Everyone Loves the Alpha, But He’s Not Interested [Transmigration] - Chapter 73

When Ning Xi came out after changing clothes, she looked up and met Yu Qingxue’s expectant gaze. Her steps paused, and she quickly began to think about what Yu Qingxue might be hoping for.

“Are you feeling weak? Do you want me to help you change?” she asked.

Yu Qingxue stayed silent for a moment. Getting help changing was nice, but why hadn’t Ning Xi said anything about marriage?

With a trace of disappointment in her heart, Yu Qingxue walked past Ning Xi. At the door of the dressing room, she turned back and asked, confused, “Didn’t you say you were going to help me change?”

Ning Xi smiled and quickly walked over. “I thought maybe you didn’t want me to.”

Yu Qingxue replied calmly, “If I didn’t need to save energy for filming, I wouldn’t need your help.”

Ning Xi looked at her with amusement, recognizing the contrast between her words and her true feelings. She nodded in admiration. “Qingxue really is an independent Omega.”

Yu Qingxue’s cheeks turned slightly red from the compliment. “I’m not always independent. Right now, I do need your help.”

Ning Xi opened the door for her, and the two of them walked in one after the other.

The dressing room was not very big. It felt spacious enough for one person but was a little cramped with both of them inside.

Yu Qingxue was about to undress but paused when she saw Ning Xi still watching her. “Turn around first,” she said.

Ning Xi didn’t question it and obediently turned her back to her.

Yu Qingxue let out a quiet breath, pushed aside her shyness, and began changing. “Ning Xi, hand me the dudou,” she called.

The clothing rack was right in front of Ning Xi. She took down a silver-red silk dudou and passed it behind her.

Yu Qingxue took it and tied the two straps behind her neck. Then she lightly patted Ning Xi on the shoulder. “Ning Xi, help me with this.”

When Ning Xi turned around, she saw Yu Qingxue’s slender back. Her long hair had been swept to the front, revealing her graceful neck. The gland at the back of her neck was slightly pink. Her shoulder blades formed a delicate curve, and under the silver-red straps of the dudou, her skin looked pale as snow.

Ning Xi’s heartbeat quickened, and her palms began to sweat.

The memories from those eight days were returning, little by little. She could no longer view Yu Qingxue’s body with a pure heart.

As she reached out and picked up the straps of the dudou, her fingertips accidentally brushed against Yu Qingxue’s skin. Yu Qingxue trembled slightly but said nothing. She did not look back, though the tips of her ears turned red.

Ning Xi, for once, felt nervous. It was just a simple task, yet she failed to tie the straps on the first try. Then the second. On her third attempt, she still couldn’t get it right.

Yu Qingxue reached behind her with both hands. “I’ll do it myself. Give me the straps.”

When Ning Xi placed the ends of the straps into her hand, she realized Yu Qingxue’s palms were also sweaty and warm.

So she wasn’t the only one feeling nervous. Yu Qingxue was nervous too.

A gentle sweetness rose from Ning Xi’s heart. The feeling was strange but pleasant.

So this was one of the nice things about love, she thought. It wasn’t just trouble and wasted time after all.

Yu Qingxue tied the straps herself, then turned around and gave Ning Xi a glance filled with warmth and laughter. “You said you wanted to help, but you can’t even tie a knot.”

Her voice was soft and sweet, more teasing than complaining.

Ning Xi felt her heart skip a beat. “It’s not that I can’t. It’s just that when I saw your palms sweating, I got nervous too.”

Yu Qingxue blinked, caught off guard. Her face instantly turned red. “It’s not like you haven’t seen it before. Why are you nervous now?”

Ning Xi sighed lightly. “I don’t know why, but the more I remember, the more nervous I feel.”

There was no need to explain what she was remembering. Yu Qingxue understood.

Blushing, Yu Qingxue reached up and covered Ning Xi’s eyes. “You’re not nervous. I’m just too charming. So don’t look.”

Ning Xi gently took her hand and looked into her shy, bright eyes. “You’re right. You’re too charming. I can’t seem to control my heart around you.”

