Reborn a Scummy Alpha, Happily Ever After with the Movie Queen - Chapter 56

For some reason, Ye Youyi had a lingering sense that whatever Wang Lin was about to say would make her feel embarrassed.

Her expression shifted slightly—she didn’t really want to hear it.

But Wang Lin deliberately ignored the subtle change in her demeanor.

“Ah Wei’s little sister, Xiao Xu, is about to get engaged to Wen Tang. The engagement banquet is on the third day of next month. You’ll be back in the capital by then. Do you want to go? I can get you an invitation.”

Ye Youyi was silent for a moment, then calmly replied, “I won’t be going. Wen Tang and I were only high school classmates, not that close, so I won’t attend her engagement banquet.”

She gave Wang Lin a faint smile. “I’m going to film now.”

Turning away, Ye Youyi clenched her hands into fists beneath her long sleeves.

She felt ridiculous—already knowing about Wen Tang’s engagement to Miss Ning, yet still daring to harbor expectations for her.

But reality had once again slapped her in the face.

Wang Lin’s words had struck a nerve, making her feel deeply embarrassed.

She tilted her head to the sky, wiped the damp corner of her eyes, and tried to steady her emotions.

Walking onto the set with Qiu Qiu, Ye Youyi took a deep breath, pushing the earlier incident out of her mind, ready to focus on her performance.

Li Zheng didn’t notice anything off about Ye Youyi. After finalizing all the preparations, she called “Action.”

This scene was a pivotal moment in the film.

In the evening, the female lead, Guo Zi, had just finished washing clothes and was carrying a basin when her Alpha, Hong Mei, drunk and aggressive, approached with violent intentions. Unable to endure Hong Mei’s torment any longer, Guo Zi accidentally pushed her into the river.

Unable to swim, Hong Mei struggled for a long time in the water before slowly sinking.

Witnessing someone die before her eyes for the first time, Guo Zi panicked, grabbed the basin, and ran back to their shared home.

The key to this scene was to convey Guo Zi’s dark yet fearful mindset before pushing Hong Mei into the water, and the fleeting sense of exhilaration, relief, and lingering fear immediately after.

It was a challenging scene, but after months of filming, everyone had great confidence in Ye Youyi, believing she would deliver an outstanding performance.

Guo Zi had finished washing all the clothes. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she lifted the basin and stood up—only to have someone grab her hand from behind. Startled, she shivered, and the basin clattered to the ground.

“Cut!”

The director called out, frowning, and everyone stopped.

Ye Youyi bit her lower lip, feeling awkward and uneasy.

“Xiao Ye, what’s going on? That expression was fear, not absent-mindedness. Let’s do it again!” Li Zheng explained the scene once more and signaled everyone to continue.

Just as Guo Zi stood up, someone reached out and grabbed her delicate wrist. She trembled in fear, losing her grip on the basin, which fell with a loud clatter.

“Cut!”

Li Zheng rose from behind the camera, furrowing her brow as she approached Ye Youyi and Sun Xiao. She scrutinized them. “Xiao Ye, what’s happening with you today? You seem off. And Sun Xiao, your drunk demeanor is tricky to handle, but Guo Zi’s eyes should convey a mix of distraction and determination—not like this, where you’re completely following Xiao Ye’s emotions.”

After scolding the two off-guard actors, Li Zheng returned behind the camera. “Again. Give it your all!”

She observed the footage. Though their performance was slightly better than the previous takes, it still didn’t meet her standards.

She called “Cut” in time.

Everyone waited on set as Li Zheng sighed. “That’s it for Xiao Ye and Sun Xiao’s scenes today. Go home, rest, and adjust your mindset. Tomorrow we’ll shoot this scene again.”

Everyone knew Li Zheng was a perfectionist. If she wasn’t satisfied after three takes, she would move on to another scene.

So, hearing this, no one objected—though they didn’t expect Ye Youyi to NG three times in one day!

Considering she usually nailed it in one take, or at most two, today’s performance was indeed unusual.

Ye Youyi didn’t care what others thought. Clutching her sleeve, she expressed her apologies and gratitude to Director Li before leaving the set with Qiu Qiu.

Once outside, Qiu Qiu, holding a water cup and jacket, asked softly, “Xiao Ye, just now. Did Senior Wang Lin say something to you?”

Before entering the set, she had sensed that Xiao Ye’s expression was off, but filming was about to start, so she hadn’t asked.

Now, seeing that Xiao Ye’s state had clearly affected her acting, she felt she had to ask.

Ye Youyi pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

It wasn’t until they were inside the car that Ye Youyi suddenly collapsed into Qiu Qiu’s arms.

Holding back her sobs, she spoke slowly, word by word: “Qiu Qiu, Wen Tang, she’s really going to marry someone else.”

Hearing about Wen Tang’s confirmed wedding date made Ye Youyi realize just how deep her feelings for Wen Tang ran.

She had thought her emotions were only about possession—wanting Wen Tang to be good to her alone, wanting her eyes to see only her.

Knowing that Wen Tang was actually the eldest daughter of the Wen family and about to get engaged to someone else, Ye Youyi felt sorrow but knew that her pride and reason demanded a graceful exit.

