A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 35.2

Yu Cheng was practically dying of laughter.

[You Er]: Are you serious? If you react like this, I’ll start thinking you’re into me.

Sheng Lan really wanted to knock some sense into her.

[Shan Feng]: Little girl, you’re opening a mystery box, and one of these women could ruin your life. You know that, right?

Yu Cheng was actually a few months older than Sheng Lan, but she played along with the “little girl” bit.

[You Er]: Oh well, what can you do? Call the police, I guess.

[10x laughing emojis]

Sheng Lan closed her eyes briefly.

Fine, I’ll figure it out myself.

She picked the woman Lu Xueyin had described as “white on the outside, black on the inside.”

[Shan Feng]: This one?

She wasn’t sure, but Yu Cheng, likely amused by her reaction, responded with a string of vague, teasing remarks.

From another perspective, this behavior could also be interpreted as covering up the truth.

Sheng Lan told her to get lost.

She closed the chat window and turned around to see Lu Xueyin still asleep, so she took a few photos of her sleeping face.

A beauty doesn’t need the right angle she looks good no matter how she’s photographed.

It’s just that Lu Xueyin was unusually sensitive to the camera. Even in Sheng Lan’s car, with Sheng Lan, an Alpha who couldn’t keep her hands off her around, she hadn’t woken up. Yet a few photos were enough to rouse her.

Sheng Lan hadn’t even used the flash or shutter sound.

She put her phone away nonchalantly.

Quietly, she watched the subtle emotions Lu Xueyin failed to hide upon waking.

The initial confusion in her eyes quickly turned to awkwardness when she saw Sheng Lan. She avoided Sheng Lan’s gaze, looking down instead at the milky-white blanket draped over her lap.

Her expression soon reverted to its usual aloof indifference, but her emotions hadn’t caught up. The first thing she said to Sheng Lan was, “You said the afternoon was mine.”

So taking a nap wasn’t a big deal, it didn’t count as wasting Sheng Lan’s time.

Not wanting to provoke her, Sheng Lan suppressed a laugh and replied seriously, “Mhm. So, did I do well today?”

Lu Xueyin pressed her lips together and gave a slight nod.

Unwilling to endure the awkwardness in the car, she got out first.

Sheng Lan asked if there was any food at her place. “It’s almost dinnertime.”

Lu Xueyin was still drowsy and didn’t feel like putting in much effort.

The fridge had noodles, eggs, pickled vegetables, and flour. If she got hungry later, she could quickly boil some noodles or make a flatbread no need for anything elaborate.

Remembering that Sheng Lan was an Alpha with a big appetite, she asked if she was hungry.

As she spoke, she glanced at Sheng Lan’s waist, envious of the strange Alpha trait of eating a lot without gaining weight.

So she told Sheng Lan, “You can go to a restaurant later. It’s easier.”

Sheng Lan gave a faint nod without retorting.

She was the one who opened the front door, with Lu Xueyin following behind.

Lu Xueyin hadn’t planned on having a proper, friendly conversation with Sheng Lan in the living room. She wanted to avoid it, lest Sheng Lan remember the “loss of control” from the morning and take it out on her.

But Sheng Lan grabbed her wrist.

They were in the narrow entryway.

Lu Xueyin wasn’t in her safe period yet or rather, in her waking state, she had an instinctive wariness.

If she had fur, she’d be a bristling cat right now.

But she wasn’t furry. Her long, curly hair remained smooth and obedient. Only her body tensed up, starting from her fingers, every inch of her screaming the desire to flee.

Sheng Lan asked, “Can I hug you?”

Compared to kissing, a hug was nothing.

When selecting scripts, Lu Xueyin hadn’t even crossed out hugging as a gesture.

But she hated face-to-face embraces.

Even though arms were just thin limbs, they gave the sensation of being completely encircled.

Her entire body felt enveloped, her heartbeat transmitting clearly through her chest with every thud.

It felt like being laid bare.

She’d have no secrets left.

Sheng Lan tried to pull her closer.

She didn’t use much force, but Lu Xueyin didn’t budge, leaving her hand hovering in midair.

Before Lu Xueyin could ask why, Sheng Lan said, “I really wanted to hug you this morning.”

Before Lu Xueyin could misinterpret her words, Sheng Lan added, “I just feel like I should’ve gone to see you back in school.”

How Sheng Lan could say such heart-stabbing things without batting an eye was beyond her.

