A Max-Level Film Queen Takes on the Scumbag Alpha Script [Transmigration] - Chapter 7

As she looked at the messages scrolling across her screen, Yan Shu’s expression was beyond words. She typed a reply to Ai Ya: “Be specific.”

The next second, Ai Ya bypassed text entirely and initiated a video call. Yan Shu placed her phone on its stand before tapping to accept.

A woman with wavy hair and exotic features appeared on the screen. She was wearing a bikini and lounging on a sunbed, evidently soaking up the sun on some far-off foreign beach.

Ai Ya blew a kiss toward the camera and chirped, “Hi, darling! It’s been so long, did you miss me?”

Yan Shu tapped her fingers twice on the desk, her expression stoic. “Business first.”

“Alright, alright. You’re as boring as ever.” Ai Ya sat up, took a few gulps of an iced drink, and began: “Under normal circumstances, a person’s personality doesn’t undergo a massive, sudden shift. This person you’re asking about—has she suffered any major trauma recently?”

Yan Shu hesitated. Recently, Jiang Baihe’s reputation had begun to recover, her performance in the competition had been decent, and even withdrawing from the show was her own suggestion. She didn’t look like someone who had suffered a traumatic blow.

“No,” Yan Shu replied.

“Has she become irritable, prone to rage, or started doing things that defy logic?”

Yan Shu could answer that with a flat “no” without hesitation. If anything, Jiang Baihe had moved in the opposite direction of rage; she had become far more gentle and stable than before.

“If it’s a case of Dissociative Identity Disorder, a patient’s alter ego can indeed have a personality completely opposite to the primary host. That would fit your description,” Ai Ya said. She shrugged and pointed a finger at her own temple. “But darling, you have to remember—my specialty is pheromones, not neurology.”

Yan Shu frowned, noncommittal. Then, another question came to mind. She clasped her hands on the desk and said calmly, “Yesterday, when I was in contact with Jiang Baihe, my pheromones went out of control.”

“That’s impossible!” Ai Ya denied it instantly.

Outside of a heat cycle, pheromones are usually released voluntarily. Passive “leaking” only happens during heat, induction by other pheromones or drugs, or extremely high compatibility. An Omega’s heat cycle occurs every six months for 3 to 7 days; the same applies to an Alpha’s rut.

Seeing that Yan Shu wasn’t joking, Ai Ya turned serious. “Are you sure it was passive? I remember your heat ended less than three months ago.”

“Yes.”

It was because her condition had worsened during her last heat that Ai Ya had advised her against using more suppressants. That was why Yan Shu had accepted the marriage with Jiang Baihe, given their high compatibility.

But last night, Jiang Baihe hadn’t even released her own pheromones, yet Yan Shu’s had leaked without cause.

“Your compatibility with her is only 88%; this kind of reaction is very rare,” Ai Ya mused. “There might be a problem with your condition. I’m coming back to the country immediately.”

Yan Shu nodded, not refusing.

On screen, Ai Ya suddenly put on a wailing face. “Darling, for you, my beautiful vacation is ruined! Look at me…”

Yan Shu: “…Double salary this month.”

“YES!! Darling, listen to me, thank you—”

Yan Shu promptly ended the video call. She rested her head on her hand, lost in thought—not about her potentially worsening illness, but about Jiang Baihe’s recent behavior. Giving up resources, quitting the show, and suddenly being kind… she really was like a different person.

If this was all a facade, a bubble… it would be quite hard to accept.

Yan Shu sighed softly. “What should I do about this…”

Just then, her phone chimed. It was a message from Jiang Baihe.

Jiang Baihe: Little President Yan, are you coming home for dinner tonight? [Cat peeking.jpg]

Jiang Baihe: [Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs.jpg], [Sweet and Sour Fish.jpg]

Sitting at the dining table, Jiang Baihe had taken dozens of photos of the dishes. After careful editing and filters, she picked two that looked particularly mouthwatering and sent them to Yan Shu.

She leaned on the table, absentmindedly scrolling through Star-Blog, jumping back to WeChat every few minutes to see if there was a reply.

After a day of racking her brain and consulting “how-to” threads from netizens, she had decided to win Yan Shu over by catering to her tastes. If they couldn’t be lovers, they’d be friends. She’d build up the “favorability” meter first and worry about the rest later.

