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

On the garbage planet, districts were divided into ranks.

So were people.

Paradis was located at the center of the star region, occupying a status similar to the most luxurious entertainment venue downtown. In the French of ancient Earth, it meant “paradise.”

There, money could buy everything.

Xiao Shan said, “Inferior music covers up sin. That kind of muddy place devours souls.”

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

Cat coworker said, “I heard the floor tiles there are all made of star ore, the champagne towers are piled higher than mountains, expensive liquor floods past the dancers’ ankles, and money falls from the sky…”

Zhu Yu said, “How could it be that exaggerated!”

Xiao Shan said, “In short, be careful. Don’t get swallowed. A lot of people went in and never came back.”

Cat coworker said suspiciously, “Then they probably smuggled themselves to the Federation, right? Who wouldn’t want to choose a better life?”

Xiao Shan’s hands paused. Her slightly baby-faced expression darkened. “You want to go to the Federation too? Those machine people look down on us.”

Cat coworker muttered, “Not really. I actually think Federation people are pretty nice. Wages are really high over there. If I could read, even working as a clerk there would be better than staying here.”

Xiao Shan said coolly, “They take expired supplies other people don’t want anymore, bring them here, and sell them to us at high prices. A bunch of scammers. What’s so good about them? Be careful you don’t get tricked over there and sold.”

Seeing that the two of them were about to start arguing, Zhu Yu quickly stepped in to smooth things over, stuffing a biscuit into each of their hands to block their mouths.

The three little ones silently began nibbling biscuits.

Zhu Yu said proudly, “Is it good? My family made it!”

Mine.

My family!

Without realizing it, she emphasized those words heavily.

“Delicious!” her coworkers praised enthusiastically.

Bai Shuzhou got too bored staying home, so occasionally, she would bake small biscuits with He Ming. They were packaged and sold under Helan’s restaurant’s name. The price was high, but sales were surprisingly good.

The main buyer was none other than the almost mythical Paradis everyone talked about. They had money and did not care about buying handmade snacks just to show how different they were.

These were biscuits made by a dignified imperial princess!

They were still being sold too cheaply!

Zhu Yu felt boredom was only an excuse. Bai Shuzhou was clearly subsidizing the household expenses. The moment she thought of the princess resting at home while still worrying about money, she wanted to cry.

I’m sorry.

I’m a useless, bad Alpha.

Bai Shuzhou often asked indirectly about Zhu Yu’s night shift. Of course, Zhu Yu could not tell the truth. After it happened enough times, she began tasting a hint of worry in the woman’s stiff words.

“You care about me!”

The woman was always very quiet. Her cool, thin brows turned away, her gaze settling on the book.

Zhu Yu leaned over to sneak a look at the cover.

It was the folk tale One Thousand and One Nights.

“If you don’t say anything, that means you admit it!”

Bai Shuzhou finally deigned to lift her head and said coldly, “Get lost.”

Zhu Yu hugged that uniquely special “get lost” close to her heart and left utterly satisfied.

Whenever work at Paradis came up, everyone defaulted to assuming Zhu Yu had it hard. Probably because the wages were high, which made the job sound heavy.

Zhu Yu, however, did not find it hard.

Her coworkers treated her very well. In an entertainment venue dominated by Federation people, people from the Empire would always unconsciously huddle together.

Every day before starting the night shift, Zhu Yu would be plunged into a pile of fluff and squeezed in plump hugs by her coworkers.

At first, Zhu Yu had been overwhelmed by this popularity. Later, she discovered it seemed to be because she could not beast-shift. In her coworkers’ eyes, she was a little like a pet.

Humans could pet animals, so of course animals could pet humans too.

The aura on Zhu Yu was very clear, like a pure, flawless snowy field. Every little animal that passed by wanted to come over and gently step on it, leaving a memorial mark behind.

