The White Moonlight’s Exclusive Alpha (Entertainment) - Chapter 5

“So…” Zhou Shu said, putting down her diagnostic device. “That little Alpha is your ‘cure’?”

“It seems so. Her name is Tang,” Mu Xue nodded.

“How was last night?” Zhou Shu was extremely curious. Although she often teased Mu Xue about not having a sex life, she couldn’t actually imagine what it would be like. Given Mu Xue’s work ethic, it was hard not to suspect she would even set a time limit for sex to avoid interrupting her work.

“Not bad…” Mu Xue said lightly. “Do you have any birth control pills?”

“Cough, cough, cough!” Zhou Shu choked on her own saliva, finally noticing the abnormality in Mu Xue’s pheromones. When she first came in, she smelled the matcha cake-like pheromones on the woman, assuming it was Mu Xue’s natural scent. Now, upon closer inspection, she realized it was the result of two pheromones mixing.

“You were marked?!” Zhou Shu looked horrified. She had only gone home to sleep, and the plot had advanced too quickly.

“It was a temporary mark,” Mu Xue corrected her.

A temporary mark, unlike a gland mark, is a result of fluid exchange between an Alpha and an Omega. For a short time, it has the same external effects as a permanent mark. However, its effects diminish over time and completely disappear by the next heat cycle.

Zhou Shu, while patting her chest to soothe her startled heart, pulled out a small box of pills from her medical bag. “Take these now. With your body, getting pregnant would be more than just losing half your life.”

After taking the pill, Mu Xue continued, “There’s something else. My sense of taste has returned.”

“Oh my God… So is it okay for you to smell my pheromones directly?” Zhou Shu jumped up from her stool, a look of alarm on her face.

According to known cases, patients with delayed differentiation who are marked regain all their original bodily functions. At the same time, because they have never been exposed to pheromones before, all pheromones except for their marker’s are extremely stimulating and dangerous.

Mu Xue nodded, signaling her to calm down, and continued to calmly explain her condition’s changes. “I can smell Xiaoyang’s pheromones, but I can’t smell anyone else’s. There’s no need to worry for now.”

“I see…” Zhou Shu let out a long breath and slowly sat back down, analyzing the situation. “It seems a temporary mark isn’t as powerful as a permanent one, but it’s still enough.”

She looked excited. “As long as that little Alpha sleeps with you periodically to reinforce the mark, you won’t have to take those messy medications anymore!”

“That’s why I called you here,” Mu Xue said, not looking happy. “Those regular inhibitors don’t work for me. I need you to create an inhibitor that I can use before my next heat.”

“Okay… wait, what?” Zhou Shu was shocked. “You’re not going to let that Tang girl keep marking you?”

“Why would I let her keep marking me?” Mu Xue’s bewildered expression almost made Zhou Shu feel like she was the one whose mind was broken.

“Boss, did your brain get fried during the heat yesterday? If the mark lasts, you can live a normal life and not have to take those weird drugs. You could even live for a few more years!” Zhou Shu’s brows were furrowed as she stared at the still-calm woman, completely unable to understand.

“You have a point,” Mu Xue said slowly. “But my illness is my own problem. I can’t actually treat someone as a ‘cure’ just because of it.”

“You’ve already slept together, so she definitely doesn’t hate you. Besides, with your looks and body, what Alpha wouldn’t want you?” Zhou Shu argued.

“I don’t think there’s a problem with it, either,” Mu Xue smiled. “Maintaining a sexual relationship to manage my illness is a reasonable act of survival when both parties are adults.”

“Then why…” Zhou Shu was even more confused.

“But unfortunately, Miss Tang isn’t that kind of person,” Mu Xue said, remembering the tears that had soaked her chest last night. She had cried so heartbrokenly but clenched her jaw and refused to say why, likely because Mu Xue wasn’t someone she trusted.

The woman’s slender fingertips gently traced the faint tooth mark on her right wrist. She still couldn’t understand how the lively, adorable girl who used to cling to her had become the way she was now. Wary, testing, even sharp-tongued…

Mu Xue knew Tang Xiaoyang’s true nature hadn’t changed. The girl still had passionate feelings and a gentle heart hidden beneath her tough exterior. Even with all her resentment towards Mu Xue, she had been careful to avoid hurting her during their intimacy last night.

She was like a porcupine with its quills raised, and unfortunately, Mu Xue seemed to be one of her targets.

