A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 4
Sheng Lan stood in the hallway, leisurely sipping water from her cup.
As she approached the bedroom door, she heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. Tilting her head, she glanced at the warm orange glow diffusing through the frosted glass before retreating to the living room sofa to play on her phone.
Lu Xueyin emerged quietly, careful not to make noise late at night. She hadn’t washed her hair, so the shower took less than ten minutes.
Sheng Lan had been waiting for her on purpose. The moment the water stopped, she rose and leaned against the wall, eyes roaming boldly as Lu Xueyin stepped out.
True to her preference, Lu Xueyin wore a spaghetti-strap nightgown, a deep green so rich it resembled ink, making her skin glow like moonlight.
Pale, cool, aloof, yet silently alluring.
The steam from the shower still clung to her, her hair slightly damp.
Perhaps the water had been too hot her skin was flushed a delicate pink, as if steeped in warmth.
The heat had also sharpened her alertness. She met Sheng Lan’s gaze briefly, neither provoking nor acknowledging her further.
Sheng Lan’s eyes trailed from her widow’s peak down to her moist, red lips.
Lower still, to the droplets glistening in the hollow of her collarbone, then further down to the alluring curves beneath.
What a shame.
Lu Xueyin was utterly convinced that Sheng Lan was a fake Alpha.
She didn’t provoke, but she wasn’t afraid either.
This was her habitual way of expressing displeasure and defiance.
With plenty of space to walk around, she deliberately strode straight toward Sheng Lan, only to sidestep at the last moment.
The distance was close, almost intimate enough for an embrace.
The hem of her nightgown fluttered with the movement, brushing against Sheng Lan’s calf, sending a ticklish shiver up her leg.
Sheng Lan lowered her gaze. Just as Lu Xueyin reached for the bedroom door, she caught her wrist.
For the first time, she crossed the line reaching out to smear away the droplet resting in the hollow of Lu Xueyin’s collarbone with her thumb.
Amid the sheen of moisture, she watched Lu Xueyin’s skin flush crimson, like a freshly boiled shrimp.
Exquisitely beautiful.
Sheng Lan released her, her tone deliberately teasing.
“I might not know how to mark you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bite you.”
After days of tension, Lu Xueyin finally revealed a hint of timidity in front of Sheng Lan.
Five minutes after retreating into her room, Sheng Lan received a message from her.
[Lu Xueyin]: Go ahead and bite.
Finding the tone too weak, she added:
[Lu Xueyin]: I’m waiting.
Sheng Lan couldn’t help but laugh.
Especially since their chat history still showed her earlier message to Lu Xueyin: “All bark and no bite.”
She screenshot it and sent it back.
Fighting fire with fire.
Ten minutes later, Lu Xueyin shared three links with her.
[What to Do If Your Alpha Is Underperforming? Watch for These Symptoms and Seek Medical Help ASAP!]
[Why Can’t Some Alphas Mark? The Difference Between Marking Impotence and Sexual Dysfunction.]
[Do You Really Understand “Marking Impotence”? Here Are 8 Truths You Must Know!]
Sheng Lan felt parched again.
Reflecting on their interactions over the past few days, she sensed she’d found a line she could toe.
So she replied: “Big sis, seems like you’re really hung up on the fact that I can’t mark you, huh?”
Mimicking Lu Xueyin’s earlier silence, after ten minutes with no response, Sheng Lan sent her own link, a custom-edited one.
[When an Omega Openly Mocks an Alpha’s Inability to Mark, Here Are Three Possible Reasons. Click to Find Out.]
Whether Lu Xueyin clicked it or not, the message sank without a trace. No reply came.
Lonely and restless late at night, Sheng Lan uninterested in gaming opened Weibo.
Ignoring the usual flood of 999+ notifications, she searched Lu Xueyin’s name and browsed her fan page.
The renowned beauty Omega in the entertainment industry spends most of her time filming on set. With over 30 million fans surpassing even some trending celebrities her social media is flooded with meticulously curated praise.
Her Weibo posts mirror her private moments, though with a different audience commenting, the orchestrated flattery remains evident.
After scrolling briefly, Sheng Lan grew bored and returned to her own profile.
Ever since her “cool girl” persona crumbled, the tone of her comments became irredeemable.
Previously, fans posted her photos candid or edited which she’d casually save. Now, it’s all memes she refuses to open.
Her latest post was a mirror selfie after dance practice yesterday.
The form-fitting dancewear revealed her toned midriff, her phone obscuring most of her face, leaving only a sliver of forced aloofness.
It looked stunning.
Comments used to beg, “Give us a chance, sis!”
Now they jeer, “LMAO she’s seriously trying to flirt with me.”
Boring.
Even the dullest remarks got top likes, forcing her to scroll for anything interesting.
As Trial Romance, a show infamous for its explosive drama nears each season’s premiere, fan-fueled CPs inevitably trend. Some are PR stunts; others, genuine fan hype.
Past midnight, speculation about this season’s guests ran wild.
Thanks to years of entanglement with Ji Xinlan, Sheng Lan became a CP black hole.
Only one cursed pairing her with Ji Xinlan existed in fan circles, swiftly banned whenever it surfaced.
Now, netizens joked whether she’d ever get invited to Trial Romance.
