A Disguised Scum Alpha Marked Her Aloof Ex-Wife - Chapter 5

After quite a while.

Zhu Yu pushed the door open and came in.

By relying on sweet talk and persistent coaxing, she had successfully convinced Helan to give her a few days’ grace. Helan had even given her a lot of things and introduced her to several part-time jobs through acquaintances. She should be able to pay off the debt very soon.

How nice. This basically came with job placement.

Zhu Yu silently clenched her fist and shouted after Helan’s departing back, “Thank you! Once my sister recovers, we’ll definitely come over to thank you properly!”

Bai Shuzhou opened her eyes and saw Zhu Yu carrying a new pile of bottles and jars in her arms.

It seemed that even that decisive, impressive Pretty Mom had been fooled by her glib tongue.

Zhu Yu had always been like this.

She always relied on that harmless face to quietly listen, weaving a fine net in her heart and carefully designing her scams. Acting spoiled, playing pitiful—for the sake of achieving her goal, she would stop at nothing.

Even Bai Shuzhou had been deceived by her.

The moment Zhu Yu turned her head, she saw those pale blue eyes staring at her. Her own eyes lit up as well.

“You’re awake!”

She rushed to the bedside. She really wanted to hug Bai Shuzhou. In this strange world, Bai Shuzhou was the only person she could still call somewhat familiar. But the moment she reached out, she remembered that her image was hardly a good one. She sniffed, forced her tears back down, and clasped both hands behind her back.

“How do you feel? Is there anywhere uncomfortable?”

Bai Shuzhou’s face was expressionless. Her long, narrow eyes carried a chill, and her tone was light and drifting.

“Why aren’t you calling me sister anymore?”

She had been blessed by heaven with her appearance. Her voice was cool and clear, and even her mocking tone seemed like broken ice gently clicking between her lips and teeth.

Zhu Yu tilted her head, not understanding what she meant.

But the smile at the corner of her lips rose first. The little bird in her heart fluttered joyfully, flying out plainly through her gaze.

Could she?

Could she really?

The joyful little bird flew upward—

And slammed straight into a wall.

Those pale blue eyes did not fluctuate with the slightest emotion. They were cold as a block of ice. Then Bai Shuzhou closed her eyes, every single lash written with distance and disgust.

Only belatedly did Zhu Yu understand what Bai Shuzhou meant. She pinched her wrist and explained in a small voice, “When we’re away from home, it’s safer to use fake identities. That way, if those bad people come searching, it won’t be so easy for them to find us.”

Bai Shuzhou remained silent from beginning to end. Zhu Yu quietly studied her expression, then finally added, “Besides, didn’t you want a divorce…”

The original Zhu Yu had gone through so much trouble to cling to the princess and had stubbornly refused to divorce her. According to the legal process, they had to get through the divorce cooling-off period and confirm it a second time before the relationship could officially be dissolved.

It was simply anti-human.

Zhu Yu was worried that calling them wives would offend Bai Shuzhou. After all, the original Zhu Yu had done so many unforgivable things to her. That relationship was clearly a shackle, a get-out-of-death-free card.

She absolutely agreed to the divorce with both hands and feet raised!

She would give Bai Shuzhou her freedom back.

It was not only the original Zhu Yu who was unworthy of Bai Shuzhou. Even the fox prime minister who later held power over the Southern District, and the spirited childhood-friend general…

Zhu Yu felt that all of them were unworthy of Bai Shuzhou.

She was a bright moon, destined to be looked up to by all living beings.

Those bumpy, mistaken romances were nothing but pits, deep and shallow, along her road to success.

The original Zhu Yu was Bai Shuzhou’s first wife, and also her first whetstone.

Zhu Yu did not want to repeat the same mistakes. She also did not want to die. And Bai Shuzhou had not grown because she suffered. They could completely avoid all of this.

The woman’s expression did not change. She looked as though she had fallen asleep, one finger resting against her temple. Only when she heard the word divorce did she tremble faintly, and the corner of her lips curved into a mocking smile.

Very light.

Very shallow.

