Dressed as the Scumbag Alpha Mom of the Tragic Female Lead (ABO, GL) - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Jiang Chuxie stood in front of the mirror, barely recognizing the overly polished version of herself. To hide her charm—and to be clear, this wasn’t her boasting—she hadn’t dressed up properly in ages.

“How’s that? Pretty good, huh?”

“I didn’t expect you to be so good at this.”

Good was an understatement. She never imagined Zhuang Qi could be this skilled, not just at styling but at makeup too.

It wasn’t that female Alphas couldn’t do makeup, but Zhuang Qi’s usual carefree, sporty vibe didn’t hint at this level of finesse—no surprise, coming from a wealthy family.

“Of course! Who do you think I am? So, what do you think? I made sure to highlight your charm while keeping it hard for people to recognize you!”

Jiang Chuxie was borrowing a blue-gray tailored suit dress, casual in style but very flattering to her figure.

Truth be told, her first choice had been Zhuang Qi’s only dress, but after her roommate’s earlier… feelings, she chickened out and couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Female Alphas wearing dresses wasn’t exactly rare—outside of heat periods, their secondary gender traits weren’t as pronounced as male Alphas’, making them almost like regular women in a non-ABO world. But since there was no absolute refractory period, most female Alphas played it safe with pants.

Jiang Chuxie had faced an embarrassing situation before, so now she almost exclusively wore pants and didn’t dare wear skirts. Plus, since she’d likely be in close contact with Gu Lingjun this time, no matter how much she liked that dress, she had to let go of the idea.

Zhuang Qi had gone all out, styling Jiang Chuxie from head to toe. Besides the outfit, she’d also taken care of her hair and applied makeup—Jiang Chuxie hadn’t done anything this “pretty girl” in so long, she nearly cried from joy.

She’d been looking at this face in the mirror for six years and still wasn’t fully used to it being hers. Honestly, in terms of features, the female Alpha she’d become was about 60-70% similar to the Jiang Chuxie of her past life. The difference was that her past self was, at best, a delicate beauty, while the current Jiang Chuxie could be called a downright enchantress.

Compared to most Alphas, Jiang Chuxie’s features were excessively soft and alluring, and she had pale, almost translucent skin that barely needed maintenance and didn’t tan. This was why Zhuang Qi had once mistaken her for an Omega.

She didn’t often cut her hair, and her back-length locks were barely styled, usually either left loose or tied in a simple ponytail. Even so, her hair was always glossy and smooth. Zhuang Qi not only forced her to trim her split ends but also swapped her glasses for a pair of silver, thin-rimmed ones—subtle enough not to hide her face but different enough to change her look, so no one would recognize her later without them.

After all this effort, Jiang Chuxie looked like a completely different person from her usual self.

Though the original tragic heroine had a tough backstory, she also had plenty of Mary Sue traits. For example, her beauty left a deep impression on those six awful Alphas from childhood, her pheromones were as irresistible as a drug, and she could be marked by multiple Alphas.

At least some of those traits came from Jiang Chuxie. Since the story was told from the heroine’s perspective, Jiang Chuxie, the villainous Alpha mom, was only described as scheming and seductive, with little positive detail. So, it was only after transmigrating that Jiang Chuxie discovered this herself.

Despite being an Alpha, her face grew more delicate after differentiation. Despite having double eyelids, her smiling eyes resembled a sly fox’s—gorgeous, sure, but even she thought she didn’t look like a good person. She had no idea why so many people were drawn to her.

Then she found out her pheromones had a special effect on Omegas. Though not as intense as the heroine’s, which could practically send Alphas into heat on the spot, they definitely made Omegas fond of her—especially after a “hero saves the beauty” moment.

Over the years, she’d done everything to hide her looks and mask her pheromone scent, but there were still a few close calls. Who would’ve thought she’d one day have to face the world in her “full form” as the dance partner of the very person she was desperate to avoid?

Fate sure had a twisted sense of humor.

“Chuxie, I’ve gotta say, hiding a face this gorgeous is such a waste.”

Zhuang Qi herself was dressed flashier than usual, in a pure white suit dress with a red bow tie, exuding a “gentlemanly” charm. Too bad she was currently gawking at Jiang Chuxie’s face, looking totally smitten, with none of the self-awareness of a campus heartthrob.

Jiang Chuxie shot her a sideways glance. “With your face that makes Omegas scream, that’s more than enough.”

Zhuang Qi’s looks were standout even among Alphas—refined, gentle, and sunny, the type most popular with Omegas right now. Add her athletic prowess and social butterfly nature, and she’d cause Omegas and even Betas to shriek wherever she went.

