Divorced from the Cold CEO Who Lived by the Rules - Chapter 43

The man’s expression darkened slightly, clearly reluctant.

But Jiang Ruan remained firm, adopting an uncompromising stance until Xu Zhen received an apology. Left with no choice, he suppressed his displeasure and slowly turned to Xu Zhen. “Sorry, I raised my voice earlier.”

His wife, seeing the situation, quickly tried to smooth things over. “Yes, we were just too worried about Lingling.”

“She’s our only daughter. At home, she’s never had to lift a finger, even her hair is washed and cared for by professionals. Yet she sneaked out to work behind our backs and nearly got into trouble.”

The Omega began to cry anxiously. “I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened if she—”

Xu Zhen knew the fault lay entirely with her. Finally, she had the chance to apologize. “I didn’t think things through, but she was well protected. No strangers got close to her.”

Her words eased the couple’s tension. “Thank you,” the Omega said before hastily pushing open the hospital room door. Once she confirmed Xue Ling was unharmed, she collapsed onto the bed in exhausted relief. “You reckless girl! You’re getting more rebellious by the day!”

“Just wait till we get home, you’re in for it!”

“I’m not going back.” Xue Ling, now fully awake, immediately refused. “Home is boring. I want to go out and have fun. You can’t lock me up.”

“I’m not some caged canary. What right do you have to restrict my freedom?”

Her words infuriated her mother. Xu Zhen, knowing she shouldn’t eavesdrop, took Jiang Ruan’s hand and led her away to give them privacy.

“Have some water.” In the next room, Jiang Ruan bent down to pour Xu Zhen a cup of hot water. “I’ll have someone handle the rest. Just focus on filming.”

One moment, she was comforting Xu Zhen; the next, she abruptly changed the subject. “Xue Long hasn’t been harassing you on set, has she?”

“…No.” Xu Zhen hesitated briefly. “Our scenes have been going smoothly.”

Both were seasoned actors, so handling such a script was effortless. When they weren’t filming together, Xu Zhen often stayed with Xue Ling, while Xue Long avoiding Xue Ling rarely sought Xu Zhen out.

Jiang Ruan relaxed. “Good.”

She had rushed over after Assistant Lu’s call to help Xu Zhen deal with Xue Ling’s parents. With a meeting coming up, she left for the company as soon as the matter was resolved.

The incident with Xue Ling could be major or minor, depending on how online public opinion was managed to minimize its impact.

Standing in the hallway, Xu Zhen suddenly felt drained.

Xue Ling had been doing well these past few days, and their interactions had been pleasant. But given her status as an Omega, Xu Zhen couldn’t recklessly keep her close like before.

Today, they had been lucky nothing had happened. But what about next time? Would they be so fortunate again?

Xue Ling’s mother continued scolding her in the hospital room until Xue Ling, unable to take it anymore, called Xu Zhen in to escape the lecture.

Madame Omega noticed Xu Zhen seemed somewhat awkward part of her wanted to reprimand Xu Zhen, but Jiang Ruan’s presence made her tread carefully. In the end, she sighed inwardly and slowly left the hospital room.

“It’s so damn noisy.” Xue Ling covered her ears with a pained expression. “I’m getting sick of hearing it.”

Xu Zhen didn’t comment, only saying, “Just rest well in the hospital these few days.”

“No.” Xue Ling instinctively refused, but after the words left her mouth, she sighed weakly. “This is the worst part of being an Omega every month, there are days when you feel weak and vulnerable.”

“Why couldn’t I have been born an Alpha?”

Alphas were far stronger and more admired than Omegas.

Children always had wild imaginations. Xu Zhen chuckled. “Fate isn’t fair.”

“True.” Xue Ling nodded, then started fussing about wanting fruit. Xu Zhen had no choice but to pick up a fruit knife and carve her an apple into the shape of a little rabbit.

Xue Ling ate it with relish. After keeping her company for a while, Xu Zhen received a call from Assistant Lu and prepared to leave.

As she bid Xue Ling goodbye and stepped out of the ward, she happened to see Madame Omega finishing a conversation with someone. The figure looked vaguely familiar was that, Xing Yan?

She was puzzled. Why would Xing Yan come to the hospital? Did she have some connection with Madame Omega?

Too curious to let it go, Xu Zhen walked over and asked.

“Yes, our families have been friends for years,” Madame Omega replied, then added meaningfully, “The Xing family holds immense power, ordinary people can’t compete with them.”

