After Being Marked by the Popular Female Lead O (GL) - Chapter 19

The scent was not unpleasant; a faint aroma of wine mingled with the blue water lily pheromones, enveloping the two of them, refusing to dissipate.

“You’re drunk,” Xie Qingshu repeated, yet she found herself unable to escape Zhou Que’s gaze.

She was giving Zhou Que a perfect excuse to back down.

“No, you’re the one who’s drunk.” Zhou Que’s eyes were clear, showing no signs of intoxication. Her jade-like arms had somehow wound around Xie Qingshu’s neck, her fingers gently twirling a lock of hair.

Xie Qingshu’s heart throbbed violently against her ribs. At this moment, she hadn’t realized that the initiative had completely shifted into Zhou Que’s hands.

She was being toyed with at will.

“They help me because they want to mark me. What about you, Sister?”

“Do you want to mark me too?”

“Hmm? Speak.”

The shawl Zhou Que wore as a decoration and cover suddenly slipped, exposing a large expanse of skin that stimulated the senses. Her tone was indifferent, but her warm breath fanned against Xie Qingshu’s neck, bringing a sensation she had never experienced before.

The half-finished cigarette had been dropped and forgotten; its lone spark had long since gone out.

The pheromones Xie Qingshu smelled grew even stronger. She frowned, feeling her scent gland begin to stir restlessly. The most alarming thing was that the pheromone control she prided herself on was failing—it was leaking out, wisp by wisp.

It was as if she were trying to harmonize with someone.

A look of bewilderment filled Xie Qingshu’s eyes. She bit her lip, staining it red, and to stop whatever was happening, she abruptly pushed Zhou Que off her.

Even though the other girl was being so forward, Xie Qingshu didn’t use much force.

“Put your clothes on. Properly.”

Zhou Que stumbled back a couple of steps, the distance between them suddenly widening. She took a deep breath, her voice turning calm. “Sister, just pretend I’m drunk.”

“I didn’t help you because of that.”

The words caught in Xie Qingshu’s throat; she feared Zhou Que wouldn’t believe her even if she said them.

“I understand. Sister is always so kind-hearted.” There was an indistinguishable trace of resentment in her tone.

Xie Qingshu was stunned and frowned. What kind of remark is that?

Zhou Que returned to her usual self, hiding behind her mask once more, making it impossible to detect her true emotions.

She was like a demon that appeared only for a moment at midnight to steal one’s soul—impossible to grasp, impossible to keep.

Xie Qingshu suddenly understood what Old Mr. Jin had meant: excessively clever and obsessive.

She began to wonder if the Zhou Que she saw at the very beginning was real at all.

By the time they went back inside, a commotion had already broken out. The large display screen, originally meant for showcasing excellent works, paused for a split second before it began uncontrollably playing a series of comparison images between Bai Siran and Zhong Shan.

There were too many industry titans present for the media to sway opinions with a few casual words. The evidence was simply too damning.

Several reporters who had managed to sneak in and were struggling to find a scoop immediately pounced on the opportunity, snapping photos frantically. This was material guaranteed to hit the top of the trending searches.

The staff soon realized something was wrong, desperately clicking away at their computers backstage, but they had long since lost control. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t shut it down, and even more evidence continued to pop up.

“Who would have thought? The young lady of the Bai family is actually such a hidden person, to be this kind of woman.”

“Impossible! Someone must be framing my goddess. How could she do something like this?!”

“Holy crap! How can this be? This is disgusting.”

Bai Siran’s eyes were bloodshot as she tried desperately to cover her face. But the camera flashes were relentless and pervasive. She couldn’t understand how something she had supposedly “settled” so it wouldn’t leak was being exposed in a place like this.

She went through a mental list of suspects until she stopped on one person.

At that moment, Zhou Que happened to enter her line of sight. Bai Siran didn’t even stop to think; her chest was full of a rage that had nowhere to go, and she marched toward the other girl.

“It was you, wasn’t it?! Are you happy now that I’m like this?”

Many people present knew of the relationship between Zhou Que and the Bai family. It was an open secret that remained unspoken due to various connections; Zhou Que had always been the unspeakable shame of the Bai family.

Most people believed Zhou Que came from a humble background and that her success was due to a powerful backer. There were many speculations about who that person was, usually involving someone of poor character. Now that they were suddenly privy to these high-society secrets, they stood dazed for a moment before snapping into action to take photos.

The only certainty was that the servers for the trending searches would likely need maintenance again tonight.

