The Scummy Alpha Who Transmigrated Into a Book Was Tricked by the Actress Omega - Chapter 33

“President Yan, we’ve arranged a fully-equipped suite for you here. Please rest for now. I’ll make sure to send the documents you requested to your email by tonight. Thank you for your hard work.” The manager spoke while backing out of the room, inwardly groaning in frustration.

At the desk in the luxurious presidential suite, a woman with raven-black hair and crimson lips gently massaged her temples. Her slender fingers toyed with a fountain pen as she annotated a dense pile of intimidating documents.

Her expression was serious, her beauty striking, yet an inexplicable aura of low pressure surrounded her, captivating yet intimidating so much so that one wouldn’t dare breathe too loudly.

This was Yan Xunzhen.

This formidable figure had once been indifferent to worldly affairs, but now she seemed to care about everything family matters, national affairs, even global issues. For a while, things had seemed better. Colleagues back home had mentioned that she would leave work on time to pick up, a minor celebrity? But now, abroad, she had already scheduled work days in advance, keeping everyone so busy their feet barely touched the ground.

Casually, Yan Xunzhen removed the glasses perched on her nose and set them aside, rubbing the space between her brows before giving a faint hum of acknowledgment.

She said, “Alright, thank you for your hard work.”

“Not at all, not at all!” If only you could return to a normal work pace.

The manager, grumbling internally, closed the door for Yan Xunzhen. Just before leaving, however, she heard the rare sound of a notification from Yan Xunzhen’s phone.

Yan Xunzhen had intended to continue reviewing the documents, but upon hearing the notification, she hesitated for a moment.

Opening her phone, she saw that the message was from Du Zuilan.

Her eyes flickered slightly, but her fingers moved faster than her mind, tapping into the message.

The content was simple, almost too simple. Just two words:

[Sister]

Nothing else. There was no indication on WeChat whether Du Zuilan was online, nor did the name in the input box change to “typing.” Yan Xunzhen’s fountain pen hovered mid-air, uncertain whether to lift or lower it.

After a long silence with no follow-up, Yan Xunzhen finally set the pen down.

After another moment of hesitation, she decided to reply: [I’m here. What’s wrong?]

Yet, after sending those few messages, there was no response as if they had sunk into the sea.

Abruptly, Yan Xunzhen stood up.

First, she called Li Ma at home.

There was a time difference between the countries. After several hours on the plane, dawn was breaking here, while it was around 9 PM in Hualing. If Li Ma noticed Du Zuilan hadn’t returned by now, something was likely wrong.

After all, Yan Xunzhen had originally planned to pick Du Zuilan up in the early afternoon. Logically, Du Zuilan had no other engagements and should have been home long ago.

After a few rings, Li Ma’s voice came through the line.

The elderly woman’s hearing wasn’t the best, so she naturally spoke loudly: “Hello, Miss! Miss, I—”

Yan Xunzhen rarely interrupted others, but this time, she cut in: “Li Ma, is Zuilan home yet?”

Li Ma seemed to slap her thigh in sudden realization, exclaiming, “Oh, Miss! I was just about to tell you, it’s raining outside! Why is Miss Du so busy today? She still hasn’t come back!”

Faint thunder rumbled in the background of the call, along with the sound of wind rattling windows and the steady patter of rain, distorted slightly by the phone line.

Yan Xunzhen hurriedly acknowledged with a “Hmm” before saying, “I’ll hang up now, Li Ma. Could you prepare some ginger tea for her? In case she gets caught in the rain, it’ll help ward off the chill.”

Mother Li responded repeatedly, and Yan Xunzhen hung up the phone first.

The chair scraped against the floor, producing a loud, grating squeak.

She hesitated whether to ask the production team, then quickly changed her mind, scolding herself for being foolish. She switched to the WeChat chat interface with Du Zuilan, staring at the video call button. After another moment of hesitation, she finally pressed it.

Before the other person answered, she caught a glimpse of her own furrowed brows and deep, anxious eyes in the screen, an expression she hadn’t even realized she was wearing.

Just before the second video call would have automatically disconnected, the other side finally picked up.

There was the rustling sound of fabric shifting, and the camera briefly pointed at the glaring white fluorescent light on the ceiling before being adjusted. When it steadied, it focused on the medical records in Du Zuilan’s hands.

Du Zuilan set the records aside, lowered her head slightly, and tilted the screen upward. When she saw the person on the other end, she instinctively pressed her lips together, forcing a somewhat strained smile.

She had indeed been caught in the rain her hair was damp at the ends, leaving wet streaks on her dress. Her face was free of makeup, pure and fresh like a lotus emerging from clear water.

The hospital she was in was nothing like the bustling Huailing First People’s Hospital. There were hardly any people around, and the conditions were far from ideal. The patchy, uneven old wall behind her spoke volumes about the place.

Yan Xunzhen’s voice sounded hoarse: “Are you okay? Where are you?”

“I…”

“Can I borrow some money from you?” Du Zuilan lowered her gaze, her usually sweet and melodious voice inexplicably rough as she avoided Yan Xunzhen’s eyes. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

Instead of answering Yan Xunzhen’s question directly, Du Zuilan posed one of her own.

