Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 46.2

The assistant director opened her mouth, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, with a determined expression, she turned to the side, spreading her legs as if ready to flee. “Director Zhang, I need to discuss something with you. Let’s just say we’re all on the same team. While we can be happy, we should also unify our opinions.”

“Speak plainly.” Director Zhang interrupted her buildup, his gaze fixed on her.

The assistant director spoke rapidly, “What I mean is, Director Zhang, your singing is terrible. It’s a bit deadly. Please don’t sing anymore!”

Their eyes met, and seeing the murderous intent rising in Director Zhang’s gaze, the assistant director took off running.

Director Zhang chased after her, shouting, “Assistant Director Che, stop right there!”

In the underground parking lot of the filming location, two reporters were lurking near the entrance, occasionally glancing toward it. The reporter in a fisherman’s hat said, “Didn’t you say she would finish filming early today? Why hasn’t she come out yet?”

The reporter in a baseball cap looked toward the entrance for the nth time, his brow furrowed. “It shouldn’t be taking this long. The internal news said. Here she comes, running over! Quick, take a picture!”

Before he finished speaking, Yi Qian came running in with her bag.

The fisherman-hat reporter quickly raised his camera and snapped a few shots. Looking at the display, he saw that the images were almost just blurs. The baseball cap reporter glanced at the photos and muttered to himself, “Why is she running so fast? Where is she going?”

Seeing her quickly get into a car, the baseball cap reporter patted the fisherman-hat reporter. “Let’s follow her and see.”

He took a couple of steps ahead, then turned back when he noticed the fisherman-hat reporter hadn’t followed. “What are you waiting for? We’ll lose her at this rate.”

The fisherman-hat reporter held up his camera, showing the blurry images. “Did she notice us? She must have noticed us, right?”

In the display, Yi Qian was smiling brightly at the camera, showing no signs of shock or annoyance, even giving a peace sign. The baseball cap reporter scrolled back through the photos, and the images of Yi Qian running formed a dynamic video, her swift steps not detracting from her beauty. The black coat that reached her ankles, the white shirt tucked into her black casual pants, radiated youthful energy that seemed to leap off the screen, her smile perfectly capturing the essence of a school idol running joyfully to meet someone she liked.

The baseball cap reporter was not concerned about whether they had been discovered; he looked puzzled and asked, “I remember Yi Qian is a year older than us, right? Why does she still look so youthful and energetic? And look at us.”

He silently examined himself.

The fisherman-hat reporter slapped the back of his head, exasperated. “Is that really what you’re focusing on right now? Have you forgotten what happened to the last reporter who got caught taking pictures of Yi Qian?”

There was a hint of fear in the reporter’s tone, as if he were recalling the fate of the last person who had been caught.

The baseball cap reporter, reminded of the news he had seen, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. “You mean the one whose camera got smashed to bits and almost faced a lawsuit?”

The fisherman-hat reporter nodded. “So are we still following her? She has already noticed us.”

“Of course! We’ve come this far,” the baseball cap reporter said, like a warrior ready to face death, turning toward the car. “Hurry up! If we don’t move quickly, we’ll miss out on something big.”

The fisherman-hat reporter hesitated for a moment but found himself following along.

The two drove all the way to the entrance of Yi Qian’s management company, watching as she happily got out of the car, her steps light and almost bouncing as she entered the building.

The two reporters looked up at the towering building, both in a daze. What could possibly make her so happy about going back to the company? Was the boss treating them to afternoon tea for working overtime?

Just as the fisherman-hat reporter was about to start the car and leave, the baseball cap reporter stopped him. “Wait a minute, let’s see what happens when she comes out.”

Inside the management company building, Yi Qian jogged to the elevator. A company employee who liked her happened to pass by and raised her hand to greet her. But as if suddenly remembering something, her smile froze on her face, and she was about to lower her hand when Yi Qian unexpectedly raised her hand and high-fived her.

The employee stood there in shock, but inside, it felt like fireworks were going off, joy spilling from her eyes.

Last time, when Yi Qian left the company, she had looked like she wanted to bury the place. What had changed this time.?

The employee snapped back to reality, watching Yi Qian’s cheerful figure as she hurried to the elevator, occasionally pressing the button for the elevator to go up. Noticing the employee’s gaze, Yi Qian turned around and smiled, waving.

The employee clutched her heart, suddenly feeling shy, and hurriedly raised her folder to cover her face as she ran away.

Yi Qian took out her phone and messaged Ye Shuyi: 【I’m waiting for the elevator. Where should I meet you? 】

Before long, Ye Shuyi replied: 【Where you rejected me as your manager when we first reunited. 】

Yi Qian’s lips curled up. She replied: 【Oh no, is my manager feeling hurt?】

Ye Shuyi quickly replied with just two words: 【Not at all. 】

“Hmm, why is your mouth so soft when kissing, but your words so harsh?” Yi Qian muttered to herself before replying: 【Really not? 】

Yi Qian’s phone buzzed again: 【I’ll tell you in person later. 】

With a ding, the elevator doors finally opened.

As soon as the people inside the elevator saw Yi Qian, they seemed to be stunned, frozen in place and not stepping out.

Yi Qian scanned them with her eyes, waved her hand, and smiled. “What are you all standing there for? Come out! I’m in a hurry to go up!”

