A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 46.2

She trapped Lu Xueyin’s leg, foiling her escape plan.

Only when met with wide-eyed defiance did Sheng Lan let her go.

The whole exchange lasted barely a second enough for Lu Xueyin to hide in the changing room for an hour.

The stables’ changing room had no casual clothes, so for comfort, they switched into riding gear.

Sheng Lan waited in the rest area, pulling out her phone to ask Jiang Ling how much Lu Xueyin feared ghosts, then slipped into the livestream to chat with fans.

She didn’t quite understand the style of the scrolling comments.

[This cinematic feel is absolutely stunning, wuwuwu]

[One glance, one frame, and I’ve imagined 100,000 words of tragic beauty]

[Don’t anyone stop me today I’m determined to break up this couple!]

Since she couldn’t understand, Sheng Lan decided not to dwell on it. She tapped a little planet emoji, wrapped it in rainbow light, and sent a comment asking who exactly was supposed to be tragic.

[You two!]

[Didn’t you two get the tragic script today?!]

Sheng Lan pondered how she would edit today’s interactions if it were up to her.

The somber atmosphere during the indoor livestream could be darkened further with heavy rain. The muted post-microphone conversation could be cut, paired with a moody BGM to set the tone, and when Lu Xueyin ran away that would be the climax.

For the horse track scene, the brief umbrella-sharing moment could serve as the final farewell. A shot of the large umbrella with half its body drenched in rain would make a perfect closing frame.

Ideally, the umbrella shot could be expanded to include Sheng Lan’s shadow or long legs, contrasting with the earlier interaction where the umbrella blocked the camera.

Bonus points for Lu Xueyin glancing back during the chase scene.

After mapping it out, Sheng Lan declared their fans unimpressive. “Less analysis, more sincerity, please. Why refuse candy when it’s handed to you?”

[Wuwuwu, this is the woman I’ve stanned for three years, she mixes glass shards into the candy and still expects me to say it’s sweet.]

[Artificial Sweetness laced with fake ingredients reported!]

[Was the script designed by Sister Lu? A trial romance period exclusive?]

The shift toward realism was baffling.

What Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin considered poor execution, their fans interpreted as tragic beauty proof of their hard work in maintaining their fake couple act.

Despite the limited filming conditions and rainy-day constraints, they managed to spice up the livestream. The praise was overwhelming, laced with sympathy so much that even Sheng Lan, thick-skinned as she was, felt awkward accepting it.

[You can relax this show’s almost over, and you’re definitely winning the popularity vote.]

[Is there a shower in the changing room? You came out so fast didn’t even rinse off. Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?]

[Is my sister showering?]

Too embarrassed to engage, she decided to derail the mood instead.

“Whether my wife showers or not is that any of your business?”

The screen flooded with question marks, followed by a wave of rebellious copy-pasters insisting on asking whether Lu Xueyin was showering.

Sheng Lan said, “Asking her is boring. Better to say I don’t shower.”

Since she asked for it, she couldn’t blame the fans.

By the time Lu Xueyin finally emerged from the changing room, Sheng Lan returned her confiscated phone.

Lu Xueyin unlocked it and entered the livestream only to see the screen flooded with: “Sheng Lan doesn’t shower.”

Lu Xueyin: “…”

She had never met an Alpha this bold.

The return trip was silent.

With the rain persisting for days, Director Cheng wanted to salvage the ratings and arranged a tabletop game after dinner.

The fake couple was absent, leaving the four of them to gather.

The game was one Lu Xueyin had once suggested to Yan Bing, who rejected it only for the show to pick it up.

From the first round, Sheng Lan understood why.

The “Bingtang” couple had no idea how to play.

What truly baffled her was that Lu Xueyin, who proposed the idea, also didn’t know how.

Lu Xueyin saw nothing wrong with this. She glanced at Sheng Lan not a word spoken and Sheng Lan willingly carried the team.

A max-level player bulldozing through a beginner’s village, no challenge at all. They finished right on schedule.

Sheng Lan didn’t work overtime. Back in her room, she avoided the cameras and checked Jiang Ling’s reply.

No explanation for Lu Xueyin’s fear of ghosts just a mention that during an ancient drama shoot, there was a scene where someone pretended to be a ghost to scare her. Lu Xueyin was the one who got scared.

The director praised her acting, saying it was very realistic, but it didn’t fit the character’s persona that character wasn’t supposed to show obvious fear.

It took several NGs before the scene was approved, and right after, she fell ill with a fever.

At the time, Jiang Ling thought it was because she had immersed herself too deeply in the role and was affected by it. Later, when Lu Xueyin started avoiding such scenes, she realized it was because she was afraid.

So afraid that she could be scared sick.

Sheng Lan really wanted to take Lu Xueyin away from work.

