The Live-in Alpha Only Wants to Be a Quiet Salted Fish - Chapter 19

Zhou Yi arrived decisively and departed just as gracefully, leaving behind two individuals whose relationship had advanced by leaps and bounds, yet who now felt mutually awkward.

Lin Mu gained a new nightly routine: before bed, she’d carry a bottle of, well, safflower oil, and discreetly knock on Su Mo’s door.

“Ready? Should I massage?”

“Massage…”

“Where are the others?”

“They’re all asleep. I checked, no one noticed.”

Only then would the door open, leaving a gap just wide enough for her to slip through.

Anyone unaware of the situation would surely think they were up to something else, not just a simple massage.

For three consecutive days, precisely at the edge of the doctor’s prescribed time, this new routine was tacitly halted by both parties. However, after this, it felt as though something now stood between them. Their former harmony was gone, replaced by mutual awkwardness and distance. Yet, upon closer inspection, it also seemed as if something profound had taken root in each of their hearts, altering their significance to one another.

••••

After the susceptible period passed, Lin Mu finally removed her inhibitors patch. However, she still didn’t forget to spray inhibitors before leaving the house each day, making her smell like a sour lemon person.

To avoid further embarrassment, she had recently crammed a lot of physiological knowledge. She now understood that Alphas and Omegas should avoid overly intimate contact and maintain a respectful distance. It was now difficult for her to approach Su Mo as unreservedly as before.

She had read many examples online:

Alphas losing control during their susceptible period and cough cough Omegas; Omegas in estrus period, pheromone leakage causing a street-wide Alpha brawl, with the winning Alpha carrying the Omega away.

The more she read, the more Lin Mu felt a creeping fear. This world, for the first time, revealed its brutal side, making Lin Mu realize its horror.

Even if she had no romantic feelings for Su Mo, only seeing her as a good friend, she couldn’t guarantee that she would absolutely maintain her rationality. Physiological reactions were uncontrollable, and pheromones were irrational.

As a novel, such a setting might be “interesting,” but in reality, such a setting was cruel. It turned humans into beasts, unable to control themselves, only able to obey the dictates of pheromones, much like an unneutered cat at home: usually docile and gentle, but once in estrus, it howls and tries to sneak out to find a mate.

Furthermore, there was an even more practical problem facing Lin Mu. While her knowledge had increased, her self-control remained at zero. The scent gland on her nape was like an accessory; she had no idea how to turn it on or off to release pheromones. She was only in a passive state, which meant she still didn’t even know what her own pheromones smelled like.

••••

It was another day of hard writing. Just after updating a chapter, she saw a familiar question and username again.

su: How do you identify a transmigrator?

It’s you again! Why are you so persistent?!

She ignored it directly and continued refreshing. Her susceptible period had passed, and her temper had become much calmer; there was no need to argue with such a person.

But as soon as the page reloaded, bam—a “deep-water bomb” (a large virtual gift) landed in her backend, bearing that familiar ID.

Instant karma…

Lin Mu was stunned. Did the reader-author dynamic also start to follow the “face-slapping comeback” trope?

No matter what, paying customers were kings. Lin Mu didn’t dare to disregard it. The VIP chapters hadn’t even totaled a hundred yuan, and someone had spent money, so she had to at least reply with a sentence or two.

But this question was a bit tricky. Could there really be another transmigrator out there? She truly hadn’t thought about how to reveal her own identity.

Lin Mu racked her brain, carefully typing on her keyboard…

••••

On the other side, Su Mo had another meeting with Jian Yun at the teahouse.

“This is how you get a reply?” Su Mo held her phone, thoughtful.

“Yes, it was probably because the account was too new before, so the author misunderstood.” Jian Yun took a sip of tea, finding it a bit amusing.

The dignified President of a company being mistaken for a pirate reader—no one would believe it if word got out.

After waiting for a long time, there was still no response. Su Mo grew impatient. Following the previous lesson, bam—another “deep-water bomb” went down.

She had spent a lot of money to loosen this author’s tongue, and this was just the beginning.

Just as she was about to continue spending, the page froze and wouldn’t budge. No matter how she swiped, it was unresponsive, then suddenly it flashed, and the app itself disappeared.

She was baffled. She swiped her phone again, confirmed there were no issues, and reopened the app.

Bam—froze, crashed. Bam—froze, crashed!

Finally, it wouldn’t load at all, constantly failing to refresh.

The dominant Omega was confused, completely stumped. She genuinely asked, “Is it my phone? Why isn’t the page loading?”

Jian Yun coughed upon hearing this, raising her teacup to hide her embarrassment.

“It might not be related to your phone. This app is like this. It’s probably just the server… having a fit.”

Su Mo: ???

••••

On the other end, Lin Mu finally finished typing out her answer, confidently replied, and just clicked confirm…

Sorry, the page you are trying to access does not exist. 404.

“Ugh! This lousy Green River (a play on the platform’s name) is acting up again! Is someone slacking off on the server maintenance?!”

She was so angry she wanted to smash her keyboard. Her carefully written reply, gone!

Lin Mu scratched her head in despair. She could only start over.

This “server fit” lasted for quite a while. Su Mo only saw the reply a few days later and used it to formulate many plans, but of course, that’s a story for later.

Because just after she said goodbye to Jian Yun and left the teahouse, a piece of gossip hit her completely by surprise.

— Shocking! Best Actress Cheating with Famous Screenwriter, Is It Human Nature’s Distortion or…

Although Jian Yun and her girlfriend were a recognized couple within the industry, they had never been able to go public due to her girlfriend’s career. So, Jian Yun was still officially single.

The news was released by a small entertainment tabloid. Such media outlets would do anything for traffic. Su Mo was not yet powerful enough to completely control the narrative, and an Omega in power would inevitably be looked down upon.

This news, though only featuring a few cleverly angled photos of her and Jian Yun, after some manipulation, inevitably led to much speculation. The recent buzz about her arranged marriage and hidden relationship was now overshadowed by rumors of cheating and infidelity, instantly exploding the entertainment industry. Online public opinion rapidly shifted; one moment she was accused of having a chaotic private life, the next she was said to have married only for power and gain. Adding to this, her current status was different, and even the company’s stock price began to plummet precariously.

The silly Alpha rarely went out, and Su Mo had never taken her to any public events; the banquet was just a private gathering. This also meant the public knew nothing about her, and the nature of their relationship remained a mystery.

Su Mo spent the entire afternoon stabilizing morale and clarifying public opinion, but the effect was consistently minimal. Eventually, even the company’s veteran board members came knocking, demanding a solution.

Exhausted, Su Mo finally pulled out the project proposal she had been saving.

— “Romantic Journey”

••••

After returning home, a contract was tossed in front of Lin Mu.

“Sign it. Two million, to accompany me on a travel variety show…”