A Disguised Scum Alpha Marked Her Aloof Ex-Wife - Chapter 17

Silence.

Was it enough?

The colorful jewels refracted sharp light. Zhu Yu lowered her face, looking at them scattered all over the ground, almost cutting through the dust.

Of course it was enough.

She should feel happy. After all, in the past, she had dreamed of wealth falling from the sky. Many dreams began with the phrase, “When I have money…”

She crouched down and picked up the dust-covered gems one by one.

The manager at Paradis had said that if one wanted to succeed, one had to lower one’s posture and dignity. So even if she was scolded or made things difficult for, it did not matter.

Zhu Yu truly did not care.

In one ear, out the other. If someone cursed too viciously, she would hypnotize herself into thinking they were scolding Zhu Yu. What did that have to do with Xiao Yu?

But Bai Shuzhou was different.

Every word she said was placed carefully in Zhu Yu’s heart, so each one became especially clear. Even if it hurt, Zhu Yu would chew it over again and again.

All her joy, all her anticipation, had been exchanged for…

Jewels.

Saying it that way made her sound far too ungrateful.

Zhu Yu held it in for a long time before finally saying dully, “You have money.” It was a very short sigh.

Two jobs a day, plus repair work on the side. The money she had gathered bit by bit looked ridiculous before these expensive jewels.

Bai Shuzhou had not even blinked. The jewels she casually handed over had no special meaning at all. Including the ring Zhu Yu had solemnly worn on her hand—for Bai Shuzhou, perhaps it was just like a one-yuan coin.

Something that could be tossed into the air and lost without needing to care.

Then what was Zhu Yu?

What was her status?

She was Bai Shuzhou’s ex-wife whose divorce confirmation had not yet been signed. She was the so-called star of the common people in name only. According to the original book’s plot, in the future, she would also become a traitor, a prisoner, and the foil to Bai Shuzhou’s pursuers.

Peaceful days had gone on for too long, and the room was too small. They were forced to stay very close—so close that Zhu Yu had actually forgotten they were not equals.

Zhu Yu raised her head.

In Bai Shuzhou’s eyes, she saw coldness.

Their eyes met. Clearly, Zhu Yu was the one standing while Bai Shuzhou was sitting, but the difference between them seemed completely reversed.

Heaven and earth apart.

Bai Shuzhou asked, “Not enough?”

Zhu Yu shook her head.

“What else do you want?”

“I don’t know.” Zhu Yu pinched her wrist. She kept feeling things between them should not be like this, as if even sincerity was only something with a clearly marked price, merely worth a little more.

Since childhood, her older sister had warned her that everything in this world came with a corresponding bargaining chip. If one wanted something, one had to pay for it. One should not dream of things one could not obtain.

Zhu Yu fiddled with the gemstones and asked softly, “Then what can I do for you?”

Bai Shuzhou’s tightly clenched hand relaxed slightly.

She was very satisfied with Zhu Yu’s soft, yielding retreat. Things should have been like this from the beginning. Power, money, transactions—those were the sturdiest reins. Only when held in one’s hand could they make someone feel at ease.

“Just be obedient.”

Her eyes lowered, and she said it carelessly.

“Oh,” Zhu Yu said. “I’ll be obedient.”

Spinelessly, she put the gemstones away, then turned and continued cooking.

Bai Shuzhou preferred lighter flavors. Zhu Yu, full of malice, grabbed a large handful of chili peppers, shook off a little, then shook off a little more. In the end, only two remained. Finally satisfied, she tossed them into the hot oil to add flavor.

Still, the smoke choked her so badly that tears almost fell.

Why?

Why had she sold her first love just like this?

All right. She could not call it first love. It was only a one-sided crush. Besides, if she was kind to Bai Shuzhou not for money, but to make Bai Shuzhou like her, that seemed…

Even more despicable.

With Bai Shuzhou’s conditions, every one of her suitors was far more outstanding than Zhu Yu. Even the original scummy Alpha had a bright future and knew how to please girls.

