After Being Marked by the Popular Female Lead O (GL) - Chapter 11

“What’s wrong?” The assistant brought over a glass of water, surprised to see Xie Qingshu looking distracted.

Xie Qingshu shook her head, indicating she was fine. Zhou Que seemed to have come without an assistant. A thought flashed in her mind. “There’s still water in the car, right? Get another glass.”

“For Zhou Que?” The assistant was slightly surprised, but there was no one else there.

Xie Qingshu lowered her eyelashes, neither denying nor confirming.

The photographer was showing the captured images to Deng Yue one by one. The two had a disagreement during the selection process and engaged in a ‘mild’ discussion, eventually compromising and reaching an agreement.

At the same time, Zhou Que emerged. Stripped of the pitiful appearance of the early stages, her red outfit gave off an undisguised, invisible sense of oppression, a feeling completely opposite to Xie Qingshu’s.

She possessed a stunningly beautiful face that would usually provoke inappropriate thoughts, but her eyes held a touch of aloofness. When she raised her eyebrows, she was filled with fierceness and arrogance, a powerful, subversive contrast that was impossible to ignore, leaving no room for any flirtatious notions.

“Can that, can that be an O?”

“She’s so Alpha-like! I feel like my heart has been seduced by her!”

A wave of murmurs arose from the surroundings. Xie Qingshu didn’t hear the rest clearly. She could usually distinguish between acting and reality, but now she felt a hint of confusion.

Was the person standing in front of her Qin Yun, or Zhou Que before her pretense?

But the next second, Xie Qingshu dismissed her doubts.

“Sister, this costume is too difficult to wear. Do we really have to film in this?” Her phoenix eyes sparkled as she looked at Xie Qingshu, and her voice was soft.

“Yes, you’ll get used to it.”

Zhou Que mumbled, “Okay.”

Xie Qingshu cast aside the momentary thought. How could it be? If Zhou Que was pretending, could she have been bullied so badly?

Zhou Que concealed a cold look in the corner of her eye, and when she looked up again, it was impossible to discern her true emotions.

“Then let’s continue filming.”

This segment was set during Qin Yun’s demonization and Ju Zhan’s killing of her disciple, making it highly tense. Thus, the emotional control had to be extremely restrained.

The on-site staff were most anticipating this part of the shoot, and sporadic gasps of admiration were heard. Deng Yue, however, frowned, looking less than satisfied.

In the photos, the two women—one in white, one in crimson—stood. The Immortal Lord’s expression was still inviolable. Even in this situation, she showed no sign of weakness, instead captivating the heart. The woman behind her, with just a single glance, was enough to inspire fear. Her crimson, demonized eyes were fixed firmly on the Immortal Lord.

The tension and emotion were perfectly executed, and the visuals were needless to mention; the reaction on set proved that. But something still felt slightly off.

Even without Deng Yue saying it, Xie Qingshu, who was looking at the photos, felt similarly.

Something flowed in Zhou Que’s eyes, and she remained silent.

“How about we take two more shots?” Deng Yue suggested, but he knew that if they couldn’t find the source of the issue, any number of shots would yield the same result.

Silence fell over the set. Perhaps to outsiders, the effect was already excellent, but it wasn’t enough.

Xie Qingshu nodded. Just as she was about to continue, Zhou Que unexpectedly spoke up to stop her. She looked up slightly at the other woman, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Discussions had already begun intensely around them. “Is she going to ask to stop filming?”

“Probably. I thought she would remain reserved until the end. I guess she’ll be on the trending topics again this time.”

“I think the photos are already perfect. Besides, they’ve been shooting for two hours without a break.”

“I was just starting to become her fan.”

The voices were low, not reaching many ears, but it wasn’t hard to guess what they were saying.

Deng Yue loudly called out, “What is it?”

Zhou Que simply said, “Wait.”

Xie Qingshu suddenly looked up, falling into the other woman’s deep gaze without warning. She was slightly lost in thought when she heard a very soft voice above her head, audible only to the two of them.

“Sorry.”

That wasn’t an apology for interrupting the shoot, but rather… for the action she was about to take.

Xie Qingshu was stunned by the realization. Before she could react, the hairpin securing her hair was pulled out, and the hair that was meticulously styled instantly fell loose.

“You…” What are you doing?

Her words were forcibly stuck in her throat, with no chance to be spoken. Zhou Que, of course, didn’t give her one.

A cold fingertip touched her warm lips and lightly smeared them. The action was gentle, but since the temperature difference was so great, it felt like a feather brushing past.

The lipstick was smudged to the side, leaving a red streak across her snow-white skin. Her dark hair was loose, but her clothes were completely intact, creating an aesthetic of gentle abuse that begged to be explored further.

Xie Qingshu had been acting for so many years and had never engaged in such intimate contact, nor had anyone dared to. She slightly parted her lips. Her expression was still cold, but strangely stained with red. She involuntarily leaned back.

Zhou Que chuckled and smoothly embraced her, leaving her no choice but to stay.

Xie Qingshu gritted her teeth, feeling the other woman’s breath near her ear. Her heart suddenly raced. This closeness tensed her nerves, yet she could only passively accept it.

She’s too close! Why doesn’t she contain her pheromones properly!

Their movements were somewhat large, pulling open Xie Qingshu’s collar. Her collarbone, exposed intermittently, stimulated the visual senses, easily triggering other emotions.

A faint scent of milk candy appeared for a moment, then was stingily withdrawn. Zhou Que swallowed.

The flashbulbs cooperated, constantly flickering. Deng Yue’s eyes lit up. He finally understood what was missing. Now, it was perfect. After countless shots, he finally waved his hand, announcing the end.