She was completely unaware that, in a sense, this also counted as a kind of gang marking. Under the dim lights, undercurrents surged. There was a faint divide between the Empire people and Federation people here.

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

In this dazzling, decadent entertainment venue, she was no longer Zhu Yu.

She was—

Smiling Angel Little Fish!

This stage name gave her goosebumps all over.

But there was nothing she could do. The supervisor said a gimmick made it easier to earn money.

Her job was to smile at customers, say auspicious phrases that sounded grand at first but were basically “wishing you wealth and prosperity,” and then sell alcohol.

During the day, she slacked off and complained with coworkers at the nutrient-solution factory. In her spare time, she carried iron tools around repairing things. She felt that Wrench Angel would have been a much more suitable name.

Greedy mortals, the Wrench Angel grants you blessings…!

Physical salvation!

The supervisor’s voice yanked her back from her drifting fantasy. “Why are you standing there spacing out? Go check what’s wrong with the air conditioner in ‘Bieyun Room.’”

Zhu Yu agreed, took the magnetic card and toolbox the supervisor gave her, and headed toward the second floor.

The hierarchy here was strict, somewhat like a pyramid. She was a first-floor server and originally had no right to go upstairs. But when she occasionally worked part-time as a “level-two repair technician,” her status rose with a whoosh—

She could take the elevator.

That was the only benefit. With the magnetic card, she could ride the elevator.

Damn capitalists. They did not even pay extra repair wages!

She was already such a good bargain!

The second-floor corridor was very quiet. A coldness seeped out from the faint fragrance. Its elegant atmosphere was entirely different from the shallow noise floating on the first floor.

She had heard that the bosses who came to the second floor were either rich or noble. When they had enough fun, they would “set off fireworks,” tossing bundle after bundle of money downward.

The sight of lower-class people cheering, scrambling, and fighting to pick it up was also part of the rich people’s fun.

Unfortunately, Zhu Yu had never encountered it.

Otherwise, she would definitely let those rich people witness what it meant to be viciously poor!

She whistled softly and arrived at the designated private room, then skillfully opened her toolbox.

The door next door was open a crack. She could vaguely hear women laughing. Zhu Yu glanced over in passing and saw that the one entertaining them inside was Nangong.

Nangong had beautiful red hair. Like the original Zhu Yu, she was the flirtatious butterfly type. Her sales performance was excellent, and she was very popular. But for some reason, Zhu Yu did not like her much and rarely interacted with her.

In truth, she had always been a little afraid of super-extroverted people like this. Although she had transmigrated into exactly this type of person, probably because of some karma from a previous life, getting close to people like that made her feel as though she would be treated like a toy. Very passive.

As a Federation person, Nangong was currently wearing electronic cat ears to entertain those customers.

Zhu Yu stepped onto the soft genuine-leather sofa and tried hard to reach the central air conditioner. Only then did she belatedly realize what exactly made this bar uncomfortable.

They called it smuggling trade, but most of the time, it was the Federation dumping goods onto the Empire. Similarly, Federation people were also the ones who spent more lavishly. They would generously tip beastfolk servers.

With a condescending, admiring attitude.

That discomfort reached its peak after Zhu Yu finished checking the air conditioner and walked out with her toolbox, only to see Nangong being forced to drink.

The usually proud butterfly had been drenched wet, struggling and coughing. Her electronic cat ears were being pinched in someone’s palm as the person asked curiously, “Does this hurt? Then what about this?”

“Hey, you can’t even finish this little bit? Are you refusing to give me face?”

“Do you know how expensive this glass of wine is? What spilled out is already enough to buy your life. Drink it properly!”

“No way. You’ve barely drunk anything, and you’re already about to faint? How boring. As expected, you’re still not as fun to play with as those beastfolk.”

Zhu Yu silently clenched the toolbox until her knuckles turned white.

Although customers on the first floor also forced drinks on people, those were scattered booths with open visibility, so they did not dare go too far. In these private rooms upstairs, these honored guests wearing the skin of civilization instead revealed their true forms.

