Chapter 18
“So CEO Xuan has a habit of stealing other people’s belongings.”
Naturally, Song Ranxue recognized the bracelet around Leng Xingxuan’s wrist and knew exactly who it belonged to.
Now that they had already fallen out, there was no longer any need to pretend.
Today, she had to sever her relationship with Leng Xingxuan completely. She could not allow any further connection between them.
“Stealing?”
Leng Xingxuan did not become angry. She even chuckled softly.
“I found it inside the room… an unclaimed lost item. How can that be considered stealing? Not only is that mouth of yours skilled at insulting people, but you’re also remarkably good at slandering them.”
“Very well, CEO Xuan. That belongs to me. I accidentally left it at the scene that night, so please return it.”
Song Ranxue remained calm and even softened her tone as she made her request.
“Is this good-luck bracelet important to you?”
Leng Xingxuan removed the bracelet from her wrist but did not immediately hand it over.
Instead, she slowly turned the smooth, lustrous orange-red cinnabar beads between her fingers and asked with apparent curiosity.
“Yes.”
Song Ranxue did not deny it and continued answering every question.
“What if I say no?”
Leng Xingxuan studied the exceedingly calm, almost emotionless expression Song Ranxue had maintained since entering the car.
Suddenly, she wanted to tear apart that façade of composure.
She wanted to see Song Ranxue panic, cry, and even… beg for mercy.
She admitted that she had indeed developed an indescribable interest in this Alpha.
She wanted to destroy that ethereal face, as elusive as mist drifting through the mountains.
Yet she was not particularly willing to force Song Ranxue.
More than anything, she wanted Song Ranxue to submit willingly and devote herself to her completely.
“Name your price.”
Song Ranxue did not know Leng Xingxuan’s exact relationship with Starlight Entertainment.
It was probably something more than merely being an investor.
Nor did she know whether Leng Xingxuan had deliberately arranged everything today to take revenge and sabotage her audition.
However, she understood one thing.
Leng Xingxuan had ordered her into the car and deliberately displayed the cinnabar good-luck bracelet Song Ranxue had lost. She must want something from her.
Song Ranxue did not know what that was.
However, considering the elaborate attitude Leng Xingxuan had adopted, there must be room for negotiation.
In that case, Song Ranxue would not wait for her to speak first. She might as well ask directly.
“Miss Song is clever indeed.”
Leng Xingxuan appeared rather satisfied by her reaction. A smile even appeared on her usually indifferent face.
“However, revealing every answer immediately would be rather boring. Why don’t you enjoy yourself tonight, Miss Song? If you manage to guess the answer, you can come to me and redeem your good-luck bracelet.”
“CEO Xuan…”
“Shh—”
Leng Xingxuan suddenly extended her index finger and pressed it against Song Ranxue’s lips.
Caught completely off guard, Song Ranxue had not expected her to make such a gesture, one entirely inconsistent with her status and personality.
She instinctively froze.
Suppressing the flutter in her heart, she stared at Leng Xingxuan in astonishment, seemingly asking why she had suddenly done that.
It had genuinely startled her.
In truth, Leng Xingxuan’s movements were also somewhat stiff.
Naturally, she had acted deliberately, but she also knew that such gestures did not suit her…
However, she had no choice.
She needed to tame Song Ranxue. Otherwise… it would genuinely be too late.
Besides her serious business, she was also truly interested in Song Ranxue.
Leng Xingxuan had not encountered such a calm and clear-headed person—especially an Alpha—in a very long time.
How could she possibly resist playing with her properly?
Therefore, despite feeling deeply awkward, Leng Xingxuan maintained her original posture and looked at Song Ranxue seductively, the smile on her lips remaining impossible to interpret.
Song Ranxue suddenly shuddered.
She leaned backward to place some distance between them and vigorously rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.
Looking exceedingly uncomfortable, she said, “CEO Xuan… you don’t follow the seductive, bewitching vixen archetype. I suggest you stop making things difficult for me…”
—Hahahahahahaha! She’s so blunt! Hahahahaha!
—Oh my God, she has absolutely no sense of romance! Couldn’t this be Xingxing’s hidden personality?! Hahahahaha!
