Reborn a Scummy Alpha, Happily Ever After with the Movie Queen - Chapter 20

The Omega’s breath brushed against Wen Tang’s face, making her already flushed cheeks turn an even deeper shade of pink.

Ye Youyi’s teasing smile faded, replaced by a look of feigned surprise. “You don’t actually think that we, that we.” She trailed off, then glanced shyly at Wen Tang from beneath her lashes. “You’re a good person. You didn’t mark me, so there’s no need to take it to heart.”

Wen Tang didn’t notice the amusement flickering in Ye Youyi’s eyes. Hearing that she hadn’t marked her, she let out a visible sigh of relief. The heavy weight pressing on her chest lifted instantly, leaving her feeling much lighter.

“That’s good.” she murmured. But remembering how Ye Youyi had seemed angry that morning, she hesitated and asked, “Then this morning—were you mad at me?”

“What do you think?” Ye Youyi gave her a sidelong glance.

“I still don’t know why.” Wen Tang scratched the back of her head, puzzled.

Ye Youyi laughed softly. “You can think about it yourself.”

Think about it? How was she supposed to do that? Wen Tang looked completely lost.

Watching the Alpha’s bewildered expression, Ye Youyi felt a tangle of emotions—half wanting Wen Tang to remember, half hoping she wouldn’t.

The room fell into silence for a long moment.

Then, suddenly, the phone rang, sharp and urgent.

Wen Tang quickly pulled out her phone and answered.

“Come home tonight. Don’t find excuses to stay out again, understood?” came her grandmother’s calm but firm voice over the line.

Wen Tang paused for a second before replying, “Understood. I’ll be home on time.”

After a few more minutes of grandmotherly chatter, the call finally ended.

Ye Youyi, noticing Wen Tang’s uneasy expression, asked softly, “What’s wrong? Did something happen at home?”

Wen Tang nodded, her tone steadying. “I have to go back tonight.”

The words made something sink in Ye Youyi’s chest. She bit her lip, her bright eyes dimming with quiet reluctance. “Then, when will you be back?”

For some reason, Wen Tang was suddenly struck by the sorrow in Ye Youyi’s eyes. Something in her heart stirred, as if a seed had just taken root.

Without thinking, she lifted her hand and gently brushed her fingers across Ye Youyi’s delicate, fair cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

When she caught the stunned look in Ye Youyi’s eyes, Wen Tang suddenly realized what she was doing. She wanted to pull her hand back—but doing so now would only make it more awkward.

So instead, she continued upward and lightly patted Ye Youyi’s head, smiling sincerely. “Will you miss me?”

Ye Youyi: “…”

How was she supposed to answer that?

She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her chest. She knew she was getting far too absorbed in the Alpha’s gentle warmth, and deep down, she didn’t want Wen Tang to leave. But Wen Tang didn’t feel that way about her—not yet.

She couldn’t just lay her heart bare.

No, she had to keep control.

“Then will you miss me?” Ye Youyi turned her gaze away, her voice soft and shy.

Wen Tang froze, flustered.

Honestly, she’d regretted asking her own question the moment it left her mouth.

The system, watching this painfully slow push-and-pull, sighed. “No wonder the others say human emotions are the most complicated. I finally get it now. Hey, don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for Ye Youyi? Who asks questions like that otherwise?”

Already overwhelmed, Wen Tang quickly muted the system’s voice in her mind.

Just then, the door swung open.

“The doctor said you’re fine, Xiao Ye. Just need a little rest—” QiuQiu walked in mid-sentence, only to find the two of them staring at each other, the air between them thick with unspoken tension. She immediately felt like she had walked in at exactly the wrong moment.

Luckily, Wen Tang quickly stood up, straightened her sleeves, and tried to maintain her usual cool composure. “Since you’re all right, I’ll take my leave.”

Without another glance at Ye Youyi, she turned and practically fled the room.

Qiu Qiu stared after her retreating figure, pouting. “Do I look that scary? She ran off before I even got inside.”

Ye Youyi fought to suppress the smile tugging at her lips. “Maybe she wasn’t afraid of you.”

“What was that?” Qiu Qiu blinked.

Ye Youyi only shook her head lightly. “Nothing.”

The Wen family estate glowed in the soft gold of sunset, the lavish garden bathed in a warm halo of light.

When Wen Tang arrived home and saw the place decorated from top to bottom, she felt a little confused. After changing clothes, she ran into Aunt Mei and stopped her. “Aunt Mei, are we expecting guests tonight?”

Aunt Mei smiled kindly. “Yes, Madam Ning sent word yesterday that she’d like to visit the Old Madam. Since the Ning family holds such importance, the Old Madam ordered us to tidy everything up properly to welcome them.”

So that was it.

Wen Tang nodded in understanding.

But as she made her way toward her grandmother’s courtyard, her thoughts grew uneasy. The Old Madam hadn’t made her identity public for years—so why summon her back tonight?

The Ning family was one of the four great clans, influential and powerful. Given her grandmother’s distant attitude toward her, Wen Tang doubted she’d be introducing her to them openly.

Then what was the real reason for calling her back?

No matter how she turned it over in her mind, she couldn’t figure it out. When she asked the system, it only said, “That’s part of the plot progression—I can’t tell you.”

So, still puzzled, Wen Tang stepped into the Old Madam’s study.

The elderly woman, silver-haired but still sharp-eyed, was reading through documents under a magnifying glass. When she saw Wen Tang sit across from her, she set the glass aside and said with quiet calm, “Do you know why I called you back?”

Wen Tang shook her head honestly.

The Old Madam studied her for a moment before sighing softly. “When your grandmother was still alive, she arranged a marriage for the Alpha of your generation—with the Ning family’s young Omega daughter. But since you weren’t around at the time, and Xin Xin was our only grandchild—an Omega—it was naturally impossible for her to fulfill that engagement.”

Her eyes softened faintly. “Fortunately, you’ve returned.”

As her grandmother’s gentle words fell, Wen Tang’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

A marriage contract? With the Ning family?

The system chimed in helpfully, “Yep, the original Wen Tang’s fiancée was Ning Xu from the Ning family. After their marriage, the original host still pined for Ye Youyi and neglected Ning Xu, leading her to eventually fall in love with the male lead of the novel.”

Wen Tang felt her head start to ache.

So, this was an important plot point?!

In the original storyline, Wen Tang had agreed to the marriage to win her grandmother’s trust. But even after marrying Ning Xu, she couldn’t let go of Ye Youyi, and treated her wife coldly for years. Once she gained control of the Wen family, she even used its power to destroy the Ning family just to promote Ye Youyi.

Recalling that chain of events made Wen Tang’s temples throb painfully.

She definitely didn’t want to follow that plotline. But if she refused the engagement, would the Old Madam still trust her?

She truly was caught between two impossible choices.

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Author’s Note:

Some readers have been wondering why Wen Tang was assigned to be an assistant to an artist. Don’t worry—the reason will be revealed later! It’s just not time yet.