After the Scummy Alpha Marked the Crazy Beautiful Heroine - Chapter 51.1

The rest of the shoot went much more smoothly after the police intervened.

When Pei Jiuyao finished her final scene, she had originally planned to stay behind and keep Chi Yang company. But Chi Yang, citing reasons like “you’ll distract me during filming,” insisted that An escort her back to the villa.

Jiuyao knew Chi Yang was only worried that Mo Tian might cause more trouble.

What she didn’t expect was that once she was brought back to the villa, it would feel almost like imprisonment.

A living, breathing person—yet she couldn’t even step out of her own bedroom. Her entire range of activity was limited to this house. The only people she saw each day were An, and the auntie who came to cook.

A few days like that were bearable, but as time dragged on, Jiuyao felt like weeds were about to sprout from her head.

That day, the auntie came as usual to cook. After finishing, An tested each dish with chopsticks before finally calling Jiuyao to come eat.

From the sofa, Jiuyao could see the whole charade in full view.

At first, it had felt like something out of a movie, so surreal. She often sighed at how complicated the lives of the wealthy were—sometimes even thinking she might as well have transmigrated into the past to be an emperor.

By now, though, she was more or less used to it.

After she finished eating and someone came to clean up, Jiuyao went back to the sofa to stare into space.

The living room had enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.

Frost crept along the glass. Outside, evergreen trees filled the courtyard, lush and layered against the backdrop of winter’s chill.

Jiuyao scrolled aimlessly on her phone for a while, quickly bored. She went to the door and tried pushing it open—only to find An standing guard outside.

She forced a smile. “I’ll just walk around the courtyard, not outside. Is that alright?”

“Sorry, Miss Pei. We’re only following orders.” An blocked the doorway without budging.

Following orders, huh. Jiuyao’s emperor dream shattered instantly.

She was nothing more than a caged canary abandoned in the cold palace.

She glared at An helplessly.

One-eighty tall, built like a mercenary, muscles hard as steel, and a Beta on top of it—she couldn’t even use pheromones against her.

Even ten of her wouldn’t stand a chance.

Dejected, Jiuyao shuffled back to the sofa and called Chi Yang.

When the line connected, she pinched her throat and whined: “Your Majesty, when will this concubine be released from the cold palace?”

Chi Yang glanced at her screen in mild confusion, confirmed it was Jiuyao, then chuckled. “What’s wrong? You sound pitiful.”

“I want to go out,” Jiuyao groaned, rolling across the sofa like taffy.

“The outside is too dangerous. Be good and stay put, I’ll be back soon to keep you company, alright?”

Jiuyao pouted at the window. “How dangerous could it be? Mo Tian’s not about to commit murder in broad daylight.”

“And if she dares?”

“She won’t.”

After a pause, Jiuyao added softly: “Xiao Li, aren’t you being a little too paranoid? You don’t have to go this far.”

“You think I’m paranoid?”

Chi Yang’s voice carried a flash of emotion. Jiuyao faltered, then whispered, “No, that’s not what I meant. I just think there’s no need to lock me in. I’m an adult—I can take responsibility for myself.”

“You can’t.” Chi Yang’s tone turned cold.

Jiuyao gripped the phone in silence, her gaze unfocused. She couldn’t understand what Chi Yang was truly thinking.

Perhaps her silence lasted too long, because Chi Yang’s voice softened slightly.

“Then where do you want to go?”

Faced with the question, Jiuyao suddenly didn’t know what to say.

She had no real friends, no one in particular she wanted to see, no habit of hanging around bars or clubs.

She just hated being confined here, watched over by mercenaries like a prisoner.

After thinking a moment, she asked, “Then… can I go see Chi Qing?”

“No.”

Jiuyao blinked, surprised by how decisive the refusal was. Just as she was about to ask why, Chi Yang said, “She’s been very busy lately.”

“Then how about Sister Wen?” Jiuyao knew Wen Li had no work at the moment and plenty of free time.

Again, Chi Yang refused. “She’ll drag you to a bar.”

Jiuyao pursed her lips—so Wen Li’s reputation wasn’t exactly glowing in Chi Yang’s eyes.

After a bit more thought, she offered a safer choice: “Then maybe I’ll go to the hospital to see Ying Ning? Last time I marked you, I still haven’t gone to have the pheromones extracted.”

Chi Yang paused before replying, “I forgot to tell you—Ying Ning’s formulation is nearly complete.”

Jiuyao’s fingers trembled.

Her pheromone disorder was about to be cured? No wonder this month’s heat hadn’t felt as overwhelming.

But wasn’t that irrelevant? They weren’t together just because of her condition—they were together because they loved each other. Right?

As the thought wavered, Chi Yang sighed gently and relented. “I’ll have Ying Ning come to you. She can extract the pheromones and keep you company too.”

Jiuyao recalled the recent wrap-up photos Lin Leyi had posted online and asked, “Then when are you coming back? I saw the news that the Shan Hai crew has finished filming.”

“Soon. Maybe as early as tomorrow.”

At that, Jiuyao’s sickly sulk melted into cheer. “Then I’ll wait for you.”

She immediately tattled, half-playful, half-whining: “Your Majesty, An won’t even let me step outside my room—I’m going to suffocate!”

Chi Yang laughed lightly. “When I get back, I’ll scold her for you.”

“Then… before Ying Ning comes, can I at least sit in the courtyard?” Jiuyao wasn’t sure why she felt such a stubborn need to step outside the villa.

But she simply couldn’t stand staying locked inside.

Chi Yang gave a soft hum of assent.

