Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha and Got Marked by the Enemy (ABO, GL) - Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The magazine didn’t even need to spend money on trending topics. #MingYuStunningCoupleCover soared to second place, with #MingZhuJoinedWeibo close behind in third.

Netizens flocked to “IAmMingZhu’s” profile, finding it clean except for the repost of Yu Jing’s post. No paid membership, no verified badge—it was clear this account was created just for the magazine’s promotion.

But that didn’t stop Ming Zhu’s follower count from skyrocketing.

As the lead in two hit TV dramas, Ming Zhu had significant public recognition. Over the past month, topics about her and Yu Jing frequently trended, making her name unforgettable to netizens.

Whether casual fans, drama fans, or CP fans, they all rushed to Ming Zhu’s Weibo, following her and leaving comments under her repost. Some praised her stunning magazine cover, others her acting skills, and some wondered if she and Yu Jing were hyping things up…

Ming Zhu saw none of it.

After reposting Yu Jing’s post and secretly saving the two couple cover images, she logged out of Weibo.

Her WeChat pinged. Ming Zhu opened it and saw a message from Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi: “The ‘Qinghu Legend’ crew contacted me, asking you to repost the preview for the final two episodes.”

‘Qinghu Legend’ was Ming Zhu’s starring role in a currently airing fantasy drama, adapted from a hit web novel. Airing two episodes every Saturday, its popularity ensured it trended after each broadcast, and the cast happily reposted for promotion—except Ming Zhu.

Before, without a Weibo account, the crew couldn’t do much. Now that she had one with such high visibility, they naturally wanted her to promote it.

Ming Zhu sent her account and password to Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi, knowing she found it troublesome, sent a helpless emoji in reply.

Privately, Ming Zhu was quite boring. She didn’t enjoy socializing or lively events. If not acting, she could spend all day at home, reading or daydreaming.

Her apartment reflected her personality, exuding a laid-back vibe. Sunlight streamed through the window, forming a circle of light on the floor.

The sun-soaked white cat lazily opened its eyes, its glass-like pupils rolling around. Spotting its owner on the couch, it stretched, trotted over lightly, and leaped into Ming Zhu’s lap to nuzzle.

“Meow~”

At this hour, it was probably hungry.

Ming Zhu hadn’t eaten either. She scratched its chin.

“Woof!” A sudden bark came from the ceiling.

The white cat flinched, warily looking up, then turned to its owner with a soft meow, ears drooping pitifully.

Ming Zhu rubbed its head, her phoenix eyes narrowing as she looked at the vibrating ceiling.

“Woof woof—” The dog kept barking.

Besides the barking, there were a child’s giggles and screams, giving her a headache.

Ming Zhu couldn’t recall how many times this had happened.

Last week, a family of three moved in upstairs, along with a lively teddy dog. The dog was hyper, and the kid was a troublemaker, running around noisily regardless of time or place.

Zhou Qi had asked the property manager to talk to them, but after one quiet day, the kid and dog resumed their chaos.

Though she’d recently renewed her lease, Ming Zhu had no patience to deal with this family anymore.

She stroked the restless cat in her lap with one hand, picked up her phone with the other, and called Zhou Qi. “Still haven’t found a new place?”

“Not yet,” Zhou Qi sighed. “Good security, pet-friendly, and to your taste—where am I supposed to find that?”

The first two conditions were manageable; the last was the problem.

Ming Zhu’s gaze darkened, her voice low. “Don’t give me weird nicknames.”

“…” Zhou Qi realized her slip, gave a dry laugh, and changed the subject. “If you don’t mind my place being small, you can move in with me first.”

Ming Zhu declined without hesitation. It wasn’t that Zhou Qi’s two-bedroom couldn’t fit her; she just preferred her solitary life with her cat, not wanting to disturb others or be disturbed.

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Find me a hotel first.”

“Sure,” Zhou Qi replied. “Any requirements?”

“As long as it’s not Huating, anything’s fine,” Ming Zhu said evenly.

“You…” Zhou Qi seemed about to say something, paused, swallowed her words, and said, “Got it.”

