After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 35.2

Ying Xu smiled faintly. “Is this also Madam Wei’s idea?”

The reason they had met Wei Xuyan in the first place was because Cheng Jun had claimed the beta was fond of Ying Xu and wanted to “adopt” her as a goddaughter to ease her longing.

How had it gone from goddaughter to… goddaughter’s lover in such a short time?

“If it were, would you agree?” Cheng Jun asked, her tone noticeably more serious.

The deeper implication in the alpha’s words was easy to grasp.

Gu Qingzhu was not a good choice she was dangerous, difficult to approach, and the risks of staying by her side far outweighed the rewards. In contrast, Cheng Jun was safe, ‘reliable,’ and though not as powerful, if the two were truly together, the balance between the Cheng and Xu families would shift under the Xu family’s influence.

With the support of both families, Ying Xu could easily extricate herself from all ties to Gu Qingzhu.

But this was both an opportunity and a shackle.

Ying Xu despised being constrained.

Just as she was about to outright refuse Cheng Jun, a ringing phone perfectly interrupted the silence in the room.

Cheng Jun forced a smile. “Who is it? You even set a special ringtone for them?”

At least Ying Xu hadn’t done that for her.

Her gaze dropped, and Cheng Jun saw the name displayed on the screen.

A second later, the alpha answered, her voice warm and smooth: “Qingzhu.”

Cheng Jun pulled over a chair and sat down, idly toying with the rose on the table. It was fresh, delicate, dewdrops clinging to its petals, utterly enchanting. But without anyone to appreciate it, it would ultimately end up as nothing more than trash.

“Ying Xu.” On the other end of the line, Gu Qingzhu hesitated briefly before speaking. “We just reshot a scene. Happy wrap.”

First, an explanation for the “late” call, then a blessing.

Ying Xu’s expression remained unchanged. “Thank you. Are you almost done?”

“Are you coming over?” Gu Qingzhu reflexively asked, only to be met with silence.

“Do you not want me to come over?” After a long pause, she finally heard the alpha’s soft inquiry.

Gu Qingzhu froze, realizing that Ying Xu had misunderstood her attempt to avoid impropriety.

Frowning, she disliked such misunderstandings, but Ying Xu immediately began apologizing, telling her not to dwell on it,

Irritation surged in Gu Qingzhu’s heart, mingled with an inexplicable sense of resentment.

Who exactly she resented, she wasn’t sure. All she remembered was coldly replying before hanging up, “Come if you want. No one will say anything. That’s it.”

After turning off the screen, Gu Qingzhu tilted her head slightly. Assistant Lu, who had been following her, had clearly overheard the entire conversation, her expression subtly complicated.

Ignoring the look on Assistant Lu’s face, Gu Qingzhu simply said, “Order a bouquet of flowers for her.”

“F-For Ying Xu?” Assistant Lu asked hesitantly.

Who else would it be?

Gu Qingzhu instinctively wanted to retort but suddenly realized.

Aside from Ying Xu, most of the flowers sent to Xu Ying had also been arranged by Assistant Lu.

A wave of intense nausea washed over Gu Qingzhu. After a long silence, she only managed to mutter.

“Forget it.”

[Forget it.]

When the two-word reply appeared on the screen, it was visibly clear that the Omega’s expression darkened considerably.

Luo Zhu cautiously looked up and saw the woman’s eyes reddening with disbelief as she aggressively confronted her manager: “Didn’t you say that if I gave her the cold shoulder, she’d come running back? She actually said forget it!”

Liu Sui rubbed her temples, exasperated. “Xiao Yu, I’ve told you before Ying Xu isn’t a good alpha. She’s not right for you.”

“I’m the one who’s been with her. What gives you the right to say she’s not right for me?” Sheng Qiuyu grew angrier the more she thought about it. She reached out to Luo Zhu. “I want to talk to her myself.”

“Miss Sheng…” Luo Zhu’s scalp prickled with tension. She had come to the set to celebrate Ying Xu’s wrap-up, only to be intercepted midway by Sheng Qiuyu.

Helping the daughter of a conglomerate “chase” a celebrity was a first for Luo Zhu, and she was terrified of Ying Xu finding out,

For some reason, compared to the domineering Sheng Qiuyu before her, Luo Zhu held far more reverence for her own usually gentle artist.

Summoning her courage, the beta interrupted, “If Miss Sheng truly has something to say, you should speak to Ying Xu directly.”

Sheng Qiuyu scowled. “If talking face-to-face worked, would I be asking you? Hand it over. I’ll pay you.”

Luo Zhu shook her head. “This is already bending the rules.”

Sheng Qiuyu felt like she’d punched cotton, gritting her teeth in frustration. Why is Ying Xu’s manager as stubborn as she is? If talking in person worked, that alpha wouldn’t have rejected me in front of Gu Qingzhu’s assistant last time!

The mere thought of being rejected again if she tried to reconcile in person drained Sheng Qiuyu of all energy, leaving her deflated.

“Maybe just let it go,” Liu Sui said, unable to bear it any longer. In her eyes, aside from being overly fixated on Ying Xu, Sheng Qiuyu had no major flaws just a bit spoiled.

With such a bright future ahead, why cling to one tree? Especially one that was already taken and untouchable.

She comforted, “What about the Cheng family’s… isn’t that one good enough? Alphas are like clothes if one doesn’t fit, just change.”

The words struck Sheng Qiuyu’s explosive nerve.

Part of the reason her rift with Ying Xu had lasted so long was that she no longer had the time to interact with alphas as freely as before.

In the end, it all came down to marriage or rather, the act of getting married.

She had publicly rejected one Cheng Yuedu, only to have countless lesser alphas swarm the Sheng family, eager to pursue her.

Sheng Qiuyu was exhausted, yet she couldn’t refuse. Her family’s stance was always the same: she could reject them, but she couldn’t refuse to meet them.

After all, these were connections.

Sheng Qiuyu didn’t understand what made these alphas, who saw nothing beyond marriage and reproduction worth keeping as connections. But the more she interacted with them, the more she realized how considerate and kind Xu Ying was.

Liu Sui thought she had offered the perfect comfort, but the omega in front of her only grew more resolute after a brief moment of gloom.

The next second, the omega abruptly stood up: “I’m going to find her! I need to talk to her face to face ”

Liu Sui glanced at Luo Zhu, but the latter had already started playing with her fingers, minimizing her presence as much as possible.

Liu Sui felt her blood pressure spike.

Along the way, Sheng Qiuyu made a simple plan:

If Xu Ying didn’t want to reconcile, she would cry.

After a few experiences, she had discovered that alphas had zero resistance to tears. Those warm droplets, when they fell on Xu Ying, seemed to burn like molten lava, always making her reveal a rare fluster and unease.

Sheng Qiuyu suddenly regretted it. If she hadn’t left outright last time, but had cried in front of Xu Ying instead…

As she knocked on the door, she was still imagining another possibility. But the voice that answered from inside wasn’t the familiar one instead, it carried a hint of playful arrogance: “Who is it? The door’s unlocked, just come in.”

Cheng Jun was wearing one earbud, her game halfway through on the screen.

When the knocking started, she responded offhandedly. But when the person didn’t enter immediately, she assumed they had the wrong door and didn’t think much of it.

Until the door was violently kicked open.

Cheng Jun looked up to see Sheng Qiuyu’s furious, disbelieving face. The mirror behind her reflected the shadow of blooming roses: “Why are you here? Where’s Xu Ying?”