Marked by the Milk-Soft Alpha I Picked Up (Entertainment Circle) - Chapter 3

The next morning, Lin Ruoyun was awakened by her phone ringing.

“Miss Lin, please hurry to the Qin residence. The second mistress… she’s not feeling well.”

Hearing the title “second mistress,” Lin Ruoyun was instantly wide awake and sat bolt upright.

“Auntie Zhang, I have an audition today. Could you please take my mom to the hospital…”

Before Lin Ruoyun could finish, she heard a slightly exaggerated groan from the other end of the line.

“Oh… oh… My head hurts so much, and my chest feels so tight… I’m going to die…”

This “boy who cried wolf” routine was something Lin Ruoyun had to deal with countless times a year. But she never dared to ignore it, fearing she would regret it forever if something genuinely happened to her mother one day.

Lin Ruoyun quickly got up, washed her face, and took a taxi to the luxurious villa complex of Bibo Lake. The Qin residence was located on the easternmost side, nestled by the mountains and water with beautiful scenery.

As Lin Ruoyun entered the main hall, she immediately saw a woman ladling soup at the dining table—it was her mother, Mrs. Liang.

Liang Qiu wore a purple satin cheongsam. Her figure and appearance were incredibly well-maintained, easily rivaling a celebrity on TV. Seeing Lin Ruoyun, Liang Qiu smiled. “Ruoyun, you’re here? Come, sit down. Ye Li has been waiting for you for a long time.”

Her voice was clear and full of energy. She didn’t look sick at all.

Sure enough, she had been tricked again!

Since it was her own mother, Lin Ruoyun didn’t show her displeasure. She simply said in a flat tone, “Mom, I have an audition later. Since you’re not feeling unwell, I’ll be going now.”

Liang Qiu slammed the soup ladle down, sending the thick bird’s nest soup splashing everywhere. “Audition, audition, it’s always an audition!” Liang Qiu snapped. “As an Omega, you should get married to an Alpha early. Running around outside all day, do you have no consideration for Ye Li?”

Every time she came back, she had to endure Liang Qiu’s accusations and her relentless pressure to get married. This luxurious, classical villa felt like a gilded cage, making Lin Ruoyun feel suffocated.

She stood expressionlessly to the side, not arguing. It was Qin Yeli, seated at the head of the table, who slightly frowned and spoke up for her.

“Don’t pressure her,” Qin Yeli said, ladling a bowl of bird’s nest soup and placing it in front of Liang Qiu. “Let Ruoyun do what she wants. I can wait.”

Liang Qiu was surprised that Qin Yeli had served her. She froze for a moment, then cautiously stood up, taking the bone china bowl with both hands and a clear look of flattery on her face.

Lin Ruoyun couldn’t help but turn to look at the head of the table. Qin Yeli dabbed the corner of her mouth with a Bvlgari handkerchief and slowly looked up. Her pupils reflected Lin Ruoyun’s stunningly beautiful face.

“Ruoyun, come eat something. Your mother got up early to make all your favorites.”

Lin Ruoyun bit her lower lip and walked over, stiffly sitting in the empty seat to her left.

Qin Yeli carefully peeled a shrimp, dipped it in Lin Ruoyun’s favorite satay sauce, and placed it in her bowl. “Ruoyun, Xiao Tao told me you’re filming with Director Zhao. I’ve met him a few times. Should I put in a good word for you…”

“No, thank you. My parts for Director Zhao’s film are all done.”

Lin Ruoyun’s voice was neither loud nor soft, but Qin Yeli could hear the cold distance in her tone.

She didn’t say anything more. She took a wet wipe to clean her fingers, rubbed her forehead, and with a gentle flick, took off her lightly-prescribed glasses. Without the glasses, Qin Yeli’s features instantly became brighter and sharper. Her face had a delicate and three-dimensional shape, with beautiful phoenix eyes that tilted slightly upwards, giving her a look that was both heroic and stunningly beautiful.

When Qin Yeli didn’t speak, Lin Ruoyun certainly wasn’t going to. In the air, a faint scent of Qin Yeli’s pheromones, a rich and dense cypress wood aroma, lingered. It was so strong it felt a bit suffocating.

Qin Yeli was a top-tier Alpha with immense self-control. The high concentration of her pheromones right now was a clear sign of an unusual emotional fluctuation.

Liang Qiu was sensitive to Qin Yeli’s displeasure and quickly tried to lighten the mood. She took out two tickets for the “White Veil” band concert and pushed them toward the two. “Ruoyun, I know you like the White Veil band. A friend of mine gave me two tickets. You and Ye Li should go together.”

Lin Ruoyun was stunned, her brow furrowing as if facing a huge dilemma.

Qin Yeli smiled faintly, getting her emotions under control, and her pheromones began to dissipate. “It’s okay. If you’re busy, then forget it.”

After saying this, Qin Yeli pushed the tickets back. Liang Qiu quickly stammered in protest, then turned and glared at Lin Ruoyun. Under Liang Qiu’s warning gaze, Lin Ruoyun finally took the tickets.

Qin Yeli’s lips curved into a smile, and Liang Qiu also nodded in satisfaction.

“Ye Li,” Liang Qiu said, getting up from the table. “I’ll take Ruoyun upstairs to change. Since you’re going out shopping, it’s nice to wear something pretty.”

