After Being Marked by the Popular Female Lead O (GL) - Chapter 32

There was never a single moment where Zhou Que was calling out to her with sincerity. That realization made Xie Qingshu’s heart throb with far more alarm than the discovery of Zhou Que’s hidden Alpha status.

Her fingertips trembled, and her eyes filled with helplessness. It was true—in the other’s eyes, she was likely just a “goody-two-shoes” senior. Why would Zhou Que ever show her true heart?

She had brought this upon herself.

Xie Qingshu felt a deep blow, as if something had broken free from her control. She felt a slight sense of relief that she had learned the truth now before falling any deeper. She could try her best to control her emotions, but given the current situation, there was another matter she needed to worry about even more.

“If I don’t want a permanent mark and want to break this pheromone dependency, is there any other way?” Xie Qingshu paused, then asked.

She truly couldn’t face Zhou Que without reservation after knowing the truth—not the person, and certainly not the pheromones.

“This situation is indeed a bit difficult,” Doctor Gu’s face showed a flash of doubt. Although he suppressed it quickly, Xie Qingshu saw it. He coughed lightly twice. “We can increase the dosage and then attempt a separation, similar to desensitization therapy.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Xie Qingshu’s face betrayed none of her emotions. The moment she took off her mask, she could walk onto a red carpet.

She felt vague gazes following her, but she didn’t care. However, as she passed a corner, she heard a child’s tender voice.

“Mama, that sister looks like the star on TV!”

“It’s that super pretty sister… she’s been on TV several times. Mama even called her ‘sweet’.”

Xie Qingshu’s steps faltered slightly. She thought they were talking about her, but out of the corner of her eye, she realized it wasn’t. When she saw that familiar silhouette, she was completely stunned.

Zhou Que. It could only be her.

In a split second, Xie Qingshu followed her, driven by a motive she couldn’t name.

By the time the girl’s mother realized what was happening, Zhou Que was gone. The woman turned back with an awkward expression and made a gesture. “Shh, don’t talk about that outside.”

The girl nodded, only half-understanding.

The hospital room was built in the most remote corner, quiet year-round because the patient was prone to violent outbursts—especially when seeing a certain person. The nursing staff had been replaced batch after batch; in the end, no one was willing to take the job even for extra pay. Fearing an accident in the hospital, they had come up with a compromise.

Surveillance was on 24 hours a day, and staff were always on standby. The patient would not go hungry or cold, and the threat of pheromone riots was minimized.

Of course, only a few people knew of this suggestion. At first, Bai Chengming thought it was nice not to have people buzzing around him, so he agreed. But as time went on, he sensed something was wrong.

Facing countless monitors, an unprecedented fear shrouded his heart. He began to act out, and his irritable pheromones scattered everywhere, but no one paid him any mind. Only when his vitals showed a crisis would someone come. He tried to communicate, but those people wouldn’t say a single word.

The long-term psychological pressure had long since stripped Bai Chengming of his former spirit. Although he was provided with good food and drink, he looked much older than Old Master Bai.

Hearing movement, Bai Chengming slowly turned his head to look at the culprit before him. As if just processing her presence, rage surged in his eyes. His voice was hysterical, sounding like a blade was stuck in his throat.

It wasn’t hard to guess his anger; this was absolutely not the attitude of a father toward a daughter.

But then, Zhou Que hadn’t viewed him as a father since the first moment she saw him.

“You… how do you have the face to come here?! Tell me, what did you do to the Bai family?” His tone was one of undisguised loathing.

Seeing him like this, Zhou Que’s inexplicable irritability did not subside. Instead, something was about to leap out. She snorted coldly and stated the facts calmly. “The Old Man gave his shares to me. Now you and I are equals. But my position isn’t stable yet, so you need to give your things to me.”

Bai Chengming was already in a state of fury just by looking at her. Having heard of the Bai family’s recent situation through the monitors, he couldn’t hide his inner resentment. “What exactly are you after?”

He didn’t consider Zhou Que a daughter. He had far too many children, and among them, Zhou Que didn’t even count as a person. That was why seeing her true face was so shocking to him.

“I am merely doing what any of your children would do, Father. It’s just that they lack the ability and the courage.” Zhou Que looked down at him.

Bai Chengming glared at her venomously. It had negligible effect on her, yet it was the only attack he could muster. “You’re just like that mother of yours—greedy and insatiable. If I’d known, I never would have brought you back. You should have died in the streets.”

He spoke without thinking, causing Zhou Que’s eyes to grow darker and darker, like a gathering storm.

She had never been the type to let others walk over her. She gave a light laugh. “You still think you’re the head of the Bai family? I’m not negotiating with you…”

“I am notifying you.”

Bai Chengming was already ruined. No matter what, he couldn’t be saved.

Outside, Xie Qingshu couldn’t see everything happening inside, but she could sense that the current Zhou Que was not the person she had imagined.

Sharp, brilliant, and aggressive.

She subconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes, not realizing that she couldn’t take her eyes off Zhou Que.

It was as if she were meeting her for the first first time.

A loud crash came from inside; it seemed Bai Chengming had fallen off the bed in his intense emotional reaction.

Xie Qingshu had no desire to listen further and left the area.

Inside, Bai Chengming lay on the floor in an ugly state, struggling. Zhou Que glanced out the window with a trace of doubt in her eyes. She felt as though someone had been watching from outside.

But before she could think further, pheromones suddenly rose in the air. It was the scent of damp, fishy earth after rain—a scent that only induced uncontrollable irritability.

