The Fallen Film Queen’s Possessive Alpha - Chapter 14

Xu Su was nervous. This was the first time since she had been recruited to the studio that CEO Zhou had arranged a private meeting with her.

“Relax.” Zhou Qiwei handed her the menu and wiped her hands with a wet towel. “They’ve recently developed some signature dishes here. I thought you might have some insights, so I invited you to try them together.”

The meal was indeed focused solely on food and wine, with no mention of work. After a few dishes and several rounds of drinks, Xu Su gradually let her guard down. The dry red wine was excellent, the new dishes were delicious, and the CEO across from her only chatted about harmless industry gossip. The atmosphere was pleasant, and Xu Su’s cheeks flushed she was getting a little tipsy.

Zhou Qiwei, dressed in a white collarless blouse paired with a silver-gray long skirt, sat opposite her, resting her chin on her hand as she sipped her wine, her eyes and brows already showing slight intoxication. Xu Su had spent years in the PR industry and had met countless celebrities, but few had the unique presence Zhou Qiwei possessed.

She had only heard of CEO Zhou’s formidable reputation before, but up close, she gave off a strange mix of toughness and softness nothing like the monstrous image rumors painted. Sensing Xu Su’s gaze, Zhou Qiwei looked over. Xu Su tried to avert her eyes but was too late. She offered an awkward smile, but Zhou Qiwei suddenly asked, “Has Song Haoyin been busy lately?”

Xu Su instinctively replied, “Not really.” Then she immediately shut her mouth damn, wrong answer.

The atmosphere turned awkward, but Zhou Qiwei didn’t seem to mind. She dismissed the waiter, walked over to pour Xu Su another glass of wine, and sat beside her with a smile before asking again, “So, last night’s interview being bumped wasn’t the first time this happened. How strange, why didn’t I know about it?”

“……”

Xu Su looked miserable. No matter how careful she had been, she had still fallen into a trap. She stammered, trying to evade the question, but as Zhou Qiwei’s expression grew colder, she finally gave in.

After all, she just wanted to work and live peacefully,she wasn’t about to gamble her future on the temper of this notoriously powerful Alpha. In the end, she told the truth. “Miss Song said that not every studio matter needs to be reported to you.”

“The studio is just a small project under Magic Cube’s investments. Miss Song is grateful for your help but doesn’t want to trouble you too much. She believes she can handle these things herself.” Seeing Zhou Qiwei’s inscrutable expression, Xu Su added, “Mainly, now that Mr. Zuo from Top Advantage has surrendered his shares, the rest should be resolved within the industry. It wouldn’t be appropriate to ask for your help with everything.”

Zhou Qiwei remained silent. The alcohol Xu Su had consumed now turned into cold sweat. She couldn’t tell how long the silence lasted it felt agonizingly drawn out but finally, Zhou Qiwei spoke.

“I brought you into Miss Song’s studio to leverage your professional skills in her service. You answer to her that’s correct. But,” Zhou Qiwei clasped her hands, fingertips pressed to her chin, and told Xu Su, “there are priorities. I take Miss Song’s matters very seriously. If you believe something is too difficult for her to resolve in the short term and that I should know about it, then”

Xu Su immediately provided the perfect answer: “Then I’ll improve communication with you. Ah, speaking of which, there’s something today you might find interesting. Su Ye visited the studio Miss Song’s former agent.”

“I know. What does she want?”

“She is currently the talent director at a brokerage firm under Top Advantage, and today she brought a contract to discuss the upcoming new film with Miss Song. During the filming of that movie, Top Advantage’s subsidiary had a stake in it. Moreover, when Mr. Zuo relinquished his shares in the studio, Miss Song also wanted to buy back Su Ye’s shares, but the lawyer said she refused.”

“After the incident yesterday, I conducted an investigation. The person who replaced Miss Song’s interview is a well-known scholar with recent popularity. This individual was likely invited by Su Ye through Top Advantage Group’s channels. From my perspective, this is no longer just an attack it’s purely meant to provoke us. I suspect this is Su Ye’s personal vendetta.”

“But she came with legal documents demanding involvement in the film’s distribution. That’s definitely not a personal act otherwise, Top Advantage would have stopped her.” Zhou Qiwei muttered to herself, sighing with a wry smile. “I underestimated the situation. Being in the same industry, they have countless ways to make life difficult for Song Haoyin.”

“However, Miss Song also said that ultimately, it all comes down to acting skills and box office performance.” Xu Su cautiously added, “Personally, I don’t entirely agree with this mindset. Miss Song was overly protected by her mother in the past. She knows how to use tactics against rivals, but she refuses to stoop to that level.”

“But that kind of personality isn’t off-putting, is it?” Zhou Qiwei’s tone was light, as if she found the thought amusing. If Song Haoyin were the type to resort to underhanded methods, sweet-talking while scheming behind the scenes, Zhou wouldn’t be sitting here, trying to piece together what happened.

“Don’t tell her about our conversation.”

Zhou Qiwei snapped her fingers, and a waiter reappeared, placing an elegantly packaged, elongated item in front of Xu Su. “Dorothy Reserve Dry Red. You seemed to enjoy tonight’s wine keep it.”

“Miss Xu, remember this: Song Haoyin is too focused on her work to deal with these distractions. That’s why I brought you in to handle things for her. That’s why you’re the indispensable part of the studio.”

