After Transmigrating into the Book, I Bent the Heroine O - Chapter 5

Banquets among the elite are always lavish affairs.

The torrential rain outside did nothing to dampen the lively atmosphere within the Crowne Plaza Hotel, situated in Jiangcheng’s largest lakeside 5A scenic area. The soothing music had been turned up, drowning out the pitter-patter of the rain. Priceless champagne and red wine swayed in the hands of beauties; a slight tilt of the head for a sip left damp red lips that invited endless imagination.

Before Shu Minglan arrived, He Lingxing was undoubtedly the most eye-catching “Omega” in the room.

Due to physiological traits, Omegas are generally more delicate and smaller in stature than the other two genders—a disadvantage even more pronounced in women. Statistically, an adult female Omega rarely exceeds 168cm. Being near that height is considered very tall for an Omega. Yet, even without heels, He Lingxing’s long, straight frame clearly exceeded 1.7 meters.

Her wine-red hair was styled in lazy waves, and her French bangs and sweet-toned makeup added a touch of softness to her aura. Her sparkling, slit black camisole dress was almost identical to the one Shu Minglan had worn at the awards ceremony, but while it looked pure on Shu Minglan, it carried a different kind of seductive sexiness on He Lingxing.

The only missing spark was that He Lingxing’s features were naturally aggressive; sharp, high-glamour makeup would have suited her best. To better feign being an Omega, she had decisively abandoned that look.

Deliberately wearing the same outfit is a blatant provocation to any woman.

About ten minutes before the banquet officially began, Shu Minglan made her “fashionably late” entrance. Perhaps because she had such a gentle face, He Lingxing didn’t sense much hostility when she received a glare from her. Instead, it felt like a kitten raising its paw to give a bluffing, light scratch.

Shu Minglan’s outfit today was a pure white that complemented her features, creating a stark contrast with He Lingxing’s bold black dress. She drew most of the attention the moment she entered. Compared to a “fake” Omega like He Lingxing, a natural Omega was naturally more attractive to the crowd.

Realizing that several Alphas were looking at Shu Minglan with either admiration or predatory intent, He Lingxing saw her chance. She stood up abruptly and strode over to press a hand onto Shu Minglan’s shoulder. Then, she shifted her body, using her height advantage to almost completely shield Shu Minglan, blocking the sightlines of those handsome Alphas.

This was further provocation.

Shu Minglan looked up slightly at He Lingxing, who in turn looked down at her. He Lingxing expected to easily capture sparks of rage in the other woman’s eyes, but she hadn’t expected the heroine to hide her feelings so deeply.

Shu Minglan grabbed her wrist—not with much force, but with a sense of urgency. Not to be outdone, He Lingxing gripped back, but accidentally brushed against the cold diamond bracelet on that soft wrist. She had to settle for sliding her hand down to grip Shu Minglan’s hand firmly.

“CEO He… this is boring.”

The woman’s soft hand tried to pull away from her palm. The anger gathering in her eyes was obvious, though it didn’t seem to be directed at the hand-holding itself.

He Lingxing suddenly remembered: although Shu Minglan was face-blind, she wouldn’t forget someone she had just met recently. Judging by her attitude, He Lingxing’s “Xingxing” alias was likely burnt.

But He Lingxing didn’t care much.

Shu Minglan used some force to break free of the restraint, but she didn’t move far from He Lingxing. Nominally, she had come to this banquet with her boss; she couldn’t truly fall out with He Lingxing before leaving the company. Moreover, based on He Lingxing’s previous help, there might be a misunderstanding between them.

Feeling a bit guilty about her attitude, Shu Minglan was about to say something to break the ice when she noticed He Lingxing was distracted. Following her gaze, Shu Minglan saw the hall doors swing open. A tall man in a well-tailored suit strode out, his handsome looks and high-level Alpha aura drawing everyone’s attention.

