The Heartless Alpha Just Wants to Follow the Plot - Chapter 56

During the subsequent filming sessions, the rest of the crew cast strange looks at Pu Ying and Su Mo. Some whispered about the nature of their relationship, though whenever a voice grew too loud, someone would quickly offer a warning.

“Don’t talk so loud. Pu Ying isn’t the only one here who has an unclarified scandal with Su Mo.”

“What? There are others?”

“In this studio? You’d have a harder time finding someone who hasn’t been linked to her.”

The girl: “!”

The girl who had first spoken covered her mouth, eyes wide. “Holy, that is spicy!”

The two huddled together, whispering and occasionally scanning the room with peculiar grins. Their expressions sent a shiver down the spines of those walking by, causing them to rub their arms.

“Strange. Why did it suddenly get so cold today?”

To the side, Su Mo was sipping warm water while listening to the director explain her upcoming scene. Since her role was minor, today’s work would conclude after just two more shots.

“This is the life,” she hummed softly, capping her thermos.

“Your life is certainly nice,” Pu Ying remarked.

But mine is a different story, she thought.

Su Mo looked up, puzzled. “Hmm? Have you run into a problem?”

It wasn’t often that something stumped Pu Ying. Su Mo leaned in, concerned. “What happened?”

“Let’s talk about it when we get back,” Pu Ying replied.

There were too many prying ears here. Some things had to be discussed in private; having even one extra person present carried a risk.

“Fair enough.”

Su Mo shrugged. It was time for her pickup shots. Once this was over, she wouldn’t have to be on set for the next three days. She could take a proper rest, which was the perk of playing a relatively minor character.

The shots were completed quickly. As Su Mo stood up to leave with Pu Ying, someone hurried over to stop her. “Su Mo, wait!”

Wrapped in her coat and holding her thermos, Su Mo turned back in confusion. “Si Yu?”

Si Yu stopped in front of her, panting slightly. She was holding a bag that she had kept with her at the studio ever since she heard Su Mo had joined the cast, waiting for the right moment to return it. Inside was the jacket Su Mo had lent her months ago.

“I’ve washed it,” Si Yu said.

She handed the bag to Su Mo, her gaze gentle yet noticeably distant. Now that she had made her choice, she couldn’t allow things to continue as they were.

That jacket and the inhibitors had been their beginning. At first, she had viewed it as a stroke of luck, the start of a romance. But after careful reflection, she realized she cared more about her family and her lineage than her own desires; this affection was destined to have no future.

Furthermore, Su Mo already had someone watching over her. Si Yu couldn’t afford to leave herself any lingering hopes. Over the past few months, whenever she found herself reminiscing, she would take the jacket out, look at it, and then wash it before tucking it away again.

Now, it was finally time for it to return to its rightful owner. Much like this unrequited feeling the other party never even knew existed, it was time for a swift conclusion brought about by her own withdrawal.

Su Mo took the bag and opened it, the memory from months ago resurfacing. She smiled. “You still remembered? I was going to say don’t worry about it it’s just a jacket.”

“No. If you borrow something, you return it. That’s just how it is,” Si Yu replied with a smile.

Staying as friends like this was enough for her. This was the boundary she had drawn for herself.

Su Mo didn’t read too much into it. She nodded. “Well, thank you for washing it. I’ll head out now.”

Si Yu waved. “I should be the one thanking you. Get home safely.”

Su Mo nodded and turned to follow Pu Ying.

Once they had boarded the aircraft and departed, Si Yu’s manager, Liu Jiang, stepped out from behind her. Seeing Si Yu’s calm expression, she asked, “Have you let go?”

“Yes.”

Si Yu looked at her hands. By returning that jacket, she had severed her last tie to Su Mo. There wouldn’t be many chances for them to meet privately in the future.

However, she no longer cared.

Si Yu flashed a look of genuine relief. “Maybe I did have fantasies once. After all, who wouldn’t fall for a hero who steps up to save them?”

“A hero is a hero because they don’t just save one person,” Liu Jiang noted.

“True,” Si Yu agreed. That was exactly why she was a hero.

In the aircraft, Pu Ying watched as Su Mo casually tossed the bag onto the seat. “She still remembered that? I thought she’d forgotten.”

“I thought so too,” Su Mo replied. Not wanting to dwell on it, she shifted the topic. “You mentioned having a problem earlier. What is it?”

Pu Ying pursed her lips. “Tan Ya. That kid has a real head for business. She’s been reading up on finance lately. Because she’s a quick study, she told Jiang Xi she wants to try some real-world practice and hopes you’ll agree.”

It was easy for a child to fall into traps in the financial world and lose everything. A first-timer needed a mentor. Tan Ya’s first thought had been Su Mo.

However.

“She wants you to play the market with her. But given your current status, it wouldn’t be appropriate, even if you’re just operating through her.”

