salted fish leopard cry

Li Chu only watched a small part of the video before quickly shutting it off, deleting the recording, and destroying the camera altogether. She then hurried into the bathroom.

In reality, she didn't usually take multiple showers in one day, but her pants had gotten wet again while watching the movie.

It wasn't really her fault. It was just this newly marked body that seemed prone to recalling things, making her have to shower and change clothes yet again.

After finishing, she let out a deep, exasperated breath.

Ugh, the heroine's figure was really something!

Li Chu felt like her not-so-straight sexuality was being put to the test.

After a whole day without eating, her stomach grumbled. Li Chu got up from the bed and went to the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat.

She found a bag of frozen dumplings in the refrigerator. Li Chu boiled half of the bag and ate them at the dining table while checking the original owner's existing savings.

After looking at the numbers, Li Chu's eyes widened 1,042 yuan and 30 cents. That was it? So meager!

But after thinking it over, it made sense. The original owner's salary hadn't been high. When the company first signed her, she was still a rookie, so the contract wasn't great there wasn't even a guaranteed minimum salary. Over the past two years, the original owner had only played supporting roles, like the second or third female lead in a few TV dramas, and made brief appearances on some minor variety shows.

After eating the dumplings and washing the dishes, Li Chu pondered her next move.

According to the plot, the heroine would have a fever for three days after differentiating, after which her body's rejection response would subside. During these three days, the heroine wouldn't come looking for her to settle the score, but beyond that, who knew?

She could try to explain away the drugging incident by saying she didn't know about her differentiation. That might work.

Li Chu thought about the glass of water used to administer the drug and felt like it had been a major brain lapse. Also, did that drug have some kind of magical property? How did drinking it turn her into an omega?

Ridiculous! Totally ridiculous!

Li Chu slumped onto the sofa for a while, then suddenly sat up straight. She realized that acting might not be the way to support herself. Maybe she could quit the entertainment industry and find another job. She could go back to her old job as a makeup artist. She could also do drawing, calligraphy, or embroidery… In short, she could do a lot of things, although she wasn't particularly skilled at any one thing.

Li Chu had always been curious about new things she hadn't been exposed to before, and she was quite motivated. When something caught her attention, she'd dive into it and study diligently, only to be distracted by something new shortly after. She was always moving on to the next thing.

Though in the end, she did die "on the road," so to speak.

Li Chu shook her head at the thought it was unlucky to dwell on it.

She pulled out her phone, found her agent Tang Congnan's WeChat, and sent him a message.

[Li Xiaochu]: Brother Nan=w=

Tang Congnan: What mischief are you up to now?

Tang Congnan: There aren't any variety shows lined up right now. There's a role for the third female lead in a web drama. You can audition for that.

From the barrage of responses, Li Chu quickly understood that the original owner wasn't well-liked by the agent. The original owner had deleted the WeChat chat history, so Li Chu couldn't see the previous messages, but based on the agent's tone, their past conversations probably hadn't been very pleasant.

[Li Xiaochu]: Brother Nan, I'm fully aware of my abilities now. I don't think acting is for me.

Tang Congnan: Congratulations on being cured of your delusions [Salute] [Salute]

…That's harsh!

[Li Xiaochu]: So, I want to quit the industry [Pleading face]

Li Chu tentatively extended a feeler. Of course, she knew it wasn't up to the agent to decide whether she could quit, and the chances of getting out of her contract were slim.

She used to be somewhat of an insider, and from what she knew, many companies would take advantage of people's ignorance by signing them into tough contracts. Even reputable companies could make money that way.

Even though the original owner's company, Fuyu Entertainment, wasn't one of those shady companies, as long as she had some commercial value left, they wouldn't just let her go. After all, the boss was in it to make money, not to run a charity.

Tang Congnan: Do you have the money for the breach of contract? It's 500,000 yuan.

[Li Xiaochu]: …ah, this

Tang Congnan: Then stay put [Rose]

Tang Congnan cruelly rejected Li Chu's request and crushed her hopes.

Li Chu sighed. Given the situation, she had no choice but to tough it out.

[Li Xiaochu]: Brother Nan, I want to sign up for an acting class to improve my skills.

Tang Congnan: Are you serious? I can help you find one, but you'll have to pay for it.

[Li Xiaochu]: Can the company cover it? I'm broke qwq

Tang Congnan: The company's already lost a lot of money on you. You've had good roles in past projects, but you didn't put in the effort when you were given those opportunities. Now you're regretting it?

Tang Congnan: It's too late. Opportunities don't wait for anyone.