The call ended, and her expression immediately cooled as she turned to Qiao Lu, who had been standing there the whole time.

“You were on the phone with Jiuyao?” Qiao Lu arched a brow.

She had been eavesdropping openly for over ten minutes now, making no effort to leave.

“You locked her up, didn’t you?” Qiao Lu asked curiously. “Where at?”

Chi Yang pocketed her phone and lifted her gaze. “Why bother pretending? Keep acting and maybe I’ll tell you.”

Qiao Lu smirked. “Oh, I’d love to—but I’m not sure what kind of act Sister Chi prefers.”

Chi Yang stepped closer, pinched Qiao Lu’s chin, narrowed her eyes in scrutiny, then released her with a faint smile. “I like obedient ones.”

Her gaze slid over Qiao Lu, then curved into a low laugh. “If you get on your knees and bark a few times, I’ll tell you exactly where Pei Jiuyao is.”

“Sister, so kinky behind closed doors with Pei Jiuyao?” Qiao Lu feigned surprise. “Then I simply must help spread the word.”

Chi Yang sneered. “When did you and Mo Tian get so cozy?”

“Cozy? Such an ugly word.” Qiao Lu raised her brows. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. You tricked me on that variety show—what, I’m not allowed to get even?”

Nothing grated Chi Yang more than the word sister, especially from someone she despised.

Jiuyao had never even suspected Qiao Lu—Sheng Xia had, but Jiuyao hadn’t thought to doubt her sworn rival.

And the fact they’d even co-starred in that obscene little art film together…

It was enough to make her stomach turn.

That alone enraged Chi Yang more than everything else combined. She wanted nothing more than to rip Qiao Lu to shreds.

Not to mention the wire stunt sabotage.

“What’s wrong, Sister? Cat got your tongue? Don’t tell me you’re angry.” Qiao Lu still hadn’t noticed the danger radiating from Chi Yang and pressed on with her taunts. “Too bad I’m not Chu Si—I won’t let you trample me underfoot.”

“You’re right,” Chi Yang said, fury flashing in her eyes, though her voice stayed controlled. “I can’t touch you without evidence. But I’ll never let you or Mo Tian off.”

As they brushed past one another, Qiao Lu let out a cold laugh. “Still acting like the Chi family’s pampered princess? Chi Qing can’t even protect herself—word is she’s wasting away at the hospital. Once she dies, won’t you be nothing but

—”

Smack!

The sound cracked sharply through the empty corridor.

Qiao Lu clutched her cheek in shock, staring at Chi Yang.

Chi Yang ground her teeth, baffled at why this peacock was so hell-bent on courting death.

“Consider it a gift. No need to thank me.” Her frosty gaze swept over the five vivid finger marks blooming on Qiao Lu’s face before she turned and walked away.

________________________________________

While waiting for Ying Ning to arrive, Jiuyao—after nearly ten days of relentless squabbles—finally won her small victory.

She stepped through that forbidden door and sat outside in the courtyard—

In front of An.

At first, An was reluctant, but after receiving a call from Chi Yang, she reluctantly let Pei Jiuyao outside.

Once out, Pei Jiuyao sat down on a bench, with An watching her closely from a short distance away.

And yet, even this felt to Pei Jiuyao like she had accomplished some earth-shaking feat. Seeing An finally compromise gave her an odd surge of satisfaction.

Like a canary, long caged, flaring its wings in defiance at the wolves and leopards prowling outside.

But was this really freedom? The cage had only grown wider; the boundaries of her activity had merely stretched.

Having grown up in a materialist society ruled by democracy and law, steeped since childhood in core socialist values, Pei Jiuyao had never imagined that one day she would be confined by the very woman she loved.

But this wasn’t Chi Yang’s fault. No, the blame lay in the rules of this world, steeped in power and crushed beneath capital.

Chi Yang was just an innocent little fox caught in its snares.

Pei Jiuyao couldn’t help but curse inwardly: Damn capitalism!

Spring had yet to arrive, and the skies over Haishi were still chilly, especially in the outskirts.

Pei Jiuyao had never heard Chi Yang mention this villa.

It had taken several twists and turns to get here. She wasn’t sure exactly where it was, but she remembered the long stretch of deserted highway on the way—remote, certainly.

Forget stepping out for fresh air. Even if An was to set her free right now, she likely wouldn’t find her way out. At most, she’d wander the area and then dutifully return to her cage.

She reached up to touch a few leaves, circled the yard, and noticed several pots of flowers in the greenhouse. They hadn’t bloomed yet, making it impossible to tell what they were. She found a hose and gave them some water.

Not that she knew the first thing about flowers—who knew if she’d just drowned them? After a few casual sprinkles, she tossed the hose to the nearby mercenary.

Pointless.

It wasn’t as if she had much to do at Chi Yang’s place either. Lying around there was no different from lying around at her own home.

But the moment the thought of being locked in surfaced, even sleep became uncomfortable.

In the end, she lasted less than ten minutes in the yard before collapsing back on the sofa inside.

Thus ended her “great rebellion” in failure.

She began thinking back on how she had spent her time before work.

She could always go racing, or skiing this season wasn’t bad either. But most often, she traveled. Her downtime was scarce, and even when she wasn’t filming, theater and acting classes usually filled her days.

Her gaze drifted from the window to the upper floor—and inevitably, to Chi Yang.

Was she getting too anxious lately? After all, it was only a few days here, not a lifetime. And yet she felt this intense resistance, as though she really might be trapped here forever.

A tearing desperation welled inside her to escape.