After Breaking Up with the Scumbag Girl, I Became an Alpha [Entertainment Circle] (GL) - Chapter 20

Over the past few years, Zhong Yan had occasionally thought of Xu Wuhuan. It wasn’t out of longing, but rather a very ordinary sort of curiosity.

She wondered what kind of life Xu Wuhuan was leading elsewhere. She imagined it was likely a self-indulgent one; after all, Xu Wuhuan never seemed to care about anything. Zhong Yan assumed her life wouldn’t be too bad—that she’d still be living in infinite glory.

But the reality seemed quite the opposite. Severe depression and differentiating into an Omega—neither of these were things that should have happened to Xu Wuhuan.

Xu Wuhuan used to be gentle yet casual, never wasting words on people she disliked. She carried the natural dominance of an Alpha. But now that she had become an Omega, the sharp thorns in her character had been forcibly blunted, replaced by a dull, desperate, and world-weary glamour.

Zhong Yan felt a heaviness in her chest. She walked to Xu Wuhuan’s bedside. The other woman was still unconscious, her face pale and sickly. It was rare to see Xu Wuhuan in such a state.

She lay there silently, breathless. “Mental disorder, extremely poor physical constitution”—the doctor’s words echoed in Zhong Yan’s ears. Driven by a bewitching impulse, Zhong Yan reached out to touch Xu Wuhuan’s face.

Before she could make contact, Xu Wuhuan opened her eyes. She looked at Zhong Yan with a trace of confusion. Zhong Yan’s fingers were so close to her that she froze in that position, speechless for a long while.

“…What are you doing?” Xu Wuhuan’s voice was still raspy.

Zhong Yan cleared her throat and withdrew her hand as if nothing had happened. “There was a bug on your face.”

Xu Wuhuan’s mind was still hazy. Taking her words at face value, she asked seriously, “Where is it now?”

Zhong Yan matched her serious expression. “It just flew away.”

“…Oh.”

The two fell silent, and the atmosphere in the ward grew quiet. Zhong Yan actually had many questions, but they were stuck in her throat; she didn’t know which one to ask first.

“Is your…” Zhong Yan paused, contemplating how to phrase it. “Is your health… not very good?”

“Hmm?” Xu Wuhuan’s consciousness was muddled, her reaction time extremely slow.

“I mean… why did you suddenly faint?”

This time, Xu Wuhuan understood. She thought back to the dance; a sharp, sudden pain had pierced her head without warning. This pain was more violent than any she had felt before, and a sense of vertigo had filled her mind like a rising tide. She couldn’t control herself and collapsed. The next thing she knew, she was here.

But she didn’t know how to explain this to Zhong Yan, so she remained silent.

Zhong Yan already knew from the doctor that the fainting was due to the frequent use of suppressants. She had posed the question only to lead Xu Wuhuan toward the topic of being an Omega. But Xu Wuhuan didn’t take the bait; Zhong Yan had lured out nothing.

However, she was genuinely curious, and being someone who couldn’t keep a secret, she decided to bite the bullet and be blunt. “It’s because of the suppressants, isn’t it?”

Xu Wuhuan was now completely awake. She stared straight at Zhong Yan, her voice turning cold. “…What do you know?”

“Which part do you mean?” Zhong Yan countered. “That your body is weak from overusing suppressants, or—” Her eyes locked onto Xu Wuhuan’s, a silent interrogation. “The fact that you are an Omega.”

Xu Wuhuan didn’t speak. Her expression remained calm, showing none of the panic of being exposed. Only in a place where Zhong Yan couldn’t see did her fingers tighten around the bedsheets.

After a long pause, she gave a soft laugh, her tone somewhat relaxed. “So, you found out.”

“Why did you—” Zhong Yan was about to ask why she hid her Omega identity, but then she remembered that she was also hiding her own Alpha status, and the words died in her throat.

“Are you surprised?” Xu Wuhuan leaned against the pillow, her tone airy.