“I heard someone from their family is planning to enter politics soon. If they succeed, their influence will only grow stronger.”

The Omega woman was talkative and relatively mild-mannered. “You and Miss Xing are on good terms, aren’t you?”

“Why would you think that?” Xu Zhen was confused.

“Isn’t the new drama you’re filming produced by her company? If you weren’t close, why would she invite you to play the female lead?”

Tianxing? Xing Yan?

Xu Zhen froze. She hadn’t made the connection at first because Xing Yan had never shown interest in the entertainment industry though it was possible Xu Zhen simply hadn’t known.

Why had Xing Yan chosen her?

After parting ways with Madame Omega, Xu Zhen still couldn’t figure it out.

Xing Yan had always been indifferent toward her. Even when Xu Zhen tried to get closer, Xing Yan never reciprocated. Yet, behind the scenes, she had quietly handed Xu Zhen a high-quality script and the lead role…

Was it simply because of Xu Zhen’s fame, or did she have another motive?

Unable to make sense of it and unwilling to ask Jiang Ruan or Assistant Lu, Xu Zhen decided to play dumb and act as if she knew nothing.

Regardless, the script she had received was excellent, and the production team was dedicated. The chances of it becoming a hit were high, for that alone, Xu Zhen owed Xing Yan her thanks.

When she met up with Assistant Lu, he presented her with several solutions.

Before Xu Zhen could decide, however, the online backlash had already been contained. Out of nowhere, an army of supporters emerged, lavishing praise on Xu Zhen’s grace and nearly painting her as a heroic protector of Omegas.

Xu Zhen was puzzled. “Did Jiang Ruan do this?”

“No,” Assistant Lu shook her head. “I handled this matter entirely on my own. Director Jiang wasn’t involved.”

That was strange.

Though it wasn’t clear who was helping Xu Zhen, she was the biggest beneficiary. Online discussions were quickly controlled, minimizing the impact of the situation.

At the same time, due to Xue Ling, the “Century-Old Dilemma: How Should an Omega’s Estrus Pheromones Be Resolved?” debates flared up again.

Many Omegas, deeply troubled by this issue, voiced their wish to be like Betas unaffected by pheromones and free from involuntary attraction to Alphas.

Omegas didn’t want to be casually marked by Alphas. They longed for the freedom to choose their partners, just like Betas not because of biological impulses, but out of genuine affection.

Some even claimed that Omegas lived worse lives than Betas at least Betas could act freely without any threats.

These sentiments resonated widely. In no time, the hashtag #IfOmegasHadNoPheromones trended.

Influencers amplified the topic through memes, keeping the discussion heated.

Xu Zhen should have been relieved to escape the scandal unscathed, but upon returning to the set, Xue Ling’s relentless advances wore her down.

Filming progressed smoothly, but Xue Ling’s pursuit grew more aggressive. Without Xue Ling’s usual restraint, now absent after being forcibly taken home by her parents, the Alpha became bolder and more direct.

At first, it was just occasional approaches and casual concern. But once Xue Ling stopped appearing on set, her intentions became blatantly obvious.

Xu Zhen rejected her repeatedly, making her stance clear, yet nothing deterred the Alpha’s determination.

By the time filming reached its halfway point and the crew prepared to shoot overseas, Xue Ling was openly harassing Xu Zhen. The crew hesitated to intervene, Xue Ling wasn’t someone they could afford to offend.

Assistant Lu was often busy, and whenever she was around, Xue Ling behaved impeccably, appearing docile and harmless.

Upon arriving in the foreign country, Xu Zhen deliberately chose a room far from Xue Ling’s.

Feeling down, she wandered alone to a nearby town. The streets were lined with small shops, and Xu Zhen browsed through them one by one. In an unassuming little store, she stumbled upon a strikingly beautiful vintage photograph.

Intrigued, she snapped a few pictures with her phone and bought a necklace identical to the one worn by the woman in the photo.

With her new delicate accessory, Xu Zhen’s mood lifted.

But back at the hotel, Xue Ling approached her again. Xu Zhen responded coldly, “I just want to finish filming this drama without complications.” Her Beta eyes flashed with impatience. “If words don’t get through to you, I’m not above using force.”

Without waiting for a reaction, she walked past Xue Ling and left.

Xue Ling watched her retreating figure, lost in thought. Whatever the case, Xu Zhen’s threat worked, Xue Ling toned down her behavior afterward. Xu Zhen finally managed to complete the overseas shoot smoothly and wrapped up filming.

Though the drama hadn’t taken long to film, it had drained Xu Zhen more than any other project.