Qin Yeli hummed softly and turned her head to stare at the motionless Lin Ruoyun. Liang Qiu had already started up the spiral staircase. When she looked back and saw Lin Ruoyun still not moving, her delicate fingers tightened on the railing, and she gritted her teeth.

“Ruoyun, come up with me. Auntie Zhang, brew a pot of almond and snow lotus tea.”

Lin Ruoyun’s eyelashes fluttered. She reluctantly followed her mother upstairs.

Liang Qiu’s room was the largest suite in the Qin residence. The head of the Qin family, Qin Fang, had passed away from an illness five years ago. Now, Qin Yeli was in charge of the entire family. But instead of kicking Liang Qiu, the woman who had ruined her parents’ relationship, out of the house, Qin Yeli had kept all of the “second mistress’s” privileges and even treated her better than Qin Fang had.

The reason for this was something Liang Qiu knew all too well. All the servants in the Qin family could see that Qin Yeli liked Lin Ruoyun, so on the surface, they were respectful to both mother and daughter and never dared to show any disrespect.

The maid, Auntie Zhang, brought up a pot of freshly brewed almond tea. The milky white, hot tea was poured into an English teacup on a tray. After Auntie Zhang left, Liang Qiu took out a V-neck emerald green dress for Lin Ruoyun.

Lin Ruoyun stepped back, placing her hands behind her back in a gesture of refusal.

“Ruoyun, there’s a limit to how stubborn you can be,” Liang Qiu said coldly, with a commanding tone. “Go put on the dress and have a nice shopping trip with Ye Li.”

Lin Ruoyun’s eyes swept over the dress, and when she looked back, the corners of her eyes were slightly red. “Mom, I won’t go shopping with Ye Li, and I will absolutely not get engaged to her.”

Liang Qiu’s expression instantly changed. “What did you say? You’re going to reject Ye Li?”

Lin Ruoyun nodded without hesitation.

Liang Qiu’s expression began to crack, but she was a person who was used to holding back her anger. “Daughter, Ye Li is the head of the Qin family now. The only reason she hasn’t kicked this old woman out is because of you. Ye Li likes you, so she extends that love to me and treats me like a respected guest.”

“But this is not our home,” Lin Ruoyun said, a hint of bitterness in her eyes. “Mom, Uncle Qin has been gone for five years. Why do you still stay here? We have hands and feet. We can support ourselves. Why must we rely on the Qin family like parasites?”

“And where would we go if we left the Qin family?” Liang Qiu sneered coldly. “To live with you in a 20-square-meter apartment, eating plain noodles three times a day?”

Liang Qiu picked up her teacup, taking an elegant sip, leaving a soft red lipstick mark on the rim. “Daughter, do you know that the almond tea your mother is drinking now is picked from apricot trees at an altitude of two thousand meters? You can’t even buy this with money.”

She twirled the cup in her hand. “Your mother is used to this kind of tea. How could I possibly drink that cheap almond tea that costs a few dozen dollars a pound?”

Lin Ruoyun’s eyelashes drooped in disappointment. Yes, her mother was used to a life of luxury, where she was served and waited on. How could she possibly endure hardship? If she could, she wouldn’t have rushed into Qin Fang’s arms while her own father’s body was barely cold.

“Fine. Stay in the Qin family if you want,” Lin Ruoyun said, tightly gripping the hem of her skirt. She spoke each word deliberately. “But I will absolutely not get engaged to Ye Li.”

Outside, Qin Yeli had changed and was about to go upstairs to wait for Ruoyun. Hearing the conversation inside, the hand she was about to use to knock on the door froze.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Liang Qiu’s face turned completely cold. She pointed a trembling finger at the window. “If you don’t get engaged to Ye Li, I’ll jump from here.”

“Mom, why do you always have to force me like this?”

Lin Ruoyun had caught a cold while filming the rain scene a few days ago, and her head was starting to ache. Her vision suddenly went black for a moment, and in a flash, a pair of clear eyes appeared. They were gentle and loving, yet held a hint of sadness.

“Ruoyun… Ruoyun… I’ll be back… You have to wait for me… wait for me to come back…”

It was a sudden, fleeting memory, gone as quickly as a shooting star. Lin Ruoyun didn’t even get a clear look at the person…

Who was it? Whose eyes were they?

Why did they make her feel so heartbroken, on the verge of tears?

Lin Ruoyun rubbed her head. “Mom, you told me… you told me that Ye Li and I were childhood friends and had an engagement, but why do I always feel like the person I grew up with wasn’t Ye Li… but someone else?”

“Nonsense! I’m your mother. You’ll marry whoever I tell you to.”

“You may be my mom, but you can’t force me!”

“You want to break the engagement? Over my dead body!”

Liang Qiu’s face was distorted as she threw the tea in her hand. Lin Ruoyun couldn’t dodge in time, and the side of her face near her ear stung with a burning sensation. The cup hit the floor with a loud crack. Qin Yeli rushed into the room.

Lin Ruoyun, clutching her cheek, stumbled out of the room, colliding directly with Qin Yeli.

“Ruoyun, are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, Ye Li, I can’t go shopping with you.”

Lin Ruoyun ran quickly, but her feet felt as heavy as lead. She couldn’t escape or break free. It turned out her world had never changed, never escaped from the murky mud, the endless malice, and the selfishness.