After the Scumbag Alpha Accidentally Marked the Blackened Villain - Chapter 15

Leng Jinxi’s heart trembled slightly at the sudden affectionate address. Her gaze swept across the people nearby, and once she had a sense of the situation, she softened. She turned to Lin Bie with a gaze full of gentle indulgence, allowing herself to be led away by the hand under the eyes of everyone present.

The others could only watch in stunned silence as the two walked off, left exchanging uncertain glances with Lin Qingsi.

Though Lin Qingsi hadn’t been standing far away earlier and hadn’t caught every word, she had heard enough to understand what those people had been trying to do. She didn’t need to pull anyone aside to talk—just her presence alone carried the authority of a board chair. The pressure she exuded made the onlookers visibly anxious.

She swept her cold gaze over the group and said icily, “You all heard what Lin Bie just said, didn’t you? From this moment on, none of you have anything to do with her.”

With Lin Qingsi—president of the Lin Group—making such a declaration, those people instantly understood that trying to cozy up to Lin Bie for favors was no longer an option.

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Unaware of what Lin Qingsi had said to those people, Lin Bie had dragged Leng Jinxi across the venue, weaving through the crowd until they reached a quiet corner of the banquet hall. Only once she confirmed no one was paying attention did she let go.

Aside from the earlier re-announcement of their engagement, the banquet was mostly an opportunity for elites to network and exchange favors. No one had time to pay attention to them now.

As Lin Bie let go of Leng Jinxi’s hand, she noticed a tension in the other’s expression and felt her own heart skip a beat.

Could Leng Jinxi be upset that she had pulled her away so publicly without discussing it first?

“Are you okay?” Lin Bie asked, withdrawing her hand. Her palm was slick with sweat, so she casually hid it behind her back. From Leng Jinxi’s perspective, though, it looked like Lin Bie was impatiently shaking her off.

Use her, then toss her aside?

Leng Jinxi narrowed her eyes slightly, a cold laugh escaping her lips. “Oh, I’m fine. I nearly spilled my drink, that’s all.”

Lin Bie blinked, caught off guard. “Sorry… I just saw you coming and wanted to get away from them as quickly as possible.”

Leng Jinxi gave her a quick glance, saying nothing in response.

She understood the intention: to truly shake those people off, Lin Bie had to display just how close they were. Her thinking was indeed sharper than before.

Standing opposite her, Leng Jinxi’s dark eyes glowed faintly under the banquet lights. Even with a slight frown, she emanated a cold and delicate kind of warmth. She looked at Lin Bie, as if she had something to say.

Lin Bie frowned slightly in confusion, just as she caught a faint whiff of roses—cool and crisp, unlike the usual warm floral sweetness. It was coming from Leng Jinxi.

Strange. Wasn’t Leng Jinxi’s pheromone scent camellia? Why did it smell like rose perfume?

Just as she was thinking that, Leng Jinxi coolly retrieved something from her bag. Lin Bie’s pupils widened at the sight.

It was a preserved rose specimen, beautifully encased in resin. Under the banquet lights, it sparkled faintly, almost glowing.

It was undeniably gorgeous—this frozen bloom perfectly matched Leng Jinxi in her red dress. Lin Bie couldn’t tell whether it was the flower that made the woman beautiful, or the other way around. And yet…

She stared in a daze, until Leng Jinxi’s voice cut through the air.

“Preserved roses last longer than fresh ones. If you want to give someone a flower, you should make sure it lasts. I froze it in liquid nitrogen for you. No need to thank me. Just don’t give your pollen-allergic sister flowers again.”

There was a faint smile on Leng Jinxi’s lips, her eyes narrowed slightly in amusement, making it hard to read her expression. She gently placed the preserved rose in Lin Bie’s hand with unmistakable tenderness.

Lin Bie was stunned. The specimen in her hand felt oddly out of place.

Pollen allergy… Lin Qingsi?

Lin Qingsi is allergic to pollen?!

Her mind raced. No wonder she had felt something was off about the villa’s garden yesterday. The entire yard was just lawn—no colorful blooms at all. Not even a hint of floral scent in the house. The only flower had been the one she brought in. She should have realized someone in the house was allergic!

But why would Leng Jinxi tell her this?

“You… You brought this flower?” Lin Bie asked, stunned. Then she shook her head. “No… I clearly saw that bouquet still sitting in the vase. You—”

She abruptly widened her eyes, a bold and terrifying thought flashing through her mind.

