A Disguised Scum Alpha Marked Her Aloof Ex-Wife - Chapter 11

The trash planet was divided into distinct social strata.

People were divided, too.

Paradis was located at the heart of the sector, holding the status of the most luxurious entertainment venue in the city center. In the Old Earth French of the past, the name meant “Heaven.”

There, money could buy anything.

Xiao Shan said, “Vulgar music masks sin. A place that turbid will swallow your soul.”

Zhu Yu laughed. “Xiao Shan, you have the potential to be a poet.”

The “cat colleague” added, “I heard the floor tiles there are made of star ore, the champagne towers are stacked higher than mountains, and expensive wine flows past the dancers’ ankles while banknotes flutter down from the ceiling…”

Zhu Yu countered, “It’s not that exaggerated!”

Xiao Shan warned, “Regardless, you must be careful not to be swallowed. Many people go in and never come back.”

The cat colleague was skeptical. “They probably just smuggled themselves into the Federation, right? Who wouldn’t choose a better life?”

Xiao Shan’s movements stopped, her slightly baby-faced expression darkening. “Do you want to go to the Federation too? Those robots look down on us.”

The cat colleague muttered, “Not really. I think the Federals are quite nice. The wages over there are high. If I weren’t illiterate, even being a clerk there would be better than staying here.”

Xiao Shan said frostily, “They take their expired, unwanted supplies and sell them to us at high prices. They’re a bunch of liars. How is that ‘nice’? Careful you don’t get tricked into being sold over there.”

Seeing the two on the verge of an argument, Zhu Yu hurriedly stepped in to play peacemaker, stuffing a biscuit into each of their mouths to silence them.

The three of them munched on their biscuits in silence.

Zhu Yu said proudly, “Good, right? My family made them!”

“My family!” She emphasized the words unconsciously.

“Delicious!” her colleagues chimed in, playing along.

Bai Shuzhou was bored staying at home, so she occasionally baked small biscuits with He Ming. They were packaged and sold under the name of Helan’s small restaurant. They were expensive, yet the sales were surprisingly good.

The primary buyer was the legendary Paradis. They had money and didn’t mind buying handmade snacks to flaunt their “unique taste.”

These were biscuits made by an Imperial Princess! They were still being sold too cheaply!

Zhu Yu felt that “boredom” was just an excuse; Bai Shuzhou was clearly subsidizing the household. Just thinking about the Princess worrying about money while recovering at home made Zhu Yu want to cry.

I’m sorry, I’m a useless, bad Alpha.

Bai Shuzhou frequently asked indirect questions about her night shifts. Zhu Yu, of course, couldn’t tell the truth. After a while, she began to taste a hint of worry behind the woman’s stiff words.

“You care about me!”

The woman was always sparse with words. She turned her cool gaze away, fixing it back on her book.

Zhu Yu leaned in to peek at the cover. It was the folk tale collection One Thousand and One Nights.

“Silence means consent!”

Bai Shuzhou finally deigned to look up, saying coldly, “Get out.”

Zhu Yu carried that unique “Get out” with her, leaving the house satisfied.

Whenever working at Paradis was mentioned, everyone assumed it was exhausting. The high wages made the job sound heavy with responsibility.

Zhu Yu didn’t find it exhausting. Her colleagues were kind to her. In an entertainment venue dominated by Federals, the Imperials instinctively huddled together.

Before every shift, Zhu Yu would be buried in a pile of fluff, hugged tightly by her beast-hybrid colleagues.

Initially, Zhu Yu was flattered by the popularity, but she later realized it was because she couldn’t “beastify.” In the eyes of her colleagues, she was basically a pet.

Humans can pet animals; naturally, animals can pet humans.

Zhu Yu’s scent was very clean, like a pure, untainted snowfield. Any passing small animal would come over to give her a gentle “tap,” leaving a mark.

She was oblivious to the fact that this was, to some extent, a form of gang marking. Beneath the dim lights, dark undercurrents swirled; there was a faint rift between the Imperials and Federals here.

Hugging colleagues and changing into her uniform marked the beginning of Zhu Yu’s night shift life.

In this world of debauchery, she was no longer Zhu Yu. She was—Xiao Yu, the Smiling Angel!

The stage name gave her goosebumps.

But there was no choice. The supervisor said a gimmick made it easier to earn money. Her job was to smile at guests, say high-sounding auspicious phrases that were basically just “Wishing you wealth,” and sell wine.

During the day, she slacked off and complained with colleagues at the nutrient factory, and in her spare time, she fixed things with iron tools. She felt “Wrench Angel” was a more appropriate title.

O greedy mortal, the Wrench Angel blesses you…!

Physical salvation!

The supervisor’s voice snapped her back from her wild fantasies. “What are you dazed for? Go see what’s wrong with the AC in ‘Cloud-Parting Room’.”

