Becoming the Comfort Alpha for the Aloof Movie Queen - Chapter 92

The Dark Side of the Moon

During the day, Ming Tanqing returned to her usual self—clear and cool as the moon reflected in water. A faint smile always hung on the corners of her mouth; she was gentle and polite to everyone, never putting on airs and never revealing a single negative emotion.

Never.

Liang Ruojing sometimes felt dazed. Was that fragile, shattering Tanqing she saw in private merely a figment of her imagination?

She wanted to be with Ming Tanqing so badly that she had begun to hallucinate various scenes: imagining Ming Tanqing curling into her embrace, imagining Ming Tanqing calling her name over and over, imagining the tears in the corners of Ming Tanqing’s eyes…

The notification chime of her phone jolted Liang Ruojing back to reality.

She walked to a secluded spot to check her messages. Yan Mei had replied. The date for their meeting was set—three days from now, in the morning.

To prevent Tanqing from noticing anything unusual, Liang Ruojing specifically chose a morning when Ming Tanqing had a full schedule of filming. She decided to go find Yan Mei the moment Ming Tanqing left the hotel.

She wouldn’t be able to talk to Yan Mei for long because she had her own scenes that afternoon. It was the final scene of The Pursuit of Vengeance—Sun Ying’s death.

It was also the final wrap-up scene for both Liang Ruojing and Ming Tanqing. Once this scene was filmed and the wrap party was held, the production of The Pursuit of Vengeance would officially come to an end.

Over the past few days, Ming Tanqing interpreted all of Liang Ruojing’s abnormalities as nervousness. Despite her heavy filming load, Ming Tanqing still made time to help Liang Ruojing rehearse.

“Ruojing, believe in yourself. You’ve already mastered this scene.”

Liang Ruojing’s palms were sweaty. Meeting those affectionate peach-blossom eyes, she felt a surge of panic, like a criminal. Several times, she wanted to confess.

Sister Tanqing, can you tell me what makes you live in fear every night?

But the thoughts remained trapped in her mind. Liang Ruojing knew it was impossible. Several times, she thought about giving up. Like Tanqing said, they could take things slowly.

But how slow was slow enough? She was running out of time.

In the following days, Ming Tanqing’s nightmares continued. Liang Ruojing, knowing the cause lay within the gland, released her pheromones to soothe the pain.

She asked again: Why? The answer remained: It’s nothing, don’t worry.

Amidst this repetitive tug-of-war, the day of the meeting arrived. Liang Ruojing was surprised by the improvement in her own acting; she was so nervous, yet she performed flawlessly in front of Ming Tanqing.

“I’m leaving now.” Ming Tanqing straightened her collar in front of the mirror, her body bathed in the golden morning sunlight.

Liang Ruojing walked over, hugged her, and kissed her from the tip of her nose to her lips—an intense, lingering kiss that left the Omega’s breathing unsteady.

“What’s wrong?” Ming Tanqing curved her lips, looking down to smooth the wrinkles in her waistline where the Alpha had gripped her.

Liang Ruojing said something nonsensical: “Sister Ming, your waist is too thin.”

“Stop fooling around,” Ming Tanqing teased her, then comforted her again: “Don’t be nervous, it’s the last scene.”

The Omega left.

Liang Ruojing sat alone in the warm spring morning sun until the scent of lilies belonging to the Omega faded into the wind. She put on her full protective gear, hailed a taxi at the hotel entrance, and went to keep her appointment.

Yan Mei had set the meeting place at a tea house in the suburbs. It had private rooms and offered a high degree of privacy.

With a guilty conscience, Liang Ruojing felt as if everyone on the road was watching her. On the sidewalk, she walked slowly, wanting to give herself time to regret. Once she reached the tea house, she walked quickly, afraid that if she stayed for a second longer, the waiter would notice something was wrong.

Alternating between fast and slow, her heart racing, Liang Ruojing arrived at the door of the private room ten minutes early. She opened the door. By coincidence, Yan Mei had also arrived early.

“Let’s get one thing straight: if you say a single bad word about Ming Tanqing, I’m leaving immediately.”

Liang Ruojing took her seat and stated her position first—she and Ming Tanqing were on the same side.

Hearing the Alpha’s voice, Yan Mei finally confirmed the identity of the visitor; it was indeed the young Alpha named “Liang Ruojing” whom she had met once before.

Yan Mei ordered two cups of tea. Liang Ruojing sat with her arms crossed, not even glancing at the tea. She didn’t remove her mask and spoke in a muffled voice: “If you have something to say, say it quickly.”

Yan Mei held her tea bowl, rubbing it. Her expression was haggard; no amount of jewelry could hide the aura of lifelessness surrounding her. Liang Ruojing noticed she was showing—she looked at least five months pregnant, likely conceiving late last year.

