After the Scummy Alpha Marked the Crazy Beautiful Heroine (GL) - Chapter 24.1

Pei Jiuyao snapped her head around.

Her gaze cut through the dim lighting and landed on the stairs.

Chi Yang was resting her fingers lightly on the banister. She wore a vintage white haute couture gown, its oversized faux-fur stole and feathered hem draped elegantly around her calves.

Her hair was swept up into an elegant updo, a few wispy strands left loose at her forehead. A faint smile touched her lips as she greeted someone coolly from the side.

Gleaming shards of crystal adorned her porcelain collarbones, catching the light and glinting sharply.

Lofty. Untouchable.

But Pei Jiuyao knew—the thing that dazzled wasn’t the diamonds. It was Chi Yang herself.

How could anyone not fall for her?

Even without the influence of pheromones, falling in love with Chi Yang had always been inevitable for Pei Jiuyao.

From the inside out, from head to toe—before Chi Yang had even shown a fraction of her professional prowess—she was already someone the whole world ought to adore.

Let alone now, standing on a stage that truly belonged to her.

Chi Yang’s family background, her upbringing, character, and ability—how she had climbed her way to the top—Pei Jiuyao had only ever caught vague glimpses of it through their limited interactions.

The Chi Yang in her eyes was not even one ten-thousandth of who she truly was.

Only after leaving Pei Jiuyao did Chi Yang truly begin to shine.

The marks on her skin had completely faded now—a small consolation, at least.

Pei Jiuyao still didn’t understand why she had been so harsh that night.

So harsh—

And yet Chi Yang hadn’t even pushed her away.

Was it the influence of their pheromones, of Alpha and Omega instinct?

Or… was it something else?

Pei Jiuyao couldn’t tell anymore.

Someone leaned in to whisper something to Chi Yang, and she slowly shifted aside, allowing the person behind her to step forward.

Pei Jiuyao froze.

That person was wearing the exact same dress as her.

In that instant, her entire existence felt ugly and ridiculous, like a poison-tipped needle piercing her heart.

She regretted not leaving sooner.

She even regretted coming at all.

Just then, Chi Yang’s gaze swept toward her.

Her expression was calm, indifferent—like she didn’t recognize Pei Jiuyao at all.

Mo Tian also noticed the dress Pei Jiuyao was wearing.

For a split second, dissatisfaction flickered across her face, but she smiled as she said, “Didn’t expect you to be the one who bought the second piece, Jiuyao.”

Pei Jiuyao’s breath caught. She quickly turned around, wanting to leave.

But an unexpected voice called out behind her.

“Pei Jiuyao.”

Chi Yang descended the stairs, lifting her gown slightly as she walked. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

Pei Jiuyao fluttered her lashes, unsure why Chi Yang would say something like that.

As far as she remembered, their relationship had already crumbled.

Chi Yang should’ve ignored her, or at most made a casual jab in passing.

And as for Pei Jiuyao, she had only come to figure out exactly where Chi Yang stood with her now.

Because aside from personal feelings, there was still Mission 7023 on the line.

Pei Jiuyao turned back, and by the time she looked up, Chi Yang had already made her way down and was standing in front of her.

People nearby were murmuring with interest:

“Aren’t those two always at odds?”

“Doesn’t look like it to me.”

Mo Tian’s smile faltered, and she trailed after Chi Yang.

Before Chi Yang could speak, Mo Tian cut in, “Jiuyao.”

“Boss.” Pei Jiuyao was polite enough—after all, she was still under Mo Tian’s company and didn’t want trouble.

“This dress only exists in two pieces globally. I didn’t expect that when I borrowed it from Chi Yang, I would end up matching with you.”

Mo Tian’s eyes were long and narrow, seemingly smiling, but her tone was anything but kind: “No big deal. There are plenty of gowns upstairs in the lounge—you should change into something else.”

“You must be joking, President Mo,” Chi Yang stepped in, standing calmly in front of Pei Jiuyao. “Didn’t you buy this yourself?”

“Why insist it was a gift from me? My sister would be furious if she heard that.”

Which was essentially saying—this dress actually belongs to Pei Jiuyao.

After speaking, Chi Yang let out a small laugh and stood there, unbothered, letting everyone watch.