Lu Xueyin would rather Sheng Lan had been driven by lust, taking advantage of the hug to grope and fondle her, than hear it was for this reason.

She wanted to break free from Sheng Lan’s grasp.

But her wrist was too slender.

Sheng Lan could encircle it with just one hand, not even needing to grip tightly to keep her trapped within the confines of her knuckles.

Sheng Lan said, “If you won’t give it, then I’ll take it myself.”

When she turned domineering, Lu Xueyin, as an Omega, had no strength to resist.

After struggling a few times, it only seemed exaggerated and unnecessary under Sheng Lan’s completely unguarded demeanor.

Lu Xueyin quieted down, but the tension in her body doubled.

The room was silent.

Through the thin fabric of her clothes, she could feel Sheng Lan’s heartbeat, steady, strong, and deep.

It mingled with her own erratic, floating pulse, thumping in sync.

A hand gently stroked her back, trailing down her spine.

With a bit of pressure, it pressed firmly against her dress.

The silk was smooth, offering no resistance.

Just like Lu Xueyin’s current state, utterly unresisting.

Sheng Lan called to her, “Jiejie?”

Lu Xueyin ignored her.

Sheng Lan asked, “Do you think this is overly sentimental?”

Lu Xueyin stayed silent.

She wasn’t the type to be outwardly expressive or skilled with words.

Even with Wei Wan, their mother-daughter affection never involved hugs.

Though she had once longed for someone to pull her up.

Like her NG takes, no one ever cared.

Because it was filming, it was acting, and mistakes happened. Beyond professional skill, there was also personal state.

Lu Xueyin told Sheng Lan not to do unnecessary things. “I won’t thank you.”

Sheng Lan’s fingers paused at the dip of her waist, circling with her fingertips.

“That’s for the best.”

She had come home just for this purpose.

She hadn’t even changed her shoes or stepped further inside. Patting Lu Xueyin’s head, she said, “I’m leaving. Goodnight.”

The door was too close.

With just an open and close, Sheng Lan was gone.

Lu Xueyin stared at the door for a while, her thoughts sluggish and tangled. The only thing that felt immediate was the emptiness in her arms.

Unconsciously, she wrapped her arms around herself, then quickly let go when she realized.

No one was watching her, no one was chasing her, yet she still hurried to hide in her room.

She wanted to distract herself, to do something.

She also wanted to wash off Sheng Lan’s scent, so she grabbed fresh clothes and headed for the shower.

When she took off her dress, she saw the lipstick mark on her left breast her mind went blank.

Before even stepping under the showerhead, without water, she instinctively scrubbed at it.

After rubbing the skin red, she stormed out in frustration, wrapped in a towel, and cursed Sheng Lan a dozen times as a “pervert” before putting her phone down and returning to finish her shower.

Sheng Lan, halfway home, replied to a message while waiting at a red light.

[Shan Feng]: Were you just showering?

Lu Xueyin saw the message as soon as she stepped out, and the warmth from the entryway earlier instantly dissipated.

Her skin flushed red in irritation.

With no one to witness the color, she blocked Sheng Lan.

Sheng Lan wasn’t surprised. She didn’t even send an extra message just a single period to test. When she got the red exclamation mark, she laughed.

She wouldn’t add her back tonight, giving Lu Xueyin some space.

Right now, she was going to beat up Yu Cheng.

That reckless brat.

While Sheng Lan was off to deal with Yu Cheng, Lu Xueyin tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She sat up, pulling open the collar of her nightgown to look down.

Her chest bore a few red marks from her own scrubbing, as if someone had roughly handled her glaringly obvious.

Things that had happened in the past could always be dug up if someone looked hard enough.

What happened at school wasn’t a secret. With so many classmates and teachers, there were bound to be those who remembered clearly.

For her, these old wounds that had scabbed over could no longer harm her.

What truly unsettled her was Sheng Lan’s attitude, which left her heart in turmoil.

If the kiss could be explained by getting too immersed in the moment, swept up in the atmosphere, then what about the embrace?

She had arrived at a rather startling conclusion.

It seemed that Sheng Lan didn’t find her disgusting.

On the contrary, was she actually interested?

The moment that thought crossed her mind, Lu Xueyin immediately dismissed it.

If Sheng Lan were truly interested, she wouldn’t have wanted a divorce.

So it had to be sympathy, right?