At the end of last year, Sister Tanqing had likely just received the special medicine and was preparing for her comeback. While Liang Ruojing was mentally tracing the timeline, Yan Mei looked up at her with exquisite yet cloudy eyes, her gaze flickering.

“Tanqing… is she doing well?”

Liang Ruojing let out a huff through her nose. “A lot happier than when she was with you.”

Yan Mei was stung. She had tried to find Ming Tanqing since then but had been rejected. Resorting to this as a last resort, she had contacted Liang Ruojing.

Yan Mei stared at the rippling tea: “I know she’s unwilling to forgive me. I wronged her… but I had no choice at that time.”

Liang Ruojing couldn’t stand the riddles. She asked bluntly, “How did Sister Tanqing get her gland disease? I asked Doctor Fang, it doesn’t seem like a hereditary disease.”

Suddenly, tears slid down the corners of Yan Mei’s eyes. Her voice trembled, and it took a long time before she could speak:

“It was… to treat me.”

“My gland was damaged. Tanqing felt sorry for me and helped treat me…”

Liang Ruojing felt the warmth instantly drained from her body. Treating a disease? Simple treatment could never lead to the level of a chronic gland disease.

She asked hesitantly: “How was it treated?”

Yan Mei’s eyes darted around. “At that time, there was only one way. Her father wouldn’t let anyone else help me. Only Tanqing could… only her…”

Liang Ruojing demanded: “Tell the truth! What kind of treatment causes a permanent illness?”

Yan Mei sobbed, covering her face and crying. Her voice was intermittent and incoherent, but Liang Ruojing heard clearly.

Pheromone extraction.

Inserting a needle into the gland to extract high concentrations of pheromones in a short time. In modern medicine, this is only done out of necessity during a glandular examination. Liang Ruojing had done it once during her college entrance physical; the piercing pain throughout her body had lasted for three days.

Liang Ruojing felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Soon, she spotted a discrepancy.

When Ming Tanqing was 14, The Sinful Flower was released, and she entered a state of high public exposure thereafter. According to the director of The Sinful Flower, the film took a whole year to shoot. As the lead actress, if Ming Tanqing was being frequently drained of pheromones, could the film crew really have been unaware?

“How old?” Liang Ruojing gritted her teeth. “Ming Tanqing differentiated into an Omega at 13. How old was she when you started the extractions?”

Yan Mei closed her eyes. Her makeup was ruined, and two streaks of black tears fell from the corners of her eyes.

“12.”

“Her gland was formed by then.”

Liang Ruojing could hardly believe what she had just heard. Was she not… undifferentiated at that time? As for how Yan Mei’s gland was damaged, Liang Ruojing no longer cared to ask.

A metallic taste of blood suddenly surged in her mouth. An uncontrollable rage made her entire body tremble. She didn’t ask further, but Yan Mei continued, word by word, pouring it all out like a confession without reservation.

“At first, we just wanted to try. We didn’t really mean to hurt her. Tanqing was very strong and survived it several times. The doctor said as long as the amount was controlled, it would be fine. In the end, she moved, the needle slipped, and that’s why there was so much blood…”

“It’s okay, she differentiated successfully. She’s an S-class Omega, like me. And the disease she got later was cured by you.”

“Ruojing,” Yan Mei suddenly rushed forward, neurotically grabbing Liang Ruojing’s hand: “Thank you, thank you. She’s better now, everything is fine.”

“I beg you, ask her to help me. Ming Peide has someone else outside, and a child. Ming Peide had a glandular puncture; he will be an Alpha.”

Yan Mei’s hands were shaking: “It can’t be like this! You let Tanqing help me. She is so outstanding, and part of the Ming family business belongs to her. Please, it’s for her own good too…”

“Enough!”

“Don’t say another word!”

Liang Ruojing stood up abruptly. Her stomach suddenly turned over. She ripped off her mask and strode a few steps to the trash can to retch. The discomfort in her stomach and mouth was not even one-ten-thousandth of the pain in her heart.

Ignoring Yan Mei’s shrill cries behind her, Liang Ruojing rushed out onto the street. The world was spinning, and the nausea from before returned. She ducked into a deserted alley, leaning against a wall, but could only retch up saliva.

A passerby asked if she was okay. Liang Ruojing shook her head and quickly called a car to leave. Anywhere was fine; she didn’t want to stay in this neighborhood for another second.

Liang Ruojing felt as if she were falling into a void, a high-pitched whistling ringing in her ears. Her mind was too chaotic—so chaotic that she couldn’t even manage herself. It wasn’t until the car stopped again and the driver’s loud calls reached her ears that Liang Ruojing realized she was already covered in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

She paid the fare and sat dejectedly on a deserted bench. It was only then that a thought surfaced in her mind—

Those things were definitely mattering Sister Tanqing would never want anyone to know. She was such a proud person. She was such a good person.

