The Villainess A Marked the Seductive Movie Queen - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Scale

The lingering, seductive whimpers were like a dense spiderweb. Liu Yitong felt herself bound within them, unable to extricate herself. The woman in her arms sought pleasure for herself, her nose brushing against the side of the girl’s neck. Her skin was sensitive; Liu Yitong’s breathing became uneven.

“Sister Ruan…” Liu Yitong’s throat hitched. She cleared it and, after a moment, steadied herself. “Is your consciousness… still clear?”

“What do you think?”

Liu Yitong heard those four words squeezed out from between Ruan Minxue’s teeth. She can still ask a counter-question; it seems she is conscious.

The words carried a bit of a temper, but in this setting, they lacked any deterrent force. To Liu Yitong, it sounded more like acting spoiled. Ruan Minxue acting spoiled with me?

Liu Yitong thought: I’ve certainly become bold; I even dare to imagine such things now.

“I’m conscious…” Ruan Minxue couldn’t stand steadily. Her hands, which had been resting on the girl’s shoulders, slid down a few inches, clutching the loose collar of the school uniform. “Conscious enough to remember that someone is deliberately not satisfying me.”

Ruan Minxue’s upper arms pressed lightly against the youth’s slightly rising chest. The woman struggled to maintain decorum, trying her best not to press too close, but the girl moved toward her instead. Soft flesh supported her; a thumping heartbeat pressed against Ruan’s slightly weaker pulse. Vitality merged; they resonated with each other.

Faced with Ruan Minxue’s accusation, Liu Yitong let out a helpless, soft laugh. “I am indeed doing it on purpose, but not to keep you unsatisfied… I’m afraid your body can’t take it.”

In response, the fingers clutching her chest fabric tightened. Ruan Minxue commanded through gritted teeth: “Give me… more.”

“Sister Ruan…”

“Give it to me.” A melodious whimper.

Liu Yitong couldn’t refuse her. She had no choice but to further liberate her glands, releasing the pheromones.

“Ha…”

A person parched for water sighed softly at the falling rain. Organs used to being suppressed were finally unchained. While satisfying the other, Liu Yitong also felt a sense of freedom. In this vast world, someone craved her; someone embraced her.

Scritch…

The sound of rubber soles rubbing against sand reached Liu Yitong’s sharp ears. Someone was about to pass by the corridor—likely a patrol.

Alert, she quickly scanned the environment and made a judgment, pulling Ruan Minxue to crouch down beside the teacher’s podium. Hidden by the desk, this was a visual blind spot from the window. They wouldn’t be discovered here.

Liu Yitong looked up, listening warily to the movement outside. Once the footsteps grew close and then faded away, she turned her attention back inside.

That turn of her head made her hold her breath.

She was in a higher crouching position; Ruan Minxue, weak and soft, was lower. The existing height difference was magnified. Liu Yitong could see the lines inside the woman’s swaying collar. The straight, hooked lines were her collarbones; further down, the lines curved softly.

Liu Yitong looked up, raising her field of vision. It was meant as an avoidance, but she suddenly felt her collar being tugged. She was pulled into Ruan Minxue’s line of sight.

The woman’s smiling eyes were like a trap set with honey—an obvious ruse, yet one that made people jump in willingly.

“Why are we hiding?”

With a seemingly simple question, she tested Liu Yitong’s motives again.

Right? Why are we hiding? Two actors appearing openly at a filming location had no need to avoid the public eye. Unless they were in an “unclean” relationship, doing “unclean” things. It felt like an affair. Or, at least, one person thought so.

Liu Yitong let Ruan Minxue hold her collar and didn’t pull away, responding steadily: “In case someone sees us and asks questions, smelling the pheromones might affect them.”

Even though she could have used “Ruan hasn’t officially announced her Omega status” as an excuse, Liu Yitong couldn’t bear to let the other woman take the blame.

Hearing this answer, Ruan Minxue’s thoughts were unreadable. A smile played on her lips as she released the collar. Her finger slid down a few inches, hooking the dangling zipper pull.

Only then did Liu Yitong notice that during the struggle to hide, her school jacket had been pulled open. The zipper had fallen, revealing the camisole covering her underwear. Her face flushed, but she didn’t move, letting Ruan Minxue act.

She watched as Ruan lifted the zipper pull, closing her collar again, pulling it past its original position and all the way to the top. The zipper teeth pressed against her throat with a slight sting; Liu Yitong was forced to tilt her head back.

She was forced to expose her vulnerable throat. Liu Yitong was nervous, yet she didn’t dodge, submitting to Ruan Minxue’s actions like a sacrifice.

