Forced to Pretend to Be an A and Marry the Best Actress Omega - Chapter 39

Xu Mifei’s biological clock was easily conditioned. After joining the props department, she had grown accustomed to heading to work for testing before dawn.

When she startled awake today, daylight had already broken. The sensation at her fingertips momentarily disoriented her—until she saw Jiang Lingyu lying right beside her. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

She… she remembered only intending to wait until Jiang Lingyu came out—

How had she fallen asleep? And ended up next to Jiang Lingyu?

Her leg was draped over Jiang Lingyu’s waist, her hand pressing against the other woman’s body as if trying to pull her close. Instinct must have driven her to seek proximity—her head was dangerously close to Jiang Lingyu’s scent gland.

She had no idea what unconscious movements she might have made before waking.

It was as if she had treated Jiang Lingyu like some oversized catnip.

Xu Mifei burned with shame at her disgraceful sleeping habits. She should have just slept on the sofa—why had she lingered by the edge of the bed?

She belonged in the cramped single bed of the props department dorm, confined within its rigid boundaries.

Now, if Jiang Lingyu woke up, she’d be beyond redemption—let alone explaining herself.

But her hand was trapped beneath Jiang Lingyu’s shoulder blade. Any attempt to withdraw it would surely alert her.

Just as she began to retract her hand, Jiang Lingyu stirred.

“!!!”

Was she waking up? Xu Mifei froze in terror and immediately squeezed her eyes shut.

She could sense Jiang Lingyu’s breathing pattern shift—was it a sign of waking?

Because they were so close, and because Xu Mifei was hyper-aware of Jiang Lingyu’s every movement, she knew with painful clarity: Jiang Lingyu was awake. And she had noticed something.

Her hand was still trapped, and now Jiang Lingyu was awake.

“……” Xu Mifei stiffened, eyes clenched shut.

This was the only solution her panicked mind could conjure—a stupid one, but she could only hope Jiang Lingyu would get out of bed quickly. Then she could “wake up” naturally and avoid this mortifying confrontation.

They weren’t lovers. Even sharing a bed demanded boundaries—especially since she had deliberately rolled out a large blanket last night to mark a dividing line.

Now, that boundary lay crushed beneath her. Her terrible sleeping habits had clearly obliterated it.

She had read Jiang Lingyu’s fan wiki—it mentioned the actress had a slight aversion to mess.

And here she was, unwashed, disheveled, and having clung to Jiang Lingyu in her sleep without permission. Any one of those would be enough to set Jiang Lingyu off.

So, when she felt Jiang Lingyu’s hand move toward her, Xu Mifei’s heart hammered wildly.

Was Jiang Lingyu going to slap her before kicking her off the bed? Or just strangle her out of sheer fury?

The back of her neck burned as if warning her of imminent danger.

She couldn’t keep pretending. Her trembling lashes betrayed her tension, forcing her to open her eyes—

But at that moment, Jiang Lingyu suddenly withdrew her hand.

Xu Mifei knew Jiang Lingyu was awake and pretending to sleep. Now, she had no choice but to keep up the act.

For Xu Mifei, who wasn’t an actress, pretending to have just woken up was a bit challenging. She wasn’t even sure if she could fool Jiang Lingyu.

Perhaps in the eyes of the award-winning actress, everything she did seemed rather laughable.

Under pressure, Xu Mifei withdrew her limbs and tiptoed away, preparing to leave.

She needed to check if Director Jin had arrived. Last night had been too chaotic, and she hoped no tasks would be assigned today.

Just then, the phone on the bedside table vibrated—not hers, but Jiang Lingyu’s.

Xu Mifei was already about to leave. She thought Jiang Lingyu would answer since she was awake, but the woman on the bed showed no reaction. In an instant, Xu Mifei found herself caught in another dilemma.

She couldn’t tell whether Jiang Lingyu had genuinely fallen back asleep or simply couldn’t hear the call.

The call was cut off, but then it rang again persistently.

Could it be a task from the production team?

Considering the possibility, Xu Mifei walked over to Jiang Lingyu’s bedside and saw a string of random numbers—likely a scam call.

It did seem like something Director Jin would pull.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Mifei took the phone to the balcony and answered.

Before she could speak, the person on the other end snapped:

“Jiang Lingyu! Didn’t I tell you long ago that no matter when I call, you can’t let it ring more than three times before answering?”

