After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 7

“What does my attitude toward her have to do with you?”

Interrupted again, Gu Qingzhu was growing impatient.

The more she acted this way, the worse Sheng Qiuyu’s impression of her became. With a cold laugh, Sheng Qiuyu retorted, “You’re a public figure. You represent not just your own image but also Qinghong.”

“Mind your own business and watch your mouth,” Gu Qingzhu shot back, her resistance growing stronger. At this moment, Sheng Qiuyu had truly stepped on her last nerve.

The earring dangling by her ear swayed with her movements. Sheng Qiuyu reached up and removed it, sneering, “What, can’t handle the truth?”

She seemed about to say more when the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

A gust of cold wind and scattered snowflakes rushed into the room through the gap. A cacophony of voices followed: “Wait for me!” “Where’s my script?” “Damn, why are there so many people here? Weren’t we the first to arrive”

A crowd of actors of varying heights and builds squeezed in. Upon seeing the people inside, especially Gu Qingzhu’s stormy expression, they froze, their faces instantly turning serious.

The director, who had been too afraid to listen closely to the argument for fear of overhearing something he shouldn’t, finally saw familiar faces and nearly wept with relief. “Alright, ladies, let’s all get acquainted…”

Sheng Qiuyu frowned unconsciously as she looked at the crowd. She disliked interacting with strangers, a major reason she resisted acting.

Just as she was about to leave, her pupils constricted sharply as she caught sight of something outside the window.

The next second, Gu Qingzhu glanced up and saw Sheng Qiuyu’s tightly clenched fist.

The earring, with its curved edge, dug into her skin as her grip tightened. The moment blood welled up, a faint scent of white peach filled the cramped room.

With two key actors in the crew being Omegas, the director had been extremely cautious in casting. Aside from the “key roles,” most of the actors were Betas.

At this moment, aside from Gu Qingzhu, no one noticed this subtle detail.

Sheng Qiuyu immediately lowered her head to tend to the wound, preventing her pheromones from spreading. Even though she had stabilized her emotions as quickly as possible, her breathing remained unusually rapid, as if she had seen something unbelievable.

The mockery on Gu Qingzhu’s lips deepened. Following Sheng Qiuyu’s earlier gaze, she had intended to use it to taunt her further. But when she saw what was outside the window, her own demeanor instantly turned icy,

Ying Xu’s outfit today was as uninspired as ever all black, her hair falling quietly, giving her an exceptionally pure appearance.

Beside Ying Xu, however, stood another person dressed in trendy attire, looking as though their next stop was a fashion runway.

The woman wore a wolf-cut hairstyle, her thin lips moving slightly. She seemed to have said something so amusing that even she laughed, her eyes crinkling, softening the innate aggression of her naturally aloof face.

The two stood close, and from this angle, it appeared as though Ying Xu was simply listening to the other speak.

Until the next moment.

Right before Gu Qingzhu’s eyes.

The Alpha’s lips curved slightly into a faint smile.

It was an expression Ying Xu had never shown in front of Gu Qingzhu.

Almost instantly, Gu Qingzhu’s nails dug into her palm.

How long had it been?

Just a few hours!

How had Ying Xu already grown so familiar with the crew’s actors?

Wasn’t she supposed to be bad at socializing? Wasn’t she supposed to be ostracized by the crew?

Is this how they were ostracizing her?!

At the same time.

Cheng Jun’s gaze inadvertently shifted and lingered on Gu Qingzhu’s face.

The Omega was staring coldly at the Alpha beside her, treating her as if she were invisible.

The mockery in Cheng Jun’s eyes deepened, yet she calmly extended her phone, displaying information about other upcoming film projects: “These are all the crews that will start shooting soon. If you’re interested, I can help you get an audition opportunity.”

Indeed, the screen showed details of numerous film crews.

Even Ying Xu hadn’t expected Cheng Jun to be so “enthusiastic.”

Throughout the journey, the other woman had not only praised her acting skills but also proactively offered to introduce her to other projects.

This was an unprecedented phenomenon in the original host’s past life.

Ying Xu’s lips moved slightly, as if genuinely moved, her tone much more sincere: “Thank you.”

