Becoming the Comfort Alpha for the Aloof Movie Queen - Chapter 48

Slender white fingers could not hide the flush on her cheeks.

For Alphas and Omegas, pheromones are equivalent to a second identity card. For those who are well-acquainted, one can identify a person by their scent even without seeing their face. However, if they are strangers with little interaction, they can only discern the grade and secondary gender.

This was exactly the case for You Xi. She had never smelled Ming Tanqing’s pheromones before. She only knew that Ming Tanqing was an S-class Omega—and someone she could not afford to provoke.

As Ming Tanqing approached, the scent of lilies in the air intensified, weighing down on You Xi’s nerves. With every step Ming Tanqing took, You Xi’s face grew a shade paler.

The pheromones swirling at the tip of her nose could not be mistaken; this lily fragrance was identical to the one she had just smelled on Liang Ruojing. It made sense—there were only four people on the rooftop that day. Lin Xiuzhu and Wan Tingran had chatted all night, and Cheng Yaru was ruled out. The only one left was Ming Tanqing.

It was actually Ming Tanqing!

Liang Ruojing saw clearly that You Xi, who had been stubborn moments ago, suddenly became cowering and timid. It was as if she had been struck by a heavy blow; beads of sweat instantly gathered on her forehead.

Ming Tanqing’s gaze was calm. In fact, there was no sign of anger on her face, but her aura was so intimidating that it caused unprovoked fear. Liang Ruojing had never seen Ming Tanqing like this.

“Miss You, is there a reason for your visit?”

You Xi managed to squeeze out a smile. “I… I came to apologize. Haha, it’s over now, so I should be going. I won’t disturb you further.”

“Wait a moment,” Ming Tanqing called out to her. “Why the rush? Doesn’t Xiao Jing still have a lot to learn? Why not come in and teach her? I’d like to listen too. After all, you are several years older than me.”

You Xi hurriedly wiped her sweat. “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. We were just joking around.”

Having said that, she looked at Liang Ruojing. In those phoenix eyes, there was now no trace of contempt, only pleading: “Right, Xiao Jing?”

Liang Ruojing’s heart lightened. She crossed her arms and said, “Not really, Sister You. I was quite looking forward to your ‘teachings’.”

You Xi’s figure swayed slightly. For a few seconds, she wanted to turn and run. However, the scent of lilies held her captive. The coldness carried within the pheromones dragged her back to the afternoon she fell into the lake yesterday. The chill crawled up her spine, inescapable.

Moreover, even without the pheromones, given Ming Tanqing’s status, You Xi did not dare to ignore her. She bit her lip and entered the hotel room.

A coffee table separated the two camps. Liang Ruojing poured a glass of ice water and placed it in front of You Xi. “Sister You, you hadn’t finished what you were saying.”

You Xi gave a dry laugh. “Actually, I’ve finished. I’m finished.”

Ming Tanqing sat opposite her, stroking the teacup in her hand, her face unreadable. For a few minutes, no one spoke in the living room.

Liang Ruojing quietly observed the “senior” before her. From the first day they met, You Xi had been overbearing, perfunctory in her acting, and crude toward the crew. She never imagined she would see her like this—shoulders hunched, sitting on pins and needles.

Ming Tanqing took a sip of water and set the cup down. You Xi was so tense that she was startled even by the slight clink of the porcelain.

The conversation was led solely by Ming Tanqing. “You Xi, what brought you to the hotel today?”

You Xi pressed down on her trembling legs. “I heard Xiao Jing had a fever, so I came to visit.”

“How did she get a fever?” Ming Tanqing’s tone was steady as she glanced at Liang Ruojing. “She has always been in good health.”

Liang Ruojing felt there was a subtext to those words.

You Xi lowered her head. “It was because I wasn’t in a good state yesterday, which caused Liang Ruojing to get sick. I’m sorry!”

“To whom should the apology be addressed?”

You Xi stood up and bowed toward Liang Ruojing. “Liang Ruojing, I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Ming Tanqing again. “Tanqing, I didn’t know she was yours. If I had known earlier, I—”

Ming Tanqing interrupted her. “Which part of this has anything to do with me? You didn’t intentionally cause me to NG and soak in the lake, nor did you spread rumors about me and Lin Xiuzhu regarding ‘unspoken rules’.”

“Without me, you would have done these things anyway, but you wouldn’t have apologized, would you?”

You Xi hadn’t expected Ming Tanqing to be so blunt. She couldn’t answer the question.

The cold voice rang through the living room: “You Xi, your apology is quite expensive.”

You Xi’s face turned white, and she nearly lost her footing. She couldn’t make any more excuses; the fact that Ming Tanqing could name those two specific instances meant she knew much more. It was clear that Ming Tanqing valued Liang Ruojing—and not just in a casual way.

You Xi was filled with immense regret. She realized that Liang Ruojing’s opinion was the most important one.

Liang Ruojing was staring at Ming Tanqing when her wrist was suddenly grabbed. You Xi was begging her, stripped of all dignity. “Xiao Jing, please forgive me. I didn’t mean it yesterday. I’ve also withdrawn the ‘leaks.’ You…”

Liang Ruojing frowned and pulled her hand away. She could see the regret in the person before her. But even now, she only regretted provoking the wrong person, not the behavior itself.

Liang Ruojing felt like vomiting. She turned and found Ming Tanqing looking at her. It was hard to extract any specific emotion from Ming Tanqing’s gaze.

Liang Ruojing suddenly realized that Ming Tanqing had entered the industry early and must have seen this kind of ugliness many times. The glamour and rot of the entertainment industry were one and the same. Because Ming Tanqing was usually so pure and ethereal, Liang Ruojing sometimes forgot that she too was affected by it.

You Xi wasn’t worth it.