The voice… Xu Mifei didn’t recognize it personally, but her memories did—it was Jiang Lingyu’s mother, Jiang Wanxiang.

“How long are you going to keep sulking? Don’t you know why you’re on this show? Publicly humiliating Xu Wanzhi—is that how I raised you?”

Jiang Wanxiang clearly assumed she was speaking to her daughter, completely unaware of who had picked up.

“Behave yourself, understand? Getting engaged to Xu Mifei is just a temporary measure. Don’t provoke Xu Wanzhi—where else will you get the money to gamble with her? I warned you before—running away won’t solve anything!”

“I’ve said so much, and you haven’t uttered a single word. What’s the meaning of this?”

When Xu Mifei first saw Jiang Wanxiang at the engagement party, she had just arrived in this world and hadn’t had time to dwell on it.

Now, hearing Jiang Wanxiang’s call, she finally pieced together the fragments from the original host’s memories.

A clear suspicion surfaced in her mind.

Jiang Wanxiang had taken the original host’s benefits, essentially “selling” her daughter to secure a place in the Xu family. But she also knew about Jiang Lingyu’s gambling agreement with the company, forcing her to appease Xu Wanzhi.

What role had she played in all this?

Xu Mifei’s expression turned cold as she finally spoke.

“The meaning is simple—I don’t want to talk to you. Can’t you take a hint?”

“You—you…” The voice on the other end immediately recognized hers, pausing in shock before laughing. “Xiao Xu? Why are you with Lingyu?”

“Stop bothering Jiang Lingyu with this nonsense. And stay out of our affairs.”

“Xiao Xu, isn’t this a bit ungrateful? When you came to me before, you didn’t talk like this. You said we’d be family, that you’d treat me like your own mother!”

“Oh? I didn’t expect you to even believe my words.” Xu Mifei had no desire to engage further with her. “The check was already in your hands. After all, we orchestrated this together. If you refuse to listen to me, I have both the check records and recordings. If they’re exposed, we’ll both lose our reputations, and you’ll never mingle in those high-society circles again.”

This was precisely what Jiang Wanxiang cared about most.

Though she had become in-laws with the Xu family, it was clear Jiang Wanxiang was unwelcome.

She didn’t care—she only wanted the title to climb into higher social circles. Her daughter was merely a bargaining chip.

Before Jiang Wanxiang could erupt in furious curses, Xu Mifei hung up the phone.

Overwhelmed by emotion, Jiang Wanxiang hadn’t noticed until she turned around and saw Jiang Lingyu standing by the bed.

“Um… I…” She hadn’t meant to answer the call, but she couldn’t admit it was because she saw Jiang Lingyu ignoring it. After hesitating, she said, “I just checked because I didn’t want it to disturb you. It was your mother. She said—”

“I know what she said.” Jiang Lingyu’s tone and expression were indifferent, as if she had received countless such calls.

Xu Mifei’s voice grew urgent. “Is she threatening you? Why have you never told me?”

She realized Jiang Lingyu seemed to carry burdens she knew nothing about, yet Jiang Lingyu had never spoken of them.

Though Xu Mifei had some understanding of Jiang Lingyu, it was limited to words on paper. Only after truly getting to know her did she realize Jiang Lingyu was a living, breathing person—impossible to define in just a few sentences.

Jiang Lingyu walked over, took the phone from her, and said coldly, “Xu Mifei, this has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it.”

Jiang Lingyu believed she had been blunt and detached enough.

Since Xu Mifei had already mentioned an early divorce at the hospital, their contract had become a joke neither needed to honor.

Jiang Wanxiang was a shadow Jiang Lingyu couldn’t shake off, and Xu Mifei didn’t need to be tainted by it.

Jiang Lingyu thought she must have been insane to suggest signing the marriage certificate after the show. It was likely just a reckless impulse spurred by last night’s comfort.

Xu Mifei’s response had been expected—but so what? If she could agree so easily, even announcing a sudden dissolution of their engagement tomorrow would likely meet with her approval.

Understanding Xu Mifei’s thoughts only made Jiang Lingyu wish she hadn’t.

For some reason, she had a feeling.

Xu Mifei’s sudden change in demeanor—no longer blindly yielding to her—had a reason, but Jiang Lingyu couldn’t fathom what it was.

It wasn’t that Xu Mifei had changed or was sincere. She was acting out of necessity.

