Chapter 5

She knew that today’s livestream would definitely attract the attention of her company’s executives and her manager.

After all, although she hadn’t pursued the idol route, she was still a young, beautiful female Alpha celebrity with plenty of girlfriend fans. Once word of what she had said today spread, a large number of those fans would inevitably stop supporting her, and some might even turn against her.

But she didn’t regret it.

She was bound to enter a relationship sooner or later, and she didn’t want to deceive her fans. More importantly, she wanted to use this incident to show Ji Qiulin just how determined she was to pursue her.

Ji Qiulin appeared cold and aloof, but in reality, she was like a snail, always cautiously retreating into her shell. If Du Qingyue wasn’t firm and assertive enough, Ji Qiulin would simply continue hiding inside it.

She continued chatting with the viewers in her livestream, completely unaware that Ji Qiulin had also sent her a message.

It wasn’t until ten minutes later, when her manager stormed over and forced her to end the livestream, that she glanced at her phone and finally noticed it.

“What on earth were you thinking…” Sister Zhang was halfway through speaking when she saw that her artist was actually playing with her phone and ignoring her. Her anger instantly skyrocketed. “Du Qingyue!”

Du Qingyue raised her head, still in a fairly good mood. “Go ahead, Sister Zhang. I’m listening.”

“What else is there for me to say? Have you listened to a single thing I’ve ever told you?” Sister Zhang snapped angrily. “You made such a huge decision today all by yourself! What do you even need a manager like me for?”

Du Qingyue replied, “I knew you wouldn’t agree if I told you.”

“So you just went ahead and did whatever you wanted? Do you have any idea how angry the boss is? If I hadn’t talked her out of it, she would have come knocking on your door herself!”

Du Qingyue worked for a small entertainment company that hadn’t produced many famous stars. She was the company’s second most prominent female artist.

“The contract clearly states that the company won’t interfere with employees’ private lives. We’re allowed to date and get married,” Du Qingyue said calmly.

Sister Zhang retorted, “Does livestreaming count as your private life? As a public figure, you have to report the content of your livestreams to the company in advance.”

“There’s nothing about that in the contract.”

Sister Zhang was genuinely furious now. “Du Qingyue, what on earth has gotten into you? Has that woman bewitched you or something?”

Du Qingyue frowned. “Sister Zhang, I just want to take things easy for a while. I want to date and get married.”

“Who is that woman? Why are you so protective of her?”

Du Qingyue’s voice turned cold. “Sister Zhang, I made all these decisions myself. If you want to blame someone, you should blame me.”

Du Qingyue had always been good-tempered and rarely showed a cold expression. Seeing her tone turn stern, Sister Zhang felt her heart skip a beat. She restrained herself somewhat.

“Actually, it’s perfectly normal for a young Alpha to want to fall in love. After all, Alphas and Omegas stolen content are naturally attracted to each other. I’m not blaming you for that. But you’ve already made your position clear to your fans. You’re gambling with your future.”

“You said that person likes you too. So what’s her attitude toward all this?”

Du Qingyue recalled the message Ji Qiulin had sent her. “For my sake, she’s already fallen out with her family.”

“You two…” Sister Zhang’s brows knitted tightly together, and she grew even more disapproving. “What’s the point of making such a mess of things? Why doesn’t her family approve of you?”

In her previous life, Madam Ji had indeed looked down on Du Qingyue.

Madam Ji believed the entertainment industry was dirty and chaotic, and the circumstances that had brought Du Qingyue and Ji Qiulin together had unfortunately reinforced that stereotype. As a result, Madam Ji had always harbored considerable dissatisfaction toward Du Qingyue.

Du Qingyue smiled faintly. “Because she’s too good for me.”

Sister Zhang: “…I think you’ve seriously lost your mind.”

“I’m not sick. What’s done is done, and I can’t take back what I said during the livestream. If the company still wants me to keep earning money, it should start thinking about how to handle the public relations,” Du Qingyue said, returning to the main issue.