The gaze from not far away felt almost tangible. The moment she spoke, the system’s voice sounded in her ear, hesitant: [Gu Qingzhu’s favorability -10. Current favorability: -90. Host, you ]

[No need for the obvious.] Ying Xu lowered her eyes to the screen, her fingers lightly scrolling as if intently reading the information. [Why is Sheng Qiuyu here? What expression is she giving me right now?]

Earlier, when they had just gotten out of the car, the system had sternly warned Ying Xu: Gu Qingzhu was currently in the conference room. If she continued to accompany Cheng Jun, Gu Qingzhu’s emotions would undoubtedly spiral out of control tonight, leading to consequences the system couldn’t predict. It advised her to cherish her life and avoid appearing overly intimate with anyone in front of Gu Qingzhu.

Ying Xu ignored the system’s advice.

She knew that if Gu Qingzhu lost her temper, the one who would suffer would only be herself. But if she didn’t test the waters, how could she know where Gu Qingzhu’s tolerance threshold lay?

Since she had already come to this set, Ying Xu’s goal naturally wasn’t just a few minor roles.

If Gu Qingzhu couldn’t even tolerate her walking side by side with Cheng Jun… how could she possibly act alongside Sheng Qiuyu and build a closer relationship?

At this point, Ying Xu had already marked Sheng Qiuyu as the guide for the next phase of the plot, placing great importance on her.

But what surprised her was that Sheng Qiuyu was also in the conference room right now, glaring at the two of them with an extremely displeased expression.

The system’s emotional assessment was: [She’s jealous.]

Sheng Qiuyu and the original host had clearly met for the first time, and counting this encounter, it was only their second meeting, how could she already be “jealous” over Ying Xu being with someone else in such a short time?

Ying Xu was surprised, but it wasn’t unusual for a spoiled young lady to react unpredictably when what she wanted wasn’t by her side.

She lowered her eyes, concealing all emotion, and continued scrolling through the screen.

Beside her, Cheng Jun, having heard her thanks, softened her voice: “I’m glad I could help.”

“Didn’t I say it before? I’ve liked you for a long time.”

Gu Qingzhu could read lips and naturally understood what Cheng Jun was saying.

Her anger flared even more. Just as she was about to order her assistant to bring Ying Xu in immediately, right before her eyes, Cheng Jun suddenly reached out, her hand tentatively moving toward Ying Xu’s shoulder,

The next second, her palm sank into the dark fabric, starkly conspicuous. Her pale fingers even lifted slightly right in front of Gu Qingzhu, giving a faint, taunting wave.

It was like a belated greeting or a declaration of dominance.

Almost instantly, the system’s alarm blared in Ying Xu’s ear: [Gu Qingzhu’s favorability -10! Host, please stabilize Gu Qingzhu’s emotions immediately]

Promise:

Why was Cheng Jun touching her and deducting her favorability?

Promise also knew not to push things too far and promptly averted her gaze.

Outside the window, a cold wind rustled, shaking the snow from the branches.

The Alpha beside Cheng Jun finally looked up, seemingly only now noticing the other’s actions, instinctively taking a step back.

She turned her head slightly, as if wanting to say something, but her peripheral vision caught sight of Gu Qingzhu inside the window,

Their eyes met, and a flicker of obvious surprise flashed across the Alpha’s face. Without hesitation, she strode inside.

The series of micro-expressions was flawless, leaving no room for criticism, which eased some of the frustration in Gu Qingzhu’s eyes.

At the very least it wasn’t Promise’s choice.

Thinking this, her expression darkened further as she glared at Cheng Jun.

The latter clearly noticed but paid no mind. With a smirk, she pressed closer to Promise and asked, “Do you dislike physical contact? My apologies, Miss Ying, that was presumptuous of me.”

Though the Alpha apologized verbally, her expression and movements remained bold, devoid of any genuine remorse.

It wasn’t hard to tell the two weren’t familiar. Otherwise, the Alpha wouldn’t have addressed Promise as “Miss Ying” But if they weren’t close, why the intimate contact?

Just to put on a show for her?

Gu Qingzhu had held a position of power for so long that no one had dared to provoke her so blatantly in years.

