After Being Marked by the Popular Female Lead O (GL) - Chapter 7

Zhou Que was momentarily stunned, only then realizing she had released her hand, yet the tactile sensation seemed to linger.

“Cut, cut, cut!” Deng Yue reacted after a moment, as if waking from a dream. “Very good, the feeling is great.”

Everyone was surprised by this evaluation, yet they also felt that no one else could convey this particular sensation.

It was evident that the two were collaborating for the first time. Each had their own rhythm, and neither wanted to be led by the other, which could easily make the entire performance messy if not handled well.

However, they quickly adjusted, one advancing and one retreating, appearing surprisingly harmonious. It was hard to imagine that their true relationship was so complex.

“Sister performed wonderfully. I even believed I was truly Qin Yun in the scene,” Zhou Que said with a smile. No one could discern her truest emotions from her eyes.

Xie Qingshu’s gaze was complicated. Zhou Que gave her the same feeling; for a second, she genuinely believed she was Ju Zhan. It was a rare occurrence that she only realized otherwise after rationality returned.

To be drawn into the scene by a newcomer who debuted less than two years ago was a profoundly novel experience for Xie Qingshu, who had starred as the lead in over a dozen dramas.

Few people could maintain their own rhythm while performing with her. The seemingly easygoing Zhou Que showed a sense of oppression in her acting that was much stronger than Xie Qingshu had anticipated.

Fortunately, Xie Qingshu had not underestimated her, or she might have been completely thrown off.

“Yours isn’t bad either.”

This compliment might sound perfunctory coming from others, but Zhou Que inexplicably felt Xie Qingshu was being sincere.

Xie Qingshu’s perception of the protagonist O inexplicably improved slightly. A part of her felt regretful, thinking that if the original plot hadn’t existed, she might genuinely have gotten along well with Zhou Que.

After all, this level of dramatic intuition was something other actors couldn’t bring to her.

“Alright, you two just need more practice. There needs to be tension with both advance and retreat, otherwise the issues will be very obvious.” Deng Yue’s vision was sharp; he saw the essence of the performance at a glance. However, the scene was still very good; finding fault would be nitpicking.

Before Xie Qingshu could speak, Zhou Que stepped forward. “Thank you, Director. I will continue to work hard. Sister Qingshu’s acting is superb; without her, we wouldn’t have achieved this effect.”

Xie Qingshu noticed that Deng Yue merely gave a faint ‘mhm,’ not even raising his head. Judging solely from his attitude, their relationship seemed distant and cold.

She frowned. Based on the original timeline, they should definitely know each other by now, at least not as aloof as they appeared.

…Or were they both deliberately concealing their true relationship?

Xie Qingshu merely glanced away; she wasn’t interested in that.

As long as it affected her minimally.

Soon, it was the next actor’s turn to audition. The casting for the role of Ju Zhan was still undecided. Xie Qingshu went to the dressing room to remove her makeup and hairstyle.

She attracted many eyes along the way. Too much anticipation was placed on Xie Qingshu, and outsiders hadn’t expected her to come out so quickly.

“If even the Movie Queen is like this, what hope do we have?”

“I heard a long time ago that the award Xie Qingshu won was fake, that you could get it just by paying money.”

“But I think she acts quite well. How can an Alpha be so aloof yet seductive?”

“Even as an Alpha, seeing her makes me want to mark her…”

The voices were very low, but the continuous scattered information was annoying to hear.

Xie Qingshu’s expression remained unchanged as she quietly waited for the makeup artist. Her hair design was complex, and trying to remove it herself always pulled at her scalp. The area near her temples was already red.

Xie Qingshu gently brushed the area, struggling internally. She really liked this role, but with Zhou Que as the other lead, the two would inevitably have contact.

This meant her goal of distancing herself from the protagonist O would not only be ruined but would move in the opposite direction.

Xie Qingshu felt a terrible headache coming on.

“Movie Queen Xie, did you see the surprise I was talking about?” Shen Tao smoothly closed the door, blocking the intentionally probing glances outside.

Xie Qingshu spared a thought and turned to look at her. “I saw it. If you’re talking about Zhou Que, her acting is quite good.”

She was speaking objectively.

Shen Tao raised an eyebrow, not caring about the answer. She was simply beginning to find Xie Qingshu inscrutable. Although an Alpha, she was beautiful enough for people to overlook her gender.

Speaking of which, Shen Tao’s eyes darkened slightly. She had never been involved with an Alpha before.

“Do you really not understand what I mean?”

A flicker of doubt crossed Xie Qingshu’s eyes. “Say what you mean.”

Shen Tao pursed her lips, her posture relaxed, as if her suggestion couldn’t possibly be refused. “I know you dislike Zhou Que. Just replace Zhou Que, and I’ll play Qin Yun. Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone and making everyone happy?”