A faint teasing voice in her heart said, At least you made a huge profit. What are you dissatisfied with? Thank you, Miss Bai, for sending a champagne tower converted into cash. All expenses for the rest of my life will be paid by Miss Bai!

This could count as getting a grand-slam request too. Her first time…

So awful.

The cooking smoke choked her. Zhu Yu could not hold it in and began laughing and coughing at the same time.

Watching the young woman’s trembling shoulders, the woman in the wheelchair frowned slightly. Her lips parted, then closed again. She shut the book once more.

Before the smell of cooking oil could spread, her gaze suddenly lifted sharply.

Chaotic footsteps came from outside.

And along with them…

Killing intent.

Chirp, chirp—

A bright yellow little bird stumbled into the courtyard, circling once. There was obvious blood at the corner of its beak. Its tearful little bean eyes met Bai Shuzhou’s.

Chirp!

The little bird trembled in fear, as though it had made some kind of decision. It flew straight toward Bai Shuzhou. The woman gently raised her hand and caught its landing.

Bai Shuzhou wiped the blood from the corner of its beak with a handkerchief and asked softly, “Did someone bully you?”

Unbelievably gentle.

“Huh, a little bird.”

Zhu Yu turned back and unconsciously stole several glances at Bai Shuzhou.

Bai Shuzhou seemed gentle toward everyone.

Except her.

The courtyard was in a relatively remote location. Usually, very few people came, and small animals rarely visited either.

The little bird rubbed against Bai Shuzhou’s hand tearfully and gestured in panic. It spread wings that had been trimmed, tapped its own head with a ding-ding sound, then covered its mouth and cried hoarsely.

It was filing a complaint.

Before Bai Shuzhou could respond, the sound of people cursing and pounding on the door came from outside the courtyard.

The violent crash startled Zhu Yu. She gripped the spatula tightly, and oil almost splashed onto her hand.

“That little beast bit me and still dares to run!”

“Tired of living, huh? This time we have to teach it a lesson.”

“Don’t hit the face, or it won’t sell for a good price.”

“Open the door! If you don’t open up, we’ll set it on fire!”

The little bird buried its entire head in its wings, curling up in Bai Shuzhou’s palm and trembling.

Gangsters!

Zhu Yu’s mind buzzed. She remembered the horrifying rumors Xiao Shan had once told her.

Bai Shuzhou held the little bird protectively in both hands, her eyes darkening slightly.

This little bird was one of her subjects, yet had been lured, abducted, trafficked, and abused this badly by star pirates.

Vines condensed into thin, sharp thorns. High-level pheromones were about to descend. Bai Shuzhou was just about to do something when Zhu Yu hurriedly carried her back to the bed, nervously covering her tail. Then she made a shushing gesture at the little bird and pulled down the white gauze.

The outside was noisy and chaotic. Judging by the voices, there were at least seven or eight people.

Zhu Yu turned the heat to the highest setting. The choking smell of smoke quickly spread, covering all sensitive scents.

Holding the spatula, she opened the door just before the lock was completely deformed.

The courtyard, piled with scrap metal and junk, instantly became crowded.

The black-hatted leader swept her gaze around and was still fairly polite. “Did you see a bird? She owes us money.”

Zhu Yu answered instantly, “No!”

“Bullshit. Are your eyes blind? I watched it fly over here!”

A one-eyed woman with an electronic prosthetic eye lifted an electric baton and forced Zhu Yu to step back. Her eyes were full of disdain. She spat to the side.

“Another mutt who won’t even sell for much.”

Zhu Yu fell silent.

Zhu Yu was amazed.

Could beastfolk, Federation people, and mixed-bloods really be distinguished by smell?

Zhu Yu asked, “Your Excellency is… a pure-blood Federation person?”

A competition-grade one, judging by the look of her.

“Heh, at least you have good eyes. Hurry up and hand over that bird person, or we’ll burn your house down.”

Zhu Yu quietly blocked the door to the little room and said calmly, “I really didn’t see the person you’re talking about. Times are hard for everyone. Why would I look for trouble myself?”

The one-eyed woman frowned. “You’re all Empire people. Who knows if you’d cover for one another?”