Sister Zhang rolled her eyes. “The PR department is already working on a plan. If you have any good suggestions, you can tell me.”

“I don’t,” Du Qingyue admitted frankly.

Sister Zhang was so frustrated she could barely contain herself. “You’d better pray this doesn’t affect your future career. You still have one year left on your contract with [bailiantales.com]the company. A company can do a lot of things in a year.”

“I know.”

In her previous life, when the company learned that the person she had married was Ji Qiulin, they spread the news, causing her popularity to surge.

Afterward, they tried to get her to persuade Ji Qiulin to appear on a variety show. When she firmly refused, they signed her up for several terrible dramas that came with hefty paychecks.

In the end, it was Ji Qiulin who paid to terminate her contract. Only after Du Qingyue reorganized her personal studio did things finally settle down.

Because of that incident, Madam Ji had become even more dissatisfied with her, believing she was an Alpha social climber who had married into wealth.

It wasn’t until Ji Qiulin passed away that Madam Ji finally came to truly understand Du Qingyue and cleared up their misunderstandings.

“Sister Zhang,” Du Qingyue said slowly, “once the PR department finishes its proposal, let me take a look at it first.”

Sister Zhang replied, “Who do you think you are? You think you can just demand to see it?”

Hearing this, Du Qingyue’s voice grew slightly stern. “If the company implements a plan without showing it to me first, and I’m dissatisfied with it, there’s a good chance I’ll start another livestream afterward and create more problems. If the company is willing to keep dealing with problems, then by all means, don’t show me.”

Du Qingyue was clearly still the same Du Qingyue, yet the commanding presence she exuded at that moment felt both unfamiliar and strangely familiar to Sister Zhang.

A faint layer of sweat formed on Sister Zhang’s palms. By the time she came back to her senses, she had already nodded in agreement.

She had clearly come here to “teach Du Qingyue a lesson.” How had she ended up being led around by Du Qingyue instead?

“Sister Zhang, if there’s nothing else, you should head home. I have somewhere to go,” Du Qingyue said, effectively dismissing her guest.

“You…” Sister Zhang tried to regain her authority.

Du Qingyue interrupted her. “I won’t be livestreaming again for a while. If I do another livestream, I’ll definitely let you know beforehand.”

“Fine. Remember what you said.” Feeling that she had finally saved some face, Sister Zhang left after delivering that parting remark.

As soon as she was gone, Du Qingyue immediately picked up her phone.

Earlier, she had only managed to reply with one sentence.

[I’m not pursuing you for resources.]

Sure enough, Ji Qiulin had already responded.

[Everyone who pursues me says that.]

Du Qingyue: [Then let’s not talk about that. Have you eaten?]

Ji Qiulin hadn’t eaten yet.

[Yes.]

Du Qingyue asked: [What did you eat?]

As expected, the other woman didn’t reply immediately. Two minutes passed before she finally sent two words.

[Ramen.]

Du Qingyue: [Where are you living now? Somewhere near the company?]

Realizing that her “tone” was a little too blunt and Alpha-like, Du Qingyue quickly followed up with the word “Sister.”

Ji Qiulin: [Where I live has nothing to do with you. Stop wasting your time.]

Seeing that the Omega was still determined to retreat into her shell, Du Qingyue simply called her on WeChat.

The phone rang for a long time. It wasn’t until the very last second, just before the call would automatically disconnect, that the screen finally showed the call had connected and the timer began counting.

“Sister.” Du Qingyue’s voice rose cheerfully. “You answered my call after all.”

“And that’s not all. You even watched my livestream,” Du Qingyue continued. “Don’t tell me you’re actually one of my fans.”

The unexpected remark threw Ji Qiulin into a panic. Her breathing grew a little heavier, and for a moment, she couldn’t think of anything to say.

Du Qingyue wasn’t in a hurry. She leisurely changed her clothes while waiting for a response.

