Chapter 20: Monster

The omega was far too strong; that slap made her ears ring.

It took the alpha quite a while to recover.

Liu Qiu was pulled behind Shi Ran. Through Shi Ran’s shoulder, she saw the stunned expression on the unfamiliar alpha’s face.

Sniffling, Liu Qiu’s voice came out hoarse and small. “Shi Ran, I didn’t do it.”

Shi Ran let out a soft snort. “I know.”

Zhou Yue frowned deeply and questioned Shi Ran with displeasure. “We’re both omegas. Are you really going to side with a harasser?”

The alpha finally came back to her senses and glared at Liu Qiu with disgust. “You’re an omega, so I won’t argue with you. But the person behind you must go to the police station today.”

Shi Ran gave a light scoff. “Did I say I was stopping you from taking her to the police station?”

“I just told you to let go of her. Do you two pig brains not understand human language?”

Liu Qiu nodded and muttered, “I already said I’d go to the police. She insisted on grabbing my hand.”

It sounded like a child complaining to an adult. Shi Ran raised a brow and glanced at the alpha and Zhou Yue. “Fine. I’ll go with you.”

She wanted to see exactly how Liu Qiu had supposedly harassed someone.

Touching someone’s butt? If they said she secretly leaned close to sniff an omega’s pheromones, that would have been more believable.

The alpha clicked her tongue in obvious displeasure but said nothing in the end. Her goal was simply to take Liu Qiu to the station and let the police discipline her.

Zhou Yue maintained a pitiful expression, eyes shimmering with unshed tears, looking as though she had suffered a great injustice.

Shi Ran turned back to look at Liu Qiu.

There were still tear stains on Liu Qiu’s cheeks. Her face was smudged from wiping it, her small pointed chin tinged pink. Her usually pale skin was flushed, and with her large eyes and small nose, she looked unbearably soft and easy to bully.

When she noticed Shi Ran looking at her, Liu Qiu called softly, “Shi Ran.”

Shi Ran didn’t respond, so Liu Qiu frowned in confusion. With the slight downward tilt at the corners of her eyes, she looked even more innocent. She called again, “Shi Ran.”

Her pale pink lips were soft and full; when she parted them, one could glimpse white teeth and the tip of her pink tongue.

Shi Ran’s fingers twitched. She withdrew her gaze and said calmly, “Let’s go.”

Liu Qiu gave a small hum and followed closely behind her. “Thank you, Shi Ran.”

If Shi Ran hadn’t come to help, her arm might have been squeezed black and blue.

Liu Qiu’s voice was small and tinged with a pitiful nasal tone. Shi Ran said nothing, but she caught a faint scent of fresh mint.

It was very light, yet it seeped into her nose little by little, almost as if deliberately tempting her.

Shi Ran’s eyes darkened slightly, and she subtly put a bit more distance between them.

An inferior A truly lived up to the name—so inferior she couldn’t even properly control her pheromones.

Liu Qiu clutched the strap of her small shoulder bag and didn’t notice Shi Ran moving away. The fact that Shi Ran had helped her at all was already unexpected. Every time they met before, Shi Ran had looked at her with open disgust.

By the time they arrived at the police station, night had fallen.

The alpha indignantly explained the course of events, and Zhou Yue chimed in from the side.

Liu Qiu pressed her lips together and said nervously to the police, “I didn’t do it. You can check the surveillance footage.”

At the mention of surveillance, Zhou Yue froze. She asked the alpha stiffly, “What surveillance?”

The alpha’s face was still swollen with clear finger marks. “There are cameras on the bus. Don’t worry. The footage will be the best evidence.”

“We’ll definitely lock that harasser up for a few days.”

Zhou Yue’s fingers clenched tightly as she lowered her head, grinding her teeth.

Damn it. If there really was surveillance, her lie would be exposed immediately.

She had relied on the crowded bus and everyone minding their own business, which was why she had dared to act so recklessly.

As an omega, she wouldn’t face real punishment at most a reprimand.

But now this incident wouldn’t harm Liu Qiu at all. She couldn’t stay here any longer.

Zhou Yue stood up and forced a stiff smile at the alpha. “Sister, I’m going to the restroom.”

