After Becoming an Alpha, I Marked My Nemesis - Chapter 30

Song Luoxue paused slightly at the doctor’s words, then smiled. “Sir, you certainly have a sense of humor.”

Meanwhile, Zhou Qian paced slowly outside the consultation room.

She had been waiting for a long time. Only when the doctor called her in did she hurry into the room. But by the time she entered, Song Luoxue had already vanished. The doctor, wearing a solemn expression, turned to Zhou Qian. “You’re the patient’s family member, correct?”

Zhou Qian nodded. “Yes.”

“The patient’s condition isn’t ideal,” the doctor continued.

Zhou Qian’s brow furrowed. She looked at the doctor, her expression equally serious. “Tell me. I can handle it.”

The doctor paused, then adjusted his glasses and continued. “The patient doesn’t remember if she’s ever experienced memory loss. Her emotions fluctuate wildly—easily agitated one moment, deeply depressed the next. This strongly resembles bipolar disorder, a common mental illness. The alternating extremes of mood could explain the memory lapses. Another possibility is a mild form of personality disorder, but such issues often go undetected through standard psychological assessments.”

Zhou Qian was bombarded with psychiatric jargon, leaving her head spinning. “Wait!” she exclaimed. “If the doctor’s assessment is correct, does that mean she needs to be hospitalized?”

The doctor, seeing the patient’s family member growing agitated before he had finished explaining, maintained a grave expression. “Since Madam Song shows no signs of Dissociative Identity Disorder, we recommend conservative treatment for now. I’ll prescribe some medication. If she experiences further memory loss or sudden episodes of mania, please call our hospital immediately.”

Zhou Qian felt the doctor had said everything and yet nothing at all.

She saw Song Luoxue again on the way home. Song Luoxue grinned, as cheerful as ever, and said, “I told you I wasn’t sick! You didn’t believe me.”

Zhou Qian paused, taken aback. If Song Luoxue had remained silent, Zhou Qian might have continued to doubt her illness. But Song Luoxue’s insistence only made it seem like she was trying too hard to hide something.

Song Luoxue drove in the driver’s seat. Zhou Qian, sitting beside her, pondered for a moment before saying, “Even though the doctor said there’s no immediate danger, you still need to take the medication they prescribed. I’ll take you for a follow-up appointment in a while.”

Song Luoxue smiled and replied, “Alright, alright, I get it.”

Zhou Qian repeatedly emphasized that this was no joke, but Song Luoxue merely laughed it off. Zhou Qian felt that Song Luoxue wasn’t taking the matter seriously at all, and even her agreeing to go to the hospital seemed like she was just humoring her.

Zhou Qian’s TV drama, Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree, became an instant hit with viewers. Her portrayal of Feng Nanzhi—a brave, kind-hearted character with clear-cut likes and dislikes—particularly resonated with audiences. The opening scene, where Feng Nanzhi’s entire family in Jiangning is massacred, left fans and casual viewers alike heartbroken.

Her performance in this web drama was exceptional, surpassing all her previous roles combined. Since Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree aired during the summer, it garnered immense popularity, propelling Zhou Qian to the top of the “Trending Stars” charts multiple times.

Riding the wave of the drama’s popularity, Zhou Qian also secured several lucrative endorsement deals with major luxury brands.

This stark contrast made Zhou Qian acutely aware of the world’s inequalities. Before her rise to fame, she was largely ignored wherever she went. But now, basking in the glow of her newfound popularity, everyone around her showered her with warmth and concern, as if she had suddenly stepped from a hostile world into one where every face greeted her with a smile.

While others might wear two faces, Song Luoxue remained unchanged. Even before Zhou Qian’s fame, Song Luoxue had always been by her side, providing resources and opportunities, and always ready to give her a helping hand whenever it could benefit her.

Despite her busy schedule this past month, Zhou Qian made sure to take Song Luoxue to the hospital for her follow-up checkup. So far, Song Luoxue hadn’t exhibited any unusual behavior.

What troubled Zhou Qian was that Song Luoxue often said things she had heard in another world, though she could never quite recall where she had heard them.

Since gaining some popularity, Song Luoxue had been constantly away from home, as if she had truly become a shareholder in some major corporation, attending meetings every day.

The TV drama Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree aired for over a month during the summer, propelling Zhou Qian to stardom as one of the most popular post-2000s Traffic Little Flowers. Coinciding with this success, a “Rising Star Awards Gala” was scheduled, and Zhou Qian, as one of the breakout stars, was naturally invited to attend.

Zhou Qian had never been one to shy away from the spotlight. Since elementary school, she had eagerly volunteered for every school performance, eager to showcase her talents. Yet, facing the overwhelming array of cameras and blinding lights, she felt a flicker of fear.

