After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Was Spoiled by a Sweet Omega - Chapter 60

Shang Li called to congratulate her: “Ning Xuan, congratulations on landing the role you wanted. Your acting was phenomenal.”

Ning Xuan remained humble. “Haha, it was alright. I still have a lot to improve.”

“I knew you could do it without President Yu’s help.”

At the mention of Yu Yazhi, Shang Li asked: “So, how are things progressing between you and President Yu?”

Ning Xuan didn’t want to discuss it. Instead, she deflected: “And how are things with Miss Zhong? Was your ‘business trip’ successful?”

Shang Li hadn’t found Zhong Qiu—she seemed to have vanished, with no trace anywhere. Shang Li was even considering filing a missing person’s report.

Ning Xuan noticed her silence and realized it hadn’t gone well. “So, what happened? Did she—”

Not wanting Ning Xuan to speculate wildly, Shang Li admitted: “I didn’t find her. I don’t know where she is.”

“What?”

Ning Xuan was stunned. “What will you do now?”

“I’m driving to the Nanshan police station. I plan to report her missing.”

Ning Xuan replied softly: “Mm. I hope you find her soon.”

With nothing more to say, they ended the call.

Ning Xuan set down her phone, closed her eyes, and slept for over an hour.

On WeChat

Su Manyun messaged: [The contract for The Nightingale and the Rose has been signed. Screenwriter Xu has also sent the script. Check your email.]

Ning Xuan replied: [Okay.]

She eagerly opened the full script.

In the story, the heroine Chen Xiangying approached the male lead Cheng Zhaoqing with hidden motives. After gaining his trust, she cooked a pot of poisonous mushroom soup, intending to die with him.

Though ordered to monitor Cheng Zhaoqing, as a courtesan she felt no connection to the fate of the nation or its people. She had long been a woman without faith or future.

But the soup didn’t kill Cheng Zhaoqing.

He saw through her malicious intent, yet didn’t kill her. Instead, he revealed the truth.

He truly loved her, wanted to marry her and have children. But as a man who had witnessed the brutality of war, his blood boiled with patriotism.

When the Z organization recruited him, he reinvented himself, taking the name Cheng Zhaoqing and posing as a businessman to get close to the He family.

He Tianxiong, the ambassador to China, had married and fathered children there. After the Japanese invasion, he naturally grew close to the occupying leaders. Approaching him meant access to invaluable intelligence.

He Suizi, his daughter, became Cheng Zhaoqing’s greatest shield.

Her father adored her obsessively.

He Suizi married Cheng Zhaoqing, at first basking in the joy of newlywed life. But gradually she noticed his odd behavior. From a naïve girl dreaming of love, she became sensitive, volatile, and unpredictable.

“I feel like something’s missing between us.”

“Zhaoqing, what are we lacking?”

Her drunken eyes gazed at the man she loved.

Cheng Zhaoqing stroked her hair gently. “Suizi, I’m sorry.”

They had been a mistake from the start.

“But I can’t accept it. Zhaoqing, I have to do something.”

She collapsed in his arms, murmuring: “Do you trust me?”

He didn’t answer.

The night was dark. Dawn was far away.

Scrolling further, Ning Xuan read:

He Suizi chose to stand by her husband, stealing intelligence and becoming a spy.

The war grew bloodier.

The Japanese army massacred civilians at the front and conducted inhumane human experiments.

He Suizi’s resolve to resist grew stronger.

Once, she accompanied Cheng Zhaoqing and her father to the front. Secretly, Cheng filmed the atrocities and experiments. But his identity was exposed, and he was imprisoned.

He Suizi used her father’s name to help him escape.

Together, they carried the precious footage, planning to take it abroad and expose the crimes internationally, hoping to secure foreign aid.

But the Japanese leaders anticipated their plan, blocking all routes and laying traps.

Seeing the danger, Cheng Zhaoqing split the footage into two parts, entrusting half to He Suizi. They fled separately.

This act symbolized his trust in her.

He Suizi was thrilled, overjoyed.

She clutched his hand, whispering passionately: “I think we truly love each other now. I feel we’ve become one. Zhaoqing, am I dreaming?”

But Cheng Zhaoqing only held her hand tightly and said gravely: “Suizi, the world must know the truth. Can you do it? Can you protect this footage?”

He cared more about whether she could safeguard the evidence than about her feelings.

Too overwhelmed to notice, He Suizi nodded solemnly: “I can. Zhaoqing, I can do it. I won’t lie, I’m terrified. Look, my hands are trembling. But I’m full of courage. It’s you. Your love gives me endless strength.”

So, when she was captured, she endured brutal torture.

Whippings, fire, broken legs, fingernails torn off—she lay battered, barely alive.

She had promised Cheng Zhaoqing, and she meant to keep it.

Even when they executed her father before her eyes.

But in the end, the Japanese found the footage she had hidden.

Triumphant, they played it before her—only to find it blank.

The footage was fake.

They had been deceived by Cheng Zhaoqing.

And so had He Suizi.