Defending Jiang Lingyu in front of Xu Wanzhi time and again, granting her favors—all of it was forced.

This notion grew stronger when she heard Xu Mifei berate her mother.

Xu Mifei had never been like this before. She had once been complicit with Jiang Wanxiang, birds of a feather.

So, this wasn’t a prodigal’s return—it was obligation. But why?

For a fleeting moment, Jiang Lingyu burned with curiosity for the answer. But she quickly forced herself to cool down.

What good would getting the answer do? That answer would only crush her newly sprouted hope all over again. It might as well stay buried within Xu Mifei forever.

“How could I not care about you? Of course I care.” The person across from her wore an unmistakably puzzled expression. “We’re already engaged. Doesn’t that mean I can share your burdens?”

Share burdens?

Jiang Lingyu’s expression remained largely unchanged, but a trace of cold mockery flashed in her eyes.

Xu Mifei’s circumstances and experiences were completely different from her own. How could she possibly share Jiang Lingyu’s burdens?

Moreover, the scars on Xu Mifei’s body clearly showed she was a child utterly neglected by the Xu family.

Jiang Wanxiang’s clever scheme had already fallen through.

Though Xu Mifei had a terrible reputation, with the Xu family name and her status as an alpha, she remained a notorious playgirl in elite circles.

The engagement between Jiang Lingyu and the Xu family had actually been nothing more than an offhand remark between the two families years ago. Later, when Jiang Lingyu didn’t present as an omega in time, the matter had been quietly dropped.

Even after she eventually presented as an omega, before her high rank was confirmed, Jiang Wanxiang knew full well the engagement was void—she believed her daughter wasn’t good enough.

And even after learning of Jiang Lingyu’s high rank, she had other plans. It was only because Xu Mifei later offered a substantial sum that she agreed.

Her agreement also stemmed from the belief that Xu Mifei, despite her bad reputation, was still a Xu—a perfect match for her own daughter of humble origins.

The sincerity in Xu Mifei’s questioning expression just now had been so genuine that Jiang Lingyu almost believed she truly wanted to share her burdens.

How perplexing—why did lies seem like truth, and truth like lies?

Jiang Lingyu heard herself ask coolly, “We haven’t even gotten our marriage certificate. What relationship do we have?”

Xu Mifei froze, realizing Jiang Lingyu was reminding her.

From last night until now—just a few hours—she’d already heard Jiang Lingyu mention the marriage certificate twice.

Jiang Lingyu was someone who lacked a sense of security. It was only natural she wanted another layer of protection for their arrangement.

Her momentary hesitation was not lost on Jiang Lingyu. Before Xu Mifei could speak, Jiang Lingyu said knowingly, “What, you’re scared now? Having second thoughts?”

“No,” Xu Mifei laid her thoughts bare. “I was just thinking about how much trouble you’d have when our agreement ends. Not about refusing to get the certificate.”

How laughable—marriage, a matter of such gravity, had become nothing more than a business transaction openly discussed between them.

Jiang Lingyu took a step back, gripping her phone, finding every word Xu Mifei said utterly absurd.

She should have refused outright or told her to leave the room. Yet, against all reason, she heard herself say:

“Then let’s go get it.”

That faint, withering hope of hers, like a dying plant, clung desperately to the slightest drop of nourishment.

“I’ll step out for now and come back for you later.” Xu Mifei nodded and quickly slipped out the door.

The moment it closed, she pressed a hand to her chest, unable to calm its rapid beating, murmuring under her breath, “This is bad… really bad…”

How could it be so intoxicating?

Though she was well aware that her decision to get married with Jiang Lingyu was merely for deeper mutual benefits, the moment Jiang Lingyu voiced it, Xu Mifei felt an inexplicable flutter in her heart.

It felt as solemn as if she were truly committing to spending the rest of her life with this person.

She steadied her heartbeat and headed straight to the workroom, just in time for the staff’s morning meeting.

“You’re… back?” Jin Chiyu spotted her and immediately lowered her voice, pulling her aside. “Is everything alright? How did you just faint like that? Did you even get enough sleep last night before coming to work? Young people don’t need to push themselves this hard.”

When Jiang Lingyu had taken her away, she had only briefly mentioned that Xu Mifei had collapsed from exhaustion. Jin Chiyu had wondered if it was related to the mark… but Hu Huaimeng later dismissed that theory. Jin Chiyu had even specifically instructed Hu Yigui not to have Xu Mifei start testing at four in the morning today.

