Scum A with a Sweet Black Lotus O – Chapter 105
by Little Panda“Miss Mi Shan, using your own body as the price to frame me, is it worth it?”
Everything at Xingdong Entertainment was proceeding along the trajectory Fu Chaoyun had planned.
As for Pei Xuezhi—
Some time passed, and the film crew had already wrapped up shooting1. Pei Xuezhi, the summer worker2, immediately rushed off to another production set without stopping.
This time it was a TV series, a palace intrigue3 drama, adapted from a purchased IP4. The original work featured a fictional dynasty; to give the audience a greater sense of immersion or make the costumes and makeup seem more historically accurate, the adaptation chose a real historical dynasty to set it in.
Pei Xuezhi had more scenes here than in the movie, but still not a huge amount.
The acting skills she’d learned during the film shoot were useful, and this role suited her well enough for a TV drama.
However, it was a TV series, and a palace intrigue one at that—with many characters and a long plotline, the shooting schedule inevitably stretched out. If Pei Xuezhi wanted to wrap up her part, she’d have to stay on set for a while longer.
The plot was being filmed scene by scene. Originally, Pei Xuezhi didn’t need to be there every day, but coincidentally, after the series adapted the fictional setting into a historical one, the production team hired a dedicated historical consultant to add depth.
The crew wanted to film ahead of schedule to secure a release slot5, but the timing clashed with the professor’s schedule. Since they were the ones who proposed the schedule, the professor wasn’t in breach of contract. Just as they were hesitating about hiring a second consultant, it turned out that the professor was from Rong Da and was actually Pei Xuezhi’s course instructor. When he came over one day and saw her, he recommended Pei Xuezhi to the production team.
Now, besides being an actress, Pei Xuezhi was also the production’s second historical consultant.
For a third-year university student about to enter her fourth year to serve as a consultant for a historical drama was quite an achievement. Besides having her mentor vouch for her, she herself had put in considerable effort, and Fu Chaoyun had absolutely no hand in this.
Pei Xuezhi had won this position through her own capabilities!
Upon hearing the news, Fu Chaoyun called immediately to congratulate her. “I just knew Zhizhi would succeed at anything she does.”
“…Mm.”
Although her success rate was indeed high, and Pei Xuezhi was used to hearing such flattering compliments6, hearing Fu Chaoyun say it with such absolute trust still made her feel a little shy7, and even more so, sweetly happy.
Pei Xuezhi added, “I’ll have to trouble you to take care of Nao Nao during this time8.”
Fu Chaoyun turned her head, glancing at the little kitty playing happily9 in the CEO’s office. Apart from Mi Shan, who instinctively made her uneasy, Fu Chaoyun didn’t restrict others from feeding the kitten.
The staff in the secretary’s office fed him more diligently than she did, so it really wasn’t much trouble.
Just then, she called out to him. Fu Chaoyun’s “catnip”10 attribute kicked in, and Nao Nao quickly jumped onto her desk. He was eating well, playing well, and getting fur-enhancing cream; the fur in the spot that had been clipped previously had already grown back soft and fluffy.
Just as Fu Chaoyun tilted her head, letting her long hair fall, her hand stroked the little kitten’s back. The Alpha chuckled lightly.
“We’re raising the child jointly, how could it be considered trouble?” Before Pei Xuezhi could answer, Fu Chaoyun’s tone shifted. “Is Zhizhi only concerned about Nao Nao?”
A light laugh came from the other end.
“Miss you too.”
“Miss… Jiejie.”
Fu Chaoyun let out a soft breath. “Recharged! With those words from Zhizhi, I can work full of energy this afternoon!”
“By the way, what time does Zhizhi wrap up today?”
Pei Xuezhi gave her a time.
Fu Chaoyun mentioned work, and actually… put the cat down and started signing documents.
“Okay, I’ll come pick you up then.”
Pei Xuezhi agreed.
However, just as the call was ending, she heard the abrupt sound of Fu Chaoyun pushing back her chair, followed by a shout, “Nao Nao! Those are older brothers and sisters… I told you your older brothers and sisters are very fragile, you can’t play with them like that!!”
A faint smile touched Pei Xuezhi’s lips.
An Alpha bringing a kid11 to work wasn’t easy either.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her. Recognizing the person’s face, the smile on Pei Xuezhi’s face instantly vanished.
