After Differentiating into an O, Pampered by an A - Chapter 24

Beneath the duvet, Ye Xing’s eyes were closed. Her long, curled lashes cast a large shadow over her eyelids. She seemed unaffected by the sunlight outside, still lost in a deep, heavy slumber.

[Pretty Alpha doesn’t work tomorrow, feeling great, so comfortable! Pretty Alpha doesn’t work tomorrow, I’ll be as lazy as I want…]

The phone began to vibrate and blare. The figure under the covers wriggled slightly. Slowly, an arm as white and tender as a lotus root reached out from the duvet.

Ye Xing wanted to open her eyes, but a powerful wave of drowsiness forced her to rely on her hearing to grope for the phone’s location. As she moved, she realized her arm was incredibly sore. She shifted her body—no, her entire body was aching.

Snapping back to full consciousness, Ye Xing realized something was very wrong.

Memories began to rush back in trickles. She remembered drinking a glass of so-called “Beauty’s Fall” wine yesterday and unfortunately getting drunk. But she should only have a headache, right? How could her entire body be this sore, as if she had exhausted her physical limits through intense exercise?

Ye Xing opened her bleary, sleepy eyes. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes were tinged with a faint shade of rouge at the corners, looking as if she had cried—an appearance that was both seductive and enchanting.

The ringing stopped.

Ye Xing propped herself up against the headboard. With this movement, the swelling ache at the back of her neck became particularly obvious, sending a tingly, electric sensation through her.

She reached out to touch it.

One touch, and Ye Xing practically catapulted off the bed.

“Argh! Holy crap! I must be dreaming!!!”

After let out that shriek, Ye Xing threw off the covers and rushed into the bathroom. By the mirror, she pulled her hair aside and tilted her head. She found her glands were slightly red and swollen, still carrying a trace of lingering heat. The bud-like glands were covered in the unmistakable marks of being marked.

Her fine white teeth bit hard into her lower lip. The next second, she thrust her fingers into her thick hair, tugging hard. The sharp pain told her: this was not a dream.

After two seconds of frozen silence, a roar erupted from the bathroom and echoed into the room, enough to make the entire building tremble:

“Who the hell is the scumbag Alpha that did this?!”

Caught in a storm of shock and rage, Ye Xing’s legs suddenly went weak. She had to support herself on the sink with both hands just to stay upright. Memories of last night flickered through her mind—but they were a total blank. She could only remember returning to her room. Everything after that was gone.

Beauty’s Fall wine… She hated it!

The phone outside began to ring again. Ye Xing snapped out of it, remembering she had a show to record today. Suppressing her complex, collapsing emotions, she quickly washed away the traces on her body.

The scent of rum cake pheromones, right? To that bold Alpha: don’t let me catch you, or I’ll kill you!

Ning Youyou, staying on the floor below, saw that Ye Xing wasn’t answering the phone and brought breakfast up from the hotel restaurant.

Ye Xing had just finished washing. She looked down and sniffed her body again. That damn pheromone scent was far too concentrated; it took three washes to get rid of it. Her delicate skin was almost scrubbed raw.

Ding-dong— The doorbell rang.

The moment Ning Youyou entered, she knit her brows. “Whoa, Sister Xing-xing, what’s that smell?”

Ye Xing’s heart jumped with guilt. Just as she was about to explain, Ning Youyou gave a bright smile: “What a fragrant body lotion! Sister Xing-xing, can you recommend it to me later? I love this smell.”

I love this smell—

Like a flash of lightning, that exact phrase popped into Ye Xing’s head. It was familiar—familiar as if she had experienced it firsthand—yet she was certain it hadn’t happened. The sensation left her utterly bewildered.

“Sister Xing-xing, why are you just standing there? I brought a light breakfast. Come eat! We have a new shoot today!”

Ye Xing snapped out of it, gave an “Oh,” and quickly composed herself. During breakfast, she was distracted. She looked at Ning Youyou’s round face and tried to fish for information.

“Youyou… after I came back from the bar yesterday, I didn’t go out again, did I?”

Ye Xing suspected that her brain had lost control after she got drunk, and her original host’s nature had taken over, leading her to run out and get marked by some bold Alpha.

Ning Youyou looked up, her round eyes clear and bright, and directly shot down the theory: “No. After I brought you back last night, you went straight to sleep.”

Ye Xing: “…”

In an instant, it felt like fireworks exploded in her brain. Dammit! Ye Xing, you’ve really fallen. You actually called for home delivery service (a call girl/boy)—!

Her mind was messier than the porridge in front of her. She could only lower her head and turn her sorrowful panic into an appetite.

Hotel General Manager’s Office.

