Thank You for the Invitation, I Successfully Held Hands with the Best Actress - Chapter 7

Turns out not just anyone can be a scumbag Alpha—this cooking skill is maxed out, no wonder so many Omegas fell for the deception.

If Ning Yu could hear everyone’s thoughts, she’d definitely cry foul. This had nothing to do with being a scumbag Alpha—the original owner couldn’t cook at all. As for why she’d managed to establish friendly relationships with so many Omegas simultaneously, she could only say looks played a big part.

Falling in love often starts with attraction, and many are no exception. The original owner’s “advantage” lay in having agents and the company cover up scandals while maintaining a polished facade in public.

After dinner, Ning Yu put her fisherman’s hat back on, stretching lazily as she headed upstairs.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ming Jue approaching Mu Qiuyan, speaking with a radiant smile.

She immediately paused, pretending to casually drift closer while straining her ears to listen, though her eyes looked elsewhere.

“I checked earlier—there are roses you like… later we could go…” Fragments of conversation drifted over. Frowning, Ning Yu edged closer, and closer still, until the voices suddenly fell silent.

Curious, she turned her head to find Mu Qiuyan watching her with an amused smirk while Ming Jue beside her looked thunderous.

Ning Yu: “Wow, what a coincidence! Chatting? Mind if I join?”

Since she’d been caught, might as well dive in. Her reputation was already in tatters—one more mark of shamelessness wouldn’t hurt.

Mu Qiuyan: “No need. We’re done.” Then, turning to Ming Jue: “The lighting’s poor at night—not ideal for flower viewing. Besides, I don’t care for roses anymore.”

With that, she left a bewildered Ning Yu and a dejected Ming Jue behind, ascending the stairs.

Viewers watching this scene sighed:

[Beauty brings trouble. I can’t bear to see CEO Ming so heartbroken.]

[Why join a dating show if you’re this aloof, Movie Queen Mu? Rejecting everyone—does she think no one’s good enough?]

[That’s unfair. Joining doesn’t obligate her to pair up. Isn’t it fine if she doesn’t click with anyone?]

[Her attitude’s so off-putting. What’s there to stan—her pretentiousness?]

[Lol, since when does fangirling over her affect you? Name one area where Mu Qiuyan falls short—acting chops or character? She swept the newcomer awards and won Best Actress three times running. That’s hard-earned merit.]

[Nobody’s perfect. She’s reserved, but shouldn’t caution in relationships be commended?]

[Praise her all you want. To me, she’s just fake.]

Disappointed, Ming Jue left to stroll alone in the garden.

Back in college, Mu Qiuyan had loved the rose bushes by the sports field. Every lunchtime en route to the cafeteria, she’d linger there to unwind.

Yet now… she didn’t like them anymore…

As Ming Jue wallowed in melancholy, Ning Yu’s arm suddenly slung over her shoulders.

Ming Jue: “…”

Ming Jue said icily, “We’re hardly acquainted. Stop being so familiar.”

Ning Yu patted her shoulder and guided her toward the garden path through the back door. The camera captured their somewhat blurry figures from behind, their conversation inaudible, but it was clear their heads were drawing closer together…

The audience fell silent: …

What kind of act was this now?!

Ning Yu wasn’t scheming—she was just earnestly playing the role of a caring older sister.

Ning Yu: “I know you really like Mu Qiuyan, but you—”

“What are you talking about? I don’t like her,” Ming Jue’s ears turned slightly red as she shot Ning Yu a guarded look. “Don’t go spreading nonsense.”

Ning Yu: …Nonsense? The way you look at Mu Qiuyan is so obvious, anyone could tell something’s up.

Every guest here, including Mu Qiuyan herself, probably knows how you feel. It’s that glaring—how could they not see it?

Ning Yu: “Stop pretending. I could tell even back in college—you like Mu Qiuyan.”

“I really don’t!”

The female lead was still stubbornly denying it, while Ning Yu internally sighed in exhaustion.

“An Alpha sticking to an Omega’s side day in and day out—what else could it mean besides having feelings for her?”

Just as Ming Jue was about to speak, Ning Yu cut her off again. “If you’re going to say you just see her as a friend, then I’ll gladly hand over my title of ‘scummy Alpha’ to you. All yours.”

Ming Jue shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum, as if she’d been taken hostage.

She tried to break free from Ning Yu’s headlock, only to be forcefully pulled back.

“I don’t like Mu Qiuyan!”

