After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 10

The sudden deduction of favorability seemed like just a fleeting illusion.

The next second, the system began broadcasting notifications of increasing favorability one after another.

After this series of adjustments, Sheng Qiuyu’s favorability toward Ying Xu had reached 20.

While Ying Xu breathed a sigh of relief, she remained deeply puzzled.

Unlike Cheng Jun, who clearly had an agenda, Sheng Qiuyu seemed to have no ulterior motives toward Ying Xu.

But as a pampered young heiress who had seen everything, what could possibly make her show such obvious kindness and interest in Ying Xu?

Or was it simply that, in this ABO world, Omegas were naturally inclined to trust Alphas?

Ying Xu couldn’t figure it out.

In front of her, the Omega’s curled lashes fluttered slightly, her ears tinged pink, making her look particularly delicate and pitiable.

Yet her gaze was filled with unmistakable possessiveness bold and unwavering, as if she had no intention of looking away.

When Gu Qingzhu looked at Ying Xu, it was like observing an object. But Sheng Qiuyu’s gaze carried a peculiar fervor.

Uncomfortable with both types of attention, Ying Xu gently interrupted, “Do you, still have scenes to film later?”

“Huh?” Sheng Qiuyu seemed to snap out of her daze, reluctantly tearing her eyes away. “Do I still have scenes?”

She always spoke while looking directly into the other person’s eyes. Liu Sui, observing their interaction, immediately answered, “Yes, there are two more scenes, but they’ll wrap up quickly.”

“I’ve checked the shooting schedule, most of Miss Ying’s scenes are in the afternoon,” Liu Sui added with a smile. “If Miss Ying doesn’t have other commitments, would you mind staying to watch Qiuyu perform?”

“Qiuyu really admires your acting. She was even watching your scenes on the way here. If you could give her a few pointers, she’d definitely”

At this point, Liu Sui seemed to realize she had revealed too much and instinctively covered her lips, stopping short.

For most celebrities, hearing their agent praise someone else so effusively might stir resentment.

But Sheng Qiuyu was currently fascinated by Ying Xu. The moment she heard she could stay and accompany her through the remaining scenes, she turned to Ying Xu eagerly. “Would you?”

With things put this way, Ying Xu naturally couldn’t refuse. Since she had nothing else to do, she might as well stick around and boost her favorability.

Just like when she was with Gu Qingzhu.

Except compared to Gu Qingzhu, Sheng Qiuyu was at least less temperamental.

On set, the Omega gradually slipped into character.

Off-camera, the two of them watched quietly for a while before Liu Sui finally spoke up. “Here’s my business card.”

Ying Xu: ?

Had it really been so quick? Had Liu Sui already spotted her potential and wanted to recruit her to Qinghong as an artist?

Wasn’t this moving a bit too fast?

Ying Xu did want to switch agencies, but she wasn’t keen on going from being Gu Qingzhu’s lover to her colleague.

Just as she was about to decline outright, Liu Sui casually remarked, “You and Gu Qingzhu, that’s one thing, but when you have time, keeping Qiuyu company wouldn’t hurt. The Sheng family will provide separate resources for you.”

“You and Gu Qingzhu, that’s one thing, but keeping Qiuyu company wouldn’t hurt.”

Ying Xu fell silent.

So this wasn’t about recruiting her as an artist.

But as a lover.

A single word made all the difference, and Ying Xu felt her worldview shatter.

Do all you rich people play this fast and loose?

“Sorry,” Ying Xu said after a long pause. “Miss Sheng and I, only just met. We can’t even be called friends yet.”

It was the politest rejection she could muster.

But Liu Sui seemed entirely unfazed by her refusal. Instead, she countered, “Are you and Gu Qingzhu friends?”

Clearly, Liu Sui knew far more than Sheng Qiuyu.

The original owner’s relationship with Gu Qingzhu couldn’t even be called that of lovers, she was merely a tool Gu Qingzhu could summon at will.

How could she possibly be called a “friend”?

Liu Sui’s tone was gentle, but her words dripped with arrogance and mockery.

Evidently, this was the Beta’s true nature. All the earlier displays of weakness had merely been an act for Sheng Qiuyu’s benefit.

Ying Xu finally furrowed her brows.

She wasn’t sure how much Liu Sui knew about the original owner, afraid of slipping up. Hesitating, she didn’t counterattack immediately as she had the day before.

Coldly observing her silence, Liu Sui said carelessly, “Miss Ying, take it.”

Staring at the business card for a few seconds, Ying Xu finally reached out.

