After Being Marked by the Popular Female Lead O (GL) - Chapter 25

The hospital was filled with the smell of disinfectant; though faint, it was never pleasant when it wafted into the nose.

Xie Qingshu frowned; she preferred Zhou Que’s scent.

Song Mei returned from picking up the follow-up report looking pale. The paper in her hand was gripped so tightly it became wrinkled. She feigned a relaxed tone, speaking tactfully, “Actually, being an Omega isn’t so bad. Many fans used to say you’d suit being an Omega more. This time, the most common comment was that it would be great if you were an Omega.”

Song Mei couldn’t go on. She tried her best to shield Xie Qingshu, fearing she would be devastated by the fact that she had differentiated into an Omega. Heavens, her mood upon receiving that report was even heavier than the day she found out the co-star was Zhou Que.

Xie Qingshu, who had known this news for two days, showed no particular emotion on her face. Aside from clutching her phone and typing, she seemed normal. She sighed and shifted her gaze to Song Mei. “Actually, I don’t think it’s a big deal either. Being an Alpha or an Omega makes no difference to me.”

Song Mei was at a loss for words. She wanted to refute it, but realized what Xie Qingshu said actually made sense—no other A or O could have lived their life the way she did.

In reality, Xie Qingshu wasn’t as calm as she appeared; she just didn’t know what the “correct” reaction was. She couldn’t bring herself to scream or fall into despair, but it was also impossible for her to calmly accept and submissively hand her fate over to another Alpha.

Xie Qingshu adjusted her wrist slightly, feeling out of place, but she didn’t feel anything physically wrong. She still hadn’t fully processed the fact that she had been told she differentiated into an Omega.

“Don’t let the news out for now. The drama is still filming. In case…”

Xie Qingshu suddenly thought of Zhou Que, and she felt a prickling sensation at her scent gland, feeling inexplicably unsatisfied.

Song Mei understood this point clearly and reassured her, “You’re in a hurry to be discharged and get back to filming, but Doctor Gu wants to see you to go over a few precautions.”

She seriously suspected that little vixen Zhou Que was seducing Xie Qingshu to hurry back every day. Even though Xie Qingshu was now an Omega, Song Mei was still worried.

Zhou Que’s lethality was simply too strong.

During this period, Zhou Que had indeed contacted Xie Qingshu. She explained why she had suddenly bitten Xie Qingshu’s scent gland, every word dripping with regret, making it impossible for Xie Qingshu to utter a word of reproach.

Besides, a permanent mark hadn’t been formed.

“Then I’ll head over first.”

Doctor Gu was a senior veteran at the hospital, and it was hard to get an appointment with him. An entire floor had been carved out for his office.

As Xie Qingshu came down the stairs, she thought she saw Bai Siran in a corner. Her expression looked resentful, but she vanished in the blink of an eye. There was only one path up here, so she could only be there to see Doctor Gu.

What is she doing here?

Xie Qingshu harbored a bit of doubt in her heart but remained stoic and said nothing.

On the other side, Bai Siran had been rebuffed and was incredibly irritable, having no mind to observe the people around her.

“In the early stages, you showed some Alpha characteristics, but you unknowingly developed into an Omega. You should have come in for a check-up earlier.” Doctor Gu remembered her well, so there was a hint of reproach in his eyes.

Xie Qingshu moved her lips. She had checked the tooth marks on her scent gland in the mirror; they were completely invisible by now. “That mark…?”

Doctor Gu’s eyes were obscure. He waved his hand. “Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a mark. But if it hadn’t happened, we might not have discovered this so early. Omegas have heat cycles; if they aren’t suppressed in time, the consequences are unimaginable.”

Doctor Gu went on to explain many precautions, including giving her several inhibitors. “If something feels off, inject one. You’ve just differentiated and are unstable; you need these.”

Xie Qingshu accepted them with a complex heart. The same syringe, the same coldness, but the meaning behind them was entirely different. No wonder she felt so awful when she injected the Alpha inhibitor last time.

Just as she was about to thank him and leave, Doctor Gu coughed and stopped her. “You need to pay more attention lately… you might feel a strong urge to be close to a certain person. This is normal, as your compatibility rate is too high.”

It was just 1% shy of a perfect 100%. High-compatibility AOs are easily attracted to each other; even a tiny injection of pheromones could achieve a mark. Yet that Alpha hadn’t done it, controlling themselves with pinpoint precision.

Doctor Gu was also an Alpha and knew how difficult it was to exercise that level of restraint.

“What ‘certain person’?” Xie Qingshu didn’t quite follow; the words felt like a riddle.