A cool touch brushed past her laryngeal cartilage. Liu Yitong couldn’t tell if it was the metal of the zipper or the woman’s fingertip.

Ding.

The pull fell back against the chain, making a soft sound. Ruan Minxue tapped the pull twice, as if soothing it—or its owner.

“There.” Ruan Minxue’s voice sounded much more energetic.

Liu Yitong knew the other’s thirst for pheromones had been quenched. She slowly withdrew her glands, reducing the pheromone release to zero. As an Omega wrapped in the scent of hyacinths, Ruan Minxue naturally felt the change.

Ruan Minxue simply asked, “You seem very practiced.”

“Hmm?”

“Precisely controlling the amount of pheromones released.”

“Ah…” Concerned that the other might think her intentions were impure, Liu Yitong confessed: “During my idol days, I often provided soothing for my teammates.”

She thought this would put Ruan at ease, but she saw the woman’s bright eyes dim for a moment. Then, the once-limp woman sat back to create distance and used a nearby table leg to stand up on her own.

The sudden drop in the desire to talk didn’t surprise Liu Yitong. She considered herself a “pheromone tool” and had just proactively shared information Ruan might care about. Naturally, there was no need to continue chatting; they weren’t in a relationship that allowed for small talk, and Ruan didn’t seem like someone curious about her private life.

“You go out first,” Ruan Minxue said softly, leaning her arm on the desk. “I’ll leave in a bit.”

Being “driven away” by the person she liked made Liu Yitong feel a bit bitter. However, to avoid being seen, leaving separately was logical. She accepted it.

“Okay,” Liu Yitong agreed readily.

Liu Yitong wasn’t sure if she was being sensitive, but she felt Ruan Minxue’s expression falter again. She turned to leave, but after two steps, a strange friction sound came from behind. She turned to see Ruan Minxue staggering; she had even bumped the table. She still couldn’t stand steadily.

Liu Yitong hesitated, then chose to ask first: “Sister Ruan, do you need me to help you?”

Ruan Minxue didn’t speak. She simply lifted her wrist, suspending it in the air.

Liu Yitong walked over. She didn’t grab her; instead, she lifted her own arm, placing it under Ruan Minxue’s wrist, signaling that she could lean on her.

“Hmm?”

“In case someone sees us, the impression will be ambiguous.”

If they leaned on each other, a distant observer wouldn’t be able to tell who was the weak one. Liu Yitong’s intention was to help hide Ruan Minxue’s condition. Ruan eventually accepted this plan, leaning her weight onto Liu Yitong’s arm. They walked out of the classroom together.

Ruan Minxue was very well-bred; she rarely looked at her phone when with others. Liu Yitong had almost never seen her use it in public, but now she saw her typing with her free hand, her fingers trembling. She didn’t mean to pry, but a quick glance revealed a familiar string of numbers—Ruan was saving her number and adding a contact name.

Liu Yitong was anxious and expectant, wondering how she would be labeled. But Ruan’s fingers were shaking so much she couldn’t press a single key. Feeling sorry for her, Liu Yitong asked: “Sister Ruan, do you want me to type for you?”

Ruan Minxue didn’t hesitate, handing over the phone. Liu Yitong took it with one hand, her pinky steadily supporting the bottom. She asked, “What should I type?”

Ruan Minxue looked at her. “Anything. Up to you.”

Up to me? Liu Yitong looked at the contact list. The naming conventions were inconsistent: business-like “Producer Liu,” a frequently pinned “AA Mu Yun,” and an obviously close “Universe Number One Sweet Mengmeng Baby.”

“Up to her” meant she could put an ‘A’ before her name so she’d be at the top, or use a cute nickname. But she didn’t. She simply typed “Liu Yitong” into the name box. The name immediately sank into the middle of the list alphabetically—ordinary and inconspicuous.

She returned the phone. Ruan Minxue took it, glanced at it, raised an eyebrow knowingly, and put it away.

Soon they were near the athletic field. The isolated AOs were returning to the Beta area; it seemed the Omega in heat had been handled. Zhang Lishen was the closest to them.

“How are you two…” Zhang Lishen turned and frowned.

Liu Yitong took the blame. “I felt a bit unwell. Sister Ruan looked after me for a while.”

As an Omega, Zhang Lishen likely smelled something. He clearly didn’t believe her. After a silence, he looked at Ruan Minxue. “You’re tired too. You didn’t eat well this morning and your complexion is poor. Go rest. We’ll start later.”

Ruan Minxue knew Zhang Lishen. This artistic genius was rarely considerate. Rather than a change in personality, this felt like an insinuation. She accepted the offer and left.

