After Being Marked by the Popular Female Lead O (GL) - Chapter 33

As the hottest rising star at the moment, Zhou Que carried her own share of controversy and traffic, making her exactly the kind of celebrity reporters loved. They could snap two photos and spin any story they wanted, gaining massive attention with ease. Hearing a shout from somewhere, the crowd didn’t even stop to verify it before instinctively turning their gazes.

Breaking from her usual style, Zhou Que appeared in an all-black ensemble. The dress hugged the curves of her figure, adding a touch of sophisticated efficiency to her alluring temperament. She moved with poise; every step of her sharp high heels felt like it was treading on people’s hearts. As the various lights fell upon her, they created an atmosphere of magnificent mystery.

Xie Qingshu watched as the other woman walked toward her. Her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she turned back toward the cameras, acting as if the person passing by was truly just a junior colleague.

Dissatisfied with this lack of interaction, the reporters who wanted to voice their doubts suddenly found themselves speechless upon seeing what happened next. They couldn’t find a single flaw to pick on, but just as they were feeling disappointed, Zhou Que suddenly hurried over.

“Sister, you should have told me you were coming.” Zhou Que’s eyes held a hint of a coquettish pout, looking very much the part.

There was no shortage of Alphas among the crowd. They cursed her in their hearts, but their bodies were incredibly honest; they shouted Zhou Que’s name one after another, desperately hoping she would spare them a glance. Their hearts were nearly hooked away by her, yet she remained completely indifferent, not sparing them even a sliver of her attention.

Meanwhile, the subject of her gaze, Xie Qingshu, remained unmoved.

The Alphas: “It is my own level of cultivation that is too low…”

“It was a last-minute decision; there wasn’t time to notify you.” Xie Qingshu’s voice was flat, devoid of any particular emotion.

Zhou Que looked at her a few more times and bit her lip. She had, of course, heard the question the reporter asked, and she was far from satisfied with the answer. Coming from Xie Qingshu’s mouth, it sounded as if there was nothing left between them.

Even if that was the truth, Zhou Que couldn’t stand it—especially because the person saying it was Xie Qingshu.

She let out a soft huff from her nose. To anyone else’s ears, it would have triggered another wave of gasps. “Is it that Sister didn’t want to tell me, or is it because Zhong Shan invited you that you came?”

In truth, Xie Qingshu hadn’t come because of Zhong Shan, but thinking about the deception from the person beside her, she felt a surge of anger. With a slight sense of retaliation, she remained silent, letting it stand as a silent admission.

Zhou Que’s eyes darkened, though it was hidden by her eyelashes and didn’t attract much attention. She lowered her head slightly. Normally, Xie Qingshu would have coaxed her by now, but this time she didn’t; she even gave a hum of affirmation.

It wasn’t clear if she was responding to the previous statement or the next…

An inexplicable sense of panic rose in Zhou Que’s heart. Thousands of thoughts raced through her mind, but she didn’t let any of it show on her face, only looking at her with a slightly aggrieved gaze out of the corner of her eye.

“Since when did Sister and Zhong Shan become so close?”

Xie Qingshu found it hard to endure this. The smile on her face was becoming difficult to maintain, and her voice shifted. “It’s nothing like that.”

This denial only made her attitude seem more ambiguous.

An undercurrent surged between the two. The people below couldn’t tell exactly what stage they had reached, but they were entertainment reporters; extracting useful information was their professional duty.

A voice broke the deadlock on the scene.

“Excuse me, Zhou Que, how do you view your relationship with Xie Qingshu?”

In this situation, giving a standard, safe answer would have been perfectly fine. Many reporters lowered their microphones, clearly losing interest in the answer, assuming they wouldn’t get anything out of her.

Even Xie Qingshu thought so. But she had forgotten one thing: Zhou Que was not the type of actress who stayed within the lines and feared making a single mistake.

She suddenly felt a wave of warm breath on her shoulder. Under the spotlights, the two of them appeared both upright and intimately close.

Xie Qingshu felt Zhou Que approaching and her body stiffened. Her instinct was to dodge, but she realized that if the reporters caught that, they would definitely blow it out of proportion, and Zhou Que would likely end up with more stains on her reputation—though one more or less might not make much difference at this point.

Xie Qingshu hated herself a bit; even at a time like this, she was thinking of Zhou Que. The light in her eyes gradually grew resolute.

“Sister, should I tell them the truth?” Zhou Que’s voice fell behind Xie Qingshu’s ear, her lips seemingly grazing the shell of her ear.

What truth? What truth could there possibly be?

For a moment, Xie Qingshu actually felt as if she and Zhou Que had some scandalous secret relationship. Her eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly about to take flight.

“I’m a bit unhappy. Sister isn’t even willing to admit that you’re used to my pheromones.”

Zhou Que’s murmur was more enchanting than any love story in the world, but to Xie Qingshu, it was no different from a threat.

Xie Qingshu wanted to turn and look at her with a hint of anger in her eyes, but Zhou Que didn’t give her the chance. She turned to the reporters with a beaming smile. “It is, of course, exactly as Sister Qingshu said.”

Xie Qingshu’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed; her breathing became erratic. She realized her emotions were far too easily influenced by Zhou Que, whether it was a small matter or a large one.

The reporters and fans below had subconsciously held their breath, and only now did they finally exhale. They were curious about what Zhou Que had whispered in Xie Qingshu’s ear, but the people around them only shook their heads; the angle was too perfect, and they couldn’t guess it.

Fortunately, their interaction had been captured by the cameras; the rest was for the fans to judge.

