After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 32.2

Cheng Yuedu was far more perceptive than Sheng Qiuyu, she didn’t believe the other woman was unaware of this.

But when the Alpha spoke, her answer left Sheng Qiuyu momentarily silent.

“Among the projects Miss Ying recently took on, one will soon be handed over to me. The project itself has many issues that require further detailed discussions with her.”

Ying Xu had never mentioned her involvement in securing resources to anyone.

Sheng Qiuyu, jumping to conclusions, naturally assumed Cheng Yuedu had sought her out because, aside from those close to Ying Xu, no one else had her contact information.

As one of those “close” people, Sheng Qiuyu couldn’t help but feel a flicker of delight. Her tone softened slightly, though her words remained sharp. “You say you want me to introduce you so I just should?”

Cheng Yuedu replied, “The Cheng family doesn’t care which artist is involved in the collaboration.”

With so many people in the entertainment industry, why did it have to be Ying Xu, an artist with a tarnished reputation?

“Regardless of whether this is just a tactic to get closer to me, I’ll introduce you to Ying Xu.” Sheng Qiuyu wanted what was best for Ying Xu and finally relented. “But aside from the collaboration, don’t even think about anything else involving her.”

Cheng Yuedu ignored her hostility, merely offering a polite thanks. Sheng Qiuyu was about to say more when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar figure.

Gu Qingzhu moved through the crowd, her expression unusually grim. To the greetings of others, she merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment uncharacteristically blunt.

After all, in the past, whenever the Omega attended Sheng family gatherings, she always stayed until the very end, showing the utmost respect.

Even a small change like this was enough to stir whispers.

But Sheng Qiuyu had no time to dwell on the gossip, she was only focused on her own plans.

Cheng Yuedu, however, seemed to have anticipated this and deliberately avoided her gaze.

Sheng Qiuyu understood this was Cheng Yuedu seeing right through her and refusing to play along.

Coward.

The thought rose unbidden in her mind. Alphas really are all the same.

Timid, afraid of trouble, clinging to life.

It seemed Ying Xu was the only exception in the entire world.

Thinking of Ying Xu, Sheng Qiuyu took a deep breath. She wanted to approach Gu Qingzhu but was stopped by another voice before she could.

“Xiao Yu?” Startled, she looked up to see her mother standing not far away, accompanied by a woman in a qipao with her hair pinned up by a single hairpin, smiling warmly. “Yuedu, come over here too.”

“Xiao Yu?” Song Lianshan chuckled at the name. “What an adorable nickname.”

Sheng Qiuyu stood rooted to the spot, hesitating. In the end, under her mother’s earnest gaze, she walked toward the other person.

Only when the sounds of passion outside the window had completely faded did Ying Xu take a moment longer to clear the noise from her mind before finally turning her attention to the messages.

Sheng Qiuyu hadn’t replied to her, but the unfamiliar number had sent two more messages half an hour ago.

[Come pick me up here in half an hour.]

The address attached to the message was none other than the banquet hall right before her eyes.

Now, only five minutes remained of that half-hour.

Ying Xu wasn’t sure when Gu Qingzhu would come downstairs, but at the very least, she had to make it look like she had just arrived.

Just as she was about to drive away, the car door that had been closed for half an hour finally opened in the distance.

A slender woman stepped out, followed closely by another figure. Between her fingers was a long, thin cigarette, its ember flickering as she spoke in a lazy voice, “I really don’t want to be in a place like this. What does the Cheng family’s marriage alliance have to do with me? It’s not like I’m the one getting married.”

A delicate voice replied, “Xiao Fei, this is Lianshan-jie’s arrangement. She wants you to meet the Xu family.”

Xiao Fei frowned. “The Xu family? Who? Is Wei Xuyan so addicted to adopting goddaughters that she wants to take me in too?”

The woman clearly had no knowledge of the matter and stayed silent, but Xiao Fei only grew more impatient. “So annoying! Is Gu Qingzhu inside too? The thought of seeing that dead-faced bitch makes me want to hang myself in front of my sister’s room.”

As the two drew closer to Ying Xu’s car, she finally got a clear look at the character introductions provided by the system.

[Ling Nian, Beta, Song Family’s political secretary, nominal assistant to Song Fei.]

[Song Fei, Beta.

Actress, younger sister of Song Lianshan, hostile relationship with Gu Qingzhu.]

The moment she saw the latter’s name, Ying Xu remembered the grand awards ceremony on the day she transmigrated.

Song Fei had always cultivated an image of being volatile and unfiltered her “true self” persona. Now, it seemed the real person surpassed even that act.

As if hatred were the most intense form of love, Song Fei effortlessly recounted her nemesis’s misdeeds in front of her lover, her mocking voice lingering long after.

Ling Nian seemed accustomed to it, staying silent until their voices were about to fade into the distance, when her footsteps suddenly halted.

