After an Alluring Alpha Provokes an Unhinged Omega 6

Chapter 6: Earlobe

Jiang Mi had thought that if she ever got to act with Yan Wei, she would be incredibly excited, so ecstatic that she would wake up laughing from her dreams.

But in reality, now that she was here, Jiang Mi couldn’t manage a single smile.

After the third NG, she saw disappointment in Jiang Qu’s eyes. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she tried to exorcise the sense of failure from her body. It was just a kissing scene, not something else. Why couldn’t she do it?

Was it because the person she was acting opposite was Yan Wei?

Was it because she was too aware of who this person was that she couldn’t quickly enter Liang Yongping’s world? Was it because the first person she always saw was Yan Wei, and not Qin Shui?

Jiang Mi let out a long, heavy breath. Jiang Mi, you are so unprofessional.

After thoroughly scolding herself, Jiang Mi walked out of the bathroom, only to come face to face with Yan Wei.

She still took the initiative to greet her, “Teacher Yan.”

Yan Wei still just nodded in response. She walked past Jiang Mi and headed toward the Omega’s restroom.

Jiang Mi slowly turned around. Although she had said it many times and didn’t want to say it to Yan Wei again, she still spoke up, “Sorry, Teacher Yan. Thank you for your hard work.”

Yan Wei stopped. In the two seconds of silence that followed, Jiang Mi didn’t know what Yan Wei was thinking, but her gaze was inexplicably nerve-wracking.

She had thought for a moment that Yan Wei was going to say something to her, but in the end, Yan Wei just said, “Mmm.”

Jiang Mi returned to the set, and Yan Wei came back shortly after. Jiang Mi wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that the scent of brandy on Yan Wei was a little stronger than before.

“All departments, prepare. Scene one, take two, shot four.”

Following the script supervisor’s voice, Jiang Qu called, “Action.”

Jiang Mi stood at the door. As Liang Yongping, she was fleeing through this door for the third time.

Qin Shui blocked Liang Yongping at the door. She moved closer to Liang Yongping and asked with a smile, “So you think that being with me now is cheating?”

Liang Yongping avoided her hand as it reached to caress her earlobe. “I didn’t.”

Qin Shui was almost pressed against her. The rose scent was from her shower gel; she had smelled it several times when Qin Shui came to find her after a shower. She heard Qin Shui say softly, “You haven’t called me ‘sister’ in a long time.”

Qin Shui said that if she called her that, she would let her go.

Liang Yongping’s mouth opened, and the next second, her eyes were filled with shadow. Qin Shui said, “Call me.”

Just as Qin Shui moved infinitely closer, the director called “Cut” again.

Jiang Mi clearly saw the change in Yan Wei’s eyes—from passionate to calm, from gentle to indifferent. It was no exaggeration to call it masterful. This was the gap between her and Yan Wei, a huge gap.

Jiang Qu put down the walkie-talkie, her expression not looking good. She waved her hand, not looking at Jiang Mi this time. “We’re not filming this scene today. Let’s change scenes.”

Jiang Mi stood there, feeling the complicated gazes of the people around her. She lowered her head and walked out of “Qin Shui’s room.”

She brazenly walked up to Jiang Qu. She knew she was the problem, not just with the kissing and physical contact, but because she had just felt a sense of unfamiliarity and confusion toward the character.

Jiang Qu took a breath and said, “The main issue is that you haven’t grasped Liang Yongping’s psychological changes and emotions. Your gaze is too weak, too timid. Although this story doesn’t have our world’s AO distinction, in terms of both emotion and physicality, Liang Yongping is actually the one in the dominant position. Qin Shui is the one being suppressed by her. Can you understand what I’m saying so bluntly? You need to grasp a certain degree of weakness without completely erasing Liang Yongping’s strength. To put it plainly, you’re still seeing Yan Wei opposite you, so you’re scared.”

It hit the nail on the head.

Jiang Qu: “You’re an actress, not a student here. I don’t have the time or energy to analyze every scene with you. With that time, I might as well find a better actress. Don’t you think that makes sense?”

Her words were already lenient.

Jiang Mi’s face burned, hot and stinging.

“I’m sorry, Director…”

“I don’t want your apologies.”

Jiang Qu said, “The script reading is over, but you and Yan Wei are still too unfamiliar with each other. At her level, she can’t and has no obligation to think so much for a newcomer like you, or to accommodate you. She can perfectly modulate her emotions, and even if it’s magnified tens of thousands of times in a movie theater, it will still be flawless, but you can’t. What you need to do now is to get close to her and become familiar with her as soon as possible. Only then is it possible for you to get into character more naturally.”