Tension instantly rose between the three women—sharp, unrelenting, like daggers unsheathed.

The nearby celebrities looked on with gleeful amusement.

Pei Jiuyao was a little surprised. She couldn’t quite figure out what Chi Yang meant by this.

But she really didn’t want to get involved in this mess.

On one side was Chi Yang, who practically held her life in her hands; on the other, Mo Tian, who controlled her career. If either of them got angry, “Pei Jiuyao” could be blacklisted in minutes.

In the entertainment industry, strength alone wasn’t enough.

When two giants clashed, a pawn like her had no place to interfere.

Pei Jiuyao tried to quietly slip away, but Chi Yang seemed to notice and grabbed her wrist, looking up at her.

The message was clear: You’re standing with me.

Pei Jiuyao was momentarily stunned.

Why was Chi Yang being so proactive… at an event like this?

But thinking it through, if she just left, it would make Chi Yang look bad.

After all, Chi Yang was her sponsor, and she had just been bullied by Pei Jiuyao all night…

Ahem. She couldn’t let her patron lose face.

As for Mo Tian—she’d just have to risk offending her. After all, her little life was still in Chi Yang’s hands.

Pei Jiuyao spoke in a voice loud enough for the nearby crowd to hear:

“Thank you, President Mo, for the suggestion. But this dress was lent to me by Chi Yang. It wouldn’t be appropriate to switch it out.”

Mo Tian gave her a cold glance, scoffed faintly, and turned to head upstairs.

Chi Yang looked back, her light brown eyes glancing coolly over Pei Jiuyao.

“Hold up the hem for me—I need the restroom.”

Pei Jiuyao walked behind her and gathered the feathered train into her arms.

They said nothing along the way. Once inside, Chi Yang took the skirt from her hands and went in, while Pei Jiuyao waited outside.

When she came out, Pei Jiuyao handed the train back and stood by as Chi Yang washed her hands.

She was meticulous, letting the water flow between her white jade fingers, carefully rubbing each one until it was spotless.

Then she moved to dry them, and her nails took on a faint translucent pink.

Pei Jiuyao followed her silently, like a glorified assistant.

After drying her hands, Chi Yang didn’t leave. Instead, she pulled out a lipstick and started reapplying her makeup.

She didn’t speak. So Pei Jiuyao figured she was waiting for her to ask.

So aloof.

Since she was here anyway, Pei Jiuyao decided to give her a way down.

“Why did you speak up for me?”

The moment she asked, she already knew what Chi Yang would say.

Something like “It has nothing to do with you. I chose to say something myself, blabla…”

Why was she setting herself up to get hurt again?

Sure enough, after applying her lipstick, Chi Yang said coolly,

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Pei Jiuyao thought to herself: Am I really that narcissistic?

Okay, maybe when she first entered this world she was, but Chi Yang’s ever-changing moods had long since worn that away.

From the mirror, Pei Jiuyao looked at Chi Yang. Their eyes met briefly before Chi Yang looked away and picked up her compact.

“I just didn’t want to be associated with Mo Tian.” Chi Yang said.

“I know. She pursued you.” Pei Jiuyao replied.

Chi Yang raised her eyes slightly and glanced at Pei Jiuyao in the mirror.

“Not trying to pry,” Pei Jiuyao sighed, “Chu Si told me.”

“Chu Si?” Chi Yang gave a cold chuckle. “What else did she tell you?”

Pei Jiuyao tilted her head and spilled the rest:

“She said you had to reveal your family background just to get her off your back.”

She paused, curious. “But I thought Mo Tian was also an Alpha.”

“Told you before—some Alphas only go for other Alphas.” Chi Yang patted her cheeks with the compact, snapped it shut with a click, and tossed it into her bag.

“Oh…” Pei Jiuyao lowered her head and then asked,

“But to avoid being linked to her, did you have to get involved with me instead? There were so many people there. Who knows what they’re all thinking now.”

“Relax. Everyone in this circle knows the rules. They won’t overstep. Besides, things between us were never going to stay under wraps,” Chi Yang said calmly, dabbing the excess lipstick from her lips and rinsing it off again.

“Between us?” Pei Jiuyao gave a lopsided smile but didn’t manage to laugh.

