The Ex-Wife of the Scumbag A Who Abandoned the Female Lead - Chapter 9

Shi Nuocen looked at the truly “dog-chewed” hem of her clothes, brushed off the dust, and glared up at the sky, fuming inwardly: How outrageous! Those dogs must have become spirits, right? I only said a few words. Was it really necessary to chase me for half a mile? Because she had run too fast, despite the boss lady packing everything carefully, some of the soup had still spilled. She felt that life was truly difficult. Seeing that it was almost evening, she decided to quickly find a hotel to stay in and consider renting a place early the next morning.

As she passed by a bar, she spotted from a distance a man in a suit, accompanied by several helpers, blocking the entrance and surrounding a girl dressed as a bunny-eared maid. She overheard the man snarling, “Trying to leave? It’s not that easy! Resignation has to follow procedure, and on top of that, you just broke a bottle of expensive wine by accident!”

The bunny-eared girl grew anxious, tears welling up in her eyes. Clenching her fists, she spoke nervously and rapidly, “But when I first joined, I only signed a three-month temporary contract. The person in charge said I could leave once the term was up. How can you go back on your word now? I still have the recording from back then!”

Hearing the word “recording” and noticing the growing crowd around them, the man frowned and changed his tone. “Going back on my word? Certainly not. But the condition is that there are no disputes when you resign. Right now, not only is there a dispute, but it also involves a large compensation. If I let you go now, Mu Yike, I’d be a fool!”

By the end of his words, his eyes had turned fierce.

“But I didn’t do it on purpose,” the bunny-eared girl mumbled, shrinking her neck timidly.

Hearing this, something clicked in Shi Nuocen’s mind. So, this bunny-eared girl was named Mu Yike. Wait, wasn’t that the name of the third female lead in the novel she had transmigrated into?

“Even if it wasn’t intentional, you still caused the loss,” the man sneered, lighting a cigarette. “Do I need to remind you? Right after you took a phone call, you got flustered, and then smash! a bottle of wine worth twelve thousand fell from your hands and shattered!”

“At that time, someone bumped into me.” Mu Yike sobbed, her almond-shaped eyes completely red. Paired with her sexy bunny outfit, her pitiful and delicate appearance captivated many onlookers.

But the next moment, a long trench coat was draped over her head. Mu Yike wrapped it tightly around herself and nodded gratefully toward Shi Nuocen.

The aggressive man, however, was displeased by this meddling but didn’t pay it much mind. Instead, he continued targeting Mu Yike, raising his voice, “Who saw it? Or can you name that person?”

“I, I didn’t see clearly, but there really was someone!”

“Look at that! What a clever excuse!” The man’s smile grew increasingly sarcastic.

“I’m not lying.” Mu Yike felt utterly helpless and wronged. “Brother Hao, please just let me go. I’ll use this month’s and last month’s salary to compensate. That should be enough, right?”

Seeing her soften, Hao immediately looked visibly pleased. “Heh, it would just about cover it, but that’s only if you had both months’ full salary. Didn’t you already use the money to buy a plane ticket? You’re short by three thousand. How about this: work for another half month. I’ve already prepared the contract just sign it.”

Then he turned to the onlookers and beckoned, “Come on, everyone! Take a look at the contract yourselves. I haven’t cheated her. It clearly states half a month, not a day more or less. Once the time is up, I’ll let her go immediately!”

The bystanders stepped forward to examine the contract and confirmed that the duration was indeed half a month. They then turned to persuade Mu Yike instead, saying, “Miss, you should just accept it. After all, you still owe him money. How can you just leave like this?”

Upon hearing this, large teardrops rolled down Mu Yike’s cheeks, quickly gathering at her delicate chin. She looked at Hao Ge and shook her head desperately, saying, “I can’t. My mother is in the hospital, in another city. With the 3,000 yuan, I bought a plane ticket for today at 6 p.m. I really can’t afford to delay. Please…”

She was already feeling hopeless, but before she could finish pleading with Hao Ge, the woman who had lent her the trench coat stopped her.

“There’s no need to beg someone like him. He has no compassion and isn’t worth it,” Shi Nuocen declared, stepping forward proudly to shield Mu Yike.

She had just recalled the plot related to this character. Mu Yike, the third female lead, was the only daughter of one of the entertainment industry’s three giants, the Mu Entertainment Group. For various reasons, she became deeply unhappy after taking over as CEO. Finding solace in the sunny male lead, she fell for him. However, since she wasn’t his destined partner, she could only silently bless him and fade into the background with tears in her eyes.

Shi Nuocen suspected that the unhappiness in the plot was likely connected to the current situation.

Hao Ge grew furious at the sight of this unexpected obstacle. He spat fiercely and snapped, “Where did you pop out from? This is between her and me. It’s not your place to interfere!”

Shi Nuocen retorted, “If I repay her 3,000 yuan, then it becomes my business.”

“Oh ho, so you’re the sucker?” Hao Ge sneered, poking Shi Nuocen’s shoulder. “What’s your relationship with her? Why go to such lengths to help?”

“Because I don’t like you. Is that reason enough?” Shi Nuocen grabbed his wrist and twisted it effortlessly. Hao Ge felt as if his bones were being torn apart, a sensation like ten thousand ants biting him, and he couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

“It’s not broken, so stop howling like that. Are you trying to frame me?” Shi Nuocen raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “Give me your account number. I’ll transfer the 3,000 yuan.”

Clutching his wrist, Hao Ge was in too much pain to argue. With everyone watching, he had lost the moral high ground. Although he had his men with him, he couldn’t openly assault a woman in public. Reluctantly, he provided his account number.

Just as Shi Nuocen opened her phone to make the transfer, a delicate hand blocked the screen. She glanced sideways and met a pair of grateful yet hesitant eyes.