Jiang Qu gave her twenty minutes to adjust before filming other scenes.

The strange thing was, the subsequent scenes that didn’t involve romance or intimacy went relatively smoothly for Jiang Mi. She filmed until just after six in the evening, when all her scenes for the day were finished.

That kissing scene was left for tomorrow.

Jiang Mi didn’t leave right away. She sat in a corner of the set and opened her script.

Zhao Jia rarely saw her so quiet. She sat down beside her and said, “It’s actually quite normal. Your scene partner is a Movie Queen, after all. It’s even more normal for Director Jiang to have high standards. It also shows that she knows you have the talent.”

Jiang Mi said in a low voice, “I let her down. Yan Wei must be very disappointed too… No, it was probably to be expected.”

She covered her face with the script and then tapped it against her face a few times with both hands.

Zhao Jia rubbed her head and said, “If Teacher Yan didn’t like you, with her influence, it would be easy for her to have you replaced, right? But aren’t you still here, acting just fine?”

Jiang Mi was silent for a moment, then said, “I need to think about it alone for a bit.”

“Think about it back at the hotel.”

“There’s more of an atmosphere here.”

An unknown amount of time passed.

“Jiang Mi.”

Jiang Qu walked over.

Jiang Mi stood up. Jiang Qu waved her hand and sat down on a small stool beside her.

“Your scenes this afternoon were quite good. Why can’t you do the emotional scenes? It’s strange. I always say, for an actor to act well, they either have to take their technique to the extreme, or they have to immerse themselves in the role, get into the character, enjoy the character, and become the character. Which type do you think you are?”

She suddenly paused and waved to someone in the distance. “Hey, Yan Wei, you come over too.”

Jiang Mi looked up and saw that Yan Wei had put on a crimson trench coat. Her figure was slender, and with her dark hair down, her face looked even smaller. Against the dark color, she looked even paler.

It was as if she were shrouded in a layer of light, exceptionally divine.

When she came closer and sat down nearby, Jiang Qu continued to ask Jiang Mi, “Which type?”

Jiang Mi said, “The second type.”

Jiang Qu nodded. “Have you ever been in a relationship?”

Jiang Mi paused, glancing at Yan Wei out of the corner of her eye. “No.”

Jiang Qu said, “So you haven’t experienced the process. That’s why you have so much difficulty handling scenes with physical intimacy. In that case, let’s use the most basic method: start by analyzing the character.

“Liang Yongping is a woman bound by rules, while Qin Shui is a destroyer, a pioneer, but also a savior.

“Yongping grew up in a very old-fashioned and strict family, ‘tamed’ since childhood, surrounded by violence—both mental and physical.

“Even her fiancée is a product of this violence. She doesn’t like her, but she’s habitually, or rather, forced to be submissive.

“But in the process of getting to know Qin Shui, Yongping discovers that marriage, parents, and family are not the only choices in life. This awareness transforms from an emotional one to a physical one.

“When she realizes she has feelings for Qin Shui, she starts to feel guilt and even terror. She’s afraid, she wants to run, but she doesn’t really want Qin Shui to leave her. On the contrary, deep down, she desperately needs this kind of pressure.

“She’s terrified, yet she anticipates hitting rock bottom and bouncing back.

“So that struggle is not just about a choice of love, but also the courage to break free from a cage.”

“You said that when you read about Liang Yongping, you felt her pain. Why is she in pain?”

Jiang Mi lowered her head. “Because she knows clearly that all the consequences are her own choices.”

Jiang Qu nodded. “Correct.”

Jiang Mi didn’t say anything more. Jiang Qu looked at her reaction and felt that she seemed to be moved. She looked at Yan Wei and mouthed, “Teach her.”

Yan Wei turned her head and nodded slightly.

Jiang Qu stood up, patted Yan Wei’s shoulder lightly, and left the space for the two still-unfamiliar leads.

**

“Does Liang Yongping love Qin Shui?”

“Huh?”

Jiang Mi suddenly heard a clear voice. She looked up and saw Yan Wei staring at her. Yan Wei didn’t repeat herself, but Jiang Mi had already understood. She answered, “It’s a mix of love and hate, I think.”

In reality, she had hesitated for a second.

Yan Wei cut straight to the point, “Jiang Qu is right. You only understand Liang Yongping. You don’t have faith in the character.”

