After Transmigrating, I Bent the Female Lead O - Chapter 5
Banquets among the wealthy have always been extravagant affairs.
The pouring rain couldn’t dampen the lively atmosphere within the Crowne Plaza Hotel, situated in Jiangcheng’s largest 5A-rated lakeside scenic area. The volume of the soothing music was turned up, masking the patter of the rain. Priceless champagne and red wine swayed in the hands of beautiful women. During conversations, they would occasionally lower their heads for a sip, their moistened red lips conjuring endless fantasies.
Before Shu Minglan arrived, He Lingxing was undoubtedly the most striking “Omega” in the room.
Due to physiological disadvantages, Omegas are relatively more delicate, and their physique is generally smaller compared to the other two genders. This disadvantage is even more pronounced for female Omegas.
According to big data statistics, adult female Omegas generally do not exceed 168cm in height; reaching this level is already considered very tall for an Omega. But He Lingxing, even without high heels, clearly appeared to be over 170cm with her slender, straight frame.
The woman’s wine-red hair was curled into lazy, large waves. The French bangs across her forehead and her sweet-leaning makeup added a touch of softness to her demeanor.
The black, slit camisole gown, adorned with sparkling crystals, was almost identical to what Shu Minglan wore on her awards night. However, while it looked more purely charming on Shu Minglan, on He Lingxing, it carried a distinct, captivating sexiness.
The slightly lacking element was that He Lingxing’s features were relatively more aggressive; a sharp, full-force makeup look would be her optimal state. To better disguise herself as an Omega, He Lingxing decisively abandoned this.
Intentional outfit matching, for any woman, is a blatant provocation.
Shu Minglan “arrived late” about ten minutes before the banquet officially began.
Perhaps because of her overly gentle face, He Lingxing didn’t feel much hostility when she received that angry glance; it was more like a kitten raising its paw and lightly scratching at an enemy in a show of bravado.
Shu Minglan’s outfit today was a pure white, perfectly matching her appearance, and it contrasted sharply with He Lingxing’s somewhat ostentatious black dress, attracting most of the attention as soon as she entered.
Compared to He Lingxing, who was a disguised Omega, a genuine Omega naturally held more appeal to those present.
Upon realizing that several Alphas’ gazes, whether appreciative or aggressive, were falling upon Shu Minglan, He Lingxing seized the opportunity, suddenly stood up, strode over, and placed a hand on Shu Minglan’s shoulder.
Then, she turned her body sideways, using her height advantage to almost completely shield Shu Minglan, blocking the view of those handsome Alphas.
This was a further provocation.
Shu Minglan slightly raised her head to look at He Lingxing. He Lingxing also deliberately lowered her gaze to look at Shu Minglan, expecting to easily catch sparks of anger in the other’s eyes, but unexpectedly, this female lead hid it quite well.
Shu Minglan grasped her wrist, the force not strong, but carrying a hint of urgency. Not to be outdone, He Lingxing returned the grip, but accidentally touched the cold, crystal-studded bracelet on Shu Minglan’s soft wrist, so she settled for sliding her hand down and firmly holding Shu Minglan’s hand.
“CEO He… is very boring.”
The woman’s soft, slippery hand tried to escape her grasp, and the growing anger in her eyes was obvious, but it didn’t seem to be directed at the act of her hand being held.
He Lingxing suddenly remembered that although Shu Minglan was set up to have face blindness, she wouldn’t forget someone she had just met. From Shu Minglan’s attitude, her “Xingxing” alias was probably already exposed.
However, He Lingxing didn’t pay too much attention.
Shu Minglan used a little force to break free from her hold but didn’t move too far from He Lingxing. Nominally, she had come to this banquet with her own boss, and she couldn’t really fall out with He Lingxing before leaving the company.
Moreover, judging by He Lingxing’s attitude when she helped her earlier, there might be some misunderstanding between them.
Shu Minglan felt a little guilty at this thought, realizing her attitude just now might not have been good. Just as she was about to say a few words to He Lingxing to diffuse the awkwardness, she noticed the other person was distracted.
Following her gaze, Shu Minglan looked over as well, seeing the grand hall door creak open. A tall man in a suit strode out. His handsome, upright appearance and the aura of a high-ranking Alpha attracted many people’s attention.
The man amiably exchanged a few quiet words with others along the way, then quickly, seemingly unintentionally, let his gaze rest on He Lingxing and Shu Minglan.
His gaze was expertly controlled, making it difficult for people to discern who he was looking at. It seemed to float around, merely observing the banquet scene, but in reality, the keen He Lingxing had instantly noticed.