“I just happened to come across it,” Ji Qiulin replied in her cool, detached voice. “Why did you call?”

Du Qingyue said, “I want to come over and cook for you.”

“I’ve already eaten.”

“Then you can just think of me as shamelessly pestering you,” Du Qingyue said. “Sister Qiulin, could you tell me your new address?”

“No.” Ji Qiulin flatly refused and hung up.

Du Qingyue pursed her lips, feeling somewhat helpless.

*

It wasn’t until half an hour after hanging up that Ji Qiulin began to feel a little hungry.

She was wondering whether to order takeout or go out to eat when the doorbell suddenly rang.

“Who is it?” Ji Qiulin grew a little wary. After walking to the door, she first looked through the peephole.

A woman stood outside, dressed in an ordinary, loose-fitting T-shirt. She was tall, with long, straight black hair and strikingly beautiful, well-defined features.

She lowered her gaze, seemingly glancing at her watch. Her posture was casual, yet she looked as stunning as a model in a high-fashion magazine spread.

Ji Qiulin’s heart began beating faster, not only because the woman’s beauty was impossible for her to resist, but also because she was bewildered.

How did Du Qingyue know she lived here?

She hadn’t even told Madam Ji this address. The only person who knew was the driver, and he was someone she had hired at random. No matter how well-connected or resourceful Du Qingyue was, she shouldn’t have been able to find this place so quickly.

“Is Sister going to make me stand out here forever?” a voice called from outside.

Ji Qiulin’s eyes flickered slightly, and before she realized it, her hand had already opened the door for her.

Du Qingyue looked even more beautiful than she had through the peephole. As soon as she stepped inside, she smiled at Ji Qiulin.

“I’m here to cook for you. I hope you haven’t ordered takeout yet.”

“Not yet.” Ji Qiulin glanced at Du Qingyue’s hands. “But I don’t have any ingredients at home either.”

“I see.” Du Qingyue took off her shoes and stepped barefoot onto the floor, behaving as naturally as though she were in her own home. “I noticed a fresh food supermarket downstairs in this building earlier. Let’s go down and buy some groceries together.”

Ji Qiulin frowned. “Don’t you think you’re being far too presumptuous, Du Qingyue?”

“And how did you know I lived here?”

“Maybe it’s because we have a telepathic connection. I sensed that you lived here,” Du Qingyue said with an utterly serious expression.

In truth, it was because, after they got married in her previous life, Ji Qiulin had told her that she’d wanted to move out of the Ji family home for a long time and had already bought a place where she could live alone.

Du Qingyue had simply remembered the address.

“How exactly did you find out?” Ji Qiulin was genuinely beginning to grow suspicious.

“If you agree to my confession and become my girlfriend, I’ll tell you.” Du Qingyue paused before adding, “I promise I didn’t use any illegal means.”

Ji Qiulin pressed her lips together. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, but she didn’t press the matter any further.

Du Qingyue walked over to her, stopping so close that one more step would Read on BaiLianTales have brought their bodies into contact.

“What would you like to eat? Are you very hungry? If you’re starving, we can go out for dinner first, and I’ll cook for you another time.”

Ji Qiulin’s eyelashes trembled again, and she dug her nails into her palm.

She wasn’t naturally an outgoing person, but after spending so many years honing her skills at the Ji Group, she was hardly someone who appeared weak when dealing with others.

It was only when facing someone she liked, especially when Du Qingyue took the initiative to approach her, that she found herself unable to control her emotions and movements.

“No answer? Then I’ll take that as you wanting to eat my cooking.” Du Qingyue pulled open the door. “Come on. Let’s go buy some groceries together.”

With that, she took Ji Qiulin by the wrist and led the Omega outside, giving her no chance to refuse.

“I haven’t changed my shoes yet.” Ji Qiulin’s heart was fluttering wildly, but she forced her voice to remain calm.

Du Qingyue replied, “Then don’t bother changing. Slippers are more convenient anyway.”