After Becoming an Alpha, I Marked My Nemesis - Chapter 2

The romance Song Luoxue offered was exactly as the marketing accounts had hyped it up. Song Luoxue’s company had even paid for Zhou Qian’s trending search for her role in the wildly popular IP adaptation, Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree. After terminating her contract with her previous agency, Zhou Qian had signed with Song Luoxue’s company.

Song Luoxue, originally a beloved Best Actress known for her excellent reputation, had recently attracted a wave of black fans due to her close association with Zhou Qian. Numerous marketing accounts had fabricated stories about their supposed “sugar baby” relationship.

While Song Luoxue’s fans publicly claimed she was merely Zhou Qian’s boss, in private group chats, they urged her to distance herself from Zhou Qian. After all, most artists who had previously been paired with Zhou Qian in manufactured romances had met unfortunate ends.

Song Luoxue, having achieved so much at such a young age, risked squandering years of hard work if she succumbed to Zhou Qian’s influence in a moment of folly.

Zhou Qian agreed with Song Luoxue’s fans. In the original novel, Song Luoxue had indeed been tragically deceived by the original protagonist. She herself now wanted to distance herself from Song Luoxue, but their current relationship remained inextricably intertwined.

Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree is a Xianxia drama adapted from a popular female-lead IP. It tells the story of Feng Nanzhi, the second daughter of the prestigious Jiangning cultivation clan, who ascends to immortality after experiencing the vicissitudes of life and the hardships of the mortal realm. The IP’s open-ended conclusion made Feng Nanzhi a “White Moonlight” figure in the hearts of many of her era. However, when fans learned that Zhou Qian, notorious for her “atrocious acting,” had been cast as Feng Nanzhi, they immediately turned into her haters. They believed that the exceptionally talented Feng Nanzhi, as depicted in the novel, would be ruined by this talentless, morally questionable “pretty face.”

After the official announcement of Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree, Zhou Qian’s fans began deserting her en masse, with some even turning against her. Some haters patrolled social media platforms up to three hundred times a day, just to see if any of Zhou Qian’s remaining fans were still trying to control the narrative in her favor.

Naturally, Zhou Qian’s pitifully small number of active fans—less than a few hundred—couldn’t possibly manage any effective damage control. Instead, her constant self-promotion and frequent trending topics, even before filming began, only fueled public resentment.

The first scene Zhou Qian filmed depicted Feng Nanzhi’s carefree youth in Jiangning. Her hair was styled into two high buns, adorned with hairpins, bells, and various other ornaments.

Despite Zhou Qian’s poor reputation in the entertainment industry, her striking beauty continued to attract fans through one terrible drama after another. Her fans often defended her by saying, “Our Qianqian is only in her twenties. Even if her acting is terrible, she’s still more vibrant than those nearly forty-year-old actresses.”

Such remarks from her fans only fueled animosity toward Zhou Qian. As the industry saying goes, “One fan can be worse than ten haters.”

Zhou Qian’s fair complexion, combined with her youth, made her look like a radiant beauty stepped straight out of a painting when she donned the “Miss Feng” ancient costume. Though dressed in the water-green attire of Jiangnan, her eyes held an indomitable arrogance, as if she feared nothing and no one.

The novel Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree later described the heroine, Feng Nanzhi, as retaining this unwavering pride regardless of her circumstances. It was a pride that no amount of hardship, separation, or sorrow could extinguish. She would challenge opponents a hundred or a thousand times stronger, even knowing it was a futile attempt.

After reading the script about Feng Nanzhi, Zhou Qian envisioned her as a gentle yet fiercely stubborn character. Naturally, while the entire internet criticized her acting, no one ever questioned her beauty.

“If Zhou Qian had any acting skills, she might actually pull off the role of Feng Nanzhi.” This was the consensus among casual observers.

Because Song Luoxue had starred in Three Lifetimes of Snow, the prequel to Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree, she was making a cameo appearance in the latter series. When Zhou Qian emerged from the makeup room in her aquamarine gown, she instantly became the center of attention. Her appearance was truly stunning, perfectly embodying the novel’s portrayal of the female lead as Jiangning’s foremost beauty.

As Zhou Qian stepped out, her assistant held an umbrella behind her. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight, the silver beaded bracelet on her wrist catching the light with a dazzling sparkle.

With filming about to begin, the crew began clearing the set. Fans who had come to visit the set leaked behind-the-scenes photos of Zhou Qian as Feng Nanzhi online.

#Sorry Zhou Qian, I was too harsh on your voice before#

Zhou Qian’s acting may be trash, but her face is undeniable. She’s exactly how I imagined Miss Feng from Jiangning!

Zhou Qian’s Lifelong Hater: Get real! What’s the point of being an actress with such terrible acting? If she just wants to be a pretty face, she should switch genres and stop torturing audiences.

 Just Love Sticking Close to Pretty Sisters : Fairy idols are all about looks, right? If the actress playing Feng Nanzhi is a great actress but not pretty, I’d rather Zhou Qian take the role.

 Neighborhood Committee’s Harmony and Care Organization : I honestly can’t tell if you’re fans or haters at this point.

The first scene was Zhou Qian, barefoot in a shallow stream under a stone bridge, playfully splashing water at Guangsheng, her childhood sweetheart. To prepare for the scene, Zhou Qian had spent the previous day studying similar scenes from veteran actors. Her hand gently flicked the water, sending droplets splashing toward Guangsheng.