Had she only just arrived in a new environment, and she was already this impatient?

“Someone wants to hurt you,” Zhu Yu swallowed and hurriedly added, “And that person isn’t me!”

“I’m sorry for what happened before, but I swear, I have nothing to do with that group of nobles who suddenly came to the door. They knew you were on the starship and still fired the missile…”

Bai Shuzhou was so smart. There was no way she had not realized this.

Zhu Yu lowered her voice. “How can we contact your people? I suspect there are traitors in the military and among the nobles. Don’t be afraid. I’ll definitely do my best to send you home.”

The young woman cupped her hand hollow like a little speaking tube and whispered to her. Her warm breath brushed against Bai Shuzhou’s ear until it tingled. Bai Shuzhou frowned and leaned farther inward.

Originally, her imperial elder sister had been uneasy about Bai Shuzhou personally coming to the border to offer condolences. It had been Zhu Yu who led a group of officers in firm support, pushing hard to make this trip happen.

The sudden heat period.

The insectoid attack.

Every accident had been far too coincidental. Countless eyes were watching them. The beneficiaries remained silent, unwilling to stop until they had bitten off a bloody mouthful of skin, bone, and flesh.

There were too many past lessons.

Bai Shuzhou did not believe a single word that came out of Zhu Yu’s mouth. Perhaps this was simply another farce born from an uneven division of spoils.

Her imperial sister was right.

The outside world was dangerous. There had never been any true sincerity. Everything was nothing more than an exchange of benefits.

And she was part of those benefits.

The light in Bai Shuzhou’s eyes dimmed. When she shifted, she accidentally pulled at her wounds. She bit her lip and drew in a low breath of cold air, swallowing back the painful groan.

Zhu Yu’s ears immediately perked up. She quickly took out the pills Helan had given her, but when she was about to hand them over, she hesitated.

The medicine prescribed by these small clinics was most likely very strong. It might even contain hormones. It would be one thing if Zhu Yu, with her good constitution, ate them. But what if they had side effects on Bai Shuzhou?

Alphas usually had powerful physiques. In just this short amount of time, the wounds on Zhu Yu’s arms had already healed quite a bit.

But Bai Shuzhou’s face was pale. Zhu Yu could almost see the faint blue veins beneath her fair skin, rising and falling gently with her suppressed breathing.

Zhu Yu asked, “How about I wipe you down first, then treat the wound?”

Back on the ruins, she had not known why her so-called ability could not be used. She had truly been afraid that Bai Shuzhou would die just like that.

“…”

Bai Shuzhou watched Zhu Yu take out the medicine, then very reluctantly put it away again and sneakily stuff it back into her pocket like a thief. She was so angry she almost laughed.

She closed her eyes, her expression faint, as though a gust of wind could blow her away. Her thin back outlined a pair of beautiful butterfly bones, lying over that silent, motionless body. She showed no interest in anything and gave no response.

Zhu Yu could not help lowering her voice.

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as agreement. Tell me if it feels uncomfortable. I’ll be careful.”

Zhu Yu carefully scrubbed a basin clean with a brush, fetched a basin of hot water, and took out the towel Helan had kindly provided.

It was brand new. A cartoon kitten design. Pink.

Just right, because He Ming thought it was too childish.

Zhu Yu tested the water temperature with the back of her hand, then first wiped Bai Shuzhou’s face.

The warm, gentle touch lightly brushed over her cheek. Bai Shuzhou’s long lashes trembled.

She was like a rare porcelain treasure. As the dust on her was wiped away, even the broken little room seemed to brighten. When she opened her eyes indifferently, those pale blue eyes were the finest ornament, surpassing all the dazzling jewels in the world.

Yet as her clothes were removed, mottled cracks began to appear on that porcelain. They were shocking to the eye, winding downward into deeper places.

Most Omegas were very sensitive. They had soft skin and soft hearts. Even accidentally bumping into something might leave a bruise.

But the injuries on Bai Shuzhou’s body were clearly far from ordinary.

They looked like surgical scars left by blades cutting her open. Even after healing, faint traces remained, aching faintly year after year whenever it rained.

