After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 13.2

Cheng Jun sent a pitiful emoji.

[But this gala is very important, and everyone is expected to bring a guest, Even if Miss Xu doesn’t dance, would you still be willing to attend with me?]

With that, she directly sent over an electronic invitation.

Though called an invitation, it was more like a document, aside from the introduction and venue details, eight pages were dedicated to listing the guests in alphabetical order. At a glance, it was a who’s who of high society. If a missile were to suddenly strike the venue, the global economic chain would shudder in response.

Xu Ying felt an embarrassing pang of sympathy.

A string of ellipses, leaving room for interpretation.

[She won’t let you go?]

[It’s fine. She’ll have other plans that day.]

The “she” naturally referred to Gu Qingzhu.

But, other plans? How could Cheng Jun be so sure?

Xu Ying didn’t know the source of her information and wasn’t about to take it at face value. She responded with diplomatic vagueness, which boiled down to five words:

We’ll see when the time comes.

Cheng Jun got the hint and didn’t press further.

Playing with her phone, she found Xu Ying’s reluctance oddly endearing. The more she resisted, the more it showed hesitation and soft-heartedness.

She was someone easy to control.

Xu Ying didn’t know her true thoughts, but from Gu Qingzhu, she had learned one thing: in the eyes of these privileged people, playing the role of a docile, helpless fool was enough.

A little vulnerability could always evoke pity in those who thrived on their own sense of superiority.

After the conversation ended, Xu Ying scrolled further and unexpectedly found a message from an unfamiliar number.

It was a string of seemingly random digits, with no discernible pattern.

Puzzled, Xu Ying assumed it was spam or a glitch and promptly blocked it without a second thought.

The sun dipped westward.

Sheng Qiuyu noticed that Xu Ying seemed in much better spirits than she had been that morning.

Though they hadn’t known each other long, Sheng Qiuyu’s impression of Xu Ying only grew more favorable. She was unlike other Alphas gentle, courteous, and considerate, occasionally surprising others with thoughtful gestures.

But the more she appreciated Xu Ying’s kindness, the more indignant she felt.

In the air, the faint scent of tuberose had been suppressed by inhibitors to the point of near-invisibility. Yet, like light and shadow, it had become inseparable from Xu Ying during their time together.

At first, Sheng Qiuyu had been puzzled why Xu Ying always disappeared at noon.

But after catching whiffs of that pheromone, she understood instantly. Shock and anger surged through her Gu Qingzhu was truly insane, openly demanding Xu Ying satisfy her selfish desires in a place like the film set.

It was utterly unreasonable.

Why should such a wonderful Alpha be tied to Gu Qingzhu?

Biting her lip, she looked at Xu Ying.

But before she could speak, Xu Ying beat her to it: “Earlier, you mentioned you didn’t quite understand this part of the script, right?”

Their eyes met, and Xu Ying seemed surprised. “What’s wrong?”

Sheng Qiuyu snorted coldly, “Did I say anything wrong?”

“I really don’t understand why so many people like Gu Qingzhu,” Sheng Qiuyu didn’t bother hiding her disdain. “Aside from being pretty, does she even have any other good qualities?”

Ying Xu, for once, actually considered her words.

In the eyes of those who disliked Gu Qingzhu, the Omega had countless flaws.

But in the eyes of those who liked her.

At least so far, Ying Xu hadn’t met any.

Then again, the same logic applied to anyone.

Ying Xu said, “Miss Gu is wonderful, and Miss Sheng is wonderful too.”

Balancing opinions she was used to it.

But to Sheng Qiuyu, it sounded like Ying Xu was taking Gu Qingzhu’s side.

She was a little annoyed but then seemed to remember something. “Starting tomorrow, how about I pick you up and drop you off at the set? Liu Sui said your address is the Gu family mansion. Gu Qingzhu doesn’t live there, right? Do you know how to cook? If you do, make something for me”

Ying Xu sighed helplessly, “Miss Sheng.”

Sheng Qiuyu finally stopped her rambling. “What?”

Ying Xu pointed at her hair. “Your bow fell”

The same trick Sheng Qiuyu wasn’t about to fall for it twice. She scoffed and was about to tug at Ying Xu’s sleeve when she took a step.

And landed right on the fabric bow.

Plop.

Inside the private makeup room, the makeup artist twisted open a lipstick, quietly observing the woman in the mirror.

Her eyes were slightly closed, as if she were drowsy, faint dark circles beneath them. But she wasn’t asleep, she was still skimming through the script.

Lately, Gu Qingzhu’s stamina seemed to have taken a hit. After every scene, she needed a short break.

Omega-centric dramas required only light makeup, but as her complexion grew increasingly pale, the touch-ups became more frequent.

“Water,” the woman extended her hand, and the assistant handed her a bottle.

Gu Qingzhu casually unlocked her phone. Standing behind her, the makeup artist naturally caught sight of the vibrant red roses on the lockscreen meticulously wrapped in ribbon, accompanied by a card.

What was written on the card, the makeup artist couldn’t make out.

But the familiar bouquet reminded her of a gossip she’d heard while working on another set.

“You know, there’s an Alpha actor in this crew who seems pretty close to Miss Sheng from Qinghong,” the makeup artist had been specially hired by Qinghong, responsible for both Gu Qingzhu and Sheng Qiuyu. “Lately, whenever I do Miss Sheng’s makeup, I always notice fresh flowers in her dressing room. When I asked, she said they were from that Alpha.”

“She even blushed when she said it.”

Since both were from Qinghong, the makeup artist assumed they were on good terms. She brought it up merely as an amusing anecdote.

After all, who would’ve thought that the notoriously unruly Miss Sheng would become so docile around Ying Xu?

But in this crew, the number of Alphas close to Sheng Qiuyu.

Could be counted on one finger.

The woman in the mirror opened her eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, she asked, “What’s the name of this Alpha you mentioned?”

“Huh?” The makeup artist was surprised she’d follow up but frowned in thought before recalling an unfamiliar name. “Ying Xu.”

Crash

A sharp sound the items on the table were swept off by the script, bottles shattering instantly, liquid spilling down the hem of Gu Qingzhu’s skirt.

“Sorry about that.” The assistant immediately stood up. “Ms. Chen, this way, please.”

The makeup artist hadn’t yet recovered from the sudden turn of events: “Ah, ah okay.”

The assistant’s back was drenched in cold sweat, and when she pushed the door open again, she was especially apprehensive.

But in just a few minutes, Gu Qingzhu had already changed her clothes.

She held the screen, her fingertips swiping. Before this message, she had sent many others, none of which had received a reply.

Until early this morning, when she sent an extremely long one.

This time, the message wasn’t met with silence, but the exceedingly simple response made the woman’s expression instantly turn even worse.

“Go tell the director to move the nine o’clock scene to now.”

“Qingzhu,” the assistant hesitated, “could there be some misunderstanding here?”

Those indifferent eyes shifted from the screen to the assistant’s face.

The assistant didn’t even dare to meet her gaze, her back chilled, unable to imagine how Ying Xu usually got along with Gu Qingzhu.

“What kind of spell has Ying Xu cast on all of you?” Gu Qingzhu’s tone was mocking. “Shan Qiaoyun is like this, you’re like this, they’re all like this”

“Are you my assistant, or Ying Xu’s?”

The assistant didn’t answer.

The cold wind howled.