Hearing this, the people in the elevator seemed suddenly awakened and hurriedly stepped out. As Yi Qian entered and the elevator doors were about to close, a few employees turned to look at her. To their surprise, they didn’t see the usual Yi Qian with a face as sour as the King of Hell, but a smiling Yi Qian who raised her hand to greet them.

A girl patted her own face and said to the short-haired girl beside her, “Are we seeing ghosts today?”

The short-haired girl, far less dramatic, replied rationally, “It’s been almost two months since she last stormed out of our company with that scowl. Even if she was in a bad mood then, she couldn’t possibly still be angry now.”

The girl who’d patted her face still looked uneasy, licking her lips and saying, “But even when she wasn’t angry before, she was never this friendly. We delayed her, and she didn’t even get mad, she smiled and waved at us. That’s terrifying, scarier than the horror movie I watched last night.”

“Hahaha,” the short-haired girl laughed, patting her shoulder. “You’re exaggerating. But Yi Qian is definitely different today. It’s like she could smile even if the sky were falling.”

“Right, right!”

The two girls continued whispering as they walked away.

With a ding, the elevator reached the 28th floor. Yi Qian put away her phone, gripped her backpack strap, and dashed out without hesitation, heading straight for the office where she would reunite with Ye Shuyi.

When she opened the office door, her smile froze. There were more people inside than she’d expected, Manager Zhang’s presence didn’t surprise her, but the two unfamiliar women did.

Though the atmosphere had clearly been pleasant before her arrival, Yi Qian inexplicably felt a deep unease.

A wave of helplessness surged from within.

Seeing her, Rou Rou immediately stood up and bowed slightly. “Hello, Senior Yi Qian. I’m Rou Rou, your fan. I really admire you.”

Whether from shyness or Yi Qian’s sharp, insincere smile, her voice grew quieter.

Under the table, Ye Shuyi nudged her hand, signaling her to respond.

Yi Qian stared at Rou Rou, her tone flat. “If you’re my fan, then tell me, what’s my least favorite dish?”

Rou Rou: “…”

Yi Qian scoffed, pulling out a chair to sit beside Ye Shuyi. Crossing her arms, she drawled, “I hate dishes that act familiar right off the bat.”

Manager Zhang: “…”

Xu Chang: “…”

Their shared thought: Did she come here after swallowing gunpowder?

Ye Shuyi: “…”

Rou Rou glanced helplessly at Ye Shuyi, who gave her a faint smile before turning a cold gaze toward the person beside her.

Yi Qian shrugged slightly.

Once the tension eased slightly, Manager Zhang introduced Rou Rou and Xu Chang to Yi Qian, then explained the reason for summoning her: “Since this is your first time collaborating on a stage performance, you might need to—”

“Wait.” Yi Qian lifted her eyes, icy as they locked onto Manager Zhang. “What collaborative performance? With whom? Was I even asked?”

Yi Qian’s rapid-fire questions left everyone in the room stunned except Ye Shuyi, plunging the atmosphere into an icy chill.

Zhang, the manager, was the first to recover. He glanced at Ye Shuyi before shifting his gaze to Yi Qian. “Don’t all your major and minor affairs go through Manager Ye? She already agreed to this. Hasn’t,  Manager Ye informed you yet?”

Under Yi Qian’s increasingly frosty stare, Zhang stumbled over his words.

Yi Qian arched an eyebrow. “You called her back urgently today just for this?”

The implications of that statement were too much for Zhang to process immediately. Xu Chang and Rou Rou, who had been sitting quietly, also showed faint signs of shock.

Ye Shuyi swept a glance over them before calmly explaining, as if she were an outsider, “When you called me this morning, I was just about to pick Yi Qian up for a shoot. It was pure coincidence.”

Zhang adjusted his glasses in understanding. “So regarding the collaboration stage, Manager Ye, you!”

“Did you pressure her into agreeing?” Yi Qian’s gaze lingered on Zhang, as if trying to see through his thoughts.

Zhang’s eyes widened instantly, and he waved his hands in denial.

Yi Qian was about to say more when Ye Shuyi cut her off, speaking slowly, “No one pressured me. I agreed on my own. I don’t see any issue with it.”

“No issue? Hah.” Yi Qian let out a cold laugh. She snatched the documents in front of Ye Shuyi perfect, a sweet little duet love song. So, feelings never just popped up out of nowhere. She glanced at Ye Shuyi, nodding repeatedly in mock agreement, her tone casual. “Fine. If you say there’s no issue, then there’s no issue.”

Rou Rou, seeing Yi Qian’s chilling half-smile like a demon lurking beneath an angel’s face was so frightened she stood up awkwardly. “Senior Yi, it’s really okay. If you’re truly unwilling, I—”

“No, I’m not refusing. I’m more than happy to oblige. I’ll always listen to my manager.” With that, she stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the floor as it was pushed back. She shot Ye Shuyi one last look. “Just send me the finalized plan whenever you’ve discussed it. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

She strode out of the office, slamming the door behind her with a loud bang that made Rou Rou flinch.

Ye Shuyi turned to watch her retreating figure, a slight frown creasing her brow before she turned back. “It’s fine. We’ll proceed as planned. I’ll be in touch.”

With that, she too left the office, following closely behind Yi Qian.

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