A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 41

The bowl was empty of soup, yet she still pretended to scoop some, revealing her unease.

Sheng Lan naturally took the soup bowl from Lu Xueyin’s side, delivering a classic simp line, “My bad, I should’ve served you sooner.”

Her movements were swift, and Lu Xueyin’s thoughts raced just as fast. Ignoring the sudden skip of her heartbeat, she calmly placed the spoon on a small dish nearby.

When accepting the bowl from Sheng Lan, she subtly nudged it, ensuring the faint lipstick mark on the spoon would catch the camera’s edge.

There was no need to guess where the scrolling comments would go.

[Is she trying to hide something?]

[She’s totally covering up!]

[So did sis really go to Sheng Lan’s room this morning?!]

[What did she go there for?]

{Great question, I wanna know too.}

At this point, Lu Xueyin’s quick reaction alone wasn’t enough Sheng Lan had to play along.

And Sheng Lan, with her eight hundred tricks up her sleeve, immediately matched Lu Xueyin’s rhythm when help was clearly needed.

Her peripheral glance caught the spoon small yet impossibly conspicuous, lying there as if luring her in.

Sheng Lan averted her gaze nonchalantly, took a sip from the bowl, and let her eyes linger on Lu Xueyin’s lips, where the lipstick had left a faint imprint on the porcelain rim.

“The soup’s nice today.”

Lu Xueyin, satisfied with Sheng Lan’s professionalism, let relief and delight soften her expression, making her seem warm and approachable. “It’s delicious.”

[I get it now, they’re totally teasing us on purpose, ughhh.]

[Y’all are going all out just to sell lipstick.]

[Fine, I ordered the lipstick. So, did sis visit Sheng Lan’s room or not?]

[Obviously not, they’re not even staying together.]

Somehow, they managed to skate by.

As sales for the matching lipstick shade skyrocketed, behind-the-scenes footage was released, a montage from the commercial shoot.

On set that day, Sheng Lan had been visibly displeased by Lu Xueyin’s cold demeanor, barely exchanging a word with her off-camera.

Yet the director had an eye for subtle details and knew exactly how to frame them.

First came a still of their on-set introduction: Sheng Lan smiling as she approached Lu Xueyin, who returned only an icy stare.

But in reality, after Sheng Lan walked away, Lu Xueyin’s gaze had followed her for a beat.

Then there were clips of Lu Xueyin’s NG takes, spliced with Sheng Lan’s silent reactions off-screen no words, just cake and water handed over.

The montage mirrored the ad’s style: a silent film cut to a soundtrack, devoid of dialogue.

The same two people, in different settings, projecting entirely different levels of closeness wrapping their relationship in an air of mystery.

Discussions about them, whether real or fabricated, exploded across platforms that day.

Beyond the usual hype and recommendations, microscope-wielding fans and Sherlockian analysts emerged, dissecting every frame for proof that their bond was genuine.

Liang Jiao, observing the trend, had her team deploy Smurf accounts to stir the pot, leaking a few recently purchased photos.

Nothing scandalous just two friends walking at a safe distance, relaxed and unguarded.

No one would believe they weren’t close.

After lunch came a short break.

Both Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin understood the importance of their first day back on air. Even in their separate rooms, they kept their phones close, cameras off, chatting online.

After monitoring the buzz and getting feedback from their managers about the scrolling comments, they settled on the afternoon’s livestream activity signing autographed photos together.

Today’s buzz was all about lipstick. The other two groups refused to go outside due to the scorching heat, and even overcoming difficulties to visit the pool would seem too deliberate.

Signing autographs was just right, it fit the day’s logic.

As for ambiguous interactions, they didn’t see it as a problem.

When it was time to turn on the cameras, Lu Xueyin went to the bathroom to touch up her makeup.

Grabbing her things and about to knock on Sheng Lan’s door, she glanced down at what she was wearing, took a step back into her room, opened the closet, and picked out another dress to change into in the bathroom.