Before Xie Qingshu could speak, Zhou Que preemptively apologized. “I apologize for offending Sister. It was just a moment of urgency…”

Xie Qingshu could even see the cautiousness in her eyes. A thought suddenly occurred to her: if she spoke harshly, the other woman would immediately tear up.

In reality, she had no intention of blaming her, feeling mostly a quickening of her heart and alarm.

Although she knew it was necessary for the shoot, the intense sense of oppression from the person behind her was impossible to ignore, as if she would genuinely be swallowed whole. After a moment to recover, she said, “Next time, you can ask the makeup artist to do something like this.”

Zhou Que nodded obediently, concealing the deep meaning flickering in her eyes.

The photo results were unexpectedly good, surprising even Xie Qingshu with her own state.

She subconsciously glanced at Zhou Que, who was standing beside her. The latter had taken the water from the assistant, drank a few sips, and then smiled brightly.

Xie Qingshu pulled her gaze back. It’s just water. Why is she so happy about it?

“Thank you.” Zhou Que’s smile deepened.

Even the assistant, who was used to Xie Qingshu’s visual impact, was stunned and quickly said, “It’s nothing, nothing. Sister Qingshu told me to.”

Zhou Que raised an eyebrow. She allowed a trace of emotion to show momentarily but then locked it firmly away, hidden from sight.

Just as I thought.

Deng Yue’s words from that day echoed in her ears. “Xie Qingshu’s temperament is rare in the industry. Just be your usual self. She won’t make things difficult for you.”

Zhou Que lowered her gaze. A smear of red, wiped from Xie Qingshu’s lips, still clung to her fingertip. She subtly rubbed it away.

Does she like the ‘little pitiful’ act?

Despite the secrecy of the shooting location, too many people were paying attention to this drama. As the saying goes, the devil is one step ahead of the priest. News still leaked out from an unknown source—a video clip of the filming.

The video quality was slightly blurry, but recognizing the two leads was not difficult. The coincidental part was that Zhou Que ‘just happened’ to interrupt the shoot.

[I told you she was a diva. Looks like we’re in for a show this time.]

[She’s always been this dramatic. Shouldn’t everyone’s focus be on the fact that Xie Qingshu is actually the Master?]

[An Alpha playing Ju Zhan? What were they thinking! Is the crew out of people?]

[Judging from the behind-the-scenes footage, these two have no CP chemistry at all. I’m speechless. Why did they cast them like this…?]

Alpha and Omega acting together poses no problem as long as protective measures are in place. But this time was different. Xie Qingshu and Zhou Que’s paths were completely opposite—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were diametrically opposed. Forcing them together, how good could it possibly look?

The arguments below were particularly fierce. It seemed that anything related to Zhou Que would ignite a firestorm, one that wouldn’t subside for days. Now that Xie Qingshu was involved, people didn’t know who to direct their anger at for a while.

[Why hasn’t the official site said anything yet!]

[Can’t they just come out and give an explanation?]

Similar comments reached a crescendo of attention. Just as the hype peaked, the official site unhurriedly released a statement. Doubt and curses converged, finally finding a target for release.

But when they saw the finalized makeup photos, the comments section was silent for a few seconds before erupting.

The Immortal Lord’s expression remained inviolable, but the hint of red on her lips and her loose hair spoke volumes about what had occurred. And the woman behind her, who only showed half of her profile, was willing to have her soul led astray, her eyes carrying an unrestrained ferocity.

[I can handle this. Seriously.]

[Damn! Isn’t Zhou Que a dramatic O? Why is she so Alpha-like when she’s with Xie Qingshu! Goodness, my legs feel weak.]

[Legs weak +1]

[To be honest, I want to experience Zhou Que’s joy! Sister Xie, look at me!]

[The person upstairs is scheming. Sister Xie is clearly the one I’m interested in. I’ve already laid flat.]

What should have been an unpredictable public backlash turned into this trajectory. The media and online trolls who received the news beforehand were stunned. Should they keep criticizing or not…?

Other production teams realized belatedly that this saved them a huge amount of publicity fees.

“Sister Qingshu, the director said the person who took the unauthorized video has been found, but the impact is too great, so we shouldn’t act rashly yet,” the assistant said.

“That fast?” Xie Qingshu was deep in thought.

The assistant pouted. “A small company reporter. I heard it was for a promotion.”

Xie Qingshu felt something was slightly off. Although the attention was high, how long had it been since the leak until the culprit was found? The efficiency seemed highly questionable.

Logically, this was something that could have been completely suppressed, at most costing a little money. It should never have turned into such a widespread, public scene.

Unless… someone was deliberately taking advantage of the situation to stir up trouble.

Xie Qingshu immediately ruled out Deng Yue. If he had that kind of shrewdness, he would have rescued Zhou Que from the scum Alphas long ago. Or, perhaps, there was someone behind him.

As for Zhou Que, she wasn’t even within her scope of consideration.

Xie Qingshu slid her finger across the screen. She suddenly thought of something. “You’re an Alpha, right?”

The topic changed too quickly. The assistant paused before answering, “Mhm.” She didn’t quite understand what Xie Qingshu meant.

A look of struggle flashed in Xie Qingshu’s eyes, and she finally asked, “Then, did you smell Zhou Que’s pheromones?”

“?” The assistant’s eyes widened. Her tone was firm. “No.”

Why would I smell it?

Xie Qingshu frowned, her expression complicated.

The assistant tentatively suggested, “Sister Qingshu, perhaps you are overly sensitive to pheromones and misremembered the scent. Professor Xie has booked an appointment with Doctor Gu for you. You should go when you have time.”

Xie Qingshu also suspected this was the reason, but something lingered in her heart that she couldn’t dismiss. She calculated the time. “We’ll talk about it after I join the crew.”

It was just differentiation; there shouldn’t be too many problems.

“Okay.”