“He’s looking at the female lead like a dog who hasn’t eaten in three months, yet he’s pretending not to care, hoping the prey will willingly come to him.”
He Lingxing silently complained to 520 in her mind: “If this acting can win a Triple Golden Award, he must have installed high-concentration, 800-degree filters on the judges of the film industry, right?”
[While the description is accurate, as the mission is ongoing, please do not arbitrarily disparage the male lead, Host.]
The system couldn’t help but chuckle, then quickly responded in a business-like manner: [Detecting the official appearance of [Male Lead Murong Feng], Host, please begin a new mission—1. Play the role of the vicious female supporting character well, embarrass the female lead in front of the male lead, and make the female lead unhappy; 2. Ignite the male lead’s jealousy.]
“Embarrass the female lead in front of the male lead?”
He Lingxing glanced back at Shu Minglan, who was also looking at her, her inexplicable expression suggesting she was deep in thought.
But a moment later, He Lingxing quickly remembered that in this plot’s setting, she was supposed to be interested in the male lead. Since the male lead had targeted Shu Minglan, the other party would surely know why.
There were many ways to embarrass someone, such as making her toast to some greasy man who was difficult to please, but He Lingxing couldn’t bring herself to do such a despicable thing.
He Lingxing had been a vicious female supporting character before, but unless the other person was truly disgusting, she couldn’t go too far. And she also had to make the person unhappy and feel offended; she really couldn’t think of anything for a while.
Shu Minglan’s clear eyes occasionally flickered towards He Lingxing, her purity mixed with a hint of deep, probing doubt.
And as Murong Feng finished his pretentious small talk with those people and was about to head this way, an idea flashed through He Lingxing’s mind.
She grabbed Shu Minglan’s wrist bone and walked towards the edge, her high heels making crisp “thudding” sounds on the marble floor. Gliding past several tables, He Lingxing took a long stride and directly sat down on an empty stool, pulling Shu Minglan to sit with her.
Shu Minglan’s outfit was relatively tight, making it difficult for her to move too much. She was pulled into a stumble, almost falling onto He Lingxing. Yet, the culprit who almost made her fall casually picked up a bunch of grapes and placed them in front of her:
“Have some.”
Just as Shu Minglan was about to peel them, He Lingxing took the grapes back, and with a smile, under the other’s confused gaze, said: “Never mind, I’ll peel them for you.”
Shu Minglan: “…”
She truly didn’t understand what He Lingxing was up to now.
Normally, when a company CEO brings an artist to such an event, they are either scheming to make them toast some unpleasant person or genuinely trying to introduce them to resources. But instead, He Lingxing was leisurely eating with Shu Minglan.
The wine-red long curls brushed against the woman’s fair cheek. Her slightly swaying hair highlighted her clear complexion, and the warm-toned makeup softened He Lingxing’s otherwise aggressive features. Even her lip makeup was light, like freshly ripened cherries.
The beauty’s long, delicate fingers expertly squeezed out a whole grape, insisting on feeding it to Shu Minglan’s lips.
After one or two, He Lingxing expected her to start getting annoyed, but to her surprise, Shu Minglan ate very earnestly.
He Lingxing, however, had never served anyone like this before. After getting through half the grapes, she lost her steam and had to resort to a more aggressive method.
She leaned slightly closer to Shu Minglan, and the Omega’s fragrance quickly filled her nostrils. The scent was sweet and not cloying; it seemed to be a mix of cherry blossoms and some kind of fruit, making He Lingxing’s heart flutter uncontrollably, and she immediately pulled away.
“You like him that much?”
After receiving the emergency transmission of the original script from 520, He Lingxing scoffed, adopting the original owner’s demeanor. The softness in her eyes completely receded, replaced by a cold gaze.
She was like a dutiful love rival, her slender fingertips inadvertently pointing in Murong Feng’s direction, her cool voice rising in a question: “Hm?”
Shu Minglan said nothing.
“Don’t waste your efforts; he won’t like an Omega like you.”
Actually, the original script contained even more egregious personal attacks, but He Lingxing found it hard to say them to a beautiful woman with a misty expression, especially since she clearly saw anger in Shu Minglan’s eyes, indicating partial mission success.
And just as she was about to redouble her efforts, Shu Minglan suddenly spoke coldly:
“If CEO He likes him, you can express it boldly. I am not your love rival, there’s no need to pretend to be staff from other departments, or to happily chat with me when you clearly dislike me, and certainly no need to make ‘pursuit’ jokes about someone you dislike.”
“My contract is almost up. I’ll be out of your sight soon.”
