Before being led away by Tang Congnan to socialize, Li Chu asked one last question.
“Is Mu Xiao an alpha?”
Big brother, please, please let him be!
“Of course he is. You’re not interested in him or have some other idea, are you?” Tang Congnan looked at Li Chu warily, afraid she might do something foolish.
“No, no, I was just curious. Let’s go, let’s go. Who are we going to meet?” Li Chu shook her head, relieved, and put on a perfect social smile, wine glass in hand.
What ideas could she possibly have about Mu Xiao? Only guilt.
Sorry, buddy, for stealing your destined wife and turning your wife into your bro.
Li Chu had once suspected she had transmigrated into some kind of gender-bending novel. After learning that Mu Xiao was indeed an alpha, she felt relieved.
Seeing that Li Chu had stopped paying attention to Mu Xiao, Tang Congnan relaxed and led her through the crowd.
Li Chu’s face was quite recognizable. She wasn’t stunningly beautiful, but she was very appealing, looking pleasant and cute. Those in the industry who were well-informed knew that she had played the female lead in Ji Yun’s film, and some came to greet them.
Li Chu added several people’s contact information. Tang Congnan, spotting an old acquaintance, excused himself. Li Chu waved him off and, instead of trying to chat with others, sat down in a corner to rest.
This kind of scene was still relatively unfamiliar to Li Chu. Fortunately, she was doing well, though her smile was a little stiff.
Li Chu took a sip of wine and gently rubbed her cheeks.
“Are you Li Chu?”
The voice from beside her startled Li Chu. She immediately put on a smile and saw the man standing next to her.
Judging by his height, he should be an omega. Of course, it wasn’t impossible that he was under eighteen and hadn’t differentiated yet. The light makeup he wore made it difficult for Li Chu to determine his real age.
“Hello, I am. May I ask who you are?” Li Chu stood up. In her high heels, she was about the same height as the young man in front of her. She asked politely, after all, in this place, anyone you randomly bumped into was either rich or famous.
“I’m a fan of yours. I watched that variety show before and thought you were amazing.”
The person in front of her had wavy, flaxen hair and a pair of upturned fox eyes that looked very gentle, the type that made people unconsciously feel goodwill towards him.
“Thank you. That variety show aired a long time ago. I didn’t expect anyone to still remember me.” Li Chu’s smile was a little flattered. Despite this, she noticed that the other party avoided mentioning his name.
And she didn’t feel that this person really liked her. Although his words were complimentary, his demeanor felt arrogant, somewhat strange. Li Chu also felt that he looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen him before.
Li Chu was sure that there shouldn’t be such a possibly omega man in her memory. Could it be someone the original Li Chu knew?
“Your performance was very distinctive, of course people would remember you. Didn’t you go to film a new TV series? Has your crew finished filming?” The young man first praised her, then asked curiously.
“My scenes are finished, so I’m done filming. I’m not sure if the rest of the crew is finished.” Li Chu carefully considered her answer. According to the book, the crew should have finished filming by this time, but she still felt something was off, so to be safe, she chose to answer this way.
“I see. I hope your career gets better and better!” The young man gave her a thumbs-up and raised his glass to her.
“Thank you.”
Li Chu took a sip, and the young man left, as if he had come specifically to cheer her on.
Li Chu wondered if she was being too suspicious. There didn’t seem to be anything strange about him.
Li Chu spaced out for a while, and within a couple of minutes, someone else came over with a wine glass.
Li Chu saw that this time it was someone she knew, but not well. It was Ming Xi, the beta woman who had recorded the variety show with her.
Ming Xi came over with a wine glass and asked curiously, “Li Chu, do you know that person just now?”
“Who?”
“The one just now, the Ning family’s young master. Do you know him?” Ming Xi thought Li Chu was playing dumb and asked again.
“No, I don’t.” Li Chu shook her head, Ming Xi’s words echoing in her mind.
That’s why he looked familiar. The young master was Ning Manqing’s younger brother. They had a few similarities in their features. Li Chu hadn’t made the connection earlier.
However, now that she knew who he was, Li Chu finally understood why she had felt strange. Her sixth sense was really accurate!
She couldn’t quite remember the young master’s name. After all, she could even forget the male lead’s name, let alone a male number three like him. But she remembered that this young master was not a righteous character.
To be precise, in the story with Ning Manqing as the protagonist, out of the six members of the Ning family, everyone except Ning Manqing was a villain.
And Li Chu was firmly on Ning Manqing’s side, so in her opinion, none of that family were good people.
So the questions the young master had asked just now were worth pondering. He had asked so vaguely, probably wanting to get information about Ning Manqing’s movements from her. Now that Ning Manqing had differentiated into an alpha, unlike the omega in the original book, she posed a greater threat to her siblings.
As for why this young master, clearly an omega, was also targeting Ning Manqing, the original book stated that before he turned eighteen, he hadn’t thought he would be an omega. He thought he should be an alpha, but his abilities were always inferior to his sister’s, and he had always lived in the shadow of ‘Ning Manqing’.
If Ning Manqing differentiating into a beta had brought him some peace of mind, then discovering he was an omega had infuriated him. But he was still an omega, still pampered, so he often made things difficult for Ning Manqing behind the scenes.