Shen Yushu was wearing a white silk shirt, her makeup exquisite. She leaned against her chair, her fair, pearly fingertips holding the hotel’s occupancy data sheet. Before her stood Manager Zhou, the hotel head, looking worried.

Looking at Shen Yushu’s expressionless face, Manager Zhou’s heart sank. She felt she was close to being fired; Shen Yushu coming in person was enough to signal that. She waited for the verdict.

Shen Yushu studied the data seriously, analyzing it from monthly down to weekly details. Finally, she closed the folder and raised her eyelashes. She didn’t get angry. Instead, her voice was soft:

“Manager Zhou, I’ve looked at it. The issue lies in the pricing. The weekend and weekday rates are severely mismatched. The Vice President approved these prices, right? I’ll negotiate with her later. Thank you for your hard work.”

Manager Zhou took the files back respectfully, but she didn’t feel lucky. She looked at Shen Yushu with suspicion. Was it her imagination? Today’s CEO Shen seemed different from the one yesterday who was cold enough to freeze people. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

“Is there anything else?” Shen Yushu asked.

“Oh, no… nothing. I just felt that today’s CEO Shen is different from yesterday. You’re even more beautiful today!” After the compliment, Manager Zhou bowed and retreated.

Sun Xi, standing nearby, naturally understood what the manager was trying to say. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who noticed Shen Yushu was “off.” Earlier that morning, Sun Xi had been busy “shoveling” for the Grape Princess and handed over the wrong document. Normally, she’d be killed by a single glare. But today, the sun had risen in the west—Shen Yushu actually told her it was fine.

Sun Xi had been terrified that her time as an assistant was up. Still unable to figure it out, she peeked at Shen Yushu and realized her boss really was in a great mood. She took the opportunity to report her morning’s task.

“President Shen, I went to the surveillance room. The footage for the penthouse elevator and hallway has been deleted.”

Sun Xi didn’t know why Shen Yushu wanted the footage gone, but she didn’t dare ask. As a gossip-lover, she could only think of one possibility: Her boss must have secretly found a woman—!

Then, looking at the state of her today, Sun Xi’s sixth sense made her certain. But then she frowned; was her CEO a bit of a player? She was ambiguous with Ye Xing last time, and now on Zhou Island… Wait, I think I smell a ‘scumbag’ vibe~

“Assistant Sun, go handle it,” Shen Yushu said. Seeing Sun Xi standing there motionless like she’d been put under a spell, her voice turned cold: “Sun Xi!”

“Ah, yes, President Shen!” Sun Xi replied instantly.

“I said: book the tickets back to Jiangcheng. Were you spacing out on the clock?” Shen Yushu’s gaze returned to its usual coldness.

Sun Xi scurried off to do as told. But as she turned, she remembered something. “President Shen… why exactly did we bring Little Grape here?”

Shen Yushu’s gaze lowered, her emotions unreadable. She had originally wanted to bring Little Grape to soothe Ye Xing’s “homesickness.” But thinking of last night’s passion, Shen Yushu felt a mess of confusion. She had left the room while Ye Xing was still fast asleep.

It was too absurd. Her rut had caused her to lose all reason. To this moment, Shen Yushu felt like it was a dream. She had actually marked that woman, Ye Xing.

Her mind was a jumble, but she clearly remembered biting into Ye Xing’s glands and tasting that soft, sweet milky flavor. Although she had smelled the pheromones before, tasting them was a completely different sensation. She had to admit: that flavor had traveled from her lips to her entire being, giving her an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

The more wonderful it felt, the more she resisted and felt disdainful of herself. She raised her lashes, her eyes beautiful yet cold. “To let her see the sea. Is that a problem?”

Sun Xi twitched her lips. “No… of course not.” The world of the rich is truly willful. Bringing a cat to see the ocean… Little Grape is a confirmed ‘Princess of the Cat World.’ Just who is her owner? Sun Xi grew more curious.

Later that morning, Ye Xing secretly asked the front desk about checking the surveillance to confirm her “absurd deed,” but she was told the penthouse cameras were broken.

Fine, she thought. At least the evidence is destroyed so no one can blackmail me when I’m famous. She comforted herself and went to record the show.

The crew went to a small fishing village thirty minutes away. Ye Xing’s state was clearly not as good as yesterday. It wasn’t that she wasn’t trying, but her body was weak. Just how crazy was last night?!

Today’s show was an individual battle. Guests had to find “hidden residents” in the village, open their lucky bags, and complete the instructions inside to collect gold cards. Speed was everything. The ranking today determined their selection priority for the livestream tomorrow.

Despite the heat, Ye Xing had a lucky start and found a resident first. But the moment she opened the bag, she froze. Luck turned into hell.

Instruction 1: 50 Push-ups.

As an Alpha, she could normally do this in a heartbeat. But now…

Lucky Bag 2: 100 Sit-ups.

