Phoenix A has Gone Viral Across the Entire Internet! - Chapter 8

Shen Nian was unaware of the complex thoughts swirling in Jiang Zhiwan’s mind; her only focus was finding a way to dodge the drinks.

Initially, Luo Shan alone was difficult enough to deal with, but unexpectedly, Ji Xicheng appeared out of nowhere and enthusiastically joined in the attempt to ply her with alcohol.

“Shen Nian, it was not easy getting you to come see me. It would be a bit rude if you did not drink more!”

Shen Nian gave a fake smile, thinking to herself: Fool me once, shame on you. If Ji Xicheng ever expects me to visit her on set again, she can keep dreaming.

Fortunately, Ji Xicheng attacked everyone indiscriminately. She failed to form an alliance with Luo Shan and would even periodically question if the other was “raising fish,” a slang term for faking her drinks. It was a total lapse in Alpha decorum.

After a few rounds, Luo Shan’s temper flared. Naturally, she chose to strike back with passive-aggressive sarcasm. Shen Nian was more than happy to watch them bicker, as it significantly diverted the attention away from her. The aggressive way the three of them were drinking made everyone else nearby hesitate to approach, fearing they might be accidentally dragged into the “battlefield.”

By the end of the rounds, Shen Nian saw her “friend” Ji Xicheng for who she truly was: a troublemaker who just joined the chaos to drink her under the table. To think Shen Nian had considered forgiving her if she had known when to stop!

No matter how high Shen Nian’s tolerance was, she could not withstand glass after glass. To make matters worse, Ji Xicheng went erratic at the end and insisted on a drinking contest. Shen Nian’s competitive streak was triggered. By drinking half and spilling half, she did not stop until she had literally drunk her friend under the table.

Glancing over at Luo Shan, she saw that the woman had long since succumbed to the alcohol and was instructing her assistant to find someone to take her home. Shen Nian felt like a victorious general, thinking smugly: With that level of skill, you wanted to drink me down? She did not breathe a word about her tactic of spilling half of every glass.

Estimating it was about time, Shen Nian took out her phone and called the family driver, telling him to get ready. While pondering whether she or Jiang Zhiwan should get in the car first, her eyes found the other woman, and she could not help but frown.

She had not been paying attention to Jiang Zhiwan during the chaos, and the system 432 had previously entered hibernation mode, so Shen Nian had not even noticed when Jiang Xiaoli had approached her.

Unwarranted kindness usually hides ill intentions.

Did Jiang Xiaoli have any sense of boundaries? As an Alpha, leading an Omega away to whisper in private at a banquet like this was risky. This hotel’s privacy was decent enough, but if a scene like this were caught by a paparazzo, who knows what kind of scandalous rumors they would cook up.

Small flames of irritation danced in Shen Nian’s heart. Unsure if her intervention would annoy Jiang Zhiwan, she forced herself to endure and observe for a moment.

In truth, Jiang Zhiwan had not been “led” away; she simply disliked the noise and had intentionally distanced herself from the crowd to stand in a corner. Jiang Xiaoli had something he wanted to say to her, so he slipped over quietly while no one was looking. His conversational tactics were clumsy—the kind of level where Jiang Zhiwan could see right through his ulterior motives at a glance.

Unfortunately for him, Jiang Zhiwan felt absolutely nothing for this Alpha. Thus, before he could even speak, she maintained an extremely cold demeanor, hoping to make him back off.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Xiaoli was not a clever man who could easily read the room. After beating around the bush for a few sentences, he decided to get straight to the point.

“Miss Jiang, I feel our collaboration this time has been very harmonious, so…”

Before he could finish, he was cut off by another cool voice. “Miss Jiang, your assistant seemed to be looking for you just now. They said your car has arrived and asked if you wanted to head back.”

Frustrated that his planned confession was interrupted, Jiang Xiaoli turned to look at the interloper, only to realize it was Shen Nian. He found it hard to say anything. He made a clumsy excuse to wrap up his previous sentence and hurried away. Before leaving, he cast a disappointed glance at Jiang Zhiwan.

He knew very well that this might have been his only chance. Once tonight passed, it would not come again. It was only bolstered by a bit of “liquid courage” and the joy of finishing his first shoot that he dared to subtly confess to the Omega he admired. He likely would not get many more chances like this. After all, they were just temporary colleagues; once the filming was over, they would go their separate ways. Whether their paths would cross again was an unknown.

Jiang Zhiwan watched Jiang Xiaoli’s retreating back, not caring in the least. In her past life, she had been sent to the hospital due to an allergic reaction, so this interlude never happened, and she had not known he harbored such feelings.

Having achieved her goal, Shen Nian began to feign innocence. “Did I interrupt your conversation? Oh, if I had known, I would have come over later. It is no big deal to let the driver wait outside a bit longer anyway.”

Faced with Shen Nian’s “asking what she already knew,” Jiang Zhiwan remained noncommittal. She scanned the room and did not see Luo Shan or the others, knowing that Shen Nian had emerged victorious in that ridiculous drinking match.

Seeing that Shen Nian still seemed relatively sober, Jiang Zhiwan spoke up. “You go first. After a while, I will take Uncle Li’s car back.”