“Xiao Fei,” she whispered in warning.

Song Fei was just hitting her stride. “Hm? What, you think I,”

Her words caught in her throat.

Her gaze locked onto Gu Qingzhu, who stood not far away. The woman wore a floor-length gown draped with a thin coat, several bodyguards trailing behind her.

Song Fei was certain that at this distance, Gu Qingzhu must have heard every word she had just spat out.

Yet when their eyes met, it was Gu Qingzhu who looked away first.

Her expression indifferent, she began fiddling with her phone, utterly unbothered by Song Fei’s presence.

It had been ten minutes since she sent Ying Xu that message. Why hadn’t she replied? Was she on her way here? Or had she not even seen it?

A tangled mess of thoughts knotted in her mind, leaving Gu Qingzhu momentarily at a loss, until she settled on the most straightforward solution.

Dial the number.

Gu Qingzhu rarely initiated calls, but perhaps the alcohol she’d consumed tonight made her decisive. She acted almost impulsively, surprising even herself with how easily she followed through.

Song Fei couldn’t believe she was being ignored like this.

But what left her even more incredulous came the next second a faint ringing sound emerged from nearby, and Song Fei immediately recognized it as the car she had just passed by. It had been parked there before she arrived.

A reporter? No, Gu Qingzhu would never deign to associate with such people.

A lover? Wasn’t Gu Qingzhu’s lover only that woman named Ying Xu? Could she be here too?

Remembering something Song Lianshan had once mentioned, Song Fei abruptly paused and turned her head.

Her gaze was so piercing that Gu Qingzhu naturally noticed it. Following the direction, the first thing she saw was the car she had personally chosen.

If Ying Xu was already here, why hadn’t she replied to her messages?

A wave of inexplicable irritation surged in Gu Qingzhu. She hung up the call and strode forward, knocking on the car window.

No response.

The surroundings were eerily silent, as if everything had just been Gu Qingzhu’s imagination.

Frowning, Gu Qingzhu dialed again.

This time, the ringing still came from the driver’s seat.

Accompanying it was a woman’s voice from behind her.

“Qingzhu?”

Gu Qingzhu stopped and turned around. Ying Xu stood not far behind her.

The Alpha’s neck was wrapped in a scarf, and she wore a thick beret, looking as if she was extremely sensitive to the cold. Yet, upon seeing Gu Qingzhu’s light attire, Ying Xu’s first instinct was still to take off her scarf and try to drape it over her.

“No need,” Gu Qingzhu said. The woman’s hand froze mid-air before she lowered her head, like a dejected dog tucking its tail, and wrapped the scarf back around herself.

Only then did Gu Qingzhu notice the delicate packaging box in Ying Xu’s hand, its transparent side revealing a cake adorned with jam.

Noticing her gaze, Ying Xu said softly, “I was worried your stomach might hurt if you didn’t eat.”

Gu Qingzhu hadn’t expected this to be the reason Ying Xu wasn’t in the car.

She rarely ate, but Gu Qingzhu never thought much of it. Her first instinct was still to wish Ying Xu would always stay where she could reach her immediately, instead of running around.

Yet, at this moment, her alcohol-filled stomach cramped, as if validating that “hurt.”

For a moment, Gu Qingzhu was at a loss for words.

“Let’s get in the car first,” Ying Xu finally spoke, her tone stiff and pitiful.

Gu Qingzhu forced herself not to look at Ying Xu’s face, simply allowing the Alpha to open the rear door for her.

Inside the car, the faint scent of violet perfume lingered.

Gu Qingzhu had used it for a long time and recognized it instantly.

As the car sped through the night, Gu Qingzhu asked, “Why didn’t you use a different perfume?”

Ying Xu stole a glance at Gu Qingzhu through the rearview mirror, perhaps thinking she was being subtle, but Gu Qingzhu caught it all.

“Qingzhu always uses it, so I wanted to try it too.”

“And?” Gu Qingzhu pressed.

“It’s a bit strong,” Ying Xu admitted honestly, sounding slightly embarrassed. “But it smells nice.”

Gu Qingzhu’s lips curled unconsciously at the absurd answer.

“If it’s strong, why not change it?”

This time, Ying Xu took a moment to reply.

“Because Qingzhu likes it.”

“I wanted to like it too.”

If I love the things you love, will I be a little closer to you?

Gu Qingzhu thought the answer, of course, was no.

Yet she could no longer utter such cold, harsh words to Ying Xu as decisively as she once had.

This realization unsettled her.

Her own softness, her own hesitation they frightened her.

In the end, Gu Qingzhu closed her eyes, evading the question.

As the Omega’s breathing in the rearview mirror gradually steadied, Ying Xu finally looked away.

