After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 32.1

The night was as dark as ink, with only faint glimpses of stars visible.

Rows of towering buildings formed an “S” shape with their illuminated square windows, casting flickering shadows under the constant glow of lights. The promised car was shrouded within them. She rolled down the window but didn’t immediately contact Sheng Qiuyu. Instead, she searched online for information about this building.

This highly recognizable structure had once been a luxurious ballroom, exclusively hosting performances by dance troupes and orchestras. After the Sheng family took over, they developed numerous new ventures, turning it into a somewhat awkward resort.

The Sheng family hadn’t suppressed news of the banquet. Many young socialites had posted snippets of the gathering and group photos in their updates. Xu Ying easily found Sheng Qiuyu among them.

The woman held a wine glass, her dress now replaced by a lightweight knee-length skirt. To outsiders, she seemed somewhat unapproachable, even appearing fierce in the group photos, nothing like the gentle and sweet demeanor she showed in front of Xu Ying.

After flipping through several photos, Xu Ying spotted many familiar faces: Sheng Changming, Shan Qiaoyun, a few members of the Xu family, and even Cheng Fei. Beside Cheng Fei sat an icy-faced woman who looked particularly aloof, though their cufflinks were clearly of the same design.

This person was likely Cheng Yundu, the new family head Cheng Jun had mentioned last time.

Xu Ying had little impression of Cheng Yundu, her focus settling on another question instead.

Cheng Fei was here, but Cheng Jun was still absent.

Even now, Cheng Jun hadn’t replied to Xu Ying’s message.

Too much time had passed, and Xu Ying had shifted from being the one “being worried about” to the one worrying about someone else.

She had initially assumed Cheng Jun was simply busy, but now another possibility crossed her mind, what if Cheng Yundu had silenced her for good?

Xu Ying found the idea absurd, but in this world, nothing was impossible.

[ Cheng Jun is safe. She’s just participating in a closed filming session and is very busy.]

The system suddenly spoke up, easing Xu Ying’s mind slightly. She raised an eyebrow, surprised that it would offer her an explanation.

It seemed the system knew and saw far more than Xu Ying did. Yet it was incredibly stingy with the information she wanted, as if everything still required Xu Ying to think and investigate on her own.

Unable to discern its motives, Xu Ying set it aside, choosing not to engage unless absolutely necessary.

The system watched the woman on the screen. The car was dead silent, the glow of the display illuminating her face, making her appear particularly lonely.

But soon, as Xu Ying scrolled to something, the desolate night was abruptly disrupted by the sound of meowing cats pouring from the phone’s speaker.

She had been invited here, yet instead of contacting Sheng Qiuyu right away, she was sitting in the car watching pet videos.

What was she doing?

The system was curious but hesitant.

For a while, the only sound in the car was the video playing, though the person watching it wasn’t truly paying attention.

The photos were chaotic and disorganized, but the one consistent detail was that none of them featured Gu Qingzhu.

Xu Ying pressed her temples, feeling slightly troubled.

If Gu Qingzhu really wasn’t here or worse, had returned to the estate early to avoid making Xu Ying “wait,” only to find her absent, the sensitive Omega’s impression of her would undoubtedly shift again.

Xu Ying hadn’t contacted Sheng Qiuyu yet precisely because she was waiting for Gu Qingzhu.

As long as they met face-to-face, she had plenty of ways to talk her way out of it.

Tapping the screen, she finally sent a message to Sheng Qiuyu.

An ordinary “I’m almost there” message was met with a flurry of exclamation marks.

Sheng Qiuyu’s enthusiasm was almost overwhelming, constantly asking Xu Ying for her exact location, eager to come downstairs to greet her excitement akin to a puppy wagging its tail in an emoji.

Xu Ying, however, remained unmoved, simply telling Sheng Qiuyu to enjoy the gathering and that she would wait patiently.

Sheng Qiuyu sent a voice message.

The background was particularly noisy, and her tone sounded somewhat displeased: “I don’t want you to wait for me. I’m not Gu Qingzhu.”

The name “Gu Qingzhu” clearly caught someone’s attention. After the message ended, Sheng Qiuyu added sharply, “What are you looking at? Talking about you?”

A cool female voice replied, “Just surprised.”

The voice message cut off there. Xu Ying didn’t bother to find out who was beside Sheng Qiuyu, because in the past, the other party would have introduced them proactively.

But this time, Sheng Qiuyu deleted the voice message and resent the words to Xu Ying in text, as if deliberately erasing that person’s presence.

Fingers resting beside the screen, Xu Ying responded more cautiously this time.

Sheng Qiuyu seemed to notice and pressed further. Just as Xu Ying was starting to feel a headache coming on, bright headlights suddenly flared in the distance.

Xu Ying couldn’t identify the exact car model, only catching a few consecutive numbers on the license plate. The car parked a few spaces away, and she initially thought someone would step out. Just as she was about to roll up the window, a woman’s voice let out a sigh light and coquettish, deliberately hushed as if afraid of being overheard.

“Scared of what?” Another voice, laced with amusement, sounded utterly indifferent. “If you’re doing this, why worry about being seen? If you don’t want to make noise, get out. I’ll find someone else.”

Xu Ying:

“Encouraged,” the other participant immediately stopped holding back. The suggestive sounds disrupted the night’s silence. Without a word, Xu Ying rolled up the window.

Admittedly, the car Gu Qingzhu had arranged for her was excellent within moments, the noise was completely muffled.

But barely a few seconds after that thought, the sounds started up again.

Ah. So it wasn’t that the noise had stopped. They’d just changed positions.

