After Becoming an Alpha, I Marked My Nemesis - Chapter 24

Zhou Qian’s biggest fan.

Zhou Qian’s mouth fell slightly open in surprise. She quickly composed herself, forcing a casual smile. “Really? Maybe she genuinely cares about my fans. Speaking of which, Luo Xue, don’t you have fans like that too? They’re always saying things like ‘I love you’ every day.”

Song Luoxue chuckled at her “evasion.” She draped an arm around Zhou Qian’s shoulder and slowly settled onto her lap. “So, you’re jealous?”

Zhou Qian frowned slightly, her expression conflicted. If you hadn’t said that earlier, I wouldn’t have taken the bait so easily.

Never mind. Song Luoxue’s words are more important right now.

She continued, “Yes, seeing so many people adore you every day does make me jealous.”

Song Luoxue wrapped an arm around Zhou Qian and gently tapped her nose. “Whether it’s jealousy or envy, only you truly know.”

Zhou Qian’s eyes widened at this. Seething with anger, she pinned Song Luoxue beneath her. “Luo Xue, why do you always say such cutting things when we’re alone? My heart is so genuine toward you—how could I possibly envy you?”

When Zhou Qian pressed down hard, Song Luoxue felt a surge of exhilarating pain. She smiled up at Zhou Qian and said, “That depends on how sincere you truly are.”

For some reason, Zhou Qian felt an overwhelming urge to conquer Song Luoxue after hearing those words. She desperately wanted to tame this arrogant woman who seemed to think she was above the world. When had Song Luoxue ever begged for mercy?

Ah, right.

Zhou Qian remembered the day Song Luoxue’s heat cycle had begun. Against all expectations, Song Luoxue had abandoned her usual haughty demeanor and begged Zhou Qian to mark her. As this memory surfaced, a sinister smile crept across Zhou Qian’s lips, as if she were plotting something wicked.

Seeing Zhou Qian’s smile, Song Luoxue struggled to free one arm from Zhou Qian’s grip. Her cool hand reached up to caress Zhou Qian’s cheek. “What’s wrong? Are you angry?”

Zhou Qian’s gaze locked onto Song Luoxue like an eagle eyeing its prey. When Zhou Qian remained silent, Song Luoxue adopted a pitiful, guilty expression. “I’m sorr—”

“Mmmph—” Before she could finish apologizing, Zhou Qian silenced her with a fierce kiss. Song Luoxue’s eyes widened in shock. Zhou Qian was forcefully kissing her?

Song Luoxue struggled to keep up with Zhou Qian’s pace, feeling breathless and on the verge of suffocation. She wrenched free with her other hand and tried to push Zhou Qian away with both hands. “No, stop for a moment. Let me catch my breath, uh…”

Before she could finish, Zhou Qian deepened the kiss again. Song Luoxue’s cheeks flushed crimson as the green tea rose scent of Zhou Qian’s pheromones filled the air.

Zhou Qian had already marked her before, so when her mate Alpha released her pheromones, Song Luoxue experienced symptoms similar to her heat cycle. Zhou Qian’s pheromones could be either a soothing remedy to suppress her heat or a potent aphrodisiac that intensified it. The scent was both dangerous and alluring, and it was easy to lose oneself in its intoxicating embrace.

Suddenly, Zhou Qian tasted bl00d in her mouth. Frowning, she released Song Luoxue’s head. Song Luoxue glared at her resentfully, a trickle of bl00d at the corner of her lips. “Are you trying to murder me?”

Zhou Qian felt a pang of injustice. You bit me so hard just now, I almost lost my tongue! Shouldn’t I be the one accusing you of attempted murder?

“Madam Song, will you still dare to speak so sarcastically in the future?”

Song Luoxue’s slightly flushed face broke into a smile. “Yes, I still dare.”

Zhou Qian froze, momentarily taken aback. She desperately wanted to do something even more outrageous to Song Luoxue, but her reason told her she couldn’t cross that line. Otherwise, Song Luoxue would resent her forever.

Zhou Qian always kept one thing in mind: she would eventually leave Song Luoxue. Therefore, she couldn’t do anything to hurt her during their time together.

At that moment, Song Luoxue wrapped her arms around Zhou Qian’s neck. “But I won’t say such things again, darling. You’re not angry anymore, are you?”

Zhou Qian pressed her head against Song Luoxue’s, feeling her face burn. She could still smell Song Luoxue’s camellia pheromone.

Unable to resist, Zhou Qian reached out and gently touched Song Luoxue’s soft lower lip. Though it was bare of lipstick, the lip was as red as fresh bl00d. She murmured, “I’ve never been angry with you.”

Song Luoxue’s retirement from the entertainment industry caused a brief sensation online, but as she had predicted, the buzz faded within a couple of weeks. Although Song Luoxue had left the industry, Zhou Qian remained. Without the resources Song Luoxue had provided, Zhou Qian received even fewer offers for acting roles.