If that was the case, she couldn’t be taught.

If an actor didn’t even believe in the character herself, how could anyone else believe that she was that person?

Seeing that Yan Wei was about to leave, Jiang Mi said, “Then what do you think, Teacher Yan? Do you think Qin Shui loves Liang Yongping?”

Hearing this, Yan Wei’s lips suddenly twitched. Jiang Mi’s back tensed. She watched as Yan Wei slowly took a step closer to her. The woman bent down, her slightly curled dark hair sliding forward, the fragrance wafting onto her face.

“What did you call me?”

Jiang Mi’s body froze.

The sudden sense of pressure made her scalp tingle. She suddenly understood. In that one second, Yan Wei was already in character.

Yan Wei was now Qin Shui.

Her eyes told her deeply that Qin Shui was deeply in love, deeply in love with Liang Yongping.

Qin Shui wouldn’t allow even an unfamiliar form of address to come from Liang Yongping’s mouth.

Jiang Mi felt like she had found a breakthrough.

The next second, Yan Wei pulled back.

When Jiang Mi looked again, the woman’s eyes were clear, already out of character.

The ease with which she could enter and exit a role filled Jiang Mi with awe. She straightened her back. Yan Wei had just been teaching her—You question Qin Shui’s love, so I’ll show you what love is.

Perhaps knowing that she had understood, Yan Wei didn’t stay long.

After she left, the train of thought in Jiang Mi’s mind gradually became clear. Yan Wei and Qin Shui were completely different. She and Liang Yongping were also completely different.

Qin Shui loved Liang Yongping, but she was very repulsed by her.

Liang Yongping loved Qin Shui, but she saw Yan Wei as an idol to be admired from afar.

On the way back, Zhao Jia listened to Jiang Mi’s thoughts and joked, “Then it should be easy for you to get into character. After all, you see Yan Wei through a filter. No matter whose name is attached to that face, it has a natural halo. Shouldn’t you be madly in love?”

Hearing this, Jiang Mi felt there was some truth to it, but also something wrong.

She wasn’t in the mood to delve deeper. She spoke little; the successive blows from the morning had left her drained.

Zhao Jia sat up and suddenly said, “But don’t fall too hard. Getting too into character isn’t good either. Qin Shui is Qin Shui, and Yan Wei is Yan Wei. You have to keep them separate.”

Jiang Mi gave her a baffled look, not understanding why this was worth mentioning. “I’m very clear on that.”

Wasn’t her problem right now that she was separating the character from herself too much, which was why she had trouble getting into character sometimes?

She thought about her conversation with Yan Wei tonight and her mind wandered for a moment: Actually, Yan Wei isn’t as cold as I imagined…

Zhao Jia’s lips twitched. What she meant was, don’t let the acting become real. After all, the other person was Yan Wei, and Jiang Mi’s filter for her was too strong. As her manager, she felt a sense of crisis.

But seeing the weary distraction on Jiang Mi’s face, she didn’t say more.

Her Jiang Mi had only had one romantic inclination once, and after that, she had never shown any interest again. Besides, Yan Wei was so cold. She was fine as an idol, but Jiang Mi couldn’t possibly really fall for her.

And even if she did, although Jiang Mi was the type to flirt without realizing it, often attracting a whole tree of admirers without knowing and leaving her to clean up the mess…

But, the other person was Yan Wei.

She was worldly. Jiang Mi’s ignorant “vixen-like tricks” were nothing to her. Yan Wei couldn’t possibly have any ideas about their Jiang Mi.

Absolutely impossible.

**

The black nanny van was heading toward the apartment.

Yan Wei glanced at the text message that popped up on her phone and swiped it away expressionlessly.

Her manager, Surui, asked from the passenger seat, “After a day, what do you think of this Jiang Mi?”

Yan Wei looked out the window. She had cracked it open, and the orange-red light from outside danced in her pupils, giving her a rare warmth. The wind blew through her hair and her thoughts.

It seemed like a lot of people had been asking her that question recently.

Jiang Qu had asked her again today.

“What do you think?”

What do I think?

Yan Wei took a shallow breath. The fresh evening air was free of the Alpha’s lingering milky scent from the daytime, free of the flushed earlobe, free of the scorching heat on her waist…

But why was she still so dissatisfied with it all?

***

Author’s Notes

Not long after, Yan Wei looks at the sleeping Jiang Mi beside her and finally understands why she was dissatisfied back then: Turns out she wanted to kiss, wanted to hug, wanted to… do it.