—I’m dying! What is Xingxing supposed to do now? She practiced for ages to achieve today’s results!
…
Leng Xingxuan’s expression remained unchanged, although she withdrew her finger.
“Do you prefer straightforward Omegas?”
“…What type I prefer has nothing to do with you, does it, CEO Xuan?”
Remembering their previous misunderstandings, Song Ranxue repeatedly emphasized, “My career is my priority right now.”
“Is that so?”
For some reason, Leng Xingxuan recalled the male Omega bar owner who had stood behind Song Ranxue and watched her sing with an adoring expression.
“I’m afraid matters may not proceed as you wish.”
“…”
This conversation had become impossible.
Song Ranxue decided not to argue and changed the subject instead.
“CEO Xuan, please give me your bank account details.”
“If you find the answer I want tonight, it won’t be too late for me to give them to you then.”
For some reason, Leng Xingxuan’s mood abruptly worsened.
At that moment, the vehicle stopped.
She opened the door and stepped out first.
Song Ranxue could only exit through the door on her own side.
The moment she emerged, she encountered several curious and complicated gazes.
After looking more closely, Song Ranxue recognized the people staring at her.
Four were members of Rainbow Whale.
Each was a beautiful, fair-skinned female Alpha with long legs. They appeared approximately the same age as the original owner, all in their early twenties.
The other person was a capable-looking female Beta dressed in a professional suit.
She was presumably the girl group’s manager and was also staring at Song Ranxue with a complicated expression.
Song Ranxue: “…”
She genuinely could not understand why Leng Xingxuan had brought her here.
The location resembled a large entertainment complex combining karaoke rooms with a restaurant.
Leng Xingxuan had also summoned the other four members of Rainbow Whale and their manager.
What exactly was happening?
Song Ranxue did not believe that after she performed such an openly insulting song, Leng Xingxuan would still allow a troublesome person like her to join Rainbow Whale.
Therefore, after some consideration, she did not greet the members.
She even planned to follow behind everyone else and enter last.
After leaving the car, Leng Xingxuan stopped paying attention to her.
Her female Beta assistant hurried over and whispered into Leng Xingxuan’s ear for quite some time.
When Leng Xingxuan raised her head, she seemingly glanced toward Song Ranxue unintentionally.
Her shimmering eyes reflected the brilliant evening clouds, concealing her true emotions entirely.
For some reason, however, an extremely ominous premonition abruptly arose inside Song Ranxue.
By the time she attempted to look again, Leng Xingxuan had already departed with her assistant.
Although Leng Xingxuan remained relatively composed as she left, her displeasure was still visible.
Impatience and coldness appeared between her brows, making it seem as though she had encountered some difficult matter.
Song Ranxue frowned slightly.
Her ominous premonition intensified, but she forcibly suppressed it.
The Omega female lead’s affairs had nothing to do with an insignificant background character like her.
She did not need to worry unnecessarily.
She might only cause more trouble by trying to help.
Therefore, she calmly withdrew her gaze and prepared to enter last.
In truth, if her younger sister had not repeatedly asked where the cinnabar good-luck bracelet had gone… Song Ranxue genuinely would not have followed Leng Xingxuan here.
But whenever she thought about her sister, she could not bear to see disappointment in her eyes.
That familial affection was something Song Ranxue had desperately longed for in her previous life.
Now that she finally possessed it, she naturally could not bear to lose it.
“Song Ranxue, my name is Duan Qianying. Hello, and welcome to Rainbow Whale! I hope we’ll work well together from now on!”
Song Ranxue had intended to continue behaving like an insignificant background character.
Unexpectedly, one of Rainbow Whale’s members approached her voluntarily and said something so astonishing that Song Ranxue was caught off guard.
“You said I’ve joined your group?”
“Yes. Why else would we bring you here for a celebratory dinner?”
“…Is that so?”
Song Ranxue became even more confused about Leng Xingxuan’s intentions.
Perhaps Leng Xingxuan genuinely found her somewhat interesting. After all, their pheromones did not reject each other.
However, that did not necessarily mean Leng Xingxuan truly liked her or wanted to treat her well.
So what was actually happening?
Did Leng Xingxuan want to control and toy with her?