Yu Qingxue felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest. Ning Xi being this straightforward was simply too dangerous.

Why hadn’t she said yes to the marriage proposal earlier? If she had, she could have had Ning Xi all to herself, married first and fallen in love later. She would even have the full rights of a wife. If she wanted intimacy, she wouldn’t have to wait for a heat cycle.

Afraid Ning Xi would say something even more teasing, Yu Qingxue quickly pushed her out of the room. “You better wait outside. I’ll finish on my own.”

Ning Xi stood just outside the dressing room, her face full of joy.

Yu Qingxue was just too adorable.

It had been a long time since Ning Xi had felt this kind of happiness.

When Yu Qingxue came out after changing, she didn’t look up in time and walked straight into Ning Xi’s arms.

Ning Xi steadied her by the waist. “Be careful.”

Yu Qingxue quickly pulled her hand away as if she had been burned. “You’re blocking the way. I wouldn’t have bumped into you if you weren’t standing there.”

She shot Ning Xi a quick glare and walked past her.

Ning Xi’s dark eyes shimmered with amusement. She quickly caught up to Yu Qingxue and leaned down slightly. “That was my fault. Don’t be mad.”

Yu Qingxue looked ahead and avoided her gaze. “I’m not mad.” Though truthfully, her heart was still racing.

Ning Xi gently grabbed her hand, gave it a little shake, then quickly let go. “Good. I was really afraid you’d ignore me.”

Yu Qingxue’s tightly pressed lips finally relaxed into a small smile. “Even if I’m mad, I wouldn’t ignore you.”

Ning Xi whispered, “You’re really too good, Qingxue.”

Before Yu Qingxue could figure out how to respond, Jiang Yuanxin appeared just in time to save her.

He walked toward them and said, “There’s a small issue with the props team. Filming will be delayed by about thirty minutes. Come to the lounge and chat with me for a bit.”

“Sounds good,” Yu Qingxue answered immediately.

She was afraid that if she spent any more time alone with Ning Xi, she would accidentally confess. That couldn’t happen. She still wanted Ning Xi to fall for her first and confess on her own.

Ning Xi had no objections, and the two followed Jiang Yuanxin to his lounge.

He sat across from them, glanced at Yu Qingxue, then at Ning Xi, and grinned playfully. “You two seem like you’ve had a great few days. Still going strong, huh?”

Yu Qingxue gave him a look. “Ning Xi and I aren’t what you think. Stop with the dirty jokes.”

Jiang Yuanxin chuckled. “Deny all you want. I can tell. Ning Xi looks like she handled it really well. Still full of energy. Looks like you’re set for life, Qingxue.”

Yu Qingxue immediately regretted following him in here.

He used to avoid these kinds of jokes out of respect for her inexperience. Now he clearly couldn’t help himself.

She glared at him. “Keep talking and I’ll cut your pay.”

Jiang Yuanxin immediately raised his hands. “Alright, alright. I give up. My bad.”

Ning Xi looked at him seriously. “Director Jiang, we really aren’t what you think. It was just an accident. Qingxue’s pheromone suppressant failed. That’s how everything happened.”

“Pheromone suppressant failure? With the special-grade formula she uses, that shouldn’t be possible. Even with an Alpha in susceptibility close by, it shouldn’t have any effect.” Jiang Yuanxin knew exactly which brand Qingxue used. When he heard this, he stopped joking and frowned. “There’s definitely something wrong here.”

Yu Qingxue nodded. “I’ve been suspicious too. That suppressant had been sitting in the dressing room. I only took it out and drank it after filming finished at noon on the seventh. Now that I think about it, I did feel slightly unwell shortly after drinking it.”

“Can you help me pull the surveillance footage from outside the dressing room on the seventh? I want to see if anyone came near it.”

“I’ll do it now.” Jiang Yuanxin took it seriously. He made a phone call right away. A few minutes later, he received a message. “They’ve sent the footage from that morning to my email. Should we look at it now or wait until filming ends?”

