A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 40

Within the first hour of the broadcast, multiple topics had climbed the trending charts.

The pacing needed control content couldn’t be too densely packed. The audience needed time to discuss, and once the initial wave of excitement began to wane, the next segment would follow.

Since cooking required lighting the stove, they wouldn’t be “playing with fire” midway. This was the kind of livestream viewers could tune into anytime without missing much easy to pick up and drop without disrupting the flow.

So aside from the interaction of tying each other’s aprons, the rest of the cooking session was peaceful and uneventful.

If one really wanted to scrape for sweet moments, it would be how the two of them seemed to anticipate each other’s needs with just a glance, appearing quite in sync.

It was noon, and the other four guests were dining at a restaurant outside.

They couldn’t eat diet meals every day doing so would leave the guests malnourished under the livestream’s scrutiny, and the show would be accused of mistreatment.

During Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin’s break, the program team had revised the meal card system.

Now, their earnings from game points determined what they could eat anything they wanted, provided they scored enough.

This alternated daily, and today was diet meal day.

For those who had already indulged in richer fare, it tasted even worse.

The tantalizing aromas wafting from the kitchen made stomachs growl with envy. Meng Qing eyed the broccoli and corn kernels on her plate, then stood up with her bowl and headed to the kitchen, demanding Sheng Lan share some of their dishes.

“You two are really something. I thought things would fizzle out after the break, that the act would drop.”

As a close friend, Sheng Lan was generous, scooping her a heaping portion and shooing her out. “Go eat outside. Don’t third-wheel here.”

Meng Qing had good timing she’d only come over because Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin weren’t talking, not barging in mid-conversation.

She didn’t leave. Instead, she set her bowl down on an empty spot and stood there eating, complaining to Sheng Lan. “You have no idea how rough these past few days have been. I texted you, and you didn’t even reply.”

Sheng Lan nudged Lu Xueyin’s arm. “Jiejie, tell her what I’ve been busy with.”

Lu Xueyin had no interest in being their messenger. “Tell her yourself.”

Sheng Lan sighed dramatically. “But we have those AA romance rumors. Aren’t you even a little jealous?”

Lu Xueyin: “…”

She played along. “It’s fine. I’ll just watch and see what you two get up to right under my nose.”

Meng Qing rolled her eyes. “Your best friend is dying, and you’re still squeezing the last drop of blood from her.”

Sheng Lan had seen Meng Qing’s messages she just hadn’t known how to respond.

After the fake couple (plastic cp) hype between Meng Qing and Ji Xinlan took off, the two had slacked off even more.

Director Cheng, of course, wouldn’t tolerate it. He forced them to draw interaction cards.

But when both parties were half-hearted, even the card-drawing fell flat.

Some viewers loved it, laughing through the whole thing. Others wondered why they’d even joined Trial Love if they weren’t going to put in effort.

So Director Cheng escalated. He warned them outright: if they didn’t step up their act, he’d force them to draw kiss cards.

The first time, he even introduced the audience to the kiss card varieties not just one, but ten types.

Standing kisses, sitting kisses, lying-down kisses, hugging kisses even spinning kisses.

With ten cards in play, the odds were too high. Meng Qing didn’t dare gamble.

She was convinced Director Cheng would absolutely pull a kiss card for ratings, so she’d been scrambling to create interactions these past few days, looking utterly drained.

As for Ji Xinlan’s nature? She could’ve easily continued slacking off, letting Meng Qing sweat over the interactions.

During this process, they could also play hard to get. The hype would be even greater everyone would enjoy watching Meng Qing’s desperation to avoid kissing Ji Xinlan, yet teetering on the edge each time, keeping the tension high.

But Ji Xinlan was an Omega. When clearly disliked by an Alpha like this, she could only stand her ground against Meng Qing, insisting she didn’t want to kiss her either.

The hook for the audience was similar wanting to see whether they’d eventually kiss but the actual effect would be significantly diminished because it lacked the push-and-pull dynamic typical of a CP relationship. Forced sweetness was a turn-off for most people.

Sheng Lan couldn’t offer any good advice and could only urge Meng Qing to come up with a theme herself.

“Or take a break to clear your head.”

Meng Qing, suddenly inspired, decided she wanted to go to a haunted house.

At the mention of the place, Sheng Lan stiffened slightly.

If she remembered correctly, not long after filming began, Liang Jiao had warned her that Lu Xueyin was especially terrified of ghosts.

There was a popular haunted house near the manor, and it was almost certain they’d schedule a visit there. She’d been told to be mindful of it.

Meng Qing, oblivious, sounded excited. “A haunted house is perfect! The atmosphere alone will do the trick. If Ji Xinlan pretends to be scared, I can comfort her. If she doesn’t, then I’ll play the scared one. We’ll spend half a month exploring the haunted house, and by the time we’re done, The Trial Love Period will be over.”