Someone deeper inside laughed softly. “Too bad this one’s also from the Federation.”

Another person said carelessly, “She isn’t a Federation citizen. What does it matter? Keep drinking. Don’t waste it. The wine you recommended should be finished by you, shouldn’t it, little beauty?”

Nangong leaned against them as if boneless, hooking a fingertip under the person’s chin. “Good Lieutenant, I’m dizzy. I really can’t drink anymore…”

So this piece of scum was a military officer too.

A Federation officer?

Involved in smuggling?

Zhu Yu frowned.

As Nangong climbed closer, she lightly traced the Alpha’s gland with her fingers. The other party laughed, her attitude softening slightly, though she remained frivolous. Seeing Nangong’s face covered in a rosy flush, she deliberately filled another glass.

“Drink this glass, and I’ll let you off.”

In Nangong’s current state, if she drank one more glass, she would probably be too drunk to even walk.

Several customers exchanged glances and smiled ambiguously.

The door was suddenly shoved open.

The young woman gripped an iron wrench. Her thin shadow was stretched long by the corridor lights, falling into the room and looking tall enough to seem distorted.

The Federation customers froze, startled for a moment by her momentum. But once they saw the cheap server uniform she was wearing, they immediately grew angry. One slapped the table and shouted, “Who are you? What do you think you’re doing?!”

Nangong looked back and cursed the fool inwardly. She lifted her hand and waved lightly, signaling Zhu Yu not to offend these people.

Zhu Yu bit her lip. “I’m here to fix the air conditioner. I was afraid our honored guests would get too hot.”

“Since Sister Nangong can’t do it anymore, let me drink in her place.”

“I’ve long heard that the adults of the Federation all have excellent alcohol tolerance. I’ve admired you for a long time. Want to compete with me?”

Clumsy.

Raw.

Full of the self-righteous mediation of youth.

Nangong: “…”

What did she mean, Nangong couldn’t do it anymore?

Listen to yourself. Do those two sentences even connect properly? And what possessed you at the end?!

For the first time, she looked directly at this fool who buttoned her shirt all the way to the top. Her aura was so clean it was out of place among everything around her.

Idiot.

What kind of heroine are you trying to be?

Nangong was so angry she almost laughed.

The officers sitting there were all Alphas. Their gazes were disdainful. They had never taken Betas seriously, especially not trash produced by some eighteenth-rate planet.

They studied this ignorant young woman, then smiled maliciously.

A provocation too insignificant was nothing more than after-dinner entertainment.

Amid frivolous whistles, case after case of alcohol was carried into the private room.

Nangong tried worriedly to stop them several times, pretending to be drunk and going with the flow to get the officer to take her away. Naturally, that would have dispersed the scene. But Zhu Yu stubbornly stood there like an old hen protecting chicks, refusing to retreat even half a step.

Zhu Yu could really drink.

After several bottles of strong liquor, her expression still did not change, as though she were drinking water. The Alphas’ competitive spirit was stirred up. They took turns drinking against her and marveled as they watched.

When they had drunk to their satisfaction, the crystal panel in the center of the stairs connecting to the first floor opened. A drunken Alpha waved a large hand, and banknotes fluttered down like red snow.

Amid the crowd’s cheers and frantic scrambling, the young woman in the private room drained the last drop of alcohol and casually tossed the bottle aside.

It shattered with a crisp crash.

Those aggressive Alphas were already staggering all over, only kept from collapsing into puddles of mud by the attendants supporting them.

Zhu Yu wiped the glittering wine from the corner of her lips with the back of her hand and politely waved at the defeated guests.

“Not drinking anymore? Not opening another bottle?”

The Alphas practically fled in defeat.

She said it so lightly that it was hard to imagine how such a slender body could hold so much strong liquor. Even her carefree smile carried the lingering echo of mellow wine.

