Look at Me

Heijin was far wealthier than Fuyu, and its employees were treated better. Hu Yi had booked Li Chu a room on the 16th floor, conveniently the same floor as Ning Manqing. This time, Li Chu didn't have to go back and forth in the elevator to see her.

"Mr. Ning, I'll go back to my room and freshen up first before coming to ask you for help."

Her lower body still felt uncomfortably sticky, and she needed to clean up before discussing the drama with Ning Manqing.

"Okay, just knock on the door when you're ready."

After watching Ning Manqing enter her room, Li Chu hurried back to hers. Qian Duoduo had already unpacked her suitcase, hung up her clothes, and placed her pajamas neatly on the bed. Li Chu picked them up, grateful for her assistant's thoughtfulness, and headed to the bathroom. Qian Duoduo is so caring. She made a mental note to give her a raise once she had the money.

As she stepped into the bathroom, her thoughts turned to her financial struggles, and with a sigh, she tied her hair into a bun and turned on the shower.

The warm water cascading over her skin felt like pure relief. But as the water flowed, her mind wandered back to the car ride and the pheromones. She instinctively touched the slightly swollen glands at the back of her neck, contemplating the strange rules of this world.

Even though society emphasized free love now, many people still chose partners through genetic matching. The higher the genetic match, the stronger the compatibility between their pheromones, which made it easier to fall in love and remain loyal. The closer the match, the better the emotional connection during an omega's heat or an alpha's susceptibility period.

In the original story, Ning Manqing and the male protagonist whose name Li Chu couldn't even remember were a perfect genetic match, with 100% compatibility. Such a match was incredibly rare, with only about one in 30 million people finding their ideal partner.

For most people, a pheromone compatibility of 80% or higher was already considered a great match.

As she soaped herself, Li Chu thought about how things might have changed. Maybe the male lead was now just a good friend to Ning Manqing, and perhaps their relationship wouldn't play out like it did in the original.

But then a wild thought crossed her mind: What if the male lead is an omega now? Li Chu's imagination ran rampant, and soon she began thinking about her own pheromone sensitivity to Ning Manqing.

Her heart raced. Could it be that she was the heroine?

After all, in stories where someone transmigrated into another world, didn't they often end up as the protagonist?

Excited by the idea, Li Chu laughed at her own daydreams. I'm probably the heroine. The world must revolve around me!

She considered what a heroine would do. Would she fight battles and achieve greatness? But then reality set in, and she chuckled to herself.I'm not exactly a go-getter.

Her only ambition was to live a happy life, contributing to society in her own small way. She had no desire to become a top-tier celebrity or win over the masses.

As for her heightened awareness of Ning Manqing's pheromones, she reasoned it was probably because Ning Manqing had once marked her, and her body still remembered.

Deep down, Li Chu felt that Ning Manqing deserved someone much better.

After finishing her shower, she dried off, dressed in her pajamas, and grabbed the gift she had prepared for Ning Manqing. She walked over to her room and knocked on the door.

Ning Manqing had left the door slightly open. Since both of them were staying in suites, the entryway led into a small living room before the bedroom. There weren't many guests on this floor, so Li Chu wasn't worried about being seen. Even if there were paparazzi lurking around, they weren't concerned about any scandalous rumors.

Ning Manqing wasn't the type to stir up gossip. While some celebrities in the industry used scandal to maintain their fame, she had no interest in playing those games. She also didn't want Li Chu to get dragged into any unwanted attention because of her.

"Sit down. What would you like to drink?" Ning Manqing asked.

"Water's fine," Li Chu replied, sitting on the sofa. She took the glass of water that Ning Manqing handed her, then held out the small gift box she had been carrying.

"Mr. Ning, this is a small thank-you gift for helping me last time."

"That's just something anyone with a conscience would do," Ning Manqing said, accepting the gift with a smile and placing it on the table. She then added a gentle warning, "This industry can be dangerous. Beauty and gender will attract the wrong kind of attention. You need to protect yourself."

Li Chu nodded earnestly. "I will! I'll be careful."

Seeing how obediently Li Chu responded, Ning Manqing had to resist the urge to pat her head. Instead, she shifted to the real reason they were meeting.

"I know the role you're playing. What exactly do you feel isn't working for you?"