Like a walking corpse, Liang Ruojing returned to the hotel. Under the impact of the massive information, her movements became sluggish. She pulled out the pheromone neutralizer Ming Tanqing had given her and, from head to toe, thoroughly removed any trace of Yan Mei’s pheromones from herself.

Afterward, she took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Was it the water from the showerhead or the tears she shed for Ming Tanqing? Liang Ruojing couldn’t tell.

She soon realized she couldn’t cry anymore. It was 10:30 AM. In three hours, she had to be on set. Makeup, positioning, rehearsals, filming… she still had one last scene to shoot.

Thinking about the string of “it’s okay”s Yan Mei said at the end, Liang Ruojing still wanted to vomit. What was that? Self-deception to make herself feel better?

Intentionally harming an Omega to the point of glandular disability was a serious crime under the Omega Protection Law. Combined with the Minor Protection Law, the crime was even more severe.

Liang Ruojing chewed her lunch mechanically. She thought about it—she could make Yan Mei and Ming Peide go to prison. Then, she quickly lost heart. Such a major crime, once exposed, would also pull Ming Tanqing into a whirlpool of public opinion. Ming Tanqing and her illness would be made public. Her illness and her experiences would be treated as curious gossip about a wealthy family, discussed over and over again.

Liang Ruojing swallowed her food along with the blood in her mouth.

In the afternoon, Xiao Xing came to pick her up for the set. On the way, Liang Ruojing re-read the passage she had long ago memorized—the death of Sun Ying.

This scene was actually very short. Sun Ying was hit by a bullet while fleeing and was seriously injured. At that time, Han Jiahe had already learned the identity of the real murderer and rushed there after receiving the news. But it was too late; Sun Ying was dead, lying alone in the wilderness.

All they had to act out was the final gaze between the dying Sun Ying and Han Jiahe. The total length was expected to be no more than five minutes. Lin Xiuzhu had rarely given specific direction, saying she wanted the most restrained emotion. Liang Ruojing couldn’t cry; the tears had to be left for the audience to feel in the silence.

This requirement was truly difficult, Liang Ruojing thought gloomily.

After finishing her makeup and changing her clothes, Liang Ruojing walked slowly to the edge of the set. Looking across the crowd, she saw Ming Tanqing surrounded by people.

Ming Tanqing was wearing grey long sleeves and trousers, with a high ponytail. Her hair was messy, and there were dirty streaks on her clean face. The lighting crew leader was explaining the positioning for the upcoming shot. Ming Tanqing listened intently, nodding occasionally and confirming some details.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, she lifted her eyelids and immediately locked onto Liang Ruojing: “Jiahe, hurry up and come to your Master’s side.”

Perhaps she had cried herself dry earlier; Liang Ruojing didn’t shed any tears upon seeing her, but she remained silent, appearing heavily burdened.

As each department took their positions, the crew began to clear the set, leaving only Ming Tanqing and Liang Ruojing.

“Don’t be nervous.” Before lying on the ground, Ming Tanqing patted Liang Ruojing’s shoulder to comfort her. “I can stay with you through as many takes as it takes.”

Liang Ruojing made a joke: “Then the blood bags will run dry.”

“Your state is quite good.”

Lin Xiuzhu shouted “Action.”

Liang Ruojing took a few seconds to compose herself and entered the character. The camera started filming from Han Jiahe’s feet and then moved to her face. Han Jiahe’s expression was very still; there was no hint of pain or grief on her face. She was just bewildered—how could a perfectly fine person be lying in a pool of blood? Clearly, they had agreed before that Sun Ying would return to the Procuratorate, and they could be together.

Han Jiahe walked over and knelt down in front of Sun Ying. At this point, Sun Ying’s consciousness was gone, and her breath was fading into the air.

Lin Xiuzhu held her breath, letting the camera focus on Liang Ruojing’s face. Great, hold it for two more seconds, and this shot is over.

Suddenly, Liang Ruojing used one hand to brush away the stray hairs by Ming Tanqing’s ear, rolling them between her fingertips. Then, she lowered her head.

Lin Xiuzhu’s breathing stopped.

Fortunately, Ming Tanqing sat up. Her face brushed against Liang Ruojing’s lips; no one but the two of them knew of their contact. No one else on set, except for Lin Xiuzhu, realized what the original intended outcome of the shot was.

“Cut—”

Lin Xiuzhu shouted out, giving both Ming Tanqing and Liang Ruojing a sharp look. “Act according to the script! Again!”