Marked by the Milk-Soft Alpha I Picked Up (Entertainment Circle) - Chapter 1

In November, the temperature in Tianhai City had dropped sharply. The whistling wind swept through the falling leaves, sending chills through everyone it touched.

Night had already cloaked the city’s Dreamscape Film Park, heavy and impenetrable.

Inside a makeshift soundstage, prop crew bustled around adjusting rain machines and camera tracks, prepping for a rain scene scheduled for reshoots.

As one of the prop crew carried a dolly past the corner, something caught the corner of his eye—a girl sitting quietly in the shadows.

Her head was slightly bowed, so her face wasn’t clearly visible. But the crewman, who had spent decades in the entertainment business, could tell just from the elegant curve of her nose and the clean lines of her jaw—this girl had star potential.

He found himself drifting closer, catching the faint scent of floral sweetness in the air, warm and honeyed.

An Omega.

Not all that surprising—pretty Omegas were a dime a dozen in showbiz.

He turned to leave, lifting his foot, when a trace of something else brushed past his nose—a hint of amber-like warmth, soft and lingering.

He froze mid-step.

He’d worked with countless actresses, and most Omegas had fairly one-dimensional pheromones. But this—this layered scent could only belong to a top-tier Omega.

Unable to resist, he struck up a conversation.
“You part of the Dreambound cast? What role are you playing?”

The girl lifted her head.

The crewman paused, stunned.

What a beautiful Omega.

Especially those eyes—clear, luminous, like ripples over water. Tender yet vivid, her gaze had a quiet power, like it could drown you if you stared too long.

She smiled gently. “I’m here to stand in for Sister Zhan’s rain scene.”

So… a stunt double?

He felt a pang of regret.

An Omega this stunning should be the leading lady—not some faceless stand-in.

But that’s the reality of this industry. Zhan Qing was the lead, handpicked by investors. Never mind her wooden acting or inability to memorize lines—she just read off numbers during scenes and relied on voiceovers in post.

She also had the temperament of a diva. But since she came with money, the director could only tread carefully around her. Most of her scenes were handled by stand-ins, and only close-ups were done later.

Tonight’s shoot was a rain-drenched reunion scene between the male and female leads, filmed in the biting cold of late autumn. The director, in pursuit of realism, had refused to use green screens or digital rain—real water would be sprayed directly on the actors.

The moment Zhan Qing heard that, she refused to act. It took a lot of coaxing before she agreed to let a stand-in handle the bulk of the scene, only stepping in for her facial shots.

The crewman said no more, just muttered an “oh” and left.

Lin Ruoyun lowered her head again, refocusing on the thin script in her hands.

She couldn’t afford a manager. She didn’t even have an agency. While other actresses had assistants doting on them, she sat alone in a corner of the prop department, carefully studying her two-page scene.

The director wandered over, cigarette holder in his mouth, and briefly ran through blocking positions. Then, filming preparations began.

The moment the director called for the stand-in, Lin Ruoyun instantly slipped into character. She rushed under the rain machine, choking back sobs as she called out the male lead’s name.

The male lead turned slowly. When his eyes met hers, the longing, pain, and repressed love in her gaze pulled him in completely. His performance—his best in the entire production—came pouring out.

“Qing-jie, Qing-jie!” the director waved frantically, motioning for Zhan Qing to enter the scene.

Zhan Qing reluctantly got up, revealing her pre-dampened face to the camera. Once the camera had captured her close-up, she robotically stepped forward to hug the male lead in the pouring rain.

“Cut!”

The director ignored her stiff and soulless acting and instead turned to the male lead, patting his shoulder with satisfaction.

He hadn’t expected him to act so well—but tonight’s scene? Absolutely phenomenal.

Lin Ruoyun pulled her coat from her backpack and wrapped it around her soaked body. Another round of rain scenes was still ahead, so she couldn’t change out of her wet costume just yet. She curled into herself, trying to warm up.

The male lead, Yi Wenbin, walked over and gave her a small smile.
“What’s your name?”

“Lin Ruoyun.” She lifted her long lashes and offered a polite smile.

“You’re really good,” he said with open admiration. “Have you trained in acting?”

