Chapter 1: Marked
Su Tang never would have imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that the Alpha who had marked him last night would appear before him again today.
He rubbed his eyes, which were reddened from the assistant director's scolding, and looked in disbelief at the man walking into the set, surrounded by a crowd of people. Then, he quickly averted his gaze, burying himself among the crew.
"Could I be this unlucky?" Su Tang muttered under his breath.
**Last night.**
Su Tang had arranged to meet his sister, Su Bing, for a late-night snack at ten. But not long after he left the house, his body began to heat up, and his steady breathing became labored.
He was going into heat.
As an Omega without an Alpha, Su Tang always carried inhibitors with him. Trembling, he pulled the syringe from his bag, and the blue liquid slowly entered his bloodstream. However, the result he had hoped for didn’t come. He remained weak, collapsing onto the ground, clutching his chest and panting heavily. The last threads of his rationality reminded him of a cruel reality.
The inhibitors Su Tang had been using since his differentiation at the age of twelve—were now **ineffective.**
In this world, most Omegas would attract an Alpha to bond with them as soon as possible after differentiation, making it safer for them to go through their frequent and dangerous heat cycles.
The remaining few, like Su Tang, relied on synthetic inhibitors to suppress each heat cycle. Their greatest danger was exactly what Su Tang was experiencing now: the inhibitors failing.
If an Omega in heat cannot suppress their symptoms in time, the mere flood of pheromones could be life-threatening.
Su Tang's heart pounded like a drum as he gasped for breath, collapsing uncontrollably by the roadside. Just then, a sleek black car stopped beside him.
Strong hands lifted Su Tang, pulling him into a firm embrace.
As soon as the car door closed, Su Tang clung to the stranger like an octopus.
His pale skin flushed with a sickly red, and the green tea-scented pheromones pouring from the glands on the back of his neck filled the entire car, the air becoming so thick it was almost bitter. The Alpha, in contrast, released only a faint trace of pheromones.
This Alpha was being stingy—such a small amount of pheromones wasn’t nearly enough.
Su Tang frowned in frustration. Yet, the stranger’s pheromones were top-tier, and even the tiniest bit made his discomfort worse.
"Are you okay? Hang in there, I’ll take you to the hospital right away."
The man’s voice was deep and low, entering Su Tang’s ears like a spell of temptation, making him crave the Alpha’s pheromone comfort even more.
"Ugh... I feel awful... so awful..."
"Please... ugh... I beg you..." Su Tang whimpered, his voice soft and sweet, yet the words he spoke were direct and unabashed. Desperation was evident in his tone as he pleaded for this stranger to mark him.
"Please... mark me..."
He cried as he wrapped his arms around the man's neck, his body going limp, completely losing his rationality.
The man let Su Tang wriggle in his arms, his large hand gently stroking Su Tang's soft curls to comfort him. He realized clearly that if this Omega didn’t get marked soon, his life would genuinely be at risk.
"Little one, don’t regret this."
The man sounded somewhat annoyed, but his tone was gentle and pleasant as he spoke.
The thick scent of whiskey filled the car.
Su Tang pouted in grievance and began to cry again.
The gland on the back of his neck opened slightly, and with a curse, the man bit down on it, unrestrainedly injecting his whiskey-scented pheromones into Su Tang.
"Ah—"
A hoarse scream escaped Su Tang’s throat.
Then, everything went blank, and he passed out.
When Su Tang woke up again, he was lying in a hotel bed.
Seeing the countless missed calls from his sister Su Bing and the assistant director, he leaped out of bed.
The Alpha from last night was gone!
Also... he had been late for his most important scene.
---
Chapter 2: How Dare They Bully My Person
Seeing that small figure blend into the crowd and sneak away, Ye Chiyu's steps paused slightly. His gaze subtly followed the direction where Su Tang had disappeared.
Director Zhang Xian noticed everything and smiled, "President Ye, we’re about to film an important scene. It’s a scene between your Lingyu's Xie Xingzhi and an actor named Su Tang. Would you like to watch?"
Ye Chiyu caught the name at the end and gave a low "mm" in response, then walked into the VIP lounge.
Everyone assumed Ye Chiyu had come to check on the artists under his company. Only Zhang Xian knew the truth—President Ye was here for that little-known actor in the crew, Su Tang.
