Reborn a Scummy Alpha, Happily Ever After with the Movie Queen - Chapter 36

It wasn’t until Wen Tang was seated on the private jet back to the capital that she finally relaxed a little. The three Alpha who had been eyeing her constantly were now occupied with their own affairs, no longer watching her every move.

Only then did she take out her phone and send a message to Ye Youyi.

She didn’t know whether Ye Youyi was still waiting at the airport. She didn’t know if Ye would be angry when she saw the message.

Time kept slipping away. The sky outside was growing darker, yet there was still no sign of Wen Tang.

Anxious now, Ye Youyi glanced toward the entrance. Just as she was about to call Wen Tang, her phone buzzed with a new message.

“Sorry, something came up at home, so I had to leave first. It’s my fault for not keeping our appointment. I’ll apologize in person when I see you.”

The moment Ye Youyi read the message, her heart sank.

Wen Tang stood her up?

She read the text over and over again, making sure she hadn’t misunderstood. Then, with a quiet sigh, she closed her phone, stood up, and said to Qiu Qiu, “Let’s go.”

Qiu Qiu noticed her slightly reddened eyes and asked, almost instinctively, “Huh? We’re leaving already? Aren’t we going to wait for Miss Wen?”

“No need to wait for her anymore.”

As Ye Youyi walked away, Qiu Qiu scratched the back of her head and muttered under her breath, “What’s going on? She was so excited earlier, and now she looks so heartbroken. Did the two of them have a fight or something?”

But when she caught up to Ye Youyi and saw the redness around her eyes, she swallowed her words and kept silent.

Up in the air, soft clouds drifted past the window under the vast, open sky.

Ye Youyi, however, wasn’t in the mood to admire the view.

Her gaze stayed fixed on the window, unfocused. Was Wen Tang already home by now? What was so important that she had to leave without explanation?

At first, when she saw that text message, Ye Youyi had been angry—furious, even. But as time passed, the anger ebbed away, leaving behind a quiet, lingering disappointment.

After all, Wen Tang had said there was an emergency at home.

If she’d gone so far as to cancel their appointment, it had to be something serious.

Ye understood that much, but her chest still felt a little tight.

This had been her first proper date with Wen Tang. She’d even planned to finally confess tonight.

But now, that chance was gone.

Meanwhile, Wen Tang hadn’t received any reply from Ye Youyi even after the plane landed.

Sitting in the back seat of the car on her way to the Wen residence, she kept her phone in her hand, staring at their chat window. Still no message.

As the car turned into the family estate, Wen Tang frowned slightly and typed another line:

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault. Once I’ve handled the family matters, I’ll come to see you, alright?”

After hitting send, the car rolled to a stop.

A tall, broad-shouldered Alpha stepped forward to open the door for her, bowing slightly. “Miss, please.”

Wen Tang smoothed her sleeve and stepped out of the car.

As she walked through the courtyard, an uneasy feeling crept up her spine. The house was too quiet—eerily so. It felt like the calm before a storm.

She shook her head and strode toward the old lady’s study.

“Grandmother.”

The door closed softly behind her as she entered and stood across the desk from the old matriarch.

For a long time, there was only silence.

Wen Tang finally looked up, only to meet the old woman’s cold, dark gaze fixed squarely on her.

“Grandmother?” she called again.

This time, the old lady spoke.

“Wen Tang, your courage has grown quite a bit, hasn’t it?”

The calm, deliberate tone sent a faint chill down Wen Tang’s spine. Her mind raced, running through everything she had done behind the family’s back lately.

Could it be the old lady had found out she’d diverted family funds?

She kept her head lowered and said nothing.

The old lady studied her for a long while before taking a steadying breath. “Why did you secretly transfer company funds?”

Her face was no longer as dark as before, but her voice remained cold and distant.

“Be honest with me—aside from Yun Qin, who else inside the company works for you?”

Her composure broke as she slammed a stack of documents off the desk, scattering papers across the floor.

Wen Tang glanced down and caught a few familiar words—“registered capital,” “Yun Qin”.

Her thoughts moved quickly. Somehow, something had leaked. Wen Qi—or one of her people—must have made a mistake, letting the old lady trace the trail.

At this point, explanations would do no good. She might as well face it head-on.

“Yes, I used the funds,” Wen Tang admitted calmly. “As for Yun Qin, I don’t know her personally. I only told her not to mention it to you. She helped because she knew who I was and didn’t dare disobey.”

She took all the blame onto herself, thinking that if Yun Qin really was one of Wen Qi’s subordinates, she’d protect her if she could.

The old lady raised an eyebrow in surprise. Wen Tang’s composure was unexpected.

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Do you think that just because you’re the only Alpha in the family, the Wen family’s future automatically belongs to you?”

Wen Tang lowered her head. “No, Grandmother.”

“Then tell me—why did you divert those funds?”

Of course, the old lady already knew the answer. She was only asking to hear it from Wen Tang’s own mouth—to see whether she’d tell the truth.

“The drama Lin Shuang just finished ran into financial trouble,” Wen Tang said evenly. “I believed it had strong investment potential, so I allocated some of the company’s funds to support it.”

The old lady’s expression didn’t soften.

But at least Wen Tang hadn’t lied. Not even a little.