She shook her head slightly. “No.”

Yi Wenbin blinked in surprise but then grinned.
“I’m shooting a film next month, and there’s a role I think you’d be perfect for. Want me to put in a word for you?”

Industry referrals were common, but in all his years, Yi Wenbin had never helped a newcomer before.

Zhan Qing’s face darkened with jealousy.

The reason she’d sweet-talked her investor into backing this production was because she liked Yi Wenbin. She couldn’t stand just watching him onscreen anymore—so she followed him all the way to the set.

She swayed her hips as she walked over, tone dripping with mock sweetness.
“Wow, rare for Brother Bin to give you a chance. Aren’t you going to thank him?”

Lin Ruoyun caught the sarcasm but didn’t bite. Her eyes stayed calmly on the script, unfazed.

Zhan Qing grew more agitated.
“Since Brother Bin thinks your acting is good, why don’t you do the bath scene tomorrow too?”

Bath scene?

Nude scene?

A strange tightness seized Lin Ruoyun’s chest.

Two voices echoed in her mind, overlapping:

“Ruoyun, what do you want to be when you grow up?”
“Me? Hmm… I like acting. I want to be an actress. I’ll play anything.”

 “Acting is fine, but no kiss scenes. No bed scenes. Promise me, okay?”
“Okay. I promise, you stingy jerk!”

A wave of sorrow surged through her—thick, suffocating. Her nose stung.

What was it?
What was it that lingered in her memory…
and made her so unbearably sad?

Almost on reflex, she said, “I won’t do it.”

Zhan Qing sneered.
“You don’t get to choose.”

Lin Ruoyun slowly lifted her gaze, her voice steady.
“Sorry, I don’t do nude scenes.”

The air went still.

The director hurried over to ease the tension.

“Xiao Lin, it’s really not a big deal. We can take precautions during the shoot, and if needed, clean it up in post—”

Lin Ruoyun’s lips pressed into a firm line.
“Sorry, Director. I have my principles.”

The director didn’t push further. But Zhan Qing clearly wasn’t letting this go.

She shrieked, “Replace her! I want someone else!”

With the investor behind her, the director didn’t dare say no and went over to console her with a forced smile.

Zhan Qing, emboldened, raised her chin.
“So? You doing it or not?”

Lin Ruoyun picked up her backpack, back straight, heels steady, and walked away without a single glance.

*****

An hour later, she finally arrived at her rental apartment. Night had fallen completely. The hallway light of the old complex flickered unreliably, and no one ever came to fix it.

She climbed the narrow staircase in the dark. Only a few steps in, she suddenly heard a rustle in the shadows.

Then—
A delicate, icy freesia scent drifted past her nose.

Alpha pheromones.

Most Alphas carried woody or musky scents. This kind of cool, herbaceous floral note was extremely rare—especially in an Alpha.

Lately, there had been more and more reports of Alphas tailing Omegas and forcibly marking them.

Lin Ruoyun’s heart pounded in her chest.

She slid her right hand into the side pocket of her backpack and gripped the small, shock-capable flashlight she always carried.

Holding her breath, she turned it on and angled the beam down through the gaps in the stair railing.

Nothing.

Maybe it was just a rat.
Or maybe her nose was playing tricks on her.

She tried to brush off the unease and headed up. But just as she reached her apartment door and reached for her keys—that unique scent drifted in again, faint but unmistakable.

She turned and aimed her flashlight down the stairwell once more.

The dim yellow beam flickered—
Something moved.

A pale, slender hand slowly gripped the stair railing. Delicate, long fingers with smooth knuckles and a hint of protruding wrist bone—like carved jade.

A stunningly beautiful hand.

Lin Ruoyun’s nerves tightened. She descended the stairs cautiously, hand trembling slightly around the flashlight.

Under the soft yellow light, she suddenly locked eyes with someone.

Dark, bottomless eyes stared back at her, like a lonely star in the night—pitch-black, but strangely burning.

It was—

A female Alpha.

Lin Ruoyun’s breath caught. She spoke with a trembling voice.
“Who… who are you?”

The girl opened her mouth. Her voice was cold, yet trembling, thick with emotion she couldn’t hide.

“…Jiejie.”

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