Once she was gone, Zhang Lishen looked at Liu Yitong. This usually arrogant man showed a moment of wariness. He sniffed the air, confirmed a scent, and said: “You go rest too.”

Liu Yitong didn’t refuse. As she was leaving, Xiao Zhizi caught up, asking for permission to look after her. As the two girls walked toward the shade, the oblivious Xiao Zhizi asked if she was still unwell. Liu Yitong reassured her, then asked if she smelled anything on her.

Xiao Zhizi waved her hand in the air and shook her head. “No! You don’t seem to be wearing perfume… why?”

“Nothing. Just asking.”

While she said “nothing,” Liu Yitong’s heart was in turmoil. The Omega, Zhang Lishen, could smell it; the Beta, Xiao Zhizi, couldn’t. What was sensitive to AOs but dull to Betas was pheromones. She and Ruan were innocent, yet someone had smelled an ambiguous entanglement.

Ruan Minxue returned to the car and found her medicine box. Looking at the suppressants and blockers, she hesitated, then only took the blocker. She applied it to her neck, sealing off the ambiguous scents, and then sprayed some perfume to cover it up.

Soon, Zhang Lishen came by. He knocked on the window but didn’t get in, looking at her with a frown.

“What is it?” Ruan Minxue rubbed her wrists to warm the perfume.

Zhang Lishen finally spoke: “You and her… she to you…” The sharp-tongued director was at a loss for words. He didn’t want to interfere, but those two had returned with such similar mixed scents that it poked at his nerves.

“You misunderstand,” Ruan Minxue explained. “I was affected. She released pheromones to soothe me. That’s all.”

“…” Zhang Lishen was incredulous. As an Omega, he knew the specialty of AO biology. “That’s all? You two were alone after being stimulated, releasing pheromones, and she did nothing to you?”

At this, Ruan Minxue’s face showed a momentary, hard-to-capture darkness. When she spoke again, she was casual: “I’ve tested her. That child probably truly wants nothing from me. She’s just a pure fan.”

“Wanting nothing to the point of having no physiological impulse? Seems she really has no thoughts about you.”

Ruan Minxue gave him a sharp look. He made a zipping motion over his mouth, though his eyes remained provocative.

Recalling something, Ruan Minxue said calmly: “I guess she has a partner.”

“Is that so?” Zhang Lishen studied her expression, but the Best Actress’s management was flawless. “Did I hear wrong? Why do you sound a bit… disappointed?”

“You heard wrong. Her having a partner is a good thing.”

“How so?”

Ruan Minxue curled her lips into a smile. “Consider it a narrow escape for her.”

It sounded like a joke, but Zhang Lishen couldn’t laugh. He knew Ruan Minxue had ambition; he just hadn’t found the ceiling of it. Her outward gentleness and tolerance were built on a foundation of looking down from above. He still remembered their first movie together when she was a newcomer. At the wrap party, people were shouting their goals of becoming Best Actors. When it was Ruan’s turn, she just sat there with a quiet smile and said, “I want to be a Best Actress, too.”

He had a premonition then: she was like still water that ran deep, destined to cause a storm in the industry. Over the years, the loud ones had faded away. Only that humble girl, with her serene smile, had passed through countless bloody battlefields. If blood splashed on her sleeve, she wiped it off with a smile. Today, she sat alone on the throne.

She usually didn’t say she wanted something because she truly didn’t want it. But once she said she did, she would get it by any means necessary.

Early summer always had a few particularly sunny days. Today was like that; after 3 PM, it was as hot as midsummer. Liu Yitong and Xiao Zhizi shared a popsicle from the school store—a “childhood flavor” with one chocolate and one milk stick.

Liu Yitong found it a bit too sweet, but being with Xiao Zhizi was a fresh experience. She realized that ordinary girls had such large emotional swings—sad when they had a craving, happy when they got food.

When they returned, they saw Ruan Minxue standing in the crowd. She looked well-rested, but her expression was faint as she watched the two girls return. Xiao Zhizi instinctively let go of Liu Yitong’s arm and hid the popsicle behind her back like a child being punished.

Ruan Minxue looked at them for a few seconds, then turned her gaze back to the set.

Liu Yitong looked at Xiao Zhizi with a puzzled expression. Xiao Zhizi explained with a laugh: “Reflex. I felt like I was caught eating alone.”

Liu Yitong chuckled. While she didn’t know Ruan’s thoughts, she was sure it wasn’t what Xiao Zhizi imagined. Xiao Zhizi stared at her face and sighed: “The lethality of an iceberg smiling is really no joke!”

Liu Yitong’s smile slowly faded. “I shouldn’t have said it. I could have looked at that beautiful smile a few more times.”