After chatting with Zhou Qi, Ming Zhu was about to put down her phone to feed the cat when she saw someone @ her on WeChat.

The message was from the muted ‘Treasure Hunt’ group chat with six members.

Ming Zhu’s fingers twitched, and she opened it.

Right away, she saw Chen Chen teasing her and Yu Jing about the couple cover shoot.

Chen Chen: “@YuJing @MingZhu, you two Alphas doing this—is that okay? Those covers made even a straight guy like me blush.”

Ming Zhu, used to lurking, didn’t plan to reply.

But someone couldn’t hold back.

Yu Jing: “Why’s a guy like you reading a women’s magazine…”

Ming Zhu sank back into the soft couch, holding her phone, eyes fixed on the chat window.

The cat in her lap: “Meow?”

“Shh—” Ming Zhu scratched its chin. “Be good. I’ll feed you in a bit.”

The white cat, feeling wronged, nudged her, but seeing her unmoved, it settled on her arm, curious about what was so fascinating that its owner would neglect it so cruelly.

Sadly, the screen was just text, which the cat couldn’t read.

Xiao Yihuan: “Ahhh, Jingjing, you and Sister Ming Zhu shot a couple cover! It’s stunning! So beautiful, so sexy, so Alpha! This issue’s gonna explode! I pre-ordered a hundred copies!”

Yu Jing: “A hundred’s too much! What’re you doing with all those?”

Xiao Yihuan: “Supporting Ming-Yu, of course! From today, I’m your CP fan, and I’m gonna be the fan leader!”

Yu Jing: “…”

Xiao Yihuan: “Hehe.”

Chen Chen: “I’m just curious what it felt like shooting that.”

Ming Zhu’s hand, stroking the cat’s back, paused. Her gaze drifted, thoughts pulled back to the shoot day, her mood stirring slightly.

She wouldn’t tell Chen Chen, but she was curious what Yu Jing would say.

Perhaps shy, it took a long time for a new reply to appear.

Yu Jing: “Didn’t feel anything.”

Ming Zhu stared at those five words, recalling Yu Jing’s shimmering eyes and entranced expression under her during the shoot. Her abdomen tightened, and she rubbed her temple, chuckling softly.

“Little liar.” Her slender finger tapped the cat’s fluffy head, her voice husky with a hint of sexiness.

The cat, inexplicably poked: “Meow???”

Yu Jing was dying of embarrassment.

She only prayed Ming Zhu wasn’t lurking. Her fingers flew, trying to change the subject. “Xiao Ze, @PengZe, aren’t you at an audition?”

Peng Ze was successfully summoned. “Yeah! I’m in H City. Meeting the director tomorrow.”

Then everyone started talking about Peng Ze’s audition.

After that, Yu Jing found new topics, chatting aimlessly to flood the group with hundreds of messages, hoping Ming Zhu wouldn’t bother scrolling back. Then she exited the chat.

She tossed her phone aside, wiped the sweat from her nervous brow, calmed down, and resumed practicing her dance.

Xiao Yihuan’s prediction was spot-on. The ‘Red Beauty’ issue exploded, surpassing 200,000 pre-orders on the first day, setting a new record for couple cover issues.

Yu Jing never planned to hype a CP with Ming Zhu, but she had to admit the Ming-Yu CP’s popularity benefited the magazine and herself. Her Weibo gained hundreds of thousands of followers, and her new song ‘To the Sun’ hit second on the weekly chart due to the cover’s buzz.

Shen Jiayu saw it as a golden opportunity and asked Yu Jing to repost Ming Zhu’s promotion for ‘Qinghu Legend’’s finale.

But Yu Jing didn’t.

Though many thought she and Ming Zhu were hyping a CP, some still believed she was riding Ming Zhu’s coattails. Reposting would fuel that suspicion. Maybe Ming Zhu didn’t care, but Yu Jing didn’t want that.

Shen Jiayu, knowing her stubbornness, gave up persuading her. “Fine, you’re recording in two days anyway. The buzz will still be yours.”

