After Transmigrating as the Villain’s Scummy Alpha "Dainty" Wife, My Escape Failed (GL) - Chapter 12

Hearing this, Chi Yuan lifted her head from the seafood feast, glanced toward Jiang Ci, and said nonchalantly, “Really? That’s good then, it’ll give Teacher Jiang a boost in popularity.”

Jiang Ci’s dining etiquette seemed to be etched into her very bones. Every movement was deliberate, refined, and orderly, yet it didn’t feel forced or pretentious. It was natural and aesthetically pleasing to watch.

However, unlike the others who were scrambling for meat and seafood, her bowl contained only a small, modest pile of green seaweed.

While Chi Yuan knew that actresses required strict weight management, she doubted that such a small amount could sustain daily energy needs.

Chi Yuan frowned slightly and placed a freshly peeled shrimp into Jiang Ci’s bowl. “You exerted a lot of energy earlier; it’s fine to eat a bit more.”

Jiang Ci froze for a moment. She glanced at Chi Yuan, then looked down, using her chopsticks to poke at the extra piece of shrimp. Her gaze was complex, as if she were lost in thought, but she eventually picked it up and ate it in one go.

Chi Yuan watched her cheeks suddenly puff out like a squirrel hiding food, her jaw moving rhythmically and her grayish eyes blinking—she was so cute Chi Yuan wanted to give her a head pat.

Gu Meng watched the two of them for a while before hesitatingly saying, “But Sister Chi, there are a lot of Teacher Jiang’s fans on the Hot Search… cursing at you…”

Chi Yuan: ??? What happened?

At the same time, Chi Yuan and Jiang Ci both pulled out their phones.

In the seventh spot on the Hot Search, there was a rising keyword: “Jiang Ci Kissed.”

Chi Yuan had a bad premonition. Upon clicking the keyword, the top post was a clip from the pilot episode posted by a big entertainment blogger, showing the moment Jiang Ci and Chi Yuan accidentally kissed.

The comment section was a sea of insults and negative reviews:

“Where did the production crew find this person? Lunging forward to pin down our Jiang Jiang—it was obviously intentional!”

“Probably some nugu (flop) from another company trying to leech off her fame from the start.”

“As a passerby, I’ve never seen her before. She must be a total nobody.”

“I suspect she has improper intentions toward Jiang Jiang; her gaze was totally fixed. @JiangCi @JiangCi, be careful of scummy women!”

“Aaaaah, stay away from our Teacher Jiang! Flop be gone!”

“What are the director and screenwriter of Home of Peaches and Plums doing? Coming up with such a malicious script—they’re just bullying our Jiang Jiang because she has a good temper.”

“We ‘Ginger fans’ aren’t to be trifled with! Let’s take this to the town square (main feed) and let more people see how disgusting this show is.”

“Who is this person anyway? Has anyone doxxed her yet? She looks pretty, but who knew she was so manipulative.”

“Maybe she’s intentionally courting hate to get ‘black-and-red’ fame. In the era of traffic, it’s not surprising someone would use this method to get famous.”

…

Chi Yuan scrolled through them one by one, feeling a bit uncomfortable. What happened last night was an accident, but in the eyes of the netizens, it became a premeditated scheme.

Seeing her expression, Gu Meng quickly said, “This is the production crew’s fault. I watched the pilot; it only shows those two or three seconds of you pinning Teacher Jiang down. The context and aftermath weren’t edited in at all.”

He pouted toward the crew on the opposite side.

“At first glance, it’s hard not to have some conspiracy theories. You know these netizens; they believe whatever they hear and are quick to exaggerate facts.”

To increase hype, the crew specifically edited the pilot to show only the most provocative and curious segments. Only when the full episode was released later would viewers realize it was a false alarm.

Chi Yuan scrolled through Weibo, her mood turning a bit gloomy.

She knew this was a deliberate effect created by the show for marketing. After the first episode aired, she would be “cleansed.”

But seeing netizens say she was bullying Jiang Ci and trying every means to leech off her fame made her feel strangely wronged.

She was clearly here to help Jiang Ci, yet now she was being painted as the villain. Her reputation was suddenly under fire.

In her previous life, Chi Yuan was a top student in the eyes of teachers and a chivalrous friend to her classmates. She had excellent grades, was well-liked, and could integrate into any environment—a textbook “child of another family.”

Now, not only had she become a “scummy Alpha” with a bad track record, but she was also a “flop” being bombarded by strangers online.

As Chi Yuan felt down, she felt her sleeve being gently tugged. She turned around to see Jiang Ci leaning in with a face full of guilt.

“I saw the comments online. I’m sorry.”

Chi Yuan turned her phone face down on the table and waved her hand. “It’s not your fault; you don’t need to apologize to me.”

Jiang Ci shook her head gently. “Many of those cursing you are my fans. I apologize on their behalf.”

Chi Yuan rubbed her nose. “Actually, it’s not impossible to understand. Their idol was suddenly kissed by a stranger; it’s natural for them to lose their cool.”

“But, one shouldn’t comment without knowing the whole story. Once the crew releases the new episode, I’m going to post on Weibo and demand an apology from them. I won’t be cursed at for nothing.”

Jiang Ci smiled, the gloom between her brows dissipating. She hadn’t expected Chi Yuan to be so optimistic about this.

Seeing Jiang Ci’s smile return, the bit of depression in Chi Yuan’s heart evaporated instantly.

Let them curse. After all, the beautiful sister is my roommate—the kind who sleeps in the same bed.