“What’s the schedule for today?”

“There’s a group appearance, and then this episode wraps up—you can all leave the island after that.” Jin Chiyu hesitated before adding, “The photographer will arrive at Lingyu’s room at 7:50 to capture the two of you waking up together.”

Her words were essentially giving Xu Mifei a heads-up, implying they should be prepared.

“And what exactly are you hoping to capture?”

Jin Chiyu chuckled. “Don’t put it like that. We’re just following the usual filming process. After all, sharing a bed needs some kind of payoff… You were exhausted last night, so you might not know, but the buzz around you and Jiang Lingyu is insane!”

She lowered her voice further but couldn’t hide her excitement. “Just last night—can you believe it? For the first time, your popularity surpassed Wanzhi and Lingyu’s! You’re really something!”

Jin Chiyu patted Xu Mifei’s shoulder in admiration, then suddenly remembered—wasn’t Xu Mifei the one who had married Jiang Lingyu? Shouldn’t it be normal for her and her wife to be trending?

The thought made her smile stiffen.

But she noticed that Xu Mifei, upon hearing the good news, showed no sign of joy—only deep contemplation.

Jin Chiyu added, “Don’t overthink it. Isn’t this what you said before? It’s all just work.”

“Then skip the shoot and go straight to the appearance.” Seeing Jin Chiyu’s frozen expression, Xu Mifei smiled. “I’m speaking to you now as an investor. Don’t make things difficult for us, alright?”

Jin Chiyu: “…As you say, Director Xu.”

Satisfied, Xu Mifei left. She had just texted Jiang Lingu to say everything was fine when a call from home came through.

It was from Xu Yiming’s assistant, politely informing her that after the morning’s recording, the Xu family would send a car to pick them up for a meal at home.

It was not a request but a notification—the call ended just as quickly.

Xu Mifei stared at the darkened screen, lost in thought.

The original host had joined this show to play the role of a cannon fodder, meant to push Jiang Lingyu and Xu Wanzhi closer. Now, it seemed she had successfully prevented Jiang Lingyu from developing feelings for Xu Wanzhi—but she hadn’t completely crushed Xu Wanzhi yet.

How could she ensure Xu Wanzhi was completely out of Jiang Lingyu’s life for good?

Truthfully, Xu Mifei was quite satisfied with the initial results of her efforts. At the very least, she now understood Jiang Lingyu a little better.

The novel didn’t elaborate much on Jiang Lingyu’s upbringing, but based on this phone call and previous clues, Xu Mifei guessed that Jiang Lingyu likely had a strained relationship with her mother.

In this book, any of these people could pose a security risk, any of them could push Jiang Lingyu toward corruption. She had to dismantle them one by one, ensuring they could never threaten Jiang Lingyu again.

Due to the limited perspective while reading, Xu Mifei still didn’t know exactly what those people had done to Jiang Lingyu.

The original text also never mentioned the unfair contract Jiang Lingyu had signed with the company—only that she had always been under Xu Wanzhi’s agency.

Since she had already instructed Jin Chiyu not to cause trouble, Xu Mifei first returned to the props department to change back into her own clothes. By the time she came out, the guests had already wrapped up filming, and the cameramen had set down their equipment.

She immediately walked over to Jiang Lingyu, clearly hearing the cold laugh Xu Wanzhi let out.

“Dare to go back?”

“Dare to stop being so childish?” Xu Mifei smiled at her. “If you’re calling me back, then be prepared to face the consequences.”

She wasn’t the original host, meek and submissive to her family. If they wanted her at the dinner table, they’d better watch out—if she heard anything unpleasant, she wouldn’t hesitate to flip the table and expose the rotten hypocrisy of that whole family.

Xu Mifei pulled Jiang Lingyu closer. “Come on, let’s get on the Flyer.”

Tuo Island wasn’t connected by any bridges, so they still had to return to Zezhou Island the same way before heading back.

This time, all the guests chose to take the Flyer for the return trip.

On the way, Xu Mifei told Jiang Lingyu that the Xu family would be picking them up to go home. Jiang Lingyu nodded without refusing.

But when the Flyer landed, the two of them saw the nanny standing beside the Xu family’s van. Hu Huaimeng waved at them, her expression troubled.