Only after Ning Yu said this did Ming Jue finally settle down. Her peach-blossom eyes fixed on Ning Yu, cold and unyielding. “Who are you trying to fool? You dragged me out here just to tell me this and catch me off guard? Well, forget it!”

Ning Yu: “Who dragged you out? Weren’t you heading to the garden for a walk too? Might as well go together.”

“I really don’t like Mu Qiuyan—or rather, I used to, but not anymore.”

Ming Jue scoffed. “Sure. Got it.”

Clearly, she didn’t believe a word.

Ning Yu sighed and began self-deprecating. “I’ve faced reality and seen myself for who I am. I’m a scummy Alpha with a terrible reputation. I’m not worthy of Mu Qiuyan, nor do I have the right to like her.”

Ming Jue was stunned. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I’m not crazy, not feverish, and definitely not sick.” Ning Yu rattled off the words without pause, leaving no room for doubt. “So, don’t ever think of me as an obstacle in your love life.”

“And I won’t do anything to hurt Mu Qiuyan—I promise you that.”

Before coming here, Ning Yu had considered: if she could make the female lead, Ming Jue, understand her “innocence” and see that she posed no threat to Mu Qiuyan, maybe she could change the original tragic fate of her past self.

Cut it off at the root—eliminate the problem for good.

“Liking her was just a thing from college. It’s been years—I’ve long since moved on.”

Ming Jue listened half-convinced as Ning Yu repeatedly emphasized her lack of feelings for Mu Qiuyan, thinking she must be seriously ill.

Ming Jue: “Fine, I’ll take your word for it—for now. So, is there anything else? If not, you’re dismissed.” No need to ruin my mood for enjoying the night view.

Ning Yu: “…Nothing else.”

Perhaps because Ming Jue agreed too readily, Ning Yu couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

But then, Ming Jue suddenly said, “Wait, you said you don’t like Mu Qiuyan, right? How about you prove it?”

Prove it? How was she supposed to prove something like that?

Did she need to carve “I don’t like Mu Qiuyan” on her forehead or something?

Ning Yu thought the female lead was being way too demanding. She touched the back of her neck where her gland might one day be gouged out and gritted her teeth, enduring it.

“How do you want me to prove it?”

Ming Jue’s eyes lit up. “Simple—you help me pursue Mu Qiuyan!”

Pfft—so she was just admitting it outright again!

But pursuing Mu Qiuyan—

“If you like her, why don’t you do it yourself?”

Ming Jue scratched her cheek sheepishly. “I’m just too embarrassed. We’ve been friends for so many years, and suddenly telling her I want to pursue her… Qiuyan might find it too abrupt.”

Abrupt? Hah, as if!

It wasn’t like Mu Qiuyan was blind.

If Ming Jue confessed, she could just reject her outright.

Ning Yu said, “If you have someone else do the pursuing, that’s insincere. With Mu Qiuyan’s personality, she’d never like you for it.”

But Ming Jue remained indecisive.

The two of them walked in circles around the small garden behind the villa. The cold night breeze blew, and Ning Yu, wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, shivered from the chill. She became even more convinced that Mu Qiuyan had made the right choice by refusing to stroll in the garden with Ming Jue.

Ning Yu decided to provoke her: “How long are you going to hesitate? Is your so-called ‘liking Mu Qiuyan’ just empty words? If so, you’re really nothing special.”

Ming Jue’s hesitation was just her pride getting in the way. She had been secretly in love for years, too afraid to confess despite being right beside her—completely at odds with her domineering CEO persona.

“No, I really can’t do it. You have to help me.” Ming Jue grabbed Ning Yu’s arm and draped it over her own shoulders. “From now on, you can put your arm around my shoulders as much as you want.”

Ning Yu: “…”

Was it some kind of fatal disease for domineering CEOs in novels to be incapable of pursuing someone? Did they have to wait until their love interest was utterly heartbroken before miraculously recovering and then launching into a desperate chase to win them back?

If Mu Qiuyan wasn’t the official love interest, that was one thing. But later, even after Ming Jue ended up with Wen Mianmian, she still “disdained” voicing her affection, leaving Wen Mianmian constantly insecure and hesitant, too afraid to stand up to the minor antagonists who coveted Ming Jue.

It made Ning Yu furious just thinking about it.

“Fine,” Ning Yu exhaled. “I’ll help you pursue her. But you have to follow my instructions exactly—that’s crucial.”

