The Scummy Alpha Is Deliberately Marked by the Femme Fatale - Chapter 7

The live chat fell into collective silence for a moment. Then, just as Li Cen flipped her whiteboard around, the entire internet exploded.

The same answer—but tonight, the narrative took a sharp turn, morphing into trending tags like #LiCenXYanQiIsReal and #FuTingNumberOneFan.

The two had gone from open hostility to seemingly getting along.

Still, plenty of fans weren’t convinced. They suspected this was all for show—that Li Cen was just playing nice so Fu Ting wouldn’t feel threatened in front of the “real deal.”

The next round featured Yan Qi and her partner, Song Tan—two Omegas sitting face to face.

A team no one expected much from… yet they got every single answer right.

[?? Since when do the Third Princess and Yan Qi have such good chemistry?]

[Homewrecker arc? Huh?? No way. I thought the Third Princess looked down on high-profile people? She even gave Yan Qi the cold shoulder at first, and now she’s practically glued to her.]

[Debunk it, please. Weren’t there tons of people calling Li Cen scummy before?]

…

The last team was an Alpha duo—lead singer Jiang Shiyi and girl group main dancer Lu Qian—but Jiang Shiyi seemed distracted the whole time.

[Jiang Shiyi keeps sneaking glances at Song Tan? Could it be because Song Tan refused to team with her and went with Yan Qi instead?]

[Heard the Third Princess and Jiang Shiyi were family friends, but they had a falling out.]

[She flees, she chases, she’s got nowhere to run?]

…

“The second event is over! The top two contestants now have the chance to switch partners. Will you be switching?”

Yan Qi was still considering when Song Tan shot her hand up first. “Switch! Switch, switch—I want to switch.”

[?? Scripted much?]

[Look at the Third Princess’s face… yeah, it’s scripted.]

The director turned to Yan Qi, who nodded in agreement.

Song Tan chose to team with Jiang Shiyi, leaving Yan Qi with Lu Qian.

“Alright, you may all return to your rooms to rest.”

[That’s it? So sudden? No more livestream?]

[Knowing this director, they’re totally going to secretly keep filming later.]

“Director, my room won’t open—did the door break?”

Fu Ting came down the stairs from the second floor, looking curious.

The director feigned shock. “Ah… forgot to mention. Your keycards only work once. After you use it, it’s invalid.”

“Wow.”

Li Cen muttered the number under her breath, lips pressed tight.

The livestream chat burst into laughter.

[LMAO, Li Cen’s so annoyed she’s ‘deducting points.’]

[She’s so done. I can’t breathe.]

[Wait, if the keycards only work once… does that mean our girl has to share a room?]

[Don’t tell me you’re making her bunk with Li Cen?! I swear I’ll smash the cameras.]

[Hahaha the White Lotus fans are losing it.]

…

Yan Qi froze for a second. She’d already used her key once—did that mean she couldn’t get into her room?

When everyone reached their doors, only one contestant—who hadn’t yet gone in—could open theirs. The other four? Locked out.

[Five people in one room? That’s… not great.]

The camera cut to Li Cen’s back—waist-length, crimson hair—and viewers started guessing what she was up to.

[Oh, strong-jie’s sleeping on the floor tonight.]

[Alphas aren’t fragile, right? Floor’s fine.]

[?? Dumb take. Why waste space on the floor? She should just sleep by the door.]

[Yeah, now you’re talking.]

Li Cen gripped the handle in one hand, the card edge in the other, and slid it into the gap between door and frame.

A sharp click—door open.

[Huh?? How did she do that?]

[Is that a new card-swiping method?]

[Isn’t that literally how you jimmy a lock? Strong-jie’s so smooth at this—must be muscle memory from living out in the wild too long.]

One by one, Li Cen popped open every locked door.

“These doors are too flimsy. One twist and they’re open. Change them tonight before someone sneaks in to mess with me at dawn.”

[She’s calling out the director’s sabotage before it even happens.]

[The power of money—just says it and it’s done.]

[Is it just me, or is she too good at that? You think she’s into shady stuff?]

[Don’t be ridiculous. The Li family might not be top three rich, but they’re still top five. Why would she need to steal?]

[Isn’t she the one with an Omega older brother? I bet he used to lock her up to “reflect,” and she’d just pick the lock to escape.]

[Heard her brother’s personality is totally different—soft and gentle.]

[And she’s got a crybaby brother-in-law who once dominated the trending list for a week.]

[Tears are an Alpha’s best dowry—no Omega can resist.]

