The Scummy Alpha Who Transmigrated Into a Book Was Tricked by the Actress Omega - Chapter 14

“That was a fantastic performance! Great job, Zuilan and Yueli. Take a break now and have some lunch. We’ll resume in half an hour to shoot the scene at Ningding Peak,” the director said, wiping sweat from his brow with a smile. As he instinctively urged the crew to get ready and motioned for the two actors to rest, his eyes suddenly caught sight of Yan Xunzhen standing in the corner. “You two go ahead and Zuilan, CEO Yan is here to see you! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? She’s been waiting alone for so long!”

A crew member handed Du Zuilan a towel to wipe the dust off her face. She took it politely but declined the offer for help, handling it herself.

Her current state could only be described as disheveled. Holding the warm towel, she froze for a moment. “Yan! Yan Xunzhen?”

The director exclaimed, “CEO Yan, you’re here!”

Yan Xunzhen approached from a distance.

Her demeanor was impeccable, she nodded at the director who greeted her before turning her gaze to Du Zuilan. Unbeknownst to herself, her eyes carried a hint of concern and worry.

Du Zuilan held the warm towel against her cheek, unmoving.

Seeing her like this, Yan Xunzhen instinctively leaned in slightly closer, her expression gentle, almost endearingly so. The sincerity in her demeanor made her seem like a large, affectionate dog, impossible to distrust.

“You’ve worked hard. Are you feeling alright? Do you need to rest?” she asked.

Du Zuilan tightened her grip on the towel and shook her head.

Yan Xunzhen was becoming more and more unfathomable to her.

She didn’t understand.

If the earlier Yan Xunzhen had been simply foolish and malicious, her petty schemes laid bare before Du Zuilan, the current Yan Xunzhen was like a flawless gem, beautiful and perfect from every angle.

Even after Du Zuilan had played what she thought was a strategic move, one that could advance or retreat as needed she never expected Yan Xunzhen’s reaction after believing she had “temporarily marked” her.

There was no gloating, no sudden reversion to her old self, nor any tearful, exaggerated pleas for forgiveness.

Instead, she stood there quietly, watching Du Zuilan finish her scene.

Thinking of this, Du Zuilan lowered her eyes. “I’m fine, thank you.”

With the director present and so many people watching, Gu Yue Li could only glare at Yan Xunzhen, unable to intervene and chase away the “scumbag alpha pretending to be nice.” She fumed silently.

The director continued, “Go ahead and rest. The afternoon shoot isn’t urgent CEO Yan, we’ll wait for Zuilan to return before resuming. Hahaha.”

Before Yan Xunzhen could respond, she noticed Gu Yue Li’s murderous expression and cleared her throat awkwardly. “Alright, thank you.”

She followed Du Zuilan, Gu Yueli, and their assistants to the makeup room. The moment the door closed, Gu Yue Li, like a firecracker about to explode, opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped by Du Zuilan. Frustrated, she stormed off alone.

The makeup room was now quiet, occupied only by the makeup artist gently removing Du Zuilan’s makeup, her assistant, and Yan Xunzhen.

Du Zuilan had deliberately applied a dirty makeup look, and when she removed it, only her pale little face was revealed, her lips lacking any color.

Yan Xunzhen hesitated for a moment before placing the candy she had been holding onto the table, offering a faint smile. “Did you have breakfast today?”

“Mhm.”

Du Zuilan responded like a programmed robot, closing her eyes quietly after her preset reply, waiting for the makeup removal.

The room fell back into silence.

Yan Xunzhen didn’t take her demeanor as coldness, she was just glad Du Zuilan could respond to her normally and politely. So she continued, “Would you like to go out for lunch together later? On the way here, I noticed quite a few good restaurants nearby.”

Du Zuilan’s attitude wasn’t stiff, but it wasn’t warm either. She simply replied obediently, “Sorry, I have another scene to shoot in half an hour. I don’t want to delay everyone’s progress.”

Yan Xunzhen paused for a second before saying, “My apologies, I forgot about that.”

The assistant nearby felt slightly awkward, a forced smile on her face as she checked the time and said to the two, “Du-jie, I’ll go grab lunch now.”