She left immediately.

The alpha scratched her head and continued waiting patiently.

Half an hour passed. Zhou Yue did not return.

Meanwhile, the surveillance footage from the bus had already been retrieved.

Every move Zhou Yue made was clearly recorded.

There had been no sexual harassment at all. The entire scene had been staged by Zhou Yue herself.

Shi Ran laughed lightly. “Hero of justice, next time try using your brain. Don’t be so rough with people at the drop of a hat.”

Her tone wasn’t heavy, yet the alpha’s face flushed red. She couldn’t refute Shi Ran’s words. She had misunderstood everything, and that omega had likely run off.

It was humiliating.

She shot Liu Qiu, who stood with her legs pressed together like a scolded child, a look of disdain. She had no intention of apologizing to an inferior A like her.

With a vicious glare, she turned and walked out of the station.

Liu Qiu finally let out a breath of relief. Today had truly been unlucky.

As the alpha stepped outside, she collided with someone.

Frowning, she looked up—and froze.

Before her stood a stunningly beautiful woman, her features alluring and captivating.

The alpha was momentarily dazed, then quickly recovered and clicked her tongue. “Watch where you’re going.”

Bai Qingqing let out a low laugh. “You’re right.”

She had caught Liu Qiu’s scent on this person. To leave such a lingering smell, they must have had close contact.

Her long, narrow eyes curved slightly.

The alpha suddenly felt a chill crawl up from the soles of her feet. She frowned and, not wanting to linger, brushed past Bai Qingqing.

Bai Qingqing watched her retreating back. A wisp of green vapor slipped from her fingertips, coiling around the alpha’s neck before sinking into her body.

Only after the alpha disappeared did Bai Qingqing withdraw her gaze.

“W-wife?” came a familiar voice from behind.

Bai Qingqing smiled and turned around. The first person she saw was Shi Ran. Looking past her shoulder, she finally spotted Liu Qiu.

Her voice was gentle. “Qiuqiu, I came to pick you up.”

Liu Qiu stepped out from behind Shi Ran and hurried over.

She wasn’t wearing her glasses, but after spending so many days together, she could recognize Bai Qingqing just from her silhouette.

Her eyes and cheeks were red, and her face still looked slightly dirty.

Bai Qingqing tapped the tip of her nose lightly. “Qiuqiu, who bullied you?”

There was still the alpha’s scent on her.

Liu Qiu blinked and shook her head. “Wife, how did you know I was here?”

She didn’t remember telling her location.

Bai Qingqing smiled and pointed to her phone. “Dear, I have your phone’s location.”

Realization dawned on Liu Qiu. “Oh…”

Shi Ran stepped forward calmly. “Liu Qiu, I’m leaving.”

“Next time, don’t be so foolish. You won’t run into me every time.”

Liu Qiu’s lashes trembled as she nodded.

[Host, she helped you so much. You should thank her properly.] the system’s voice sounded in her mind.

Liu Qiu pursed her lips, glanced at Bai Qingqing, then at Shi Ran, and raised her voice slightly. “Shi Ran, thank you. If you have time, you can come to my house for dinner.”

Shi Ran narrowed her eyes, her gaze brushing past Bai Qingqing’s dark pupils. She smiled slowly. “With pleasure.”

After Shi Ran left, Liu Qiu held her bag strap and said, “Wife, let’s go home.”

Bai Qingqing said nothing, but the moment Liu Qiu stepped forward, she caught her arm gently. “Qiuqiu, tell me what happened today.”

Her hand landed precisely where the alpha had gripped earlier. It hurt sharply, and Liu Qiu couldn’t stop herself from wincing.

Bai Qingqing noticed immediately. She lowered her eyes and rolled up Liu Qiu’s sleeve.

Four deep finger marks stood out red and purplish against her slender arm.

Bai Qingqing released her. Now she understood why that alpha’s scent lingered.

“Qiuqiu, what happened today?” she asked again softly.

Liu Qiu frowned slightly, confusion filling her damp eyes. Bai Qingqing seemed… overly concerned.

She hadn’t been like this before.

