After Being Marked by the Popular Female Lead O (GL) - Chapter 22

Xie Qingshu’s every breath was invaded by these pheromones; they surged straight into her heart.

“Remember to use an inhibitor when you get back.”

Xie Qingshu nodded blankly. At this moment, she would probably agree to anything Zhou Que said.

“Cut, cut, cut!”

Deng Yue realized the situation was off and immediately shouted. Scanning the expressions of everyone around, he could guess most of what had happened. However, he didn’t know the inner details; thinking that Zhou Que’s pheromones had gone into a riot, his heart began to pound violently.

He had seen Bai Chengming. Once a man in a sharp suit who wielded power in the Bai family, he was now unable to leave the nursing home, tormented by the pheromones he was once proud of. Completely unable to control them, he suffered daily and was rarely even conscious.

Deng Yue calmed himself slightly. In this gap, he suddenly understood why Zhou Que was gritting her teeth and enduring her rut—she didn’t want to touch or mark anyone… she was afraid of becoming like Bai Chengming.

Within half an hour, nearly five hundred people throughout the crew knew that Zhou Que had supposedly entered heat on set. Discussions were rampant; had Deng Yue not suppressed it in time, the news would likely be hanging on the trending searches by now.

“Zhou Que’s pheromones smell so good… I thought she’d smell like roses or Chinese peonies, but the scent is truly wonderful, like blue water lilies.” An Alpha stagehand’s face turned bright red. Having caught a whiff of the Omega pheromones, he didn’t dare breathe too much more and immediately held his breath after recovering his senses.

Another person, however, frowned. She was an Omega and also nearing her heat. “Why do I feel like it’s not just Omega pheromones? There are many other sensations, like… an Alpha’s…”

“Maybe it’s Xie Qingshu’s.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt it was unlikely.

In the mirror, the woman’s fair skin was flushed with layers of crimson. Combined with the small bite on the corner of her mouth—the wound wasn’t deep, but it looked as though she had been severely bullied.

Xie Qingshu’s emotions were in a mess, yet after seeing herself clearly, she managed to pull back a sliver of sobriety. There was a small red mark left on her neck that hadn’t faded yet. Although she had been immersed in the scene, she had still been conscious; Zhou Que’s movements had been very gentle.

Xie Qingshu wiped the excess water droplets from her body. The cool liquid from the inhibitor syringe was injected bit by bit into her body. She had never used one of these before and was merely following the instructions from the book. Even after the liquid was completely pushed in, the heat in her body showed no sign of receding; instead, it grew more parched.

Xie Qingshu pursed her lips. Even though she had already showered once, the scent of blue water lily pheromones seemed to linger, never disappearing.

When she realized what she was doing, she was sniffing the faint, remaining trace of pheromones on her own wrist.

As if throwing a tantrum, Xie Qingshu rubbed her wrist until it was red. Only after confirming the scent was gone did she feel satisfied, but it wasn’t long before a sense of regret surfaced.

I shouldn’t have been so impulsive just now.

Xie Qingshu felt she was acting strangely. It was as if she hadn’t smelled pheromones in eight hundred years. Unable to help herself and unable to run to Doctor Gu, she turned to her alternative account to ask a question in desperation.

[How to handle being overly sensitive to someone else’s pheromones?]

For the sake of accuracy, Xie Qingshu described the relationship between her and Zhou Que in a different way. Naturally, she didn’t mention their names; if her finger slipped, it wouldn’t be a question of whether it trended, but whether the servers could stay operational.

During this time, her alternative account had accumulated many followers, and she received many comments in a short time.

1st Floor: You’re beyond help. Just get together already. Heavens, why did I click this to eat dog food?

2nd Floor: I’ll bring the Civil Affairs Bureau to you. [Smile.jpg]

3rd Floor: Is she a fan of Zhou Que? Is she daydreaming about her…?

…

The comments made Xie Qingshu’s scalp tingle. She replied to a few, but there were too many, so she eventually stopped.

50th Floor: [Describe the current situation. Have you used an inhibitor?]

Xie Qingshu finally saw a normal comment. She thought for a moment and replied: [I used it, but it became more severe.]

50th Floor: [Be specific. I’m a doctor; I should be able to judge.]

Xie Qingshu’s fingertips trembled slightly. She carefully felt her sensations and typed: [I want to see the other person. I miss her pheromones more and more. My body is very hot.]

In the end, she even wondered if the inhibitor she used was expired.

The 50th Floor took a while to reply. A long time later, they said: […You’re a newly differentiated Omega, right? Your heat is coming soon. During this period, you will be especially obsessed with pheromones. The other person likely has a very high compatibility rate with you. Also, using the wrong inhibitor can make the situation worse. A marking can break this. Also… STOP FEEDING ME DOG FOOD!!!]

Below that was a wave of “Happy 100 years together” comments, clearly seeing this as an official certification from an expert.

Xie Qingshu was stunned. She took a deep breath, considering whether she should take another shower to suppress the feeling. Before exiting the page, another piece of news about Zhou Que was pushed to her.