St. Karl Hospital

The private hospital room smelled of alcohol!

Song Ange, how dare you! Song Haoyin stormed in, only to find her sister not secretly drinking but deeply inhaling the scent from a small vial with a blissful expression.

On the coffee table lay over a dozen opaque metal containers. Song Haoyin picked one up and saw tiny laser-etched text: “This product has passed animal and human trials internal volunteer use only.”

“It was sent by Senior Zhou, the latest batch of synthetic universal pheromones from the institute. Ah the scent is amazing.” Song Ange looked intoxicated. The quality of these synthetic pheromones far surpassed what the hospital provided.

Song Haoyin gently tapped her shoulder. “Stop sniffing and put them away. By the way, the doctor said you can be discharged next month. How about keeping your leave of absence for now and recuperating at home for a year?”

“No need!”

Song Ange looked spirited as she proudly pointed at a stack of printed materials on the table. “Senior Qiwei gave me all of these cutting-edge research. It’s summer break now. If I study hard these two months and with her tutoring, I’ll catch up by next semester!”

“Senior? You really trust her. Is she well-known in this field?”

Song Ange looked at her sister in surprise: “She’s not just well-known in the field of bio-pheromone research among the top three most cited papers in this field, aside from the founding pioneer, the other two are hers. There’s even a story about her: her master’s thesis was so groundbreaking that the review committee allowed her to directly earn doctoral credits and awarded her a Ph.D.”

It sounded almost fantastical, and given Zhou Qiwei’s current persona, Song Haoyin found it hard to imagine. “She doesn’t seem like a scholar at all.”

From any angle, the Zhou Qiwei of today was a successful businesswoman a far cry from the “scholar” in Haoyin’s mind.

“Monetizing research is important too,” Ange explained knowingly. “Niche research projects struggle to secure funding. If you can commercialize it, you attract investment, expand influence, and make it easier to apply for grants and awards.”

“Past research on bio-pheromones focused heavily on gland functions, and for managing estrus cycles, the emphasis was on inhibitors and expanding their use. Senior’s approach was different.she abandoned traditional inhibitors and developed synthetic pheromones. For those without highly compatible partners during estrus, it’s a gentler solution.”

“People like me with pheromone disorders, or those with mild pheromone incompatibility, can use synthetic pheromones for gradual treatment.”

Haoyin mused, “So her research built on predecessors’ work and pioneered a new direction for treating pheromone-related conditions and everyday use?”

Exactly. Ange nodded and added that in the last two or three years, Zhou Qiwei had published little and remained quiet in academia. Being a businesswoman was more complicated synthetic pheromones sounded straightforward, but the field was fraught with taboos, and laws around it kept shifting. In short, entrepreneurship might be even more taxing than scholarship.

Since her hospitalization, Ange had been treated with synthetic pheromones more expensive but far more effective for her disorder. Watching her sister, now vibrant and ready to return to normal life, Haoyin thought of Zhou Qiwei last night.

Having her interview slot taken wasn’t something Haoyin could easily brush off. Though her situation had improved after “making peace” with Dingyi, many things still didn’t go smoothly. She had wanted to talk to Zhou Qiwei about it, but after Zhou asked whether Ange had ever argued with her, Haoyin changed her mind.

Zhou Qiwei was drunk. Haoyin took her back to the research institute’s office, but the moment she turned around, Zhou had wandered to the window, sitting alone in the stark moonlight, her hunched figure looking painfully frail. On impulse, Haoyin couldn’t bring herself to leave. Instead, she sat beside her.

Gradually, Zhou’s stiff body relaxed, and she leaned into Haoyin’s arms. They didn’t speak just stayed like that, holding each other through the night.

Drunk Zhou Qiwei was surprisingly docile. Song Haoyin gently pinched her ears and ruffled her hair without waking her. Her hair was soft and fluffy, truly delightful to touch, When the sleeping Zhou let out a faint murmur, Song hastily withdrew her hand, suddenly realizing what she’d done.

This behavior was too tender, too intimate something that shouldn’t exist between them beyond heat cycles and pheromone exchanges.

Her sister was lost in thought. Song Ange, flipping through the latest research papers, wisely refrained from disturbing her. Zhou Qiwei had previously told her that she and Song Haoyin were business partners who also happened to be friends. The words sounded sincere enough, but judging by the small vial before her and the cutting-edge research report at hand, this didn’t seem like how one treated a partner’s younger sister.

As for her sister’s attitude toward Zhou Qiwei, it was equally peculiar. Not quite how one treated a mere business partner, lacking that formality; nor like an ordinary friend, since Song Haoyin had few close friends, and Ange knew Zhou definitely wasn’t one of them.

Ah, the relationships among adults were truly complicated and baffling.

At the entrance of St. Karl Hospital’s inpatient department, Zhou Qiwei and Su Ye found themselves staring at each other in mutual surprise. As if the coincidence wasn’t enough, while they were still sizing each other up with their eyes, the person they both knew appeared on the scene.

Song Haoyin looked down in astonishment at the two women below, who in turn stared back at her. Three pairs of eyes exchanged glances, each trying to decipher the current situation.

Three people present. Two thinking the same curse: What the hell is she doing here?

Support The Fallen Film Queen’s Possessive Alpha