Grandmother Wen, who had been holding her breath, finally found a vent for her frustration. Leaning back in her chair, she looked Wen Tang up and down.

“Then tell me,” she said coldly, “what makes that drama worth investing in?”

Wen Tang lifted her head, meeting the old lady’s now-calm expression. A suspicion flickered in her mind—could Grandmother have guessed that she was trying to help Ye Youyi?

No way, right?

She pressed her lips together, carefully replying, “I’ve followed that production for a few months now. The director is meticulous and holds the cast to very high standards. The series has already trended several times online, and almost all the buzz has been positive. As long as the editing goes smoothly, it’s bound to be a hit.”

Listening to Wen Tang’s clear, well-reasoned analysis, Grandmother Wen couldn’t quite describe the feeling that welled up inside her.

At first, she had looked down on this granddaughter who’d grown up in some remote corner of the country. But since none of her other grandchildren were Alphas fit to inherit the family business, she had no choice but to have Wen Tang brought back to the Wen household.

Still, every time she saw that gloomy, indifferent face, irritation rose in her chest. So even when she knew that Xin Xin had secretly instructed Xinghua Entertainment’s CEO to make Wen Tang a lowly assistant to a celebrity, she turned a blind eye and said nothing.

It vented some of Xin Xin’s anger—and truthfully, she herself had never thought much of Wen Tang either.

Her plan had always been simple: once Wen Tang graduated from university, she would have her marry that young lady from the Ning family, produce an heir to carry on the Wen bloodline, and then be properly groomed for her role.

But now, it seemed Wen Tang was no longer so easy to control.

“Wen Tang.” Grandmother Wen thought for a long while before deciding not to pursue the issue of the funds. However,

“When you make a mistake, you must take responsibility,” she said icily. “You don’t need to continue that assistant job anymore. I’ll start introducing you to the heads of the other major families.”

Wen Tang raised an eyebrow. So, the old lady wasn’t going to question her use of the investment funds—and was even planning to reveal her true identity?

That good? That easy?

Impossible.

Sure enough, Grandmother Wen’s next words came sharp as a knife: “But—I want you to get engaged to the Ning family’s young lady immediately. After you both graduate next year, you’ll marry at once.”

Wen Tang’s response was instantaneous. “No.”

Grandmother Wen cast her a sidelong glance, as if she was nothing more than an unruly child. “Do you think this is up for discussion?”

“Don’t forget—if you still want to inherit the Wen family, if you still want to see your father again—you’ll do as I say!”

Those words of threat made Wen Tang clench her fists tightly.

Inheriting the Wen family meant safeguarding her own life. Rescuing her body’s original father was a matter of principle.

But if she agreed to the marriage alliance with the Ning family, what about Ye Youyi?

Her thoughts drifted. Just last night, Ye Youyi had looked at her with those bright, eager eyes, saying she wanted to watch a movie together tonight. She’d even checked the showtimes, excitedly planning to buy extra popcorn and snacks so they could share them while watching.

A lump rose in Wen Tang’s throat.

Why did it always have to come down to choices like this?

“Wen Tang, do what your heart tells you.”

Suddenly, the system’s voice echoed in her mind.

Wen Tang froze. “What did you just say?”

“I said—follow your heart.” The system repeated the words once more, then went silent. No matter how she called for it afterward, there was no response.

After a long pause, Wen Tang murmured, “Follow my heart?”

Her heart? Of course she didn’t want this arranged marriage. She didn’t want to marry a stranger she’d only met once. She didn’t want to keep living under the old woman’s thumb. And most of all—she didn’t want to let down Ye Youyi, who was waiting for her to watch a movie together.

Then what about inheriting the Wen family and rescuing her father?

Wen Qi had said they’d already tracked down the father’s whereabouts, but without proper authority, they couldn’t act yet. The man was being held on a private island abroad, and after all the arrangements these past few weeks, Wen Qi’s preparations should be nearly complete.

So, for now, her father’s situation wasn’t urgent.

As for the Wen family inheritance.

Wen Tang decided to gamble.

The system had said before that the plot was already deviating from the original. Now, it was telling her to follow her heart—then she would take that risk.

“I’m sorry,” Wen Tang said firmly, “but I can’t agree to your arrangement. I won’t enter a marriage alliance with the Ning family.”

Grandmother Wen was so furious she laughed. “Do you even know what you’re saying?”

Seeing Wen Tang’s steady gaze, realizing this wasn’t childish rebellion, the old lady’s face darkened again. “If you won’t obey me, then get out! Leave the Wen family! From now on, you have no right to use the Wen name or the heir title!”

To her own surprise, Wen Tang felt nothing but relief.

She glanced once at the old matriarch, bowed respectfully, and walked out without hesitation.

The moment she stepped past the Wen family gates, she finally felt free. Turning back, she looked at the grand, imposing mansion behind her, shrugged lightly, and headed off down the street.

It was already late afternoon, and the sun had softened.

As she walked, Wen Tang pulled out her phone and opened Ye Youyi’s chat. Seeing that there was still no reply, she tapped the call button.

“Hello?”

The soft voice on the other end instantly eased something in Wen Tang’s chest. She spoke quietly, “Weren’t you going to take me to the movies? Why didn’t you reply all day?”

Hearing only silence in response, she couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“Then how about this,” she said gently, “let me treat you instead?”