After Becoming an Alpha, I Marked My Nemesis - Chapter 13

Although Zhou Qian didn’t buy much while shopping with Song Luoxue, she replaced all the daily necessities in her home. She had a severe mental aversion to using anything someone else had touched, even if that “someone else” was her own current body.

In addition to daily necessities, she also replaced the lamps and desk in the original owner’s home. Since the desk was where she spent most of her time, it had to be exactly to her liking. Next came the bedroom. Prioritizing sleep quality, she replaced everything in the bedroom as well.

After resting for a few days, Zhou Qian went to film several commercials that required indoor special effects. These scenes were shot in green screen studios, making them much less complicated than outdoor shoots.

When necessary, she had to wear specialized light-emitting devices on her face and wrists for visual effects. Director Xu, knowing the original owner’s notoriously poor fighting skills, thoughtfully simplified all the complex fight scenes into simple hand gestures.

However, this made the scenes feel dull and uninspired. To ensure the audience’s visual engagement, Zhou Qian proactively approached the director: “Director Xu, could we reintroduce some backflips and aerial combat sequences?”

If an ordinary actor were to request more screen time, they’d usually ask for scenes that make them look beautiful and impressive. But Zhou Qian was asking for more high-difficulty action sequences.

It wasn’t that Director Xu looked down on her; her previous action scenes had been genuinely terrible. Filming according to her requests would undoubtedly delay the production schedule even further.

Director Xu chuckled awkwardly. “Zhou Qian, for those backflips and fight scenes, we have stunt doubles. You only need to appear when necessary.”

Zhou Qian persisted. “Just let me try. If the backflips don’t work out, I’ll let the stunt double handle the rest of the fight scenes. I’ve been training regularly, Director Xu. Please give me this chance.”

Seeing her earnest plea, Director Xu found it difficult to refuse. After a moment’s hesitation, he relented. “Alright, give it a shot. But don’t push yourself too hard. If you get injured, the entire production schedule will be delayed again.”

Zhou Qian nodded eagerly. “Yes! I understand!”

With that, she moved to the center of the green screen set, where crew members secured her to the wire harness for the wirework. Today, her hair was styled in a coiled serpent bun, adorned with a single jade hairpin. The scene they were filming depicted Feng Nanzhi, the female lead, seeking revenge against the Yuelu Sect, who had slaughtered her entire family after she achieved some success on her path to immortality.

Zhou Qian gradually slipped into character. Her eyes blazed with hatred and murderous intent as she glared at the Yuelu Sect cultivators. “Today, I will avenge the 170 lives lost in Jiangning! This vendetta concerns only the Yuelu Sect; I will not harm anyone else. Stand aside!”

The male actor playing the Yuelu Sect leader sneered. “We thought we had wiped out every last soul in Jiangning. Yet here you stand, a wretched remnant. A mere girl dares to challenge Yuelu Mountain? I had intended to spare your life, but since you value it so little, I shall show no mercy!”

As soon as the words left her lips, Zhou Qian drew the four- or five-kilogram prop sword and lunged into battle against her opponent. Her impressive agility allowed her to leap upward, using the oppressive force to propel herself into a perfect backflip in mid-air. She landed flawlessly, without missing a beat, and immediately launched into the fight against the Yuelu Sect members, her movements fueled by the burning hatred described in the script.

Feng Nanzhi, though naturally gifted, was outnumbered and overwhelmed. Her cultivation had been solely focused on revenge, leaving her severely wounded and steadily retreating. The plot called for her to be nearly fatally injured by the Yuelu Sect’s elite fighters when Mu Xuexiang, a senior cultivator, intervened, rescuing her and imparting all her immortal techniques and spells.

Mu Xuexiang’s motives for saving Feng Nanzhi were rooted in her own vendetta. The Yuelu Sect’s leader was also her sworn enemy. With her soul trapped and lacking a physical body, she chose Feng Nanzhi as her successor, entrusting her with her legacy to seek vengeance against the Yuelu Sect.

Following the script and the on-set martial arts instructor’s guidance, Zhou Qian filmed Feng Nanzhi’s first attempt at revenge against the Yuelu Sect. There were only two minor adjustments needed for the wirework, and Zhou Qian delivered nearly every scene in a single take, without stumbling or needing retakes.

Zhou Qian’s performance surprised Director Xu. Having worked with countless celebrities in the entertainment industry, he had never encountered an artist who improved so rapidly.

Filming for the scene began at 10:30 AM and continued until 5:00 PM. Fortunately, they wrapped up before evening. After removing her makeup, Zhou Qian had to rush back to the hotel, as she and Song Luoxue were sharing a room tonight due to Song Luoxue’s guest appearance the following day.