Seeing Ning Yu agree, Ming Jue was secretly delighted. What could be better than killing two birds with one stone?

Not only would she eliminate a love rival, but she’d also gain an ally in love.

“First,” Ning Yu said seriously, already scheming in her mind, “the very first thing you need to do is go find Wen Mianmian.”

“Mianmian? Why her?” Ming Jue was confused.

Calling her so affectionately? It seemed the two female leads were getting along quite well.

Ning Yu explained, “Mu Qiuyan likes bookmarks made from dried flowers. She said so herself in a media interview—that if she ever received such a gift, she’d be incredibly grateful to the person who gave it to her.”

Ming Jue: “Really? But what does that have to do with Mianmian?”

Ning Yu: “When I was chatting with Mianmian earlier, I heard she knows how to make these bookmarks. You could ask her to teach you. Since it’s meant for Mu Qiuyan, something handmade would definitely hold more value.”

Ning Yu touched the pearl earring on her earlobe, carefully observing Ming Jue’s reaction. The whole story about liking dried flower bookmarks and the interview was, of course, fabricated by her.

Her goal was to create more opportunities for Ming Jue and Wen Mianmian to interact.

From what she remembered, the emotional spark between the original characters happened during the process of Wen Mianmian teaching Ming Jue to make dried flower bookmarks—though in the novel, it was just a randomly assigned craft task by the production team.

Ming Jue crossed her arms and tapped her chin, suddenly lifting her head to gaze at Ning Yu with profound intensity.

Her dark, abyss-like eyes held not a single glimmer of light. “Miss Ning, are you deliberately trying to manipulate me with these words, or are you attempting to show me goodwill?”

Ning Yu suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Whether it was the protagonist’s aura or not, an overwhelming pressure seemed to weigh down on her shoulders, making even breathing difficult.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and her lips trembled uncontrollably. “Actually, I—”

Almost on the verge of blurting out the truth, Ning Yu bit her tongue. The pain brought her back to her senses.

“Actually, I’ve wanted to do this for a while. Being your enemy isn’t exactly beneficial.”

Her words carried an implicit reference—the time during university when the original “Ning Yu” was ostracized and bullied by classmates.

After discovering that “Ning Yu” had been following Mu Qiuyan like a stalker, Ming Jue had someone spread the story on the campus forum—with a few embellishments, of course.

For instance, Ning Yu didn’t just pursue Mu Qiuyan; she allegedly chased after any attractive omega, switching targets daily without repetition.

This instantly stirred up a hornet’s nest. People lined up to curse at her door, and after school, she was frequently dragged into secluded spots and beaten. Eventually, the original Ning Yu was forced to transfer schools.

Ming Jue clearly hadn’t forgotten this either, as she smiled cheerfully again.

“Fine, I’ll try your method for now.”

The pressure on Ning Yu’s shoulders vanished instantly. When she looked back at Ming Jue’s eyes, they were as bright and warm as ever, as if that earlier dark stare had been nothing but an illusion.

“That’s all I have to say. This garden is too cold—I’ll take my leave now.”

Ning Yu withdrew her hand, hunched her shoulders, and walked away.

Only after lying on the soft, comfortable bedding did Ning Yu belatedly realize her entire back was drenched in sweat.

She knew full well that Ming Jue’s sudden shift earlier hadn’t been an illusion.

What was going on? Split personality?

Feeling she was overcomplicating things, Ning Yu lightly patted her forehead—only to remember the large bump there, causing her to curl up under the covers, hissing in pain.

The original novel never mentioned the female lead having a split personality—at most, she just acted like a domineering CEO.

She even asked the scumbag alpha system about it. True to its “unscrupulous” nature, it knew nothing about the plot beyond enforcing her scumbag persona.

System: “Host, please don’t be afraid. As long as you have enough points, you can purchase any item from the points store. Your safety will be fully guaranteed.”

Ning Yu sighed in slight relief. At least she had a somewhat competent system. The store was stocked with everything she could need, not to mention weapons. Even if she were living in a zombie apocalypse, with an arsenal like this, survival would be a breeze.

“But wasn’t it your damn system that dragged me into this?!”

The system started acting cute again: “I’m sorry, Host.”

A clear knock suddenly sounded at the door. Ning Yu rubbed her head—could it be the female lead again?

But when the door opened, it revealed a familiar, radiant face.

Mu Qiuyan held up a dessert box and tilted her head with a smile. “Would Miss Ning do me the honor of sharing this cake with me?”