As the saying goes: To catch a person’s heart, you must first capture their stomach.

Thus, she had respectfully sent away Auntie Chen (the housekeeper) and, under the woman’s extremely skeptical gaze, cooked a feast herself. Everything was ready; she just needed Yan Shu to come home.

Just as she was starting to worry that Yan Shu was ignoring her, her phone vibrated.

Little President Yan: Okay.

By evening, Jiang Baihe calculated Yan Shu’s arrival time and started reheating the dishes. When she heard the door open, she was carrying the last dish to the table.

Still wearing her apron, she gave Yan Shu a bright smile. “You’re back! Go wash your hands, dinner’s ready.”

Yan Shu looked at Jiang Baihe’s unexpected appearance, stunned. She had assumed the photos were of dishes Jiang Baihe had ordered Auntie Chen to make. Looking at her now… did she cook these herself?

Wait, Jiang Baihe knows how to cook? Or is she…

Seeing Yan Shu dazing at the entryway, Jiang Baihe walked over and waved a hand in front of her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Yan Shu blinked. “Nothing. Just a bit tired.”

“Then you should rest early tonight.”

“Mhm.”

At the table, Jiang Baihe used the serving chopsticks to place a sweet and sour rib in Yan Shu’s bowl. She figured that a person who liked sweets wouldn’t refuse a sweet and sour dish.

Yan Shu didn’t refuse. She took a bite, and her eyes instantly lit up. “It’s delicious,” she praised.

Jiang Baihe breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried her skills had grown rusty after so long, but it seemed she still had it.

“If you like it, I can cook more often… although, I might be going for auditions in a few days.”

Among the scripts Song Jia brought, a few were quite interesting. Jiang Baihe wanted to test the waters.

Yan Shu was surprised. “TV dramas?”

“Both,” Jiang Baihe nodded. Considering her current reputation, she didn’t want to jump straight into big-screen movies. She wanted to build a solid foundation first.

They chatted as they ate, and the atmosphere wasn’t nearly as awkward as the night before. Jiang Baihe was starting to relax when her phone rang.

“Jiang Yu?” Jiang Baihe read the contact name aloud. This wasn’t a contact she had added; it was a leftover from the original scumbag Alpha. She searched her memory and realized this was the original’s older brother. She swallowed the “Who is this?” that was on the tip of her tongue and said, “…My brother?”

She didn’t lower her voice. Upon hearing the name, Yan Shu’s grip on her chopsticks tightened. She looked down silently, hiding the sharp, cold glint in her eyes from Jiang Baihe.

Jiang Baihe was too busy wondering what this man wanted and if she would blow her cover to notice Yan Shu’s reaction. Recalling that the brother was the one who encouraged the original to gamble—leading to her massive debts—she lost all interest in a friendly chat.

A weasel visiting a chicken, she thought. Nothing good comes of this.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Baihe, how have you been lately?” A booming male voice came through, sounding jovial.

Jiang Baihe’s eyes cooled. “Something the matter?”

Jiang Yu didn’t expect such a cold response. He paused, then got straight to the point: “The company’s cash flow is a bit tight lately. Baihe, can you transfer me some money? I’ll pay you back as soon as my funds clear.”

Jiang Baihe snorted inwardly. Memories told her that just a few days before she arrived, the original had already sent him hundreds of thousands.

“Sorry,” she said frostily. “You know my situation. I was just kicked out of the competition. I don’t have any money left.”

“But isn’t there still President Yan…”

Jiang Baihe’s gaze sharpened. Wow, so he is actually targeting Yan Shu. She couldn’t stomach this.

“Yan Shu is my partner, not yours! If you have the energy to worry about other people’s money, why don’t you pay me back the hundreds of thousands you borrowed last month first, DEAR BROTHER!”

With a cold snort, she hung up. I shouldn’t have picked up. Now I’m just angry.

She looked up to see Yan Shu watching her with a faint, unreadable smile. Jiang Baihe’s breath hitched. Recalling the “tough talk” she just delivered, her face flushed red with embarrassment. “Cough, I…”

“Mhm,” Yan Shu interrupted with a nod. Jiang Baihe watched, flabbergasted, as Yan Shu placed a piece of food into her bowl and said pleasantly, “Eat.”

Jiang Baihe: “…”

So… did I just successfully coax Little President Yan?

She was utterly baffled.