A flicker of surprise passed through Liu Sui’s eyes, but she didn’t stop her. Just as Ying Xu’s fingertips were about to touch the card.

A sharp crack sounded, and the director immediately called, “Cut!”

On screen, a supporting actor had accidentally bumped into a table, shattering several glasses.

Staff rushed to check if the actor was injured.

Glancing at the flustered supporting actor, Sheng Qiuyu curled her lip, flexed her wrist, and strode toward the two of them.

Almost instinctively, Liu Sui wanted to withdraw the card, not wanting Sheng Qiuyu to see.

But in the next second, the slip of paper between her fingers was snatched away by the Alpha.

Then, right before Liu Sui’s eyes,

Ying Xu tore the card into pieces without hesitation.

Hiding the shredded paper in her palm, Ying Xu said calmly, “I won’t mention this to Miss Sheng. I also hope Ms. Liu understands that I have my own principles.”

Even when feeling provoked, she still maintained respect for Sheng Qiuyu.

Liu Sui’s gaze toward Ying Xu finally shifted.

“What were you two talking about?”

Sheng Qiuyu’s voice arrived before she did. She hadn’t seen their exchange, only asking, “Did I do well just now?”

Liu Sui offered perfunctory praise, but Sheng Qiuyu only looked at Ying Xu.

As if the reason she’d asked was solely to hear one person’s response.

Only when Ying Xu said, “You did,” did the Omega’s eyes brighten with a smile. She repeated her earlier question, “So, what were you talking about just now?”

Ying Xu brushed it off with a casual topic, and Liu Sui didn’t contradict her.

The rest of the shoot proceeded without issue. When it was time to part, Sheng Qiuyu pressed her face against the car window, gazing wistfully at the set.

Liu Sui studied her expression for a long moment before finally speaking. “The role of Liang Ruoyan hasn’t been cast yet.”

“I think Miss Ying Xu would be perfect for it.”

Sheng Qiuyu paused, catching the implication in her words.

Liu Sui had been assigned to her by her father. Whatever she said essentially carried his weight.

“Really?” The thought of acting alongside Ying Xu made Sheng Qiuyu’s eyes light up.

Liu Sui nodded. “But how the role is secured, and how it’s given to Miss Ying, still needs discussion”

Sheng Qiuyu scoffed. “It’s just a role. If I want her to play it, can she refuse?”

Imagining seeing Ying Xu on set every day, Sheng Qiuyu’s gloomy expression finally softened.

On set,

Only after the two had left did Ying Xu begin her own scenes.

Liu Sui’s claim that she had no scenes that morning had been a lie. The reason the screenwriter had assigned her three minor roles was precisely because they were all in the same location and could be filmed in a single day.

It was clearly Gu Qingzhu’s doing, didn’t Xu Ying say she wanted to be in the same crew as her? Well, acting for a day still counts as being in the same crew. This fulfilled her wishful thinking for now, so next time, she shouldn’t use the same excuse to bother her again.

But while plans are rigid, people are flexible.

Seeing the three of them chatting so familiarly, the assistant director naturally helped Liu Sui stretch the lie, delaying Xu Ying’s scenes.

By the time everything wrapped up, it was nearly two in the afternoon.

The sun was high, and the snow on the branches was half-melted. The lunchbox Xu Ying had received at noon was now completely cold.

She could have ordered another one, but with more filming scheduled later, Xu Ying didn’t want to waste time.

Eating a cold meal once in a while didn’t bother her, she wasn’t particular about taste.

Even though the food had long gone cold, Xu Ying ate earnestly, occasionally flipping through the script to memorize lines between bites.

A crew member bit her lip, and soon, a soft female voice sounded beside Xu Ying’s ear: “Would you like this?”

Xu Ying looked up to see a woman holding a cup of hot chocolate, looking somewhat nervous. “I”

Her stuttering was rather endearing. Xu Ying’s eyes curved slightly as she was about to take the initiative to respond when her phone buzzed.

Naturally, Xu Ying prioritized the latter.

She glanced down and instinctively stood up.

“Sorry,” Xu Ying said with a smile. “I have some things to take care of. Thanks for the drink, but I’ll pass.”

The cold wind rustled.

Holding a paper bag, Xu Ying reread the assistant’s text:

[I’m out handling something right now. Qingzhu left something here, please pick it up and deliver it to… Thanks.]

Attached was an address.

The paper bag was tightly sealed. Xu Ying shook it gently but heard nothing, as if the contents had been specially wrapped.

If not for its weight, Xu Ying might have thought it was empty.

She wasn’t curious about what was inside, only pondering what expression to wear when she saw Gu Qingzhu later.