Xu Ying rarely regretted things.

She should’ve just accepted Sheng Qiuyu’s invitation.

At least when with an Omega, she wouldn’t have to listen to such dull… and uncomfortably awkward sounds.

Outside the window, the lights blurred indistinctly. At some point, the dance floor had filled with people moving rhythmically, their bodies swaying like puppets.

Gu Qingzhu remained seated in her original spot, her long dress nearly brushing the floor.

Cheng Yuedu had seemed to want to invite her before leaving but ultimately approached Sheng Qiuyu instead.

The invitation to this banquet had been extremely sudden. Gu Qingzhu hadn’t understood its purpose until now.

Almost the moment the two made contact, the music shifted from a soothing piano melody to a rhythmic tango, the teasing intent obvious. Under the crowd’s gaze, Sheng Qiuyu appeared irritated but maintained her composure, while Cheng Yuedu beside her remained composed yet attentive.

They looked like a perfectly matched couple.

Gu Qingzhu sipped her wine slowly, recalling the little tricks Sheng Qiuyu had played online.

She’d known about them for a long time but never bothered to respond. In her eyes, Sheng Qiuyu had never been worth her attention.

But Sheng Changming had personally apologized to her, insisting he would rein Sheng Qiuyu in.

Now that she thought about it, the so-called “discipline” he mentioned seemed to be marrying Sheng Qiuyu off to someone else. If the Sheng family couldn’t teach her, naturally, someone else could.

Gu Qingzhu had no place to comment on others’ private affairs. She simply thought of Ying Xu.

The two were clearly close, enough for Sheng Qiuyu to willingly play the role of the outspoken one, accepting whatever came her way without complaint.

Given how long they had been interacting, it seemed almost inevitable that feelings would develop.

Gu Qingzhu believed she was being objective and rational. Yet, the moment the phrase “develop feelings” crossed her mind, her emotions froze for a few seconds before twisting into a mocking smile.

Or perhaps, those feelings had already taken root.

If that were truly the case, did Ying Xu know about it?

The Omega she cherished was about to enter an arranged marriage with someone else, while she herself remained completely in the dark.

As foolish as ever.

But even if she knew, someone like Ying Xu probably wouldn’t care.

Her tolerance was so high that even when facing Gu Qingzhu, she could smile and say, “I won’t blame you.”

Was she going to say those same words to someone else now?

Gu Qingzhu’s brows finally furrowed. Her heartbeat grew uneven, though she couldn’t tell if it was due to the alcohol or her own shifting emotions.

The glass in her hand was soon emptied. A waiter promptly refilled it, but before she could take another sip, another figure settled across from her.

Sheng Changming smiled and asked, “Qingzhu, have you thought about the contract renewal?”

Gu Qingzhu studied him for a few seconds.

The renewal referred to her agency contract with Qinghong. Officially, it still had half a year left. But since early autumn, Shan Qiaoyun had been probing her intentions.

Back then, Gu Qingzhu had been entirely preoccupied with making Ying Xu’s life miserable, with no energy to spare for the matter. Shan Qiaoyun had likely sensed her dependence on Qinghong and hadn’t pressed further.

Who could have predicted that in just a month, Shan Qiaoyun would be completely sidelined, leaving the renewal issue at a standstill?

“We’ll talk about it later,” Gu Qingzhu replied coolly.

The man withdrew his gaze, his tone still light with amusement. “Fair enough. It’ll give you more time to think. A little drink to lift the spirits.”

The words sounded caring, the kind that would have warmed Gu Qingzhu in the past.

But ever since leaving the hospital, every time she saw these people, she felt as though she were staring at her own sickbed again the outdated decor, the stifling scent of suppressants and disinfectant.

A wave of nausea rose within her, followed by a sudden, overwhelming impulse.

She wanted to see Ying Xu. Right now.

On the other side of the banquet hall.

Under the bright chandelier, Sheng Qiuyu finished sending her message before realizing how transparent her attempt to retract it had been.

But Ying Xu’s attitude remained unchanged, so she could only coldly demand an explanation from the person before her: “What do you mean by ‘unexpected’?”

Sheng Qiuyu had never expected Cheng Yuedu to respond. The sudden interruption threw off her plans, deepening her disdain for the rigid, dull Alpha.

Cheng Yuedu, however, remained unfazed by her irritation and replied calmly, “I didn’t expect Miss Sheng and Miss Ying to be on such good terms.”

“Ha,” Sheng Qiuyu scoffed. “Who told you we weren’t? Cheng Jun? I knew it none of the Cheng family are any good.”

Her insult was blunt, delivered without a shred of regard for Cheng Yuedu’s reaction.

Yet, Cheng Yuedu’s expression remained utterly unchanged by these words, as calm as if the “Cheng family” being cursed didn’t include her at all.

This indifference, instead, sent a faint shiver of unease through Sheng Qiuyu amidst her boredom.

How could she have no reaction at all? If someone insulted Gu Qingzhu and even implied that Qinghong was no good, Sheng Qiuyu would definitely argue back to defend Sheng Changming.

Sheng Qiuyu stopped in her tracks and stated bluntly, “The marriage alliance is impossible.”

“Expected.” Because she had spoken first, Cheng Yuedu seemed to exhale in relief, averting her gaze. “From the very beginning, I never intended to marry you, Miss Sheng.”

Sheng Qiuyu narrowed her eyes warily. “Then why did you come here?”

The only reason the two were walking together was due to the teasing of the guests. Clearly, many had speculated that the Cheng and Sheng families might form a marriage alliance and were eager to curry favor.