The Scummy Alpha Is Deliberately Marked by the Femme Fatale - Chapter 9

Yan Qi tugged at the corner of her lips. She hadn’t expected that this was the image Li Cen had of her. So, she simply told her the truth.

【Huh? Oh my god, Yan Qi loves it.】

【Classic melodrama, folks. Li Cen’s so stunned by Yan Qi’s answer she can’t even talk now.】

【I’m wheezing—one second ago I thought Li Cen deserved a smack, now she’s wagging her tail in embarrassment.】

【Yan Qi’s got skills. She loves calling Li Cen a little puppy.】

Li Cen slurped her noodles, chewing a few bites. Huh… Yan Qi’s cooking was actually decent—she mentally gave her a point in her little notebook. But the moment her eyes met Yan Qi’s resentful gaze, that thought vanished.

“Seriously, it’s just one sip of porridge you drank first. Did you have to call me ‘puppy’ in front of everyone? My dignity’s in shambles—someone save me…”

Yan Qi took her seat beside Li Cen. The other guests showered her with praise for her cooking.

【LMAO—they said breakfast was a joint effort, but Yan Qi did all the work.】

【Li Cen probably can’t cook—she just runs her mouth.】

【Tsk tsk tsk… pampered princess.】

【And what’s wrong with that? Is the princess eating your rice? Please. It’s been how long since the show started, has she once acted stuck-up?】

【It was just one comment, why so pressed?】

【Guilty conscience? Only brainless fans could like Li Cen.】

“Cen-jie, could you pass me some tissues?”

Fu Ting tugged at Li Cen’s sleeve, glancing briefly at Yan Qi before her gaze landed on the tissues between them.

【Fu Ting’s so fake. What, no hands? Who’s that pitiful act for?】

【Girl, you know it’s rude to suddenly stand up, right?】

【If you’re gonna ask, just ask—what’s with the sleeve tug? Trying for the ‘fragile crybaby’ look? Gross.】

【Typical Omega, all helplessness and puppy eyes.】

【Oh, shut it. If she’s quiet, you call her cold; if she helps, you call her a meddler; if she’s polite, you call her fake. People like you can twist anything.】

【Preach, upstairs. Preach hard.】

Li Cen handed over the tissue box. Fu Ting pulled two sheets, and Li Cen immediately put the box back in place.

Yan Qi lifted a spoonful of porridge to her lips, eyes darkening as she stared at Fu Ting—like a snake ready to strike her throat the next second.

Li Cen felt a sudden chill at her side. She turned to meet Yan Qi’s gaze—eyes lowered, serene as a goddess brushed by a gentle breeze, pure and beautiful.

“I must be sick… why do I think she’s pretty?”

Li Cen repeated to herself that the tender Yan Qi she’d seen this morning wasn’t real… and quickly ducked her head to keep eating.

【Aaaahhh my baby drinks porridge like a tiny hamster—so cute, I just wanna bite her.】

【Yan Qi eats so elegantly—she’s not sipping porridge, she’s swirling red wine at a gala and seducing me.】

【LMAO—Li Cen’s the only one eating like a normal person. She’s probably thinking: can’t you two just eat like humans?】

After breakfast, the show announced the next activity—

Blindfolded Ball-Picking Challenge.

Guests would each draw a ball to determine their date for the day. During the date, they had to complete a series of tasks, ranked by completion time. The fastest team would get a bonus reward, while the slowest would be punished.

【This director’s evil. I love it.】

【Please, please, let Li Cen and Yan Qi be partners for a day. I need to see what sparks fly.】

【Yes! Let’s see if this ship is real.】

【Doubt it. Fu Ting’s already looking uneasy—probably terrified Li Cen will draw her ‘mistress’ Yan Qi.】

【The production team’s shameless when it comes to stirring drama.】

Li Cen glanced at the box of balls, her nerves tightening again. She really didn’t want to be teamed with Yan Qi—not after seeing those calculating eyes that sent chills down her spine.

“Why can’t fate give me a partner like my brother? Nooo, it has to be this cursed matchup. Bad karma, bad karma.”

Yan Qi’s eyes swept the room, landing on Fu Ting behind Li Cen. As if making a decision, she stepped forward and lightly lifted the plain ring necklace around Li Cen’s neck.

Li Cen immediately looked down. Yan Qi tilted her head, leaned close to her ear, and murmured so only the two of them could hear:

“Better not draw me. That’d be bad luck. I don’t like weak Alphas.”

“Wait—did she just call me weak? What? WHAT—”

“And we agreed—no physical contact! You’re hooking my necklace! Playing hard to get won’t work on me… okay, fine, it works.”