Zhu Yu gripped the money in her hand, walked past the one-eyed woman, and secretly stuffed it to the black-hatted woman. Clearly, she was the boss.

“It wasn’t easy for you all to make this trip either. I understand the rules of the road. Please have a drink. As you can see, I’m just an honest repair technician. Maybe we’ll even have a chance to work together in the future.”

The black-hatted woman looked at her from the corner of her eye and weighed the money. It had quite a bit of weight.

At the same time, Zhu Yu was also studying them. These people all wore the same metal triangular sleeve badges. They seemed to be part of a smuggling organization too. She had seen them at the bar before.

“Repair technician?”

The black-hatted woman exhaled a turbid breath through her nose. Seeing Zhu Yu’s timid appearance, she really did not seem like someone with the courage to resist. The woman half-lowered her eyelids and waved a hand.

“Routine inspection.”

There was no range hood, and the spicy cooking smoke made the black-hatted woman cover her nose in discomfort. Her back was turned to Zhu Yu, and there were several needle marks on the back of her neck.

Her subordinates shoved Zhu Yu aside and barged in, rummaging through cabinets and drawers.

Zhu Yu stood in front of the bed, smiling as she rubbed her hands together. “Go ahead and look. There really isn’t anything. I was cooking when you suddenly came over. Which hill do you friends belong to? Red Wing or Liquid Three…”

The black-hatted woman did not answer. Her sharp gaze turned toward the white gauze. “Who’s on the bed?”

Zhu Yu piled on a smile. “My wife.”

“You’re this poor and still have a wife?” the one-eyed woman sneered, kicking the wheelchair nearby. “A mutt paired with a cripple.”

Zhu Yu’s smile became very strained. Her lowered hand pinched itself white.

“This wheelchair must cost quite a bit, right?” The green-haired woman made a sound of surprise and came over, sitting down on it boldly. She lifted her head and asked the person beside her, “The latest PT300? The one that costs three hundred eighty thousand?”

“?! Seriously?”

The woman in leather cursed. “Repair technicians make that much? Impossible, right?”

Zhu Yu froze too.

This was something Nangong had given Bai Shuzhou. Feeling awkward about it, Zhu Yu had spent eighteen thousand to buy it. That was the price Nangong had quoted.

“Damn, it even has the high-end rose wheel hubs!”

“Move. Let me sit too…!”

Amid the clamor, the black-hatted woman looked at Zhu Yu, her gaze as sharp as an eagle’s. “How did you get this?”

The latest advanced equipment should not have appeared on this backward planet at all. The locals had probably never even heard of an anti-gravity system.

Zhu Yu had not heard of it either. She only learned about it when she saw Bai Shuzhou use it.

Eighteen thousand.

Zhu Yu had once thought that was already very expensive. She had even naively felt that Bai Shuzhou was worth it.

Nangong had given something so expensive…

She was so rich.

Zhu Yu lowered her head. Her already low mood worsened even more. Not even the “my wife” she had just openly and sneakily said could save it.

That title felt like something she had stolen. She could only call Bai Shuzhou that in abnormal situations like this. It was a tacit whitewashing of peace, and she did not have to worry that Bai Shuzhou would get angry.

She mumbled, “I work with Paradis. I had someone buy it.”

“Paradis?”

The black-hatted woman looked deeply at Zhu Yu and raised a hand to stop the farce caused by her subordinates. “Pull open the curtain. Just a simple look.”

Among these vicious smugglers, the quiet black-hatted woman definitely counted as the most human-like. One could almost call her reasonable, completely out of place among the others.

But the way they looked down from above was clearly the way one evaluated merchandise. Every time they mentioned Empire people, they called them beasts.

Zhu Yu spread her arms in front of the white gauze, refusing to give way. “No. My wife is afraid of strangers. You’ll scare her.”

The black-hatted woman stared at Zhu Yu. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

A chilling killing intent emanated from her. In the instant their eyes met, a strong sense of danger surged through Zhu Yu. For some reason, she had an intuition that the black-hatted woman must have been a soldier before, and her rank had not been low.