Mu Xue had many ways to forcibly pry open this little curled-up porcupine, but she wouldn’t do that. If the rumors were true, the girl had already suffered enough. Mu Xue shouldn’t add to her troubles.

“If I told her I have this illness, she would definitely agree to continue marking me, maybe even permanently, and spend the rest of her life with me,” the woman said, her brow uncreasing as she gazed out at the sun. “But that would be immoral, Zhou Shu. She would do it because she’s a kind person, not because she loves me. I could accept that offer because I don’t have much faith in love.”

The woman’s light gray eyes, reflecting the sunlight, shone with a cold, rational light. “That child is the opposite of me. She’s very emotional. If I were to make her stay with me out of pity or a sense of duty, and she missed out on her chance at true love, that would undoubtedly be wrong.”

“…” Zhou Shu’s mouth hung open for a long time, unable to find a counter-argument. Finally, all she could say was, “Boss, just to be clear, without her, your illness will still…”

“It’ll be the same as before,” Mu Xue said lightly, as if she were simply giving up a dessert. “What happened yesterday was an accident. It won’t happen again.”

“Yes…” No matter how much she joked around, Zhou Shu remembered her place. She was Mu Xue’s private doctor. Her duty was to accept the patient’s decisions and do her best to maintain their health, not to dictate their choices.

“I need to draw some of your blood to determine your heat cycle and formulate the medication,” Zhou Shu sighed helplessly. “Also, Boss, if you don’t want to become a walking headline, you should probably get some scent blockers. You smell like a moving matcha cake right now.”

In the back seat of the car, Tang Xiaoyang said to Bai Jing, “Could you please drop me off at the L neighborhood?”

“Of course,” the Beta replied expressionlessly, driving smoothly and quickly.

An awkward silence filled the car. Neither of them were the type to start a conversation. Bored, Tang Xiaoyang took out her phone and opened WeChat.

The top chat was a group called “Operation: Save the Lamb Headquarters,” with over “99+” unread messages.

Tang Xiaoyang: “…”

Inside the group chat:

Lamb: What are you all up to now?

Cloud: She’s here, she’s here! She brings us hope! Lamb, if you didn’t show up, we were about to call the police. We thought Qin Chang and those idiots kidnapped you and made you into mutton hot pot.

Lamb: Please, wish me well.

Dog: The situation is grim. Five waves of idiots came to our dorm yesterday trying to get information out of us.

Lamb: Are you guys okay?

Cloud: What could be wrong? You know Sister Yu’s skills. You should be asking if they’re okay.

Lamb: “Um…”

Fish: Don’t worry. I know my limits.

Dog: Don’t worry, our friendship is solid. Unless they offer me a few million, I will remain eternally loyal to you.

Lamb: Thanks a lot.

Cloud: @Dog, you’re so useless. You and Lamb are the only ones in the entertainment industry in this dorm. You’re a top paparazzo with 800 marketing accounts. How come you spent all night discussing and couldn’t come up with a plan to save the Lamb from the hot pot and grill?

Dog: Hey, you said you were going to get your man to clear Lamb’s name, and that was a dead end too!

Lamb: Thanks, everyone. Sorry for the trouble.

Fish: Hmph.

Cloud: Lamb, that’s not what friends are for. We’ve lived together for over two years. You never looked down on me for being a scumbag or on Dog’s profession. Now that you’re in trouble, we’re not just going to stand by.

Dog: I can’t make something out of nothing. Even if I could turn black into white, I still need material to write about. The public opinion is completely one-sided right now. That bastard Qin Chang is trying to ruin you.

Fish: Come back and live with us.

Cloud: What Sister Yu means is, if living outside is hard for you, come back to the dorm. With Sister Yu here, those guys won’t be able to hurt you. We’ll think of something. There’s always a way.

Lamb: Okay.

Tang Xiaoyang locked her phone and looked out at the blue sky. The despair of the night was fading. She couldn’t give up, even if she was powerless right now. Right was right, and wrong was wrong.

Even if she was misunderstood and insulted by strangers, she still had her friends.

And Mu Xue… maybe she’ll be watching from a distance too?

Tang Xiaoyang laughed at her own wishful thinking. She had slept with the woman for one night and been comforted a few times, and she was already presumptuously counting her as an ally.

An accident was just an accident. It wouldn’t happen again.

