A Disguised Scum Alpha Marked Her Aloof Ex-Wife - Chapter 13

When Zhu Yu woke up, the sunlight was just right.

It had been a long time since she had slept so soundly until she woke naturally. The headache from the hangover still pulsed faintly, and her memories of last night were broken, scattered in bits and pieces.

The familiar scent of roses made her turn over. Unconsciously, she rubbed against the soft quilt, letting the sunlight warm the other side of her body to gold as well.

Wait.

Roses.

That was Bai Shuzhou’s scent.

Zhu Yu, who had still been a little sleepy, instantly opened her eyes wide.

In disbelief, she lifted her wrist and collar and sniffed lightly.

From head to toe, she was covered entirely in the fragrance of roses. Her clothes, which she had not had time to change out of, were wrinkled all over.

Help. What happened…!

Surely she hadn’t—surely she didn’t—do anything to offend Bai Shuzhou while drunk, right?!

Zhu Yu half-knelt and crawled up.

A ring fell out from her arms.

It really had been hidden in her arms, against her chest, warmed by her body temperature.

She did indeed have a habit of hiding treasures close to her body. Keeping them against her made her feel safe. But before she could cover it up, a subtle gaze fell on her.

Zhu Yu abruptly raised her head.

Those pale blue eyes were cold and distant, looking down at her from above. Clearly, Bai Shuzhou had seen the whole thing too.

A ring should be worn on the hand.

Not hidden against one’s chest.

This was Bai Shuzhou’s ring. It was one of the birthday gifts the current emperor, Bai Qianze, had given her when she turned eighteen.

Amid her splitting headache, Zhu Yu vaguely remembered that cold voice saying, “Take it. Sell it. Quit your job.”

So domineering.

She had also poured her water. The embrace of vines. Beautiful roses. The pain had begun to ease the moment Bai Shuzhou came close…

Wu. She was so good!

Zhu Yu hurriedly picked up the ring and handed it back to Bai Shuzhou.

“Here. I’m giving it back. We’ll have money soon. Don’t worry.”

The gemstone ring forcibly placed into Bai Shuzhou’s hand still carried the young woman’s warmth.

The woman’s gaze fell to Zhu Yu’s open collar. Her expression darkened faintly, and she hooked her finger.

The young woman hesitated for a second, seemingly still wanting to refuse such an expensive gift. But Bai Shuzhou narrowed her eyes slightly, her aura cooling, and Zhu Yu immediately became flustered and obediently leaned closer.

The gemstone hung from jade-like fingertips.

Bai Shuzhou turned her slender wrist and very naturally pushed the ring down through Zhu Yu’s collar.

Aloof and proud, she examined Zhu Yu’s reaction—from the sudden redness at the roots of her ears to the trembling she restrained herself from shrinking away from. The gemstone happened to be caught in the center of her chest, blood-red against pale skin.

Ah.

Zhu Yu bit her lip.

Her first reaction was: why was Bai Shuzhou’s hand so cold?

It was even colder than the gemstone.

Looking up at moonlight from below, it was a rainy day. Those pale blue eyes were always melancholy and misty. Right now, for once, there was a faint, unusual light in them.

This was already the palest part of Zhu Yu’s entire body, yet against that flawless hand, a contrast was still forcefully created.

The little mole on the woman’s wrist was red and striking, like blood seeping from her pulse, then condensing into a gem that fell upon Zhu Yu’s heart.

For a moment, Zhu Yu could not tell whether the thing beating rapidly was her own heartbeat or Bai Shuzhou’s pulse.

Almost instinctively, she reached out and covered the woman’s overly cold hand, pressing it against her chest, trying to melt a piece of ice with her body heat.

No humiliation.

No weighing of gains and losses.

Not even much thought.

In a frozen world of ice and snow, she appeared fluffy and warm, pressing close with such heat.

The young woman half-knelt there, and what should have been a humiliating test became a knight’s coronation.

There was no need for strategy.

She offered up a sincere heart.

