The Fox Spirit Survived as an Alpha by Consuming Pheromones - Chapter 8

Watching Qin Nian’s utterly bewildered expression, Jiang Li felt a surge of secret triumph, looking very much like a little fox who had successfully pulled off a prank.

Because Qin Nian was completely off her guard, Jiang Li’s Charm spell worked like a charm. The price, however, was a heavy drain on her energy; the loss of pheromones left Jiang Li looking visibly pale and weak.

Qin Nian had originally intended to turn the car around and head home Heaven only knew if she’d been possessed when she drove to the office but seeing Jiang Li looking like she was on the verge of starving to death, she sighed helplessly. “Fine, let’s go. I’ll take you inside to find your Master.”

Before leaving the hospital, Qin Nian had tried calling Bai Muqin, but the call hadn’t gone through, and her messages remained unread. Thinking her sister was simply too busy, she decided not to wait for a reply and brought Jiang Li straight to the company.

The Qinbai Group had been co-founded by Bai Muqin’s parents, Bai He and Qin Qin. Leveraging the connections of the elder Master Qin, the company had secured several key development projects in its early days, laying a solid foundation for its growth. The group’s core business focused primarily on real estate and hotel operations. Bai Muqin, however, had no interest in those sectors and wanted no part in the power struggles between her father and uncle. Instead, she founded her own subsidiary, focusing on the entertainment and fashion industries.

This subsidiary was located in the Baisheng Plaza, which was itself a property under the Qinbai Group.

Qin Nian led Jiang Li into the office. The employees curiously eyed the masked figure trailing behind Qin Nian while politely greeting the assistant. “Assistant Qin.”

Qin Nian gave a slight nod in response.

“Is Assistant Qin heading to the tenth floor to see President Bai?” a familiar employee asked, unable to contain their curiosity.

“Yes. Why? Is there a problem?” Qin Nian asked with a faint, distant smile. As Bai Muqin’s assistant, she maintained a professional persona at the office that was the polar opposite of her true self. Like Bai Muqin, she was always cool, composed, and aloof. She had discovered that keeping a poker face made people follow orders twice as fast and it was an excellent way to freeze out any Alphas who tried to show off in front of her.

“President Bai isn’t in her office. There was a problem at the photo studio, so she went down to handle it.”

“I see. Thank you.” Qin Nian was a woman of few words, a far cry from the gossipy person she was in private.

Jiang Li watched this transformation with wide-eyed wonder. Once they were alone, she whispered, “Qin Nian, are you possessed? You don’t sound like yourself at all.”

Qin Nian’s face darkened. “Are you getting back at me for calling you a fox spirit? This is called having presence!”

After they passed, a group of employees huddled in the breakroom to gossip. “Hey, who do you think that person with Assistant Qin was?”

“President Bai and Assistant Qin never bring outsiders to the office. Considering how covered up she was, do you think she’s a celebrity?”

“Probably. Our company works so closely with the entertainment industry; it wouldn’t be surprising if a little starlet was trying to cozy up to them. Both the President and the Assistant are rare beauties especially President Bai. She’s an S-rank Omega! If she were willing, I wouldn’t even mind an O-on-O relationship.”

“Keep dreaming. That girl’s fox-like eyes alone were enough to blow us out of the water. She looked like an Omega, though. Does President Bai really have a thing for other Omegas?”

Qin Nian and Jiang Li entered the photo studio one after the other.

The moment Jiang Li spotted Bai Muqin, her eyes lit up. Before Qin Nian could stop her, she bounded over and leaned into Bai Muqin’s arm, nuzzling her affectionately like a kitten seeking its owner’s touch.

This bold behavior stunned the surrounding staff. Who is this? they wondered. She’s got some nerve getting that close to the frost-cold President Bai. Isn’t she afraid of being frozen solid?

Bai Muqin froze for a second, her cold expression softening significantly. She suppressed the urge to ruffle the girl’s hair and simply whispered, “Stay by my side. Don’t cause trouble.”

Enveloped in the faint passion fruit scent emanating from Bai Muqin, Jiang Li felt an immediate sense of peace. She stood firmly by her side and gave an obedient “Okay.”

Now I’ve seen everything, the staff thought, exchanging bewildered glances. Since when did President Bai have someone like this around? They didn’t dare ask Assistant Qin, who was currently wearing her “do not disturb” poker face.

Sensing the subtle gazes coming from all directions, Jiang Li unashamedly stared back at everyone. She didn’t know what they were waiting for, but she could feel that her Master was radiating a cold, impatient aura today.

After a short wait, the door to the dressing room finally opened. A woman dressed in flamboyant clothes and oversized sunglasses stepped out, followed by a fawning little assistant.