The sleek sports car pulled into the L neighborhood, and Tang Xiaoyang got out.

Bai Jing: “Do you need me to walk you up?”

Tang Xiaoyang shook her head. “This is fine, thank you.”

The Beta bodyguard nodded respectfully and turned to leave.

Tang Xiaoyang returned alone to her small apartment, which was already mostly packed up. She had bought the apartment with all the savings she had accumulated in her two years in the industry. It was only recently renovated, and now she had to give it up.

Tang Xiaoyang’s agency, “LeXiang Entertainment,” had not only failed to clear her name after the incident but had immediately distanced themselves from her and, as per the contract, started demanding financial compensation.

For any other celebrity, the agency would have been condemned as a ruthless and inhumane capitalist. But for a “public enemy” like Tang Xiaoyang, they were praised for being “smart.”

Because she hadn’t lived there long, Tang Xiaoyang had very little luggage. It was already packed, with two medium-sized suitcases by the door.

Tang Xiaoyang did one more sweep, cleaning the entire apartment until it was spotless. Then she sent a message to the person she had saved as “Chen Tong” in her contacts.

“You can come get the keys now.”

After sending the message, the girl sat on the new sofa, looking at the small home she had meticulously decorated. She recalled her excitement when she first got the property deed.

She finally had her own home. Even if the Tang family, who had never treated her like family, threw her out, she had a place of her own.

And now, she had nothing again.

It was impossible not to feel a sense of loss, but Tang Xiaoyang wouldn’t show sadness to the company that was taking advantage of her misfortune. The people who hate you will never be merciful just because you’re pathetic. Tang Xiaoyang had learned that a long time ago.

Not long after she sent the message, the doorbell rang. Tang Xiaoyang stood up and opened the door.

A middle-aged man with an arrogant look on his face walked in. He flopped onto the sofa and held out his hand.

“The keys?”

Tang Xiaoyang looked at him coldly and handed over the keys.

LeXiang Entertainment was one of the notoriously low-quality agencies in the industry. The owner was a parvenu who started in real estate, and the employees’ ethics were equally low. Chen Tong was one of the worse ones. He had managed Tang Xiaoyang for two years, and his career plans for her were a mess. He was an expert at trying to get Tang Xiaoyang to go drinking with Omega directors.

After Tang Xiaoyang pushed back against him a few times, Chen Tong started to neglect her, giving her whatever leftover, undesirable jobs he could find: singing outdoors in the snow, playing a minor role in a low-budget web series. Since Tang Xiaoyang wasn’t famous, no one would complain on her behalf.

Luckily, Tang Xiaoyang held her ground on her principles and worked hard. She never gave Chen Tong an easy reason to fire her and built up a small fan base with her good looks and potential. Chen Tong had no leverage over her.

That is, until Tang Xiaoyang was exposed for hitting her co-star, Qin Chang, and her reputation was ruined. Chen Tong seized the opportunity to advise his superiors, and LeXiang Entertainment was the first to stab her in the back, leaving Tang Xiaoyang to face the public outcry alone.

Tang Xiaoyang couldn’t be bothered to talk to him anymore and turned to leave, but Chen Tong wasn’t going to let her go that easily. He had been plotting this for so long, and now that he had finally gotten rid of this disobedient thorn in his side, he wanted to savor his victory.

“What’s the hurry, little Tang? Do you even have anywhere to go after this?” The man sneered. “I know a few rich Omegas. You could consider it. It’s not like you’ll ever recover from this.”

The saying ‘you can’t get an elephant’s tusks from a dog’s mouth’ really is true. Tang Xiaoyang looked at the man with contempt, as if he were a barking mangy dog.

“Go yourself, if they’d even look at you.”

“Heh, still so pure at heart, even at this point?” the man laughed. “If you don’t sell yourself now, you might not have the chance later.”

Does this man have a garbage can in his brain? Tang Xiaoyang felt that responding would only be dirtying her own mouth, so she walked straight out the door.

The sound of the security door closing rang out, and Chen Tong coldly dialed a number.

“She’s left. The rest is up to you.”

Just as Tang Xiaoyang was walking downstairs with her suitcases, her phone rang. When she answered, she heard her roommate Duan Sisi’s anxious voice.

“Lamb, whatever you do, don’t leave the building now! The paparazzi have surrounded your apartment!”