After Being Marked by the Popular Female Lead O (GL) - Chapter 8

“That was merely the Board of Directors’ decision. He probably did something to offend others,” Zhou Que’s tone was airy.

The fact was, he had indeed crossed a line.

As for the incident at Qiyu, Zhou Que couldn’t help but touch the area behind her ear, yet what she thought of was not Bai Ting, but that fleeting scent of milk candy.

Was she not attractive enough?

Bai Siran was, in fact, just looking for an excuse. She didn’t believe Zhou Que had the capability to make those shrewd old foxes change their minds. “I doubt you have the ability to do that.”

“Is there anything else, Miss Bai?”

A dark undercurrent surged in Zhou Que’s eyes, the emphasis landing on the final appellation. She always knew the weaknesses and most valued possessions of others.

Bai Siran was abruptly dismissed, and by the very Zhou Que she couldn’t stand. In her eyes, Zhou Que was no different from a small dog kept at home, or perhaps less than two stray hairs shed by it.

She thought this and actually said it, yet she still didn’t feel satisfied.

Zhou Que subtly moved aside, allowing Bai Siran to see a glass bottle on the table, which likely contained perfume or something similar.

As expected, Bai Siran glanced at it, and an expression of reckless fury appeared, just like countless times before. She picked it up without thinking.

She smashed it fiercely onto the ground. The glass shattered instantly. Ignoring the atmosphere, the sunlight streamed in, making the entire floor shimmer with refracted light, too beautiful to look away from.

It was indeed perfume. The moment it hit the floor, a strong fragrance instantly burst forth, enveloping the air in the room. Time seemed to stop.

Zhou Que didn’t dodge, standing perfectly still, seemingly terrified.

Bai Siran was too late to retrieve her hand and became flustered. She might have dared to do this before, but Zhou Que was different now. If this were exploited by someone with an agenda, she would undoubtedly face a scolding.

Is she an idiot? Why didn’t she dodge!

Zhou Que, noticing her surprised gaze, curled her lips instead, her smile ambiguous.

Bai Siran didn’t see it. She turned and discovered Xie Qingshu, her face instantly paling. She snapped back to herself. “You actually set me up?”

Zhou Que lifted her eyes, which were already shimmering with tears. “Miss Bai, why would you think that?”

The situation was too obvious. Bai Siran would not accept being wronged without a fight, and she moved to strike Zhou Que, completely disregarding Xie Qingshu’s presence.

Based on the reaction, this wasn’t the first or second time this had happened.

Xie Qingshu didn’t hesitate, grabbing Bai Siran. After making sure she wouldn’t take any further action, she immediately let go. She hadn’t forgotten that Zhou Que was an Omega and she needed to maintain distance.

“What are you trying to do?”

Her demeanor was chillingly aloof.

Bai Siran had only ever seen this kind of presence from her mother when she looked at Zhou Que—as if she were treating an ant. But she never imagined it would be directed at her, fully intact. She stammered, wanting to speak, but forcibly swallowed her words.

She knew Xie Qingshu but hadn’t paid attention due to her relationship with Shen Tao. But now, it seemed…

Xie Qingshu’s face was more inclined toward coldness, her eyes holding ice and snow. She felt like bamboo—a rigid, proper image of asceticism that only made one want to drag her down, holding onto a sliver of desire to wallow in corruption together.

Bai Siran, accustomed to beautiful people, was momentarily distracted. Her feet were rooted to the floor.

The Alpha in front of her was cold, and the Omega was barely ‘delicate and innocent.’ Excluding the backstory, Alphas and Omegas were naturally compatible. Zhou Que, however, found this sight jarring and subtly moved to block the space between the two of them.

Now, Xie Qingshu could only see Zhou Que.

“Zhou Que, you are truly amazing. You can hook up with any Alpha.”

Bai Siran said resentfully. She wanted to raise her hand to vent but stopped herself, recalling Xie Qingshu’s icy gaze. Her body shuddered. In her confusion, she couldn’t understand the coincidence—she had just made a move, and Xie Qingshu appeared.

Bai Siran glared at Zhou Que fiercely. Harboring intense resentment, she turned and left, but she felt a gaze on her back like thorns. Still, she couldn’t worry about it now.

The floor was covered with shattered glass, reflecting lines of various colors. A few of these lines happened to fall on Xie Qingshu’s face, making her look extraordinarily beautiful, stirring the heart.

Zhou Que withdrew her peripheral gaze and spoke softly, her voice ending with a slight nasal sound, eliciting pity. “Sister, why did you come here?”

“To find the makeup artist.”

Zhou Que remembered something and said, “The makeup artist went downstairs just now. Didn’t Sister see her?”

