After the Scummy Alpha Marked the Crazy Beautiful Heroine - Chapter 34.2

She realized then that Chi Yang must be bleeding, and that Ye Ci wasn’t moving because if anyone caught the scent in her blood, they’d know she had secondarily differentiated into an Omega.

Pei Jiuyao wrapped an arm around Chi Yang’s waist and lifted her up. “I’ll take her to the dressing room.”

Without hesitation, she carried her through the crowd toward the makeup area.

Ye Ci kept the shirt pressed to Chi Yang’s leg the entire way, following them inside before going back out to fetch the first aid kit.

Pei Jiuyao set Chi Yang in a chair and lifted her skirt.

Chi Yang leaned forward quickly to check, nearly bumping heads with her, then let out a breath of relief. “Good, it didn’t get on the costume.”

Underneath, she was wearing her own clothes. The wound wasn’t deep—just a little blood staining the underlayer. Ye Ci had reacted fast.

If it had gotten on the costume, the trouble would have doubled.

“Good thing Ye Ci was there,” Chi Yang said, pulling off the inner garment and setting it aside, then hitching up her costume to expose her calf.

“Luckily it’s not deep. Your pheromones probably didn’t leak.” Pei Jiuyao’s expression turned serious. “How could you be so careless?”

She grabbed a few tissues to press against the wound.

“I wasn’t paying attention to my marks and tripped.”

Chi Yang’s tone was tinged with grievance as she rested her palm on Pei Jiuyao’s head. “I’m injured and you’re still scolding me?”

“I’m not scolding you,” Pei Jiuyao said, holding the wound with one hand and taking her hand down with the other, keeping it in her grasp. “I’m worried about you. At least it’s just a scratch.”

Chi Yang lowered her gaze. “We rehearsed the blocking so many times, I don’t know how I suddenly tripped.”

“Sheng Xia said she bumped into you?” Pei Jiuyao’s voice deepened.

Chi Yang shook her head. “She did bump me, but I tripped first—that’s why we collided. It’s not her fault.”

Pei Jiuyao sighed and gently squeezed her hand. “You’re hurt and still defending her.”

By the time Ye Ci returned with the first aid kit, the bleeding had mostly stopped. Pei Jiuyao cleaned and dressed the wound.

Chi Yang rested her hand back on Pei Jiuyao’s shoulder. “I’m just telling the truth. Don’t give her trouble—injuries happen all the time on set.”

“I know,” Pei Jiuyao muttered, dissatisfied. “I was just venting. I’m not actually going to cause trouble. I know it wasn’t on purpose.”

Chi Yang chuckled softly. “Because if you got hurt, I’d probably be upset too.”

Pei Jiuyao’s hands stilled in surprise, her eyes lifting to meet Chi Yang’s.

“What?” Chi Yang smiled. “Hurry up—we still have to finish shooting.”

Pei Jiuyao lowered her head again, fastening the bandage. She overheard Chi Yang instructing Ye Ci to take the bloodstained clothing back and make sure no one saw it.

Then, she took a pheromone suppressant injection.

Her mind was in a jumble.

On the way out, Pei Jiuyao kept thinking about what Chi Yang had said—“I’ll probably be upset too.”

Things had definitely changed since they started living together.

It was clearly a line laced with affection—

…almost an unconscious confession.

After saying it, Chi Yang had remained perfectly composed, as if it was nothing more than an ordinary remark.

Surely she hadn’t said it just to… comfort her?

For the rest of the shoot, Pei Jiuyao’s gaze never once drifted to Lin Leyi’s hands. Instead, her eyes followed Chi Yang, afraid she might run into trouble again.

That afternoon, Jiang Tian brought milk tea over.

When she and Pei Jiuyao handed it out to staff and waiting actors, they met quite a few people and even exchanged contact info with some.

The only unpleasant part was that, at some point, Qiao Lu had shown up. Not only did she freeload a cup of Pei Jiuyao’s milk tea without so much as a thank you, she even strutted around with her long neck held high, parading her drink in front of Pei Jiuyao several times like some ostentatious peacock.