“I’ve already told my manager, I’ll go on the variety show. It’s fine if I don’t act for a while. I’ll hurry and—”

“No.”

Yan Xunzhen cut her off decisively.

Perhaps her tone was too firm, starkly different from how she usually spoke to Du Zuilan, and the refusal came across too blunt.

Du Zuilan looked like a kitten drenched in rain, her clear eyes holding a faint, forced smile as she paused. “Then, I’ll think of another way.”

Yan Xunzhen had already mentally listed a few names. Her beautiful eyes softened slightly, making her appear exceptionally gentle as she spoke softly, “What I mean is, don’t give up what you want for these things. Don’t force yourself to go on the show, and don’t worry about paying me back.”

In fact, you don’t even have to pay me back at all, I’m more worried you won’t accept it.

Du Zuilan’s eyes were misty, glistening slightly as she gave a quiet laugh. “Thank you.”

Yan Xunzhen shook her head before asking gently, “Can you tell me what happened now?”

“…”

Du Zuilan fell silent for a moment, taking nearly half a minute before she spoke.

“My younger sister was forcibly taken away by my father and stepmother. They lied to me, saying she was sick, to get money from me for her treatment.”

It was rare for Du Zuilan to lay bare her wounds especially ones so raw and deep, cutting straight to the heart. She blinked, trying to clear the haze from her vision, then seemed to snap back to reality, lifting a hand to wipe away the faint dampness.

“To stop my sister from leaving, my mother-in-law chased after her for a long time outside. Her already frail health took another hit when she fell, and now.”

Du Zuilan trailed off into silence, her lowered lashes veiling the thoughts swirling in her eyes.

But Yan Xunzhen could roughly guess that her mood wasn’t great, so she didn’t press further. Instead, she said, “Later, I’ll send you Dr. Song’s contact information. Let her help arrange things for your mother-in-law. She shouldn’t stay in this hospital.”

“Bring your sister home too?” Yan Xunzhen’s calm tone carried a reassuring strength. “There’s nothing we can’t get through. If Hualing’s medical care isn’t good enough, we’ll find another place. Aunt Li has made ginger tea for you. Go home tonight, have some, and get a good night’s sleep.”

Finally, Du Zuilan managed a faint, less forced smile. “Thank you.”

Yan Xunzhen then asked for her address and sent it to the family driver before feeling somewhat at ease. She urged Du Zuilan to head back soon and ended the video call.

Clutching her phone, Du Zuilan didn’t even realize her knuckles had turned white from the tension. Yet, the soothing effect of Yan Xunzhen’s call had already eased much of her stress, leaving her almost incredulous at how quickly she’d calmed down.

Her distant gaze lingered on the white hospital sheets until a little girl’s approach interrupted her thoughts.

“Sister, who were you talking to just now?” Du Yeqing rubbed her sleepy eyes children couldn’t stay up late and were already drowsy. “Sister!”

Du Zuilan pulled her into her arms, the usually ethereal beauty now exuding a touch of earthly warmth. At the mention of Yan Xunzhen, she paused briefly before carefully choosing her words.

“A very kind sister who’s been good to me.”

Du Yeqing thought for a moment. “Have I met this kind sister? I want to thank her too!”

Ruffling her sister’s hair, Du Zuilan smiled faintly, her tone light as she indulged the child. “No, you haven’t. Because she’s a superhero she might have come from very, very far away.”

“Then she’s Superhero Sister!”

Du Zuilan gently pinched her sister’s little cheeks.

Before long, the screech of a car braking pierced the quiet night.

Her mother-in-law was swiftly transferred to Hualing First People’s Hospital, where Dr. Song worked. Dr. Song streamlined the procedures for Du Zuilan to avoid drawing attention to the recently popular actress. Meanwhile, Du Zuilan brought her sister back to the estate.

“Oh, Miss Du!” The one thing Aunt Li couldn’t shake was her habit of addressing both Yan Xunzhen and Du Zuilan with excessive politeness. Seeing Du Zuilan looking somewhat disheveled, she couldn’t hide her concern. “Come in quickly and have some hot ginger tea, then take a warm bath.”

Aunt Li beamed. “Miss Du, is this your sister? What an adorable little one!”

Du Zuilan smiled softly. “Thank you, Aunt Li.”

Aunt Li waved her off. “No need for formalities, Miss Du. The young mistress was the one who told me to make the ginger tea. An old woman like me can’t do much else to help. I’ll prepare a room for the little one.”

Du Zuilan quickly stopped her. “No need to trouble yourself, Aunt Li. She can just sleep with me.”

“The young mistress would scold me for not treating you properly after all, you’re the lady of the house too.” Aunt Li’s heart swelled with joy. “She’s always thinking of you. I saw how she was when she left.”

Aunt Li had only spoken halfway when she heard the sizzling sound from the clay pot in the kitchen. With an “Oh no!”, she hurried off to the kitchen first.

Du Yeqing’s drowsy eyes widened, as if puzzled, and she asked, “Sister, what’s your relationship with Sister Superwoman?”

“Why are you also the lady of the house here?” Du Yeqing asked innocently. “Xiao Ying and the others said people like this are a couple? Sister, are they right?”

Support The Scummy Alpha Who Transmigrated Into a Book Was Tricked by the Actress Omega