’ll take the ‘fake it till you make it’ script.”

Faking it till making it was very different from just kissing.

Lu Xueyin had even forcefully kissed Sheng Lan before. She believed Sheng Lan wasn’t sensitive to kisses in other words, didn’t take them seriously.

But anything further, Sheng Lan wouldn’t do.

Because Lu Xueyin didn’t think that in just a few days, someone so determined to divorce would suddenly believe in their deep marital bond due to a few Markings and staged intimacy, leading naturally to sharing a bed.

She told Sheng Lan, “Oh, then I’ll give you the ‘kicked off the bed’ script.”

Great.

Sheng Lan began looking forward to the night.

The two turned on their mics and entered the house.

Meng Qing and Ji Xinlan were already sitting in the living room.

Both had their phones. Meng Qing had randomly teamed up with fans in the audience and was currently playing PUBG with them.

Ji Xinlan, meanwhile, had caught up on today’s hot searches, her eyes practically dripping with envy.

Sheng Lan casually adjusted Lu Xueyin’s ponytail, tucking it behind her head to better conceal the Suppression Patch. The two-second action drew a sarcastic remark from Ji Xinlan: “That little bit of flattery isn’t enough, considering you hid your riding skills and made Teacher Lu work hard all day.”

Lu Xueyin was already in character as soon as she entered. She glanced back at Sheng Lan without any particular reaction, clearly ignoring Ji Xinlan’s provocation.

Anyone who had studied the script knew that in such moments, the more trust she displayed, the stronger the audience’s pity for her being kept in the dark would be. When the truth came out, those mocking her as foolish would be fewer than those criticizing Sheng Lan for being unscrupulous.

This was the minor punishment for confessing early.

Ji Xinlan’s provocation failed, but it distracted Meng Qing enough to make a mistake, turning her into a loot box on the spot.

She turned off her phone and, seeing Sheng Lan still composed, admired her nerves of steel.

Meng Qing said to Lu Xueyin, “The host went to prepare the food cards for tonight’s dinner. It’ll be a while before we get our phones back. If you need one, I can lend you mine.”

Her eyes sparkled with the excitement of someone eager to stir up drama.

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