The Omega’s voice was delicate and soft. “Teacher Pei, there’s a scene I don’t quite understand. Could you teach me?”
It was Mi Shan.
Pei Xuezhi had worried Mi Shan would cause trouble during 《Trainee》. On the previous film set, Pei Xuezhi’s dismissive attitude had been so obvious, yet this young lady still shamelessly stuck close again.
Last time, her identity as an assistant made it difficult to talk to Pei Xuezhi. This time, she wasn’t an assistant anymore; connections and money had gotten her a small role in the palace drama, and she was using the pretext of acting guidance to get closer to Pei Xuezhi.
“No.”
Even though Mi Shan once again put on a sad and pitiful expression, Pei Xuezhi’s face remained cold and distant. “I’m not a professional actor either. For acting issues, you can consult the director or your acting coach.”
“But- but I don’t know them well.”
“Miss Mi.” Pei Xuezhi addressed her by name, the tone completely different from how she called Fu Chaoyun “Miss Fu”. Now, it was utterly cold, creating distance.
Pei Xuezhi’s eyes were dark, deep, and emotionless. “I don’t know you well either.”
“I’m just a little scared of strangers, you know, it’s my first time acting, my first time facing the camera…”
Pei Xuezhi wasn’t one to hesitate; she cut the other person off directly.
“If you’re scared of even this, you might as well go back early. Stop filming.” Pei Xuezhi’s gaze was clear and sharp, as if seeing through everything. “Besides, your family isn’t short of the money for the breach of contract fee, are they?”
Perhaps it’s true that when two people are together for a long time, they gradually become similar.
Facing the persistently entangling Mi Shan, Pei Xuezhi was just like Fu Chaoyun dealing with Fu Li during 《Heartbeat》—rejecting her ruthlessly, giving the other party no opportunity to exploit.
The Omega opposite her looked on the verge of tears, gazing at Pei Xuezhi with eyes similar to Fu Chaoyun’s, but Pei Xuezhi remained completely unmoved.
“Stop looking. You two are different.”
Just then, a staff member called out to Pei Xuezhi from nearby about an issue with the props. As the second historical consultant, Pei Xuezhi went over directly. She maintained a distinct distance from Mi Shan throughout, not even close enough to brush shoulders.
Leaving behind only one indifferent word.
“Have some self-respect.”
…
Behind her.
Mi Shan, left standing there, clenched her fists tightly. Her head was bowed, lips pressed into a cold, straight line, her eyes dark and heavy. From top to bottom, there was no longer any trace of resemblance to Fu Chaoyun.
Nor any sign of pitifulness.
Attempt after attempt, rejection after rejection.
There was no other way.
Only…
[LP: Back off already!]
Night fell.
Because Pei Xuezhi had taken on an extra “part-time job” on set, her finishing time was much later.
Fu Chaoyun arrived half an hour earlier than planned, intending to give her a little surprise.
She came over often and only interacted with Pei Xuezhi. When others tried to talk to her, she could kill the atmosphere in minutes13. As such, the crew had gradually gotten used to it, and fewer people even tried to make small talk.
Now, Fu Chaoyun was just left alone.
She stood there, looking around, but didn’t see Pei Xuezhi yet. However, a staff member walked up, head lowered, and said softly.
“Teacher Pei isn’t feeling well and is resting in the dressing room right now. She said to bring Director Fu over when you arrived.”
Fu Chaoyun replied without hesitation, “Then let’s go quickly.”
“This way please, Director Fu.”
“Hurry,” Fu Chaoyun urged, seeming quite anxious. “Is Teacher Pei’s condition serious?”
“This…” The staff member hesitated, struggling to answer. “It started about half an hour ago. She didn’t look very well, but I can’t really say.”
Fu Chaoyun acknowledged, “We’ll know when we see.” She then asked, seemingly casually, “Why do you keep your head down? Did you do something bad and you’re afraid I’ll remember your face?”
The person cleverly replied, “I heard Director Fu and Miss Pei both get jealous easily14…”
“Just kidding,” Fu Chaoyun laughed it off. “Don’t overthink it.”
The staff member: “…”
Why did that sound vaguely sarcastic15?
They walked quickly and soon arrived at the dressing room.
The staff member pulled the door open. “She’s inside. Please go in, Director Fu. I won’t disturb you.”
“Thank you,” Fu Chaoyun said politely.
The next second.
She was forcefully pushed inside by the “staff member”. There was a click as the person swiftly locked the door.