Why would someone like this fall so far as to become a smuggler?

Zhu Yu swallowed, then hooked a small pouch of private money from under the bed with her foot. This was the little portion she had not told Bai Shuzhou about.

“Sister, I really can’t. Do you know Lieutenant Xiao? We drank together before. Please be flexible.”

“If it were you, you wouldn’t want your wife stared at by so many people either, right? Isn’t that bullying?”

The black-hatted woman did not move. The one-eyed woman grinned and took the money pouch for her, patting Zhu Yu’s face.

“Oh, look at that. We’re bullying you. What are you going to do? Go complain to that Xiao person?”

The dusty palm patted her cheek. The humiliation was far greater than the pain. The young woman bit her lip, but under everyone’s gaze, she actually smiled again.

“Then just bully me. Don’t bully my wife.”

At Paradis, she had encountered quite a few people like this. As long as she went along with their words, it would be fine. Hearing this, the one-eyed woman’s brows furrowed in disgust. Sure enough, she lost interest and sneered.

“Spineless thing. Are all Empire people this soft? As expected of something domesticated. Beg me—”

The words “beg you” carried no cost at all.

Zhu Yu had just been about to speak when the woman behind the white gauze coldly rebuked:

“Zhu Yu, step back!”

Her voice…

So noble and precious.

More valuable than that little yellow oriole.

The one-eyed woman’s gaze immediately changed. She licked her lips and lowered her voice. “Boss.”

“This thing is so nervous. I don’t think that’s any wife at all. She was bought too. If we resell her…”

The floor bedding Zhu Yu slept on had been dirtied by their shoes. Now it was lifted by the tip of a boot, and that hoarse voice was filled with greed.

“She must be valuable. This one doesn’t even dare touch her.”

Zhu Yu’s nerves, already stretched taut for a long time, were suppressed to the limit. She could bear it no longer.

“Shut up!”

“I said, this is my wife. My bottom line. If you dare keep saying filthy things—”

“You’ve got some spirit.” Green Hair took the lead in laughing. “What, great repair technician, are you going to fix us with your little wrench and little screwdriver?”

Zhu Yu more forcefully knocked away the hands reaching toward the white gauze, every muscle in her body tense.

She absolutely could not let these people see Bai Shuzhou.

She clenched her fist and challenged the black-hatted woman. “Let’s go to the courtyard and fight one-on-one. If I win—mph!”

Thud.

Before she could finish, the one-eyed woman launched a sudden sneak attack from behind, kicking Zhu Yu in the waist. The force was so great it sent her flying, crashing into the pile of arranged appliances.

Only the most foolish and naive youths would believe lies about one-on-one duels. Group attacks and sieges had always saved time and energy.

The black-hatted woman shot the one-eyed woman a warning glance. That person immediately retreated sheepishly.

“Don’t create unnecessary trouble.”

“No need to worry. Once we finish checking, we’ll leave. We won’t touch your family.”

The black-hatted woman reached out and grabbed toward the white gauze.

Her fingertips stopped one centimeter away from it, and her brows furrowed even more tightly.

Years of bloody warfare told her there was an extremely intense killing intent here, so cold it could freeze even her thoughts.

The fragrance of roses filled the entire room in an instant. Her calves actually began trembling uncontrollably.

Several years ago, she had once felt this way on the First Battlefield.

No.

This time was even more terrifying.

The black-hatted woman also released pheromones. Her extremely domineering pink pepper scent was completely covered by the rose fragrance, unable to resist at all.

Who exactly was this?!

The chip inside her body operated rapidly, faintly heating up. Just as she was about to forcibly tear open the white gauze, a piercing buzzing sound struck first, stabbing viciously into her eardrums.

The black-hatted woman retreated swiftly and turned her head in surprise.

The young woman who had just been kicked away had already climbed up. Her speed was astonishingly fast. She had missed by only the slightest bit—otherwise, the black-hatted woman’s entire arm would have been cut off.

