Transmigrated as a Scummy Alpha: The Wife-Chasing Crematorium - Chapter 5

“Pres—President Shen, what’s wrong?” the starlet asked in a small, tentative voice.

Usually, whenever she acted coy and spoiled, President Shen would soften up. Why was she suddenly in such a foul mood today?

Shen Luoxi gave her a cold command, “Go find your manager, Guan Tong, and tell her to come here. I have something to say.”

“Right away, right away,” the starlet replied obediently.

She was wearing four-inch heels, which made her gait wobbly. Combined with her nerves, she nearly tripped several times and had to lean against the wall to steady herself as she hurried out.

Once the starlet left, only the two of them remained in the conference room.

Shen Luoxi took a step forward; Pei Yu took a step back.

Because Pei Yu didn’t know how much Shen Luoxi had overheard at the door, her heart was in her throat. Her thumb clawed nervously at her index finger, her slightly long nails looking as if they were about to break the skin.

Seeing her retreat, Shen Luoxi moved forward again. This time, as Pei Yu prepared to back away, she was stopped. “Stay right there. Don’t move.”

Pei Yu froze instantly. She kept her head low, not daring to look Shen Luoxi in the eye, fearing a physical blow might follow.

Shen Luoxi walked right up to her. Once she stopped, she raised both hands, reaching for the cap on Pei Yu’s head.

Pei Yu flinched, her shoulders huddling and her head ducking down toward her collarbone in a defensive posture.

“I’m not going to hit you,” Shen Luoxi soothed softly. Her hands slowly removed the cap, revealing a cascade of smooth, beautiful black hair. The scent was intoxicating.

Holding the cap in one hand, Shen Luoxi used her other hand to gently tidy the stray strands on top of Pei Yu’s head, smoothing them down one by one.

“I won’t hit you anymore,” Shen Luoxi said.

She intentionally avoided the word “promise,” fearing it would sound like a hollow lie—after all, her promises were currently worthless. After fixing her hair, she handed the cap back to Pei Yu. After a moment’s hesitation, she added, “Don’t let anyone bully you ever again. Including me.”

Pei Yu didn’t dare speak; she simply took the cap back.

A moment later, the starlet returned with Guan Tong in a frantic rush, closing the conference room door behind them.

Guan Tong was a veteran employee with over a decade of experience in talent management. She managed Pei Yu and trained newcomers. The only reason she was assigned to Pei Yu was because of Shen Luoxi’s specific arrangement—to torment her.

Upon entering, Guan Tong first glanced at Pei Yu, who stood with her head bowed, looking terrified. Assuming Pei Yu had once again done something to provoke Shen Luoxi, Guan Tong straightened her back and raised her hand, preparing to deliver a heavy slap. “You little—”

Startled, Shen Luoxi reacted with lightning speed. She intercepted the blow, grabbing Guan Tong’s wrist, her voice dropping to a dangerous chill: “Guan Tong!”

“Pres… President Shen.” Guan Tong was shocked by the reaction. Usually, when she struck Pei Yu, President Shen would just watch coldly from the side. Why was she suddenly angry today?

Shen Luoxi flung Guan Tong’s hand away and stepped in front of Pei Yu, shielding her. With an icy expression, she commanded, “Starting today, you are no longer Pei Yu’s manager. You are not to interfere with any of her work. I will find someone else to take over.”

“President Shen, why this sudden decision?” Guan Tong was baffled. Everyone knew President Shen detested Pei Yu; why was she protecting her now?

Standing behind Shen Luoxi, in a spot hidden from the other two, Pei Yu slowly lifted her chin just a fraction.

Shen Luoxi’s face remained cold. “Do I need to explain my actions to you? Or are you dissatisfied with my decision and wish to remain by Pei Yu’s side?”

“I…” Guan Tong was at a loss for words.

Listening to this, Pei Yu gripped her cap tighter.

Shen Luoxi continued, her voice sharp, “If you really want to stay by her side, that’s fine. But my condition is this: however you treated Pei Yu in the past is exactly how Pei Yu will treat you from now on. How does that sound?”

“No! No, thank you. I won’t manage Pei Yu anymore,” Guan Tong rejected immediately, showing zero lingering attachment.

On the surface, Pei Yu looked like a weak, pitiful “white lotus” who was easy to bully, but she knew the woman held deep grudges. With President Shen’s backing, staying by Pei Yu’s side would be a death sentence.

Shen Luoxi’s expression softened slightly. “Since that’s settled, the matter is closed. But if I find out any of you are playing dirty tricks behind her back, I don’t think this company will have a place for you anymore.”

“Yes, understood, President Shen.”

“Yes, yes!” The two women nodded frantically in agreement.

“Get out,” Shen Luoxi said.

The two of them practically fled the conference room. Once the door was closed, Guan Tong and the starlet exchanged a look of sheer confusion. They couldn’t wrap their heads around it—how could Shen Luoxi change so drastically? She acted like a completely different person. She used to be crueler to Pei Yu than they ever were, yet now she was protecting her like a mother hen.

Could Pei Yu have used some kind of trick on her?

BANG! A sudden, massive crash echoed from inside the room, making the glass and the door vibrate. Guan Tong and the starlet jumped in fright. Their doubts vanished instantly; they scrambled away, terrified that President Shen’s rage might turn back toward them.

