Chapter 37

When they returned to the room, Shu Minglan’s legs were still a little uncontrollably weak. With He Lingxing’s support, she lay face-down on the bed. The bitten gland still ached faintly, but within that pain was an indescribable pleasure. The clear scents of night-blooming cereus and cherry blossom overlapped in the fresh air, carrying a fragrance that refreshed the heart and spirit.

The second temporary marking went more smoothly thanks to the experience from the first. He Lingxing was also not the kind of Alpha who would become rough and lose her head the moment she was affected by an Omega’s pheromones. After biting her, she very gracefully helped her back and even politely asked whether she felt uncomfortable.

In all honesty, compared with the Alphas she had encountered before, He Lingxing could be considered the one Shu Minglan was most satisfied with. Even under such a tense situation, when temporarily marking her, He Lingxing had repeatedly asked for her opinion. Afterward, her movements had been gentle. She took care of Shu Minglan’s physical condition and restrained the Alpha’s impulsive instincts, stopping after only a taste.

Shu Minglan was now completely certain that He Lingxing was definitely a lesbian. Her previous claim that she liked Murong Feng was only a clumsy disguise of saying one thing while her body said another, and the act was not convincing at all.

What straight woman would go to that kind of website to watch that kind of movie and even fill out the preference survey with great interest? Later, out of curiosity, Shu Minglan logged into the website from that time and found that its contents were actually quite complete. It even had beginner tutorials, divided into 1 and 0.

If a woman like Yu Fanhui or Jia Qianmei had secretly gone to a website to study this kind of thing while filming intimate scenes with her, Shu Minglan would only feel disgusted and have her scalp crawl. But He Lingxing gave her a much better feeling, without the slightest discomfort.

Shu Minglan did not even think He Lingxing had developed some improper thoughts toward her as a top-tier Omega. After all, if she had, she would have had countless opportunities to make a move long ago. The reason she risked watching that movie while living with her must have been to respond to Director Wang’s requirement for ambiguity.

She had seen He Lingxing shyly clutching the bedsheet with both hands. It was actually rather cute.

“Aren’t you going to check on Le Jiaxuan?”

“She went to the hospital. There are doctors there, so nothing should happen. Compared with that, you should worry about yourself first.”

A faint flush still remained on He Lingxing’s cheeks. Her gaze quietly shifted away, avoiding the burning look of the woman lying on the bed. After a pause, she said, “I also called Lin Qingyan.”

She did not know the details between those two little girls very clearly. In the original plot, their relationship had been average, and later, because they competed for Murong Feng, they certainly would not get along very well. But now, the plot had changed greatly compared with before. Le Jiaxuan liked Lin Qingyan, not Murong Feng.

After being harmed by “Little Chili,” if she was sent to the hospital in time, there would not be any serious issue. However, afterward, she would become even more sensitive to Alpha scents. The cruel part of this thing was that after being sprayed, it left almost no trace, and there was no extract that could prove it had been used. Unless it was exposed on the spot, even sending the victim to the hospital would make it difficult to diagnose.

He Lingxing remembered that after someone was hit by it, even medical suppressants at the hospital would still leave them feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Le Jiaxuan was already an adult now and had her own judgment. As for whether she wanted to use this chance to get closer to Lin Qingyan or reveal her feelings, that would depend on her own wishes.

Still, since Le Jiaxuan had ended up like this because of Shu Minglan, whether emotionally or logically, Shu Minglan had to go see her. Not to mention, if she continued staying here…

“Then I’ll go check on Le Jiaxuan first?”

“Okay. Wait—”

He Lingxing had just hurried a short distance out when she immediately turned back. Her voice even carried a bit of uncontrollable urgunauthorized copyency. “Is there something else?”

“Help me buy something for the little girl.” Because her gland was still faintly aching, Shu Minglan could only lie on the bed and turn her head with difficulty. “If she needs to be hospitalized, get her nutritious meals. The best ones. Deduct her recent lost work pay from my salary, and give her the bonus as usual.”

He Lingxing nodded. Without time to respond to Shu Minglan, she strode out.