Ning Xi said, “Let’s check it now. There’s a fast-forward function. We just need to skip to the parts where someone approached the room.”

Jiang Yuanxin brought over the laptop, sat on Yu Qingxue’s other side, and started the video.

At ten times speed, they watched the footage and identified five people who had entered the makeup room shared by Ning Xi and Yu Qingxue: Ning Xi’s makeup artist Lili, Yu Qingxue’s artist Nana, Wang You, Wei Nian, and Lin Zhuoyan.

“What were Wang You and Wei Nian doing in there?” Jiang Yuanxin asked. “I’ll call them over.”

He stepped aside to make the call. Meanwhile, Ning Xi turned to Yu Qingxue and asked, “Do you have any suspects in mind?”

Yu Qingxue replied, “I suspect Lin Zhuoyan.”

It had already seemed suspicious when he showed up at the set unannounced on the seventh. That same day, after filming, they had seen him walking away from the makeup room looking flustered. They didn’t know his motive, but everything about his behavior felt off.

“I suspect him too,” Ning Xi said.

Aside from the strange feeling Yu Qingxue had, Ning Xi’s suspicion also came from her memories of the original novel. Lin Zhuoyan was not portrayed as a normal person. He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Her only confusion was that neither she nor Yu Qingxue had interacted much with Lin Zhuoyan. She couldn’t figure out when or how they might have offended him.

Just a few minutes after Jiang Yuanxin made the call, Wang You and Wei Nian arrived outside the lounge.

The door was open. Wang You spotted Yu Qingxue and Ning Xi sitting inside. She stopped at the doorway, her expression sour.

Ning Xi noticed Wei Nian whisper something in Wang You’s ear. Wang You took a deep breath, forced a smile onto her face, and led Wei Nian into the lounge holding her hand.

Ning Xi raised her eyebrows slightly. Always keeping up appearances—Wang You really was a perfect match for Qingxue in that regard.

“You’re here,” Jiang Yuanxin said as he looked up from the screen. He noticed their joined hands and stood up, clearly surprised. “You two are together?”

Wang You kept her eyes on Yu Qingxue and didn’t respond. Wei Nian scratched the back of her neck shyly. “Director Jiang, we just got together not long ago.”

It was hard to keep up an act in front of someone not in on the story.

Trying to keep things simple, Wei Nian didn’t elaborate and quickly changed the subject. “You said you had something important to talk to us about. What is it?”

Her question brought Jiang Yuanxin back to the point. His tone turned serious. “I just reviewed the security footage. On the seventh, during a break in filming, you and Wang You entered the makeup room Ning Xi and Qingxue share. Neither of them were inside at the time. What were you doing there?”

“The seventh?” Wei Nian remembered that day well and answered without hesitation. “We were going to touch up our makeup. We were a little out of it from filming and went to the wrong room by accident. You can check the footage. We left right away when we saw no one was inside.”

Wang You led Wei Nian to sit opposite Ning Xi and Yu Qingxue. She asked, “So what exactly happened? Did someone lose something?”

The emphasis she placed on “someone” carried a sharp tone.

Ning Xi answered, “Someone tampered with Qingxue’s pheromone suppressant. It failed earlier than expected. Thankfully, we were in a private room at the time. Otherwise, the consequences could have been serious.”

Shock flickered across Wang You’s eyes. “So you marked her because her suppressant suddenly failed?”

Ning Xi nodded. “Yes.”

Wang You looked at Yu Qingxue, guilt and remorse filling her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

She had even accused Yu Qingxue earlier. She felt terrible.

Everything Wang You was feeling was clearly written on her face.

Meanwhile, a flicker of sadness passed through Wei Nian’s eyes. The bond between Wang You and Yu Qingxue couldn’t be erased just by calling them “exes.” Even though she kept telling herself not to be jealous, seeing Wang You care so much about Yu Qingxue still made her upset.

Jiang Yuanxin, unaware of the emotional undercurrents, compared the video footage again and let out a sigh of relief. “After leaving the room, Wang You and Wei Nian really did head to their own dressing room.”

