A Disguised Scum Alpha Marked Her Aloof Ex-Wife - Chapter 14

Bai Shuzhou’s emotions were always faint, always tinged with melancholy.

Or so Zhu Yu originally thought.

But while on medical leave at home for her stomach ailment, she discovered that the woman’s life was actually quite full.

Bai Shuzhou spent most of her time reading. She was omnivorous—from the mysteries of astronomy to the secrets of rice paddies, she read everything with rapt attention, even children’s literature.

When she read, she liked to lightly tap her finger on words she liked, as if touching a fictional dream through the rustle of paper. In those pale blue eyes reflecting the light text, her melancholy and coldness would soften, melting into a shallow crescent moon at the corner of her lips.

As that high-and-mighty radiance descended to the mortal world, Zhu Yu would prop up her chin and steal glances at her. The volume on her game console was kept very low; the background noise felt both bustling and lonely.

While Zhu Yu was away at work, Bai Shuzhou had already cleared all the game levels. He Ming said Sister Xiao Zhou was a gaming prodigy, unlike “certain people”—the “certain person” being Zhu Yu, a phrasing used to save her a bit of face.

All sorts of games seemed as plain as a blank sheet of paper to Bai Shuzhou. With a casual glance, she knew how to break the stalemate; even in the face of certain death, she could turn the tide. He Ming practically worshipped her as a deity, and even her friends would bring over levels they couldn’t pass to ask for Bai Shuzhou’s help.

Her mind always operated from a high vantage point. With a flick of her fingers, she could unravel a nine-linked ring puzzle. Her movements were fast, precise, and ruthless—forever elegant, forever at ease.

Zhu Yu, on the other hand, was terrible. She talked incessantly while playing, matching He Ming in chatter. She would strike a “GAME OVER” with high spirits and a puffed-out chest, letting out weird little animal-like yelps before muttering “Mistake, mistake” and constantly reloading her saves.

As the only two adults in this happy little shack, she hadn’t actually managed to play many games together with Bai Shuzhou.

Those kids didn’t mind trekking for two hours across the city just to play with Bai Shuzhou, calling it a “tutoring session”

Zhu Yu hated these kids to death. When they were all in the house, she always felt a bit out of place. This was clearly Zhu Yu’s home, too, but when she stayed there, she felt more like a redundant outsider.

The children would shamelessly cling to Bai Shuzhou, especially when they appeared in their cub beast forms. Occasionally, when the woman was in a good mood, she would even help groom their fur.

It was only then that Zhu Yu realized Bai Shuzhou could actually smile.

Not the superficial sneer or cold smirk she usually gave, but a genuine, extremely faint trace of joy. She maintained a gentle, distant politeness with everyone—except Zhu Yu.

I hate that the bright moon only refuses to shine on me; I hate the moon… but how could I bear to hate her?

Zhu Yu loved watching her smile, even if that smile wasn’t for her. When you gaze up at the moon, how could you ever dare to hope to hold it in your arms? She only wanted to put her back where she belonged in the sky.

Zhu Yu spent a fortune to buy the wheelchair Nan Gong had sent over. With an industrious hand-off, it was worth eighteen thousand. Federal technology was indeed stunning; the user could get on and off the chair independently using anti-gravity assistance.

Now she didn’t even have an excuse to carry her.

During every massage, Bai Shuzhou would bite her lip. Even if her slender back tensed into a straight line, she refused to let out a single moan.

After the massage, she would look at her with misty eyes, her beautiful brows furrowed like the folded brushstrokes of an ink-wash landscape. Zhu Yu couldn’t read the meaning.

She only knew that Bai Shuzhou seemed to dislike her more and more, becoming unwilling even to tell her to “Get out.” Now, the command to “Get out” had become a flick of a finger.

And Zhu Yu would obediently “roll” away.

Bai Shuzhou liked this new little gesture. Though Zhu Yu “rolled” away so earnestly that she failed to notice the woman’s slightly upturned lips.

He Ming noticed it, however. She watched with great interest and took her place in line. After Zhu Yu rolled out the door, she quickly leaned in and raised her hand: “Sister Xiao Zhou, I want a flick too! Me too!”

Bai Shuzhou stopped smiling immediately. She pursed her lips, assuming a cold majesty, and asked, “Is your homework done? Shall we add two more chapters?”

He Ming fled in terror.

Zhu Yu pretended to be breezy and unbothered, but the moment she turned her head, she suffered in secret, screamed in secret, and ran off to work in secret… well, the work part wasn’t a secret.

The ring Bai Shuzhou had forced upon her had been made into a necklace, tucked inside her shirt and warmed by her skin. Since it was an overly precious birthday gift, Zhu Yu obviously couldn’t actually sell it.

In the dead of night, by the light of the small night lamp, she would secretly try it on. Bai Shuzhou’s fingers were so thin that Zhu Yu couldn’t fit the ring on the same finger; it would get stuck at the knuckle. She had to try it on another one.