Lowering her head, Liu Qiu briefly explained, “On my way home, someone said I harassed her, so I was taken to the police station. But I didn’t do it. There was surveillance to prove it.”

Bai Qingqing twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. “Qiuqiu would never do such things.”

“Tell me, who slandered you?”

“It was a colleague,” Liu Qiu said quietly. “Wife, let’s go home.”

She didn’t want to elaborate, and Bai Qingqing didn’t press further.

But a calculation had already formed in her heart.

---

Zhou Yue returned home furious.

After all that effort, Liu Qiu had walked away unscathed.

Who would have thought there were cameras on the bus?

Lying on the sofa, Zhou Yue recalled someone filming the scene.

She narrowed her eyes and searched online.

Sure enough, there were related videos, though the traffic was small.

A malicious smile curled on her lips.

She had almost forgotten—there was still online harassment.

All she needed to do was spend a little money, contact a few marketing accounts, and push the video across the internet.

Weren’t the most irrational crowds online?

Even without evidence, with just a short clip and a flood of negative comments, people would blindly join in.

The bus surveillance had been her oversight.

But online—even if the truth came out later—Liu Qiu would still be dragged through the mud.

And she, hiding behind the screen, would remain the victim.

Zhou Yue’s smile widened grotesquely.

She truly despised people like Liu Qiu.

How could someone like that catch Director Song’s eye?

Dull, gloomy, weak, and disgusting.

Director Song was such a perfect alpha. She should be with a pretty, lovely omega like her—not entangled with a same-gender inferior A.

Driving Liu Qiu away was practically saving Director Song.

That night, the alpha lay in bed, still angry.

She had thought she was acting righteously, only to find it was all false.

It was humiliating.

But as sleep overtook her, her anger gradually faded.

Just as she was about to drift off, a cool breeze slipped in from the window.

Frowning drowsily, she got up. She clearly remembered closing the window. Why was it open?

She shut it again and returned to bed.

“His—”

A strange hissing sound echoed in her ear.

The alpha’s eyes snapped open.

Snakes covered the ceiling, writhing and crawling in dense clusters.

Her heart nearly stopped.

Before she could scream, a thin snake coiled around her neck, tightening around her throat so she couldn’t make a sound.

There were too many snakes. It was like a nightmare.

“Hiss—”

Her eyes filled with terror as tears streamed down her face.

A cold sensation wrapped around her fingers, followed by searing pain.

Her finger bones snapped.

The agony drowned her.

Then her toes.

Every bone fractured.

Her mouth hung open, her face turning bluish-purple, eyes bulging as pain twisted her features.

Moonlight streamed in through the window.

Through dry, rolling eyes, she saw a long white snake coiled around the security bars.

Its crimson vertical pupils glowed coldly in the night.

It was watching her.

The thought surfaced in her fading mind.

Oxygen deprivation blurred her consciousness.

The last thing she saw before blacking out was the white snake’s body gradually turning translucent.

A… demon—

Dark clouds swallowed the moon, devouring the light.

The night deepened.

Liu Qiu’s bedroom door creaked open.

A small snow-white snake slithered across the floor to her bedside, then slowly climbed up along her calf.

Liu Qiu seemed to sense something, her brows knitting in discomfort.

A tight constriction wrapped around her waist, thighs, and chest.

She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy.

“Mm…”

A faint sound escaped her lips.

Bai Qingqing extended her tongue and licked Liu Qiu’s purplish arm.

The other scent was gone.

Now, from head to toe, Liu Qiu carried only her fragrance.

---

“God, that’s disgusting. Zhou Yue was so unlucky.”

“Right? It’s one thing she seduced Director Song, but to treat Zhou Yue like that…”

“Poor Zhou Yue. Liu Qiu probably thought she was obedient and wouldn’t fight back.”

“Can’t the company fire someone like her? It’s revolting just being around her.”

Liu Qiu gripped her bag strap tightly.

The malice had always been there, but whispered.

Today it was blatant.

A paper ball hit her.

Startled, she turned.

The person who threw it smiled wickedly. “Sorry. I meant to throw it in the trash. But since you were standing there, I threw it at you instead.”