Pei Jiuyao finally crossed her arms and asked, “Do you really want my attention that badly?”

Only then did Qiao Lu roll her eyes and walk away.

Pei Jiuyao rolled hers right back at her, expression blank.

After the milk tea run, Jiang Tian tugged on Pei Jiuyao’s sleeve. “That peacock’s back again?”

Pei Jiuyao couldn’t help but laugh. “You think she’s a peacock too?”

“She’s always been against us, using her background to push others down.”

Jiang Tian snorted softly, took out her phone, and called out, “Jie.”

“What’s up?”

“Look at this.”

She handed the phone over—a screenshot of news about Pei Jiuyao joining the Shan Hai crew, along with a few comments. Even the “mild” ones Jiang Tian had picked out still dragged up old scandals, sending them back to the trending list—insults toward the actress, the movie, the director—plus a slew of so-called insiders claiming Pei Jiuyao was being kept by some big investor.

If these were the less harsh ones, she could only imagine how vicious the rest must be.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t upset. In all her years since debut, she had never been cursed at this badly.

But knowing those videos were the original host’s doing made it a little easier to bear.

Not to mention, Chi Yang had already warned her in advance.

“Don’t worry, I’m aware of it,” Pei Jiuyao stated.

“So… do you have a plan? Sister Wen asked me—said the company doesn’t intend to suppress our black PR.”

Pei Jiuyao patted her shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll handle it. Tell Sister Wen not to worry.”

“That’s good,” Jiang Tian sighed in relief. “I knew those things weren’t you.”

Pei Jiuyao sipped her fruit tea, eyes fixed on the shoot. She chuckled. “You believe me this quickly? I wasn’t exactly a saint before.”

“That must have been Mo Tian forcing you,” Jiang Tian said righteously. “Jie, you’re actually a good person.”

“Because I pay you thirty thousand a month?” Pei Jiuyao muttered.

Jiang Tian flushed. “That’s only part of it. I just believe you.

“And besides, you already have Miss Chi. You said before you only like her, so you definitely wouldn’t—”

“Hey—” Pei Jiuyao cut her off. “I never told you Chi Yang’s name.”

Jiang Tian froze. “I… I…”

She couldn’t come up with an excuse and lowered her head awkwardly.

“Alright, I won’t tease you,” Pei Jiuyao said with a low laugh. “You’re by my side, so of course you’d know about us. Just don’t go talking about it outside.”

“Don’t worry, Jie, my lips are sealed!” Jiang Tian said.

“Mm.” Pei Jiuyao nodded.

A gust of wind blew her long hair forward, tangling it messily over her face.

She glanced toward Chi Yang’s direction.

Chi Yang was holding her script, rehearsing with Sheng Xia while touching up her makeup.

Pei Jiuyao took a sip of milk tea, pushed her hair back, and murmured, “I only want her.”

She was the best—and in Pei Jiuyao’s eyes, always would be.

________________________________________

The first day of filming had no night scenes, so they wrapped at eight in the evening.

Lin Leyi invited people out for drinks and late-night snacks. When she got to Chi Yang, Chi Yang used her injury as an excuse to pull Pei Jiuyao back to the hotel with her.

At the hotel entrance, Chi Yang deliberately raised her voice. “Miss Pei, we’ve got a scene together tomorrow. Come to my room later to run lines?”

“Of course, Miss Chi. I’ll be counting on your guidance,” Pei Jiuyao replied.

A few actors and staff passed by, greeting them as they walked down the hallway.

Pei Jiuyao exchanged a glance with Chi Yang and stifled a laugh.

After showering, Pei Jiuyao went straight to knock on Chi Yang’s door. “Miss Chi, time to rehearse.”

The door clicked open—no one inside bothered to come pull it the rest of the way—so she pushed it open herself, locking it behind her.

Chi Yang had just showered. Damp heat clung to her skin along with the scent of body wash. She was lying on the bed reading her script, lit only by a warm bedside lamp.