Li Chu rubbed her forehead in frustration. Tang Congnan was right the industry was incredibly competitive. Every year, more people entered the fray, and having a good face alone wasn't enough.

In this situation, she had no choice but to play her trump card.

[Li Xiaochu]: I've differentiated into an omega.

Both alphas and omegas were considered genetically superior, and they made up only a small portion of the population. Alphas comprised 7% of the total population, while omegas made up 9%.

Alphas evolved primarily in terms of physical fitness and intelligence, making them top talents in many fields. Even untrained alphas had higher physical strength and faster reflexes than betas.

Omegas, on the other hand, evolved primarily in emotional perception and fertility. They were physically weaker than most people, but their pregnancy rates were extremely high. When paired with an alpha, their offspring had a higher likelihood of being either A or O.

In the past, omegas were even treated as valuable breeding machines. After hundreds of years of omega rights movements, they now had the right to choose their own partners and enjoy equal rights in modern society.

Tang Congnan: Really? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The call from the phone immediately revealed the other party's excitement and urgency, prompting Li Chu to answer helplessly.

Differentiation into alpha or omega was something to be ecstatic about; it meant more opportunities and attention, and the appeal of omegas would be highly sought after in the entertainment industry. Their emotional intelligence would also be significantly enhanced, making it possible for them to land roles and become a major focus in acting.

"Yes, yes, it's true! If you don't believe me, just come and draw my blood."

"Why not just go to the hospital? I just differentiated, and I don't want to go outside."

"Understood. I'll be waiting for you."

Li Chu ended the call, planning to wait for Tang to come over to draw her blood.

As for why she didn't want to go to the hospital, it was because Ning Manqing's bite marks were still on her glands. Anyone who was an A or an O would be able to smell the pheromones wrapped in the cloud tea scent on her body.

Tang Congnan was a beta, so he couldn't smell pheromones.

Li Chu didn't want anyone to know what had happened to her, fearing it would cause more trouble.

Tang Congnan arrived at Li Chu's place as quickly as possible. It didn't take much blood to check for pheromones; just a little would suffice. Li Chu sat obediently on the sofa, pressing a cotton swab against the pinhole as Tang Congnan observed her.

"It seems that differentiation really changes a person."

Tang Congnan recalled how Li Chu used to be an attractive girl with eyes full of scheming and materialism. Now, she looked clean and cute.

"Let me see your glands."

Actually, to determine whether someone is an A, O, or B, you could tell just by looking at the back of their neck, since betas don't have glands.

The gland is a slightly protruding part at the back of the neck, covered by skin, and can't be seen with the naked eye unless one gets very close.

Li Chu covered the back of her neck, looking a bit embarrassed at Tang Congnan. She had bite marks on her neck, but he couldn't see them.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that's a sensitive issue. I'll go to the hospital first, so don't wander around."

Tang Congnan suddenly remembered that casually asking to see someone's glands was a provocation for an alpha and a tease for an omega.

Tang Congnan didn't trust anyone else and didn't plan on letting others handle checking for pheromones.

"It's okay, Nan. Can you bring me some inhibitors and barrier patches when you come back?"

"No problem."

Omegas go into estrus monthly, and they can either use inhibitors or let an alpha handle it.

Pheromone-blocking stickers work like band-aids and are applied to the glands. Alphas and omegas emit pheromones, and when emotionally stimulated, they release these pheromones unconsciously. The pheromones of alphas are mutually exclusive, which can cause an omega to go into heat, and vice versa an omega's pheromones can throw an alpha out of control. Therefore, these pheromone-blocking stickers are essential for daily life for both courtesy and safety.

After Tang Congnan's verification, he provided feedback to the company's upper management, and Li Chu's life improved immediately.

The company arranged for her to move to a new residence, a high-end community that offered better privacy, along with a teacher for her training.

Li Chu settled into her new home with the pheromone-blocking stickers and found everything well taken care of. After having lunch, she began to welcome her teacher for instruction. After two dizzying days of study, she received an unfamiliar phone call.

"Hello?"

Li Chu was still holding Actor's Self-Cultivation in her hand, waiting for the other party to speak first.

"Hello, is this Li Chu? I'm Ning Manqing."

Oh no, she received a call from her! Li Chu felt a wave of sadness.

She squeezed her legs together in distress. She had been dreaming about that night for two consecutive days involuntarily, and now, hearing the other person's voice, she remembered the phrase "Be good, don't be afraid," which Ning had whispered in her ear.

She felt terrified!