After Becoming an Alpha, I Marked My Nemesis - Chapter 46

I originally thought this wealthy woman’s involvement would end there, but the next day she posted in the group about spending another three million yuan on Zhou Qian’s endorsed merchandise and luxury brands.

According to her own explanation, the former group leader had spent five million yuan on Zhou Qian when she was a fan. To show she liked Zhou Qian even more than Pianpian, who had since stopped being a fan, she spent an extra million yuan as a slight gesture.

Judging by her username, “Qianxue Yisheng Tui” (Qianxue Forever), this wealthy woman was likely a CP fan of Zhou Qian and Song Luoxue. As a result, she attracted many Song Luoxue fans to support Zhou Qian.

Even if Song Luoxue disliked Zhou Qian, her fans had to say good things about Zhou Qian for Song Luoxue’s sake.

A few days later, Zhou Qian was discharged from the hospital, but she still needed Song Luoxue’s help applying ointment. When applying the ointment, Zhou Qian lay face down like a salted fish, while Song Luoxue used a cotton swab dipped in the cool medicinal cream to trace patterns across her back.

Feeling a ticklish sensation, Zhou Qian couldn’t help but giggle. Hearing her laugh, Song Luoxue pursed her lips. “You’re in this state, and you’re still laughing?”

Zhou Qian paused, slightly taken aback. “It’s just your touch is too ticklish. Besides, the ointment is supposed to be cooling.”

After swiftly applying the medicine to Zhou Qian, Song Luoxue lay down beside her. “If you weren’t still sick, I’d devour you right now.”

Zhou Qian blinked in surprise. Song Luoxue had never been one for such bold, suggestive remarks. How did she suddenly become so smooth-tongued?

Zhou Qian mumbled like a little pig, “Then you’d better hope I get better soon. If I’m still sick when your heat cycle hits, that’ll be a real problem.”

Song Luoxue’s expression darkened instantly. She leaned closer to Zhou Qian. “What? Are you trying to threaten me?”

“I didn’t say that!” Zhou Qian protested quickly. “You’re just imagining things.”

Song Luoxue’s face was now so close their noses nearly touched. She gently kissed Zhou Qian’s cheek. “I won’t punish you today.”

The scenes filmed in the apartment at New Jia Film City were now complete. Next came the outdoor shots, including a scene where Zhou Qian is drinking coffee in a café that suddenly explodes. The culprit brushes past her in the chaos.

This scene carried a certain degree of risk, but Zhou Qian chose to take the plunge and try it herself. Before the official filming began, a stunt double would rehearse the scene nearby.

As Zhou Qian sat watching the stunt double in the café, a sudden explosion rocked the set. Instinctively, she covered her ears. She was genuinely terrified by the blast, but she knew she had to continue filming.

After the stunt double rehearsed the first scene, it was Zhou Qian’s turn. Still shaken by the explosion, she stood frozen in place, unable to regain her composure until Ning Xiao called out to her.

Noticing Zhou Qian’s distressed state, Ning Xiao quickly asked, “Sister Qianqian, what’s wrong? You seem so distracted.”

Zhou Qian snapped back to reality. “Ah? That… I’m fine.”

As if reading her mind, Ning Xiao continued, “Sister Qianqian, don’t worry. We have professionals in charge here. They’ll ensure your safety during the explosion.”

Zhou Qian nodded guiltily. She wasn’t afraid of being cut by glass shards during the explosion; her real fear was the deafening blast itself. Ever since childhood, she had been terrified of loud noises, even the pop of a balloon made her tremble.

Her fearful expression during the scene was perfectly appropriate. As she drank her coffee, her hand began to shake visibly, the tremor of the cup clearly visible in the shot. This was the natural reaction of Le Yi, the protagonist, upon realizing the killer had her in his sights.

Zhou Qian’s eyes darted around nervously, as if searching for the killer’s shadow. Just then, a series of loud bangs echoed through the café. At the sound, the coffee cup slipped from her trembling hand, crashing to the floor with a clatter.

As the cup shattered, Zhou Qian scrambled to her feet, clutching her head as she bolted for the exit. A masked man brushed past her, a sinister smile seeming to flash beneath his mask—a smile that seemed to whisper, “You can’t escape.”

Once Zhou Qian had fled the café, the shot was complete. Li Maoshan called out, “Cut!”

At that moment, he clapped his hands and said, “Xiao Zhou’s performance was excellent!” He nodded approvingly at Zhou Qian.

He had never imagined a newcomer could be so formidable. Since Zhou Qian had taken on this role, she had nailed nearly every scene in a single take, saving the crew considerable time. Moreover, her performances were consistently outstanding.