Yan Xunzhen interjected, “Could you get me a portion as well?”

Both the assistant and Du Zuilan were taken aback.

Goodness, this was the CEO of Junyan Entertainment, the one and only Yan Xunzhen, the young mistress who, if she dared to claim second place, no one would dare claim first. Though she had been acting quite mild-mannered lately, in people’s minds, she was still that indulgent, extravagant playgirl. Who would have thought she’d willingly squat in this cramped dressing room and eat the shoddiest boxed meal from the crew?

Du Zuilan’s makeup was only half removed, but she couldn’t help glancing up at Yan Xunzhen. The movement caused some makeup remover to seep into her eyes, making her blink rapidly, her eyes turning slightly red.

It stung a little, but more than that, it felt surreal so surreal that she doubted its reality.

The assistant quickly replied, “Of course, of course! The crew’s lunch is about to arrive at the entrance. I’ll go get it for you.”

Yan Xunzhen nodded. “Thank you.”

For the afternoon scene, Du Zuilan was still wearing the same coarse outfit, so she didn’t need to change, just tidy up her face to look plain and ordinary.

The makeup artist gathered the strands of hair by her cheeks with a simple wooden hairpin, securing them behind her ears before hastily excusing herself.

The assistant brought the boxed meals over to them. Like in any production crew, the food was mediocre at best steaming with a heavy greasy aroma. The braised eggplant and stir-fried potato strips inside looked wilted, and the only meat dish was a few greasy, deep-fried chunks of meat, pitifully sparse.

Du Zuilan had to watch her diet for filming, so she didn’t dare touch the meat. She only nibbled slowly at the potato strips, which were starchy enough that she couldn’t even eat the rice afterward.

Yan Xunzhen, having been raised with strict table manners at home, ate elegantly without making a sound.

Of course, she wasn’t here for the crew’s subpar meal. It was just that after learning that an omega who had been temporarily marked might experience various physical discomforts, she couldn’t help but worry about Du Zuilan. She wanted to ease her discomfort, and she nearly blurted out that eating so little wasn’t good for her.

But she held back, silently making a mental note to ask the assistant to improve Du Zuilan’s meals.

Du Zuilan’s appetite was as small as a kitten’s. The way she set down her chopsticks and her delicate movements were like soft paws landing gently. Her lowered lashes obscured her expression as she murmured, “I’m done eating. I’ll head to the filming crew first. Thank you.”

Yan Xunzhen pressed her lips together. There was more she wanted to say, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, her expression tinged with hesitation.

“Take care.”

With a soft click, the door closed behind Du Zuilan.

An assistant came in to tidy up a few things but was stopped by Yan Xunzhen.

“How has Du Zuilan been these past couple of days?”

The assistant paused briefly before quickly responding, “Du-jie has been incredibly professional. She arrives on set early every day, constantly rehearsing lines and studying the script. She’s always learning oh, and she’s also been in talks for a new project, a female-led film. If things go well, she might land the lead role.”

Yan Xunzhen nodded. “Mm. Anything else?”

“She also has a variety show coming up, two episodes to promote this drama.” After hurriedly summarizing the work schedule, the assistant shifted the topic. “It’s just, Du-jie seems to have nowhere to stay.”

“Nowhere to stay?”

Yan Xunzhen frowned. “Explain.”

“Du-jie has been paying out of pocket to stay at a budget inn. For some reason, she doesn’t seem to own a place, and since this is a film studio area, all the decent hotels nearby are fully booked. The conditions where she’s staying are really bad.”

The assistant carefully pulled up photos on her phone. Sure enough, the room in the picture was cramped and shabby, if it weren’t for its location near the studio, the place would’ve likely gone out of business long ago. And Du Zuilan was staying there alone.

The assistant wasn’t finished yet. “Also, as you mentioned before, you asked me to keep an eye out for any suspicious figures. I’ve been watching closely these past few days, and there really have been shady people lurking around the set. I think Du-jie might be in some danger.”

Yan Xunzhen rubbed her temples.

But, would Du Zuilan even agree to move in with her temporarily?

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