Bai Chengming was gambling everything on forcing Zhou Que into a riot. No one could endure such a massive volume of pheromones. Years ago, a nurse had said a few extra words to him and, unable to withstand these pheromones, fell into a state of mental confusion and had remained disabled ever since.

Moreover, Bai Chengming was increasing the intensity, his face full of certainty that Zhou Que would spend the rest of her life in a hospital ward.

But the earthy pheromones had existed for less than a moment before they were suppressed by another, far more powerful force. They didn’t even dare to resist.

Looking at the smiling Zhou Que, Bai Chengming’s confident expression gradually cracked, his face full of a terror no different than if he were looking at a demon.

“You… you are an Alpha…”

“What’s wrong with you? You seem distracted. Was the check-up result bad?” Song Mei glanced at the person beside her, sensing that Xie Qingshu wasn’t in the right state, though she couldn’t say why.

Xie Qingshu exhaled and shook her head, her eyes clear. “I’m fine.”

She wasn’t the type to dwell. Since the other party didn’t treat her as someone worthy of trust, then stopping right here was enough.

The phone vibrated. Xie Qingshu saw the name on the screen and had no intention of replying, but the messages kept coming relentlessly.

The vibrating was enough to give Song Mei a headache. “You should just reply. Zhou Que might have an emergency.”

Xie Qingshu’s eyebrow twitched. she maintained her posture and didn’t reply. The messages pulsed twice more before finally going quiet.

Although she said nothing, Song Mei saw clearly that the sender was Zhou Que. She teased, “So, you’ve finally seen through the nature of this ‘little white flower’?”

“I suppose.” Xie Qingshu composed her emotions. She wanted to say that Zhou Que was hardly a “little white flower,” but she swallowed the words.

Whether a “little white flower” or a dormant, patient Alpha, they were both versions Zhou Que wanted her to see.

It was all fake anyway.

If the situation didn’t forbid it, Song Mei would have set off fireworks on the spot to celebrate. She tried to keep her smile from being too obvious, but it was nearly stretching from ear to ear. “By the way, the art exhibition is confirmed. Several gowns are on their way. There are only two hours until it starts, so it’s a bit of a rush.”

Xie Qingshu gave a hum of affirmation, appearing not to care much.

The internet was in a frenzy. As soon as Song Mei and Zhong Shan confirmed their attendance, Zhong Shan announced a “mystery guest,” leading to immediate speculation.

[I think it might be Su Hui…]

[How is that possible? She said yesterday she was flying abroad.]

[Then with that stature and friendship, could it be… Xie Qingshu?]

[No way. I’d sooner believe it was Hu Li.]

[Look closer! Hu Li is already on the invite list.]

[Xie Qingshu is still filming; it’s unlikely.]

[I’d rather hope it is Xie Qingshu. Zhou Que is also on the list. If these two are together, it would be incredible.]

Judging solely by the published list, A-list stars were gathered, B-list stars were clumped together, and reporters had sniffed out a story and were rushing there.

Even before the start time, the area was packed with reporters, stretching as far as the eye could see. Security maintained order, but they couldn’t withstand the passion of the crowd.

“After the person in front finishes, it’ll be our turn,” Song Mei reminded. When working, Xie Qingshu wouldn’t bring in personal emotions, so Song Mei didn’t need to worry about her performance.

Xie Qingshu rubbed her brow. she hadn’t expected Zhou Que to show up as well. Although she had decided to treat her as just a junior, she didn’t yet know how to face her. But with the red carpet imminent, even if they met head-on, she could only grit her teeth and go through with it.

Xie Qingshu slowly stepped out of the car.

Camera flashes immediately swarmed her. Amidst the cries of amazement, the clicking of shutters became almost background noise.

“Look over here!”

“We’re from New Media Entertainment!”

“…”

There were far too many voices. She was at the very center of everyone’s focus, every detail being magnified. The shutters hadn’t stopped since she appeared, and Xie Qingshu truly deserved the attention.

A rare red dress made her skin look even fairer. Even under these lights, she showed no sign of distortion. Diamond jewelry on her slender wrist shimmered with delicate light, and every strand of hair spoke of elegance and charm.

At first sight, she provided an unprecedented visual impact.

The reporters’ thoughts raced; in the end, they could only wonder if Xie Qingshu had borrowed Zhou Que’s PR team. No one knew exactly how many photos were taken, but their hands never stopped.

Throughout the process, Xie Qingshu maintained a proper demeanor, but her nerves didn’t relax for a moment. The next stage was the reporter Q&A, and she knew that in such a venue, the questions would only become more tricky and mean.

They wouldn’t stop until they dug something up.

“Why have you come here? Do you have a personal friendship with Teacher Zhong Shan?”

“When does your jewelry contract with VG expire?”

Various questions were thrown at her in an instant. At first, Xie Qingshu handled them with ease—this was nothing to her. But then, someone intentionally steered the conversation in another direction.

“What are your thoughts on the rumors between you and Zhou Que?”

Xie Qingshu said, “Groundless.”

“Then what is the relationship between you and Zhou Que?”

The voice was hidden in the crowd, but Xie Qingshu caught it. She remained calm and gave the most official answer possible.

“A senior and junior relationship. Nothing more.”

Impenetrable as a fortress. The official answer left the reporters bored, and they knew they probably wouldn’t get anything else.

Suddenly, someone shouted from behind, “Zhou Que is here—”

Xie Qingshu’s pupils contracted slightly.