Xu Zhen spent days and nights studying the script, determined to deliver the best performance possible.

After the wrap party, Xu Zhen finally returned home after a long absence and saw Bai Zhi again. Bai Zhi looked much better than before, with some color returning to her face.

Under Xu Susu’s meticulous care, Bai Zhi had been recovering steadily.

“Sis!” Xu Tingyuan happily threw herself at Xu Zhen, her eyes sparkling. “It’s been a month or two, and you’ve gotten so tan!”

Xu Zhen raised a hand as if to hit her. “If you don’t study hard, you’ll end up working at a construction site and get even tanner than me. By the way, how have your recent exam results been?”

At the mention of this, Xu Tingyuan immediately bolted, vanishing without a trace.

Xu Susu chuckled and explained, “Tingyuan’s grades slipped at first, but thankfully she caught up later. She must have finally made up with that kid Tang Yehe.”

Tang Yehe was clingy, pestering Xu Tingyuan every day. Though annoyed, she couldn’t shake him off.

From frustration and irritation to gradual acceptance, once Xu Tingyuan adjusted her mindset, she swiftly caught up on her studies.

Xu Zhen nodded. “Tingyuan has always been a responsible student who never caused worry.”

Xu Susu smiled even more warmly. “You’ve been working so hard, go rest first. I’ll have Tingyuan call you when dinner’s ready.”

“Alright.” Xu Zhen was indeed exhausted after these two months. She needed to take these two days to properly rest.

In two days, she would start a new project, and then there’d be another long stretch without a break.

During her free time, Xu Zhen occasionally wondered what Jiang Ruan had been up to. The other woman rarely visited the set, and according to Assistant Lu, her schedule was packed to the point where she barely had time to eat.

Xu Zhen had her suspicions but didn’t know where to start, so she decided to wait quietly for Jiang Ruan’s next move.

Little did she know, that wait would last a full five months.

Over the past half-year, Xu Zhen’s career had gradually stabilized, with more and better opportunities coming her way. Jiahua Entertainment seemed to have completely forgotten about her, no longer pulling any underhanded tricks.

With about a week left before her new drama premiered, Xu Zhen had to juggle promotional events alongside her other work, which led to her long-awaited reunion with Xue Long.

Xue Long still acted as if she wanted to get close, as if the past few months of dating other people had never happened. She moved toward Xu Zhen, but Xu Zhen subtly took half a step back, maintaining distance.

Xue Long’s eyes flickered with hurt, but Xu Zhen ignored it.

Realizing that playing the victim wouldn’t work, Xue Long returned to normal, cooperating professionally during promotions without forcing any fake chemistry.

Thanks to a strong promotional team and Xu Zhen and Xue Long’s massive popularity, the drama trended repeatedly even before its official release. Leaked behind-the-scenes photos had gone viral for their stunning visuals, drawing excitement even from non-fans.

After a tense and seemingly endless wait, on the sixth day, the drama starring Xu Zhen and Xue Long finally premiered.

Xu Zhen kept a close eye on the data, and when she saw netizens praising it as “starting strong and getting even better,” her anxious heart finally settled.

Her first project after leaving Jiahua was a resounding success, paving a smooth path for her future. At the same time, with the drama’s explosive popularity, top-tier luxury brands rushed to sign collaboration deals with her.

Xu Zhen and Assistant Lu worked together to sift through the resources, finally settling on the brands most beneficial for enhancing Xu Zhen’s personal image.

Now, Xu Zhen could truly say she had weathered the storm and come out on top, riding high on her soaring popularity.

As discussions about the TV drama grew increasingly heated and everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, a sudden headline caught her eye: [Jiang Ruan’s Rumored Love Interest Xing Yan Set to Run for Parliament].

Xu Zhen froze was Xing Yan the one from the Xing family entering politics?

Unable to resist, she swiped her finger and tapped the screen, immediately spotting Xing Yan’s campaign declaration: “Determined to free all Omegas worldwide from the struggles of their cycles and pheromones.”

At the same time, Jiang Ruan’s company swiftly released a new announcement: “Recent experimental research aimed at transforming Alphas and Omegas into beings no different from ancient humans has achieved remarkable success…”

Turning the two noble subgenders into ordinary people, just like Betas? Xu Zhen was momentarily dazed before her mind suddenly sharpened with clarity.

So, to ensure their success, they had specifically recruited Xu Zhen to star in this highly suggestive drama, just to subtly prepare the public in advance?

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