Shu Minglan was genuinely a little aggrieved. Seeing that He Lingxing had nothing else to say, she stood up and started to walk out. Just as she rose, He Lingxing saw Murong Feng approaching like a dog drawn by a scent.
“Minglan!”
Murong Feng’s lips curved, extending his hand in what appeared to be a gentlemanly greeting. Shu Minglan clearly didn’t want to engage him, but she acknowledged him for appearance’s sake.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
They had shared a stage at an awards ceremony recently. Although not very familiar, they had enough rapport for a brief chat.
The male lead, Murong Feng, had recently started his own small company, which would gradually grow into an empire as he concurrently ascended to the throne of a Triple Golden Award-winning actor. Now, it was the initial stage of his career. However, He Lingxing couldn’t see him as someone with high emotional intelligence. It was obvious Shu Minglan didn’t want to deal with him, yet he insisted on clinging.
He Lingxing wiped her hands and stood up from the stool.
Part of the mission was complete, but there was still more to do.
Embarrassing someone wasn’t a huge problem; the main thing was the second part: making the male lead jealous. She and Shu Minglan were both women, and on the surface, both were Omegas. What could make the male lead jealous?
He Lingxing had initially intended to put an arm around Shu Minglan’s shoulder, but under the male lead’s gaze, she quickly changed her mind, resting her slender arm around Shu Minglan’s waist instead.
She had never put her arm around another woman’s waist before. She found Shu Minglan’s waist to be a bit narrower than she had imagined, but not too soft, suggesting she had exercised. Feeling the unusual touch, Shu Minglan instinctively tried to pull away but relaxed when she saw it was He Lingxing.
Female Omegas wouldn’t usually mind same-s3x touching too much.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to Producer Han.”
She couldn’t just sit there and eat at a banquet; besides, this action perfectly fit the character, making it seem like He Lingxing didn’t want Shu Minglan to talk to Murong Feng alone.
Shu Minglan had no objections. She simply lowered her gaze slightly, allowing He Lingxing to hold her waist as they walked away, not noticing the flash of displeasure that quickly crossed Murong Feng’s eyes.
••••
The final part of the mission concluded with He Lingxing “accidentally” spilling wine on Shu Minglan in front of the male lead, barely completing all objectives.
Given that strange things could happen in the bathrooms of hotels in such brainless novels, and for the sake of her company’s artist’s reputation, He Lingxing didn’t let Shu Minglan clean up or change clothes there. Instead, she took her home.
He Lingxing’s home wasn’t far from the hotel, about half an hour’s drive. Although the early autumn evening breeze was a bit chilly, the air conditioning in the car prevented them from feeling it.
The two weren’t very familiar, and their interaction at the banquet hadn’t been pleasant. They drove in silence into the villa area. Upon reaching the underground parking garage, Shu Minglan got out of the car without a word, her clear eyes filled with displeasure.
He Lingxing suddenly realized that Shu Minglan was quite at ease when chatting with “Xingxing,” who was merely an acquaintance, and didn’t seem difficult to get along with at all. But when she was with “He Lingxing,” she seemed to transform.
“Bathroom’s upstairs, turn left. I have an unworn, one-size-fits-all outfit; you can make do. Whether you throw it away afterward is up to you.”
He Lingxing entered her fingerprint password, and the main door opened with a smart female voice announcing, “Welcome home.”
The interior was empty but spotlessly clean and tidy. Shu Minglan probably had the thought of leaving quickly after showering, and without even looking at He Lingxing who followed, she quietly said “Thanks” and turned to walk upstairs.
A night of banquet socializing had tired He Lingxing a bit, so she simply lay on the sofa and continued to deal with emails from people who sent them for no particular reason.
The vast villa was eerily silent, with only the sound of running water from upstairs reaching her ears, bringing a hint of life.
At the banquet earlier, because the high-risk “stud male lead” was present, He Lingxing had refrained from drinking much water as a precaution, so her throat felt a little parched. Just as she was walking into the kitchen in her slippers, she suddenly heard the sound of running water stop.
Only five minutes.
Did this woman shower that quickly?
Just as her gaze shifted to her phone, a WeChat message from the contact saved as “Shushu” popped up. He Lingxing unlocked her phone to check it, but an indescribably faint scent wafted down from above, instantly flushing her cheeks.
Like smelling the strongest aphrodisiac, an uncontrollable heat instantly permeated her entire scent gland, making her almost drop her phone. The water in the cup spilled out a little, bringing a drop in the bucket of coolness to her burning body.
Her phone suddenly vibrated. The person on the other end must have lost the strength to type; almost through gritted teeth, with an expression she couldn’t discern, they sent her a broken voice message:
“Do you have… inhibitors…?”