Only when the door closed, and the instant she hurried to the elevator, did her already-furrowed brows relax slightly. He Lingxing let out a long breath.

If Shu Minglan had said a few more words and kept her for a few more minutes, the demon that had been swelling and clamoring inside her might have defeated her reason at any moment. The scent of Omega pheromones had been drifting at the tip of her nose the whole time. Although that scent was faint, to an Alpha who had just not been satisfied, it was like a blazing fire capable of igniting dry firewood, carrying fatal attraction.

She had clutched the bedsheet tightly, using the release of force to divert her attention. She had not even paid much attention to what exactly Shu Minglan had been saying. Unfortunately, an Omega and an Alpha could not truly empathize with each other. The physiology knowledge Shu Minglan had learned before could only let her know the most basic and superficial things. She had no idea what an unsatisfied Alpha could do under the lure of Omega pheromones.

To He Lingxing, taking advantage of someone’s vulnerable state to harm Shu Minglan was no different from committing a crime. She could only endure with all her might. Fortunately, female Alphas in this world did not have that kind of appendage. Otherwise, she would even suspect that she might be seriously harmed by the endurance just now.

**

Inside the hospital ward.

Lin Qingyan, who was filming a new song MV, was originally not supposed to be disturbed unless there was read the original at bailiantales.com something important. However, the person calling to notify her was He Lingxing’s assistant, so no one else could stop it.

Captain Lin, who had always held extremely high standards for work, panicked the moment she hung up the phone. For the first time, she abandoned an ongoing job and asked for urgent leave, startling several other members. However, the MV was already in its final stage, so even without Lin Qingyan, work could still continue. The teammates had a good relationship, so they merely gossiped curiously for a few lines and did not complain. Only Chi Shuangyan looked at the young girl’s departing back with a thoughtful gaze.

Jiangcheng was a large city with convenient transportation extending in all directions. Its transportation network spread across the whole country. Even late at night, planes and high-speed trains were still running. In her urgency, Lin Qingyan did not even have time to bring an assistant. She rushed over, directly bought the nearest business class ticket, and boarded the plane.

She thought about it and guessed that Le Jiaxuan probably could not receive her messages right now. While waiting inside the cabin, she typed words into the chat box, only to delete them one by one.

The lights outside made this bustling city as bright as day, while Lin Qingyan’s mood was like the darkness hidden at the distant edge, low and powerless.

Lin Qingyan did not understand. When the two had parted not long ago, everything had still been fine. Le Jiaxuan had said she was going to film, and Lin Qingyan had sincerely told her she hoped the director would notice her. How had something suddenly happened? It was said that King of the Jungle’s filming locations were relatively dangerous, but the hardest parts should have belonged to the leads. Le Jiaxuan was not even a major supporting character, so how could she be injured?

“The flight from Jiangcheng to Lingzhou City is about to take off. Passengers, please follow the instructions of the flight attendants and fasten your seat belts. Please do not stand while the plane is ascending…”

As the flight attendant’s sweet broadcast came through, the plane began taxiing on the flat ground, then used its momentum to fly into the vast black night. When the flight began, phones needed to be put on airplane mode. The instant the internet cut off, Lin Qingyan’s heart even felt empty for a moment.

Right now, she and Le Jiaxuan were separated by thousands of miles. Even if she rushed nonstop after getting off the plane, it would still be tomorrow before she arrived. During this brief period, she knew nothing about Le Jiaxuan’s condition. Whether she was in pain, whether she felt uncomfortable—she knew none of it.

But soon, she thought of someone.

Murong Feng, who was in the same crew as Le Jiaxuan.

The name of the recently rising traffic actor Murong Feng had been spreading louder and louder. However, Lin Qingyan was also not clear on what achievements he had made to reach this position, even nearly becoming a highly sought-after first-tier star. She had never cared much about such things, until she received an anonymous letter some time ago.

The letter promised her a large amount of money. All she needed to do was reveal the songs the group would rehearse later. Lin Qingyan was not stupid, so of course she did not agree. But that mysterious person transferred one million to her that very day.

Lin Qingyan’s family background was acceptable, but not so good that she could treat a million yuan as nothing. However, she was not short of money, and she would not betray her teammates and violate her bottom line for money. Just as she was preparing to transfer the money back, she received a call from someone.