Fans cared less about the format and more about seeing her in a live-streamed show.
The thread devolved into consensus: unlikely.
Some cited her lack of CPs lowering her odds; others claimed she feared live broadcasts would ruin her image.
They ended by parroting “in our lifetime.”
Unfazed having already signed the contract Sheng Lan replied, cueing Lu Xueyin: “She’s the real ‘in our lifetime.'”
At least Sheng Lan had variety show experience. Lu Xueyin? None.
The comment left fans in shock before erupting into laughter. They asked if she’d used the wrong account or why she’d tag the stunning actress late at night.
“Not sleeping, huh? Obsessing over who joins dating shows? Mic to Shenglan: Tell us the tea.” [doge]
A 24/7 live-streamed show meant ditching the “cool girl” act.
She insisted it was no mistake, just serious “in our lifetime” discourse.
Fans lined up: “Sis, you just jealous of Lu Xueyin’s CPs?”
Sheng Lan logged off.
The next morning, Jiang Ling’s phone buzzed with PR’s alert:
#ShenglanLuXueyinInOurLifetime
Though not topping trends, it sparked enough chatter.
The two had zero prior overlap different circles, not rivals.
With 50M Weibo followers and her new album dominating charts, Sheng Lan hardly needed to piggyback on Lu Xueyin’s fame.
Most fans and casual observers clicked, chuckled, and moved on.
A few earnestly debated their Trial Romance compatibility.
People say Lu Xueyin has too many CP fans, while Sheng Lan is a no-CP cool girl, a perfect complement.
Outsiders watch the drama, but the production team of Trial Love is thrilled.
There are only so many popular CPs in the industry, and they can’t invite officially announced couples those don’t count as “trial love.”
So the show also ropes in single celebrities, who, after joining, draw lots with the other two guest pairs to pick their partners.
The biggest draw is still shipping CPs, this is just a formality, not meant to break up established pairs.
The single stars invited this time were Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin. Initially, it was just for their massive fanbases, but as filming approached, problems surfaced.
The production team had already held five internal meetings debating whether to give them a heads-up beforehand, letting them get familiar to avoid awkwardness and sparkless interactions.
But awkwardness could also be entertaining. They’d studied Shenglan’s past reality shows and concluded she was witty and great at livening up the atmosphere. As for Lu Xueyin, this was her variety show debut for the sake of the show, she’d at least act the part of a lovey-dovey couple. So they decided to leave it to fate.
Now, with this trending topic, the entire team felt reassured.
They even deployed some PR to stir up discussions about the potential chemistry between the two.
Jiang Ling scrolled through the comments, no negativity so far. The first public appearance of the newlyweds was on a dating show, a heart-stopping headline. She asked Lu Xueyin, “Did Sheng Lan get hit by something?”
In the middle of the night, using her main account to chat with fans and even name-dropping Lu Xueyin.
“If she posts now saying she’s your fan, it might still save face.”
Fame brings trouble. Right now, everything seems peaceful, but there’s always someone lurking in the shadows, ready to stir up drama.
If rumors spread, it’d look like Sheng Lan was mocking Lu Xueyin.
In the room.
Sheng Lan was woken up by Liang Jiao’s call, telling her to go follow Lu Xueyin on Weibo.
“You’re married now. There’ll be interactions eventually people might even catch you two together, eating out or something. Just treat it as a polite follow.”
Sheng Lan refused. “I’m not her fan.”
“I don’t watch her shows or movies either.”
Liang Jiao: “Then you’d better not look at your wife either, and never mention her name in public again.”
Shenglan, guilty: “Fine, I followed.”
Outside, Jiang Ling updated, “Sheng Lan followed you. Should I return the favor?”
Lu Xueyin didn’t refuse. She pressed a finger to her collarbone.
Maybe Shenglan’s touch yesterday had been too firm, too scorching now, just hearing her name made the spot feel like it was burning.
Lu Xueyin lowered her gaze and smoothed out the crumpled script in her hands, reading the first segment of Trial Love, Guess Who.
The show would send a car to pick them up, and all six guests would record an interview on the way.
They’d be asked who they were most looking forward to working with.
This was the question Lu Xueyin dreaded most after agreeing to the show.
She’d collaborated with too many actors beyond character shippers, there were real-person shippers too.
She’d signed the contract just days before filming. Naming anyone would be risky and could even cause trouble for them.
Jiang Ling had been helping her screen options, who wasn’t participating but needed the exposure, so they could mutually benefit.
Right now, Sheng Lan seemed perfect.
If she named Shenglan, it’d pay back that trending topic.
Jiang Ling found this reasonable. After observing the comments section on the trending topics, she noticed water armies had been deployed to control public opinion. Assuming the production team wanted more publicity, she instructed the PR department to monitor the situation but otherwise left it alone.
In the inner room, Liang Jiao said the same thing to Sheng Lan.
“After all, you don’t have a single CP pairing. Participating in this kind of variety show might lead to an unexpected flop, so it’s good to warm things up in advance.”
Sheng Lan didn’t believe she could possibly flop.
“Me? A top-tier Alpha, good-looking, and with impeccable conduct, how could I possibly flop?”
Liang Jiao: “Go tell your wife that. Ask if she’s willing to accompany you to a dating show to find a match. Let’s see how far those fine virtues of yours get you.”
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