The woman’s gaze lingered on Bai Muqin and Jiang Li for a moment, her eyes filled with curiosity. She pulled off her sunglasses and let out a yawn, walking up to Bai Muqin with an air of over-familiarity. “This must be President Bai. My apologies for keeping you waiting. I just finished filming and wasn’t feeling quite right, so I took a quick nap. I’m truly sorry for delaying the shoot.”

The corner of Bai Muqin’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. This woman had made a scene about being unhappy with the shooting conditions and had her manager call Bai Muqin down to negotiate personally. Then, she had the audacity to sleep for nearly an hour while Bai Muqin waited. Now she was playing the “apology” card? Bai Muqin wondered what her angle was.

With that thought, Bai Muqin briefly shook the woman’s hand. “It’s fine. May I ask what part of the shoot Miss Li Lan is dissatisfied with? I can have the staff make adjustments.”

Li Lan blinked, then smiled. “Oh? Did I say I was dissatisfied? It seems after a nap, everything looks perfect now.” In reality, she was only unhappy with a clause in her contract and had used a “diva moment” as an excuse. She had heard rumors that Bai Muqin was currently in her heat cycle and wouldn’t show up, so she had intentionally made a difficult demand. She hadn’t expected Bai Muqin to actually appear. She had planned to avoid the confrontation entirely, but Bai Muqin’s patience had outlasted her. Even with her powerful backers, she feared the Qin and Bai families and didn’t dare make Bai Muqin wait any longer.

The coldness around Bai Muqin intensified. She was a woman of principle; she didn’t mind waiting, but she demanded results. If a partner was dissatisfied, there had to be a reason. She wanted an answer, not a flippant, dismissive comment after an hour of waiting. She felt like she was being played.

Jiang Li glared at the woman named Li Lan. She knew this woman was upsetting her Master. “You’re lying!” she blurted out.

Li Lan froze and instinctively looked at Jiang Li. For a split second, she felt as if her soul were being sucked in by those eyes. She let out a cold laugh. “So what if I’m lying? I made her wait on purpose. It was only an hour—what’s with the attitude? Do you think I actually care about this minor ad campaign? At worst, I’ll just break the contract. It’s not like I can’t afford the penalty.”

By the time she realized what she was saying, it was too late.

“Fine. Since Miss Li Lan has made herself clear, I won’t keep you,” Bai Muqin said coldly.

“I will coordinate the breach of contract details with Miss Li’s manager,” Qin Nian added smoothly. Internally, she was cursing Li Lan. She had been the one to recommend her to her sister for the “Xuan” series. Though they had only signed for the eye makeup line, the endorsement fee was more than generous. She hadn’t realized the woman was such a piece of work.

Li Lan grit her teeth in fury. Knowing she had been caught in her own trap, she didn’t try to explain further. She gave a curt, reluctant nod and stormed back into the dressing room to grab her bag.

Just as she was about to leave, her assistant pushed her back inside. Before she could snap at him, she heard chaos erupting outside. “Sister Lan, you can’t go out! There are half-naked men out there they look like they’re targeting you!”

Li Lan clutched her bag, a realization dawning on her. If these men weren’t after her, but were actually targeting Bai Muqin, then she would be the one to take the fall for it.

She tried to push past her assistant. “Sister Lan, no! There are reporters out there too!” Li Lan hesitated. She could already smell the pheromones leaking through the cracks in the door a chaotic, aggressive blend of multiple Alphas. She backed away, horrified. Whoever set this up was ruthless. If she ran out now, she might avoid the blame by becoming a victim, but if the pheromones triggered her heat, her career would be over. But if she stayed inside and took the blame, her career was still in jeopardy. She knew the Qin and Bai families wouldn’t let her off easily. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Outside, a group of half-naked men burst into the studio, popping confetti cannons. “Surprise!”

While the staff were still trying to process what was happening, the men swarmed Bai Muqin, posing provocatively and intentionally releasing their pheromones.

The studio descended into chaos. Several of the weaker Omegas were forced into a triggered heat, beginning to moan as their consciousness slipped away.

Qin Nian pulled suppressants from her bag and handed them to the Betas who were unaffected, telling them to tend to the Omegas. She then rushed to Bai Muqin’s side to shove the men away.

The pungent smell of the pheromones made Bai Muqin wince. Her body began to heat up uncontrollably; the concentrated blend of scents was so aggressive that her legs felt like lead after only a few breaths. Catching sight of the reporters waiting by the door, she instinctively hid in Jiang Li’s embrace. “Don’t let them photograph me,” she whispered, terrified of the public seeing her face flushed with desire.

Hearing this, Jiang Li pulled off her hat and mask and put them on Bai Muqin. She shielded the weakened woman in her arms, letting out a low, menacing growl at the men. The sudden camera flashes made her flinch, an instinctual fear of the bright lights welling up within her.

“We need to get to the dressing room,” Bai Muqin gasped weakly from her arms.

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