Dragon blood was cold, yet at this moment, a faint pink slowly rose from Bai Shuzhou’s wrist. Her face remained expressionless, and she did not pull her hand away. She only called softly.

“Zhu Yu.”

“You…”

The syllables had changed subtly. They were clearly the same words, yet she bit them out with an entirely different flavor. They sounded even colder, carrying a faint magnetism as they brushed past Zhu Yu’s ear and stirred up a wave of tingling numbness.

Zhu Yu instinctively held her breath.

Knock, knock, knock.

However, a teasing voice followed close after, suddenly sounding from outside the door.

“Smiling Angel Little Fish, open up. Senior is here to bring you warmth.”

Nangong leaned against the door, playing with the parts in her hand. She clearly heard a shame-filled scream from the young woman inside, more like a puppy’s whimper than anything else.

The young woman flew into embarrassed anger. “Wrong person!”

“No mistake. Wasn’t it here last night?” Nangong knowingly asked. “Smiling—”

Click.

The door opened at lightspeed.

Zhu Yu warily covered Nangong’s mouth and dragged her into the room, very much giving off the air of someone about to silence a witness permanently.

It was bad enough being called by that stage name at work.

But being called that after work too made Zhu Yu feel her stomach begin to hurt again.

And, and—

It was in front of Bai Shuzhou.

No matter how one heard it, the title sounded strange!

She only did not want Bai Shuzhou to know.

With her back to Bai Shuzhou, Zhu Yu pressed her palms together and begged frantically.

Nangong, with very high emotional intelligence, acted as if she heard nothing and placed the things down on her own.

“This is the business we agreed on yesterday. See how long it’ll take you to fix it. Also, I heard you were sick, and everyone was pretty worried. Xiao Fu asked me to bring you hangover medicine, Haibao sent a shell… and Xiao Haitang sent an acupoint manual. You two are even researching massage?”

There was a huge bag of gifts and supplies.

Zhu Yu’s popularity really was very good. Those fluffy coworkers were even willing to ask Nangong, a Federation person, to bring things over.

Zhu Yu’s face changed drastically. “What research? Can you not talk like that!”

Alcohol, sensuality, and an ambiguous lingering tone—Nangong had them all.

Even serious topics sounded strange when she said them, as if that ancient Earth Chinese medicine massage tutorial had become something unspeakable.

“Xiao Haitang is a person’s name! Acupoints means acupoints in Chinese medicine! I just wanted to study massage so my technique can improve and make people more comfortable.”

Zhu Yu turned her head, trying to explain. Unfortunately, the more she explained, the worse it sounded. The woman’s expression, which had just softened, had already darkened.

Zhu Yu was so anxious she was about to cry. “I just wanted to help massage you, relax your muscles, and help you recover sooner…!”

Probably only the person wrongly accusing her knew exactly how wronged she was.

Nangong stood to the side with her arms crossed, enjoying the show. She said meaningfully, “Oh, massage—”

The white gauze curtain was only half drawn. Through the gap of light and shadow, Nangong glimpsed the sharp little chin of the woman on the bed, her thin lips, and as the wind stirred, those flickering pale blue eyes.

Nangong froze in place.

Even the curve of her smile stopped at that exact angle.

She had never seen eyes so soul-stirring.

They shimmered like inorganic gemstones, so cold that chill seemed to rise from the gaps between one’s bones. There was not the slightest trace of affection in them.

It was not an illusion…

What was with this person?

Zhu Yu watched helplessly as Nangong walked closer and closer, raising her hand to pull the curtain, acting as though she were not an outsider at all.

Zhu Yu fiercely shoved Nangong away and warily dragged her outside.

At this moment, she suddenly felt she could especially sympathize with Bai Qianze. Back when the original Zhu Yu proposed to Bai Shuzhou, she had nearly been killed.

“Hehe.”

Nangong still had the face to laugh. Only, she put away her frivolousness, becoming solemn and subtle as she probed, “Who is she?”

Zhu Yu lowered her voice. “My wife!”

Nangong raised a brow. “I don’t believe you.”