Zhu Yu obliged, grabbing the magnetic card and toolbox provided by the supervisor and heading to the second floor.

The hierarchy here was strict, like a pyramid. She was a first-floor server and technically had no right to go up, but by occasionally moonlighting as a “Level-2 Repair Technician,” her status instantly—

Went up the elevator.

The perks ended there. The magnetic card just let her use the elevator.

Damned capitalists, not even giving extra repair pay! I’m already such a bargain.

The second-floor corridor was quiet, a chill seeping through the fragrance. The high-class atmosphere was a far cry from the superficial noise of the first floor.

I heard the bosses on the second floor are all wealthy or powerful. When they’re having fun, they “set off fireworks”—tossing bundles of cash down to the floor below.

The spectacle of the lower-class people cheering and scrambling for the money was part of the fun for the rich.

Unfortunately, Zhu Yu hadn’t encountered it yet.

Otherwise, she’d show these rich people the true meaning of “desperate and dangerous”!

Whistling softly, she arrived at the designated private room and skillfully opened her toolbox.

The door next door was cracked open. She could hear a woman’s laughter. Zhu Yu caught a glimpse; Nan Gong was inside accompanying the guests.

Nan Gong had beautiful red hair. Like the original Zhu Yu, she was a “social butterfly” type with excellent sales and high popularity. But Zhu Yu inexplicably disliked her and rarely interacted with her.

She was actually a bit wary of such hyper-extroverted people. Even though she had transmigrated into one, it felt like some karmic retribution from a past life. She felt that if she got too close, she’d be treated as a toy—very passive.

As a Federal, Nan Gong was wearing electronic cat ears to please the guests.

Zhu Yu stepped onto the soft leather sofa, struggling to reach the central AC. She finally realized what was so unsettling about this bar.

Though it was called a smuggling trade, most of the time it was the Federation dumping goods onto the Empire. Similarly, it was the Federals who spent more lavishly. They were very generous with tips for the beast-hybrid servers.

It was an attitude of condescending amusement.

This discomfort peaked when Zhu Yu finished her inspection and, while carrying her toolbox out, saw Nan Gong being forced to drink.

The usually proud “butterfly” was drenched and struggling to cough. An electronic cat ear was gripped in a guest’s palm, who asked curiously, “Does this hurt? How about… this?”

“Hey, you can’t even finish this? Are you disrespecting me?”

“Do you know how expensive this wine is? What you spilled is enough to buy your life. Drink it all!”

“No way, you’ve barely had any. Are you passing out already? How boring. You really aren’t as durable as those beast-hybrids.”

Zhu Yu silently gripped her toolbox, her knuckles turning white.

While guests on the first floor also forced servers to drink, those were open areas with no visual barriers, so things didn’t get too out of hand. In these private rooms on the upper floors, these “civilized” guests showed their true colors.

A person in the room chuckled, “Too bad this one is also a Federal.”

Another said nonchalantly, “She’s not a Federal citizen, so what does it matter? Keep drinking. Don’t let it go to waste. You recommended the wine; shouldn’t you be the one to finish it, little beauty?”

Nan Gong leaned in with a supple grace, hooking a finger under the person’s chin. “Good Lieutenant, I’m dizzy. I really can’t drink anymore…”

This scumbag is actually a military officer.

A Federal officer? Involved in smuggling? Zhu Yu frowned.

As Nan Gong leaned in, her fingers hovered over the Alpha’s gland. The officer laughed, his attitude softening slightly but remaining flippant. Seeing her face flushed with red, he deliberately filled another glass.

“Drink this, and I’ll let you go.”

In Nan Gong’s current state, another glass would leave her too drunk to even walk.

The guests looked at each other and smiled suggestively.

Suddenly, the door was slammed open.

A girl holding an iron wrench stood there, her slender shadow stretched long by the corridor lights, looking distorted and tall inside the room.

The Federal guests froze, momentarily intimidated by her aura. Once they saw the cheap server uniform, they became annoyed, slamming the table. “Who are you? What do you want?!”

Nan Gong looked back, cursing the “idiot” under her breath. she raised a palm and waved slightly, signaling her not to offend these people.

Zhu Yu bit her lip. “I’m here to fix the AC. I wouldn’t want our noble guests to get too hot.”

“Since Sister Nan Gong can’t handle it, let me drink for her.”

“I’ve heard the Federal lords have a high tolerance for alcohol. I’ve admired that for a long time. Care to have a match with me?”

Clumsy, raw, and full of the self-righteous mediation of a youth.

Nan Gong: “…”

What does she mean “can’t handle it”?

Listen to yourself! Does that transition make any sense? Was she possessed by something at the end there!

It was the first time she had truly looked at this idiot who buttoned her shirt all the way to the top. Her aura was so clean it was completely out of place.

Fool. Why play the heroine here? Nan Gong was almost laughed to tears by her.