She had always thought that with time, she would gradually let go of Wen Tang.

But that night at the bar, when she saw Wen Tang, her heart had jolted sharply, followed by an endless surge of joy.

At that moment, she realized how much she had missed Wen Tang, how impossible it was to let go.

So, knowing there was almost no future with Wen Tang, she had allowed herself to spend the night entangled with her.

The third day of the seventh lunar month—the day Wen Tang became engaged to another.

Ye Youyi felt unbearably sad, as if a sharp knife had been plunged into her chest—blood flowing, yet a dull ache lingering that refused to subside.

Qiu Qiu hadn’t seen Ye Youyi like this in a long time.

She could vaguely recall back in their first year of high school, when Ye Youyi had been kicked out by her mother, crying until she was a complete mess.

But ever since then, Qiu Qiu realized, she had never seen Ye Youyi cry this heartbrokenly again.

She knew Ye Youyi was hurting.

But when it came to matters of the heart, Qiu Qiu didn’t know how to comfort her.

Especially in a situation like this.

She reached out and patted Ye Youyi’s head, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Why don’t you just forget her?” she suggested gently.

Maybe if Ye Youyi could forget Wen Tang, hearing news about her wouldn’t hurt so much.

“Since she’s marrying someone else, between you two, sigh.”

Qiu Qiu trailed off, choosing not to say more, simply sitting with Ye Youyi in shared sorrow.

The next morning, Qiu Qiu was brushing her teeth when she heard footsteps at the door. She peeked out and saw Ye Youyi.

“Why are you up so early?”

Director Li had already said that yesterday’s scenes were postponed to the afternoon, so Ye Youyi could have slept in.

And last night, Ye Youyi had sat on the bed for a long time before finally falling asleep in the early hours—how could she be up so early?

Ye Youyi entered the bathroom, grabbed her toothbrush, and squeezing toothpaste onto it, flashed Qiu Qiu a smile. “Director Li sent me a voice note last night and explained that scene to me privately. I’ll go over it myself in a bit.”

Though her expression was calm, the lingering melancholy from last night was gone from her eyes.

Qiu Qiu was surprised. “You aren’t upset anymore?”

Ye Youyi bit her lower lip at that, replying softly, “Like you said, there’s no future between us. No need to add extra trouble.”

“I should focus on filming. I can’t let Director Li down.”

Seeing Ye Youyi shake off her negativity, Qiu Qiu nodded approvingly. “Good! It’s best that you’ve come to terms with it yourself, so no one has to worry. Besides, who knows? With Release, you might even get nominated for Best Actress!

We have to focus on our careers!”

The more Qiu Qiu spoke, the more excited she became, her eyes shining with hope for the future.

What she didn’t notice was the flash of restraint and suppression in Ye Youyi’s eyes.

Once she adjusted her mindset, Ye Youyi slipped into character quickly, unlike yesterday when she had flubbed several takes. Today, everything went smoothly.

Days passed, and by the end of June, filming for Release was finally completed.

At the wrap party, Director Li Zeng raised her glass to Ye Youyi. “I’m glad I chose you as the lead. With your acting, you’re sure to win Best Actress!”

The assistant director nudged her elbow playfully. “Easy there, don’t get drunk and talk too much. Xiao Ye is a newcomer—don’t hype her up too much. Otherwise, if she doesn’t win Best Actress at the awards, she might come looking for you!”

That was enough to make Li Zeng stop her from saying more.

First, they didn’t want the rumor spreading that Ye Youyi had already been predetermined as Best Actress.

Second, they didn’t want to give Ye Youyi too much hope—too much disappointment could turn into resentment.

Ye Youyi understood the implication perfectly.

She lifted her glass and toasted the two directors, her expression serious. “I’m deeply grateful for all the guidance and support you’ve given me. Thanks to your recommendation, a newcomer like me could play the lead.”

After the polite words, everyone was in high spirits.

Some suggested going to karaoke, but Li Zeng waved them off, holding her head. “I won’t go. I’m a little drunk—you all go ahead!”

Under the table, Ye Youyi tugged Qiu Qiu’s sleeve. Qiu Qiu immediately understood.

She stood, raised her glass to the others, and smiled brightly. “Sorry, everyone! I’ve already booked Ye Youyi’s flight back to Beijing for tomorrow morning, so we won’t be staying out tonight. Have fun without us!”

Over the past few months, everyone knew Ye Youyi was a quiet Omega who disliked crowds, so her absence was understood.

Back at their lodging, after packing all her things, Ye Youyi sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the crescent moon outside the window.

In four days, Wen Tang would be engaged to Miss Ning.

She patted her own face, trying to stop herself from thinking about it.

Qiu Qiu dragged her suitcase to the door, sat down beside Ye Youyi, and seeing her calm demeanor, grabbed her hand and shook it playfully. “Finally done with Release! You should be happy! Stop frowning! If you sulk, how are you going to go on stage to accept your award—pouty face and all?”

Ye Youyi couldn’t help but laugh. “Winning an award isn’t as easy as you make it sound.”