The set’s dressing room wasn’t large. Now, with the door and windows shut tight, curtains drawn, and even the lights off, it was pitch black and silent, truly a bit frightening.
Fu Chaoyun, however, was very calm.
She looked around, but it was too dark to make anything out. Then, her nose caught a scent of sweet grapefruit.
It was extremely rich and intense, very much like the scent of Pei Xuezhi’s pheromones when her heat flared up.
And as she focused, she could indeed vaguely make out a figure at the source of the scent, whose silhouette strongly resembled Pei Xuezhi.
The pheromone scent grew stronger and stronger.
But Fu Chaoyun just stood there, neither rashly approaching the unwell “Pei Xuezhi” nor calling out her name.
Fu Chaoyun was no longer the naive newbie16 who knew nothing about the ABO world.
She often spent time “mixing” with Pei Xuezhi these days. How could an Omega who had been marked suddenly go into heat? Especially on a crowded production set, given Pei Xuezhi’s highly cautious nature.
Even supposing the worst17, that Pei Xuezhi had truly been schemed against and her heat prematurely triggered, this person had plenty of ways to forcefully suppress it.
She had done exactly that during their first meeting.
Besides, the staff member who came to fetch her had been too obvious. If Pei Xuezhi were genuinely unwell, how could she possibly rely on a third party to inform her?
The flaws were too glaring.
Fu Chaoyun had walked into this situation entirely as if watching a play.
However, the differences between the three ABO genders were significant. Unlike Omegas, after marking is complete, the Alpha leaves an imprint on the Omega, declaring ownership. Conversely, while the Omega’s scent also lingers on the Alpha, the Alpha themself cannot be marked. This predetermined that they could even mark multiple Omegas simultaneously.
The pheromone scent in the air grew increasingly thick, even the System noticed.
【WTF! What the hell is this?!!】
“A setup, probably.”
System: 【…】
So casual?
【No!】 It panicked, it panicked. 【Your current physical condition is different from before! You might really not be able to hold back…】
The System was conflicted.
On one hand, if Fu Chaoyun really lost control, given Pei Xuezhi’s personality, this Alpha would likely be discarded, and their relationship could be severed. On the other hand, Pei Xuezhi’s luck18 hadn’t been fully recovered yet; if things broke off like this, the opportunity would be lost forever.
“I know,” Fu Chaoyun replied in her consciousness.
She knew her own body.
As her relationship with Pei Xuezhi improved, she seemed to have regained some control over her body; Pei Xuezhi wasn’t completely manipulating her body anymore, Fu Chaoyun herself could also act.
Just like now, smelling another Omega’s pheromones, the glands that had developed later began to faintly heat up, and a sense of craving surged from deep within her.
This wasn’t her emotion; it was caused by instinctual control.
In a sense, Alphas truly were the lowest beasts.
【?】
The System didn’t understand. Fu Chaoyun sensed the danger, so why was she still allowing herself to fall into such a perilous situation?
“If I don’t fall into the trap, the opponent will always hide in the shadows, like rats and bedbugs in the gutter, staring at me and Zhizhi,” Fu Chaoyun said calmly. “Only by entering their scheme will they reveal their flaws19.”
The System was dumbfounded.
Isn’t that too risky?
“Besides,”
Fu Chaoyun endured the heat spreading through her body and took out her phone. Thankfully, it had full signal—thankfully, they hadn’t had time to install college entrance exam signal jammers20 here.
So it was a temporary setup, not meticulously planned. Had Zhizhi done something on set again that the opponent disliked? Making them so impatient…
Thinking of it this way, it actually felt somewhat sweet.
Fu Chaoyun chuckled lightly:
“Last time, I wasn’t affected by the pheromones. The result was good, but looking back, the whole process was too plain, lacking that sense of struggle, and certainly no sense of surprise.”
System: 【…】
“So, let’s do it again. This time I need to perform well.”
【…………】
I really don’t understand you love-struck fools!
Fu Chaoyun stopped wasting words with the System. Gripping her phone, she quickly typed out a message to Pei Xuezhi.
【I’m in the set’s dressing room. Someone claiming to be staff led me here, then locked me in with an Omega in heat. Zhizhi, help!!!】
The message ended with three huge “!!!”. A slight blush appeared on Fu Chaoyun’s cheeks at that moment, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of panic.
“Is it the beauty saving the hero’s turn?”