Zhu Yu could least bear hearing those words. She was completely provoked and became fluffy with rage before forcing out, “What does that have to do with you! You’re not allowed to look, or I’ll hit you.”

“No wonder you’re working so desperately to earn money.” Nangong’s smile became meaningful.

Zhu Yu: “…”

She gritted her teeth. “What exactly are you here for?”

Coming all this way with big bags and small bags just to frame her?

This person couldn’t have taken an interest in her last night, right…?

Mm.

A soon-to-be ex-wife was still a wife!

“Didn’t I say? I’m introducing business to you. Go back and see if that part can be repaired. If you take this job, you can quit the bar.”

“Your family wouldn’t agree to you doing that kind of work, would they?” Her tone was teasing and threatening.

Zhu Yu gritted her teeth. “What do you mean, that kind of work? The business we do on the first floor is all legal, okay? We earn money with our own ability. If not for last night…”

If not for her sticking her neck out last night, she usually only had to drink a few glasses easily, with enough strength left to help those coworkers out of trouble.

Friendliness was mutual.

While they struggled at the bottom, they supported each other, all hoping that once they saved money, life could become better.

Actually, many coworkers did not like eating biscuits that much. But when they heard that Bai Shuzhou had injured her legs, they still enthusiastically bought out all those expensive little snacks.

Xiao Haitang had taught Zhu Yu many techniques for taking care of patients. Haibao often brought fish to share with coworkers. Xiao Fu had recommended a hospital on a neighboring star, saying it was extremely cost-effective. Chattering nonstop, she said an online friend of hers had been treated there, and the results were super, super, super, super good…

“Paradis isn’t as simple as you think.” Nangong flicked Zhu Yu. “Don’t be so innocent, kid.”

Zhu Yu’s tone grew a little stubborn. “I know. I’ll fix the things for you.”

Nangong shrugged, knowing when to stop. “Then let’s wait and see.”

She left behind several damaged samples and very deliberately hid an old mecha part among the pile of scraps.

Federation technology was far more advanced than the Empire’s. Even their discarded equipment was enough to leave the Empire decades behind. On a garbage planet like this, without blueprints, calling it a fantasy was not too much at first glance.

Even if Zhu Yu could merely tell what the part did and where it was installed, Nangong could already praise her as a genius.

Nangong liked discovering geniuses.

This would be a very worthwhile investment.

Unfortunately, three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhu Yu went to work as usual without any sign of progress.

Her informant said Zhu Yu often ran to several major recycling stations. For a while, Nangong suspected this bastard had secretly sold the part. When she saw Zhu Yu at Paradis, Zhu Yu even dared to pretend not to know her, not greeting her at all.

She looked rather resentful.

Swapping out defective goods, finding a shell that looked about the same, and charging a high repair fee—there were quite a few old foxes who did things like that.

Right. Innocence was probably just part of her persona too.

This was the chaotic zone, not an ivory tower. What good thing could grow here?

Nangong sneered.

Fine. She had skill.

However, when Zhu Yu took out the simple device model, Nangong fell silent and realized that this person truly did have skill.

A great deal of it.

She had not only repaired it, but improved it.

It was equivalent to making a dying heart glow with life again and grow into a person.

To be precise, half a person.

She was too poor. Even the torso seemed to be made from cardboard she had picked up from somewhere.

The young woman warily hid the little machine inside a bag. “In order to fix this, I bought a lot of things. All of that has to count as cost. You need to pay more.”

Hearing her say this, Nangong actually felt a little more comfortable.

See? How could someone possibly rub this out of thin air by hand? This thing had only been declassified by the Federation five years ago.

With a pleasant expression, she asked, “You bought the core components from Baima, right? You’re her student, aren’t you? I guessed it long ago. Calculating it, we’re actually quite familiar.”

Baima had come from a dissolved Federation research institute. Because she was wanted for crimes against humanity, she had escaped to this planet and lived under an alias as a repair technician. More than half the smuggling army’s equipment had passed through her hands.

Small places paid great attention to personal connections. Helan had already introduced Zhu Yu to Baima before, but Zhu Yu herself had not known. She still felt that warmth and true feeling existed among humans, and everyone she met was a very good person.