Leng Jinxi didn’t respond. Her smile didn’t even twitch. But Lin Bie’s heart trembled anyway.

Watching Lin Bie’s face go from confusion to shock, Leng Jinxi seemed inexplicably pleased. She didn’t even mind the earlier hand shake-off anymore.

“Next time, don’t forget,” she said, stepping forward slightly. The camellia scent of her pheromones mixed with the cold trace of rose, brushing against Lin Bie’s nose—a blend of tenderness and scrutiny, wrapping around Lin Bie’s heart.

Her heartbeat accelerated.

“I do know my sister is allergic to pollen!” Lin Bie blurted, quickly collecting herself.

Leng Jinxi raised a brow. Though she said nothing, the look in her eyes clearly expressed disbelief.

Lin Bie forced her expression calm, cleared her throat, and tried to sound confident. “My head’s been a mess lately. I’ve forgotten a lot of things. I haven’t spoken to my sister in a while, and it just slipped my mind.

But thank you for the reminder.”

She smiled at Leng Jinxi, grateful. Then she looked down at the rose, so beautiful it seemed freshly picked, and felt her heart sink.

Is the villain testing me? Has she figured out I’m not the real Lin Bie?

Caught off guard, Lin Bie didn’t even stop to wonder how Leng Jinxi knew about Lin Qingsi’s allergy.

Her eyes stayed on the flower, but her thoughts were elsewhere—until she heard a soft chuckle. When she looked up again, Leng Jinxi had already left.

Only the sharp clack of heels remained. Lin Bie hadn’t seen the whirlpool of emotion in her eyes.

She clutched the specimen tightly and rushed outside for air.

Her back had broken into a cold sweat during the confrontation.

“System, did Leng Jinxi figure something out? Why didn’t you tell me Lin Qingsi is allergic to pollen?” she hissed the moment she stuffed the rose into her bag.

Just yesterday, Lin Qingsi had taken that bouquet home and put it in a vase without saying anything. Had she also noticed something strange?

The more Lin Bie thought about it, the more cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She felt like her mission might be on the verge of failure.

【Host, don’t panic. The original owner was a hot mess—forgetting details like this is par for the course. Compared to yelling at her sister, this is nothing. If anything, you’re doing better. You’ve at least shown some effort.】

“…That’s… true,” Lin Bie admitted.

The original owner was a disaster. Forgetting family members’ preferences or allergies wouldn’t be out of character. From Lin Qingsi’s perspective, though Lin Bie was still unreliable, she at least seemed to be trying.

Lin Bie let out a deep sigh. But just when she thought she had made progress with Leng Jinxi, now she feared everything had unraveled again.

And if Leng Jinxi really wanted to remind her, couldn’t she just say it outright? Why make the flower into a specimen? With liquid nitrogen no less?! That was seriously messed up.

Thinking of that perfect rose suspended in resin like it had just been picked, Lin Bie’s brow twitched. That wasn’t normal.

Then she remembered the note the original host had left about Leng Jinxi: “mentally unstable.”

Looking at her now… maybe that wasn’t entirely exaggerated.

Still, Lin Bie shook her head with a laugh. It seemed overblown. She believed in judging people by what she saw for herself. This version of Leng Jinxi hadn’t yet been scarred by marriage to the original owner—she shouldn’t have turned into a full-blown villain yet… right?

Then she remembered Leng Jinxi’s 70%+ corruption meter, and a cold sweat formed again.

No, she still didn’t believe Leng Jinxi would go so far as to switch the flower she gave Lin Qingsi. Besides, Leng Jinxi didn’t even like her—they were practically in a fake marriage. Why would she act out of jealousy?

She didn’t realize it herself, but influenced by the original story, Lin Bie couldn’t help feeling a bit of pity toward Leng Jinxi. She didn’t truly believe this version of the villain would spiral into madness.

After cooling off outside for a while, she was ready to return to the banquet and face more empty flattery. But as she passed a quiet corner, her peripheral vision caught a person dressed as a service staff, back turned, speaking softly into a phone.

Slacking off?

Lin Bie raised an eyebrow. She’d once enjoyed sneaking breaks during work too, so she didn’t plan to say anything. She was about to walk off when—

Her sharp hearing caught a name in the conversation.

Leng Jinxi.