Chapter 1

The Wanting Grand Hotel.

The crew of Give an Inch had spared no expense, selecting this luxurious five-star hotel as the venue for their wrap party.

Inside the banquet hall, a banner reading "Wishing the Wrap Party Great Success" hung from the wall. Crew members streamed in, the entire space brimming with a festive, celebratory atmosphere.

Regardless of the challenges faced during production, everyone was overjoyed to have successfully completed filming.

Past frictions and grudges vanished in an instant; anyone could be friends with anyone else now.

Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true.

"What do you mean, 'giving it to me'? It's not like your name is written on it. How could you possibly be giving it to me?"

A crisp female voice rang out near a round table in the front row. Her tone was clear, filled with a sense of natural, matter-of-fact bewilderment.

Though not particularly loud in the noisy environment, the voice still drew a wave of glances. Upon seeing the speaker, everyone let out a collective sigh of "Of course it's her."

It was a young Alpha, tall and slender, with a face of breathtaking beauty. Her large, obsidian-bright eyes blinked, and she tilted her chin—not too sharply—at the other actor before her.

It was an all-too-familiar expression of arrogance.

Across from her, the actress waved her hands with exaggerated humility. "No, no, Ms. Xi, you've misunderstood. We're just here for a casual meal. Please, take the seat. I'll just move over there."

After listening, the Alpha glanced at the actress one more time, then turned her head slightly and sat down with an air of entitlement. "Go on, then."

The others at the table were about to speak, and some even started to stand up to offer their seats, but the actress quickly pressed her hand down to stop them and smiled as she hurried off to another spot.

Those nearby who had witnessed the whole exchange looked back at the Alpha, their eyes now laced with a newfound dislike and disgust.

This Alpha was none other than the infamous Xi Keqing.

It wasn't that Xi Keqing had any real star power, or a major role, or even any talent—she was completely devoid of acting skill.

It was simply that she was a nightmare to deal with.

A complete nobody who acted like a diva.

She had only shown up for three days from the start of filming to the wrap. Despite being the sixth female lead with a pitifully small role, she had the nerve to barge in and take a seat at the main table, pushing aside the second female lead—who had both higher status and more screen time—until she had no place to sit.

Even though the seats weren't labeled with names, the industry standard was always based on seniority and rank. There was no such thing as "just winging it."

Even if the actress playing the second female lead was generous enough to let it slide, Xi Keqing's arrogant and domineering behavior was enough to make anyone roll their eyes.

The contrast was stark.

The incident immediately sparked whispers throughout the banquet hall, with people quietly asking what had happened.

Having worked together on the set of Give an Inch, they weren't all newcomers. Most simply recounted the events without offering any judgment.

But judging by their expressions, it seemed they were far from impartial.

Fortunately, the banquet began soon after. After the initial round of pleasantries, a lavish spread of dishes was served, and the lively clusters of people dispersed back to their respective tables.

However, halfway through the meal, someone noticed something odd.

What was Xi Keqing doing at the main table? Playing on her phone?

She wasn't even using it to network with the director or the lead actors. Regardless of who was toasting or laughing, she seemed completely detached, sitting off to the side with her head down, absorbed in her phone.

Seriously? If she were trying to suck up to the big shots, you could at least call that ambition. But she stole someone's seat just to play on her phone?

Is this some new kind of "troublemaker" persona?

Clearly not, but Xi Keqing was indeed causing trouble right now.

With her phone lying openly on the table, she was tapping away, sending messages to her manager.

"Tastes bad." "Don't like it." "The cake is too small."

"I'm still hungry."

The towering stack of bone plates in front of her had grown so high it completely blocked her view of the phone on the table. No one else at the table had achieved such a feat.

She had only stopped eating and picked up her phone to message her agent because she truly couldn't eat another bite. Yet, Xi Keqing was still complaining about being hungry.

This wasn't just Xi Keqing being difficult; she genuinely felt like she couldn't get full.

No matter how much she ate, she could never feel satisfied. Her stomach always felt empty.