Yu Qingxue glanced at Wang You. “It wasn’t Wang You. I know her.”

Wang You’s eyes welled up with emotion. “Qingxue…”

Jiang Yuanxin patted her on the shoulder. “Now’s not the time for melodrama. Focus on figuring out who’s really behind this.”

Wang You felt like all her effort had been wasted. She hadn’t meant to act dramatically. She was just trying to give things closure.

“Lili and Nana are both long-term employees of the company. We know them well. That leaves Lin Zhuoyan,” Jiang Yuanxin said.

“But didn’t he become popular because of Qingxue’s variety show? Without her, he wouldn’t be where he is today. Why would he hurt her?” Wang You asked, clearly confused.

“No one knows for sure,” Jiang Yuanxin said. “Let’s wait until Lili and Nana are done with makeup. We can call them in then, just to be fair. We shouldn’t accuse Lin Zhuoyan without solid proof.”

Ning Xi added, “I think Lin Zhuoyan is behind it. I might actually be the reason.”

She placed her phone on the table for Jiang Yuanxin to see. “Look here. This fan account called Fangfang Loves Zhuoyan used to follow only him. But a few days ago, she posted my photo and followed both me and Lin Zhuoyan.”

“What does that prove? Fans follow multiple stars all the time,” Jiang Yuanxin replied, puzzled.

Ning Xi showed him a list of online posts. “I just noticed that several smaller celebrities who were forced to quit the industry had something in common. They all had a popular fan account that originally only followed Lin Zhuoyan, and then switched to supporting them.”

“One person getting blacklisted could be a coincidence. Four in a row is suspicious. I think Lin Zhuoyan might have psychological issues. He can’t handle it when a devoted fan starts liking someone else, so he hires people to smear them online.”

“Of course, this is just my theory. To confirm it, we’ll need Qingxue to ask Professor Fang’s wife, Teacher Guan, to help investigate the money trail.”

Yu Qingxue immediately said, “I’ll message Guan Yujing now.”

She sent a text and received a reply quickly.

“Well?” Jiang Yuanxin asked. “Can she do it?”

Yu Qingxue nodded. “She said yes.”

Just then, a crew member ran in to announce that the props team was ready and filming could begin.

Jiang Yuanxin stood up. “This won’t be resolved right away. Everyone focus during filming. No getting distracted.”

All four were professional actors, and the night’s shoot went smoothly without a hitch.

On the way back to the hotel, Yu Qingxue dozed off. Ning Xi gently guided her to rest her head on her shoulder.

Yu Qingxue stirred briefly, waking slightly.

Ning Xi softly reassured her, “I’m here. Go back to sleep.”

Hearing her voice, Yu Qingxue relaxed and fell asleep again with a peaceful expression.

Ning Xi looked down at Yu Qingxue’s peacefully sleeping face and couldn’t help but smile.

After they returned to the hotel, Ning Xi gently carried the sleeping Yu Qingxue back to their room. She helped her change into pajamas, tucked her in, and then went back to the living room to continue investigating Lin Zhuoyan.

Catching someone like Lin Zhuoyan was not exactly difficult, but it was not easy either.

If Guan Yujing could truly uncover financial transactions between people close to Lin Zhuoyan and hired online trolls, then there was a good chance they could expose all the wrongdoings he had committed in the past.

If they could not find those transaction records, then Ning Xi would have to use another plan. She would need to create a setup that would lure him out.

Yu Qingxue would write the script. Ning Xi would direct it.

With Yu Qingxue’s talent as a screenwriter, there was no doubt she could craft something convincing enough to make Lin Zhuoyan take the bait.

Later, before going to sleep, Ning Xi followed her usual habit and opened Weibo to check the trending topics.

Not many users were active after midnight, which made it easier to buy a trending spot. But for that topic to stay visible into the daytime, when real users were active, was much harder.

Ning Xi scrolled through the list and found Yu Qingxue’s name at the bottom. Her eyebrows drew together slightly.