Or did she want Song Ranxue to become her Alpha lover?
Regardless of which it was, she could forget about it.
“Hey, you and CEO Xuan seemed rather familiar. Are the two of you…?”
Just after Duan Qianying finished speaking, another member of Rainbow Whale approached Song Ranxue with undisguised curiosity.
“Mu’an, don’t ask about irrelevant things.”
The Alpha named Lin Mu’an had barely finished her question when Duan Qianying interrupted.
Song Ranxue looked over and saw Lin Mu’an leaning against another young female Alpha with an arm around her shoulders.
Their relationship was clearly excellent.
As for the final member…
She appeared indifferent toward everyone.
She stood alone at a distance, behaving independently, and her temperament inexplicably resembled Leng Xingxuan’s.
When she noticed Song Ranxue looking at her, she merely gave her a dismissive glance before looking away.
Her expression was unpleasant and even seemed to contain some disgust toward Song Ranxue.
Song Ranxue: “…”
She had no intention of concerning herself with their opinions.
Her most urgent task was discovering the answer Leng Xingxuan wanted so she could retrieve the red bracelet.
Otherwise, that girl A-Ning would certainly become unhappy again.
Song Ranxue followed everyone inside and discovered that the buffet served Song Chuning’s favorite Basque cheesecake.
This particular cake was difficult to purchase elsewhere. Even when available, it was rarely authentic.
Seeing it here made Song Ranxue’s eyes immediately brighten.
She took a photograph and sent it to Song Chuning.
[Little Sister, would you like some…?]
However, immediately after sending the message, she received a call from an unsaved number.
Song Ranxue recognized Leng Xingxuan’s number at a glance.
Her heart lurched.
Her instincts told her that Leng Xingxuan’s call could not possibly mean anything good.
Song Ranxue instinctively moved her finger toward the decline button.
However, the Alpha named Lin Mu’an happened to pass behind her and accidentally bumped into her.
Her finger trembled and pressed the answer button instead.
Song Ranxue: “…”
“Hello?”
She could only answer.
For some reason, relief inexplicably arose inside her.
However, no one spoke from the other end.
There were only miscellaneous sounds.
Song Ranxue could faintly distinguish Leng Xingxuan’s breathing, but it sounded far from normal.
It was extremely rapid, making her worry.
“Hello? CEO Xuan?”
Slap—
Song Ranxue heard the sharp sound of a forceful slap, making her brows twitch.
“You bitch! How dare you secretly make a call? I truly underestimated you! Haven’t you been searching for an Alpha to become your partner? I arranged twenty of them for you tonight… I guarantee they’ll take excellent care of you…”
…
“Beep, beep, beep—”
At some point, Song Ranxue had clenched both hands tightly, seemingly reaching the peak of her fury.
Nevertheless, she held her breath and remained silent, attempting to gather more information.
However, nothing but a busy signal remained.
The thunderous slap and the man’s vulgar, lecherous voice continued echoing in her ears.
For some reason, Song Ranxue’s entire body turned cold.
She did not dare imagine what a vulnerable Omega like Leng Xingxuan might suffer.
The gland at the back of her neck suddenly began burning in response to her violent emotions.
Her pheromones surged like a scorching rainstorm, clamoring to burst from her body as though determined to protect someone with her life—
At that moment, Song Ranxue realized that claiming she did not care about Leng Xingxuan and would leave the woman to her fate had never been realistic.
She did not know how deeply she cared for her.
Nor did it matter whether those feelings resulted from pheromones or something else…
She absolutely could not stand by and watch Leng Xingxuan be humiliated.
Song Ranxue calmly put away her phone and decided to find her.
However, just as she prepared to leave and search for Leng Xingxuan, a message arrived from her younger sister’s number:
[Song Ranxue, your sister is in my hands. If you want to save her, come to this address and settle our score properly! If you don’t arrive within half an hour… you’ll never see your sister again.]
Song Ranxue stared at the message and tightened her grip around her phone.
She knew her younger sister must have been abducted because of her.
Her eyes trembled.
In an instant, her heart plunged into an icy abyss—
Save Leng Xingxuan or save her younger sister…
She could choose only one.
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