“I didn’t provoke you,” Liu Qiu said quietly.

She didn’t even know this person.

It was strange.

She didn’t want to argue. She just wanted to return to the office.

“Tch. The harasser can talk? Hahaha.”

“I don’t know how she still has the nerve to come to work. If I were her, I’d hide.”

“Shouldn’t companies check character before hiring?”

“How would you even see that?”

Harasser.

So yesterday’s incident had spread.

But she had already proven her innocence.

Why were they still treating her like this?

A surge of suffocating anger rose in her chest.

She wanted to tear off her disguise and shout back.

Her fingers tightened.

No. If she broke character, she would disappear instantly.

The original host was silent by nature. She was meant to endure silently.

In the distance, Zhou Yue watched with satisfaction.

With the internet so developed, news spread fast.

In just one night, Liu Qiu’s name had climbed the trending charts.

“Xiao Zhou, you must have been terrified yesterday,” someone comforted.

Zhou Yue wiped her tears and forced a smile. “Please don’t blame Liu Qiu. Nothing really happened.”

She would never directly accuse Liu Qiu. This way was better.

Even if the truth came out later, she would remain innocent. She hadn’t said anything. She had even defended Liu Qiu.

Her act was interpreted as someone unwilling to relive traumatic memories.

Liu Qiu’s reputation had never been good. Rumors had long planted seeds of negativity. Now, with this incident, everyone’s malice poured out freely.

Liu Qiu hurried to her desk and buried her face in her arms.

[What’s going on? I feel like I can’t stay in this company anymore.]

Everyone seemed to hate her.

The system replied, [The bus incident was exposed online. It’s trending.]

Liu Qiu sighed deeply. [System, I want to resign.]

In this situation, she couldn’t even eat lunch in peace.

With public opinion one-sided, she couldn’t explain herself alone.

And for something to ferment overnight, Zhou Yue must have pushed it.

She couldn’t understand why Zhou Yue hated her so much.

Maybe she should go to the police station and ask them to issue a statement.

The system scratched its head metaphorically.

It had brought other hosts before—even tragic heroines from abuse-heavy novels.

But Liu Qiu was a “green-hat” heroine. Her task was simply to play the honest wife unaware of her spouse’s infidelity.

How had it turned into this?

[Host, if you don’t want to stay, then resign. You’re the female lead. You can find another job.]

Just then, there was a knock.

A woman in a suit entered. “Liu Qiu, the general manager wants to see you.”

Liu Qiu froze and followed her.

[System… I think I’m really going to lose my job.]

[It’s okay. We can find another one.]

From the general manager’s office, Liu Qiu walked out dazed.

She had been fired.

For improper conduct.

She tried to explain, but her superior only said, “Sorry.”

The company didn’t care whether she had done it or not.

The current environment required her departure.

Firing a low-level employee was inconsequential to the company.

[At least you got compensation,] the system sighed.

Liu Qiu blinked—and suddenly smiled.

She should thank Zhou Yue.

She had never wanted this job anyway, but she had forced herself to work daily to maintain the original character.

Now she had been passively freed!

No more waking up early!

The system panicked. [Host! You were just dismissed! You can still find other work!]

Liu Qiu grinned. [Hehe. No more work!]

She felt a bit sorry for ruining the original host’s job.

But she was the heroine now.

This was her life to live.

[System, if I finish the mission and leave, will the original host return? What will happen to this world?]

The system paused before answering, [The original host won’t return. When you leave, the world consciousness will automatically fill in the character trajectory based on your behavior.]

The original host had been created intentionally by the world consciousness.

If Liu Qiu broke character too drastically, the world would detect she wasn’t the intended person—and erase the foreign entity.

Liu Qiu’s brows curved happily. [That’s great.]

If the original host wouldn’t return, she didn’t have to worry.

She refused to keep working here.

As for Song Ciyu, since she and Bai Qingqing had already had intimate contact, she would definitely come looking sooner or later.

Liu Qiu packed up her desk neatly and left the company with her small shoulder bag.

Now she had something to do.

She was going to the police station to ask for an official statement.

She couldn’t let public opinion remain completely one-sided.

She had to take action.