The man chatted amiably with others as he made his way through, soon letting his gaze drift—seemingly by accident—toward He Lingxing and Shu Minglan. He handled his gaze expertly, making it unclear who he was looking at as if he were just observing the room. But the sharp He Lingxing noticed him immediately.

He looks at the heroine like a dog that hasn’t eaten in three months, yet he insists on acting indifferent so the prey will come to him voluntarily, He Lingxing complained to 520 in her mind. If this acting can win awards, he must have installed 8.0-strength filters on all the judges.

【The description is accurate, but since the mission is active, please do not disparage the male lead at will.】 The System gave a short laugh before responding professionally: 【Detection: Male lead Murong Feng has officially appeared. Please start the new tasks: 1. Play the villainous supporting character and make the heroine lose face in front of the male lead, ensuring she is unhappy. 2. Trigger the male lead’s jealousy.】

“Make her lose face?” He Lingxing glanced at Shu Minglan, only to find the woman looking back at her with an unreadable expression.

He Lingxing recalled that in this plot, she was supposed to be interested in the male lead. Since the male lead had targeted Shu Minglan before, the actress surely knew the reason. There were many ways to make someone lose face, like forcing them to toast a sleazy man, but He Lingxing couldn’t bring herself to do something so low.

She had played villains before, but unless the target was truly disgusting, she couldn’t go too far. And since she had to make her unhappy and offended, she was temporarily stumped.

Shu Minglan’s clear eyes drifted over He Lingxing, filled with a mix of purity and deep suspicion. Just as Murong Feng finished his fake pleasantries and prepared to head over, inspiration struck He Lingxing.

She grabbed Shu Minglan’s wrist and led her toward the edge of the room, her heels clicking loudly against the marble floor. Passing several tables, He Lingxing sat down at an empty spot and pulled Shu Minglan down with her. Shu Minglan’s dress was tight, making large movements difficult; the pull caused her to stumble, nearly falling onto He Lingxing.

The culprit behind the near-fall casually picked up a bunch of grapes and held them out to her: “Try some.”

Just as Shu Minglan reached out to peel one, He Lingxing pulled them back. Under the other’s confused gaze, she said with a smile, “Never mind, I’ll peel them for you.”

Shu Minglan: “…”

She truly didn’t understand what game He Lingxing was playing. Usually, when a CEO brings an artist to such an event, they are either looking for a “casting couch” opportunity or introducing resources. Yet He Lingxing was just sitting here leisurely eating fruit with her.

He Lingxing’s wine-red curls brushed against Shu Minglan’s cheek. The warm-toned makeup softened her sharp features, and her lip color was light, like a ripe cherry. Her slender, elegant fingers nimbly squeezed a grape out of its skin and insisted on feeding it to Shu Minglan’s lips.

One by one, He Lingxing expected her to get annoyed, but Shu Minglan ate them very seriously. It was He Lingxing who grew tired of “serving” someone. After finishing half the grapes, she gave up and switched to a more aggressive approach.

She leaned in slightly toward Shu Minglan. Immediately, the Omega’s fragrance flooded her nose—a sweet, light scent of cherry blossoms mixed with some kind of fruit. He Lingxing’s heart fluttered, and she immediately pulled back.

“Do you like him that much?” Following the script 520 had sent, He Lingxing let out a sneer, the softness in her eyes replaced by coldness. Like a dutiful love rival, she gestured vaguely toward Murong Feng, her voice trailing off with a cold upward tilt: “Hmm?”

Shu Minglan remained silent.

“Don’t waste your energy. He won’t like an Omega like you.”

The original script had much more insulting personal attacks, but He Lingxing couldn’t bring herself to say them to such a beautiful, hazy-looking woman. She could already see the anger in Shu Minglan’s eyes, which meant part of the mission was successful.

As she prepared to continue, Shu Minglan spoke coldly: “If you like him, CEO He, feel free to express it boldly. I am not your rival. There’s no need to pretend to be a logistics worker and chat with me happily while you actually hate me. And there’s even less need to play ‘chasing’ jokes on someone you dislike.”