"I always felt that I didn't portray enough tension in the part where the Eldest Princess gets angry with Bai Su."

The character Li Chu was portraying this time was an omega princess.

The Eldest Princess had been married to Tanhua, a newly appointed scholar. Tanhua Lang was poor but ambitious, a talented alpha. At the time, everyone believed they were a perfect match, and the Eldest Princess herself thought so too.

However, after a few years of marriage, she realized that her husband didn't love her; he only sought power. Proud as she was, she wanted to divorce him. But at the time, the dynasty was in turmoil the emperor had suddenly died, and several alpha siblings were battling for the throne. She wanted her sister, the Fifth Princess, to ascend the throne, so she endured the humiliation and negotiated a deal with her husband, binding them together with mutual benefits.

For two years, they fought side by side, and the Fifth Princess succeeded in becoming empress. Her husband, once a scholar, rose to the position of the Right Prime Minister. By then, reconciliation was impossible. He had taken several concubines, and the Eldest Princess was frustrated and lived separately from him.

But the political struggle was far from over. With a new emperor on the throne, it was only the beginning. In the second year of the new regime, the Eldest Princess met a man she truly loved: Bai Su, a beta.

Despite being a beta, Bai Su was extraordinarily handsome and talented. He was the concubine of a noble house, and the Eldest Princess treated him very well. This special attention made him a target for her political enemies. When Bai Su was attacked, the Eldest Princess felt guilty, but Bai Su didn't blame her. He even risked his life to save hers during a crisis.

Determined to elevate Bai Su's status, the Eldest Princess sought an official position for him, not wanting anyone to claim he was merely her kept man. She couldn't tolerate anyone belittling him.

The scene Li Chu was about to perform was crucial. Bai Su had just declined the opportunity the Eldest Princess had arranged for him, stating that he intended to leave the capital.

The Eldest Princess, disbelieving, asked him why. Bai Su confessed that he had someone he loved and wanted to take them away from the storm of the capital's politics. The Eldest Princess was devastated. She demanded to know if he didn't love her. Bai Su remained silent but mentioned their different social standings. Yet the Eldest Princess knew the real reason lay elsewhere.

She realized that everything had been one-sided on her part. Bai Su had never asked her for anything, always declining politely and behaving with grace. It wasn't that he hadn't been touched by her feelings, but it was no match for his determination to leave.

Li Chu selected this scene and watched it with Ning Manqing. Afterward, Ning Manqing asked her to perform it.

"I'll act as Bai Su. You come here and play the princess."

Ning Manqing rearranged the table and chairs. She lowered her head briefly, and when she looked up again, she spoke Bai Su's lines.

Li Chu slipped into character, performing the scene she had rehearsed countless times that day.

The Eldest Princess was shocked, angry, desperate, and heartbroken. She threw the teacup, her chest heaving as she stared at the man she loved. Her expression slowly hardened into icy resolve.

"Get out. In this life and the next, don't ever appear before me again!"

It took Li Chu several minutes to calm down from her performance. She waited for Ning Manqing's feedback.

"Your performance was solid, but you're still missing something. The emotion isn't fully there."

"Not sad enough or not angry enough?" Li Chu asked, trying to figure out where she had gone wrong.

Ning Manqing shook her head. "Not enough love."

"Love?" Li Chu was surprised.

"All of her negative emotions toward Bai Su stem from her deep love for him."

Ning Manqing pointed to the screen, where the princess wore a cold expression. But anyone watching could feel the immense pain hidden beneath that exterior.

Li Chu's eyes lit up in realization. Of course. It's because she loves him that she's in such agony.

"Love makes her want to live, hate makes her want to die, but in the end, love wins. If she didn't love him, she would have either killed Bai Su and his lover, or she would have imprisoned him. Instead, she lets him go."

Li Chu understood now, her excitement rising as she looked at Ning Manqing, eager for confirmation.

"Exactly," Ning Manqing said with a proud smile.

Li Chu beamed with joy.

"Let's do it again. Watch me. I'll be Bai Su."

"Look at me, and imagine that you love me."

Ning Manqing's voice was particularly soft and clear that night. Her eyes locked with Li Chu's, pulling her deeper into the emotion of the scene.