She was already struggling to feel full, yet her agent constantly nagged her to watch her diet. Today, the agent had finally relented and let her eat whatever she wanted, but she still couldn't get full. In fact, she was still starving.

Actually, this wasn't the first day Xi Keqing had gone hungry.

Ever since she was kicked out of her home at eighteen and forced to live independently three years ago, every single day had been a struggle against hunger.

Over the past three years, this gnawing hunger had grown stronger and more unbearable with each passing day. Today was especially bad—it felt like it was devouring her internal organs.

Xi Keqing had no idea why. Hospital check-ups had revealed nothing, yet this torturous hunger had left her body completely unaffected.

Maybe... just maybe... it's because I'm not human?

That was right. Xi Keqing wasn't a human Alpha. She was a succubus.

Family: Succubus. Genus: Succubus. Species: Succubus.

A very young little succubus.

Succubi were so rare in the world that her mother had always warned her never to reveal her identity. Because of this, she had no one to ask if human food was truly only filling for humans.

She was already twenty-one and could handle anything. If there was a seat, she'd take it. If someone spoke to her, she'd reply. If there was food, she'd eat...

Except for her hunger.

She couldn't handle that.

I'm so hungry.

Unable to hold back any longer, Xi Keqing sniffled aggrievedly, tears almost spilling over.

Swish. She grabbed her phone and stood up abruptly. "I'm leaving. Goodbye."

Her tone was stiff and abrupt.

The group at the table, who had been chatting and laughing, all stopped and looked at her. Even people at nearby tables turned their gazes toward them.

Before anyone could say a word, Xi Keqing turned and walked out. She didn't exchange pleasantries with anyone, nor did she linger on a single person or a single gaze in the banquet hall.

She left with such decisive swiftness that her tablemates didn't even have time to react.

But who at the main table wasn't a shrewd observer? They quickly composed themselves and laughed it off, suppressing the word "arrogant" that had almost escaped their lips.

The director in the center chuckled. "Young people, indeed. As spirited as ever."

The wrap party's formal program had concluded before the meal even began, so guests were free to leave after eating. Those who lived nearby could head home, while those from further away had already been arranged rooms in the hotel upstairs.

It was late, and since Xi Keqing lived far away and had no urgent business to attend to, she naturally stayed at the hotel.

Being a five-star establishment, there were no security concerns, so no one spared a second thought for her early departure.

Xi Keqing stepped straight into the elevator.

She felt no lingering attachment to the place filled with the aroma of food she couldn't eat to satisfy her hunger. With a heart full of grief and indignation, she swiped her key card with a sharp tap.

Alone in the elevator, Xi Keqing leaned against the cabin wall and openly pouted.

I'm so hungry.

Still so hungry.

I have to try really hard to sleep tonight. If I fall asleep early, I won't feel hungry anymore.

The thought only made her pout deepen in a display of utter misery.

It's all a lie. I'll still be hungry even if I'm asleep. An empty stomach doesn't magically fill itself while you sleep.

No matter what she did, she couldn't distract herself from the gnawing hunger. It seemed there was no better solution than sleep.

Wuuu.

Tears were about to fall again.

Ding. The elevator stopped. Xi Keqing forced herself to pull her pouting lips together and walked toward the door.

"Right, I have to hurry..."

The moment the elevator doors opened, a person on the phone collided directly with her. Xi Keqing had no time to dodge and was knocked backward, nearly slamming into the cabin wall.

Xi Keqing whipped around, her wide eyes flashing with fury. "You ran into me!"

The man seemed momentarily stunned. His voice, which had been lowered, returned to its normal pitch as he hurriedly apologized, "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry! I was in such a rush. Are you hurt anywhere?"

His expression was one of sheer desperation, as if this truly were an accident born of extreme urgency.

As he spoke, he fumbled for a business card. "I'm terribly sorry, but I have an urgent matter to attend to right now. Could you please contact me later? I'll compensate you..."