Mu Yike, her delicate brows furrowed, bit her lip slightly and asked uneasily, “Why, why are you helping me?”

Shi Nuocen lifted her eyelids slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Consider it my good deed for the day, or maybe I just can’t stand injustice. Think whatever you want. I’m just being kind.”

Mu Yike stared at her in a daze, then suddenly burst into laughter through her tears. She thought to herself, This person is really interesting. It’s the first time I’ve heard such a straightforward and unpretentious answer.

Seeing that Mu Yike believed her, Shi Nuocen’s smile grew even more formal. While kindness was one aspect of it, the main reason was that she knew this person, according to the original novel, was someone who repaid favors and might prove useful in the future.

For such a potential asset, she was always willing to extend a little extra patience. She handed over a tissue and kindly reminded her, “It’s getting late, and you still have a flight to catch, right?”

“Thank you,” Mu Yike said with a bow. Just as she was about to turn and leave, her fingers brushed against the trench coat draped over her shoulders, and she hesitated for a moment.

“Consider it a loan. If fate brings us together again, you can return it then,” Shi Nuocen waved her off.

Mu Yike thanked her sincerely once more before boarding the bus and disappearing into the distance.

A reunion is inevitable. After all, I’m counting on your repayment. Shi Nuocen stood in place, watching the bus fade into the distance, and couldn’t help but curl her lips into a slight smile.

But then another thought crossed her mind: if she had regained her memories of transmigrating into this novel before the divorce, would she still have gone through with it?

Following that line of thought, Shi Nuocen concluded that she probably would have. After all, she and Ru Xi Cheng at the time were fundamentally incompatible. Their values and personalities clashed. She herself had a spoiled young lady’s temper and couldn’t endure that kind of hardship. Moreover, Ru Xi Cheng was one of the protagonists, while she was merely a vicious cannon-fodder supporting character.

As the clock neared 4 p.m., she realized she still hadn’t found a place to stay for the night. Only when faced with such practical problems did she begin to feel regret.

That three thousand yuan, I barely had time to warm it in my hands before it vanished in the blink of an eye!

Shi Nuocen felt she ought to have her fortune told. It seemed that ever since she left the Shi family, money just wouldn’t stay in her pockets.

If Shi Fanxing heard this, she would surely sneer contemptuously: You? Even before leaving the Shi family, you never managed to save a penny. Every time, it was all about shopping and splurging!

Shi Nuocen sighed in frustration. Having just angered her ex-wife, borrowing money was likely out of the question. Thinking of Mu Yike, who had already left, she could only hope the other woman wouldn’t disappoint her in the future, a small comfort to her wounded pride.

“Hey, miss! I can see you have an extraordinary aura and a face blessed with fortune. You’re destined for great success! But right now, you’re just missing one opportunity,” a well-dressed man said as he approached with the light, graceful steps of a model.

“Cut the nonsense and speak plainly,” Shi Nuocen replied, sizing him up and already guessing he was a talent scout.

His smile nearly faltered at her words, but he quickly adjusted his expression and continued cheerfully, “That opportunity, of course, is signing with our company! Our agency, Yixing Entertainment, has been around for five years now. The recently popular ‘Little Junior Sister’ is one of our artists. Besides her, we also have several second- and third-tier stars. The reason we’ve achieved such success in such a short time is because we carefully select and nurture every newcomer. Our new artists sign B-level contracts, which include cozy and comfortable dormitories, three well-prepared meals a day, and transportation with dedicated cars and assistants to ensure safety.”

Shi Nuocen selectively tuned out the rest of his spiel. Hearing about the B-level contract, dormitory, and meals, she thought it sounded decent. Besides, the actress playing “Little Junior Sister” was said to have a good character, so she figured this company might be trustworthy.

Moreover, the photos shown by the talent scout looked genuinely appealing. Shi Nuocen glanced at the contract again, a five-year B-level agreement with a penalty of thirty million for breach. The terms had no major loopholes, and considering she still had no place to stay for the night, she decisively signed.

But she never expected to be “catfished” by the photos!

The moment she stepped into the dormitory with her suitcase, she was stunned by the towering, tightly packed bunk beds. In a mere 30-square-meter room, ten people were crammed together, making the entire space feel incredibly cramped and suffocating!

However, since the contract only stated “provide dormitory for newcomers,” she couldn’t protest and had no choice but to grit her teeth and accept it.

If even the dormitory was like this, then what about the three meals a day, the assistant, and the transportation mentioned in the contract? Shi Nuocen sighed, not daring to think too deeply about it.

When she entered the room, all the female Alphas and Betas turned to look at her, their gazes lingering on her face. Fortunately, everyone was friendly, and no one seemed hostile despite her strikingly beautiful appearance.

Yixing Entertainment arranged the female newcomers’ dormitories by grouping Alphas and Betas together, while Omegas were housed separately. This was reportedly due to the actual gender ratio in the entertainment industry.

“Building No. 2 is for female newcomers. Rooms 1 to 5 on the left are for Alphas and Betas, while rooms 6 to 20 on the right are all for Omegas. The male dormitory in Building No. 1 follows a similar structure.”

After hearing the explanation, Shi Nuocen couldn’t help but exclaim, “Are there really that many Omega newcomers?”

“Yes,” the girl in charge of the introduction nodded with a smile. “Although Omegas only make up 10% of the global population, their natural advantages in physique and appearance mean many are willing to enter the entertainment industry, and quite a few have become hugely successful. Take the most famous one, for example the top actress Ru Xi Cheng.”

Even so, with so many competitors, making a name for oneself in the industry would likely be incredibly difficult. The thought inexplicably crossed Shi Nuocen’s mind.