Now, even seeing that name made her body throb involuntarily.

#Zhou Que and Xie Qingshu at Odds During Collaboration, Strong Demands for a Cast Change!#

This was the umpteenth time Zhou Que had trended, but this time she was tied to Xie Qingshu. Clicking in revealed a video—behind-the-scenes footage that had leaked.

It was from the time when Xie Qingshu still disliked Zhou Que; the two stood far apart during rehearsals. The video highlighted this perfectly, and due to the camera angle, it truly looked like Xie Qingshu was very dissatisfied while Zhou Que was desperately trying to approach her.

Although that was technically true, Xie Qingshu was certain she hadn’t stood that far away.

The people who felt there was no CP chemistry and the paid trolls took the opportunity to swarm in, pressuring the official account to change the lead actress while the heat was high.

[Just as I thought. I was a bit hopeful when I saw the makeup photos.]

[Looks fine to me. It’s true these two don’t get along.]

[Feels too forced. Dropping this…]

[Forcing a CP? It doesn’t match at all.]

There were many such comments. Xie Qingshu finally snapped into clarity. She switched to her main account and posted something that would make Song Mei call her for two hours to lecture her on the “Artist’s Code of Conduct.”

Xie Qingshu V: Zhou Que is a very diligent junior.

Although it seemed like a casual sentence, it was enough to cause a sensation online. Before the official account could provide an explanation, the tide of opinion quietly shifted.

Xie Qingshu had never publicly commented on anyone online. In her previous drama, a supporting actress who acted well tried to create the impression that she was close to Xie Qingshu. Everyone thought they were involved, and Xie Qingshu never said anything. Later, it was found the actress’s private life was a mess, and she had no hope of recovery.

Afterward, a reporter asked Xie Qingshu for her thoughts, and she looked completely blank, having no idea who the person even was.

So, for someone who by default never intervened, the fact that her first public statement was about Zhou Que was groundbreaking.

Xie Qingshu exited the page completely. Within five minutes, Song Mei’s call arrived.

“My ancestor, can you please not do this? You caught me totally off guard! Don’t post things like this until the heat dies down!”

Song Mei’s greatest fear had come true. She sighed. As expected, even a person of steel like Xie Qingshu couldn’t escape Zhou Que’s pomegranate skirt.

The girl’s methods were terrifying!

Xie Qingshu could tell that Song Mei wasn’t truly angry. She had been impulsive before posting, but she was still rational and had thought it through. After people spent two days guessing the meaning, there would be no further follow-up.

Song Mei still felt uneasy. “Should I come over?”

“Don’t. Without you, I don’t want to handle the mess at the studio.”

Song Mei laughed, thinking it made sense. After a moment of hesitation, she asked indirectly, “I heard you asked for an inhibitor after finishing today. Are you differentiating? But your birthday hasn’t arrived. Are you uncomfortable? Do you want me to contact the director to delay the intimate scenes?”

She was truly afraid! That little vixen Zhou Que—it hadn’t been long, and look how obsessed Xie Qingshu had become. Who could handle more stimulation?

Reminded by her, Xie Qingshu realized she indeed felt uncomfortable. While denying it, she subconsciously touched her scent gland—it was itchy and swollen, and she couldn’t stop it.

As she made a large movement, Xie Qingshu let out a nasal sound.

Song Mei, who was about to hang up, narrowed her eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”

Xie Qingshu bit her lip. Her ability to lie with a straight face had improved significantly lately. She fooled Song Mei with a few words, and Song Mei thought she had simply misheard, hanging up after a few instructions.

Xie Qingshu let out a sigh of relief but didn’t dare touch her scent gland again. She had differentiated into an Alpha very early and couldn’t remember what it felt like; she thought this was normal.

[You there?]

A message popped up on the screen. Xie Qingshu was stunned. Only Z would have this tone. But strictly speaking, the other person was her superior and the one suspected of wanting to help Zhou Que, so she replied with a “Mhm.”

The other party replied quickly, but not with words—instead, they did something Song Mei wouldn’t even do.

[What do you mean by sending me the Artist’s Code of Conduct?]

Hundreds of pages of PDF files. Xie Qingshu’s breathing quickened, and even her pheromones began to drift out.

The other person replied unhurriedly: As an S-level artist of the company, you shouldn’t post controversial things on public platforms.

Xie Qingshu replied without thinking: That was Zhou Que.

So she didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

[Then do you like her?]

Xie Qingshu raised an eyebrow. This behind-the-scenes boss’s logic jumped far too quickly. But she still answered the question.

[Just a junior.]

The other party didn’t follow up for a long time. Xie Qingshu found it a bit strange but didn’t think much of it.

A light knock came from the door. Normally, no one would disturb her at this hour; it could likely only be Zhou Que.

Usually, Xie Qingshu would have opened it directly, but now she hesitated.

If I really let her in, will I end up hugging her and sniffing her like crazy?