Lucky Bag 3: 200 Squats.

By the time she finished the squats and stood up on legs that felt like they were exploding, she nearly threw up her breakfast. Is this really a physical endurance test show?

As the tasks continued, she felt her strength failing. She watched other guests overtake her with easier tasks. Her mind was racing with frustration. She gritted her teeth and persevered, her face flushed and sweat sticking her dark hair to her temples, giving her a look of “fragile beauty.”

Lan Xinqiao suddenly walked over, wearing a wide-brimmed pink sun hat. Seeing Ye Xing, she smirked. She ran to her side, covered her mic, and said sweetly: “Teacher Ye, keep it up! You were so amazing as my partner yesterday; why are you so ‘weak’ today in the individual battle?”

“You’re the one who’s weak!” An Alpha can never admit to being weak—

Seeing Ye Xing’s stubbornness, Lan Xinqiao’s face was neutral, but she thought: Hmph! So she was just forcing herself yesterday? Was she trying that hard just to get my attention? Her smile deepened.

Ye Xing found her voice incredibly irritating. She ignored her and took a different path, with the cameraman following closely.

Two hours later.

Ye Xing jogged back to the village square. “Welcome back, Teacher Ye!” the director announced through a megaphone. “Congratulations! Teacher Ye’s rank is… 6th!”

Ye Xing thought she heard wrong. How could she be worse than Lan Xinqiao? Looking over, she saw Lan Xinqiao standing there with a smug look. Having taken last place, the item Ye Xing got for the livestream was… Dried Salted Fish.

She felt totally deflated.

At 3:00 PM, the day’s shoot ended. The island weather suddenly changed; the bright sun was replaced by dark clouds. The horizon turned black as if about to collapse. The air was thick and muggy.

The rain began just as they returned to the hotel.

“Sister Xing-xing, you worked hard today. Last place is fine! Lan Xinqiao is selling pickles; I think your dried fish is better,” Ning Youyou comforted her in the room.

Ye Xing wiped her hair with a towel, still angry at her own lack of stamina. “Sure, but Youyou, those pickles are a famous local specialty. By the way, go buy some for Sister Ling to taste—buy them from the physical store! Do NOT order from Lan Xinqiao’s livestream.”

“Of course not! Tomorrow when your stream starts, I’ll order a hundred units myself to support you!”

Ye Xing was amused by her assistant’s determination. “Don’t. I won’t be able to stand it if you smell like salted fish.” Her lips curved. “Tomorrow, let’s show them a ‘salted fish turning over’ (a reversal of fortune)!”

Shen Yushu was supposed to fly back at 3:30 PM, but the flight was delayed due to the weather. She returned to the hotel, realizing she’d likely have to stay another night. She sat at her computer handling emails.

After work, she stared out at the white sheet of rain. Sun Xi entered holding Little Grape. “President Shen, is it boring? This weather changed so fast. Want to play with Little Grape to pass the time?” She waved the kitten.

Little Grape turned her face away with an aloof look. Shen Yushu matched the look, her cold eyes landing on Sun Xi. “Assistant Sun, is your workload not saturated enough?”

Sun Xi scurried away. Outside the door, she ruffled the kitten’s head. “Little Grape, who is your owner, really?”

“Meow~”

In the next room, Ye Xing was playing with her phone. Suddenly, a cat’s meow drifted through the door.

“Youyou, did you hear that? A cat! It sounds just like my Little Grape! Ah, I miss her so much!”

“A cat? No, Sister Xing-xing. This is a five-star hotel; pets are strictly forbidden.”

“Alright… maybe I’m hallucinating.” Thinking of the cat, she thought of Shen Yushu, who hadn’t sent a photo today. She opened the chat.

[You there?]

She saw the “nudge” from yesterday that she hadn’t replied to. She sent back a single word: [There.]

In the suite, Shen Yushu was reading. Her phone vibrated. She saw the message from Ye Xing and typed back two words expressionlessly: [It’s nothing.]

“Are you for real?” Ye Xing was speechless. Is she playing with me? Fine, she wouldn’t ask for a photo; she was going back tomorrow anyway.

Ning Youyou had already returned to her own room. Ye Xing felt sleepy listening to the rain. She tossed her phone aside and lay on the bed. Suddenly, a “vivid” image flashed through her mind.

Ye Xing did a “carp leap.” This bed isn’t clean—! She grabbed her duvet and pillow and ran to the sofa.

The Country Beautiful crew, unable to do reshoots due to the rain, worked overtime to edit a teaser to boost engagement for tomorrow’s livestream.

Ye Xing was dreaming when her phone blared. She answered blearily. “Hello, Sister Ling!”

“My little ancestor, stop sleeping! Look at Weibo, you’ve exploded!”