“So diligent? Haven’t you already memorized it?” Pei Jiuyao sat down, picking up her slender ankle.

“Always room for a fresh read.” Chi Yang put the script aside. “What are you doing?”

“Time to change your bandage,” Pei Jiuyao replied.

Chi Yang bent her leg to look, her damp hair brushing Pei Jiuyao’s cheek.

“Do we have to? There’s hardly any bleeding,” Chi Yang muttered.

Pei Jiuyao touched the gauze. “How’s it still dry after your shower?”

“I took it off before I washed, then wrapped it again afterward.”

Her hair spilled over her shoulders, her skin flushed from the hot water, eyes hazy with moisture—like some bewildered little creature—yet her look said, Isn’t it obvious? Are you dumb?

Pei Jiuyao had imagined her dangling her leg out of the tub, not removing the bandage entirely just to put the same one back on.

Could she even survive on her own?

No wonder she seemed so childish—who takes it off and doesn’t replace it with a fresh one?

Suppressing a sigh, Pei Jiuyao went to fetch the medical kit and began rebandaging her.

When the bandage pulled tight, Chi Yang’s fingers gripped her knee and her toes curled. “Ow,” she murmured.

“Did I hurt you?” Pei Jiuyao looked up quickly.

Chi Yang’s lips curved into a sly smile. She scratched Pei Jiuyao’s chin with a fingertip. “Just teasing. You’re so tense.”

Her fox-like eyes sparkled.

Still holding her chin, she murmured, “Didn’t you say you wanted… more guidance?”

Pei Jiuyao swiftly tied off the bandage, then pushed Chi Yang down on the bed, grazing her shoulder with a light nip of her canine, then soothing it with her tongue.

“How would my patron like to ‘guide’ me?” Pei Jiuyao asked with teasing voice.

Chi Yang’s ears flushed crimson, her eyes misty at the corners as she half-shyly, half-defiantly shoved Pei Jiuyao to the side.

“Quit it, I was just kidding,” Chi Yang said.

“Hmph. Look but don’t touch, and you still have the nerve to tease me.”

Leaning on one arm, Pei Jiuyao propped her head with the other, her fingers toying with Chi Yang’s burning-red ear.

“I wasn’t.”

“But seriously—today when you got hurt, did anyone realize you’re—”

“Ye Ci came in time, and most people there were wearing inhibitors. With all that chaos, no one should’ve caught my scent.”

“And even if they had,” Chi Yang said, twirling a strand of Pei Jiuyao’s hair, “with so many people around, they might just assume it was someone else. Why would they suspect me?”

“That’s good.”

Still, Pei Jiuyao’s thoughts drifted.

If she and Lin Leyi really…

It could only have been before Chi Yang’s second differentiation, back when she was still an Alpha.

If Lin Leyi wanted an Alpha to play the female lead, maybe she’d always wanted Chi Yang for her films.

So why was Chi Yang so worried now, regardless of whether she was Alpha or Omega?

Seeing her so serious, Chi Yang edged closer and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“When… did you second-differentiate?” Pei Jiuyao asked.

“A year ago. Why?” Chi Yang replied.

A year ago… she could’ve been dating someone then.

Pei Jiuyao hesitated but didn’t ask further.

If she had, and Chi Yang really had dated someone, she’d inevitably have to ask who—and that would make things awkward with Lin Leyi later.

“Nothing.” Pei Jiuyao leaned down to hug her, slipping her hand under Chi Yang’s shirt.

“Pei Jiuyao, we have filming tomorrow.”

With feigned innocence, Pei Jiuyao buried her face in Chi Yang’s neck. “I won’t do anything—just touch.”

“Then just hold me and sleep. Nothing else.”

“I’m only touching your waist, not anywhere else.” She nipped Chi Yang’s hot earlobe, her voice dropping. “Can I?”

Her hands kneaded her waist insistently. “Can I? Can I?”

Chi Yang bit back a sound, muttering, “Then… be gentle!”