Nangong had to admit that this person was rather pleasant to look at.

The drunkenness only swirled in those misty eyes. Drinking not only failed to make her face flush, it instead made her originally somewhat plain face suddenly come alive, faintly glowing porcelain white.

Could someone actually turn paler after drinking?

What kind of physique was this?

Nangong frowned and tentatively poked the young woman, who was stuck on the sofa with a smile.

One poke.

One withdrawal.

The young woman followed the motion and collapsed with a boom.

Nangong: “Hey…?!!”

She turned Zhu Yu over and checked her pulse and eyes. The young woman curled up, letting herself be handled, and said softly, “Oops. Forgot I had stomach problems.”

Could someone forget that?

Nangong was truly so angry she laughed. “You don’t think I’ll thank you just because you did this, do you?”

The young woman’s lips were also beginning to turn pale. She was very polite. “No need to thank me.”

Nangong: “Are you drunk?”

Zhu Yu: “No. It’s fine. I don’t get drunk. My body will break down these reagents soon. It’s just overloaded and needs a little time.”

She lifted her face, her clear black-and-white eyes blinking. “Do the later bottles count toward my sales performance?”

Nangong, who had just developed the tiniest bit of complicated emotion: “…”

Drink yourself to death, then.

When the manager heard that Zhu Yu had drunk until she felt unwell, he immediately urged her to hurry home and rest, grandly calling it an early break.

Nangong flicked her hair. “You’re just afraid that if she dies here, it’ll count as a workplace injury, aren’t you?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? It’s just ordinary stomach pain. If she doesn’t go home to rest, what else does she want to do here? Paradis isn’t a charity. Are we supposed to treat your illnesses too?”

Under Nangong’s half-smiling stare, the manager gritted his teeth, pulled out several large bills, and slapped them into Zhu Yu’s hand. “This is a little something from me personally. Hurry up and go!”

Under everyone’s eyes, Zhu Yu quickly sat up and counted the bills one by one. Her eyes curved as she smiled. “Thank you, Boss.”

She rose and walked outside, steady and slow.

Nangong could not watch anymore. She grabbed her and stuffed her into a scarlet car, forcing her to give a destination.

The autopilot started. Nangong opened the mirror and wiped off her lipstick. Her gaze was clear, with not the slightest drunkenness.

It was already deep into the night.

From afar, Nangong saw that little courtyard. She narrowed her eyes and looked Zhu Yu up and down. Only after a long while did she carry her out of the car.

Inside the house, a dim nightlight was on. Through the security window, a faint white reflection trembled on the mirror.

However long that car had been parked there, the owner of the mirror had been watching for just as long.

The young woman half hung against the red-dressed beauty’s side, one hand draped over her shoulder. The two of them were very close, their hair even tangled together.

Nangong whispered, “Bastard, you’re pressing on my beautiful hair. Lose one strand and it’s thirty thousand.”

At the mention of money, Zhu Yu bounced away. Her eyes were hazy as she quickly rushed home, as though a ghost were chasing her.

Even the hand she used to take out her key and open the door was trembling. Her cheek pressed against the iron door, her voice muffled.

“I’m back…”

Solid objects transmitted sound very well. The words rippled round and round through the silent night.

In the woman’s ears, they became:

Honey, I’m back from fooling around—

I went fooling around and even brought a woman back with me!

On the inside of the iron door, vines wound wildly, spreading like ink scattering into thousands of strands of black hair, viciously clogging up the lock cylinder.

It would not open.

Seeing the young woman freeze there in confusion, Nangong seemed to sense something. She stepped forward on her long legs, walked up to her, and smiled with a mouthful of white teeth.

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

“Want to come with me?”

Author’s Note:

Paradis in ordinary people’s eyes: decadence, luxury, and a place of sin.

Paradis in Zhu Yu’s eyes: an animal paradise where she gets paid to cuddle coworkers.