It was worth noting that Su Tang's resume had been personally delivered by Ye Chiyu’s assistant, with the only request being that Su Tang be given an audition opportunity, regardless of the role.
Later, Su Tang came for the audition, and out of respect for the Ye family, Zhang Xian had been prepared to go easy on him. However, he was surprised to find that, while Su Tang’s acting was still quite raw, it had a natural charm to it. He was a talented actor who could truly embody the character, so it was only natural to cast him in a small role.
After filming began, Zhang Xian reported Su Tang’s progress to Ye Chiyu's assistant every day, occasionally attaching pictures or videos from the set.
Sometimes it was Su Tang waiting in his little chair, sometimes it was him daydreaming while staring at the sky, and sometimes it was him engrossed in his meal...
He had no idea what Ye Chiyu thought of those photos, as the man never expressed any opinion, seemingly allowing Zhang Xian to continue with these one-sided reports.
Just as Zhang Xian was wondering whether his efforts were even noticed, Lingyu handed him a film project worth billions.
In the lounge, Ye Chiyu looked up coldly at the director, his fingers stroking the silver ring on his thumb. His voice carried a hint of anger, "Director Zhang, it seems you’re not very good at managing people. How dare they bully my person?"
Though the little guy had run away quickly, Ye Chiyu had still noticed Su Tang’s red, tear-streaked eyes—he had obviously just cried.
A cold sweat instantly broke out on Zhang Xian’s back.
Ye Chiyu had come here personally today, and Zhang Xian had many things to arrange, so he hadn’t had time to check on Su Tang himself. He had delegated the task to an assistant director. Could it be that the assistant director misunderstood? Had they scolded him?
"I… This… President Ye, it’s my fault. I had the assistant director call Su Tang, but maybe I didn’t explain things clearly. That director has a bit of a temper," Zhang Xian stammered, apologizing.
"Bad temper? Then fire him," Ye Chiyu said coldly. "And tell them to take their time setting up. I can wait."
Zhang Xian, ever the opportunist, immediately nodded, "Alright, alright, I’ll take care of it right away. President Ye, please rest here for a moment. I’ll have someone call you when we’re ready to start filming."
Meanwhile, in the makeup room on set, Su Tang had just changed into his costume and finished his makeup. He squatted in the corner, diligently reviewing his lines as he waited for his turn.
He was currently a sophomore at the film academy, playing the role of the male lead's junior disciple in this series. Though the part wasn’t major, Su Tang valued this opportunity greatly.
As he was focusing on memorizing his lines, a pleasant male voice suddenly called out from above him.
"Su... Su Tang, right?"
Su Tang looked up in confusion and saw that it was Xie Xingzhi, the male lead of the series, speaking to him.
Xie Xingzhi held a high position in the industry, having won numerous prestigious Best Actor awards. His public persona was that of a cold, reserved Alpha. No one understood why someone of his stature had agreed to appear in this fantasy drama.
People speculated that Xie Xingzhi, after starring in several niche art films that garnered critical acclaim but lacked mainstream popularity, had chosen to participate in this high-profile series to boost his visibility.
"Mr. Xie, is there something you need?" Su Tang stammered, his words faltering as he looked at Xie Xingzhi's strikingly handsome face. As someone who was incredibly focused on appearances, Su Tang found himself a bit flustered.
Xie Xingzhi, who rarely smiled, suddenly curved his lips slightly and said, "In the next scene, we have a shot together. Lingyu’s President Ye is here today. I don’t want to make any mistakes in front of him, so I wanted to rehearse our lines. Is that alright?"
So that Alpha from last night was Lingyu’s President Ye...
Su Tang had overheard some gossip earlier in the makeup room. That man’s full name was Ye Chiyu.
Suppressing his unease, Su Tang nodded vigorously and agreed.
Though Su Tang didn’t have much experience acting, he had a natural talent. Even when faced with an award-winning actor, he quickly got into character. His body moved effortlessly, his hand gracefully spinning his sword in the air as he and Xie Xingzhi rehearsed their lines and swordplay.
Satisfied with the rehearsal, Su Tang bowed slightly to Xie Xingzhi, "Thank you, Brother Xingzhi!"
"Mm."
Xie Xingzhi stared at him for a moment, and for some reason, a rare smile appeared on his usually expressionless face.
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