After Becoming an Alpha, I Marked My Nemesis - Chapter 36

Perhaps… Zhou Qian had devised the idea of notarizing their assets as a way to win her over. Zhou Qian must have thought that if she could secure Song Luoxue’s heart, everything Song Luoxue owned would become hers.

Song Luoxue was a highly cautious person, unwilling to trust others easily, especially Zhou Qian. After all, she had read the novel. While the original author’s writing wasn’t particularly refined, they had vividly portrayed the depths of human malice.

Song Luoxue dared not gamble. If she made the wrong bet, her own corpse would be floating in the moat.

The first rays of dawn streamed into the bedroom. Song Luoxue lay half-reclined beside Zhou Qian, slowly reaching out to playfully rub her nose. “Still angry?”

Feeling the ticklish sensation on her nose, Zhou Qian turned away. Undeterred, Song Luoxue pounced on her like a playful kitten, nuzzling her. “Okay, please don’t be mad anymore. Yesterday was all my fault. I’m apologizing now, okay?”

Zhou Qian continued to turn her head away, feigning anger. “Didn’t you say yesterday that our love was unreliable? Maybe we should just break up.”

Song Luoxue didn’t want to be threatened like this. She suddenly grabbed Zhou Qian’s chin, forcing her to look at her. “You need to understand,” she said, “the thing I hate most in this world is people who try to threaten me.”

Zhou Qian refused to back down, sneering coldly. “If you don’t want to be threatened, then breaking up would be the most sensible option.”

Song Luoxue paused slightly at her words, then smiled. “How is that not a threat? You marked me, so you have to take responsibility for me. If you run to the ends of the earth, I’ll chase you down. If you disobey me, I’ll lock you up, break your legs, and make sure you never dare utter the word ‘breakup’ again.”

Zhou Qian’s eyes widened in shock. She knew Song Luoxue still had some yandere tendencies, but since transmigrating into the novel, she hadn’t done anything wrong. Why was she still facing the prospect of having her legs broken?

To protect her legs, Zhou Qian had no choice but to submit to the female lead. “Yes… I’ll obey.”

Hearing this, Song Luoxue’s mood brightened considerably. She smiled and reached out to stroke Zhou Qian’s cheek. “That’s more like it. If you keep acting so stubborn, I might actually do something to you.”

Zhou Qian: “……”

Oh, thank you!

As Song Luoxue moved to touch her face again, Zhou Qian dodged away. “Why do you always want to touch my face?”

Why?

The answer was simple: because you look like her.

But Song Luoxue couldn’t afford to anger the little kitten. She feigned nonchalance and chuckled, “Because your skin is so smooth and delicate, like the shell of an egg. I just can’t resist.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian suddenly recalled a similar comment from someone in high school: “Because your skin is so smooth and delicate, I love touching it.”

Back then, Zhou Qian had retorted with, “Have you washed your hands?” That exchange had plunged their relationship into icy depths, and Song Luoxue had been competing with her at every turn ever since.

For example, both were top students, consistently ranking among the top three in their class. Yet Song Luoxue always managed to outscore her, taunting her with a smug grin: “You’ll always be second best. Don’t even bother trying to compete for first place with me. I’ll always be number one, and you’ll always be trailing behind.”

From that moment on, Zhou Qian resolved to work tirelessly, striving to surpass Song Luoxue one day. But the day she finally did, Song Luoxue transferred schools. When they met again later, they were in separate social circles, and Song Luoxue still enjoyed sparring with her as before.

Zhou Qian wondered if she was going crazy. She actually found the current Song Luoxue to be gentler. Though they shared the same face, their personalities were worlds apart.

A fleeting thought crossed Zhou Qian’s mind: if this Song Luoxue weren’t the protagonist of the novel, the heroine destined to break her legs, she might actually fall for this national White Moonlight.

As Zhou Qian was lost in these thoughts, Song Luoxue reached out and pinched her cheeks, making her look like a hamster with its pouches stuffed full. Her words came out muffled: “What are you doing…?”

Song Luoxue gazed at her with mild displeasure. “You’re on my bed, and you still dare to be so distracted?”

Zhou Qian reached out and tugged at Song Luoxue’s hand. “Stop pinching my cheeks like that! I’ll get facial paralysis if you keep doing it.”

That couldn’t happen. Zhou Qian’s radiant smile was her favorite thing to see.

Hearing this, Song Luoxue immediately released her grip.

Still uncertain, Zhou Qian pressed the matter again. “Luo Xue, about the property notarization I mentioned…”

Song Luoxue’s brow furrowed instantly. “Since I’ve already agreed, I’ll definitely take care of it for you. Don’t worry.”