Bai Shuzhou had once been the most gifted imperial princess of the Empire. When she underwent her first mental-power test as a child, she had already reached 3S. A finish line many people would never reach in their entire lives had merely been her insignificant starting point.

But during her childhood, she had gone through a serious illness. The dragon race’s bone wings had broken, and she could no longer fly. From then on, she had never fully recovered. That rare illness also relapsed from time to time.

It was from then on that she began to love ballet.

Having lost the sky, she danced upon the earth.

But now…

Now her legs were injured too.

Perhaps she would never again stand on the stage she had been so proud of.

Zhu Yu’s hovering fingers trembled, faintly tracing those scars, as if she could feel how snow-white blades had cut open skin, how blood had surged out…

It must have hurt so much.

Bai Shuzhou rarely spoke about the past behind those wounds. She had only once revealed a small corner of it late at night. But at that time, Zhu Yu had listened carelessly. Instead, she had deliberately kissed those scars, her lips brushing over pain once endured in silence as she laughed softly, her voice hoarse.

“So beautiful.”

She had stroked each inch of those pale pink scars with the thin calluses on her fingertips, her tone ambiguous and teasing.

“Is this where the roses grew from?”

Bai Shuzhou trembled involuntarily and clenched her teeth, swallowing down any unnecessary show of weakness.

It was very slight, but Zhu Yu still noticed it. She immediately made her movements gentler and coaxed softly, “I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to heal you.”

She was very good at fixing things.

Broken alarm clocks, phones, machines that had stopped working—after a little repair, they could face a new day again.

If she had to find a reason for this inexplicable transmigration, perhaps she had come here precisely to heal Bai Shuzhou.

Zhu Yu carefully unwrapped the gauze.

Between those long, slender legs, the knee crudely smeared with red medicine was a blurry mess. The dancer’s most precious legs were covered in blood, the joint slightly twisted.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. It must hurt so much…”

Bai Shuzhou lowered her eyes.

In those indifferent eyes, the young woman’s reddened nose was reflected. Zhu Yu carefully placed both hands over the wound. Familiar warm light seeped from between her fingers, as faint and light as fireflies.

It was Zhu Yu who had pushed her down from the high platform.

It was also Zhu Yu who had caused her to be bitten by the insect.

So what was the point of crying over her wounds so hypocritically now?

She was always like this.

A nauseating performance.

Bai Shuzhou’s pale blue eyes were completely still, with only a faint mocking hatred emerging in them.

It did not hurt.

Only these legs did not hurt at all.

She could no longer feel their existence.

Once, she had pursued absolute control over her body. Thousands upon thousands of practices, countless dances—none of it could withstand Zhu Yu’s light push.

She could always so easily destroy the things Bai Shuzhou cared about most.

Abilities originated from mental power. If not for the fact that the deep repair of mental power had accidentally resembled the connection of a sensitive period, would Bai Shuzhou have had to wag her tail and beg Zhu Yu? Beg her to release pheromones? Beg her to soothe her?

After a long silence, Bai Shuzhou finally spoke.

“Are you satisfied now?”

The young woman lifted her head, carrying a hint of joy that Bai Shuzhou was finally willing to speak to her.

“What?”

“Now, I’m completely disabled.” Bai Shuzhou looked straight into her eyes. “Just like you.”

The Empire could beast-shift.

The Federation had high technology.

As humanity moved toward the future, they had chosen two completely different paths.

Zhu Yu was a product of the short honeymoon period between the Empire and the Federation. As a mixed-blood, she had no beast form and could not beast-shift. In an Empire that worshiped martial strength and bloodlines, this was no different from being born disabled.

Bai Shuzhou repeated, “Are you satisfied now?”

The young woman looked up at her. It took her a moment to sort out the meaning of those words. Her mouth opened and closed, and in the end, she only said softly, “I’m sorry.”

Bai Shuzhou had long since grown tired of this mechanical apology. She closed her eyes in disgust.

Zhu Yu said nothing more.

The light in her palm grew stronger, almost condensing into a solid form as it continuously poured into those horrifying wounds.