Trust, love—everything was a lie.

She was nothing more than a pawn, used to divert suspicion.

He had never trusted her. Not for a moment.

She laughed madly, blood pouring from her mouth, tears of blood streaming from her eyes. “Hahahahaha.”

“Spit! You bastard!”

The Japanese soldier, enraged, kicked her hard in the stomach.

She was in so much pain she couldn’t even laugh, curling tightly into herself like a dying insect.

The rose had withered.

All that remained was a pool of crimson.

Ning Xuan was moved to tears.

When Luo Yuanyuan arrived to pick her up, she was startled to see Ning Xuan’s swollen eyes.

“Sister Xuan, what happened to you?”

Ning Xuan sniffled and explained: “I read the script. It broke me.”

The role she was to play, He Suizi was truly tragic.

She felt it was even worse than Xiao Feng’s fate in Goodbye My Princess.

Luo Yuanyuan, unaware of the script’s details, asked: “How tragic?”

Ning Xuan, needing to keep the plot secret, gave a brief answer: “Her father was killed. Her lover betrayed her. She died in prison. No one claimed her body.”

Luo Yuanyuan: “…”

Hearing that, she nodded solemnly. “That really is tragic.”

Ning Xuan patted her shoulder, recalling Su Manyun’s words: So, tell me, what does marriage truly bring to a woman?

Indeed—another day of fearing marriage, fearing love.

Luo Yuanyuan drove Ning Xuan to the banquet venue.

By the time they arrived, most of the lead actors were already present.

Ning Xuan spotted Zhu Shanshan. She didn’t know who was backing her, but clearly someone had forced her way in.

Zhu Shanshan had suffered a huge loss at Ning Xuan’s hands, been torn apart online, and now—under her agent’s insistence—she attended the banquet to mend ties with Ning Xuan.

“Hi, Ning Xuan, congratulations.”

She had rehearsed countless times beforehand, determined to appear sincere and heartfelt.

Ning Xuan eyed the wine she offered but dared not drink it.

Her face was cold, her gaze wary. “What do you want?”

Zhu Shanshan forced a smile. “Nothing. I just wanted to apologize. What happened this morning was my fault. Please don’t hold it against me.”

Ning Xuan wasn’t buying it. Her voice was icy: “Sorry, but I’m younger than you.”

The implication was clear: I won’t overlook it.

Zhu Shanshan: “…”

She had lied about her age when entering the industry—her real age was her sore spot. Anyone who mentioned it earned her wrath.

But now, she couldn’t afford a tantrum. She forced another smile. “Haha, yes, I am a few years older. Don’t worry, once we join the crew, I’ll take good care of you like a sister.”

It sounded more like a provocation.

Ning Xuan’s tone was cool, mocking: “Fine. I’ll be watching.”

Zhu Shanshan took it as agreement to reconcile. She quickly raised her glass of red wine, smiling: “Then let’s bury the hatchet.”

She tilted her head back and drained her glass.

As for the one she offered Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan didn’t take it. “Thanks, but I’ll be driving later. I can’t drink.”

Zhu Shanshan didn’t press. She withdrew the glass and drank it herself, then, feeling she had completed her task, turned away.

Ning Xuan watched her sway her hips toward a portly man, nestling into his arms as his thick hand roamed inappropriately in public.

An eyesore.

Ning Xuan turned her gaze away—just as Xu Ci approached, accompanied by Xu Ke. Standing together, they didn’t look like siblings, but Ning Xuan was certain they were.

“Miss Ning.”

Xu Ci smiled as he introduced them. “This is my sister, Xu Ke. She insisted on working with you once she heard you’d joined the film. Your acting is excellent, so please guide her when you can.”

Xu Ke interrupted eagerly, eyes sparkling. “Miss Ning, I’m so happy to act with you! Oh, I’ll be playing your maid—Xiao Mai.”

Ning Xuan remembered Xiao Mai’s role: a lively, beautiful girl with a lovely singing voice, rescued by He Suizi from a dance hall. Later, to save He Suizi, she gave herself to a Japanese officer with sadistic tendencies, suffering terribly.

When she learned of He Suizi’s death, she went mad.

Ironically, while nearly all the main characters perished, she survived—mad and broken until the war ended.

You’d think she would finally find peace.

But no.

She climbed a hill, waving her arms excitedly as she watched the Japanese retreat, shouting in their language. Then—bang!—a stray bullet struck her down.

No one knew who fired the shot.

She died just before the dawn of freedom.

And the story ended there.

Thinking of this, Ning Xuan asked curiously: “Screenwriter Xu, why did you choose to end the story with Xiao Mai’s death?”

Xu Ci realized she had finished reading the script.

Surprised but pleased, he smiled. “I’m glad you’re so invested in the film. But before I answer, could you share your thoughts first?”

He admired Ning Xuan and wanted her feedback, it would help him refine the script.

That was why he had sent her the full version early.

Ning Xuan thought for a moment, gathering her words, just as Director He called Xu Ci over.

It turned out Best Actress Jin Min had arrived.