“I thought when you left me behind, it meant…”

She turned slightly. “It meant you wanted to terminate the agreement. Didn’t you think about that?”

“What about you?” Chi Yang asked.

“I…” Pei Jiuyao blinked slowly. After a moment, she replied, “If you want to terminate it, I’ll go along with it.”

She didn’t really have another choice.

Romancing the female lead… that could wait.

She looked up and caught Chi Yang’s gaze freezing for just a second—before it returned to normal.

Pei Jiuyao started to ask, “So you want to—”

Before she could finish, Chi Yang yanked the gown from her arms.

Then she gave her a sharp glare, her eyes slightly misty, said nothing, and tossed the feathered train aside before walking out.

She returned to the table and sat right next to Pei Jiuyao.

Pei Jiuyao hadn’t expected her to sit there and instinctively shuffled to the side.

“Would you be mad?” Chi Yang asked abruptly.

“What?”

“You left me during my heat.”

Pei Jiuyao’s fingers paused around her wine glass. After a moment, she said softly, “It wasn’t that bad.”

Being abandoned by one’s Omega during a heat was definitely painful—just not something to get angry about.

She couldn’t bring herself to be angry at Chi Yang. She only felt… disappointed.

At the very least, she could have waited until her heat was over before leaving.

Chi Yang stabbed a strawberry with her fork and placed it on her plate. She tilted her head slightly to glance at Pei Jiuyao, then poked the strawberry again and again, leaving it full of tiny holes.

The look made Pei Jiuyao uncomfortable. She offered a quiet explanation:

“I know I crossed the line. If you really want to terminate the agreement, I won’t stop you. You don’t have to worry.”

Chi Yang’s hand paused, her eyes darkening slightly, but she still didn’t say a word.

Her temper, as always…

Pei Jiuyao pressed her lips together.

She truly had no idea what Chi Yang was thinking.

A few minutes later, the photographer approached, asking the two of them to pose for a more intimate photo.

Pei Jiuyao stood up, ready to leave, but Chi Yang pressed her back down.

Chi Yang’s gentle laugh drifted into her right ear.

“It’s just a staged photo. We’re both Alphas. What are you afraid of?”

Pei Jiuyao had no choice but to scoot a little closer and flash a peace sign.

Chi Yang shot her a faintly disdainful glance, adjusted her shawl lower, and leaned a little closer toward Pei Jiuyao.

The warmth of her skin seeped in slowly, inch by inch, into Pei Jiuyao’s body.

Pei Jiuyao’s breath caught. She inhaled deeply to steady herself.

After the photo, they both smiled politely at the photographer and returned to the table.

Chi Yang cut a piece of chicken br3ast with her fork.

Pei Jiuyao took a sip of wine and lowered her voice.

“When are you heading home? I can move out too.”

Chi Yang placed the meat on her plate and gave Pei Jiuyao a sideways glare.

“You haven’t moved out yet?”

“I… I just finished my heat,” Pei Jiuyao answered, a little guilty.

Chi Yang let out a quiet laugh.

“Guess you really liked my pheromones.”

“Our pheromone compatibility is 100%. And…” Pei Jiuyao pressed her lips together again, stopping herself from saying more.

Maybe it was the lingering effects of her heat, but her sensitivity to pheromones had heightened again. Liking Chi Yang felt natural—effortless, even.

But saying it out loud felt too sentimental.

After all, maybe she didn’t really love Chi Yang that much. Maybe it was just the overwhelming pull of pheromones.

And if that was the case—how was it any different from sweet-talking someone just to get them into bed?

She’d already stumbled once when she first arrived in this world. Never again.

Pei Jiuyao had vowed never to talk about “liking” someone during a heat or susceptibility period.

Not unless she was in a clear, rational state of mind.

She would never let Mission 7023 use her as a pawn again.

Chi Yang waited for a long time. Seeing Pei Jiuyao stay silent, lips pressed tightly together, she let out a cold laugh.

“I thought you were going to say you liked me again.”

“Guess it only works in bed. Once you’re off it, you can’t even say the words.”

It sounded awful—like something only a scumbag would do.

In Chi Yang’s eyes, she was no different from the original Pei Jiuyao now.