The officers present were all Alphas. Their gazes were contemptuous; they had never respected Betas, especially “trash” produced by an 18th-tier planet.

They looked at the arrogant youth and began to laugh wickedly.

The provocation was so tiny it felt like post-dinner entertainment.

With a series of flippant whistles, crate after crate of wine was brought into the room.

Nan Gong worriedly tried to stop it, several times pretending to be drunk so the officers would take her away—which would naturally end the session—but Zhu Yu stood her ground like a mother hen protecting a chick, refusing to yield an inch.

Zhu Yu could drink. After several bottles of hard liquor, her face remained unchanged, as if she were drinking water. The Alphas were riled up, taking turns to challenge her, clicking their tongues in amazement.

At the height of the drinking, the crystal floor panel connecting to the first floor opened. A drunken Alpha waved a hand, and banknotes fluttered down like a red snowfall.

Amidst the cheers and scrambling below, the girl in the private room drained the last drop of wine and tossed the bottle aside, letting it shatter.

The aggressive Alphas were now stumbling, held up by attendants to keep them from collapsing like piles of mud.

Zhu Yu wiped the glistening wine from her lips with the back of her hand and waved politely to the losers. “Done? Not going to open another?”

The Alphas practically fled.

She spoke so easily; it was hard to imagine such a slender body could hold so much liquor. Even her casual smile held the resonance of aged wine.

Nan Gong had to admit this girl was quite easy on the eyes. The alcohol only swirled in her misty eyes; instead of flushing her face, the drinking made her somewhat plain face suddenly become vivid, glowing with a porcelain-white hue.

Who turns white when they drink? What kind of constitution is this?

Nan Gong frowned, tentatively poking the girl who was stuck on the sofa smiling. One poke, one nudge—the girl followed the momentum and collapsed.

Nan Gong: “Hey…!!?”

She flipped her over, checking her pulse and eyes. The girl curled up, defenseless, and whispered, “Oh… forgot I had a stomach problem.”

How can you forget that?

Nan Gong was truly laughed to tears. “You don’t think I’m going to thank you for this, do you?”

The girl’s lips began to turn pale. She remained polite. “No need for thanks.”

Nan Gong: “Are you drunk?”

Zhu Yu: “No. It’s fine. I won’t get drunk. My body will decompose these chemicals soon. It’s just an overload; I need a little time.”

She tilted her face up, her dark eyes flickering. “Does the wine we just finished count toward my sales commission?”

Nan Gong, who had just felt a tiny spark of complex emotion: “…Go ahead and drink yourself to death then.”

The manager heard that Zhu Yu had drunk herself into a physical state and immediately urged her to go home and rest, calling it an “early holiday.”

Nan Gong brushed back her hair. “You’re just afraid she’ll die here and it’ll count as a workplace injury.”

“What nonsense! It’s just a common stomach ache. If you aren’t going home to rest, what else do you want to do here? Paradis isn’t a charity; we aren’t responsible for treating your illnesses!”

Under Nan Gong’s half-smiling gaze, the manager grit his teeth, pulled out several large bills, and slapped them into Zhu Yu’s hand. “This is a little something from me personally. Go home, now!”

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Zhu Yu sat up quickly, counted the bills one by one, and raised an eyebrow. “Thank you, Boss.”

She stood up and walked out, her steps steady and slow.

Nan Gong couldn’t take it anymore. She pulled the girl into her scarlet sedan and forced her to give a destination.

Auto-pilot engaged. Nan Gong opened a mirror and wiped off her lipstick, her eyes clear and devoid of any drunkenness.

It was late at night. Nan Gong spotted the small yard from a distance, squinting as she sized up Zhu Yu for a long time before carrying her out of the car.

Inside the house, a dim night light was on. Through the security bars, the white light of a mirror flickered slightly.

For as long as the car had been parked there, the owner of the mirror had been watching.

The girl was half-draped over the side of the red-dressed beauty, one hand resting on her shoulder. The two were very close, their hair even becoming entangled.

Nan Gong whispered, “You bastard, you’re crushing my hair. One strand is worth thirty thousand.”

As soon as money was mentioned, Zhu Yu sprang away. Her eyes were bleary as she rushed toward the house as if ghosts were chasing her.

Her hand shook as she tried to unlock the door. Her cheek pressed against the iron gate, her voice muffled: “I’m home…”

The solid gate conducted the sound well, rippling through the silent night. In the woman’s ears inside, it sounded like:

Wife, I’m back from fooling around—

I’m back from fooling around, and I brought a woman with me!

Inside the iron gate, vines snaked out wildly like ink spreading into ten thousand black strands, viciously blocking the lock cylinder.

It wouldn’t open.

Seeing the girl standing there in a dazed stupor, Nan Gong sensed something. She stepped forward with her long legs, stood before her, and smiled, showing her white teeth:

“Oh my. Your family doesn’t want you anymore.”

“Want to come with me instead?”