She had a bad feeling. A trending topic involving Yu Qingxue at this hour was probably not good news.

She tapped on the link. The first post was from a well-known entertainment blogger.

Jiangjiang Entertainment News: “Jiangjiang has confirmed that a certain Omega actress with the surname Y, who recently returned to filming after retiring from the industry, has been acting like a diva on set. She has been bringing the lead actor to bars for several days, causing trouble for the production crew. There is video evidence. [Video]”

Ning Xi clicked on the video. The footage was blurry, and the person recording spoke while filming.

“I have been watching this bar for several days. People say celebrities love coming here. You cannot even get in without a membership. The owner claims it is just a quiet lounge, but I do not believe it. Celebrities live messy lives. Would they really visit a place like this? They are only fooling their naive little fans.”

In the video, a taxi pulled up in front of the bar.

“A taxi is here,” the paparazzo said, his voice full of excitement.

Two women stepped out of the car, bundled up in coats. Ning Xi immediately recognized herself and Yu Qingxue.

Even though their faces and bodies were not clearly visible, the paparazzo confidently said, “That has to be Yu Qingxue. I know she has been filming ‘Ask the Devil’ nearby, so seeing her here is not too strange. The one with her must be Ning Xi.”

The man became more animated. “Yu Qingxue, who has always kept her distance from others, actually brought the Alpha lead to a bar. What is going on here? I have seen Ning Xi’s photos. If they were not edited, she is one of the most beautiful Alphas in the industry, just as stunning as Yu Qingxue.”

“And she is only twenty-one. An older Omega woman bringing a young Alpha to a bar? You cannot blame me for having some thoughts.”

The footage showed Ning Xi and Yu Qingxue walking into the bar. The narrator continued, “I will wait here and see when they come out. Maybe I will catch something shocking.”

The video did not end there. The timestamp jumped from 10:07 p.m. to 10:16 a.m. eight days later.

The narrator’s voice now sounded tired. “Eight days and nights. I waited this long and never saw them come out. Even if you count their heat and sensitivity cycles, six days should have been enough. Eight days? Maybe even nine? Could it really be just the two of them? I doubt it.”

Finally, the door opened. Two women came out, dressed differently from before, and hailed another taxi.

The narrator nearly shouted. “It is them. Look at this. Ning Xi and Yu Qingxue have changed their clothes. These are not the same outfits they wore before. I cannot believe Yu Qingxue turned out to be this kind of person. Poor Ning Xi, such a beautiful Alpha, just starting out, already used up by her.”

“Some fans might not believe this is real. They will say the video is unclear. Do not worry. I will prove it to you.”

The video then switched to side-by-side comparisons, showing photos of Ning Xi and Yu Qingxue from various angles, matched with stills from the video. The conclusion was that the people in the footage were definitely them.

When Ning Xi began watching the video, there were only a few comments. Most of them said the blogger was lying and just trying to gain attention by framing her and Yu Qingxue.

But only a few minutes later, the comment section exploded with more than one thousand posts, almost all of them attacking Yu Qingxue and calling her shameless.

It was obvious the blogger had hired fake accounts to stir up trouble. The fact that he could identify them so quickly meant someone had been tracking them ever since they left the film set, then tipped him off to lie in wait.

Once he had the footage, he could make up any story he wanted.

This method of defamation was exactly the same as what Ning Xi had discovered earlier about Lin Zhuoyan’s past behavior.

No real evidence was ever needed. Just a few pictures, a video, and some suggestive commentary, and suddenly someone’s name was covered in dirt. Then trolls would flood the comments with insults, and passersby, seeing the reaction, would join in the attack.

Small-time celebrities with little support might try to explain themselves on social media, but no one would believe them. If they could not stand the pressure, they would eventually be forced to leave the industry.

But Yu Qingxue was not like those small stars. She had the largest fan base in the industry. Her three hundred million Weibo followers were not just a number.

For Lin Zhuoyan to dare target someone like her, he must have had an overwhelming amount of confidence in his plan.

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