An entire day had passed, and Gu Qingzhu hadn’t spoken a single word to Xu Ying, seemingly still angry.

Xu Ying didn’t understand how she could have so much anger to spare, but the thought of having to coax her inevitably made her sigh.

When she arrived at the location, a car was parked in the corner.

The doors were shut tight, this wasn’t Gu Qingzhu’s usual vehicle. It was larger and wider, with windows made of special material that obscured the interior from outside view.

Xu Ying didn’t dwell on it. She approached the back seat and lightly tapped on the window.

A woman’s voice, thick with drowsiness, responded: “Xiao Lu?”

Xiao Lu was the assistant’s name.

According to the system, Gu Qingzhu had arrived on set at six in the morning and had been filming nonstop until just now.

Putting aside her difficult personality, at least when it came to work, Gu Qingzhu was exceptionally professional no one could fault her for that.

Xu Ying paused briefly. “It’s me.”

In the ensuing silence, Gu Qingzhu didn’t respond.

Xu Ying thought perhaps Gu Qingzhu was still holding a grudge, intending to make her stand outside in the snow as payback.

Normally, she wouldn’t have cared. After all, even if someone saw, the one who’d look bad would be Gu Qingzhu, not her.

But the item in her hands seemed important.

Xu Ying took a deep breath and spoke up anyway.

Gu Qingzhu’s mind was hazy.

Hours earlier, she had already sensed something was off.

But she had confidently assumed that Xu Ying’s lingering pheromones would sustain her until the shoot wrapped.

Only when her mind grew truly hazy did Gu Qingzhu realize that the Alpha pheromones were really about to fade away.

At first, it was just blurred vision, then her hearing became muffled, as if the entire world had been submerged in water. The bone-chilling cold left Gu Qingzhu with no shred of rationality to think clearly.

Her assistant immediately wanted to contact Ying Xu, but Gu Qingzhu refused without hesitation.

Ying Xu couldn’t stay by her side forever. An Alpha shouldn’t, and she didn’t deserve it either.

The assistant had no choice but to drive off to buy suppressants and painkillers, forcibly suppressing the symptoms of her estrus cycle.

Gu Qingzhu waited alone in the car. When a familiar woman’s voice sounded outside, she thought it was her assistant returning. But as she strained to make it out through the haze, the voice didn’t sound like her assistant’s.

It sounded like Ying Xu’s.

Yet when she called out in question, the voice outside vanished, as if it had just been a hallucination.

But this wasn’t the first time it had happened, so Gu Qingzhu paid it no mind.

Until the woman’s voice rang out outside the car a second time.

Only then did she realize.

Ying Xu really seemed to be outside.

“Assistant Lu asked me to come.”

“I know you’re angry, but could you at least take this? Or I can just leave it here”

“Gu Qingzhu?”

Ying Xu had no idea how long she’d been talking to herself, her throat was nearly parched but the person inside the car showed no reaction whatsoever, as if Ying Xu’s words were some kind of lullaby, lulling her into a deep sleep.

After racking her brain and exhausting every possible pleasantry, with still no response from inside the car, Ying Xu finally couldn’t take it anymore.

The system asked eagerly: [Is the host about to explode?]

The next second, Ying Xu pulled out her phone, fingers flying across the screen: [I’m outside the car, but Qingzhu won’t open the door.]

Edit the message, send

Ying Xu sneered: [If she ignores me, I’ll just text her assistant!]

The system:

The next moment, her phone vibrated. Just as Ying Xu was about to check the message, right before her eyes, the car door suddenly opened.

The backseat had been reclined at some point.

Gu Qingzhu sat inside, leaning against the seat.

She was playing the role of a doctor and was dressed in a white coat. The hair tie holding her ponytail had long since loosened, and her lips bore a faint red hue, with faint tooth marks still visible.

At the same time, the damp pheromones surged like a wave, crashing straight into Ying Xu’s face.

Ying Xu’s breath hitched instantly.

Right before her eyes, the Omega instinctively narrowed her gaze, as if trying to discern who was standing before her.

The next second, a familiar voice spoke but unlike its usual aloof tone, this time, the woman’s voice carried a palpable sense of relief.

“Get in, then close the door.”

As she spoke, Gu Qingzhu reached out. The loosened hair tie let her long, ink-black hair spill free, staining the white fabric beneath.

Noticing that Ying Xu was still standing outside, unmoving, Gu Qingzhu frowned slightly.

“Didn’t you hear me?”

Her voice regained its usual coolness in that moment, yet her eyes remained glistening.

Like a tranquil lake, rippling faintly, evoking pity.