Sheng Lan turned off the stove and glanced up at the camera.

Meng Qing didn’t mind her laid-back persona was well-established. She’d even asked fans for interaction ideas during a livestream when she was stuck. This suggestion wasn’t a big deal to share.

Sheng Lan didn’t respond and stopped Lu Xueyin from carrying the dishes. “Jiejie, help me untie my apron.”

She leaned against the counter, her gaze lingering on Lu Xueyin’s pale, slender fingers.

There was a restrained fear in her, her body tense, the effort to relax causing the faintest tremors.

When Lu Xueyin approached, Sheng Lan chuckled. “Why are you so well-behaved?”

Lu Xueyin looked up. “Then are you going to untie it or not?”

Sheng Lan: “Of course, jiejie.”

She straightened up, not making things difficult for Lu Xueyin, and even told her to wait outside. “I’ll bring the dishes out in a bit.”

Lu Xueyin tilted her head to study her, but Sheng Lan’s smile was unreadable.

For a moment, Lu Xueyin feared Sheng Lan had noticed her unease.

Then again, she hadn’t given anything away not a word, not a gesture. There was no way she’d been found out.

Maybe Sheng Lan just had something to say that she didn’t want Lu Xueyin to hear.

As if confirming her thoughts, Sheng Lan told Meng Qing she refused to go to the haunted house. “The haunted house is a major task card, like horseback riding everyone has to participate. We’ll vote to reject it and make sure it doesn’t get chosen.”

Meng Qing was baffled. “Why?”

Sheng Lan stated matter-of-factly, “I’m scared of ghosts. I’m not going.”

Meng Qing: “??”

Lu Xueyin, who had already stepped outside, paused. She fought the urge to look back several times but ultimately didn’t.

While she hesitated, Meng Qing was already sputtering in disbelief. “What? You’re scared of ghosts? You, seriously?”

Sheng Lan smiled. “That’s right.”

Meng Qing: “…”

If you’re scared of ghosts, why are you mocking me?

For now, Sheng Lan had snuffed out Meng Qing’s dangerous idea. She carried the dishes to the table.

It wasn’t until Lu Xueyin picked up her chopsticks that she belatedly realized something.

If Sheng Lan had wanted to say something she shouldn’t hear, it would’ve been more natural to ask her to carry the dishes out that would’ve smoothly sent her away.

But Sheng Lan hadn’t let her carry anything.

Had she noticed her trembling hands and worried she’d drop the plates?

She glanced sideways at Sheng Lan, who met her gaze without hesitation.

She looked a bit like a little hedgehog who had its weakness exposed, bristling with all its spines raised in defense.

To protect the softness of its belly, it appeared fierce.

With this thought in mind, Lu Xueyin’s gaze dropped, glancing at Sheng Lan’s stomach.

Sheng Lan asked what she was looking at, “Abs?”

Lu Xueyin would always be amazed by Sheng Lan’s shamelessness. She stiffly changed the subject.

“Are we broadcasting indoors this afternoon?”

Reiterating the prearranged content at this moment was for the audience’s benefit.

Unlike Sheng Lan, who excelled at controlling the flow of a scene, Lu Xueyin, due to her profession, had a finer grasp of pacing off-screen.

In TV dramas, there was usually a lull, a period where the story continued smoothly, and the audience would still watch. But within a certain timeframe, they might doze off, zone out, or find it dull enough to switch channels.

Without emotional stimulation, they’d follow their subconscious impulse and actually change the channel, causing ratings to plummet.

Great works capitalized on this rhythm, hooking the audience just as they were about to switch.

Lu Xueyin now treated this as an ultra-long TV drama, reigniting the energy that had cooled during the cooking segment.

Timing it out, the post-rebroadcast discussions should be winding down, making it the perfect moment to transition to the next segment.

Sheng Lan played along, “In your room or mine?”

Lu Xueyin barely hesitated. “Yours.”

When their eyes met, Lu Xueyin added, “I’ve never been in your room before.”

All their indoor interactions so far had taken place in hers, allowing Sheng Lan to keep herself completely detached.

Sheng Lan smirked, understanding her implication but still circling back to tease her outright. “But I think I saw you in my room one early morning.”

She was referring to Lu Xueyin’s tentative visit to her room shortly after they started living together.

In Sheng Lan’s mind, this remark should have made Lu Xueyin blush and grow flustered.

But it didn’t. Instead, Lu Xueyin countered with remarkable calm, “You were dreaming.”

Sheng Lan chuckled meaningfully. “Who knows?”

Because she had imagined Sheng Lan as a little hedgehog, the sarcastic tone didn’t annoy Lu Xueyin.

Her first reaction was even that it was cute.

Startled by this thought, Lu Xueyin lowered her head and raised an empty spoon to her lips.

Her bowl was still empty only her lipstick left a faint mark on the spoon.

Leaving a little hedgehog Lan here only one pat per person.

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