Once the initial anger subsided, she gradually regained her composure. Just as she was about to analyze the situation further, Promise suddenly stopped outside the window, lips parting as she replied, “Sorry.”

Gu Qingzhu’s already strained patience nearly snapped.

Sorry? Sorry for what?

Why should Promise apologize to some random Alpha?

If the other party hadn’t initiated it, Promise would never have interacted with her in the first place!

The expressions of the two key figures instantly turned grim, piquing the curiosity of the others, who followed their gazes to the scene outside the window.

An Omega showing interest in an Alpha was perfectly normal.

The director instinctively introduced, “Qingzhu, are you interested in Cheng Jun? She’s a great actress,we’ve worked together for a long time”

“Cheng Jun?” Gu Qingzhu frowned in disgust at the name, while Sheng Qiuyu seemed to recall something, her face darkening instantly. “From the Cheng family?”

The director, unfamiliar with the gossip of their circles, couldn’t answer.

But the more Sheng Qiuyu looked at that face, the more familiar it seemed. Without hesitation, she grabbed her bag and made to leave. “Why do all the annoying people have to show up on the same day.”

Just as she spoke, the door was pushed open from the outside by Promise.

Sheng Qiuyu’s muttering wasn’t exactly quiet, and as the words trailed off, Promise froze in surprise.

The system hadn’t provided any background, so she had no idea what conflict existed between them, leaving her momentarily at a loss.

If it had been the original host, she would’ve walked straight to Gu Qingzhu without a second thought, ignoring any conflicts or opinions about her.

But this body now belonged to Promise, who was intrigued by both women and didn’t want to offend either.

The slight hesitation in Promise’s posture didn’t escape Cheng Jun’s notice, and a glint of amusement flashed in the woman’s eyes.

“Why not go in?”

With that, Cheng Jun placed her hand on the door and gently pushed it open.

She stood slightly taller than Promise, and from the angle inside, their close proximity made it seem as though Cheng Jun was enveloping Promise in an embrace unmistakably intimate.

This action was extremely abrupt, almost instantaneous, causing the expressions of everyone present to shift as they all turned their gazes toward the two Omegas.

For a moment, even Ying Xu felt a cold sweat break out on her back.

Was Cheng Yun addicted to provoking Gu Qingzhu?

If she was addicted, fine, but why drag her into it?

To make matters worse, Cheng Yun looked completely unfazed, even smiling as she greeted Sheng Qiuyu again: “Long time no see, Xiao Yu.”

Sheng Qiuyu didn’t bother hiding her disgust. “Don’t call me that.”

“Actress Gu,” Cheng Yun then greeted Gu Qingzhu with a bright smile.

She was effortlessly adaptable, as if this were her own stage, completely at ease.

Gu Qingzhu’s gaze settled on the two of them standing so close together.

Her eyes lingered especially on Ying Xu’s face.

Her expression was unreadable, her stare fixed on Ying Xu as if appraising an object. If displeased, she might just as easily smash or discard it.

Even from a distance, Ying Xu felt another layer of cold sweat prickle down her spine.

She suddenly regretted not following the system’s advice.

But her shoulder had been touched by Cheng Yun, and the door had been opened by Cheng Yun.

She’d let herself be touched because she trusted Cheng Yun and hadn’t been on guard. The sudden pause had been because she found Sheng Qiuyu’s words too harsh and instinctively wanted to comfort Cheng Yun.

What a kind-hearted Alpha she was, why was Gu Qingzhu looking at her like that?

With that thought, Ying Xu steeled herself and turned a wounded gaze toward Gu Qingzhu, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, enough to evoke pity in anyone who saw,

Gu Qingzhu’s heart skipped a beat. She averted her eyes and said coolly, “Come here.”

She didn’t specify who, but Ying Xu exhaled in relief, releasing the grip she’d had on her own arm beneath her sleeve, and obediently walked toward Gu Qingzhu.

To Sheng Qiuyu, however, this scene painted a completely different picture.

She truly hadn’t expected Ying Xu to have any connection to Gu Qingzhu.

Remembering the infamous “lover” rumor, Sheng Qiuyu unconsciously clenched her fists, her eyes burning with resentment. The words that spilled from her lips came out in a distorted tone: “Stop pretending to be so innocent!”