In the dimness, the fire of the gem flickered. Zhu Yu held up her hand to admire it for a while. Behind her, the white gauze swayed, and the woman let out a low cough. Flushed with shame, Zhu Yu hurriedly covered her hand and turned around.

The woman’s eyes were closed; she appeared to be fast asleep, her breathing steady. Her schedule was always very regular, as if she strictly followed a timetable.

At this moment, her long lashes cast a faint shadow, softened by the lamplight. Zhu Yu never grew tired of looking. She imagined there must be another little world beneath those lashes, tracing a fairy-tale dream.

With the guilt of a thief, Zhu Yu slowly stood up, tucked in her blanket, then lay down quietly, turning the night lamp even lower.

After Zhu Yu fell asleep, the beauty on the bed—who looked like a jade statue of Guanyin—opened her eyes. She looked down at her for a long time, and a vine silently reached toward the ring to make a small adjustment.

The next morning, Zhu Yu woke up to find, in horror, that the ring wouldn’t come off.

The massive, blood-red gemstone sparkled on her finger. She scrubbed with soap suds for a long time but couldn’t remove it. Consequently, when facing Bai Shuzhou, she could only act suspiciously, keeping one hand behind her back and standing with her spine ramrod straight. At a glance, she actually looked quite dignified.

The only saving grace was that because the gem was so large, it actually looked fake. Everyone tacitly assumed Zhu Yu was wearing a big piece of colored organic glass.

Nan Gong complained that Zhu Yu had zero taste, suggesting she should at least browse a vintage shop. She said Zhu Yu used to look elegant, but now she looked like a nouveau riche who had won the lottery. Standing in Paradis with that giant ring made her look like a beggar holding a golden bowl; the number of guests requesting her dropped significantly.

Zhu Yu didn’t want to talk to her.

She held a mountain of wariness toward this jerk who was eyeing Bai Shuzhou. She never spoke ill of people behind their backs, except when her “fluffy” colleagues praised Nan Gong. Then, Zhu Yu would say indignantly, “How is she good-looking? Is she even good-looking at all?”

It was a rhetorical question.

Nan Gong would float past, red lips slightly curved, ruffling her hair and blowing a wink. Her soul-snatching long legs easily stepped over Zhu Yu’s pride, inciting a chorus of screams from the crowd.

Nan Gong had an incredible figure; Zhu Yu looked far too slender standing next to her. The muscle lines on Nan Gong’s arms were also perfectly defined, and she would deliberately roll her sleeves high while mixing drinks.

The webbing between her thumb and forefinger and her knuckles also had thin callouses. Her fingers were exceptionally strong; when she held a tray, the veins on the back of her hand pulsed slightly. Her sharp eyes were always searching, waiting to capture prey.

Zhu Yu wanted to scream too—from rage.

Her colleague Hai Bao secretly asked if Zhu Yu was close to Nan Gong and if she could share her contact info privately; she was willing to attempt a taboo cross-species romance.

Zhu Yu: “Don’t know her.”

Nan Gong leaned over, getting very close to Hai Bao. Her red hair spilled over as she smiled and said in a low, magnetic voice: “No need to be private. We can do it right now.”

Hai Bao was a jellyfish; she turned pink instantly, melted, and began to slide down bonelessly.

“GET A GRIP!!!” Zhu Yu scrambled to catch her, while Nan Gong’s delightful laughter rang out beside her.

Nan Gong was always hovering around Zhu Yu, pestering her about how the new parts were coming along and why she hadn’t quit yet, effectively monopolizing all of Zhu Yu’s regular customers. No one could resist Nan Gong’s charms; the market for “seductive older sisters” was larger than Zhu Yu could have imagined.

With no requests and no sales—and whatever Nan Gong had said to the manager—the manager also asked Zhu Yu when she was planning to quit. He said that as a high-achieving repair technician, she really didn’t belong here.

Most hateful of all, when Zhu Yu took leave to focus on repairs at home, Nan Gong would hypocritically show up to “supervise,” and the kids who came over to play loved her, too.

Furthermore, she was great at gaming, proving to be a worthy opponent for Bai Shuzhou.

The frost-cold, silver-haired woman sat in her wheelchair while Nan Gong leaned over. Her red hair, like a blazing fire, spilled onto the woman’s shoulder as they engaged in a tacit confrontation, a subtle atmosphere flowing between them.

It was a very picturesque sight.

He Ming nudged Zhu Yu: “Don’t you think they look good together?”

Zhu Yu snapped in embarrassment: “Is your homework done, brat? I’m confiscating your game console!!!”

She really wanted to perform a ritual to summon the original owner’s soul. Soul, come back! Come back! Use your little favor-currying tricks to drive away this annoying Nan Gong!

Or Bai Qianze, come quickly! Save your sister! Strangle the red-head! This detestable Federal is eyeing your sister!!!

Does Bai Shuzhou just like bad women?

The Princess in the high tower, sheltered from the world, was indeed easy to deceive.

Nan Gong and the original owner were very much of a kind… while working at the nutrient factory, Zhu Yu felt mentally dazed. She tried her best to restrain her strange emotions, which felt like a dejected little rabbit thumping in her stomach.