You lot can only stay jealous.

After eating and drinking their fill, the Red Team stayed on the high terrace of the restaurant for a while to look at the sea view.

Wearing sunglasses and feeling the sea breeze, Chi Yuan temporarily forgot the fear of being controlled by the crew, feeling a sense of leisure as if she were on a beach vacation.

“Chi Yuan, can we take a photo together?” Jiang Ci suddenly asked.

Chi Yuan nodded and called Gu Meng over to help take the picture.

The two leaned side-by-side against the railing of the terrace, with the vast horizon where the sea met the sky as their background. Chi Yuan was a head taller than Jiang Ci, and with her long limbs, she made the slender and tall Jiang Ci look quite petite.

Chi Yuan’s right hand was originally resting on the railing they were leaning against, but Jiang Ci suddenly pulled it down.

Jiang Ci linked her arm with Chi Yuan’s right arm and naturally rested her head on Chi Yuan’s shoulder, giving a brilliant smile to the camera.

Chi Yuan hadn’t expected the sudden intimacy. Her neck turned beet red all the way to her earlobes, and her limbs felt so stiff she didn’t know how to pose.

With every breath, Chi Yuan caught that familiar fresh lemon scent again, lingering around her nose. And the source of the fragrance seemed to be Jiang Ci beside her?

Disturbed by the scent, Chi Yuan’s mind went blank. By the time she heard Gu Meng say he was about to shoot, she only had time to stare blankly at the lens.

After the photo was taken, Gu Meng shielded the light with his hand to look at it, then suddenly laughed. “Sister Chi, your expression is too dorky. Your eyes are wandering; you look like a total airhead.”

Jiang Ci let go of her arm and walked over. “Really? Let me see.”

Gu Meng: “Maybe I should take another one.”

Jiang Ci looked at the phone, her expression seemingly very satisfied. “No need, you took it quite well.”

As Jiang Ci walked away, the lemon scent dissipated without a trace of lingering. Chi Yuan felt a sudden void in her heart, as if she had lost something.

She called out to the System: My reaction is a bit off. Every time I smell that lemon scent, I feel dizzy. I’m not allergic to lemons.

System: “…”

System: “Host, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about pheromones?”

Chi Yuan: Pheromones?

Chi Yuan was dazed for a moment and began to recall the plot of the original novel. It seemed she had… overlooked something.

The Rise of the All-Loving Female Lead was an ABO novel. This was her first time reading a novel with an ABO setting, which was a bit of a blind spot for her. The series of terms like pheromones, heat cycles, and male pregnancy in the book were very foreign to her, but since it didn’t affect the reading experience, she had just accepted them.

Now…

Chi Yuan: So that delicious lemon scent is Jiang Ci’s pheromones?

System: “Yes. It’s something only an Alpha with high compatibility with an Omega can smell. The book mentioned that Chi Yuan and Jiang Ci have an 80% compatibility rate. It’s not surprising you can smell it.”

Chi Yuan: And the reason I feel dizzy is…

System: “Pheromone attraction. AOs with high compatibility easily attract each other and can induce a heat cycle. Mild symptoms include dizziness and feeling hot.”

Chi Yuan: Isn’t that dangerous? What if one day I…

System: “There are suppressants, Host! Get a grip! If you go into heat, the staff will immediately come and give you a shot. It works instantly and is guaranteed to kill the mood!”

Chi Yuan: I wasn’t thinking that. If there’s really a reaction, I’ll definitely control myself!

System: “As if I’d believe you. I’m just giving you a heads-up.”

Chi Yuan seemed to think of something: By the way, what are Jiang Wan’s pheromones?

System: “You should have smelled them.”

Chi Yuan: Gardenia? Do I have high compatibility with Jiang Wan’s pheromones too?

System: “The ‘All-Loving’ female lead has high compatibility with every Alpha. A tiny bit of pheromones and they’re hooked.”

Chi Yuan: …Are you sure it’s not a ‘knockout drug’ scent? This setting is too bizarre. As expected of a female lead.

Chi Yuan: Wait, that’s not right. Why wasn’t I mesmerized by her? I smelled it too. Was it the shield you activated?

System: “Did you feel anything for her ‘beauty’ before I turned on the shield?”

Chi Yuan: Uh… no.

Who would feel anything for a face with level-10 beauty filters and rose petals?

System: “Exactly. It’s probably because you aren’t the original host and don’t belong to this world. So the female lead’s pheromones and ‘All-Loving’ attribute are useless against you.”

That’s great. She didn’t want to be like the original host—obsessed with the female lead and willing to be used by her.

In the evening, with the day’s tasks completed, the Red and Blue teams finally met back on the island. Every eye was filled with nothing but exhaustion.

The TV in the living room turned on again, and the familiar cloaked figure appeared on the screen.

“Today’s tasks were completed very well by both teams. However, among the villagers, some performed excellently while others did not. I announce that in the upcoming Village Head election, villager Momo will receive an extra bonus vote, while villager Gu Ning is disqualified due to his penalty.”

“Voting will be anonymous. Everyone, write the name of the person you want to vote for on the slip of paper in front of you, fold it, and take turns putting it in the mailbox. Finally, Gu Ning will publicly count the votes.”

“Wait,” Chi Yuan raised her hand in confusion, “The Red Team’s bonus vote hasn’t been announced yet.”

Cloaked Person: “This vote will be announced after the vote counting is finished. Now, please begin voting.”

The villa was silent. Everyone held their breath and watched each other, hesitant.

In the end, who would the position of Village Head go to?