The Scummy Alpha Is Deliberately Marked by the Femme Fatale - Chapter 3

“Ah… someone I like…”

Hearing the question, Fu Ting’s face instantly flushed crimson. She quickly covered her cheeks with both hands, sneaking a shy glance at Li Cen before hurriedly looking away.

Then, as if by accident, her gaze flicked toward Lu Qian in the distance—a flash of slyness glinting in her eyes—though she concealed it almost immediately.

Li Cen thought Fu Ting was trying to ask her for help but was too embarrassed to speak up.

What she didn’t know was that the person sitting beside her—Yan Qi—had gone stiff, black lines practically forming on her face as she shot Fu Ting a glare thick with resentment, only to mask it a heartbeat later with her usual gentle smile.

[Did I just imagine it, or did Qi Qi’s face look really bad just now?]

[Probably because that blanket Strong-jie gave her has her pheromones on it. That’s super rude!]

In Alpha–Omega etiquette, giving an Omega something with your pheromones on it was a shameless breach of manners.

“I don’t have anyone I like, and I’m not planning to date right now,” Fu Ting replied demurely, eyes lowered, avoiding the camera as her hands clenched tightly around the blanket.

A faint sheen of sweat broke out across her forehead. She accidentally met Lu Qian’s gaze, only for the latter to give a sharp little laugh before turning away.

The director, seeing the buzz starting to die down, decided to throw in something bigger.

[Question for Li Cen: We heard you have a ‘white moonlight’ overseas. Is that true?]

At the question, Li Cen froze—not just her, but the entire room fell silent. Even the barrage of scrolling comments came to an abrupt halt.

Online, however, the explosion was immediate.

[Spill the tea.]

[For real? Is this gonna turn into “stand-in romance” drama?]

[Wait… don’t tell me the white moonlight is coming back.]

[Qi Qi, don’t worry—we’re well-read fans. We’ll write you a perfect script to crush that ‘vicious white moonlight.’]

She knew if she tried to dodge the question, they’d latch onto it and never let go.

She also needed to clarify things with Yan Qi—the person in question was just a close friend, not some “white moonlight.” But right now, she had to face the livestream head-on.

Everyone waited for her reply. Seconds ticked by. Li Cen’s expression cooled, but she didn’t avoid the topic. She spoke slowly, clearly:

“She’s my confidante, not my ‘white moonlight.’ Please don’t disturb her life. Thank you.”

Then she stood, placed a hand over her chest, and gave a small bow toward the camera.

The live chat went dead silent for half a second—before exploding.

[Did she just… thank us??]

[Is this her way of deliberately creating distance?]

[Huh? Is she always like this?]

[Who is this confidante? Look at her—tamed like a good little puppy.]

[She’s… actually pretty polite. Is she really always like this?]

#LiCen WhiteMoonlight

#LiCen Confidante

#LiCen PublicThankYou

The hashtags shot straight to the trending list. Netizens began speculating—how had that audience member even known about this “white moonlight” confidante?

Li Cen’s profile was spotless: travel photos, a few posts about her company, and some scattered personal musings. No clues. Whoever this person was, she’d been well protected—no trace left behind.

[Question for Yan Qi: What’s your opinion about Li Cen having a ‘white moonlight’?]

Li Cen immediately recognized this as a provocation. Would the always-gentle Yan Qi keep her cool in a situation like this?

The online audience leaned forward, hungry for drama.

“So what? What’s it got to do with me?” Yan Qi replied with studied indifference.

Li Cen hadn’t expected her to be so detached, so seemingly unbothered.

[Exactly—what’s Li Cen’s white moonlight got to do with Qi Qi?]

[I suspect the production team’s behind this, digging up all Li Cen’s dirt.]

[If Li Cen hadn’t marked Qi Qi, she probably wouldn’t even be stuck here on this trashy show.]

[I’m starting to think Li Cen set Yan Qi up.]

[But look at her giving out blankets—maybe she’s not so bad. Could’ve just been an accident that day.]

[Yeah right. She used her then ditched her, and you’re still defending her?]

Li Cen silently noted the questioner in her mind—this person would need to be investigated.

She had no idea how they knew about her senior, but if this caused trouble in her senior’s life…

She wouldn’t allow it.

Just then, a faint lavender scent drifted into her nose. Li Cen frowned. Her own shower gel didn’t smell this strong—so where was it coming from?

Wait… is this unstable pheromones?

She turned to look at Yan Qi. The other woman’s face was calm, but if you looked closely, her fingers were trembling ever so slightly, and the corners of her eyes were tinged red.

Li Cen didn’t notice the discomfort—her mind was busy trying to figure out whose pheromones they were.

In public, asking about someone’s pheromones was also considered rude. For safety reasons, pheromone scents were strictly private—only you and your close family would know.

The only ones near her were Yan Qi and Fu Ting. Yan Qi… had just been marked by her—there shouldn’t be any leakage.

Which left only one possibility—

Fu Ting abruptly stood, tossed out a quick, “Excuse me,” and hurried out.

The host quickly jumped in to smooth things over:

“Sorry, one of our guests has entered their susceptibility period. We’ll pause the livestream briefly.”

Watching Fu Ting’s retreating back, Li Cen was certain—that scent had been hers.