The person on the other end of the call used anti-recording technology and altered their voice. They spoke with her for a long time. Between the lines, their target seemed to be her group, but in reality, it was Le Jiaxuan. After that, Lin Qingyan pretended to obey and met that mysterious person.

The mysterious person was Murong Feng. A tall, handsome man, yet behind the scenes, he was such a sanctimonious hypocrite. He asked her with complete confidence whether she had been short of money recently, and whether she wanted to make a deal with him.

Lin Qingyan went along and agreed first. She had thought the other party wanted her to leak some secret, but unexpectedly, he later asked her to do a simple thing: obtain one of Le Jiaxuan’s personal items.

Of course Lin Qingyan would not give someone else’s personal belongings to a stranger. On the night she parted with Le Jiaxuan, she saw someone come to receive it, and only handed over a new dance outfit. Afterward, perhaps Murong Feng realized her not-very-clever deception and did not contact her again. Naturally, the other party’s counter-surveillance methods were very advanced, and Lin Qingyan had not left any evidence either.

At the time, she had been completely confused. At first, she thought Murong Feng liked Le Jiaxuan. But if he liked her, Read on BaiLianTaleshe could obviously pursue her openly. There was no need to act like a sasaeng fan. As for business secrets, that made even less sense. Le Jiaxuan was not debuting with the group anymore. What meaning would her things have for him?

But the feeling that this man seemed to see through everything made her uncomfortable, as though she had a thorn in her back. It was only now that she remembered—when Murong Feng had asked if she was short of money, she had indeed been trying to gather money everywhere. But that was not for herself. It was because she wanted to secretly help Le Jiaxuan’s grandmother.

Now that Le Jiaxuan was no longer short of money, she naturally did not need to raise funds and invite trouble for herself. But the matter of Le Jiaxuan needing money was something Lin Qingyan had discovered secretly. That child looked gentle and soft, but in reality, she was very opinionated and proud. She had not even been willing to tell Lin Qingyan. How could Murong Feng possibly know about those things?

Lin Qingyan only felt that no matter how she thought about it, she could not understand.

Four hours later, Lin Qingyan arrived at the hospital where Le Jiaxuan was staying, only to see a middle-aged couple at the door of the private ward.

The two of them both looked very dignified, especially the woman. She was well-maintained and looked like someone in her early thirties, although her actual age was probably quite a bit older. Lin Qingyan still knew a little about Le Jiaxuan’s parents. They did not have this kind of noble air, nor would they specially rush over in such a hurry to see her.

Hospitals did not usually divide things so finely, but this time, because it involved gender, Le Jiaxuan was staying in an Omega ward. Her identity as someone pretending to be an Alpha could no longer be hidden. However, Lin Qingyan had no time to be surprised that she was actually an Omega. She only looked at the couple at the door with slight hostility.

The woman was an Omega and should have been able to go in directly. But they did not look like Le Jiaxuan’s family. The anxiety between their brows and eyes did not look like concern for a daughter. Instead, it looked as if they were waiting for something.

Lin Qingyan did not like beating around the bush, so she simply went straight up and asked, “Uncle, Auntie, may I ask what your relationship is with Le Jiaxuan?”

Zhou Lan, who had been pacing uneasily, turned back and looked at Lin Qingyan. After thinking for a moment, she finally remembered that she was the captain of Baby’s Breath. Just a little girl still wet unauthorized copybehind the ears—Zhou Lan believed she had no time to deal with her, and merely took the “nursing authorization card” in her hand and waved it in front of Lin Qingyan.

Lin Qingyan froze slightly.

A nursing authorization card meant that someone representing the company had signed for her before it could be obtained. But she had no impression of this couple, and they should not be Le Jiaxuan’s parents either.

Seeing a doctor walk over, Father He gave Zhou Lan a look. The woman had a poised smile on her face and immediately went forward to negotiate with him. After seeing the nursing authorization card in Zhou Lan’s hand, the doctor felt reassured and let her push the door open and enter.

As an Alpha, Lin Qingyan could not enter an Omega’s ward during this special period. She could only worry anxiously outside.