However, Xie Qingshu’s reaction was faster. She stepped in front of Zhou Que, shielding her from the flashes, her tone brooking no retreat. “Miss Bai, watch the occasion. You don’t have the right to treat her like this.”

The scene was momentarily deadlocked; even the photographers forgot to move.

Zhou Que had long prepared herself for the fact that no one would protect her, so she never allowed herself to lose out. But she hadn’t expected Xie Qingshu to help her. For a moment, she even forgot to speak—a state she was rarely in.

Even so, Zhou Que managed to notice that Xie Qingshu’s scent gland was completely undefended against her.

She could even catch a faint whiff of Xie Qingshu’s own pheromones.

Old Mr. Jin was like a pillar of stability in this chaos. As soon as he arrived, the entire hall fell silent; even the reporters exchanged glances and stopped.

“Enough. The evidence is conclusive. I have confirmed it with several friends—the similarity has reached eighty percent. Bai Siran is officially expelled from our Painting Association.”

His voice was powerful and resonant, completely shattering Bai Siran’s hope of using the Bai family’s influence to apply pressure.

Speaking out in such a venue was indeed the most effective method, essentially sealing off Bai Siran’s escape routes. Otherwise, with the Bai family’s status, silencing people would have been easy.

The “favored daughter of heaven” Omega, who should have been the center of attention, was stripped of her facade and could only leave the venue. Of course, she was still one of the heirs of the Bai family and still had many supporters.

Xie Qingshu’s expression tightened slightly. She didn’t think the method was bad, just that it was incredibly ruthless—striking without leaving any room for error, even calculating everyone’s possible reactions. Everyone had followed the expected trajectory perfectly. Such meticulous planning was evident.

What if the person behind this really was that “Z”?

Xie Qingshu’s heart sank bit by bit.

With such methods… if Z really took a liking to Zhou Que, could she truly protect her?

“Thank you, Sister!”

Before Xie Qingshu could figure it out, a bit of warmth pressed into her arms; she could feel their steady heartbeats against each other.

Xie Qingshu felt as though she were holding a small child; it felt awkward no matter how she tried to adjust.

“Does Sister think this is too cruel?” Zhou Que asked calmly, as if she already knew the answer.

If it were Xie Qingshu, she would only act in a more upright and honorable manner. She would never hide in the shadows to manipulate things…

“As long as it’s effective.” Xie Qingshu didn’t mind. She was thinking that if Zhou Que had half of Z’s methods, perhaps no one would be able to bully her in the future.

“Next time you encounter something like this, you must resist. Don’t be afraid.”

Even though Xie Qingshu didn’t say the next sentence, Zhou Que felt intuitively that it should be: Don’t be afraid. I’m here.

“Sister Qingshu! Where did you go? Old Mr. Jin has taken me as his student!” Zhong Shan had cleared her name and been accepted as a disciple by the elder she respected most. She was radiant and overjoyed, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

If it weren’t for Xie Qingshu, she would probably still be wallowing in self-pity.

That emotion was infectious, heartfelt, and genuine.

“Congratulations,” Xie Qingshu said sincerely. In all honesty, she couldn’t have achieved such a result herself.

That smile was excessively vibrant and sunny. Standing with Xie Qingshu, they looked… like a good match. Zhou Que found it a bit jarring and quietly clutched her shawl.

“Sister Qingshu, if it weren’t for you, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly…” Zhong Shan had already noticed Zhou Que beside her and began to question her life. She looked down at herself—well, there was absolutely no comparison.

Both being Omegas, why could someone be born so alluring?!

Zhong Shan wasn’t stupid. She maintained a certain distance. She believed there was no such thing as a free lunch; Xie Qingshu wouldn’t help her for no reason. After witnessing the scene just now, she understood a few things.

Apart from this, she couldn’t think of any other explanation.

“You two must stay happy together. Sister Qingshu must have been willing to help me because of you.” Even as she spoke, Zhong Shan couldn’t help but look on with envy.

Xie Qingshu coughed twice. “I didn’t really help much.”

Zhou Que’s eyes were complex, showing a rare moment of bewilderment before clearing. She had reached a dead end in her thoughts.

“Was Sister standing up for me? That day in the dressing room, I thought Sister didn’t care at all.”

Xie Qingshu felt the gaze on her become more intense than ever. She wanted to avoid it but was drawn in. She wasn’t willing to admit it directly, so she muttered a vague, “I suppose.”