She had kept up the good habit of carrying her phone today, chatting with fans in real time.

On her way to Sheng Lan’s room, she selectively replied to messages.

“It’s my first time going to her room, of course I have to dress up a little.”

“Why dress up? If we’re already in the room, it wouldn’t make sense to do nothing, right?”

Two long sentences were enough, any more and her persona would be at risk.

Besides, this tone was very Sheng Lan. Any more, and she’d be overdoing the imitation.

Coincidentally, the distance between their rooms was just that short. Lu Xueyin put her phone away.

[Ahhhh, they’re so mean! They always put their phones away right before knocking!]

[It’s all Sheng Lan’s fault! Condemn her severely! @Shanfeng, control your little Sheng sister!]

Sheng Lan’s fans flooded the screen with: “Mm-hmm, sure.”

{I could control her, but she might not listen.}

{@Us? Might as well @Lu-jiejie. Haven’t you figured out who can actually control her?}

They saw it all too clearly.

It was Sheng Lan who controlled Lu Xueyin.

But was that something they could say out loud?

At noon, everyone had been chatting, and Sheng Lan hadn’t changed her clothes. When she opened the door and saw Lu Xueyin, she froze for a moment.

Lu Xueyin’s skills at actively flirting were amateurish, but she was a beguiling little rose.

Ignoring technique, just standing there, she exuded an endless allure.

The deep red off-shoulder dress clung to her body, accentuating her graceful curves.

Loose curls draped over her shoulders and chest, partially concealing her fair skin, with the delicate collarbones beneath faintly visible.

She had even worn that tequila bottle pendant.

The liquid inside swayed with her movements, and Sheng Lan caught the warm scent of roses.

Her gaze darkened slightly as she stepped aside to let Lu Xueyin in.

“You could’ve just come as you were, why change? What happened to our couple outfit synergy today?”

The room layouts were identical. Since they were only staying temporarily for filming, aside from personal items revealing their tastes, everything else was the same.

Lu Xueyin sat by the small table near the window, idly brushing her fingers over the petals of the lilies on the table, her tone casual.

“That’s your problem. It’s my first time coming to your place, and you didn’t seem to care much either.”

A gentle yet direct hit, a dangerous signal.

Sheng Lan stared at her for two seconds, the amusement in her eyes growing deeper.

Alphas were naturally drawn to omegas pheromones and looks were the most immediate, followed by deeper exploration.

It was the curiosity sparked by discovering something new.

And when the subject of exploration was this beautiful, the process became doubly pleasurable.

Sheng Lan brought out red wine, unfortunately, it wasn’t tequila.

After setting down the wine and glasses, she went to fetch the photos and a pen.

Lu Xueyin found something to occupy herself with, pouring half a glass for each of them when Sheng Lan returned.

Still playing to her strengths, she said little but kept her gaze lingering on Sheng Lan.

The deep infatuation magnified by her peach-blossom eyes was enough to make anyone willingly fall.

By the time Sheng Lan sat down, the afternoon livestream had reached its main event.

To keep the rhythm and mood uninterrupted, the two wordlessly locked their phones and placed them on the inner side of the table.

The key points of the live broadcast had already been discussed. Since an indoor livestream couldn’t realistically show them clinging to each other the entire time under the camera, the dialogue needed to be slightly more suggestive.

Sheng Lan didn’t let Lu Xueyin script the lines, inviting her instead to act naturally in other words, to improvise.

Lu Xueyin hadn’t received any lines before arriving, nor had she objected afterward, clearly accepting the arrangement.

On the transparent glass table, Sheng Lan had spread a tablecloth that wasn’t quite large enough. The camera couldn’t capture the subtle friction beneath from above, only revealing the movements below the hem just up to their calves leaving the audience to speculate.

As Sheng Lan opened the box, Lu Xueyin took a sip of wine, sitting across from her, anything but obedient.