Her gaze fell on the refined middle-aged man, as if trying to pierce through their disguises and expose the truth beneath.

Father He seemed not to notice Lin Qingyan’s gaze, or perhaps he noticed but did not feel that this little girl posed any threat. He sat down on a chair nearby and did not speak again. Lin Qingyan carefully kept her distance from him while leaning against the wall and typing rapidly.

—Ding-dong.

He Lingxing was driving and had no time to check, and she had even blocked the girl group manager who kept calling her. “520, read my messages.”

【Shu Minglan forwarded you a chat record. According to Lin Qingyan’s [bailiantales.com]description, your adoptive parents should be at the door.】

Adoptive parents? He Lingxing raised her brows. What were they doing at the door?

【Lin Qingyan says Zhou Lan obtained a nursing authorization card and has already gone in.】

A nursing authorization card was signed by the patient’s legal caregiver or another legitimate related party. The only person who could do this was someone inside the company. He Lingxing recalled everyone who had this authority and finally locked onto an inconspicuous person.

And the truth of certain matters was about to emerge. He Lingxing deliberately arrived a little late, perfectly timing herself to witness this show.

—When she had just reached the door, she happened to run into Le Jiaxuan’s parents, who had hurried over. The two had signed a consent form and were taking Le Jiaxuan, whose condition was clearly poor, outside.

Lin Qingyan did her best to stop them, but unfortunately, they were the parents. She was so anxious that sweat covered her forehead. Only when she saw He Lingxing did she finally breathe a sigh of relief and hurriedly step forward to call:

“President He!”

He Qingjiang, who had originally been standing calmly to the side, subconsciously thought she was calling him. But when he followed the young girl’s gaze and turned around, he saw the daughter he had not seen for a long time.

If she could still be called a daughter.

Without the makeup that had deliberately softened her features, He Lingxing looked much more aggressively A than before. The woman’s body was tall and slender, and she had not even had time to remove the makeup on her face. The slightly vivid eye makeup added a sharp color unique to Alphas to her already bright features.

Buying that child back then had been a mutual decision made by the couple. Zhou Lan had never particularly liked this daughter, especially after He Lingxing differentiated into an “Omega.”

With Yu Fanhui as the fuse, He Lingxing had completely torn off all pretense with them. Afterward, their communication had all been through phone calls, and meeting in person was rare. Unlike Zhou Lan, the way He Qingjiang looked at He Lingxing did not carry such great hostility and panic. His gaze was gentle, matching his appearance.

As if they had never torn off all pretense, He Qingjiang’s voice remained as before, graceful and open. “Xingxing—”

“Article 30 of the company labor contract: During work, employees may not leave the workplace without permission. If there are special circumstances, approval must be obtained.”

Regardless of whether he truly wanted reconciliation or was acting, He Lingxing did not even look at this nominal father of hers. She got straight to the point and said to the couple, “Without approval, you cannot privately take away my employee. Are you planning to go through legal procedures, or should I call the police?”

The woman who had originally been tugging at Le Jiaxuan took in the visibly high-end quality of He Lingxing’s clothes, and before she even spoke, her aura weakened by three points. Hearing He Lingxing say she would call the police made her panic even more. However, Father He stepped forward and gently pressed He Lingxing’s shoulder.

The man was very tall and easily blocked He Lingxing’s line of sight. No matter the situation, his voice was always that calm and undisturbed.

“Xingxing, this member of your girl group already missed her previous debut opportunity because of some mistakes, but we can give her a new opportunity [unauthorized copy]to try again.” He Qingjiang consciously lowered his voice, speaking at a volume only the two of them could hear. “Treat it as compensation. Fanhui won’t do anything to her either, and the funds will be tripled for you. I can guarantee it for you.”

In the original owner’s memories, aside from the matter of her background, He Qingjiang truly had never lied to her about anything from childhood to adulthood. Therefore, his words had much higher credibility than Zhou Lan’s.

Changing a contract and sending someone to another company would be a very simple matter for her. Unfortunately, He Lingxing was not the original “He Lingxing,” so of course she would not turn around and sell Le Jiaxuan, squeezing out the last bit of her value.