【…Could it be that you’re the ‘beauty’ and Pei Xuezhi is the ‘hero’?】
“Whatever, either works.”
Despite the tempting Omega and the dense pheromones ahead, Fu Chaoyun exhibited only the body’s instinctual reaction, with no loss of emotional control.
Seeing it couldn’t persuade her, the System changed the subject.
【Who do you think the Omega here is?】
“I have a good guess.”
【Who?】
“We’ll know when we see.”
【…】
What kind of pointless talk21 is this!!
Fu Chaoyun didn’t waste any more words on it. While waiting for Pei Xuezhi, she used the light from her phone screen to find the room’s light switch and pressed it.
Click.
The Omega in heat nearby was exposed before them. But almost the instant the light flared on, Fu Chaoyun’s voice arrived first.
“Miss Mi Shan.”
Fu Chaoyun accurately called out the other person’s name. The Alpha’s body was scorching hot and thirsty, yet her mind was clear and cold. The two aspects were distinct, forming an extreme contrast in the suddenly illuminated room.
Those amber eyes, so similar to her own, now held no trace of lust, only a blade-like, penetrating sharpness.
“Using your own body as the price to frame me, is it worth it?”
The author has something to say:
Slept all day, the more I sleep, the sleepier I get. Good night everyone, going back to sleep orz22
Maybe I’ll revise some details in this chapter tomorrow, add a few hundred words.
Footnotes
- 杀青 | shāqīng | Lit. “kill green”; Film/TV production term for the completion of principal photography, to wrap up filming.
- 暑假工 | shǔjià gōng | Summer vacation worker/intern.
- 宫斗 | gōngdòu | Lit. “palace struggle”; Genre focusing on harem/court intrigue and power struggles.
- IP改编 | IP gǎibiān | Intellectual Property adaptation; adapting a story from another medium like a novel or game.
- 抢档期 | qiǎng dàngqī | Lit. “snatch schedule slot”; To rush production to meet a specific release date or broadcast window.
- 彩虹屁 | cǎihóngpì | Lit. “rainbow fart”; Internet slang for exaggerated or flattering compliments.
- 羞耻 | xiūchǐ | Shame, embarrassment, shyness.
- 辛苦你照顾 | xīnkǔ nǐ zhàogù | Lit. “hardship you take care”; A polite way of saying “Thank you for taking care of…” or “I’ll have to trouble you to take care of…”.
- 不亦乐乎 | bù yì lè hū | From Confucian Analects, lit. “Is it not joyful?”; Idiom meaning extremely happy or busy and enjoying it.
- 猫薄荷 | māobòhe | Catnip. Used figuratively here to describe Fu Chaoyun’s attractive effect on the cat.
- 带娃 | dài wá | Lit. “bring baby”.
- 锲而不舍 | qiè’érbùshě | Lit. “keep carving and not give up”; To persevere, work with persistence.
- 分分钟能把气氛搞冷 | fēn fēn zhōng néng bǎ qìfēn gǎo lěng | Lit. “in minutes can make the atmosphere cold”; Can quickly make things awkward or kill the mood.
- 爱吃醋 | ài chī cù | Lit. “loves to eat vinegar”; To be jealous (usually in a romantic context).
- 阴阳怪气 | yīnyáng guàiqì | Lit. “yin-yang strange air”; Speaking in a deliberately ambiguous, sarcastic, or mocking tone.
- 小白 | xiǎobái | Lit. “little white”; Slang for a naive beginner or newbie.
- 退一万步说 | tuì yī wàn bù shuō | Lit. “take ten thousand steps back and say”; Idiom meaning “even supposing”, “even in the worst-case scenario”, “hypothetically speaking”.
- 气运 | qìyùn | Luck, fortune, destiny.
- 露出马脚 | lòuchū mǎjiǎo | Lit. “reveal the horse’s legs”; Idiom meaning to expose one’s flaws or give oneself away.
- 高考信号屏蔽器 | gāokǎo xìnhào píngbìqì | College entrance exam signal jammer; devices used to prevent cheating during the high-stakes Gaokao exams.
- 废话文学 | fèihuà wénxué | Lit. “nonsense literature”; Internet slang for speech or writing that sounds profound or informative but says nothing substantial, stating the obvious in a roundabout way.
- orz | orz | An emoticon representing a person kneeling or bowing down.
LET’S GOOOO!!!!