After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 11

The cold wind howled.

The convenience store door swung open, letting in a gust of icy wind and frost that swirled into the room. The cashier shivered but still didn’t look up, listening to the entertainment gossip playing on her phone.

“Reports indicate that Gu Qingzhu entered the set of Redemption the day before yesterday. Also starring in this drama is Ying Xu, who has been mired in negative reviews.”

The bottle of a drink came into view. Just as the cashier was about to ask for the payment method, a slender hand had already extended a paper bill.

Accompanying it was a voice as clear and pleasant as spring water: “Thank you.”

The woman looked up in surprise, her eyes landing on an exceptionally striking face. A pair of eyes, gentle like the blue waters of a lake, drew people in effortlessly utterly mesmerizing.

Everything about her was flawless, except for a thin, sharp scratch on her exposed arm. It looked severe, yet no blood had seeped out.

Ying Xu twisted open the bottle cap.

She could feel the cashier’s lingering gaze, heavy with curiosity, but paid it no mind. Sipping the water casually, she finally began responding to the messages that had been buzzing incessantly earlier.

The first one was from Gu Qingzhu’s assistant.

[I’ve already seen Qingzhu. She’s in good spirits now, refusing to go to the hospital, In any case, Miss Ying, there’s no need to worry.]

Ying Xu paused mid-sip, lowering her gaze to the mark on her arm.

Of course, Gu Qingzhu was fine.

After all, every unpleasant thing had fallen squarely on Ying Xu’s shoulders.

One hour earlier.

In the car.

The heated gasps from earlier might as well have been just moments ago.

Ying Xu hadn’t yet shaken off the lingering haze of sensation, but Gu Qingzhu beside her had already regained her composure.

The scent of pheromones saturated the car, a blatant reminder of the absurdity that had just transpired.

Gu Qingzhu’s veins bulged as she fought down the wave of nausea rising in her throat, grabbing the pheromone suppressant spray.

The next second, she aimed the nozzle directly at Ying Xu. With two crisp clicks, the mist sprayed into Ying Xu’s face, forcibly dragging her out of the lingering euphoria.

The spray was colorless and odorless, but its purpose was to suppress pheromones, working against the natural instincts of Alphas and Omegas. Discomfort was inevitable.

Ying Xu’s brows furrowed, her expression twisting momentarily as she fought the urge to cough.

Gu Qingzhu, however, remained unfazed. Seeing Ying Xu’s discomfort, she even let out a derisive scoff, as if she had just seized some leverage: “Hold it in.”

Her tone was icy, a stark contrast to the occasional sweet murmurs from before.

Having experienced this once already, Ying Xu had grown accustomed to her sudden shifts in demeanor. Still, she couldn’t help but marvel at how swiftly Gu Qingzhu’s emotions could change.

Only when the pheromones had completely dissipated did Gu Qingzhu finally roll down the window.

“Get out,” Gu Qingzhu said.

Ying Xu took a deep breath, her fingers clenching unconsciously beneath her sleeves.

“What?” Gu Qingzhu smirked, her voice laced with mockery. “Unwilling?”

Ying Xu shook her head. “No.”

“I just wanted to say…” She forced herself to lower her eyes. “Don’t leave the window open. The wind is cold today don’t catch a cold.”

With that, Ying Xu stepped out of the car without hesitation.

Her decisiveness caught even Gu Qingzhu off guard.

After a long moment, Gu Qingzhu rubbed her temples and asked in a low voice, “Why are you here?”

That single sentence made Ying Xu realize, her presence here had been entirely the assistant’s idea. Gu Qingzhu had no idea.

Thinking about it, the assistant had probably meant well, hoping this incident might bring the two of them closer.

But when one of the parties involved was Gu Qingzhu, the outcome could only be the opposite.

Ying Xu replied half-truthfully, “Assistant Lu said you left something important behind. She didn’t trust anyone else but me…”

As her words trailed off, Gu Qingzhu finally glanced sideways. The paper bag containing the suppressants stood out starkly on the seat. Even in the chaos earlier, it had been well protected.

Indeed, Gu Qingzhu thought, if a stranger had approached her during her episode, her assistant couldn’t have borne the responsibility.

Ying Xu was the best choice.

Yet also the most nauseating one.

Gu Qingzhu said calmly, “I see.”

Her voice, muffled by the car window, sounded distant.