[Wait, is this the picture? (.jpg)]

The image showed Li Cen and her brother leaving a nightclub, only to bump into her teary-eyed brother-in-law at the door.

Li Cen stood nearby, looking like she’d just eaten dirt, glaring in disdain at her brother—who was frantically wiping away his spouse’s tears.

[She really does look like she ate dirt.]

[Guess that’s the pain of having a love-struck brother.]

[Li Cen: No wonder I’m single. I’m just too clear-headed.]

[When is she not clear-headed? She’d let the world starve before starving herself. Remember when she ripped into that green tea girl on variety TV?]

[Oh, that was so satisfying. My soul was cleansed.]

While Li Cen was unlocking Yan Qi’s door, she turned to leave—only for Yan Qi to grab her, drag her inside, and lock the door.

The shorter Omega slammed her against the door in a textbook kabe-don. Li Cen yelped, startled.

“Okay, you’re gorgeous, but girls shouldn’t be touching each other like this.”

Her heart raced, but she kept up the facade of composure.

The next second, Yan Qi clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes icy as she looked her up and down—gone was the graceful poise from moments ago.

“Why can’t the little puppy ever learn to behave?”

Li Cen lowered her gaze obediently, but when their eyes met, she quickly looked away. Yan Qi’s presence pressed down on her, beads of sweat breaking out on her skin.

“Tell me, puppy—what exactly did you do today?”

Yan Qi toyed with her hair, leaning close enough for body heat to seep through the fabric. Li Cen immediately pushed at her shoulders, putting a little space between them.

“Me? Nothing. Ate, drank, minding my own business.”

She flushed and avoided Yan Qi’s gaze, adding with mock thoughtfulness, “You’re not jealous, are you?”

“Pfft. Puppy, you really overestimate yourself.”

Yan Qi’s laugh was laced with mockery, her eyes flashing with disdain before settling into open contempt.

She flicked a loose strand of hair from her palm, and Li Cen watched warily, ready for her to pull something.

“You’d better remember exactly what that contract says, Li Cen.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sick of hearing about that damn contract. My ears are growing calluses.”

Brushing her off, Li Cen turned and left the room.

She felt lighter the moment she stepped out—but on the way to her own room, Fu Ting peeked out from behind a door.

“Cen-jie, did you and Yan Qi have a fight?”

“A fight? Hardly. She’s not worth my anger.”

Relieved, Fu Ting pressed on, “Then… maybe you should check on her? Her pheromones are spreading.”

Li Cen froze—but she didn’t smell anything unusual, just a faint hint of daisies.

The daisies reminded her of something. She darted back into her room, pulled out a bouquet, and handed it to Fu Ting, eyes soft.

“For you. Get well soon. I’ll deal with Yan Qi.”

Fu Ting nodded and disappeared inside, clutching the flowers.

Instead of going to Yan Qi right away, Li Cen called her agent, He-jie, and told her to have Yan Qi’s assistant, Ze An, keep an eye on her pheromones.

Yan Qi had just gotten out of the shower when Ze An texted. She couldn’t help but laugh—exasperated by Li Cen’s nonsense—scratching her head.

What an idiot.

All this from just one comment from Fu Ting?

Pheromones overflowing? Nonsense.

When they’d been together earlier, had she smelled anything?

She smirked to herself, closing her eyes with a deep breath.

Disobedient little puppy. You really let me down.

Back in her room, Li Cen took a quick shower, then pulled up Weibo.

Seven of the top ten trending topics were about her.

Fans from all three sides were in chaotic battle, though some quietly enjoyed shipping her with Yan Qi.

Then one trending tag caught her eye:

#LiCenAndFuTingSuspectedSecretRomance YanQiIsTheHomewrecker

She clicked in to find an edit of her interactions with Fu Ting—her fussing over Fu Ting while seemingly ignoring Yan Qi—painting Yan Qi as the third party who’d broken them up.

[Yolo] replying to the post: Six.

[LOL, the woman herself isn’t even acknowledging this. How are you all slandering her with nothing but your mouths?]

[Got smacked down by the source. She’s just shy, not cheating.]

[To be fair, Li Cen might be a bit of a flirt, but she’s never actually been in a scandal—and she’s quick to shut down rumors.]

[She just likes to play, but she’s clean.]

[Better than some celebs—lives openly, pays her taxes on time.]

[LOL, isn’t this the same “collapsed house” actress who tried to hook up with her? She got reported by Li Cen’s team for tax evasion and ended up in jail.]

After a few comments, Li Cen backed out and switched to her chat list.

Yolo: Senior, when are you coming back? Little Jimmy misses you. (photo attached of Yolo with Little Jimmy)