The Fallen Film Queen’s Possessive Alpha - Chapter 36

Luocheng and the capital city are only three hundred kilometers apart. Between the two lies a tranquil cemetery, originally owned by the education department, where most of those buried were from academic circles.

Zhou Qiwei’s grandmother was also laid to rest here.

Three days after the celebration banquet, Zhou Qiwei visited the cemetery alone. it was the anniversary of her grandmother’s passing. By tradition, this day belonged solely to Zhou Qiwei; other relatives would come before or after. Though whether they actually did, Zhou Qiwei had never paid much attention.

She meticulously wiped the tombstone clean, cleared away the small weeds around it, and carefully arranged the flowers she had brought before leaning against the grave.

“I’ve been doing well lately.”

Resting against the tombstone, just like when she was little and would complain to her grandmother about her classmates being foolish, Zhou Qiwei poured out her troubles: “I’ve fallen for someone, Grandma. But this relationship was forced. even though she hasn’t shown any resentment, I still feel like I took advantage of her.”

“She’s a good person not just in trivial ways. She’s resilient, with the determination to burn her bridges, but far more emotionally stable than I am. She has excellent judgment, never regrets her decisions, and never complains. All her friends adore her, and she’s not the type to interfere in others’ choices.

Of course, her pheromones are wonderful too so comforting and captivating. Taking advantage of someone like that makes me feel like a scumbag.”

“And there’s so much I haven’t told her, but I don’t know how to bring it up. Like how I first got involved with her to treat my condition… How could I possibly say that now? It’s practically a relationship death sentence.”

“What scares me most is, what if she finds out and dumps me? And if she doesn’t, would it just be because of Ange,her sister’s illness? Or because we’re working together, and she’d just go along with it until we end up hating each other Grandma, what should I do?”

So frustrating. Yet love was still incredibly beautiful. Just thinking of the time spent with Song Haoyin made all her worries vanish into thin air. Leaning against the tombstone, Zhou Qiwei frowned in deep thought if her grandmother were still here, what would she advise?

The old lady would probably say, “Go ask your mother or sister!” She always seized every opportunity to push Zhou Qiwei toward reconnecting with them. But for problems that couldn’t be solved by them, her grandmother would have found another way, which naturally meant

Zhou Qiwei bowed to the tombstone a few times, thanking her grandmother for the inspiration. She knew exactly who to turn to now!

Du Xin rarely experienced such blissful moods. She was known for her composure and restraint, never stepping out of line. Even she hadn’t expected love to change her so profoundly. Xuan Tinglu, clinging to her affectionately, had accompanied her home, leading to an extraordinarily wonderful night. They had talked for hours, and Du Xin had glimpsed another side of Xuan Tinglu beneath her lively, carefree exterior.

The happiness from these tender, mundane moments had lasted three full days, and judging by the dopamine still coursing through her, it showed no signs of stopping. The proof was the unconscious smile reflected in her coffee cup.

“Hey, stop grinning we’re discussing serious matters here!”

Zhou Qiwei sat behind her desk, waving a file folder to assert her presence. She had returned to the company not just to discuss the restructuring with Du Xin, but also to ask some personal questions. Though Du Xin had been smiling throughout their conversation, clearly in a lovestruck maiden mode Zhou Qiwei thought this meant she might be able to help resolve her doubts.

After all, Du Xin probably had more experience in such matters than she did. Probably. Flipping through the documents in her hand, Zhou Qiwei said, “The audit is complete, and I’ve reviewed and approved the report. The due diligence will still take some time. Xuan Tinglu has been working overtime lately, but I haven’t rushed her it’s not an easy job.”

“I know, I haven’t piled more on her either,” Du Xin quickly defended Xuan Tinglu. “Besides the due diligence, she’s also looking into the supply and sales chains. She said she’d send you the investigation report by this afternoon at the latest. Some of the sales chains, though not directly supplied by us, might have issues.”

“That’s fine. As long as we’re clean ourselves, it’s manageable. Once the report comes in, I’ll go talk to Zhou Zhao.”

“I thought ” Du Xin was genuinely surprised now. “I really thought you’d never speak to her again in this lifetime.”

“If Song Haoyin can peacefully coexist with Ding Yi, then me talking to Zhou Zhao shouldn’t be a big deal. Besides, the young mistress is in charge of this matter. If we want to minimize trouble, communicating with her first is the best approach.”

“You really have ” Du Xin hadn’t expected her to say that and couldn’t help but sigh. “Dating Haoyin has made you a lot more mature.”

People always have to reflect on themselves and work on their flaws. Zhou Qiwei shrugged and picked up another stack of documents, continuing the discussion about the restructuring. “Once all this is done, we’ll convene a shareholders’ meeting. Aside from the three of us, the others shouldn’t oppose it, right?”

The major shareholder of Magic Cube Industries was, of course, Zhou Qiwei. Together with Du Xin and Xuan Tinglu, the three of them could exercise full control over the company. The remaining shareholders consisted of one public welfare organization the National ABO Labor Rights Protection Association and two research institutions: the Luocheng Seventh University Bioinformatics Research Institute and the National Pheromone Research Institute.