After the words faded, Ying Xu waited for the Omega to continue. But as the wind brushed past her fingertips, bringing a chill, she realized, this seemed to be Gu Qingzhu’s way of ending the conversation.

She suddenly felt like laughing.

What was this?

First, inexplicably running an errand for Gu Qingzhu, then being asked for a “favor,” only to be kicked out of the car without so much as a kind look.

Even volunteering didn’t work like this, did it?

The more Ying Xu thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Just as she was about to confront Gu Qingzhu again, another car pulled up nearby. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she saw two figures in the back seat.

However, only Gu Qingzhu’s assistant stepped out.

The Beta paused at the sight of Ying Xu but said nothing, walking straight to knock on the rear window.

Soon, the driver’s side door opened.

At the same time, the window beside Ying Xu rolled down.

Gu Qingzhu’s hair was smooth, the bite mark on her lips already concealed beneath flawless red. In just a short while, she had transformed back into the glamorous actress seen on screen, with no trace left of the woman who had tangled with Ying Xu in the car moments ago.

Her eyes, now devoid of any lingering moisture, lifted slightly at the corners.

The woman had regained her usual coldness, her gaze icy and filled with an unspoken hatred as she stared at Ying Xu.

Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.

Yet even without words, Ying Xu understood what Gu Qingzhu was thinking.

It boiled down to one word.

Leave.

[I see.]

[Okay.]

[Mm.]

[…]

Her fingers tapped idly, but even after returning to the set, Ying Xu still hadn’t replied to the message.

Silence could also convey an attitude.

Ying Xu arrived much later than expected, her scene had long since passed. But to her surprise, the crew members who saw her didn’t give her odd looks. Instead, they avoided her as if afraid.

At first, Ying Xu found it baffling.

Until she looked toward the filming area.

On set, a tall woman was signing documents while another, dressed provocatively, stood beside her. Across the desk, the two flirted as if no one else was there.

Ying Xu checked her script.

Name: Security Guard (Extra)

Role: A dutiful security guard at Sheng’an Group.

Clearly, she was playing the guard, while Cheng Jun played the CEO.

Why was this role so similar to real life?

Ying Xu couldn’t describe her feelings. She turned to leave.

Cheng Jun’s actions had already landed her in trouble with Gu Qingzhu twice proof enough of bad luck.

But the scene was nearly over.

The moment Ying Xu turned around, the director called “Cut.” A second later, a woman’s amused voice rang out, “Ying Xu?”

Ying Xu took a deep breath, then halted and turned back to look at Cheng Jun.

Cheng Jun’s character was inherently charming, and when portrayed by that face, it was as if the character had come to life.

“I’ve given it some thought,” Cheng Jun said cheerfully. “Did I scare you by sending you that message out of the blue yesterday? My apologies, but when I saw you for the first time, I just couldn’t contain my joy.”

The Alpha’s voice wasn’t quiet, and many people overheard, either stopping in their tracks or sneaking glances their way.

Ying Xu closed her eyes tightly, suspecting that Cheng Jun might have a bit of a performative personality.

“Today’s the same I came early just to see you.”

As she spoke, she instinctively moved to drape an arm over Ying Xu’s shoulder.

But this time, Ying Xu was prepared and deftly sidestepped the gesture.

Cheng Jun’s hand hung in the air for a moment before she paused, her expression shifting to one of hurt. “You don’t like physical contact? I’m sorry, Ying Xu. I didn’t know. It won’t happen again.”

News traveled fast on set. Overnight, everyone had learned that the reason the actor from yesterday had left the production was because they had “offended” Ying Xu in front of Cheng Jun.

Listening to Cheng Jun’s monologue and sensing the increasingly reverent gazes around her, Ying Xu couldn’t help but feel deeply bewildered.

Hadn’t Cheng Jun already pulled this act yesterday? Why was she doing it again today?

Were the crew members also part of Cheng Jun’s elaborate play?

“No,” Ying Xu finally interrupted, shaking her head. “I just feel like we’re not quite… that familiar yet.”

“Really?” Cheng Jun replied. “But I feel like Miss Ying and I hit it off right away. Just how familiar do we need to be to count as familiar?”

After a pause, she suddenly leaned in a little closer. This time, it was still within a safe distance, so Ying Xu didn’t move away.

The next second, she heard Cheng Jun chuckle softly and ask, “Does it have to be as familiar as Xiao Xu and Gu Qingzhu are to count?”