Due to Zhang Xu’s interference, ‘Crazy Treasure Hunt’’s third episode was delayed by three days.

The recording took place at Cologne Joy World in B City, chosen because it was a Marix investment—Zhang Xu’s family business.

For filming, the amusement park was cleared of visitors, leaving only the crew and park staff.

The sun blazed without a single cloud, the concrete ground reeking of scorched heat.

“Jingjing, we’re here,” Xiao Ye said, nudging the sleeping figure beside her.

Yu Jing lifted heavy eyelids, slowly unbuckled her seatbelt, and opened the car door.

Hot air rushed in, stinging her eyes shut.

Someone walked behind her, holding up a parasol over her head.

The burning sensation on her skin vanished, and the harsh light was blocked. Yu Jing opened her eyes again.

Thinking it was Xiao Ye, she yawned and complained, “After today’s shoot, I’ll probably turn into charcoal.”

“Use more sunscreen,” a cool voice replied from behind.

Yu Jing spun around, stunned to see not Xiao Ye but Ming Zhu, who had appeared out of nowhere, holding the umbrella.

“Long time no see,” Ming Zhu said, gazing at her.

They’d shot the cover just two days ago—not that long…

Yu Jing stared at Ming Zhu’s black shirt, an indescribable feeling stirring in her heart.

Black absorbed heat, but Ming Zhu seemed unfazed, her dark hair loose, skin pale, expression calm, gaze steady.

Yu Jing felt something was wrong with herself. Ming Zhu was just wearing a black shirt, yet she was reminded of their couple cover shoot… even though the style and fabric were different.

She quickly cleared her mind of those ambiguous images, forcing a natural smile and meeting Ming Zhu’s gaze. “It’s you.”

Ming Zhu showed no irritation from the heat, looking at Yu Jing’s misty, swollen eyes from yawning. She frowned. “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

Yu Jing didn’t expect the question. The mist in her eyes cleared slightly, her lips moving as she gave a generic reply. “Stayed up too late, didn’t sleep well.”

How late must she have stayed up to get that swollen? Ming Zhu frowned again, staring at her eyes. “Don’t stay up so late.”

Her tone sounded like concern, with a hint of subtle intimacy.

Yu Jing wasn’t used to it, mumbling an “Mm,” then turned her head, spotting Xiao Ye getting out of the car. She quickly stepped out from under the umbrella.

Luckily, Ming Zhu wasn’t too curious and didn’t ask what she was doing up late.

Xiao Ye saw Ming Zhu and said excitedly, “Hi, Sister Ming Zhu!”

Ming Zhu nodded at her friendly.

Xiao Ye jogged over, eagerly saying, “’Qinghu Legend’ was so good! Jingjing and I watched the finale last night. Let me tell you, when Luoshen sacrificed herself to save the world, Jingjing cried—”

Yu Jing clamped a hand over Xiao Ye’s chatterbox mouth.

Xiao Ye mumbled, unable to pry her hand off.

Yu Jing pinched her waist hard. Xiao Ye yelped in pain and finally quieted.

Ming Zhu glanced at the silenced Xiao Ye, then at the flustered Yu Jing. Connecting Xiao Ye’s unfinished words, she said, surprised, “You watched my drama?”

“Just… watched it casually because I was bored,” Yu Jing said weakly, glaring at Xiao Ye for spilling.

Xiao Ye shrugged innocently.

Casually watching—why stay up so late?

Ming Zhu’s gaze fell on her swollen eyelids, cutting straight to the point. “So your eyes are swollen from crying over my character’s death?”

“…” Yu Jing tugged at the hair sticking to her face, not wanting to talk.

Seeing her puffed cheeks and reluctant expression, Ming Zhu was momentarily speechless, then couldn’t help but raise her hand and pinch the soft flesh by Yu Jing’s mouth.

Yu Jing’s eyes widened.

Ming Zhu leaned slightly, looking into her large, bright eyes, her tone soft and tinged with amusement. “Yu Jing, how are you so cute?”

The author has something to say: Thank you all~!