The Scummy Alpha Who Transmigrated Into a Book Was Tricked by the Actress Omega - Chapter 35

Du Zuilan paused for a moment, an inexplicable sense of dependence suddenly welling up in her heart like a little sparrow that had been flying and bustling outside finally catching sight of its nest back home.

She suppressed this thought, her expression calm and composed, though her gaze drifted elsewhere.

“But I’m not familiar with President Yan, so let’s forget it.” Gu Yue Yi seemed a little regretful but suddenly remembered that the person beside her wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with Yan Xunzhen. Her eyes lit up instantly, though she held back from voicing the question. “Then, how about we go check out the arts district first?”

Though she said this, a faint glimmer of hope still lingered in her eyes.

It was, after all, a setup by the production team for the two of them.

“Mm, okay.” Du Zuilan hesitated briefly before nodding lightly. She and Gu Yue Yi set down the map in their hands and followed the signs toward the scenic area.

The arts district was indeed brimming with creativity. Aside from the production crew members weaving through the crowd, locals made up the majority: an elderly man with a curled mustache splashing ink onto paper, a young man blowing up balloons while selling roses, a street performer with dreadlocks strumming a guitar.

When the two of them arrived, they happened to see the famous talk show host duo walking ahead of them, looking utterly disheveled as they sat on the roadside curb.

Upon spotting the two women, the talk show host whined like a child seeing family, “Don’t bother coming there’s no money to be made here.”

Du Zuilan and Gu Yueyi greeted them, then asked with surprise, “How come?”

The other member of the duo, a beta male and a seasoned actor with a knack for comedy and variety shows, chimed in dryly, “The market’s oversaturated. Unless I perform a stunt like smashing a boulder on my chest, I doubt we’ll earn a single cent.”

The talk show host gave him a thumbs-up and earnestly advised Du Zuilan, “Don’t compete with us for rocks.”

The two women couldn’t help but laugh.

With the streets packed shoulder-to-shoulder, Gu Yue Yi simply said, “Well, since we’re already here, let’s take a look around. Maybe we’ll stumble upon some business opportunity?”

“But what can we even do?” Gu Yue Yi picked up a small plush toy nearby, examining it for a while before exclaiming, eyes sparkling, “This is so cute!”

Gu Yue Yi was clearly here just to have fun, free of any mental burdens. Perhaps this was the persona the production team had assigned her, as she wandered around, exclaiming at everything.

Du Zuilan smiled gently, sensing something amiss but not voicing it immediately.

The production team naturally had their arrangements—on such a bustling commercial street, some shops were conspicuously empty, their owners sitting idly as if waiting. Something was definitely off.

Feigning nonchalance, she pointed to a nearby shop and suggested to Gu Yue Yi with a smile, “Shall we take a look over there?”

She chose not to seek out Yan Xunzhen.

Even though the production team’s plan undoubtedly included nudging her toward Yan Xunzhen otherwise, why would they place such a detailed, oversized map in such an obvious newsstand?

After all, every production team would jump at the chance to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the young heiress Yan and the recent attention-grabbing spectacle.

Truth be told, for a fleeting moment, she had indeed considered going to find her well-behaved little puppy.

However, upon second thought, she realized that first of all, Yan Xunzhen was on a business trip and must be very busy. Secondly, although the director’s rule was no restrictions—as long as they could make money—if she were to go straight to Yan Xunzhen so openly, she might end up being seen as a troublemaker, and stirring up unnecessary gossip wouldn’t be good.

Though, she really did miss her a little.

Yan Xunzhen finally set down the fountain pen in her hand.

The glasses perched on the bridge of her nose were casually removed. Worn for too long, even with a mild prescription, they had left a dull ache behind.

“I’ve reviewed the materials you submitted. The commercial valuation section is poorly done. I didn’t rent this prime real estate for you to idle away your days on the payroll.”

She stood up and slapped the stack of documents onto the table with a bit more force than necessary, clearly in a bad mood.

Among those present, apart from the team responsible for the project, there was also a local entertainment industry executive, who was now wiping sweat from his forehead and silently mouthing “we’re doomed” to the person beside him.

“If you do well, year-end bonuses and benefits will not be lacking.” Junyan was known for having the best employee perks in the industry, and she knew how to balance carrot and stick. “Work hard to revise the sections I’ve marked and get them back to me quickly. Let’s not drag this into overtime.”

The project lead hurried forward to retrieve the documents, then glanced back at the entertainment executive with a look of sympathy that screamed “good luck.”

The entertainment executive straightened up, cleared his throat, and spoke awkwardly, “President Yan, there’s one more thing I need to report today. A few days ago, Hualing Entertainment reached out to Junyan Entertainment about a variety show collaboration. They mentioned they might film some of our Rongguo branch’s interior during today’s shoot.”