Uncle Li was also a driver for the Shen family. Hearing this arrangement, Shen Nian finally felt at ease. Feeling a wave of fatigue, she gave a simple “Mhm” and prepared to leave. Though her thoughts were gradually becoming muddled, Shen Nian was the type of person who did not show when she was drunk; she still managed to walk in a perfectly straight line.

After the car ride home, Shen Nian was nearly nodding off. The alcohol was the creeping kind, and the aftereffects were hitting hard. A certain string in her mind snapped, and the moment she stepped inside, she reverted to her “original form” as a bird and collapsed onto the soft sofa.

She had intended to just sleep there peacefully, but after an unknown amount of time, she felt her body lighten as she was casually picked up. Feeling annoyed by the swaying during the journey, Shen Nian grumbled and cursed in tiny, muffled chirps. Yet, despite how faint the sounds were, Jiang Zhiwan heard them clearly. Her gaze toward the little bird turned a bit deeper.

This ungrateful little thing. Just because she is pretty, she dares to curse at me so brazenly?

Despite the thought, Jiang Zhiwan’s movements as she cradled the bird subconsciously became more careful, no longer as casual as before. This was mostly to prevent the bold little “bad bird” from continuing her “fragrant” bird-language tirade.

Shen Nian was truly drunk and slept soundly. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was Jiang Zhiwan’s face, which gave her a fright.

What is the situation? What is going on?!

After scanning her surroundings and realizing she was currently in her transformed state, she used a wing to pat her chest. Phew, just scaring myself.

To her surprise, Jiang Zhiwan had not chosen to lock her up this time, even though an exquisite birdcage was sitting right there on the table.

Since I am not locked up, this birdie is going to make a run for it.

Thinking this, Shen Nian waved her wings twice in front of Jiang Zhiwan’s eyes to confirm she had not woken up yet. But before she could move a single step, that familiar, cool voice rang out.

“Are you trying to sneak away again without saying goodbye? Little bird, is that not a bit rude?”

Shen Nian was startled! In her panic, she performed the ultimate act of self-deception. Watching the little bird flop over and choose to continue “faking sleep,” Jiang Zhiwan raised an eyebrow and let out a low chuckle. That laugh was like a tiny hook, lightly tugging at Shen Nian’s heart.

In a good mood, Jiang Zhiwan reached out and stroked the bird’s beautiful feathers twice, deciding not to hold a grudge. “Since you are awake, stop pretending. I will take you to breakfast, okay?”

She had not felt hungry until it was mentioned. Shen Nian did not act coy; she did a “birdie kip-up,” sat up, and shook her wings, ready to follow the other woman to get some good food. Jiang Zhiwan remained expressionless, but she thought to herself: This bird really can understand me.

When the woman and the bird went downstairs, breakfast was already set on the table as usual. Seeing them, Nanny Wu warmly greeted Jiang Zhiwan. “I made sour soup wontons this morning; I know you like them. Eat them while they are hot.”

Sour soup wontons were appetizing and great for a hangover. Nanny Wu was thoughtful; knowing Jiang Zhiwan had been drinking last night, she had specially prepared this.

Jiang Zhiwan took her seat, and Shen Nian took the opportunity to hop from her shoulder onto the table, picking through the food to find something she liked.

Ugh, dammit. She could not turn into a human right now, so she could not have her own portion of sour soup wontons. Shen Nian felt a bit resentful, but she did not hesitate to dig into a pair of small flower rolls.

Standing nearby, Nanny Wu was surprised to see the little creature hop onto the table, but seeing that Jiang Zhiwan did not seem to mind, she assumed it was a new beloved pet.

But this little guy’s diet is quite unique. It even eats flower rolls?

To Nanny Wu, Shen Nian was just a harmless, beautiful little bird. Out of professional courtesy, she did not stare for too long. As the high-priced, all-around helper Shen Nian had hired, Nanny Wu’s cooking was top-tier. A single bowl of sour soup wontons was enough to whet any appetite.

Jiang Zhiwan took a spoonful of soup, blew on it gently, and her gaze inadvertently drifted to the other side of the table. Usually, an identical portion of food would be set there, but today it was empty. Nanny Wu said she had knocked on the door earlier, but the Eldest Miss was not in her bedroom and must have gone out early.

Jiang Zhiwan had some understanding of Shen Nian’s alcohol tolerance. After helping her out last night and being plied with so many drinks by Luo Shan and the others, it was already impressive that she made it back sober. Did she really have the energy to go running around elsewhere?

As Jiang Zhiwan sipped her soup, she found Shen Nian’s behavior strange. In her past life, Shen Nian had actually been very good to her. But the prerequisite for that “goodness” was that she had to fulfill her duty as a substitute. Shen Nian was obsessed with her face, which led to ambiguous behavior, yet she never truly touched her because her pheromones were different from that person’s.

Once Jiang Zhiwan realized she was being viewed as a substitute, she felt utter repulsion and naturally refused to cooperate. There were still two years left on the contract, but in reality, it would only take Qu Youyu’s return to end it.

How ridiculous. Since when did her life have to wait for others to dictate it? Jiang Zhiwan narrowed her eyes, coldly making a mental note against Shen Nian’s name.

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