“Uh… a little.”

Xu Wuhuan curled her lip in a way that was hard to distinguish between disgust and self-mockery. “When I first differentiated into an Omega, I was no less surprised than you. I simply couldn’t believe I was an Omega…”

Her voice was very soft. “But the fact remains. I differentiated into an Omega. Because of this damned estrus and these pheromones, one disgusting Alpha after another tried to step all over me!”

Hatred seeped into her voice.

“I was like a dog with broken bones, craving to be conquered without any reason during my heat. Those Alphas only had a sickening sense of possessiveness in their eyes. So, I took suppressants to hide my pheromones.”

Xu Wuhuan’s words felt like soft needles pricking at the tip of Zhong Yan’s heart—not a sharp pain, but a dense, tingling ache. She hadn’t known that Xu Wuhuan had suffered through this after becoming an Omega.

Xu Wuhuan continued, “It was only then that I realized how filthy Alphas truly are! They have no sense of courtesy; their heads are filled with nothing but a contemptible sense of self-important superiority!”

Back when Xu Wuhuan was an Alpha, she used to dismiss the claims that Alphas were arrogant monsters. She was an Alpha herself, but her pride was mostly innate—a kind of aloofness born from world-weariness and a faked sense of superiority. Later, she learned how terrifying an Alpha’s control and obsession over an Omega could be. They despised the Omega’s constitution, yet were intoxicated by their pheromones.

Hearing this, Zhong Yan frowned slightly. Perhaps because she was an Alpha herself, Xu Wuhuan’s generalization made her a little uncomfortable. She hesitated, wanting to defend herself. “Actually… not all Alphas are like that.”

Xu Wuhuan looked at her in confusion. “Aren’t they? Don’t all Alphas act this way? Is there an exception?”

Zhong Yan wanted to say, I don’t have a sense of superiority. She had never felt high and mighty about being an S-class Alpha. To her, other than a higher combat ability and having “that extra part,” there didn’t seem to be anything good about being an Alpha. Not to mention she had to take suppressants, hide her identity, and deceive her fans. Every time she thought of this, a sense of guilt welled up. In her mind, it would have been better not to differentiate at all.

She reflexively blurted out, “There is! Like…” Then she suddenly shut her mouth.

Xu Wuhuan’s lips curved into a smile. “Why stop? It sounds like you think there’s an exception. Who is it?”

A strange sensation suddenly rose in Zhong Yan’s heart. She felt like Xu Wuhuan was constantly baiting her, and that smile looked mischievous. Why? Could it be… she recognized that I’m an Alpha?

As soon as the thought appeared, Zhong Yan quickly dismissed it. She didn’t believe she had left any clues for Xu Wuhuan to find. In this regard, Zhong Yan had a mysterious level of self-confidence.

However, to prevent herself from being baited again, she quickly changed the subject. “Do you want some water? Since your leg is hurt, I’ll pour it for you.”

Xu Wuhuan had injured her leg during the fall and couldn’t easily get up. This gave Zhong Yan an out. Without waiting for an answer, she dashed over to the other side of the room to pour water.

While receiving the cup, Xu Wuhuan hadn’t expected her arm to be so weak. As soon as she took the cup, her hand slipped, and the water spilled onto the blanket, quickly soaking a patch of it.

The two stared at each other, wondering whose fault this was. Xu Wuhuan reacted first, pulling out several tissues to fruitlessly wipe the water off the blanket. Zhong Yan went to help her. While Zhong Yan wiped the blanket, Xu Wuhuan lowered her head to deal with the water on her sleeve.

They were very close. Zhong Yan was tall; as she bent over, she was a bit higher than Xu Wuhuan, which gave her a perfect view of the back of Xu Wuhuan’s neck. Xu Wuhuan’s hair had fallen forward, leaving the scent gland on her nape completely exposed.