She used every ounce of strength she had, squandering her mental power like squeezing juice from a lemon. Her pursed lips grew paler and paler.

The mangled external wounds were healing, but gradually, she felt a chill.

It came from deep inside Bai Shuzhou’s body, greedily devouring energy like a black hole.

She was badly hurt…

Zhu Yu gritted her teeth and wanted to push harder. This tiny amount of energy was nothing but a drop in the bucket.

Her mental power had already been nearly exhausted. Now she was at the end of her rope, her slender body on the verge of collapse.

“Enough!”

The woman suddenly lifted her eyes and seized Zhu Yu’s wrist, forcibly cutting off the light. Her voice was cold.

“Is playing the self-sacrificing martyr fun?”

“Even if you die here right now, it won’t help me.”

The young woman lowered her head in dejection, like a puppy. She put the towel back into the basin, scrubbed it hard a few times, then turned and went outside.

Bai Shuzhou closed her eyes and leaned against the only pillow. She breathed deeply, her chest rising and falling faintly. Only after a long while did her nails loosen from where they had sunk into her palm.

She only had to wait a little longer.

Her imperial sister would definitely find her as quickly as possible.

Her original terminal had been violently removed by Zhu Yu. Right in front of her, Zhu Yu had lifted her shoe and crushed it underfoot. The red marks left around her wrist still had not faded.

Clanging sounds came from outside the door.

Bai Shuzhou’s lowered fingers instinctively shrank, then clenched tight again.

Had Zhu Yu only managed to pretend for this short while before going mad again?

As expected…

Outside the door.

Zhu Yu had cleared a space in the yard and roughly sorted the mountain of discarded electrical appliances and junk into categories. Things from higher up came crashing down with loud thuds. Luckily, she dodged quickly, or a screw might have smashed into her head.

Most of it was scrap, completely beyond repair.

There were also some damaged, outdated parts.

But she could fix things.

By picking through everything carefully, she could still gather quite a few treasures. It was the same as putting a mouse into a rice bin.

Sister Helan was truly a wonderful person!

After the sounds of things crashing around stopped, the young woman’s footsteps disappeared as well. Gradually, the sky darkened.

Only Bai Shuzhou remained alone in the dim room. The newspaper pasted onto the wall was faintly stirred by the wind, forming a vague outline.

At dusk, it was often so quiet that one could hear one’s own heartbeat.

Bai Shuzhou looked at the window with its thin glow of light and struggled to prop herself up, wanting to turn on the lamp.

Little by little, she moved to the edge of the bed.

Her numb legs were heavy and in the way. Not long ago, she had still been dancing gracefully onstage. Now, even when she beat her legs with force, she felt nothing at all.

Just a little farther.

Only that tiny bit, and yet she could not reach it.

Her taut fingers could not touch the switch.

She could not even turn on the light.

Her pride broke.

Her thin shoulders trembled. She bit her lip, and tears fell one by one, soaking the quilt. A moment later, slender fingers wiped them away.

When had she become so fragile?

There was only this one quilt.

She could not dirty it any further.

Bai Shuzhou buried her face into the crook of her arm and suppressed her sobs, thinking very rationally.

Click.

Suddenly, the light turned on.

The whole room was illuminated by warm yellow light.

Zhu Yu stood at the doorway at a loss, watching the woman’s suppressed sobs come to an abrupt stop, leaving only low, quiet breaths.

She gently and quietly put down the things in her hands.

Bai Shuzhou’s voice came from behind her.

“Don’t look at me.”

That cool voice was still proud, yet so thin and fragile, as though it would shatter at the slightest touch.

Zhu Yu nodded heavily and sped up what she was doing. Then, still facing the same direction, she shuffled out of the room like a crab and closed the door behind her.

When the room returned to silence, Bai Shuzhou lifted her head from the damp crook of her arm.

On the table beside the bed, she saw a cup of water.

A bowl of steaming rice.

And a small dark-blue porcelain bottle with a chip in it, holding a few wildflowers.

All of them were within easy reach.