【Aaaaah director, please hand them a mic—I need to hear what they just said.】

【Right? I’m dying to know.】

“I am not!”

Like a bristling puppy, Li Cen refused to be outdone—she reached a hand toward Yan Qi’s cheek, but Yan Qi slapped it away.

“You smell like daisies, Alpha with no manners.”

【Huh??? Did Yan Qi just slap her hand away? Are they fighting? Quick, Li Cen, coax her!】

【LOL stop fantasizing—Li Cen’s face right now looks like she’s just been trampled on.】

【Probably holding back ‘cause Fu Ting’s here. I saw Yan Qi leaning way into Li Cen earlier.】

【Yan Qi’s got the seduction game down. Li Cen might not like her act, but I bet even getting her into bed was a premeditated plan.】

【Don’t talk crap. If you don’t like them, fine—but don’t twist facts.】

【And what are the facts? Has Li Cen ever said Yan Qi’s the one she likes? You think a marriage certificate means true love? Tell that to all the couples with domestic violence. Don’t make me laugh.】

【Can you all stop? We watch dating shows to ship couples, not to fight like idiots.】

The director peeked at the barrage of comments. No way he’d skip rigging this draw—these three were walking traffic magnets, and most of the million live viewers were here for their messy entanglements.

Li Cen remembered her agent He-jie warning her the director loved shady arrangements, but she’d still clung to the hope she wouldn’t draw Yan Qi.

That hope shattered the second she saw Fu Ting pull a ball different from hers.

When she turned and saw Yan Qi unwrapping her own cloth to reveal a matching ball, Li Cen’s heart sank to the bottom.

“Am I cursed? Director, what did I do—eat too much breakfast? Is that worth this kind of revenge?!”

Fu Ting’s worried gaze softened her for a moment, almost like she was being bewitched. She was about to speak when Yan Qi suddenly appeared at her side and cleared her throat.

Li Cen quickly faced forward, stealing a glance from the corner of her eye—only to be caught. She looked away in embarrassment.

“Alright, please return to your rooms and change into your couple outfits. Your task cards are inside.”

Li Cen stared at the director’s kindly smile, fists clenched, resisting the urge to march over and land a few slaps.

In her room, she spotted the task card on the table and darted over.

Task 1: Wipe your partner’s cheek.

Task 2: Hug for ten seconds.

Task 3: Kiss for five seconds.

“…Wow. Does he even hear himself?”

She stared blankly at the card, then turned to the clothes laid out beside it—an off-white shirt with pearl buttons glinting in the sunlight, paired with tailored black trousers and a cinching belt that would show off her frame.

She tied her crimson hair into a high ponytail, the ends brushing playfully against her cheek.

A knock at the door. She opened it to find Yan Qi in her own off-white shirt—this one backless with a deep V, showing off her waistline, the long neck ribbons draped over her chest. Black denim shorts, ankle boots, and a black leg band completed the look—temptation made flesh.

“Not bad. Not too ugly.”

“Ugly? She caleed me ugly? I’m the prettiest in my family! She’s just jealous.”

The cameraman crouched outside had unknowingly caught this on the livestream, and chat exploded.

【Is this a teaser? Li Cen’s looking a bit dashing.】

【Yan Qi’s deep V is lethal. Wonder if that shirt’s durable—come here, let me tear-test it.】

【They kinda match… big props to wardrobe.】

“What, wife, here to check on me?”

Remembering Yan Qi was now her “partner,” Li Cen shot back without thinking. She leaned lazily against the doorframe, gaze sliding downward, catching the subtle changes in Yan Qi’s makeup—

If her earlier look was an untouchable snow lotus on an icy peak, now she was drifting willow fluff, falling gently into one’s heart.

“Yes. Checking if my little puppy’s been waiting obediently.”

Yan Qi held up a collar. Li Cen’s eyes widened.

She’s… actually going to leash me?

“That’s… a bit kinky.”

Li Cen grumbled inwardly, but didn’t move away—still leaning on the door, peering curiously at her.

“For me?”

“Of course.”

Yan Qi’s gentle smile sent a shiver through her, and she stiffly stepped aside to let her in. The cameraman followed.

【Puppy-taming Alpha x Gorgeous beauty—my new religion.】

【Aaaaahhh #CenQiMyBeloved just dropped sugar!】

Li Cen stood before Yan Qi, lowering her head slightly as Yan Qi fastened the collar around her neck. The little bell swayed with a crisp jingle.

Yan Qi leaned in, teasing the bell before pressing a kiss to Li Cen’s neck, marking her with her scent.

The pull of their pheromones didn’t make Li Cen push her away—instead, she let her linger.

“Ah… why so sudden? Good thing I’m an Alpha—no chance of being toppled.”