Chapter 53

After Jin Mo received the photos from Lin Chen, she frequently refreshed her phone, terrified that those images would appear online. She even had her manager contact the newspapers they regularly collaborated with, preparing to leak “black material” on other big celebrities as a distraction if those photos ever surfaced.

Fortunately, several days passed uneventfully. Jin Mo began to suspect her intuition had failed her; Lin Chen was still the same old Lin Chen, too timid to actually do anything.

The next morning, she was awakened by a call from her manager. Following the manager’s instructions, she opened a webpage, only to find a photo of herself sitting on the lap of that greasy, fat executive. The image was so large it nearly occupied the entire screen.

“I never would have guessed she was that kind of person.”

“It’s Photoshopped, surely. I don’t believe my goddess is like that.”

“I saw through her from the start; only those gullible Alphas would be fooled.”

“Unfollowed. How did I ever like someone like this?”

…

Below the images was an overwhelming wave of negative comments. After enduring her fear to read a few lines, Jin Mo felt a dizzying sensation. She pinched herself; it wasn’t a dream.

Everything had been fine yesterday. Jin Mo forced herself to stay calm.

“What about the paparazzi and newspapers you found? Did they do nothing? Just watch as this hits the trending searches?” Thinking of how confidently those people had guaranteed their help, Jin Mo felt like killing them for their incompetence.

“They… I can’t get through to them.” The moment the manager discovered the leak, she had tried to contact their usual collaborators. She offered “explosive” material on other artists to cooperate with the paparazzi’s existing resources to suppress Jin Mo’s photos.

But when she called, no one answered. By the second attempt, she realized she had been blacklisted.

She didn’t tell Jin Mo about being blocked. She knew about the events of that day; if the Duchess had truly moved against Jin Mo and the Grand Duke stood idly by, she felt the probability of Jin Mo surviving this crisis was very low.

In truth, she had never liked Jin Mo; being her manager was purely for the high salary. Before taking the job, she had admired this “beautiful and kind” star, who seemed to be the dream of most commoner Omegas. In the “large dye vat” of the entertainment industry, the common-born Jin Mo supposedly stood pure, sticking to her principles without stepping on others or selling herself for opportunities.

She was pursued by the Grand Duke for her peerless beauty, yet she allegedly maintained her bottom line; while she couldn’t refuse the Duke’s invitations due to status, she had never officially said yes. This was the image the manager once held. After getting the job, she saw how hypocritical the Omega truly was. The “gentle personality” was an act; when no one was around, that beautiful face was distorted with malice, spitting venom about other high-status Omegas from wealthy families.

“They already have such good backgrounds, yet they come to snatch the rice bowls from people like us,” the manager often heard her grumble. Furthermore, Jin Mo treated her staff poorly, often making bizarre and impossible demands.

“How are you handling this? If they don’t answer, can’t you go find them? Are your legs just for show?” Jin Mo roared into the phone. The foul comments online had ruined her mood, and the manager was a convenient punching bag.

If the calls didn’t go through, couldn’t she drive to find them? If she had to call Jin Mo for everything, what use was she?

Thinking that Lin Chen might be on the other side, smiling as she watched this online carnival, Jin Mo grew even angrier. The manager listened silently to the roar, her ​stolen content​impulse to quit finally solidifying. However, she didn’t plan to tell Jin Mo yet. After years of cleaning up her messes, she wanted Jin Mo to see for herself whether those “two legs” were just for show.

Jin Mo, of course, had no idea that the “quiet punching bag” in her eyes had turned rebellious.

Unlike what Jin Mo imagined, Lin Chen was not at home looking at the reports or comments. She had seen the photos once and had no desire to look at such filth a second time.

However, she wasn’t with Yun Qi either. Today, Yun Lan had given Yun Qi a day off. She had run straight to the study and locked the door, refusing entry to anyone—including Lin Chen. Lin Chen stroked the snowy owl in her lap, feeling a bit dejected. Before the Alpha entered, she had asked what was going on, but the Alpha said nothing. When she asked for the phone, the Alpha handed it over without hesitation.

It didn’t seem like she was hiding anything.

Just then, Yun Qi’s phone rang again. Looking at the number, it was unrecognized.

“Why did you block me?” Jin Mo’s aggrieved voice came from the other side.

Lin Chen didn’t respond. Hearing the silence, and remembering that Lin Chen had answered the last call, Jin Mo suddenly felt a surge of unease.

“I’m the one who blocked you,” the familiar Omega’s voice finally said.

“Why is it you?” Facing the culprit who had brought her to this state, Jin Mo no longer felt the need to maintain her persona.

“Actually, I’ve always been curious,” Lin Chen said, mirroring Jin Mo’s usual tone. “You seem to have always held a great deal ​stolen content​of hostility toward me. Why is that?”