Xie Qingshu shook her head, her lips lightly pressed together. A look of struggle flashed across her face. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke. “I—I didn’t deliberately stay to listen to what just happened. Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

A child’s dignity must be preserved. She couldn’t comment too much on someone else’s family matters.

Zhou Que curved her lips, her wing-like eyelashes falling to conceal all genuine emotions, giving people ample room for imagination. “It’s fine. Sister doesn’t need to mind. Actually, my situation… is no longer a secret.”

She wasn’t lying. A little inquiry would reveal that everyone treated her story as casual gossip.

However, that smile looked particularly forced in Xie Qingshu’s eyes.

It made her think of what would happen to Zhou Que later in the plot.

This kid is… pitiful.

Xie Qingshu had never encountered a situation like this. An unprecedented emotion rose in her heart, like holding a beautiful crystal doll in her hands. Too light or too heavy a touch would break it; even a simple contact required careful consideration.

“I apologize for making Sister see something unpleasant.” Zhou Que forced a sweet smile again, making it impossible to imagine what had just occurred.

Judging by her reaction, this clearly wasn’t the first time this had happened.

Only the shards on the floor remained as profound evidence.

“I’ll head out first…” Xie Qingshu said subconsciously.

“Wait,” Zhou Que gathered her courage, her eyes suddenly brightening. In an instant, all the room’s brilliance seemed to converge on her. “Sister, didn’t you come to find a makeup artist to remove your hair accessories? She should be gone by now. If you don’t mind, I can help you.”

Afraid that Xie Qingshu would refuse, she quickly added, “I’ve studied this and practiced many times. I absolutely won’t hurt you!”

Zhou Que had already noticed the slight red mark near Xie Qingshu’s temples and had guessed correctly.

Xie Qingshu didn’t hear any other meaning in her words. Her physique was simply sensitive; applying a little too much force easily left marks. Initially, she found it troublesome, thinking she was as fragile as an Omega, but she gradually got used to it and paid attention to it normally.

But her focus was on something else now. She frowned. “Why did you practice this?”

Xie Qingshu didn’t mean that learning this was bad, but Zhou Que didn’t look like the type to do it.

“Oh… I just learned a few things. I was an extra for a while before my debut.” Zhou Que didn’t explain fully, keeping it brief enough.

Xie Qingshu couldn’t bring herself to refuse. Her gaze fell on the barrier patch stuck on the back of Zhou Que’s neck—equipment used to block an Omega’s heat and pheromones.

Omegas always wear them when going out.

She remembered Zhou Que always wearing one, but the quality didn’t seem very good, otherwise, why would the scent of blue water lily linger so subtly in the air?

A moment later, Xie Qingshu realized she was already sitting in front of the vanity mirror, with Zhou Que behind her.

It was too late for regret.

The vanity mirrors were uniform and of good quality, with a ring of small lights surrounding them, emitting a fine, soft glow. It was impossible for Xie Qingshu not to see clearly. She lifted her eyes and saw Zhou Que’s serious expression, looking slightly dazed.

It’s just hair… she thought.

The two were very close but not excessively so. Zhou Que hadn’t forgotten that they weren’t filming now, and her sense of distance was carefully maintained—not so distant as to feel estranged, but not overly intimate.

A trace of complexity crossed Xie Qingshu’s eyes. Was her previous impression of Zhou Que too harsh? Lost in thought, she couldn’t help but notice through the mirror that Zhou Que’s eyelashes were very long, distinct, curled, and thick.

Concealed within that tenderness was a subtle disguise. A slight tremor, like the flutter of butterfly wings, completely failed to hide her soul-capturing phoenix eyes.

Noticing Xie Qingshu looking at her, she smiled obediently.

Zhou Que’s hands were slender and fair, her long fingers carefully threading through the smooth black hair. The stark contrast between black and white stimulated the nerves.

As each hair accessory was removed, a lock of long hair was released, instantly scattering over her shoulders, curling naturally, looking lazy and… seductive.

Crucially, Xie Qingshu’s expression was indifferent, seemingly unimpressed, yet her eyes held a subtle, unconscious bewilderment due to the movement, making Zhou Que wish she would show a little more emotion.

Zhou Que’s breathing became heavy, but she was skilled at hiding herself. As long as she didn’t want it to, no one would find a trace.

What would those beautiful eyes look like if she cried?

What if it was because of me…

“Are you done?” Xie Qingshu turned her head abruptly to ask.

Their breaths seemed to intertwine for a second, then vanished ruthlessly, or perhaps it was just an illusion she fabricated for herself.

Zhou Que hummed, her throat hoarse. “I’ll comb it one more time.”