Xie Qingshu was shocked by Zhou Que’s boldness. In the short time since arriving at the exhibition, her thoughts had shifted, and she suddenly felt it didn’t matter anymore. If Zhou Que wanted to play, fine.

Since she couldn’t escape, she would simply accompany her.

Zhong Shan, who had heard Xie Qingshu would be there, had been waiting at the entrance for a long time. However, when she saw Zhou Que following, the smile on her face faltered for a second. She tried to hide it, but she couldn’t fool either of them; her attempt looked rather clumsy.

“Sister Qingshu, you’re here. I want to personally recommend a few paintings to you and explain them for you.” Zhong Shan stepped forward to greet her.

“Alright,” Xie Qingshu said.

Zhou Que couldn’t hide her emotions. Even though she knew Xie Qingshu was an Omega—and even if she weren’t, there was zero possibility with Zhong Shan—seeing the two of them standing together, with an atmosphere that almost excluded a third person, the violent thoughts in her heart began to grow uncontrollably.

She wanted Xie Qingshu to belong only to her, forever.

Zhou Que took a deep breath and barely suppressed it. Although she didn’t know what had happened, she was always exceptionally sensitive to people’s emotions, and she naturally noticed that Xie Qingshu’s attitude toward her had changed.

She couldn’t rush; if she scared her away, it would be difficult to fix.

Xie Qingshu could feel a gaze like needles on her back, but after a while, it was gone. Zhou Que’s figure was nowhere to be seen in the surroundings.

Xie Qingshu could finally breathe freely again; her state relaxed.

The art exhibition had investment from various parties and a large budget. Besides Zhong Shan’s paintings, there were works from many other artists that were rarely exhibited. It was a rare opportunity, so many of the attendees were genuinely there to see the art.

The atmosphere was harmonious for a time, but meeting Zhong Shan inevitably led to comparisons with the previous scandal.

“If it hadn’t been exposed, Bai Siran would probably be here right now.”

“I just don’t know who she offended. The Bai family’s affairs have been a huge mess lately. I heard everything’s been settled.”

“That fast!”

“I thought it was fast too. Didn’t someone from the Bai family come… Zhou Que? Anyway, I don’t think she’s that simple. It seems she gained nothing, yet lost nothing either.”

“You think that’s all? I also know about Zhou Que’s mother. It wasn’t at all like the outside world says…”

A few people walked by chatting, and Xie Qingshu didn’t hear the last few sentences clearly.

“Sister Qingshu, what’s wrong? Do you think my painting isn’t good enough?” Zhong Shan asked anxiously. she wanted to perform better in front of Xie Qingshu.

Preferably to outshine Zhou Que.

Xie Qingshu quickly recovered and smiled. “No, it’s very good.”

This wasn’t perfunctory; for someone her age, this level of skill was exceptionally outstanding.

Receiving the praise, a sparkle of a smile immediately appeared in Zhong Shan’s eyes, and she became even more enthusiastic about explaining her work, with Xie Qingshu listening by her side.

Some reporters had viewing rights but no photography rights. Watching this scene, they suddenly didn’t understand the current situation. They had heard Xie Qingshu and Zhou Que were involved, but upon arriving, they found Zhong Shan was also in the mix.

“President Zhou, your methods aren’t working. If you push too hard, it will only…” Hu Li’s face held an undisguised smile. Seeing Zhou Que rebuffed for the first time was naturally a wonder to her.

Zhou Que shot her a flat look, and the latter immediately made a “zipping my lips” gesture, though her expression showed no real fear.

“Keep your hands off her.”

Hu Li had been around for many years; she could tell at a glance who she could touch and who she absolutely couldn’t. Just the Xie family alone was enough to handle; even without Zhou Que, she wouldn’t have dared.

Zhou Que appeared to be focusing on the paintings, but in reality, her peripheral vision never left those two. Her tone was flat. “Bai Ting and the others might make a move in a couple of days. While they haven’t realized it’s me yet, block their paths completely.”

Hu Li withdrew her smile, her attitude becoming respectful. She hadn’t expected Zhou Que’s methods to be so fast; those in the Bai family didn’t lose unfairly.

She understood the principle of pressing one’s advantage.

“Then I’ll head back first.” The thought of it made Hu Li somewhat unable to hide her excitement.

Zhou Que gave a hum of affirmation, watching absentmindedly as the two in the distance moved to another side, making it difficult to observe anything further.

There were too many people here. If anyone discovered anything, she didn’t care for herself, but Xie Qingshu was too clean. If she were tainted by anything, it would be a shame.

Away from the noisy atmosphere and Zhou Que’s gaze, Xie Qingshu finally relaxed completely. Zhong Shan also saw Xie Qingshu’s lack of romantic interest in her, and though she couldn’t help but feel sad, she remained full of gratitude.

“Actually, back then, I thought my life was over. I didn’t expect to meet you… and to have reached this point today.”

“It wasn’t me,” Xie Qingshu said. She wasn’t a fool; from various actions, she understood the other’s heart, but she didn’t think it was love. A thought flickered in her mind. “You told me before that someone else was helping you…”

“Was her name Z?”

Zhong Shan blinked, neither admitting nor denying it. “I don’t know.”

But from this attitude, Xie Qingshu made her own judgment. If Hu Li was Z as Song Mei said, why would she go through such thankless effort to help Zhong Shan? There was no need for her to withstand the pressure of the Bai family; she could have simply developed her own industries to a more stable level.

But if Z was Zhou Que, then everything could be explained.

Also the matter with the assistant before—all the threads could be connected.

Xie Qingshu didn’t think it was particularly hard to guess, yet she couldn’t stop her heart from racing.