Even if Deng Yue had significant power, if Xie Qingshu raised the issue, the company would have to consider it. Furthermore, a little more fermentation online would practically cement the decision.

This plan was perfect. If Xie Qingshu hadn’t read the original book and didn’t know Shen Tao’s character, she might really have agreed.

Xie Qingshu narrowed her eyes. The decorative beaded strands in her hair tinkled softly, creating a clear, captivating sound as she moved.

Shen Tao thought she was considering it, looking confident of success.

In reality, Xie Qingshu was thinking about why Zhou Que hadn’t participated in this drama in the original book. The culprit, emotionally, was right here.

“You should think carefully about it yourself.”

The dressing room fell silent again. Xie Qingshu knitted her brow. Logically, agreeing to this deal would be beneficial to her; she could both distance herself from the protagonist O and secure the role she wanted.

Xie Qingshu’s fingertips turned white. For some reason, she thought of Zhou Que’s eyes and gritted her teeth.

Song Mei, having just found out that Xie Qingshu’s co-star was Zhou Que, rushed over, afraid something might happen. Although her artist rarely lost composure, there were always exceptions, such as Zhou Que…

Song Mei arrived at the door just as she saw Shen Tao leaving.

“What did Shen Tao come here for? I don’t recall them having much interaction at the last event.”

Xie Qingshu flicked an eyelid. “She wants me to replace Zhou Que and let her play Qin Yun.”

The plan was shrewd enough, but unfortunately, she wasn’t naive. How could she not see this blatant attempt at using a proxy to eliminate a rival?

Song Mei’s eyes popped out. She muttered under her breath, “She must have designs on that Zhou Que. She’s reaching all the way to us, and this isn’t the first time.”

Xie Qingshu had been in the entertainment circle for many years and had seen plenty of similar tactics. It was obvious that Shen Tao wanted to use the role to threaten Zhou Que. She gained a deeper, more visceral understanding of the scum Alphas in the book.

It was truly… sickening.

Would Zhou Que actually agree to her demands?

“But seriously, Zhou Que’s online reviews are really bad. Xiao Liu sent me this. Be careful around her when filming. It’s never wrong to be cautious.”

Unless Xie Qingshu’s resources were affected, Song Mei wouldn’t intentionally pay attention to the situation of others in the company, so seeing this information only made her sigh.

Xie Qingshu became slightly interested, her mind stirring. “Let me see.”

Song Mei was slightly surprised. Given Xie Qingshu’s personality and her level of disregard for Zhou Que, she certainly wouldn’t read such scandal sheets, but she didn’t dwell on it.

“Here.”

Xie Qingshu only knew that Zhou Que gained a small following based on a photo of her back and then debuted legitimately.

The Alpha actor market was far larger than the Omega market. Omegas were often stereotyped as gentle, soft, and submissive, while the emotionally intense Zhou Que was a huge shock to most people’s conventional thinking.

Some people liked her, but many more disliked her. Zhou Que was called the public enemy of all Omegas because her beauty felt threatening. In the eyes of Alphas, she was a dream lover, but only a lover. Her appearance suggested she wasn’t respectable, and they suspected many Alphas must have marked her!

Moreover, in the rapidly changing entertainment circle, the fact that an Omega could rise to prominence so quickly after debuting made people question who was backing her.

Xie Qingshu understood this principle. Although she had mentally prepared herself, she never expected the controversy to be so massive.

Zhou Que’s backward glance was deliberate, intended to linger on the red carpet for a moment longer.

During Zhou Que’s wrap-up party, she touched an Alpha colleague. The person blushed, so the two definitely had something going on. Even if they didn’t, Zhou Que did it on purpose!

Zhou Que…

It seemed that whatever Zhou Que did was wrong, always with an ulterior motive.

1st Floor: [I went to high school with her. She barely attended class, yet her grades were still at the top. Who gave her the answers, I wonder? I noticed the teacher seemed to really like her.]

2nd Floor: [I really can’t see it. That’s ‘worthy of her reputation,’ alright.]

3rd Floor: [She’s starring in the new drama. With that acting, were the people who chose her blind?]

4th Floor: [Maybe there’s some insider story that others don’t know.]

5th Floor: [But she is genuinely beautiful. Too bad I’m an Omega.]

6th Floor: [The drama hasn’t even aired yet. How do you know she acts poorly?]

Xie Qingshu scrolled down the comments one by one, her brow furrowing more tightly, and then she handed the phone back.

Song Mei shrugged and grumbled, “Why hasn’t this makeup artist come yet? I’m going out to look for them.”

A moment later.