Inside the conference room, Shen Luoxi had picked up a chair and smashed it against the door.

Her goal was to keep them from getting suspicious. She had to maintain her “short-tempered” persona. If a violent tyrant suddenly became a saint without reason, no one would believe it.

After smashing the chair, she dusted off her hands and turned to look at Pei Yu. But when she turned around, Pei Yu was gone.

Shen Luoxi’s eyes searched the room until she found her. Pei Yu was crouched on the floor in the corner, her hands over her head, covering her ears, her body curled into a ball.

Oh no… I forgot to tell her before I smashed it.

Guilt flooded Shen Luoxi’s heart. She moved the chair back to its original place and stood at a distance. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. The director is waiting in the office. Shall we go talk about the project?”

Pei Yu kept her head buried in her knees, her voice trembling. “Guan… Sister Guan Tong is gone. There’s no one to go with me.”

Guan Tong had handled the liaison for this project. Now that she was gone, Pei Yu knew nothing about the director’s requirements. To move forward, she would have to start negotiations from scratch.

Shen Luoxi had anticipated this. “I’ve already found a new manager for you. They’ll be here soon. Come on out.”

“Okay…”

Pei Yu slowly stood up using the wall for support, but her head remained bowed.

Shen Luoxi walked to the door but didn’t open it. She stood to the side, waiting for Pei Yu to catch up. Pei Yu, unsure why she wasn’t leaving, shuffled over with a submissive air, clearly terrified of her.

Shen Luoxi felt she shouldn’t be like this. She reached out to adjust her posture, but Pei Yu dodged instinctively, thinking she was about to be hit.

Shen Luoxi’s hand paused, but this time she didn’t retreat. She firmly took Pei Yu’s chin, lifting it up. Then, she moved her hand to Pei Yu’s back, pressing gently to make her stand tall.

“You are a big star, a triple Best Actress winner,” Shen Luoxi told her. “You have every right to stand tall.”

She was afraid that if Pei Yu kept her head down for too long, she would forget how to look up, living forever in Shen Luoxi’s shadow.

Pei Yu’s eyelashes fluttered. This was the first time since their marriage that she had stood straight and looked Shen Luoxi in the eye, but she felt no gratitude.

After all, the person who had forced her to bow and kneel in the first place was also Shen Luoxi.

Once she was ready, Shen Luoxi opened the door. “Let’s go. Let’s go talk about the collaboration.”

Pei Yu nodded and followed her out like a marionette.

The director and producer were waiting in the guest lounge. A staff member led them there and pushed the door open without knocking.

Inside, the director and producer had been lounging with their legs crossed, laughing and chatting. They didn’t even react to the door opening—until they saw it was Shen Luoxi.

They instantly stiffened like startled birds. Dropping their teacups, they stood up respectfully. “President Shen.”

The director swallowed nervously, his hands clasped formally in front of him. “Good morning, President Shen. What brings you here? Where is Guan Tong?”

The messages had said Guan Tong would be meeting them. Why was it Shen Luoxi instead?

“Is it a problem if it’s me?” she asked.

She was the new manager. She hadn’t told Pei Yu earlier, fearing it would make her too nervous. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Pei Yu’s body went rigid. She didn’t even dare to breathe heavily.

Shen Luoxi guided Pei Yu by the waist to sit on the sofa opposite them. She then crossed her own legs and leaned back, exuding the full aura of a domineering CEO from a novel. This came naturally to her; in her previous life, despite her illness, she had managed the public company her parents left behind. She knew how to command a room.

“Sit,” she said, gesturing slightly.

The director and producer exchanged a glance and sat down nervously.

Shen Luoxi gave a thin, cold smile. “Well? Is there a problem with me being here? Do you two have an issue with me?”

“No, no! Of course not, President Shen. You’re joking,” the producer said quickly, his legs shaking under the table.

He was deeply confused. Guan Tong had clearly said Shen Luoxi wouldn’t be coming to the office. Why was she here, and why was she with Pei Yu? What kind of game was she playing? Had Guan Tong sold them out?

Shen Luoxi explained, “Guan Tong has been reassigned to other tasks. As of today, she is no longer responsible for Pei Yu—my wife. Since a new manager hasn’t been selected yet, I will be acting as her manager temporarily.”

“Huh?” Both men were stunned.

Shen Luoxi taking over as manager? Had she lost her mind? Rumor had it she loathed Pei Yu and abused her constantly. Why did the situation feel so… off?

Ignoring their “just-swallowed-a-whale” expressions, Shen Luoxi cut straight to the point. “Don’t just sit there. Let’s talk about the project. I heard you’ve been coordinating with Guan Tong. I don’t know much yet. Did you bring the contract?”

“Oh, yes, yes!” The producer pulled two copies of the contract from his briefcase and handed one to Shen Luoxi. He added flatteringly, “As for the script, Mrs. Shen has already read it and thought it was excellent.”

Shen Luoxi flipped through the first page. “Do you think the script is okay?” she asked Pei Yu. “Tell me the truth.”

“…It’s okay,” Pei Yu whispered.

Shen Luoxi finished the first page and turned to the second. “Think about it carefully. Is the script actually good? You don’t need to worry about who is sitting across from you.”

This time, Pei Yu hesitated. She didn’t answer right away.

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