These three parties rarely interfered with operations, focusing mainly on research, and their shares wouldn’t affect voting outcomes. However, if they raised objections and stirred up public opinion, Zhou Qiwei would still find it a headache. It was better to clarify things in advance to avoid trouble.

“I plan to host a luncheon and invite representatives from all three parties to discuss and exchange opinions. But the timing isn’t set yet I’ll work around your schedule.”

“Before the 16th. After the 17th, I’ll be attending the Pheromone Conference and need to leave early.” Suddenly, Zhou Qiwei remembered something. “Also, I recall the Labor Association is preparing some kind of fund? A special project for Betas. We should contribute to that.”

Du Xin nodded in understanding.

“Don’t leave yet there’s something I’d like to ask you.” With business concluded, Zhou Qiwei stopped Du Xin. “It’s like this, I have a friend, and she”

“You have a friend?” Du Xin was shocked and immediately sat back down, concerned. “Which friend of yours don’t we know? Just say it outright.”

Du Xin’s reaction was akin to a parent discovering their child had made dubious friends outside their usual circle because Zhou Qiwei’s social circle was extremely limited. Du Xin was one, Xuan Tinglu was another, Qu Yuanzhi counted as one, and Ji Xubai could also be considered one. So, what “friend” could she possibly have that Du Xin didn’t know?

“Oh well, anyway, it’s about my friend, she’s in a relationship now.”

“Oh?” The glare from Deputy Director Du’s gold-rimmed glasses made Zhou Qiwei flinch slightly. Propping her chin on both hands, Du already understood perfectly: “Alright then, tell me, what little romantic troubles is your ‘friend’ experiencing?”

“It’s like this she’s now with a girl she really likes. But their relationship had a rocky start. My friend might have taken advantage of a vulnerable moment, and she’s worried whether the other person.”

Du Xin maintained a deadpan expression. What was this sickly sweet stench of romance? Zhou Qiwei had always been emotionally detached except toward her aunt, her grandmother, and a few close friends. Yet now she’d actually grown up, fretting over her girlfriend’s feelings and getting all insecure about Song Haoyin’s attitude.

From Du’s perspective, however, Miss Song’s emotions were probably even more intense than Zhou’s. That night at the lounge, while Zhou might not have noticed, Song had been watching her the entire time with nothing but tender amusement in her eyes.

This clever idiot finally had her comeuppance. Over the years, Zhou Qiwei had done as she pleased even disappearing without a word to close friends like Du, at worst not even leaving an address. Now someone had finally tamed her. Truly, every bully meets their match.

“Du Xin, Deputy Director Du, CEO Du, Auntie?”

Seeing Zhou even dredging up childhood nicknames, Du hastily stopped her before things got worse.

Looking Zhou straight in the eye, Du said seriously: “Tell your ‘friend’ that communication is the most important thing in a relationship. And I don’t mean oh pardon me I don’t mean your ‘friend’ should spout cheesy lines to her girlfriend all day. They should seriously discuss their views on the world, life, and family.”

“Share meals when free, talk about each other’s work, watch movies together. Dates are perfect opportunities. As for other secrets if they’ve reached a deep enough stage in the relationship, some things need to be confessed sooner rather than later. Nobody likes being kept in the dark, right?”

Zhou nodded silently, resembling a drenched chicken battered by cold rain rarely seen so dejected. Du could only console her: “Your ‘friend’s’ girlfriend likes her very much. She should have more confidence in herself.”

“Really?” Zhou asked skeptically.

Du nodded emphatically.

Meanwhile, Song Haoyin sat in the Ferris Wheel Productions conference room for the company’s first board meeting since its founding. Chaired by Managing Director Zuo Yang, with Zuo Wangong attending, the board table also hosted Qu Yuanzhi, Ji Xubai, and Ms. Li You from Rocky Culture.

“Since Miss Elden resides overseas long-term, I’ve obtained authorization from Miss Leliana to represent her at board meetings and fulfill all duties according to her wishes,” Ji Xubai informed the attendees after circulating the power of attorney, Elden had already returned home.

“The primary agenda items are December’s Luocheng Film Festival and next year’s investment direction,” Zuo Yang said as assistants distributed documents, thinking to himself how unusually smooth this meeting was proceeding.

Having witnessed too many resource-grabbing power struggles at Dingyi’s meetings, the Ferris Wheel meetings were much easier at least for now. The relationships between the directors were straightforward. Ji Xubai represented Lady Elden, and it was clear that the lady had no intention of breaking ties with Zhou Qiwei, so she naturally supported Song Haoyin in the boardroom.

Song Haoyin’s current focus was the Luocheng Film Festival, while Qu Yuanzhi’s attendance at the board meeting was merely part of her mother, Qu Jinghan’s, desensitization training to familiarize her with company operations without resistance. Qu Yuanzhi was also most concerned about the Luocheng Film Festival.

The two most likely to oppose were Third Uncle Zuo Wanggong, who was still preoccupied with Dingyi, and Li You, who hadn’t yet recovered from his failures and was in no mood to stir up trouble.

Being the general manager was almost too easy just focus on doing the work well and finally not having to deal with all that messy drama.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. After the meeting, Zuo Yang mustered the courage to invite Song Haoyin for a deeper discussion about the Luocheng Film Festival. Just as he was about to speak, the secretary rushed in with news: Mr. Zuo Wangxun had arrived.

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