Her acting was nothing like the online rumors that claimed she could only wail hysterically.

After finishing her scenes for the day, Zhou Qian left work. Song Luoxue, worried about Zhou Qian filming alone, had booked a room at a hotel near the set, vowing to stay until the injury on Zhou Qian’s back healed.

When Zhou Qian returned to the hotel, she found Song Luoxue had ordered a feast to reward her.

As Zhou Qian approached, Song Luoxue frowned slightly. “Why do you smell so strongly of gunpowder?”

Song Luoxue meant the literal smell of gunpowder. Zhou Qian, feeling a little guilty, grinned sheepishly. “We filmed some explosion scenes today, so I got covered in gunpowder.”

Song Luoxue’s face paled at the news. She pointed at Zhou Qian and snapped, “Well, well, Zhou Qian, you’ve certainly grown bold! How dare you film such a dangerous scene behind my back?”

Seeing Song Luoxue’s anger, Zhou Qian stepped forward and gently stroked her back. “Luo Xue, please let me explain. It’s part of my job, you know? Remember those explosion scenes you filmed before? Besides, there were crew members monitoring the set the whole time. Nothing happened to me, did it?”

Song Luoxue’s anger subsided slightly after hearing Zhou Qian’s explanation, but she still insisted, “Next time you have such a dangerous job, you must tell me beforehand.”

Zhou Qian nodded repeatedly. The two women settled on the sofa to share dinner. To enhance the atmosphere, Song Luoxue lit scented candles on either side of the table.

Song Luoxue opened a bottle of champagne and raised her glass in a toast. “To Dreaming of Murder! May it be a box office smash!”

Zhou Qian paused, then chuckled. “I didn’t expect your blessing to come before the film is even finished!”

Zhou Qian raised her champagne glass. “Then let’s toast to your good fortune, Luo Xue.”

The two women clinked glasses and drained their champagne in one gulp.

For the next month, Zhou Qian remained on set filming Dreaming of a Murder. The drama still had a few scenes that needed reshoots, which would likely take several more days to complete.

Meanwhile, Song Luoxue received a message from Mo Zhen informing her that Li Xiulan had come to make trouble again, urging her to return and handle the situation.

Having anticipated this, Song Luoxue instructed Mo Zhen, “Just tell them I’m away on a business trip and won’t be back for a few days. After you’ve used that excuse to get rid of them, lock the house. Tell the servants not to clean for the next few days. We’ll deal with everything when I get back.”

“Understood,” Mo Zhen replied over the phone. “I’ll take care of it immediately.”

Song Luoxue had long known Li Xiulan and her son would come knocking again. But she refused to let them live comfortably. She wanted to make them sweat first, to let their anxiety fester until they couldn’t eat or sleep. Only then would she return and resolve the matter on her terms.

Song Luoxue had been busy with her brands, needing to recruit more renowned designers with distinctive creative styles. She understood that design was paramount for mid-range luxury brands, so she had spent the past few months in talks with several prominent domestic designers. Three of them had agreed to join her brands, “Qianxue” and “Shengxia.”

For staffing—store clerks, managers, and other employees—she had outsourced recruitment to an agency. “Qianxue,” established just three months prior, had already generated 8 million yuan in revenue for Song Luoxue. While slightly below her initial projections, the performance was still respectable. Business, after all, involves both gains and losses. Though initial operations had been unprofitable, quarterly revenue was now trending upward.

Song Luoxue lay languidly on the sofa. In addition to her primary villa, she owned a riverfront apartment, purchased after her transmigration. The apartment’s decor reflected her personal tastes perfectly.

As she idly scrolled through her phone, a message from “Chu Ruobing” popped up: Luo Xue, are you free next Saturday? I’m organizing a high school reunion. If you’re available, please join us!

Though Zhou Qian really didn’t want to deal with Chu Ruobing right now, he was, after all, the original female lead’s White Moonlight. So she casually replied, “That depends on whether my girlfriend is free next Saturday. I’d feel a bit awkward going alone.”

After seeing this message, Chu Ruobing typed back, “Okay, okay. If you’re free next Saturday, let me know in advance so I can make arrangements.”

Song Luoxue agreed to his request.

Sigh… Interacting with people from the original world is truly exhausting. But after seeing Chu Ruobing’s demeanor toward her at the bar that day, she realized he didn’t seem particularly fond of her. On the other hand, the way he looked at Zhou Qian that day was different. Song Luoxue had even asked Zhou Qian about it afterward, and Zhou Qian confirmed that Chu Ruobing had initiated the conversation.