Turning around, she tried to imitate Nan Gong by ruffling her hair and blinking at Xiao Shan with a clumsy wink.

Xiao Shan took off her headphones and said with concern, “Have you been working too long? Are your eyes sore? They’re twitching.”

Zhu Yu: Total defeat!

She lowered her head and slumped, only wanting to be a pack of sad nutrient cake—strawberry flavored.

Bai Shuzhou loved strawberries.

“…”

She was doomed!

No, wait—someone else was doomed. Maybe this bad woman Nan Gong would take over the original owner’s role, seduce the Princess, follow her back to the palace, and then have her true nature exposed and get whipped in prison!

No.

Why should she let the Princess be sad? They couldn’t be together like that; she hadn’t even signed the final divorce papers yet!

Ah, that’s right. After returning to the palace, she still had to sign the divorce confirmation.

Zhu Yu was utterly crushed.

She actually knew that Bai Shuzhou had been using those children to contact the outside world. Her home wasn’t here; it was in that magnificent palace where the brightest starlight in the universe shone. She only needed to wave her hand, and all things would align according to her will.

Zhu Yu couldn’t help her, and Bai Shuzhou was never one to just sit and wait.

Regarding the day that would eventually come, Zhu Yu felt both anticipation and fear. Anticipation that Bai Shuzhou would regain her glory and no longer have to worry about a livelihood—she would receive proper treatment, and that was where she belonged. Fear that she herself would be finished off.

The Dragon race was powerful and mysterious, with few offspring; currently, there were only two in the world. She had made off with Bai Shuzhou, and she was injured. First of all, the Emperor, Bai Qianze, would never let her go.

In the original text, “Zhu Yu” seemingly survived a bit longer by relying on the child, but later she nearly kidnapped the daughter to use as a hostage in a despicable hope for safety.

That was her own daughter—how could anyone be that evil? Such a scumbag deserved to die!

If that were my daughter, I would definitely…!

Why am I having unrealistic fantasies again? Zhu Yu despised herself.

She swore she would absolutely respect Bai Shuzhou’s personal wishes. She swore she had no inappropriate thoughts about her. She swore that if she broke this, the sky… the sky… the weather sure is nice.

Distracting thoughts are a no-go; they were destined to live in different worlds. Bai Shuzhou’s future was clear and grand. And hers? If she wasn’t killed after healing Bai Shuzhou, maybe she’d become a repair technician with her own studio like White Horse. That was Zhu Yu’s tiny hope.

White Horse said she was talented. The parts Nan Gong gave her to fix could be worth tens of thousands. She was constantly learning. Though she was unstable for now, she would become more mature in the future.

She was someone who aimed for the Gold Wrench Award! Her future was still promising!

Thinking of this made Zhu Yu’s blood boil. The Gold Wrench was the highest honor for a Master Technician! And the prize money was enormous—enough for her to live a carefree life forever. Maybe she’d even get orders from the military or the royal family…

In her excitement, a button on her Paradis uniform popped, nearly flying into a wine glass.

Zhu Yu always felt the material of the Paradis uniforms was shoddy; they split or lost buttons at the slightest movement. Her colleagues seemed used to it; when their collars opened, they would laugh and cover their chests, while the flying buttons were seen as lucky charms by the smugglers, who would often give tips.

Zhu Yu didn’t understand the underlying logic, but she noticed a frequent female guest’s eyes light up, her gaze drifting toward Zhu Yu’s inner work vest.

It was covered up tight.

The woman took the button and gave a tip anyway, though she looked like she was in a bad mood. Beside her, Nan Gong’s delightful laughter rang out again.

Zhu Yu cursed Nan Gong’s smugness in her heart, but the woman turned her wrist and offered to help her sew it back on.

With a silver needle and white thread, it was done in a few breaths. She deliberately leaned over and bit off the thread with her teeth, inciting another round of screams from her “fangirl” guests.

Zhu Yu thought she was actually quite a good person—it would just be better if she weren’t such a poser.

That night, Zhu Yu left work early because of Nan Gong’s subtle exclusion.

She didn’t dwell too long on the fact that her guests had been snatched. She hung up her uniform and walked quietly to the bed, clasping her hands toward the white gauze and bowing solemnly.

“Don’t hate me… don’t hate me. Like me instead, okay?”

She muttered the tiny whispers as if casting a spell.

Unfortunately, she had no magic. The true night unfolded after she fell asleep, the stars swaying across the sky.

The white gauze was lifted by a slender hand. The woman’s beautiful brows furrowed, and she sniffed alertly. She sensed it—a scent that didn’t belong to her.

Vines coiled around Zhu Yu twice, then climbed the clothes rack, hooking the girl’s uniform.

After a moment, those icy eyes narrowed. With a gentle flick of a jade-like knuckle, a slender vine twisted around the second button. In an instant, the surveillance device hidden within the button was ground to powder, drifting down like dust.

Is this a provocation?

Now, she could confirm Nan Gong’s identity.

That damned Federal spy.

And just what is her relationship with Zhu Yu?