In the original text, after Ning Manqing differentiated into an omega, the young master went even crazier because he discovered that even as an omega, Ning Manqing was far superior to him. He even tried to seduce his sister’s husband, the male lead, and after being slapped in the face, he married another alpha, but still didn’t forget to subtly target Ning Manqing, who didn’t even bother to give him a glance.
Although Ning Manqing’s differentiation was different this time, Li Chu felt that it was unlikely that the young master would change his ways. He might be even more dissatisfied because Ning Manqing had differentiated into an alpha, after all, before he turned eighteen, he had dreamed of being an alpha.
Ning Manqing had been treated as an outcast by her parents because of her gender differentiation and her choice to enter the entertainment industry. He was probably overjoyed, but now that Ning Manqing had the possibility of being favored by her parents again, he was probably even more unhappy.
Li Chu felt that she should have a chat with Ning Manqing and subtly remind her.
Lost in thought, Li Chu completely forgot about the person next to her. When she saw Ming Xi’s angry face, she apologized sincerely.
“I’m sorry, I was lost in thought just now. I didn’t hear what you said. I’m sorry.”
“I can’t afford your apology. Climbing the social ladder is really something, isn’t it?” Ming Xi said through gritted teeth, rolling her eyes inwardly. So what if you know the Ning family’s young master? If she hadn’t seen him come over and talk to Li Chu, she wouldn’t have bothered talking to her.
Li Chu was puzzled by her sarcastic words. It was true that she had been rude to zone out just now, but what was this person talking about?
They weren’t very familiar with each other and hadn’t rehearsed together. They had only met briefly at the beginning of the variety show recording, exchanging fake smiles. This time, it was Ming Xi who had initiated the conversation, her intentions extremely obvious, and now she was being sarcastic.
Li Chu never tolerated such people. As a master of subtle sarcasm herself, she gave Ming Xi a smile.
She nodded and said, “Yes, it is.”
The high branch she was climbing was the female lead!
Ming Xi was choked by her words. Li Chu didn’t want to waste time with this kind of person. Did she have to wait for Ming Xi to come up with more insults before responding? Li Chu wasn’t that free. She picked up her wine glass and got up to chat with others.
Watching Li Chu disappear into the crowd, Ming Xi angrily punched the sofa.
Li Chu searched for a while but didn’t see Tang Congnan. She abandoned her search for her manager and joined another conversation, even receiving an offer.
The other party was a producer who hoped she would play a role in his upcoming drama. It was a modern fantasy, with the protagonist responsible for maintaining modern stability and preventing supernatural forces from causing trouble. The producer hoped she could play the protagonist of the first story arc, which would be about two episodes long.
“It sounds quite interesting.” Li Chu was intrigued. She enjoyed watching this genre on TV.
Seeing her interest, the producer chatted with her for a bit longer.
The producer spoke enthusiastically, “This character is a half-demon, an omega. Her bloodline is very special, her energy fluctuations can rewind time…”
It was a cocktail party, and the producer still wanted to connect with a few other actors. He stopped regretfully and said praisingly, “I think your image is very suitable, and your acting range is also excellent. Let’s exchange contact information and talk more later.”
“Okay, thank you for your appreciation.”
Li Chu exchanged contact information with him, clinked glasses, and finished her drink.
She had had several drinks tonight. Fortunately, the alcohol content wasn’t too high, and Li Chu had taken anti-hangover candy beforehand, so she didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable, just a little dizzy. What she really needed urgently was the bathroom.
The hotel venue was large and magnificent. Li Chu didn’t see any attendants and could only search for the restroom based on her intuition. But she seemed to have gone in the wrong direction. After wandering around, she arrived at a corridor with identical doors, making her even more confused.
She didn’t know if there was a restroom behind these doors. Li Chu could hardly hold it any longer.
She randomly chose a nearby door and pushed. Before it opened, she realized it was blocked from the inside.
At the same time, the unfamiliar pheromones of an alpha surged around her.
It was the fresh scent of pine. Li Chu thought, No way, the male lead’s pheromones are pine-scented. It couldn’t be that much of a coincidence, could it?
On the other side of the door, a weakened Mu Xiao, drenched in sweat, leaned against the door, warily staring at it. He had been drugged.
An unconscious omega lay inside. Mu Xiao wanted to go out, but he was weak, his rationality on the verge of collapse, and could only lean against the door.
A thin female voice came from the other side of the door, bringing him a bit of clarity.
“Hello, do you need help? Like calling someone? If you do, please hurry up, your scent is making me dizzy.”
Li Chu was feeling a little short of breath from the alpha pheromones. If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she would faint.
“Thank you, please call…” Mu Xiao quickly gave the number of his confidant. He didn’t ask Li Chu to open the door. He could sense that the person on the other side was an omega, and if the door opened, he was afraid he would lose control.
Li Chu dialed the number and briefly described the location.
“Okay, he said he’ll be right there. I’ll be going now.”
Mu Xiao, mustering his remaining strength, asked, “Thank you. May I ask who you are?”
“You’re welcome. A good deed doesn’t require a name. You can call me Lei Feng.”
Li Chu left with effortless coolness, leaving no trace of her good deed.
She really didn’t want to have anything to do with the male lead. And most importantly, her bladder was about to explode!
Where’s the bathroom?!?!
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