“Regardless of whether it is or not, I’m very happy.” Zhou Que’s previously gloomy mood suddenly vanished. Even she was surprised upon realizing it. When had she ever become this happy over just a few words from someone else?

Xie Qingshu felt even more pity for her.

The banquet concluded as scheduled, unchanged by Bai Siran’s departure. Before it even ended, several topics had successfully occupied the entire trending search list and were still rising.

Bai Siran expelled from the Painting Association for plagiarizing a student’s work. This alone sparked countless discussions. In everyone’s eyes, she was a symbol of quiet beauty; in other words, she was as well-liked as Zhou Que was hated.

No one had ever linked the two together; the difference was too great. Yet the facts were laid out before everyone, leaving them no choice but to believe.

The Bai family had never publicly acknowledged Zhou Que’s existence, and without this incident, they probably had no intention to. Under the “meticulous” investigation of netizens, the relationship was made public.

[What about the people who said my Zhou Que used the “unspoken rules” to get ahead? Does your face hurt?]

[Even if she didn’t, her private life is messy enough.]

[I never expected her backer to be the Bai family.]

[Not necessarily. Look at how Bai Siran treated her. How good could her daily life be?]

[Exactly. Zhou Que’s mother was a minor actress, wasn’t she? She retired quietly back then. Who knew she did something like this.]

[So Zhou Que is just an illegitimate daughter…]

The comments were mixed; most were surprised, but few truly felt anything deep. The name “Zhou Que” appearing there was a symbol of controversy in itself.

The guests had mostly dispersed, and the venue suddenly became desolate. Everything just now felt like a dream.

Fragile at a touch.

Zhou Que glanced at the screen indifferently and gave up.

The phone rang urgently. It was Deng Yue. He had just finished filming scenes for the supporting roles when he realized Zhou Que had caused such a massive stir.

“What’s happening with the Bai family?”

Zhou Que looked down from the balcony, watching Xie Qingshu’s figure gradually recede. Her tone was flat. “They want me to go back once.”

Deng Yue shuddered. The Bai family was truly no place for a person to be; going back likely wouldn’t lead to anything good. He couldn’t help but say, “You were too impulsive this time. You clearly could have chosen a different way.”

A hint of madness appeared in Zhou Que’s eyes. “I calculated it. It’ll be fine.”

The more the Bai family didn’t want to accept her, the more she would force them to look at her. She would leave a thorn under their eyelids—she wanted to know what it felt like when it was stabbed in and couldn’t be pulled out.

“You…” Deng Yue didn’t know what else to say. He felt that if Zhou Que continued like this, she would eventually destroy herself, and the Bai family would still be the one to profit. “Don’t take risks. Don’t forget you’re an Alpha!”

If an Alpha suppressed themselves for too long, the consequences of an explosion were unimaginable, let alone for someone who had suppressed themselves to the extreme.

Zhou Que paused. Her voice sounded as if it had been cut by a blade, terrifyingly hoarse. “Don’t remind me of that.”

Deng Yue could only hear a faint breathing on the other end. After a long silence, he spoke, his voice full of worry. “No matter how much you loathe or reject it, you are an Alpha. You can’t escape the traits. Your teeth are starting to itch, aren’t they? If your pheromones aren’t soothed, if they riot, no one can save you!”

The struggle for power in the Bai family was intense, yet they were extremely strict regarding the AO hierarchy. Without being an Alpha, there was zero possibility of inheritance. So, even to protect oneself, pretending to be an Omega was not worth it; being an O alone stripped away that possibility.

The various sounds on the set mixed together into an unbearable noise. Deng Yue’s shout was hidden within it; he was somewhat relieved no one would hear.

Deng Yue’s jaw tightened, his face terrifyingly dark. He had initially thought wrong. The only explanation was that Zhou Que loathed Alphas so much that she never approached them and was unwilling to accept her own nature.

It was both endurance and punishment.

“Uncle Deng, what are you saying?” A laugh escaped Zhou Que’s nose as she feigned a relaxed tone. “I pretend to be an O only because I’m cowardly and afraid of the Bai family’s retaliation.”

“Then tell me, how do you spend your Alpha rut?” Deng Yue refused to let go, clearly not wanting Zhou Que to brush him off. Cowardly?

Could a coward orchestrate so many things behind the scenes?

Go fool a three-year-old!

“Uncle Deng, you’re being no fun like this.” Zhou Que narrowed her eyes. The usual allure at the corner of her eyes was gone, replaced only by a cold glint.

Her voice was soft.