Pu Ying was diplomatically pointing out that Su Mo was a poor fit for the role mostly because Su Mo had notoriously bad luck and knew absolutely nothing about finance. To expect Su Mo to navigate the business world was like asking her to win a war by playing Candy Crush.

Su Mo: “…”

When it came to finance, Su Mo was indeed out of her depth.

Her expertise lay in acting; her only experience with the business world had been through scripts. Even then, audiences weren’t interested in the tedious logistics of corporate moguls drinking themselves into a stupor or boardroom battles, they wanted the love, hate, and dramatic vendettas of the leads.

Her knowledge of real business warfare was limited to the bizarre headlines she occasionally saw online: like a manager sneaking out under the cover of night to slash a rival’s tires, or another manager caught stealing and selling a competitor’s cardboard boxes for a few hundred thousand.

Those surreal news stories always left her in silence. It turned out that real business combat was incredibly “down-to-earth” everyone got their hands dirty doing things an ordinary person wouldn’t dream of.

“Don’t bring these things to me. I don’t have the time,” Su Mo said, her tone a polite deflection. “If you can, find a professional to mentor her. Who knows? She might actually have a talent for it in the future.”

Su Mo was subtly reminding Pu Ying to keep things professional. She didn’t want to ruffle the feathers of a future business tycoon protagonist; it was better to keep a low profile to avoid a mess they couldn’t clean up later.

“I understand. I’ll handle it,” Pu Ying replied.

When the aircraft landed, Su Mo stepped out, ready to head back to the hotel and rest. Pu Ying watched her retreating back and, after a moment’s hesitation, called out, “Aren’t you going to see her?”

Su Mo didn’t stop. She simply waved her hand. “I’m not her safe harbor.”

Pu Ying pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. Not a safe harbor?

Right. Su Mo wouldn’t be a permanent refuge for them. She was merely their temporary port of call.

At the sound of the doorbell, Tan Ya ran to the door and flung it open, her face lighting up. “Su—”

The joy vanished instantly when she saw who was standing there. “Why is it you? Where’s Sister Su? Didn’t she come?”

She poked her head out to scan the hallway, looking left and right, but the person she longed to see was nowhere to be found. She fell silent before turning a questioning glare toward Pu Ying. “Did you not tell her I wanted to see her?”

Ignoring the interrogation, Pu Ying shoved a bag of snacks into Tan Ya’s arms. Tan Ya looked ready to throw them on the floor, but Pu Ying spoke first in a flat tone: “Stop dreaming. Let’s go inside.”

The man accompanying Pu Ying stepped into the room. Over the past few days, the space had been filled with various items, some required by her tutors, others things Tan Ya had requested herself.

Aside from the occasional snack, Su Mo had left no trace of herself here.

Pu Ying could tell Su Mo had no intention of being a long-term nanny. She sat on the sofa, looking at the brooding Tan Ya. “Starting today, Kevin will be your financial mentor. He has deep insights into the world of business and the skills to back them up. Start learning from him; it will give you a real future.”

Tan Ya: “…”

Her claim that she wanted to learn finance was merely an excuse to see Su Mo; she didn’t actually expect Su Mo to teach her step-by-step. What Pu Ying was doing felt like a direct insult.

“Are you jealous of me?” Tan Ya’s face went cold. “I don’t need him. I only want Su Mo.”

At those blatant words, Pu Ying’s jaw tightened. “She isn’t something you can just ‘have’ because you want her, Tan Ya. Don’t be willful.”

“And don’t try to make me angry, Tan Ya.”

Tan Ya’s eyes were bloodshot. “I only want Su Mo. I don’t want anyone else.”

“Give me your light-brain. I want to see her.”

Ever since Su Mo had dropped by briefly that one time, she hadn’t returned. She hadn’t even bought snacks. Tan Ya knew the truth about the treats in her room; though Jiang Xi claimed Su Mo sent them, she knew they were actually from Pu Ying. Su Mo hadn’t even remembered her.

The thought that Su Mo wouldn’t come back to see her was unbearable. She saved me, she hired teachers for me, she gave me a place to live so why won’t she just come see me?

Even if one were just raising a pet, wouldn’t they spend a little time looking at it? Was she worth less than a pet?

Then there was the Omega next door—another star, one with a scandal with Su Mo that Su Mo never denied. Su Mo had even gone to see her personally.

Tan Ya was consumed by jealousy.

Maybe if I prove I’m useful to her, she’ll finally turn her gaze toward me?

That was why she had come up with the finance excuse. She wanted Su Mo to notice her, to see that she could be useful and help her with many things, if only Su Mo was willing.

Unfortunately, the one who showed up was still this woman.

Kevin tried to strike up a conversation, asking Tan Ta if she was truly interested in the field, how far she had studied, and if she had any questions he could answer.

But Tan Ya simply hung her head in dejection, refusing to speak a single word to him.

Kevin looked at Pu Ying, at a total loss. This child was impossible to talk to.