“You should go,” Liang Ruojing said. “I don’t want to pursue this anymore.”

You Xi immediately responded, “I promise. You two should rest.” Before she left, Ming Tanqing added one more thing: “Don’t let me hear of anything similar happening again—and not just regarding Liang Ruojing.”

You Xi shuddered, nodded, and quickly vanished from their sight.

At 18:00 that evening, ten hours after You Xi left the hotel, her studio posted a blog entry announcing her withdrawal from the filming of The Pursuit of Vengeance. Simultaneously, all commercial activities for the coming month were postponed, and that night’s live stream was canceled.

The official statement was that Ms. You Xi was feeling unwell and needed temporary rest. However, combining her role in the drama with the recent controversies involving Liang Ruojing and the crew, bystanders quickly pieced together the truth.

I’ve hated her for a long time, acting like a big shot when she’s not.

Finally got what was coming to her. The internet has a memory; search ‘Sour Face Compilation’ on the fan site for a surprise.

Withdrew from the cast? As a fan of the show, I just want to ask, who’s going to play our Sun Ying?

It wasn’t just the fans who were concerned about this matter. Liang Ruojing was too. She thought You Xi’s side would put up a fight, but she hadn’t expected the studio to respond so quickly after Ming Tanqing stepped in.

According to Lin Xiuzhu, she received a call at 10:00 AM from You Xi’s manager to discuss the contract termination. Investors also called, essentially saying they hoped the cooperation would continue and that the incident wouldn’t sour their relationship. After that, the phone didn’t stop ringing. Lin Xiuzhu, being non-conformist, threw her phone to the assistant director and focused on directing.

In the afternoon, Liang Ruojing returned to the set and happened to run into the assistant director who had just finished a call.

“Who was that calling?”

The assistant director waved the phone. “People wanting to fill the role. Sun Ying is vacant now, and it’s a great role.”

Since it concerned her future scene partner, Liang Ruojing probed further: “Is there a candidate yet?”

“Xiuzhu seems to have chosen someone,” the assistant director said. “I trust her eye.”

Liang Ruojing was preoccupied with her thoughts. She wondered who Lin Xiuzhu would choose.

Even into the evening, Liang Ruojing was still thinking about it. Tang Yuecen advised her to relax. “Now that the show’s popularity is up, the actors coming in won’t be bad.”

Liang Ruojing couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Tang, do you think it’s possible for Ming Tanqing to do it?”

Tang Yuecen gave Liang Ruojing a look that said: Are you crazy?

“The fact that she was willing to help you shocked me enough. Filming The Pursuit of Vengeance is unlikely.” Tang Yuecen analyzed. “Now that she’s made a comeback, she’ll probably do what she did before—movies.”

After seeing off her manager, Liang Ruojing went upstairs alone. Her mood had been a bit melancholy, but after a few steps, she suddenly became happy.

Sister Ming was back at Huafeng. They could sleep together again.

Liang Ruojing didn’t think much of it. When you love someone so much, just being by their side is enough to be happy. Of course, kissing and providing pheromones were her duties. Anything else… she was more than happy to oblige.

Because of the delay in the morning, Liang Ruojing finished work late. It was past 10:00 PM when she arrived at the hotel.

The air was floating with the pleasant scent of lilies. It was everywhere. Liang Ruojing felt as if she were rolling in a field of lilies. She subconsciously licked her teeth. A few days of separation had made her crave the Omega’s pheromones even more.

Nominally, Ming Tanqing needed Liang Ruojing’s pheromones to alleviate her condition. But in reality, Liang Ruojing always felt that she was the one who couldn’t live without the Omega’s scent.

Liang Ruojing walked slowly into the inner room. The ceiling light in the living area was off; only a small bedside lamp was lit on Liang Ruojing’s side of the bed. The dim, yellow light acted like a sunset glow, draping over half of the Omega’s face.

Ming Tanqing was asleep.

Liang Ruojing didn’t think she was being a creep; she walked over to Ming Tanqing’s side, knelt down, and began to admire the Omega’s peaceful sleeping face.

To Liang Ruojing, Ming Tanqing was the enlightenment of beauty. It might seem superficial to talk about looks, but Liang Ruojing had to admit that what she first fell for was Ming Tanqing’s face.

At seventeen, Ming Tanqing was as fresh as a new leaf in spring. Though she had the figure of a young girl, every gesture was filled with an indescribable charm. Like a gentle breeze, she had suddenly stirred ripples in Liang Ruojing’s world.

As she grew older, Ming Tanqing gradually shed her youthful greenness, and her overall aura became colder, like perennial snow. She suited a cold face—lowering her eyelashes, looking stern and inviolable, with a voice as pure as snowmelt.

Liang Ruojing thought of how Ming Tanqing looked that morning. Her tone was calm throughout, without even an angry expression, yet she possessed such an aura that it commanded attention.

This version of Ming Tanqing existed because of her.

Yet Liang Ruojing knew this wasn’t the real Ming Tanqing. Sister Ming actually loved to laugh and loved to tease her. Every time Liang Ruojing did something silly, the Omega’s sapphire-blue eyes would brim with laughter.

Liang Ruojing leaned against the edge of the bed, tilted her head, and once again traced Ming Tanqing’s features in her mind. She hoped Sister Ming would laugh more.

The Alpha watched for a while longer before reluctantly going to take a shower.

Just as she left, the Omega, who had been sleeping on her side, suddenly turned over.

Slender white fingers could not hide the flush on her cheeks. The Alpha’s gaze had carried a tangible warmth, staring until her face felt hot.

Silly dog.

Liang Ruojing finished her shower and came out wrapped in a bathrobe. She suddenly noticed the ceiling light was on. Ming Tanqing had woken up at some point and was sitting propped up against the headboard.