She started to rise, but Yan Qi caught her sleeve. Meeting her gaze, Li Cen felt her heart jolt. Yan Qi’s eyes were hazy as she murmured, “Li Cen, your—”

Li Cen assumed she meant to return the blanket, so she pressed Yan Qi’s hand lightly and smiled.

“No need to give it back. I’ll go check on Fu Ting.”

Yan Qi watched her walk away, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation before forcing herself to stand. Her assistant Ze An quickly moved to support her toward the lounge.

The livestream audience erupted with speculation:

[Li Cen looked so worried about Fu Ting just now.]

[God, I think Fu Ting might be her real love.]

[Could Fu Ting be the ‘white moonlight’?]

[Not impossible! First meeting and they’re already sparking like crazy.]

[Maybe Fu Ting’s just dazzled by her.]

[Please, eyes don’t lie—unless Li Cen’s fooling herself.]

#FuTingSuspectedWhiteMoonlight

The topic rocketed up the charts—everyone guessing who Li Cen’s white moonlight really was.

Li Cen knocked gently on Fu Ting’s dressing room door. Her agent peeked out, took the suppressant she offered, and Li Cen left without lingering.

A faint daisy scent drifted from inside.

So Fu Ting’s pheromones are daisies… then whose was the lavender? Could it have been her agent’s?

Because Fu Ting was in susceptibility for the first time, the single-person challenge was switched to a partner task.

Everyone claimed they didn’t mind on the surface, but no one wanted to be paired with her.

No one except Li Cen—and one other person, whom Fu Ting politely refused.

Li Cen didn’t like prying into others’ private matters, but when Fu Ting sent her a pleading look, she chose her over Yan Qi.

Yan Qi’s gaze darkened. Like a flash of unwillingness, she shot Fu Ting a glare full of hostility before turning away as if she didn’t care.

The director decided on a blind draw for teams—same color, same group.

One by one, the others drew. Yan Qi unrolled hers: a deep blue-violet. When she glanced at Li Cen’s pale yellow stick, her heart sank.

Li Cen turned to see she’d matched with Fu Ting. She gave Yan Qi a sheepish look, but Yan Qi wasn’t looking at her.

Bounding over to Fu Ting, Li Cen grinned. “See? I’ve always had good luck. Rest up, and I’ll make you something nice tonight.”

[Wait… who’s Li Cen’s CP again?]

[She’s just leaving Qi Qi hanging? Director, what kind of trash script is this?]

[Honestly, I don’t mind her being with ‘daughter’—Li Cen’s been looking out for her when everyone else avoids her.]

[Agreed. Strong-jie might be scummy, but she’s a considerate scummy Alpha.]

[Excuse me? She’s Qi Qi’s partner—why’s she off taking care of someone else’s girl?]

#LiCenFuTingYanQiDrama

#FuTingFlirtingWithTakenWoman

#YanQiPossiblyAbandoned

The hashtags dominated the trending feed—but the cast, with their phones confiscated, had no idea.

…

The comment section was a war zone, which suited the director just fine—saved him money on paid trending.

He kept the cameras rolling.

“We’ll be heading into town to work for a day’s expenses. Good luck, everyone.”

“You rest,” Li Cen told Fu Ting. “I’ll earn the money.”

Fu Ting shook her head quickly, cheeks flushed, breathing uneven. “No—I’ll go with you.”

“You sure? You just entered susceptibility today.”

“If it’s because I’d feel bad, then I won’t. We’re partners—nothing to feel bad about.”

“…Alright. Thanks.”

Li Cen saw her onto the bus, then headed into town herself.

The evening sun glinted off her long hair, dazzling. Adjusting her sunglasses, she stopped outside a flower shop, noticed the “Hiring” sign, and pushed the door open.

The shop owner looked stunned to see her, quickly recovering and trying to contain her excitement. “Hello, miss. What flowers would you like?”

“Beautiful sister, I saw your hiring sign. Would you take me on for a day?”

Like an eager puppy, Li Cen coaxed and cajoled, shaking the owner’s hand.

“Ah… of course!”

Flustered and blushing, the owner stared at her. Li Cen smiled faintly. “So… what would you like me to do?”

“Memorize all the flowers, their meanings, and prices. Get familiar with wrapping them.”

She handed over a thick reference book. Li Cen took it with a smile, flipped through it briefly, then set it aside.

[She’s totally planning to slack off.]

[Strong-jie’s back to acting again.]

Changing into her uniform, Li Cen carefully wrapped bouquets—looking for all the world like a serene beauty from a painting.

[Not gonna lie, she is gorgeous when she’s quiet.]

[Stop letting your aesthetics dictate your morals.]

She’d chosen the flower shop for a reason—it brought back memories of her senior. They’d earned her first bucket of gold together working in one.

She’d never understood why her senior worked herself to exhaustion for money, refusing any help. But her senior had always been proud, refusing to take her cash.

They’d been from different worlds—worlds that couldn’t be crossed. Li Cen admired those who grew toward the sun: brave, passionate, unstoppable.

“Hello, could you make me a bouquet that means ‘protection’?”

[Handsome guy alert!]

[Ahhhh! Curly-haired hottie, easily 185+ cm, athletic build. Where’s this shop? I’m going now!]

Before she even looked up, she heard the voice. Slowly raising her head, she saw a shy young man step inside.

“Is it for your crush? That’s a wonderful idea,” she said softly.