She had even drafted a motivational quote, ready to send:

“You can’t stop the rain, but you can choose to take shelter.”

But today, Lu Xueyin said she couldn’t stop.

Sheng Lan closed her eyes and deleted the message.

She carefully recalled the haunted house’s layout and structure, as well as the spots that influencers had flagged as particularly scary, jotting them all down. Then, she asked Xiao Tao to prepare a high-powered flashlight for her.

If she could light up those dark corners as bright as day, it might help.

Meanwhile, Lu Xueyin received a message from Jiang Ling.

The livestream was too long for Jiang Ling to monitor 24/7, so she periodically checked trending topics and skimmed through the live chat to gauge audience reactions, inevitably missing some details.

Before coming, they hadn’t anticipated that the filming location for Trial Love would be near a haunted house it was an unexpected twist.

Now that it seemed unavoidable, Jiang Ling discussed it with Lu Xueyin, advising her to stick close to Sheng Lan when the time came.

[Jiang Ling]: It’s a dating show. Haunted house exploration isn’t the main focus. The production team won’t turn it into a horror atmosphere. Sheng Lan knows you’re scared, she’ll have a plan. Maybe they’ll throw a party in the haunted house. As long as it generates buzz, the place is just a backdrop.

Lu Xueyin thought the same.

Since Jiang Ling brought it up, she casually asked: Is Sheng Lan afraid of ghosts?

The question caught Jiang Ling off guard.

What were the odds that both of them were scared of ghosts?

[Jiang Ling]: Why do you ask? Did Sheng Lan say that? She’s scared too? Really?

Lu Xueyin didn’t know how to answer.

Sheng Lan had personally admitted she was afraid of ghosts, but based on her subsequent behavior, Lu Xueyin projecting her own feelings felt Sheng Lan didn’t seem scared.

Still, as an actor who relied on method acting, she understood that people with different personalities expressed fear in different ways. Even if she had doubts, she had to keep them to herself.

Jiang Ling didn’t wait for her reply. She immediately switched screens to ask Sheng Lan, who said she wasn’t afraid. “That rundown place? At most, there’ll be a few NPCs.”

Jiang Ling sent a screenshot.

Lu Xueyin’s gaze lingered on the word NPCs for a moment before replying with a simple “Mm,” ending the conversation.

The next day, they resumed the pastoral livestream routine.

Between preparing three meals, they drew an interaction card for hide-and-seek.

Director Cheng told them to keep the card and said they could do whatever they wanted for now.

Sheng Lan frowned slightly, but Lu Xueyin suggested that maybe the grass outside was still wet, and the area was too small, so they should wait a day. “Didn’t you say you wanted to draw talismans? Let’s do that instead.”

It didn’t quite make sense.

For couples, hide-and-seek wouldn’t involve expanding the search area beyond the house, it was supposed to be a playful game indoors, with kisses and hugs as rewards.

It was meant to be flirty, not an actual competition.

When they ran into the Crystal Sugar couple, Sheng Lan mentioned the card draw. Tang Yingyue was delighted. “You got hide-and-seek too? Yan Bing said the card felt off, but if you guys got the same one, then it’s fine!”

Lu Xueyin gave her a surprised look.

She had assumed Tang Yingyue’s “ditzy sweetheart” persona was just a label.

Hearing this reasoning, Lu Xueyin silently took a sip of tea.

It had nothing to do with Tang Yingyue.

It was about the unknown, impending surprise.

They didn’t have to wait long.

On the day Meng Qing and Ji Xinlan resumed broadcasting after their break, Director Cheng arranged a vote for the group activity card, a haunted house.

As expected, the vote was tied three to three.

To ensure fairness, they drew lots externally, with each of the six participants writing their own vote on a slip of paper.

To expedite the process, Director Cheng assigned five staff members to draw the lots.

In the end, the haunted house activity card was selected.

Trial Love had been airing for twenty-three days, with just one week left.

This was the latest episode in which the production team had scheduled the second group activity card. Director Cheng announced that no tasks would be assigned during the day, allowing everyone free time. The haunted house visit would take place that evening, ensuring ample time for the group activity.

At the same time, the Fake Couples were given small task cards to draw. These were slightly different from their hide-and-seek cards, displaying “role-play” instead.

Meng Qing didn’t overthink it and joked that Director Cheng was getting creative. “Otherwise, how about cosplaying as a domineering director and a charming producer?”

Sheng Lan shot her a “look at this idiot” glance.

Meng Qing wanted to retort, but when she turned her head, she saw Lu Xueyin and the “Rock Sugar” couple giving her the same look.

She lowered her gaze to the pink card, which had the distinct Trial Love aesthetic, and tilted her head. “Is this role-play about playing as ghost NPCs?”

She had already gone out of her way to catch up on her studies, why did she have to be an NPC now?

Support