“Spring Garden just moved up a scene—they’re shooting this afternoon, so we might not make it back for dinner tonight,” Hu Huaimeng said to Jiang Lingyu. She had overheard them talking about going back for dinner. “Should I ask the director for leave? It’s the production team’s fault for rescheduling, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

The name of this drama sounded vaguely familiar to Xu Mifei. Could it be one the original host had invested in?

Jiang Lingyu glanced at Xu Mifei, and that look made her heart skip a beat—as if she had done something wrong.

No, it definitely wasn’t her.

But she knew the Xu family’s dinner invitation wasn’t out of goodwill. Going to film would be better. She could use this chance to see if her parents knew about the contract Xu Wanzhi had tricked Jiang Lingyu into signing.

“…Then let’s go film? That family dinner wouldn’t be anything good anyway.” Thinking Jiang Lingyu’s glance was asking for her opinion, Xu Mifei agreed.

But instead of looking relieved, Jiang Lingyu’s expression grew even colder. Finally, she nodded and said to Xu Mifei, “You go.”

“What about the marriage registration? Tomorrow?”

Jiang Lingyu’s hand paused on the car door. Then she laughed softly and said, “Fine. Tomorrow.”

This was the first time today Xu Mifei had seen Jiang Lingyu smile—as if light had finally touched her eyes.

Xu Mifei’s heart stirred. She wanted to say, Then I’ll wait for you at home, but before she could, the car door shut, and the vehicle sped away.

Embarrassed, she rubbed her nose and got into another car the Xu family had sent for her.

After exiting the fork in the road, the two vehicles headed in different directions. Jiang Lingyu’s van turned onto the lower road and gradually disappeared from sight.

Xu Mifei, who hadn’t slept much the night before, began to doze off in the car.

In her drowsy state, she faintly heard the radio: “Hello, dear audience! In today’s leaked footage from the ‘Spring Garden’ set, many fans were seen holding Luo Wuniang’s signature red silk banners to show their support. They insisted on celebrating Jiang Lingyu’s final wrap scene—to embrace Luo Wuniang, who ultimately chose to take her own life and depart…”

Spring Garden, Luo Wuniang, Luo Wuniang…

Xu Mifei’s eyes snapped open.

She remembered now!

“The Spring Garden Full of Colors,” that terrible drama, was one that the original owner forced Jiang Lingyu to star in.

At the time, after Jiang Lingyu finished filming this variety show, her relationship with Xu Wanzhi had progressed rapidly due to the original owner’s meddling.

Unwilling to accept this, the original owner began pushing harder, manifesting in her aggressively throwing scripts at Jiang Lingyu.

But she had never once considered what suited Jiang Lingyu—she just mindlessly accepted and shoved any project her way, as long as the pay was high. She thought she was doing Jiang Lingyu a favor, but the result was a string of terrible films and dramas.

Jiang Lingyu moved from one set to another, yet she delivered outstanding performances in every one.

Because the plots and everything else were lackluster, Jiang Lingyu’s acting stood out even more. The audience had sharp eyes—some netizens spontaneously compiled a video titled “A Roundup of God-Tier Acting in Terrible Dramas Over the Years,” and several of Jiang Lingyu’s scenes made the cut.

Among them, her portrayal of Luo Wuniang, a tragic supporting character in a historical drama who met her demise, was praised in the barrage of comments. People said, “The look in Luo Wuniang’s eyes before she chose to take her own life gave me chills—it was way too realistic! How did she even pull off that expression of strangling herself?!!!”

Fans even went to ask the director, and the entire crew immediately responded, clarifying that it was all thanks to Jiang Lingyu’s incredible acting skills—everything was props, 100% safe.

That final scene was Luo Wuniang, having lost all hope, twisting a red silk ribbon into a noose and hanging herself in a tragic suicide.

Why had it been moved up to today—

Xu Mifei’s heart pounded violently, each beat making her fingertips tremble. A sense of foreboding rose in her chest.

Now she finally understood why Jiang Lingyu had given her that look when Hu Huaimeng asked if she should take time off, and Xu Mifei had insisted Jiang Lingyu go film.

It was an expression of utter disbelief.

“Stop! Stop the car—change direction. Now. I need to go to the film studio.” Xu Mifei frowned, pulling out her phone and immediately searching for the director’s contact.

“Apologies, Second Miss,” the sunglasses-wearing driver replied coldly. “Your father instructed us only to bring you home. We cannot go to the film studio.”