When Yun Qi was “abnormal,” many of the Alpha’s lovers would ignore or mock her, or occasionally show pity. She hadn’t cared much then; she had more important things to do. But Jin Mo was different. Every time they met, she would deliberately do something to make the Alpha punish her or Xi’er. She could feel that Jin Mo specifically wanted her to disappear.

Lin Chen didn’t believe for a second that it was because Jin Mo “loved” Yun Qi. She received no answer; the phone on the other end was hung up immediately.

Why did Jin Mo hate Lin Chen? Because she was an imitation of her.

By chance as a child, she had seen the young Yun Qi and Lin Chen. Their clothes were magnificent, and they looked far wealthier than her. The little Alpha was smiling and coaxing the Omega, failing to elicit even a single smile in return. The candy the Alpha held was the latest kind, costing nearly a month of her mother’s salary. Jin Mo had wanted it but knew her mother wouldn’t buy it, so she never asked. Yet the candy she craved was being repeatedly rejected by that beautiful Omega.

Perhaps out of envy, the young Jin Mo followed behind them.

“Why are you bullying my friend?” the Omega asked the Alpha angrily, refusing the snacks.

“I’m not, I’m just telling her to stay away from you,” the Alpha replied, unbothered by the rejection.

“Is that not bullying?”

“Alright, it’s your birthday today. Let’s have fun at the amusement park.” To soothe the angry Omega, the Alpha grabbed her hand and ran toward the queue.

Jin Mo followed. After several rides—

“Why do you keep following us?” the little Alpha asked coldly, her attitude worlds apart from how she treated the Omega beside her.

“I… I…” Jin Mo panicked, unable to explain. Eventually, the Omega smoothed things over and let her leave. But Jin Mo only felt embarrassed, feeling that the Omega’s pity was actually a form of contempt.

That meeting became the most vivid memory in her mind. Years later, when she was taken by a benefactor to meet the Grand Duke, she realized she was the same little Alpha. She instinctively mimicked the tone of the little Omega she had seen back then, and it indeed won the Duke’s favor.

Later, she was brought home and met Lin Chen. Discovering that the “unloved Duchess” was the girl from her childhood, she was baffled. She observed the Duke and saw that she truly loathed Lin Chen. So, she stopped mimicking her, and the Duke grew cold toward her. She then reverted to the childhood persona, and the Duke’s attitude improved instantly, even breaking rules for her multiple times.

She didn’t know why it worked, and she didn’t want to investigate. As long as she could maintain the Duke’s favor and her status, she was satisfied. Her only goal was to make Lin Chen disappear. A fake is always a fake; as long as Lin Chen existed, she was uneasy.

The Alpha’s change was within her expectations, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so fast. She didn’t regret her past actions; her only regret was that she hadn’t been ruthless enough to make Lin Chen disappear entirely. But she hadn’t lost yet! She still had other paths. Thinking of those “friends” who had introduced her to the Duke—though they were of lower status, they should be enough to resolve this. She called her manager to prepare some materials.

“The number you have dialed is currently busy…”

After several tries, Jin Mo realized she had been blocked. “Damn it!” She prepared to find those friends herself.

In the study, having saved enough Scum Value, Yun Qi bought a “Random Memory” fragment. It happened to be part of Lin Chen’s second dream.

Watching the images, she was puzzled. The plot said “Yun Qi” was stabbed to death. Why did this memory show that she survived the assassination and was sent to a remote town by Lin Chen? And listening to Yi Fei, did Lin Chen have some feelings for the host?

Yun Qi felt a pang of bitterness. In the initial plot, Lin Chen had no feelings for her at all. Her early endurance wasn’t love, but societal restraint; once Mu Yu taught her self-worth, she left. Yun Qi began to doubt the reliability of the system’s plot.

“Can I come in?” the Omega knocked.

Yun Qi opened the door. “The baby is being fussy and making me uncomfortable,” Lin Chen said, pouncing into her arms the moment the door opened.

Yun Qi realized Lin Chen was very good at acting spoiled. She instinctively held her back.

“The doctor said…” the next few words were too quiet to hear.

Seeing the Alpha’s confusion, the Omega’s lips moved again: “It’s okay starting today.”

“Okay for what?” Yun Qi didn’t understand.

“Okay to feed the baby’s mother,” the Omega said loudly, her face blushing as she stared into the Alpha’s eyes.

The Alpha’s earlobes turned bright red first, then her face. Her pupils dilated, reflecting only Lin Chen’s image. This feeling of being the only thing in the Alpha’s eyes was wonderful; Lin Chen loved seeing Yun Qi flustered. The feeling of being “possessed” by the Alpha gave her a sense of reality.

The bitterness from before was pushed away by the warm embrace and bold words. Yun Qi felt her pheromones wanting to surge toward the lovely scent of lilies.

“Let’s eat first,” the Omega’s voice pulled her back to reality.

After dinner, the night was still very long…