Xi Keqing glanced at the phone still in his other hand, then snorted and snatched the card from him. "What's the rush? Try using your eyes next time."

With that, she turned on her heel and marched away, her footsteps clicking rapidly.

The closing elevator doors muffled the man's voice as he lowered it again. The hallway, covered in thick carpeting, was silent.

Xi Keqing sniffed the air, only then noticing the faint scent of pine lingering.

It seemed to be the pheromones of a high-ranking Omega, but not from the man. He appeared to be a Beta, and Betas didn't have pheromones.

Even though she didn't belong to any of the three—Alpha, Beta, or Omega—the little succubus Xi Keqing could still smell their pheromones.

However, for her, these scents didn't hold their innate allure and temptation. Instead, they were more like each person's unique perfume.

Without overthinking, Xi Keqing simply noted that it smelled quite nice and continued searching for her room by checking the numbers on the doors.

Perhaps because she was now holding an extra key card, as she went to check the room number again, her hand slipped, and both cards clattered to the floor.

She crouched down to pick them up, then kept walking with her head down, glancing at the room number on the card while subconsciously tapping it against the card reader of the very next door.

The lock buzzed. Xi Keqing naturally turned the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

She completely failed to realize that the lock's buzz had actually indicated an error. The door handle she turned hadn't been fully closed to begin with, and the room's lights were already on.

The thick scent of Omega pheromones hit her like a wave, but Xi Keqing had already closed the door behind her and was completely oblivious to it.

"Who's there?"

A voice, laced with a chilling coldness, drifted from a distance, cutting off the "Wuuu—" that Xi Keqing had been about to let out without a moment's hesitation.

Her throat tightened, and the "Wuuu—" turned into a sharp, strangled "Ah!" She yanked back the tears that were about to fall and whipped her head around. "Who? Who's in my room?"

An eerie silence hung in the air for a moment.

Then, the faint rattling of wheels slowly emerged from around the partition between the bedroom and the living room. A wheelchair appeared before Xi Keqing.

In it sat an Omega, visibly uncomfortable, back ramrod straight. A faint, unnatural flush stained the woman's beautiful face. Her light amber eyes, shaped like phoenixes and even more narrow than peach blossom eyes, gleamed with a cold, glassy light as she stared intently at Xi Keqing.

Her brow furrowed slightly, her expression etched with clear suspicion.

"An Alpha?"

The overwhelming aura of a superior being made Xi Keqing feel inexplicably flustered. "W-What? This is my room, 3216. Mine."

But the Omega retorted without mercy, "This is 3206."

The woman's voice was faint and cold, making it impossible for the succubus to tell if the itch in her ears was from the voice itself or from the possibility of her mistake.

Xi Keqing whipped her head back to look at the doorframe behind her, only then starting to recall if she had seen the room number clearly.

Could she really have walked into the wrong room?

Should she go out and check?

But before she could, she heard the woman ask, "Aren't you afraid?"

The room was already filled with uncontrollably thick pheromones. The cold, deep scent of juniper relentlessly devoured the surrounding air, followed closely by the delicate, elegant fragrance of iris, which continuously pressed in.

This was the pheromone of an S-rank Omega, yet it emitted a terrifying pressure that defied all comprehension.

Whether it was an Omega of the same gender or an Alpha of a different one, no one could resist even a fraction of such pheromones.

But for the little succubus, Xi Keqing, it seemed to be a completely different story.

Xi Keqing turned back to the woman, her expression dead serious. "I'm the Alpha here. You're the one who should be scared. Why aren't you locking your door during heat? If someone else had walked in..."

Her gaze dropped to the woman's legs, which seemed to be immobile. She tilted her chin up. "Never mind. I'll go find someone to get you a suppressant."

"No need."

Even from across the entryway, the woman's eyes remained fixed on her.

She crooked a finger, gesturing toward the wheelchair beneath her. "Come here. Help me."

Xi Keqing hesitated.

Her manager had taught her: Never, ever be alone in a room with an Omega in heat.

But... what if it was to help a person with a disability?