[Teacher Xie, I’m truly sorry. I’m busy with another teacher. Would you mind waiting a little or going to the third floor? There should be another makeup artist there, but she’s not answering her phone.]

[My sincerest apologies.]

After receiving the makeup artist’s message, Xie Qingshu sighed.

The other party sent three or four apologies in a row. It was clearly her mistake at work. A faint sense of goodwill rose in Xie Qingshu’s heart. Xie Qingshu appeared cold and unapproachable, but she never put on airs. Any other artist might not have been so easygoing.

The audition was on the second floor, making the third floor much quieter by comparison. Xie Qingshu searched for a while and didn’t find anyone. Just as she was wondering whether to ask someone, she saw an unexpected figure.

Bai Siran, the youngest daughter of the Bai family, an Omega. She liked Shen Tao and was the source of many of the protagonist O’s troubles in the original text. In short, her ending wasn’t good.

Xie Qingshu had met her once at a banquet. She paused, instinctively stopping.

The people inside didn’t notice the movement outside, nor did they expect anyone to come up.

“Don’t think you can become famous just because of that face! Look at what kind of background your mother came from!” Bai Siran sneered at Zhou Que’s face from head to toe, a trace of jealousy in her eyes.

She really takes after her greedy, short-lived mother, all seductive and unnatural. I wonder who she’s trying to hook up with.

Zhou Que’s expression was a half-smile, unaffected by her words, as if she hadn’t heard anything. But the aura around her suddenly turned chilling and oppressive. “Why would Miss Bai condescend to come to the film set?”

Bai Siran gritted her teeth. “Don’t you know why I’m here?! Don’t think you truly carry the Bai name just because those people in the corporation agreed to let you into the family. If you cause any more trouble or try to seduce Shen Tao, I’ll make sure you leave the Bai family the same way you entered!”

Zhou Que clearly showed a fleeting look of amusement when she heard a certain phrase.

Leave? Me? It’s not certain who will be leaving then.

Bai Siran naturally noticed the other party’s expression, interpreting it as disdain. Having always been a spoiled child of fortune, she couldn’t tolerate it. Her immaculate new nails were practically digging into her flesh.

“You’re nothing but a dog of my family! If my mother hadn’t kindly tossed you a meal, you probably wouldn’t be alive right now. So what if you differentiated into a soft and delicate Omega? Don’t forget how you begged us back then!”

“How is it that after such a short time, you became a star and forgot how you used to grovel to us?”

Bai Siran’s voice was sharp and grating, her accusatory demeanor terrifyingly strong, even outside. It was easy to imagine how arrogant she must be at home and what kind of life Zhou Que must have endured.

Xie Qingshu turned to leave. She wasn’t interested in other people’s family matters, especially Zhou Que’s.

The book stated that Zhou Que, as an illegitimate daughter, was sent to the Bai family at only fourteen after her Omega mother died—a mere half-grown child at the time.

The Xie family was happy. Aside from being strict, they never let Xie Qingshu suffer. So, she only had a limited understanding of the power struggles and non-entertainment tactics of the wealthy elite.

Furthermore, the original book glossed over Zhou Que’s early life, providing no details, or perhaps Xie Qingshu had skipped it entirely. Thus, she knew nothing about this experience.

A strange look appeared in Xie Qingshu’s light eyes. After weighing the options, she chose to stay and listen, a thought crossing her mind: Did Zhou Que have a terrible time in the Bai family…?

It wasn’t surprising that she developed such a placid personality. No wonder the Bai family never intervened when Zhou Que was isolated, excluded, and even cyberbullied by the entertainment industry until the very end.

A ripple of emotion crossed Xie Qingshu’s heart, the phrase “knew nothing” constantly echoing.

The conversation inside continued. Zhou Que’s tone was emotionally flat, but her signature smile gradually faded. “Then I should properly thank Miss Bai for the reminder. Actually, my memory is quite good. I can’t forget what shouldn’t be forgotten.”

Bai Siran didn’t grasp the deep meaning in the words, thinking Zhou Que was being sensible. She immediately became even more arrogant. However, she had only rushed over to confront the other woman because she lost her temper.

“What did you do? My brother was about to join the board of directors. If you didn’t say something to them, why would they give up on that idea!”

Xie Qingshu’s brow twitched involuntarily. She immediately realized that Bai Siran’s brother—Bai Ting, an Alpha—was very capable at work but had a volatile and arrogant personality.

Although she hadn’t met him, Xie Qingshu felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had heard about him somewhere.

Bai Ting, surname Bai…

Master Bai mentioned by the subordinates searching for Zhou Que at Qiyu that day… could it be Bai Ting?

Xie Qingshu’s pupils widened slightly. She felt there was no other explanation.