Not to mention—

The relationship between the He family and the Yu family was not so good that this couple would treat Yu Fanhui as their biological daughter and consider profit for her in everything. They kept using Yu Fanhui as a cover, clearly trying to hide some true intention.

From beginning to end, this couple had shown great interest in her new girl group. On the surface, it was because they had reached some exchange of benefits with Yu Fanhui. But their involvement in the entertainment industry was very minimal. Doing something that made wedding clothes for someone else truly did not fit the personality of people who would not act without profit.

Moreover, even if it really was for Yu Fanhui, did the two of them need to personally come watch Le Jiaxuan be taken away?

What exactly did Le Jiaxuan have on her that was worth all this effort for them to keep such close watch?

“Enough!”

People were coming and going at the door of the single hospital ward. A few outstanding-looking people gathered together would always draw the attention of others. Although He Lingxing belatedly put on a mask before shouting this line, it still made many people subconsciously look over.

He Lingxing’s face reddened in an instant, but she also lowered her voice.

“As long as she is still within the contract period, no one should even think about taking away my employee! Since you think Yu Fanhui is so good, why don’t you simply recognize her as your daughter instead?”

When He Lingxing became angry, her aura was powerful, causing the woman over there who had originally been tightly gripping Le Jiaxuan’s wrist to slightly loosen her strength.

He Lingxing took one swift step forward. She originally wanted to grab Le Jiaxuan’s hand, but when she saw that Le Jiaxuan’s hand did not seem very clean, clear disgust appeared on her face. Although she concealed it well, Father He and Mother He still quickly noticed.

She did not look very willing to personally bring Le Jiaxuan back. She only pushed the girl toward Lin Qingyan and said, “Take good care of her,” before striding outside. At the same time, she looked back fiercely and glared at Father He and Mother He without the slightest courtesy or politeness.

Zhou Lan, who was about to explode on the spot, only barely endured her anger after He Qingjiang pinched her wrist bone. The way she looked at He Lingxing did not seem like she was looking at a child she had raised for so many years at all, but at a life-and-death enemy.

**

After having her assistant find Lin Qingyan’s contact information, He Lingxing personally sent her a message before inserting the car key and starting the engine.

Such a major incident had happened with the crew. Wang Xiuwen was also extremely anxious and overwhelmed, and for the moment, he had no time to continue filming. Instead, [read the original at bailiantales.com]he first had to deal with the mess before him. This timing gave He Lingxing the best opportunity. After first arranging a place for Le Jiaxuan to stay, she then had her financial assistant investigate the accounts of that female mentor of Baby’s Breath, who was also the person in charge.

She remembered that the girls in the group were all managed by this person. This woman was not very old, and her relationship with the girls was both teacher and friend. Even Le Jiaxuan, who later failed to debut successfully, trusted her very much.

When Le Jiaxuan had her accident, she was the first to report it to He Lingxing. Later, Chi Shuangyan was also recommended into the group by her. After failing to join the group, Le Jiaxuan had still kept in contact with her and could be called incomparably trusting toward this person.

Murong Feng, Lin Qingyan, Le Jiaxuan’s family, and her adoptive parents seemed to be connected into a hidden strange loop that should not have intersected at all. Once one link was unlocked, many things would definitely be solved easily.

Among them, the micro camera in Shu Minglan’s hand was currently the best evidence they had. As long as one gate was opened, the rest naturally would not be too difficult.

After a top-tier Omega was affected by “Little Chili,” even after an emergency temporary marking, there would probably still be follow-up reactions. To prevent her from feeling too uncomfortable, He Lingxing exchanged for a high-grade suppressant from 520’s warehouse, preparing to let Shu Minglan try its effect first.

If it really did not work…

Just as she was thinking and preparing to push open the door, a familiar pheromone scent drifted into He Lingxing’s sensitive nose.

It was her pheromones, the fragrance of night-blooming cereus and rum.

Author’s Note:

Shu Minglan: Social death takes turns. Today it’s my house.

When He Lingxing first rescued Shu Minglan under her alias, Shu Minglan used a bottle to store her pheromones.