The movement was fluid and natural, perfectly capturing the vivacity of a young girl in her prime. Director Xu of  Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree  found Zhou Qian’s performance today almost unbelievable. He had only taken on this lousy project to earn a living, knowing full well that the cast was predetermined by the company and aware of Zhou Qian’s lackluster acting skills. Yet, as he filmed this scene, he realized her acting wasn’t as terrible as everyone claimed.

Perhaps she’s been secretly taking acting classes and cramming?

Zhou Qian’s outstanding performance made the male actor appear stiff and awkward. At that moment, Director Xu called out, “Cut!”

Zhou Qian snapped out of her role at the sound of Director Xu’s voice booming through the megaphone. “The female lead’s performance was excellent,” he called out. “Male lead, try to be a little more natural. Let’s take a break, everyone, and run it again later.”

As soon as the director finished speaking, Ning Xiao rushed over and handed Zhou Qian a bottle of water, her eyes sparkling with surprise. “Qianqian, you were so natural just now! I almost thought someone else had taken over your body.”

Zhou Qian paused, her hand hovering over the water bottle. You have no idea how right you are, she thought. That’s exactly what happened.

She settled onto her portable stool, and Zheng Wenyuan, the male actor who had been acting opposite her, hurried over. “Zhou Qian, after all these months apart, you’ve really made me see you in a new light! I never expected you to stay on track while acting with me this time.”

If Zhou Qian remembered correctly, this was their second collaboration. Back then, her acting had been notoriously terrible, so she had been paired with male leads of equally poor skill. Zheng Wenyuan’s acting was visibly awful, and in another two years, he’d be too old for these ethereal, fantasy dramas.

Because he also had connections, Zheng Wenyuan was cast as Guangsheng, Feng Nanzhi’s childhood sweetheart. Before taking on the role, Zhou Qian had read the original novel. In the novel, Guangsheng, who grew up alongside Feng Nanzhi, died on the day Jiangning’s clan was massacred. However, the script had been heavily revised, transforming Guangsheng into the male lead.

Zhou Qian didn’t want to waste her breath arguing with him. She had many lines to rehearse later. She replied dismissively, “Yes, I know my acting was terrible. That’s why I chose to improve myself to spare the audience’s eyes. The fact that I didn’t mess up our scenes this time shows I’ve made some progress. But your performance seems to have deteriorated significantly. When are you planning to work on your skills? That way, we can nail scenes in one take instead of wasting an entire day on a single scene.”

Zheng Wenyuan recognized Zhou Qian’s veiled insult and suddenly adopted an arrogant expression. “You’re just riding someone else’s coattails. In this industry, apart from Song Luoxue, who else would hand you such opportunities so easily?”

Zhou Qian lifted her head and offered a polite smile. “By the same logic, you should also thank the boss who gave you these opportunities.”

Zheng Wenyuan’s face darkened instantly at Zhou Qian’s words.

Seeing his silence, Zhou Qian smiled and continued, “Mr. Zheng, I don’t think I’ve done anything to offend you. Besides, we’ll need to promote our on-screen chemistry for this drama. I’ll be nice to you during filming and promotion, and I expect you to treat me like your girlfriend.”

Zheng Wenyuan scoffed, “You think you could be my girlfriend? You must be living in a dream. Who would choose a woman like you as their girlfriend?”

Zhou Qian: “?”

This guy is way too full of himself. Did I even say anything like that? Is he misunderstanding something?

Normally, Zhou Qian would have punched him first, then dusted off her hands and walked away. But she couldn’t afford to do that now. This drama was her last chance. If news broke on the first day of filming that the lead actors had a physical altercation on set, it would inevitably delay production and damage future promotion.

Fine, I’ll hold back for now. But you’d better remember this, kid.

Zhou Qian forced another polite smile. “Thank you for the compliment. Now, you should go memorize your lines.”

Seeing Zhou Qian’s dismissive attitude, Zheng Wenyuan began to pester her. “Anyway, we have a scene together next. You don’t mind if I rehearse my lines next to you, do you?”

Zhou Qian clenched her fists, forcing herself to relax. With a strained smile, she replied, “Suit yourself.”

Zheng Wenyuan had been propped up by money, lacking both culture and manners. Perhaps bullying his fellow actors amused him, but Zhou Qian pitied him. His ignorance and rudeness had already limited his potential. In the novel, he was even more of a cannon fodder character than the original Zhou Qian. She simply didn’t have time for such people.

Despite the distractions around her, Zhou Qian focused intently and memorized all her lines for the next scene. In truth, she had already memorized them; she was just reviewing them to avoid mistakes during filming that would waste everyone’s time.

Two scenes were shot that day, both at the Jiangnan scenic area. As soon as filming wrapped, before Zhou Qian could even relax, Ning Xiao mysteriously grabbed Song Luoxue and dragged her toward the cleared-out stream bridge.

Zhou Qian frowned slightly. “Hey, what’s the rush? Let me at least have a drink of water first!”

Ning Xiao: “It’s a surprise from Best Actress Song! Come on, hurry up!”

Song Luoxue? What was she up to now?

The scenic area was beautifully illuminated at night, with vibrant lights reflecting off the water’s surface. As they neared their destination, Ning Xiao deliberately covered Zhou Qian’s eyes and asked her to count down from three.

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One!”

As Zhou Qian finished counting, Ning Xiao released her hand. Zhou Qian immediately noticed flickering lights ahead and a sweet, floral fragrance of camellias in the air.

Slowly opening her eyes, Zhou Qian discovered a long row of flower bouquets lining the bridge. Each bouquet featured support lights for Zhou Qian and her character, arranged with camellias and champagne roses in various colors. Amidst the lights, a large banner blazed: “Congratulations to Zhou Qian on the tremendous success of ‘Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree’!”