Out of the corner of her eye, the box lay on the passenger seat. Only Ying Xu knew that what was inside wasn’t a cake at all just an exquisitely crafted toy.

The dim night obscured details, making it hard to discern with the naked eye. Most likely, Gu Qingzhu wouldn’t even reach out to take it.

Guan Xin regarded Gu Qingzhu like a venomous serpent or a wild beast, avoiding her at all costs.

A cake that showed concern for her health probably fell into the same category.

Even if Gu Qingzhu had genuinely intended to accept it, she would have “accidentally” knocked it over, diverting the Omega’s attention in some other way.

In the end, Ying Xu had merely made a small bet, testing whether Gu Qingzhu’s attitude had undergone any real change.

Now, it seemed the answer was no. But the fact that she had actively asked Ying Xu to pick her up still spoke volumes in its own way.

Perhaps it was still too early, but Ying Xu had ample energy and patience. She was willing to wait for Gu Qingzhu to wait for her heart to leave that desolate mausoleum and the long-charred corpse, to wait until she was ready to step into a new relationship.

And then, willingly, walk into the glass house Ying Xu had prepared for her.

When the car stopped in front of the mansion, the dim yellow lights beyond the fence glowed softly, nearly melting the snow into nothingness.

Ying Xu glanced up. In the rearview mirror, the woman’s brows were tightly furrowed, her breathing heavy.

From the moment she first saw Gu Qingzhu tonight, Ying Xu had noticed she seemed to have had some alcohol, her cheeks flushed, making her appear almost approachable.

“Qingzhu,” Ying Xu called softly. There was no response.

She had never seen Gu Qingzhu drunk before.

But alcohol dulled the senses and slowed reactions. In this state, the Omega posed no threat to her.

Once that was confirmed, the corners of Ying Xu’s lips curled slightly.

“Qingzhu.”

Another quiet call, met with the same silence, as if time had frozen in place.

Ying Xu opened the car door.

Gu Qingzhu felt as though she were trapped in a long, endless dream.

In it, she and Ying Xu rode in the same car, the bright morning sun streaming through the windows. Shops lined the streets they passed, pedestrians walked in pairs, dressed simply, all heading toward the same destination the boundless, azure ocean in the distance.

When she opened her eyes, her thoughts were slow to return. Only belatedly did she realize that she had actually traveled a stretch of road with Ying Xu, devoid of any ambiguous tension, even dozing off in front of her.

Ying Xu’s voice was soft. Gu Qingzhu heard it but didn’t respond.

She couldn’t tell whether it was because she didn’t want to or because she lacked the strength. She simply opened her eyes, watching intently as the car door opened. She wanted to see Ying Xu, to know what she intended to do at this moment.

It was a sudden impulse, just like how, earlier, she had inexplicably wanted to see Ying Xu.

No logic, just desire.

The familiar scent of sandalwood seeped in as the door opened, enveloping Gu Qingzhu, so gentle it hardly seemed like an Alpha’s pheromones.

She felt her emotions being soothed, the dizziness from the alcohol fading significantly.

The kaleidoscopic world gradually lost its garish hues until only one figure remained at its center.

Ying Xu knelt on the seat, leaning over to unbuckle Gu Qingzhu’s seatbelt. Strands of her hair drifted down, so close they nearly brushed against Gu Qingzhu’s cheeks, threatening to fall into her eyes like needles.

But before Gu Qingzhu could flinch away, the owner of those strands tucked them behind her ear, revealing a pale, delicate earlobe.

Gu Qingzhu’s hand had already found the seatbelt beside her. Ying Xu seemed to hesitate for a moment before gently pulling it free from her grasp.

Amidst their movements, it was inevitable that their skin would touch. The alcohol coursing through their veins made their skin unusually warm, and when it suddenly brushed against the Alpha’s icy skin, it was like touching snow. Gu Qingzhu instinctively withdrew her hand.

The woman before her seemed momentarily stunned, as if only now realizing she had woken up.

The hazy snow seemed to blur the Alpha’s figure, threatening to swallow her entirely.

Even so, Ying Xu still offered her a genuine smile.

Her eyes rested on Gu Qingzhu, filled with quiet amusement and her usual tenderness.

“Qingzhu, are you sleepy?”

“Go back and rest.” Gu Qingzhu heard her explain her actions like this. The sound of breathing was unusually sharp in the confined space, brushing against her cheeks, tickling slightly.

Ying Xu seemed to lower her gaze or perhaps it was just Gu Qingzhu’s fleeting illusion.

Yet, at that moment, their lips drew even closer.

As if all Gu Qingzhu had to do was tilt her face slightly, and their cold skin would press together. Then, she would be enveloped in warmth, melting into it completely.

So loud, Gu Qingzhu thought.

As if the whole world had narrowed down to just their mingled breaths and the frantic beating of her own heart, echoing from deep within her chest.