“After assessing the potential impact, we determined this would be a positive and beneficial exposure for Junyan, and since it would only appear for a few minutes, I went ahead and approved it.” He swallowed hard. The matter itself wasn’t significant and likely wouldn’t cause any issues, but he was afraid of Yan Xunzhen’s reaction.

Yan Xunzhen’s fingers paused on the screen, tapping lightly. Her temper remained even; she didn’t interrupt, merely humming in acknowledgment to signal him to continue.

“So, it might get a bit noisy during the lunch break today. The show’s participants are coming in under the guise of food delivery for some filming. I’ll make sure they don’t come up to your floor, rest assured.”

Yan Xunzhen gave another “Mm,” rubbing her temples before asking offhandedly, “What’s the show called?”

“It’s a variety program called Wild Living. One of the guests is Ms. Du Zuilan.”

Yan Xunzhen froze.

Even if this was a calculated move by the production team to capitalize on the buzz, it was still a coincidence.

Whether it was the show’s scheming or her subordinates seizing an opportunity to curry favor, it was all trivial and inconsequential. What mattered was that after days of rare separation, she would finally get to see Du Zuilan again.

Almost instinctively, she took a step back, sending her chair spinning in place, abandoned.

Her heart soared, and longing burst into fireworks.

Loosening her collar unconsciously, she revealed a glimpse of her collarbone before asking, unable to help herself, “What’s the format of their show?”

The last time she had called Du Zuilan, the other woman hadn’t mentioned anything about joining this variety show, only saying that she might be busy with work soon. Thus, Yan Xunzhen knew nothing about this program.

Seeing her interest piqued, the person in charge visibly relaxed and quickly explained, “Miss Du will be staying in Rong Country for seven days without her phone. Each day, the crew will assign a different theme. Today is the first day, and the theme is for each participant to earn money. The person who earns the most will be the day’s winner and can stay at the accommodation arranged by the production team. The others will have to find their own places to stay.”

In Yan Xunzhen’s original world, there had been no variety shows like this. She couldn’t help but ask, “How are they supposed to find their own places? If they can’t, will they have to sleep on the streets?”

The person in charge was stumped by the question, thinking to themselves that they couldn’t possibly be that cruel. “ I’m not entirely sure either.”

Yan Xunzhen, a strong-willed woman of Hua Country, didn’t want Du Zuilan to lose.

She steadied herself with one hand on the chair and sat down. “It’s fine. They can come upstairs.”

The person in charge, delighted by the instruction, hurried off. The spacious office was left with only Yan Xunzhen inside.

She barely sat for two seconds before standing up again.

During the lunch break, the noise downstairs had already grown lively. From her high floor, she could see groups of people bustling about with cameras in tow.

Perhaps because the distance was too great, she couldn’t spot Du Zuilan among them. Restless, she began pacing around the office.

How were Du Zuilan’s mother-in-law and younger sister doing?

Why hadn’t she continued focusing on acting and instead joined this variety show? Did she not feel secure because of me?

Was Gu Yue Li right? Would Du Zuilan be disappointed in my lack of resolve?

Her thoughts were a tangled mess when a knock at the door interrupted her. Instinctively, she called out, “Come in.”

The door opened softly, and the footsteps of the person entering were nearly silent. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a delicate, soft figure.

Yan Xunzhen froze.

“Zuilan!”

Du Zuilan stood quietly, holding an exquisitely decorated lunchbox, a faint smile gracing her lips.

She raised a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.

Yan Xunzhen immediately fell silent.

Only after the cameraperson following Du Zuilan had set down the camera and left, leaving just the two of them in the office, did Yan Xunzhen allow herself to whisper excitedly, “What a coincidence.”

Du Zuilan burst into laughter.

She was wearing a light green dress today, her slender frame filling it out beautifully. The straps on her shoulders fluttered gently, giving her an air of gentle elegance mixed with a touch of adorable charm enough to make one want to pull her into an embrace and never let go.

She stepped closer, her fair arm dazzlingly bright as she reached out to adjust Yan Xunzhen’s collar.

With a serious expression, she said, “Hmm, not entirely a coincidence?”

Then, her eyes curved into crescents. “I came here specifically to see you.”

Yan Xunzhen’s face flushed instantly. The fitted suit hugging her graceful figure suddenly felt unbearably hot, leaving her stammering, “Ah!”

She quickly changed the subject. “Is it alright for you to come here now? How’s the variety show going?”

Du Zuilan placed the lunchbox on another coffee table in her office, then paused thoughtfully before saying, “It’s alright. The director just told me that the noon shoot will mainly focus on the conflict with the other team.”

“Would you be upset if I came to see you?”

She suddenly lowered her gaze.

“The production team admitted they wanted to use us for publicity. You got dragged into this because of me. Weren’t you really busy? I—”

Du Zuilan’s words cut off abruptly.

She felt herself being pulled into a tight embrace.

Yan Xunzhen , her ears flushed red, murmured, “I’m not upset. I missed you too.”

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