Xie Qingshu thought the same thing. If she was photographed, it would inevitably lead to more rumors. “Thank you for the trouble.”

Zhou Que shook her head. Xie Qingshu was the one having trouble.

The comb paused and then glided through the hair. Zhou Que’s gaze fell on the perfectly curved nape of her neck. Under the clear light, Zhou Que gained a deeper understanding of the scent gland she had almost marked.

It was too beautiful to be an Alpha’s.

The scent of the smashed perfume aggressively dominated the entire space. In this moment, Zhou Que’s pheromones seemed particularly prominent. The two scents were evenly matched, with hers even subtly gaining the upper hand, making it impossible to ignore.

Xie Qingshu’s hair was as smooth as water, combing to the end with virtually no resistance. Zhou Que was somewhat addicted. She pulled out a strand and curled it around her fingertip, gently rubbing it between two fingers.

The tip of the hair inadvertently brushed against something. Xie Qingshu’s ear flushed crimson. Feeling that something was not right, she instinctively shivered and pulled forward slightly.

“Are you done?”

Zhou Que’s eyelashes trembled violently twice, and she swallowed, her voice carrying a seductive allure. “I’m done.”

Xie Qingshu suddenly stood up, dodging something. “Thank you.”

A soft chuckle came from behind. The corner of Zhou Que’s eye curved, holding a bowl of water within, filled with a unique charm. “You’re welcome. I’m really looking forward to working with Sister. I learned a lot from today’s performance, and I hope to be like Sister someday.”

“You don’t need to be like anyone. You are already very good.” Xie Qingshu said earnestly. She didn’t know how those people online could say her acting was bad; only by acting together could one have the most intuitive feeling.

“As for the collaboration, we’ll see about the final result.”

Zhou Que nodded, looking incredibly obedient. “I believe in Sister!”

Xie Qingshu had already walked out. Thinking of something, she turned back to look at her. “Omegas shouldn’t casually release pheromones in front of Alphas.”

Zhou Que was stunned and could only watch Xie Qingshu’s slender, well-proportioned back gradually move away, while the smile on her face slowly faded.

Song Mei searched everywhere and couldn’t find the makeup artist. She finally returned to the dressing room, looking a bit surprised. “Did you remove it yourself?”

She knew Xie Qingshu too well. Although she had basic life skills and wasn’t entirely helpless, she struggled with anything more complicated.

“I found someone to help,” Xie Qingshu explained lightly.

“Then let’s go.”

“Mhm.”

The drive was quiet. The assistant must have been warned by Song Mei, as she didn’t mention any sensitive topics during their chat.

“Sister Qingshu, I think there’s a nine out of ten chance that this audition will be successful…”

The assistant’s voice was excited.

Xie Qingshu, however, noticed her form of address and suddenly remembered that Zhou Que had consistently called her ‘Sister.’ Many people called her that, and it didn’t hold any special meaning, so she never paid attention.

Actually, the term wasn’t inappropriate. Strictly speaking, she was three years older than Zhou Que, so ‘Sister’ was quite fitting.

“But I really didn’t expect the other lead to be Zhou Que,” the assistant glanced at Xie Qingshu’s expression, unable to gauge her emotions, and became nervous. “Some seniors in the circle don’t speak very highly of her.”

Xie Qingshu was unexpectedly interested. “Tell me more?”

She knew the situation but simply hadn’t cared.

“Like Shen Tao, and there’s a lot online.” The assistant thought for a moment. She genuinely couldn’t recall everything right away, but there was one person she didn’t dare mention. Xie Qingshu had previously discovered Zhou Que’s photo in Mo Xun’s album. Although she hadn’t said anything at the time, she was clearly unhappy about it later.

Xie Qingshu also anticipated this. “Forget it, I’ll look myself.”

The previous webpage had been pushed up. The trending topics were high, just below Xie Qingshu’s audition, and the heat was rising. It was only a matter of time before it surpassed it.

Xie Qingshu gritted her teeth. Out of caution, she switched to her alternative account. She didn’t often look at these things, and her main account was only for professional use. Her alternative account was blank. To make it look more realistic, she imitated the names fans would use.

Quebao is the Best.

Xie Qingshu thought for a long time and finally settled on that name.

Half an hour ago, the post only had tens of thousands of views. When an intentional insider exposed online that Zhou Que would be starring in Xie Qingshu’s new drama as the role of Qin Yun, the number of followers surged madly. The assumption that the controversial Zhou Que was backed by a major figure, which was just speculation before, now became proof.

The comments below were nastier than ever.

The cold frost in Xie Qingshu’s eyes intensified.