Zhong Yan smelled that rose pheromone again. Because she was so close to the gland, the scent was even more intense. It felt like an invisible hook teasing her logic. Zhong Yan was fascinated by the scent, and driven by an inexplicable desire, she unconsciously leaned closer to the gland.

Just then, Xu Wuhuan turned her head. Her lips brushed against Zhong Yan’s earlobe, her cool breath like a breeze against the skin. Zhong Yan felt the temperature and whipped her head around. Now, they were only two or three centimeters apart. Xu Wuhuan didn’t move. In this position, their lips were incredibly close—close enough to feel the heat of each other’s breath clearly.

Zhong Yan was slightly above Xu Wuhuan, giving off a faint sense of being “dominant,” yet without any aggressive aura. Instead, it only added to the ambiguity. Zhong Yan propped her hands on the edge of the bed, her forehead close to Xu Wuhuan’s, as they looked into each other’s eyes.

An unspoken current of desire flowed through the ward, creating a silent portrait of the two. The spring atmosphere and invisible love turned into a vividly colored watercolor painting.

Zhong Yan’s heart raced, and she blinked helplessly. Xu Wuhuan’s expression was soft, her pupils reflecting deep emotions. Neither of them spoke.

Silence was also a form of intimacy.

Just then, Jiang Cha entered. “Ahem.” The deliberate cough brought the two back to reality.

Chu Yun let out a teasing whistle, her smile mischievous. “Tsk tsk. Carrying on like this in broad daylight—is that really okay?”

Zhong Yan’s cheeks turned beet red. She jumped off the bed instantly. Flustered and embarrassed, she stammered, “Chu Yun, what… what are you talking about!”

Chu Yun gave her a “you know what” look.

Zhong Yan was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to say. She wanted to say they didn’t have that kind of relationship, but even she felt the posture just now was too intimate for people not to suspect. She thought back to how close they were; her lips still seemed to hold the lingering warmth of Xu Wuhuan. At that thought, her face turned even redder.

Xu Wuhuan, however, was very calm. Jiang Cha asked her, “Did you hurt anything? Is it serious?”

Xu Wuhuan smiled. “Just my leg. It’s not too bad.”

Chu Yun chimed in, “Hey, Xu Wuhuan, what happened? If you have low blood sugar, why didn’t you say so earlier? Fainting so suddenly was terrifying.”

Xu Wuhuan froze. “Low blood sugar?”

“Yeah, Zhong Yan said you fainted because of low blood sugar.”

Xu Wuhuan looked at Zhong Yan. When their eyes met, Zhong Yan immediately looked away.

Xu Wuhuan hadn’t expected Zhong Yan to lie for her. She indeed didn’t want others to know she was an Omega. Besides that, there was another reason: Lin Yu did not allow her artists to hide anything, especially something as significant as gender. It would be a blow to both the company and the fans.

Both Xu Wuhuan and Zhong Yan were using various means to deceive the world. If it were ever discovered, there was no telling what the company would do. Zhong Yan was essentially helping her.

A wave of warmth flowed through Xu Wuhuan’s heart. She decided to follow along with the excuse.

They spoke a bit more about the concert. Fortunately, the concert was near its end when it happened, and Lin Yu had stepped in to settle things, so there wasn’t a huge negative impact—though it was definitely destined for the trending searches. During this time, Chu Yun kept teasing Zhong Yan, who retorted with a flushed face until she couldn’t take it anymore and made a quick excuse to leave.

Before leaving, she didn’t forget to drop one last line: “Xu Wuhuan, the doctor said you shouldn’t touch water recently. Be careful.” Then she ran off.

Zhong Yan: My attempt at being a villain was a total failure.

Author’s Note: Regarding the “secondary differentiation,” this is a personal setting (headcanon) of mine. It means a person’s gender at birth might not be their final gender; there can be a secondary differentiation. Usually, it doesn’t change much—for example, an Alpha might stay an Alpha but just get an “upgrade.” But there are also people who undergo a gender swap. This is just my specific setting for this story!