Zhu Yu said, “I know you know each other. Sister Baima said the parts and books would be put on your tab. What I want to increase is the labor fee.”

Of course she could not pay for materials out of pocket. Otherwise, if Nangong ran off, she would suffer a huge loss.

Although she was earning quite a bit now, the cost of feeding a dragon was also a very large expense. Who knew when that bunch of useless royals would finally find them?

Eh.

People really did get arrogant in fields they were good at. Otherwise, how would she dare call the guard team useless?

Nangong was smiling benevolently and naturally agreed at once, taking out her optical brain. “What’s your card number?”

Zhu Yu looked troubled. “I want cash.”

Nangong became even more satisfied. “Oh, are you wanted too?”

“No problem. But I don’t have that much cash on me. I’ll need to go to the city center to withdraw it. I’ll give it all to you in a few days. I still have several other things here. I’ll send them over tonight. Take a look.”

The corner of Zhu Yu’s mouth twitched.

She felt that Nangong was actually rather poor too. She even had to go to the city center to withdraw cash. So pretentious.

After Nangong left, she went straight to Baima’s workshop and asked for the bill. She had not expected Baima to also be surprised when she saw Zhu Yu’s finished product.

The two compared accounts together.

Zhu Yu had bought some extremely cost-effective little pieces of junk. Replacement parts had all been purchased from several places at the lowest price. There were also several repair books.

Starship Structure and Flight Control System Maintenance Tutorial, Ninth Revised Edition

Maintenance Operation Manual: Junior Engineer Edition

……

All of them were as basic as basic could be. One was even a Federation textbook.

Baima pointed out that this person had smuggled in personal purchases, secretly buying several extra books related to central systems and brain-computer interfaces. They were very expensive, even secondhand recycled copies.

But the two could no longer care about settling accounts. They looked at each other, both confused.

“She’s not your person??”

What a treasure.

They had truly picked up a ghost.

That night, Nangong pulled over a cart full of new parts and extra gifts. Her enthusiasm made Zhu Yu’s scalp tingle.

Zhu Yu said, “I don’t accept goods to offset debt!”

Nangong said, “You really have no—”

She forcefully swallowed the word “future” back down.

The moment Nangong smiled, Zhu Yu became even more frightened.

Offering help for no reason meant either treachery or theft.

Could this person be trying to pursue Bai Shuzhou?

Zhu Yu painfully grabbed at her hair and, half pushing and half dragging, ordered Nangong not to step into the house. She lowered her voice to threaten her.

“She is my wife!!”

Nangong raised a brow. “Oh. And then?”

Zhu Yu was completely shocked by her matter-of-fact, shameless attitude.

Nangong smiled again. “Don’t you want her to live a better life? Hehe.”

Zhu Yu: “…”

In an instant, many, many thoughts flashed through her mind.

So what Xiao Shan said was true.

Federation people really had no morals!!

Zhu Yu was so angry her eyes widened, utterly unaware that her wariness, in Bai Shuzhou’s eyes, had become an affectionate gaze.

White gauze curtain.

Sheet-metal door.

Layers separated them, and only one window was open. Their deliberately lowered voices sounded unusually ambiguous in the darkness.

The young woman threw a punch, only for the tall woman to catch it easily.

The knuckles holding the mirror turned white. Bai Shuzhou leaned back against the soft pillow. Her fingertips seemed to still carry the soft touch from the daytime.

She found Zhu Yu harder and harder to see through.

The old Zhu Yu had been shallow and vile, wearing a bright, flamboyant smile.

Although the current Zhu Yu also loved to smile, she had no sharp edges. Even when bullied, she only curled up.

Soft.

Cowardly.

Clear to the bottom.

Clearly, in the daytime, she had still been half-kneeling before Bai Shuzhou, pressing Bai Shuzhou’s hand against her chest in a posture of submission…

Or was it that she was like this with everyone?

Cracks appeared along the edge of the mirror.

Bai Shuzhou’s eyes darkened completely.