Sympathy for her losing her family at a young age, for relying solely on her mother to survive, and for enduring school bullying.

That made much more sense.

So the next day, when Sheng Lan sent another friend request, Lu Xueyin hesitated for less than two seconds before accepting.

Director Cheng had created a private three-person group chat for them on Trial Love, asking why they weren’t keeping up the act outside the show.

[Director Cheng]: If you don’t have time to watch the livestreams, you must’ve at least seen the trending topics, right? Forget about the “Crystal Couple”, even Meng Qing and Ji Xinlan have a “Fake Couple” Super Topic now, and it’s only been two days. You two need to step up your game.

She was trying to provoke Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin’s competitive spirit.

But neither of them was in the right state of mind.

[Shan Feng]: Fake Couple? I’m rushing to check it out.

[Lu Xueyin]: I haven’t been paying attention.

Even outside the livestream, maintaining the act to keep the hype alive was an unspoken rule.

Director Cheng didn’t believe that two stars of their caliber wouldn’t understand this, so she subtly probed about the ad placements.

Sheng Lan sent her two photos.

They were taken by Xiao Tao on her phone during yesterday’s shoot.

No filters, and scattered trash could be seen in the background.

But the two stunning beauties in the frame were enough to brighten up the otherwise bleak and desolate street.

It was the sofa kiss scene though, of course, they hadn’t actually kissed.

Director Cheng was relieved.

But she still held a grudge over their lack of effort in maintaining the act.

[Director Cheng]: I’ve already thought of the perfect trending topic for you #MyDeadCPSuddenlyAttacksMe#.

Sheng Lan privately messaged Lu Xueyin: Quick, leave the group and let her stew in awkwardness alone.

Lu Xueyin: “…”

Knowing full well that Sheng Lan was absolutely capable of doing something like this, Lu Xueyin didn’t want to be left in the group to face Director Cheng’s awkwardness, so she exited immediately.

Sheng Lan burst into laughter, then sent a voice message in their now two-person group.

“Director Cheng, look at how scared your trending topic made my wife. You owe us at least two more.”

Director Cheng: “…”

Why did she suddenly feel like she’d been scammed?

Over the next two days, both of them were busy with schedules, and their conversations were sporadic and polite.

At best, Sheng Lan would send a “Good morning” early in the day, and Lu Xueyin would reply around noon with “Eating lunch,” only for Sheng Lan to respond with “Goodnight” in the dead of night.

It wasn’t until the last day of their break that they finally had some free time.

As if by unspoken agreement, Sheng Lan had no work in the afternoon on the fifth day, so she accompanied Lu Xueyin to the hospital for a check-up.

The doctor was still Meng Chan. While waiting for the results, the three of them gathered in her office.

Meng Chan adjusted her glasses and asked Sheng Lan, “For people filming shows like yours, do you ever blur the lines between acting and reality?”

What an interesting question.

Lu Xueyin silently set down her teacup.

She wore an expression of complete indifference as she pulled out her phone and put on her earphones, making it clear she had no intention of eavesdropping.

But Sheng Lan noticed her earphones weren’t even plugged in.

“Why do you ask?”

As Sheng Lan replied, she deliberately lifted her hand from her lap to the table, lightly brushing against Lu Xueyin’s arm.

Lu Xueyin was dressed particularly plainly and conservatively today.

She was wearing a solid-colored short-sleeved shirt paired with jeans.

The top was a deep black that looked stiflingly hot.

When Sheng Lan asked Meng Chan a question, she would lower her gaze to glance at her own chest.

Noticing this movement, Sheng Lan froze momentarily.

A possibility came to mind.

Did Lu Xueyin scrub too hard and hurt herself while removing the lipstick mark?

A bit pitiful, yet somewhat amusing.

Sheng Lan glanced at the time and said to Meng Chan, “Let’s talk about fake relationships turning real later. There’s something I need to confirm right now.”

She pulled Lu Xueyin into a restroom stall, but Lu Xueyin resisted going in.

“Must you always be so handsy?”

Sheng Lan replied, “If you cooperate with me today, I’ll only use my eyes.”

Her gaze was so intense it could practically burn through Lu Xueyin’s clothes.

Lu Xueyin tried to bolt outside.

Sheng Lan didn’t stop her physically, one sentence was enough to make her stay.

“If you run out now, I’ll leave bite marks on the other side instead.”

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