A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 57

Just like the previous two days, the fans remained lively long after the evening broadcast ended, sending trending topics surging up and down the rankings.

Today, all three groups of guests had prepared well. With the production team’s cooperation, every group had its highlights, successfully diverting some of the heat away from Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin. However, due to the addition of the Bing Tang CP in the final “Hunting” segment, and Sheng Lan’s reversal from “prey” to “hunter,” a lingering trail of ambiguity and imagination was left for the audience to fill in. This forcibly dragged the spotlight back. By the time they returned to the manor, their trending topics had firmly stabilized at the top.

Sheng Lan refreshed her feed a few times. Seeing that she and Lu Xueyin occupied most of the top slots, she finally put her phone away. Beside her, Lu Xueyin synchronized her movements, locking her screen and glancing sideways. Their eyes met.

Perhaps the off-camera kiss had been too bold, or perhaps the direct lines from earlier were finally catching up to her; Lu Xueyin’s gaze flickered away instantly. She didn’t dare look back, her heart thumping and her cheeks burning.

Sheng Lan, still feeling the afterglow, lowered her eyelids to mask the lingering heat in her eyes. She asked Lu Xueyin if she wanted to grab a late-night snack. The evening broadcast had been physically taxing, and the crew had prepared food.

Lu Xueyin was now a bit afraid of being alone with Sheng Lan, fearing she might ask if that “Do you like me?” question during the interrogation was sincere. But since they had been inseparable just a moment ago, avoiding her now felt too cold. After a brief hesitation, she nodded.

Sheng Lan had a natural talent for managing interpersonal distance, especially when observing Lu Xueyin. If Lu Xueyin was a wary cat, the trust she showed on the surface was likely hiding fur that was slightly standing on end. Crossing the line now would only startle her, causing the cat she had worked so hard to lure out to vanish back into her safety zone.

But she had to give some response. This wasn’t a case of carefully testing boundaries; it was a clear display of affection. So, Sheng Lan decided to treat it like rewarding a kitten with a treat: they would just eat a meal together.

While Sheng Lan wanted a private space, she knew the intimacy would only double the tension. Instead, they ate in the first-floor dining room. The other guests, who had spent the night running through the haunted house, were even more exhausted. Seeing the two of them, they also grabbed plates and sat in small groups, chatting idly about the broadcast and sharing funny things that had happened off-camera.

After nearly a month together, everyone had developed a certain rhythm. Small gestures like picking up food for a partner or sharing knowing smiles had become routine—almost copy-pasted versions of each other.

Lu Xueyin whispered to Sheng Lan, “It seems everyone has run out of tricks.”

The thought that the show was ending brought a sudden chill to the warmth in her heart. The end meant the crowd would disperse. Without the cameras and the constraints of the show, she didn’t know if her relationship with Sheng Lan would surge forward or scatter in the wind.

Sheng Lan used her spoon like a knife, “carving” a lotus root slice. She left the center intact, creating a little skull shape with big eyes and a small nose. She carved two little skulls and paired them with a crooked lotus-root heart, pushing the plate toward Lu Xueyin.

“I haven’t run out of tricks,” she named the dish: “Lingering Attachments.”

Lu Xueyin tried her best to play along, eventually saying, “It’s quite pretty.”

Sheng Lan just laughed. After some joking around and finishing half a bowl of rice, they headed upstairs together.

Before bed, both took out their phones to interact with fans in their livestream rooms. Sheng Lan’s side was mostly playful banter about “creative bottlenecks” and whether she was selling her “handmade shoe covers.”

Lu Xueyin’s side was far more intense. The fans were demanding to know about her “idling” in Sheng Lan’s room the previous night, the direct question during the interrogation, and what happened in the camera’s blind spot.

Coincidentally, Sheng Lan sent Lu Xueyin a message at that moment, their chat window looking tender and serene. Lu Xueyin rubbed her tired eyes, swept away the softness in her heart, and straightened up to respond to her fans.

“I just went to her room to idle. I’ve slept in her room before; what’s a livestream?” “The questions during the interrogation were real. Even if I said they were fake, you wouldn’t believe me anyway.” “I can’t talk about what happened in the blind spot, because that stuff isn’t allowed to be broadcast.”

From her word choice to her tone, it was a perfect imitation of Sheng Lan. The atmosphere in the chat changed instantly, with fans asking if Sheng Lan was feeding her lines or if this was a spontaneous imitation.

Lu Xueyin didn’t give them a chance to dig deeper, decisively ending the interaction with a “We’re going to sleep now.”

Sheng Lan, tipped off by her fans, sent a message: “Are we sleeping together?”

Chatting via text provided a sense of privacy and a moment of relaxation. There was no need to worry about being seen or caught by cameras. As Lu Xueyin lay down, she felt the stinging ache in the gland at the back of her neck again. Calculating the days, her heat was almost here. She smiled and replied, “Mm, let’s sleep together.”

The next morning, when the alarm went off, Sheng Lan pulled her hair into a ponytail. She reflected on the show’s progress; the haunted house had provided enough heat. She decided to step back for the remaining two sessions to give the other guests a chance and themselves some breathing room.

She went to knock on Lu Xueyin’s door. It took nearly a minute for the door to open. Lu Xueyin looked a bit haggard without makeup, and her pheromones carried a restless heat. She immediately flopped back onto the bed to keep sleeping.

Sheng Lan entered and closed the door, shifting Lu Xueyin into a better position and covering her with a light quilt.

Lu Xueyin was exhausted but couldn’t fall back asleep. Seeing Sheng Lan sitting leisurely on the edge of the bed, she asked about the previous night’s broadcast. Seeing her so unguarded, Sheng Lan leaned in and whispered into her ear:

“I really do like you.”

The “straight ball” hit with fierce force, vibrating from Lu Xueyin’s head to her toes. Her eyes went wide. She stared at Sheng Lan for a moment before suddenly throwing off the covers and bolting for the bathroom. She didn’t even stop to put on her slippers before locking the door.

Sitting there, Lu Xueyin’s body was still humming with heat. Her mind felt like it had short-circuited. She felt she hadn’t responded correctly; she knew the standard “confession” procedures from dramas. She couldn’t leave her without an answer. After steadying herself, she slowly opened the door a crack.

Sheng Lan was sitting in a rattan chair by the window, playing with her phone. She felt Sheng Lan was angry because she didn’t even look up. Lu Xueyin stood there, feeling lost. She wasn’t good at coaxing people. She retreated to the sink to brush her teeth and wash her face—just in case there was a kiss later.

In the group chat, Director Cheng was already asking if everyone was awake and ready to work. The announcement came: today would follow yesterday’s format with early card drawing and script submissions.

Sheng Lan had decided to take it easy. Whether they drew a Roleplay Card or a Hide-and-Seek card, she would just take Lu Xueyin for a stroll around the mansion. If they encountered a penalty card from another group, they’d play along.

Once Lu Xueyin was ready, she stepped out and gave a very serious, very sincere response: “I like you, too.”

Sheng Lan felt her pheromones surge. Her tequila scent suddenly had the kick of champagne, wanting to bubble over in celebration. Saying the same words again, away from the cameras and microphones, felt entirely different.

The silver-tongued Sheng Lan could only stand there and grin like a fool.

She pulled Lu Xueyin into a long embrace, exhaling deeply. She reached through Lu Xueyin’s long curls and pinched her ear. “I thought I’d scared you so much you were going to be sick.”

Lu Xueyin, listening to Sheng Lan’s racing heartbeat, finally let a smile reach her eyes. Outside, it was another sunny day. She whispered:

“I think my heat is starting.”

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