Against the light, the young woman who had originally been curled up in pain was holding a chainsaw. Her thin figure was stretched infinitely long by the darkness. Her eyes were slightly red, and she looked exactly like a fierce beast forced into a dead end, ready to easily bite through their necks at any moment.

“I really, really don’t want to kill anyone.”

“Why do you insist on forcing me?”

“Apologize to her. Apologize to my wife!”

Those clear black-and-white eyes swept around, forming a sharp contrast with the chainsaw in her hands. Her hands were shockingly steady. With one sweep, strands of hair fell. If she shifted even slightly, heads would fall on the spot.

The star pirates who had been shouting before widened their eyes in terror. Faced with death, they screamed in panic, their legs soft as noodles. They hurriedly tried to flee, but were suppressed by some invisible pressure and could not even crawl away.

Zhu Yu deliberately stepped over the one-eyed woman.

“Sorry, sorry! We were wrong! Our mouths were filthy!”

“We’re sorry! Spare us, ahhh!”

Only the black-hatted woman remained standing inside the room. She stiffly turned her face, her pitch-black eyes fixed tightly on Zhu Yu. After a moment, she murmured as if suddenly realizing something.

“It’s you?”

That woman had called her Zhu Yu just now.

The black-hatted woman did not take the chainsaw seriously. Her cold gaze followed the young woman constantly. Then she tore off her wide coat, revealing an arm covered in a silver-white mechanical exoskeleton.

A military exoskeleton.

The joints whirred as they moved, revealing a black gun barrel.

“I originally did not want to use this. But for you—”

This time, Zhu Yu had learned her lesson. She did not wait for the woman to finish speaking before launching a sneak attack. She threw away the chainsaw and pounced straight forward, closing in and grabbing the woman’s throat. Her elbow struck the joint hard, forcibly bending and folding it.

Adrenaline surged. Under the threat of death, infinite courage instead erupted from her.

Behind her was Bai Shuzhou.

She could not lose.

She would definitely win!

“You’re using something like this to threaten me? Do you know who I am?”

No one understood mechanical structures better than repair technicians.

How they operated, where their weaknesses were—the books wrote it clearly in black and white. The principles were always connected.

Besides, it was only an exoskeleton. When she worked as an apprentice at Baima’s place, she had repaired several of them!

Blue veins rose over the back of her hand. Punch after punch, she did not give the woman any chance to fight back. The hat had long since flown to the floor and been crushed beyond recognition.

Her thin body tightened like an arrow about to leave the bow. The grievances and anger she had accumulated for so long erupted in an instant. A very obvious crack sounded from the black-hatted woman’s body.

“Apologize, you crude bastards! How could you, how dare you insult her like that?!”

Bai Shuzhou was the bright moon, pure and untouchable. No one was allowed to covet or disrespect her.

They must have scared her.

Poor princess. Why did she still have to suffer this kind of humiliation after following me?

With the final punch, teeth rolled out with the force of the blow.

Zhu Yu stopped and took a deep breath. Belatedly, she realized that she might have hit a little too hard.

She had clearly restrained herself from attacking the temples or any fatal points.

She was only defending herself.

And protecting her family.

Except for Zhu Yu, everyone else was suppressed by invisible mental power and unable to move.

The black-hatted woman spat out a mouthful of blood, her voice hoarse. “Zhu Yu, Zhu Yu… It really is you!”

At some point, the white gauze had been lifted from inside.

In Zhu Yu’s eyes, the “delicate” princess was looking down at them, her gaze indifferent, as though she were staring at a group of dead people.

Zhu Yu looked back and met those pale blue eyes. Instinctively, she put on a harmless smile, flusteredly hiding her bloodstained hands behind her back as she comforted Bai Shuzhou gently.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll handle it soon!”

The cold glacier melted.

The woman lowered her eyes and curved her lips into a very, very small arc.

“All right.”

Author’s Note:

Life is not easy. Little Fish sighs.

Bad guys: Fierce. Robbing. Insulting.

Little Fish: Timid, submissive, wisely protecting herself.

Bad guys: I don’t believe this is your wife.

Little Fish: Strikes hard! Apologize to me!!