Sheng Lan warned her to tone it down. “The way you’re looking at me isn’t exactly innocent.”

Lu Xueyin tilted her chin up slightly, feigning ignorance about what innocence even meant, and even adopted Sheng Lan’s signature tactic of “shifting blame.” “Oh, does looking at you make you uneasy?”

“Not at all,” Sheng Lan tossed the box aside casually, placing a photo of the two of them on the table. Her thumb brushed over Lu Xueyin’s image in the picture. “I just think you’re too inexperienced to provoke a ‘hunter.’”

Lu Xueyin curled her lips, using action to declare that today, she intended to be a “high-end hunter.”

With a single finger, she hooked her necklace, the liquid inside the bottle pendant glowing blue under the sunlight, her jade-white fingertips cast in shadow.

A blatant provocation.

When she noticed the amusement in Sheng Lan’s eyes, Lu Xueyin felt provoked, her leg shifting beneath the table.

As she crossed one leg, she slipped off her high heel, the tip of her foot grazing Sheng Lan’s calf.

The tablecloth concealed the action, only showing the slight lift of her leg whether they’d actually touched remained a mystery to the audience.

Sheng Lan knew, though, and she was surprised by Lu Xueyin’s boldness.

It was as if Lu Xueyin had subconsciously confirmed a safe distance, realizing she could act recklessly within this boundary, daring to stoke the flames.

It was the naive arrogance of someone assured of being favored.

Beneath that composed, icy exterior lay boiling, searing magma restrained yet fervent.

Sheng Lan spun the pen in her hand, her fingers long and nimble, meeting Lu Xueyin’s gaze but refusing to play along with her silent act. “You’ve been staring at me for so long, are you really not going to do anything?”

Or was it because she didn’t dare?

Lu Xueyin smiled, set the pen down, and stood, circling around to stand behind Sheng Lan.

This position looming over her, seizing control, exerting dominance felt exhilarating.

Lu Xueyin reached out, fingertips brushing the crown of Sheng Lan’s head before her palm slid down, pressure gradually increasing until it pressed firmly against her skin, reaching the back of Sheng Lan’s neck.

There lay a gland.

More sensitive than an Omega’s.

Because an Alpha was never meant to be marked, nor was that spot meant to be touched.

Sheng Lan instinctively leaned back, the back of her head pressing into Lu Xueyin’s hand.

Lu Xueyin saw the turbulent restraint in her eyes, a madness barely contained.

Sheng Lan didn’t tremble from the touch to her gland, but Lu Xueyin recoiled at the intensity of her gaze.

The act had to be convincing.

Before yielding and withdrawing her hand, Lu Xueyin let her fingers drift sideways, skimming over Sheng Lan’s skin, pinning strands of hair beneath her fingertips as she nudged the collar of her shirt aside over her shoulder.

Then she bent down, burying her face against Sheng Lan’s neck, inhaling deeply.

Lu Xueyin had assumed Sheng Lan wouldn’t dare act recklessly, so she provoked her without restraint.

She’d forgotten just how much influence a top-tier Alpha, one who had once given her a temporary mark could have over her.

Tequila pheromones responded instantly, coaxing out the stubbornly guarded little rose from her senses.

Sheng Lan intercepted Lu Xueyin as she straightened up to retreat, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back. Drawing the curtains, amidst the billowing fabric, she kissed her deeply from below.

Under the sunlight, their tangled strands of hair cast a hazy play of light and shadow.

Lu Xueyin hadn’t expected Sheng Lan to actually dare to kiss her. Her eyes widened abruptly, only to meet Sheng Lan’s ambiguous, roguish gaze before she lowered her lashes to avoid it.

She watered roses with Tequila, their fragrance rich and intoxicating, inviting others to share in the drunkenness.

Though every inch of her exuded danger, that wild yet tender fervor was utterly lethal.

To flee would mean fear.

Lu Xueyin decided to follow her instincts, allowing herself to be drawn in, to follow her into the risk.

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