According to this world’s lore, high-quality Omegas like Song Luoxue were highly sought after. Zhou Qian had learned through the world’s search engine that Omegas experienced heat cycles. Without suppressants, they required temporary soothing and marking by an Alpha.

Alphas could mark any Omega at will, but Omegas could only be marked once by a single Alpha. If an Omega was marked by an Alpha other than their original marker, they would suffer severe allergic reactions, potentially life-threatening.

Of course, the technology in this novel’s world was far more advanced than in the real world. Omegas who had been permanently marked by Alphas could use special methods to erase the mark. However, this was mostly limited to the wealthy. Ordinary Omegas without the means to remove an Alpha’s mark had no choice but to abandon their Omega identity, have their glands surgically removed, and become ordinary betas.

Zhou Qian had been spending nearly a month with Song Luoxue, and during that time, they were together most of the time. Yet Zhou Qian had never witnessed Song Luoxue experiencing a heat cycle. This was likely due to her taking Omega Suppressants.

But wasn’t it better that Song Luoxue didn’t develop romantic feelings for her? Zhou Qian had no intention of swindling Song Luoxue out of her money, unlike the original owner of her body. Naturally, she also had no desire to sleep with Song Luoxue.

After removing her makeup, Zhou Qian hurried back to the hotel. Just as she was leaving the studio, Ning Xiao approached, carrying a large bouquet of flowers. “Qianqian, your big fan is here again! This time, she even ordered milk tea for the entire crew. Want a cup?”

Zhou Qian frowned slightly at Ning Xiao’s words. “You didn’t ask her to stay?”

Ning Xiao shook her head. “She said she had an urgent matter to attend to. But Pianpian, the fan, mentioned she’d come back while you’re filming your next scene.”

“Oh,” Zhou Qian replied. “In that case, you absolutely must make sure she stays to meet me next time.”

Ning Xiao chuckled. “It’s not like you haven’t met before. Besides, this fan seems incredibly protective of you. Every time you’re caught in a social media storm, she contacts PR to help you resolve the crisis.”

Right, such a devoted fan, and I don’t even know her name.

Zhou Qian suspected that “Pianpian” was likely one of the “fish” the original owner had reeled in. After all, the original owner had been a notorious playgirl. Besides Song Luoxue, the aloof beauty in her arms, she enjoyed seeking “wild game” elsewhere—after all, home-grown flowers never smell as sweet as those found in the wild. The principle remained unchanged since ancient times.

Zhou Qian accepted the flowers from the fan, but she still wanted to meet “Pianpian” in person next time. She preferred to clarify things face-to-face to avoid future complications.

Omega Suppressants are highly effective medications designed to temporarily suppress the physical and emotional arousal during an Omega’s heat cycle. Generally, the more expensive the brand, the more effective the suppression. However, regardless of the quality, prolonged use of these suppressants can cause irreversible damage to an Omega’s body. Therefore, during an Omega’s heat cycle, temporary marking by their partner is recommended. Unmarried individuals should avoid permanent marking. In this world, Alphas account for 1 in 1,000 people, while Omegas account for 1 in 10,000. As an Alpha or Omega, you are among the rarest and most precious individuals on Earth. Embrace your heat cycle as a normal physiological phenomenon.

Song Luoxue closed her phone at this point. She hadn’t realized her body in this world would be so troublesome, requiring suppressants for two to three days, or even a week, each month—more bothersome than menstruation.

Calculating the days, she realized her heat cycle was approaching. However, she refused to compromise by taking the suppressants with their side effects. Besides, she had a psychological aversion to intimacy with a substitute who merely resembled the person she desired.

Although she used to clash with Zhou Qian constantly, in this world, even just kissing or sleeping with a substitute who resembled her was good enough. But when it came to truly treating her as a beloved partner and letting her caress and kiss her body tenderly, she found herself unable to go through with it.

After all, she knew very well that this Zhou Qian wasn’t the real Zhou Qian from her original world.

This Zhou Qian was too docile, too obedient, just like Song Luoxue’s nickname for her… she was like a kitten that purred contentedly whenever stroked. The real Zhou Qian would never act like this, let alone become so submissive to her.

What she loved was the Zhou Qian who constantly challenged her, who always opposed her at every turn, not this little pet who obeyed her every command.

Still, this little kitten had its charms. Song Luoxue adored her gentleness—even if it might be feigned, it made her feel exceptionally comfortable. Perhaps… until she grew tired of playing with her, she could use her as a temporary marking tool. After all, she had complete control over this mischievous little cat’s actions. She couldn’t possibly lose as badly as the original owner had.

Just as Song Luoxue was thinking this, the doorbell chimed—ding!

The little kitten had returned.