Because I’m not the original Zhou Qian, she thought. What if someone discovers my true identity one day?

And what would happen then?

The original Zhou Qian was essentially gone, and she was now the Zhou Qian of this world. Everyone around her believed she had reformed her old habits, striving to become a better person.

The person most likely to uncover her secret was Song Luoxue, the woman she lived with day and night.

Click, click, click— The cameras below the stage snapped incessantly.

Zhou Qian’s fans screamed from the audience: “Zhou Qian! Zhou Qian! We love you!!”

“Qianqian, look over here!”

Zhou Qian wore a backless black evening gown, her butterfly bones standing out vividly under the bright lights. The sharp angles of her shoulder blades seemed like a pair of wings on her back.

She stepped onto the stage, faced the sea of faces below, and smiled. “Hello everyone, I’m Zhou Qian.”

Her words were immediately met with a chorus of screams from the audience.

“Zhou Qian! Zhou Qian!”

A woman holding the award trophy handed it to Zhou Qian, who accepted it with a polite “Thank you.”

After receiving the Newcomer Traffic Little Flower Award, Zhou Qian began her acceptance speech: “First, I want to thank this platform for giving me this opportunity. I also want to thank all my fans and viewers for their unwavering support. Without you, I wouldn’t be standing here today! Finally, I promise to continue honing my acting skills and strive to be a better person.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a wave of applause erupted from the audience: “Clap clap clap—”

Despite the noisy crowd, Zhou Qian still managed to overhear snippets of conversation.

“Isn’t she that actress who used to have terrible acting skills and a terrible reputation? How did she become a rising Traffic Little Flower?”

“Have you seen her new drama, Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree? Her acting in it is phenomenal, and the script is brilliantly adapted. That’s why she’s become so popular this summer.”

“I heard Song Luoxue got her the role. It’s been almost a year since they officially announced their relationship, right? I wonder if they’re still together?”

“The more I hear, the more ironic it seems. Song Luoxue is such a brilliant actress, yet she’s retiring and promoting someone as morally bankrupt as Zhou Qian. I can’t understand what she’s thinking!”

“Exactly! In a few years, no one will remember Song Luoxue, the nation’s former ‘White Moonlight.’ Let’s just wait and see how this ‘love-struck fool’ ends up.”

Indeed, if Zhou Qian hadn’t transmigrated, Song Luoxue’s fate would have been tragic. The original Zhou Qian’s fate was even more miserable, but now that Zhou Qian was here, she wouldn’t let that happen.

After Zhou Qian finished her acceptance speech, the host took the stage: “Thank you, Miss Zhou, for your heartfelt words. We can see how thrilled your fans are to see you here tonight. Would you like to say a few more words to them?”

Zhou Qian paused slightly, caught off guard.

This segment hadn’t been mentioned beforehand, so she had to improvise her response.

Zhou Qian took the microphone. “Hmm… Thank you to all my fans for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this New Rising Traffic Little Flower Awards ceremony. I also heard many of your heartfelt messages backstage, and I’d like to address some of your questions here.”

The host observed the crowd’s reaction. Zhou Qian’s fans were indeed numerous, and they erupted in excitement at her words.

“It seems everyone is eager to hear from Miss Zhou. As the female lead of this summer’s hit drama Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree, you must have plenty of behind-the-scenes stories to share with your fans, right?”

Zhou Qian’s lips curved into a slight smile. It was clear the host had improvised this Q&A segment to liven up the atmosphere, and he was now guiding her to answer the fans’ questions. But Zhou Qian, ever rebellious, refused to follow his script.

She shook her head, still smiling. “No, I want to talk about something personal.”

A collective gasp swept through the audience, followed by frenzied screams from her fans.

The host looked visibly flustered, forced to follow Zhou Qian’s lead. “Discussing personal matters at such an event might be inappropriate, don’t you think?”

“Perfect! We want to hear it!”

“Zhou Qian, please tell us loudly!”

The fans’ enthusiasm from below the stage exceeded Zhou Qian’s expectations. She raised her hand and made her signature silencing gesture. In the past, this would have sent the crowd into a frenzy, but ever since Zhou Qian joined the fan group under her official account, she had agreed with them beforehand that this gesture meant they needed to be quiet.

True to their word, the fans immediately fell silent.

To the fans, this was a unique secret code between them and Zhou Qian, known only to her “Shallow Fans.” The sudden quiet left the stage host looking flustered.

Just then, Zhou Qian smiled and said, “Luo Xue and I are doing great. Just yesterday, we were… Oh, wait, am I allowed to say that?”

She turned to the host.

The crowd went deathly silent for a few seconds. Then, the former die-hard fans of Song Luoxue finally couldn’t contain themselves and erupted into screams: “Aaaaaah—!”

There’s another update coming tonight! (>)<*)