Liu Yitong smiled again silently. “It’s okay! With me around, there will be plenty of chances to make you smile in the future!”

Hearing Xiao Zhizi’s energetic words, Liu Yitong’s smile didn’t fade. She agreed. Finding herself idle, she instinctively looked for the person she cared about—and locked onto her almost immediately.

The person she locked onto was still looking at her. Amidst the shifting shadows of the people behind them, only their gazes remained still.

Just then, the director’s team called her name. Liu Yitong nodded with a smile. Ruan Minxue simply lowered her eyelashes, uncharacteristically cold and aloof, and her gaze drifted away.

The campus scenes finished early that day. Before dismissing, the director’s team posted tomorrow’s schedule and @-ed Liu Yitong to stay in the van for a moment.

While waiting, Liu Yitong flipped through the schedule and found that tomorrow’s scene was the final flashback of the entire drama:

Qiao Jing, in the midst of her adolescent differentiation, has a high fever. Du Ran, as an Omega, should have avoided her, but out of a soft heart, she looks after the Alpha all night. While Du Ran is drowsy, the burgeoning Qiao Jing can’t help but kiss her “sister.” However, Du Ran isn’t fully asleep and wakes up in shock.

Their relationship turns there; Du Ran rejects her harshly, and Qiao Jing flees the country. Following that is the main plot—the adult Qiao Jing returning to forcibly take Du Ran.

Liu Yitong’s heart tightened. She guessed what the directors wanted to talk about.

Sure enough, Zhang Lishen and Assistant Director Yue Yi climbed into the van, with Ruan Minxue following behind, wrapped in a thin trench coat. She sat directly opposite Liu Yitong.

“You probably know what we want to talk about, right?” Yue Yi asked with a smile. “About the upcoming scenes?”

“Yes…” Liu Yitong nodded. “The intimate scenes?”

“Right. Tomorrow is just a shy first kiss—just a brush of the lips. But later scenes, like the forced kiss or the bed scenes, require strong conviction and technique…” Yue Yi paused. “Yitong, we respect the actor’s wishes. We won’t force anyone to ‘sacrifice for art.’ Don’t feel pressured. But we need to clarify: what is the ‘scale’ of intimacy you can accept?”

Kiss scenes. Bed scenes. These were tasks an actor had to face, but thinking of the partner, Liu Yitong couldn’t help but be nervous. She instinctively looked at Ruan Minxue, who was flipping through the script, not looking at her.

Just then, Zhang Lishen suddenly spoke: “Don’t mind Ruan Minxue. She has no ‘scale’ when it comes to acting. If you gave her a real gun, she’d probably dare to pull the trigger against her own head. What’s important now is your scale.”

“Too impatient!” Yue Yi rolled up her script and lightly hit Zhang Lishen’s shoulder.

“I…” Liu Yitong bit the inside of her cheek. Her face was calm as she said deeply, “I accept all arrangements.”

Hearing this, Zhang Lishen looked back with obvious joy.

“Yitong, you’re quite young, which is why we wanted to talk to you. We’re happy you’re willing to follow the arrangements,” Yue Yi said slowly. “If you become unwilling during actual filming, you can still bring it up. And if you need help—reference materials or technical guidance…”

“If you don’t know how, practice more in private,” Zhang Lishen interrupted bluntly. “If you don’t have a partner, practice with Ruan Minxue.”

Practice kiss scenes and bed scenes with Ruan Minxue in private? The idea was so absurd that a burst of light laughter filled the van. Even Liu Yitong curled the corners of her mouth and glanced at Ruan Minxue.

She saw Ruan Minxue look up from her script, a smile hanging on her lips as well. The woman’s smile was mysterious and tender in the dim light of the car. She spoke softly:

“You all underestimate her far too much.”

The car went silent. Yue Yi reacted first: “True! Yitong is so smart and has such high comprehension. What are we worried about? Sister Ruan understands best—believing in the potential of her juniors!”

Liu Yitong didn’t speak, only echoing with a smile. Her gaze moved from Yue Yi to Zhang Lishen, and when it returned to Ruan Minxue, she found the woman was still looking at her. Still with that unfathomable smile, her eyes hiding sharp yet soft thorns.

Liu Yitong’s neck felt a wave of tingling from that one look. She was sensitive; she felt the woman was too clever, her words too precise. Precise enough that outsiders only heard “praise and trust,” while she alone could perceive the double meaning.

Practice more in private. Practice with Ruan Minxue.

You underestimate her far too much…

The “underestimate” Ruan Minxue spoke of didn’t seem to refer only to her acting.

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