“I’m talking about you, not me.” Zhuang Qi stood next to Jiang Chuxie, looking at their reflection. “Hey, dressed like this, don’t we look like sisters?”

In this world, pheromones and marking created a hierarchy based on secondary gender, but primary gender still influenced appearance, build, and traits.

Both Alphas in the mirror had clear feminine qualities—tall, slender, with soft, delicate features. In similar outfits, they really did look a bit like sisters.

Since Jiang Chuxie was wearing her clothes, she sincerely said, “Thanks for lending me the outfit.”

“Come on, we’re tight! I’ll never forget how you helped me fix my assignments.” Zhuang Qi leaned in to sniff near Jiang Chuxie’s neck. “You didn’t use suppressant, right?”

Jiang Chuxie pushed her face away, annoyed. “It’s about to wear off. Don’t get so close.”

Since her pheromones only made Omegas mildly fond of her, she decided to follow Zhuang Qi’s advice and skip the suppressant this time.

As long as she wasn’t recognized normally, a bit of attention at the welcome party wouldn’t be a big deal.

“I’m curious what you smell like.” Zhuang Qi wasn’t fazed by being pushed away, grinning. “It’s not bad, is it? Is that why you hide it?”

The biggest difference between Alphas, Omegas, and Betas was the presence of glands and vomeronasal organs. Biologically, everyone had gland and vomeronasal cells, but only differentiation developed these into functional organs.

Differentiation usually happened between 12 and 18, with the latest recorded case at 18. Developing two mature organs in a short time was taxing, often leading to loss of control during the process.

Once glands and vomeronasal organs formed, Alphas and Omegas could release and detect pheromones. Typically, Alphas and Omegas were more sensitive to each other’s pheromones, but they could still faintly pick up same-gender scents.

As for how pheromone scents worked, biology still hadn’t cracked it. Many smelled like real-world scents, mostly pleasant since they evolved to attract mates, but some were quirky—like stinky tofu, durian, or hotpot. Not that no one liked those, but they rarely sparked attraction in those who didn’t.

Even so, few Alphas would suppress their pheromones just because their scent wasn’t pleasant.

Jiang Chuxie rolled her eyes. “No need to guess. It’s kinda like coffee. Nothing special.”

Honestly, she didn’t think her scent was bad, but it was pretty weird. In her opinion, a scent like Gu Lingjun’s floral fragrance was the standard—light, elegant, and refreshing.

“Coffee? That’s nice, isn’t it?”

Zhuang Qi’s pheromone had a calm, sandalwood-like scent, a widely appealing type, part of why she was so popular.

“Alright, enough questions. Aren’t you going to pick up Zhao Zi?”

“Of course I’m picking up the princess. You too, right? Let’s head to the Omega dorm together.”

“Walking with you is too conspicuous.”

Zhuang Qi shook her head, grabbing her arm. “Come on, get real. Like you’re not conspicuous on your own. With me around, I can at least tone down your charm and block some stares.”

Jiang Chuxie figured she had a point, sighing as Zhuang Qi dragged her along.

“Let’s go down together.” Zhao Zi, holding a meticulously dressed Gu Lingjun, smiled brightly. “I didn’t expect you’d actually get Jiang Chuxie to agree. Guess she’s not as cold as she seems.”

Gu Lingjun smiled shyly, a touch of bashfulness in her expression. “It’s mainly because Senior Jiang is kind. When I was being bothered, she stepped in to help me again.”

Zhao Zi nodded. “My instincts were right. That girl looks icy, but she can’t ignore someone in trouble.”

Gu Lingjun smiled faintly. “You’re right, Senior. Thanks for helping me get the info. I’m just sorry I mentioned Senior Zhuang Qi… I hope it doesn’t cause her trouble.”

“Psh, no big deal. Those two are tight; they won’t fall out over this. Besides, she agreed to go with you, so it’s not Zhuang Qi’s fault anymore.”

As they chatted, they descended the stairs, hearing a slight commotion near the dorm entrance.

“What’s going on? Why’s it so crowded outside?”

Zhao Zi looked puzzled, pulling Gu Lingjun to hurry up. Gu Lingjun’s lips pressed together slightly, but she didn’t answer. When they stepped out of the dorm, they were greeted by a bizarre and almost comical scene.

A dozen Omegas lingered near the dorm entrance, some closer, some farther—some seemed to be admiring the flowerbeds, others playing with stray campus cats, and a few chatting with friends. But it was obvious to anyone with eyes that their attention was fixed on the two Alphas standing by the dorm entrance.