“My contract is almost up. Soon, I won’t be an eyesore to you.”

Shu Minglan felt genuinely wronged. Seeing that He Lingxing had nothing else to say, she rose to leave. Just as she stood up, He Lingxing saw Murong Feng approaching like a dog catching a scent.

“Minglan!” Murong Feng’s lips curled into a “gentlemanly” smile as he reached out to greet her. Shu Minglan clearly didn’t want to deal with him, but she responded out of politeness. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

They had shared a stage at an awards ceremony recently; while they weren’t close, they were on speaking terms. Murong Feng, who had started his own small company and was destined to become a multi-award-winning actor, was in the early stages of his career. However, to He Lingxing, he didn’t seem to have much emotional intelligence; Shu Minglan’s lack of interest was obvious, yet he persisted.

He Lingxing wiped her hands and stood up. Task one was partially done, but there was still task two: making the male lead jealous. Since she and Shu Minglan were both women and nominally both Omegas, what was there for him to be jealous of?

He Lingxing had intended to put an arm around Shu Minglan’s shoulder, but under the male lead’s gaze, she changed her mind and slid her arm around Shu Minglan’s waist instead.

She had never held a woman’s waist before. She found Shu Minglan’s waist was thinner than imagined, but not too soft—she likely worked out. Feeling the unusual touch, Shu Minglan instinctively tried to pull away, but relaxed when she saw it was He Lingxing. An Omega wouldn’t usually mind a touch from another woman.

“Let’s go. I’ll introduce you to Producer Han.”

You couldn’t come to a banquet and just eat fruit. Besides, this perfectly fit the persona: making it look like He Lingxing was unwilling to let Shu Minglan and Murong Feng talk alone. Shu Minglan didn’t object. She lowered her eyes and let He Lingxing lead her away by the waist, not noticing the flash of dissatisfaction in Murong Feng’s eyes.

…

The final task ended with He Lingxing “accidentally” spilling wine on Shu Minglan’s dress in front of the male lead. It was a barely passing grade for the mission.

Given that toilets in “brainless” novels were often scenes of strange occurrences, He Lingxing didn’t let Shu Minglan clean up there for the sake of the artist’s reputation. Instead, she took her back to her own home.

He Lingxing’s house was about a half-hour drive away. Though the autumn night wind was cool, the car’s AC kept them comfortable. The two weren’t close and the banquet interaction hadn’t been pleasant, so the drive was silent. Once they reached the underground garage, Shu Minglan got out without a word, her clear eyes full of displeasure.

He Lingxing realized that Shu Minglan was much more relaxed when chatting with “Xingxing,” but turned into a different person when with “He Lingxing.”

“Bathroom is upstairs on the left. I have an unworn one-size outfit you can use. Whether you throw it away later is up to you.”

He Lingxing entered her fingerprint, and the door opened with a “Welcome home” voice. The house was empty but immaculate. Shu Minglan, seemingly wanting to shower and leave as fast as possible, didn’t even look back at He Lingxing. She whispered a “thanks” and headed upstairs.

Tired from the banquet, He Lingxing lay on the sofa to handle emails. The large villa was quiet, save for the sound of running water from above. Because of the “high-risk” male lead at the party, He Lingxing hadn’t drunk much water and her throat felt like it was on fire. Just as she walked into the kitchen, the water stopped.

It had only been five minutes. She showers that fast?

As she looked at her phone, a WeChat message from “Shushu” popped up. Before she could check it, an indescribable, faint fragrance drifted down from above, making her face flush instantly.

As if smelling the strongest aphrodisiac, an uncontrollable heat seeped through her glands. She almost dropped her phone. The water she was pouring spilled over, providing a useless bit of coolness to her burning body.

The phone vibrated again. The person on the other end had clearly lost the strength to type. In a shaky, voice message sent with gritted teeth, she asked:

“Do you have… any suppressants?”