Only then did Zhou Qian dare to breathe a sigh of relief.

It’s not just me who needs reassurance, but you too, Zhou Qian thought. To prevent the story from unfolding like the novel, she first needed to clearly separate herself from Song Luoxue’s wealth. Otherwise, the plot would run wild, beyond her control.

Something’s fishy here.

In the novel, Zhou Qian had always been obsessed with money. So when she suddenly proposed property notarization, Song Luoxue naturally suspected her motives. While outwardly agreeing to Zhou Qian’s request, Song Luoxue had already tasked Mo Zhen with handling the matter. She would undoubtedly produce a “certificate” that would satisfy Zhou Qian.

A few days later, Zhou Qian’s audition day arrived. Although she still suspected Song Luoxue was scheming something, she was now too preoccupied with the audition to dwell on it. At least this matter was settled, giving her some assurance for the future.

Zhou Qian arrived at New Jia Film and Television City, the largest film and television production hub in S City, where multiple dramas were being filmed simultaneously. She recalled that many of Song Luoxue’s modern dramas had been shot here.

Zhou Qian was auditioning for the role of Le Yi, the female lead—a working-class woman living in a dilapidated apartment. She wore a sharp business suit with capri pants and leather shoes, provided by the production team. The outfit fit well, but she felt a slight looseness around the chest, as if a draft was seeping in from below.

Standing before the dressing room mirror, Zhou Qian asked Ning Xiao, “Ning Xiao, do you think I’ve lost weight recently?”

Ning Xiao frowned slightly. “No, you weighed yourself when you arrived, didn’t you?”

Zhou Qian looked disappointed. “Oh… I see. I thought the clothes felt a bit small, so I assumed I’d lost weight.”

Ning Xiao chuckled awkwardly. “Um… Sister Qianqian, it’s not that you’ve lost weight,” she said, lowering her voice. “It’s actually because your chest is… smaller.”

Zhou Qian’s face flushed crimson. She covered her eyes. “Aiya, don’t say any more!”

Ning Xiao quickly reassured her, “Okay, okay, I won’t.”

After changing, Zhou Qian hurried to the filming set. This audition was different from previous ones. Li Maoshan had Zhou Qian film the scene where Le Yi is cornered on the building’s rooftop and nearly falls off.

To be honest, Zhou Qian was slightly afraid of heights. Normally, she avoided lingering near high edges, so it wasn’t usually a problem. But this time, she had to stay by the rooftop’s edge for an extended period, with her gaze directed downward. Zhou Qian felt an unprecedented wave of fear, and her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Li Maoshan, who was watching his assistant set up the camera, noticed Zhou Qian and approached her. “Miss Zhou, I presume you’ve already reviewed the rooftop scene in the script?”

Zhou Qian nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

Li Maoshan continued, “We’ll start filming in thirty minutes. Please prepare yourself.”

“Okay.”

Zhou Qian slowly walked to the edge of the rooftop. When she opened her eyes and looked down, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, startling her into turning away. Beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.

Ning Xiao, who had been waiting nearby, noticed Zhou Qian’s distress and hurried to her side. “Sister Qianqian, what’s wrong?”

Snapping back to her senses, Zhou Qian shook her head. “I… I’m fine.”

Just as they finished speaking, Director Li announced through a megaphone, “All departments, take your positions! We’re about to start filming.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s cold sweat intensified. She felt frozen in place, her feet rooted to the ground.

She was truly terrified.

“Le Yi, move forward a bit. Ms. Zhou, follow in five minutes.”

Zhou Qian snapped back to attention. Even Ning Xiao chimed in beside her, “Sister Qianqian, it’s your turn! You can do this!”

Fear… she was truly terrified. Her terror seemed to have reached a critical point; just thinking about standing on the edge of the rooftop made her feel like she was about to fall.

If I fell from here, I’d be shattered to pieces, wouldn’t I?

“Ms. Zhou, you can come forward now.”

Zhou Qian snapped out of her daze at the sound of the director’s voice.

She was indeed afraid of heights, but she was even more terrified of falling back into the mire of her past. Song Luoxue must have experienced something similar before. If Song Luoxue could do it, why couldn’t she?

With her fear still etched on her face, Zhou Qian walked to the center of the rooftop. The actor playing the murderer, wearing a black mask marked with an “X” and holding a sharp knife, approached her.

Though Zhou Qian tried her best to conceal her fear, Li Maoshan, who had worked with countless actors, could sense her apprehension.

At that moment, he found himself admiring the actress. He had noticed her gathering her emotions by the rooftop earlier. Now, her face had gone pale, and her fear was suddenly laid bare on her face.