Doctor Gu said patiently, “The one who almost marked you. The compatibility between you two is very high.”

Xie Qingshu’s face remained impassive, but a storm had broken out in her heart. She didn’t believe a word of it. Her compatibility with Zhou Que is high?

In the past, she definitely looked at her with the affection one has for their own “cub,” but now that she had differentiated into an Omega, it was… sisterly affection at best.

Xie Qingshu pondered for a moment and then nodded solemnly. It must be that.

“Forget it, you’ll find out later.” Doctor Gu thought for a moment and still wrote down many precautions for her to take along.

Xie Qingshu left after taking the papers. She was bundled up tightly, so the nursing staff nearby didn’t realize she was Xie Qingshu, assuming she was just an ordinary patient. They didn’t lower their voices when they spoke.

“That person left again. How many times has she been here… and Doctor Gu still hasn’t agreed?”

“She has a huge temper. Probably the one in the nursing home is about to go. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have thought to come here.”

“I heard that man from the Bai family has a daughter, quite famous too. She’s truly beautiful—no wonder she can be a star. She came to see her dad not long ago, and after she left, that man had another riot. All his vitals dropped, tsk tsk…”

Xie Qingshu couldn’t hear the rest clearly. She frowned, a faint impression rising in her mind.

The one from the Bai family… they must mean Bai Chengming.

He appeared very few times in the original book’s plot. He was too decadent in his youth, and although he had a strong constitution, he accidentally triggered a pheromone riot and had been kept in a nursing home ever since. There was a bit of a storm in the Bai family because of it, but things settled down quickly.

This meant that after the exhibition last time, Zhou Que went to see him.

Why didn’t she ever say anything?

Xie Qingshu felt a bit unsettled, but she quickly dismissed it.

Song Mei took the report and memorized it after reading it carefully. “Can’t you rest for two more days? What if something happens…?”

“I have inhibitors. It’ll be fine.” Xie Qingshu’s voice was muffled as she kept her head down.

Song Mei subconsciously looked over, then raised an eyebrow, finding it somewhat unbelievable. “Is this that new executive?”

Xie Qingshu gave a hum of affirmation. The person had messaged to ask about her health. She thought Song Mei had told her; otherwise, how would she know she was at the hospital? Out of politeness, she only shared a partial truth, keeping a wary eye out.

“I heard she joined the company during the Bai family’s turmoil, and she’s only just started making moves. Many small O’s in the company want to get to know her. Just keep your distance; she’s definitely not a simple person.” Song Mei found it strange that this “Z” actually added Xie Qingshu.

“Some people have guessed Z’s identity. Looking around, the only one who fits the criteria is Hu Li,” Song Mei added.

“Hu Li?”

Song Mei didn’t catch the odd tone in her voice and nodded immediately.

Xie Qingshu pursed her lips and gripped the items in her hand. Her tone sounded flat and devoid of emotion. “Then her joining the crew… surely it isn’t because of Zhou Que.”

“Most likely. People like her have more than one card in their hand. But Zhou Que has too much negative press; it’s hard to say.” Song Mei wanted to remind her that anyone who could survive in the Bai family this long probably wasn’t what they seemed on the surface, but the key was that Xie Qingshu had actually brought it up.

Song Mei had been suspicious, but now alarm bells were ringing loudly.

Xie Qingshu knew what she was thinking just by looking at her. She gave a helpless, mocking smile but was too lazy to refute it. In short, any explanation would only make it worse.

Song Mei still couldn’t rest easy. After seeing Xie Qingshu back to the film crew, she immediately rushed back to the company, intending to finish her work quickly and return to keep an eye on things.

With her personally standing guard, she’d see which little vixen dared to seduce her artist!

The progress of the film crew hadn’t slowed down. Xie Qingshu arrived just in time for Hu Li’s wrap-up. Her scenes were few, yet she had dragged it out until today. Others thought it was because she was friendly, but only Xie Qingshu knew her heart wasn’t in the work.

Especially when she saw Hu Li and Zhou Que getting close.

The distance was too great, and she could only vaguely hear a few words. Perhaps Xie Qingshu’s gaze was too naked; it didn’t take long for Zhou Que to notice. Zhou Que frowned and used her body to block the view. In the end, Xie Qingshu could only see Zhou Que’s smooth waistline.

“Looking at her like this, Xie Qingshu is truly good-looking. I’ve never seen…” Hu Li wanted to say something, but meeting Zhou Que’s gaze accidentally, a chill ran down her spine. Her physical instincts kicked in, and the words changed as they reached her lips. She said solemnly, “Good-looking is one thing, but I absolutely won’t touch her.”

Only after she said this did she feel the chill faintly recede.