Apart from sporadic appearances at events for brands she endorsed, Zhou Qian had no other work. When she wasn’t holed up at home, she was busy promoting Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree. While such promotional duties were typically handled by publicity staff, Zhou Qian insisted on personally attending events in each location to boost the drama’s visibility.

Zhou Qian’s fanbase was small but fiercely loyal, especially her wealthy superfan known as “Pianpian.” Whenever Zhou Qian visited a new city to promote her drama, she would receive flowers from Pianpian.

Despite Zhou Qian’s repeated attempts to meet Pianpian in person, she never succeeded. Knowing that Pianpian rarely participated in the Super Topic, Zhou Qian created a secret Weibo account. Using this alias, she infiltrated her own superfan group, where legend had it that Pianpian was the group’s administrator. All the members of this group were said to be Zhou Qian’s most devoted followers.

Zhou Qian had spent tens of thousands of yuan buying products from the luxury brand she endorsed just to gain access to this fan group.

Once inside the group, she immediately began praising herself in the tone of a devoted fan.

 Zhou Qian’s Little Kitten:  “Zhou Qian is going to S City next time to promote Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree! My schedule conflicts that day, and I really want to go, waaaah!”

 Qianqian, I’ll stan you forever:  “Don’t worry, sis! There will be a livestream replay. You can ask the admins or group owner for the raw photos from the event. Our Qianqian is the queen of raw photos—her pictures are so stunning they don’t need editing at all! Our Station Sisters just post them straight from the camera, no hassle!”

Zhou Qian quickly blended in with the group of die-hard fans. Once she felt they had lowered their guard, she asked, “I’ve seen Big Shot Pianpian send flowers to Qianqian at her events several times. Is she in this group? I’d really love to meet her!”

After Zhou Qian sent this message, the group suddenly fell silent.

After five minutes of silence, Zhou Qian nervously typed another message, her fingers trembling: “Um… did I say something wrong? Why is everyone so quiet?”

Within a minute of sending her message, someone replied:

Who says Bluebirds and Flying Fish can’t love each other? @Most Beloved Qianqian’s Little Kitten: Sisters, you’re a fan, right?

Zhou Qian immediately replied:  Of course I’m a fan! Ever since I started supporting Qianqian, my back pain and leg aches have disappeared, and I can climb ten flights of stairs in one go!

Remember to Feed My Cat Today: Whew… Good to know you’re a fan. This sister provided proof when she joined the group, so at least she’s not one of those anti-fans. Our Qianqian hasn’t done anything seriously wrong—even the paparazzi can’t find any dirt on her.

Zhou Qian Is My Lifelong Love: Sister, sorry, our group is very sensitive about anti-fans. We had an incident before where an anti-fan infiltrated the group to dig up dirt on our Qianqian. Big Shot Pianpian disbanded the entire group overnight. Now, anyone joining must provide proof of their support for Qianqian to prevent malicious individuals from spreading negative rumors.

Relieved, Zhou Qian quickly replied:  Oh, I see! I thought I’d said something wrong.

The catnip had made her a little dizzy. Everyone was particularly sensitive about this issue due to past incidents. As for Pianpian, none of us have ever actually met her. She manages numerous alt accounts, essentially controlling the entire shallow fan community. The group admins and moderators are either Pianpian herself or her close friends.

Zhou Qian had joined this group solely to catch a glimpse of Pianpian, but even the major fans who shared the group with her had never seen her. As a newcomer, her chances were even slimmer.

After chatting with these major fans for a while, Zhou Qian realized they had all been drawn in by her looks. It was the same old story: “Attracted by appearance, loyal to character.” But the fans who admired her character had only joined after Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree aired.

This meant the original Zhou Qian had indeed possessed only a pretty face, failing to cherish her own reputation.

Now, Zhou Qian closed her phone, lay back on the bed with her arms pillowing her head, and stared at the ceiling. Who exactly is Pianpian? she wondered. Considering the extravagant gifts of flowers she sends every time, she must come from a wealthy family.

Zhou Qian shifted restlessly. I wonder what Song Luoxue has been up to lately. Since announcing her retirement, she hasn’t come to see me much, except during her heat cycles.

Zhou Qian tossed and turned in bed, her mind racing with frustration. For months, she hadn’t received any film or television offers, nor had she been approached for endorsements or variety shows. Relying solely on Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree to revive her career in the short term seemed unrealistic. If this continued, audiences might forget about her entirely.

Even Zhou Qian’s self-discipline couldn’t withstand the lack of work. The daily routine of indolence made it all too easy to slip into laziness. Yesterday, she had even forgotten to wake up early, sleeping straight through until the afternoon.

Her motivation was intrinsically tied to her work. Without it, her usual vitality seemed to vanish.

After more restless tossing and turning, Zhou Qian picked up her phone and opened her messages. She tapped on Song Luoxue’s profile: Hey, are you there?

The message had been sent before Zhou Qian even realized what she was doing. She immediately retracted it.

It’s so late. Song Luoxue must be asleep by now.

Just as Zhou Qian thought this, a message appeared in Song Luoxue’s chat: What’s up? Missing me?