A Scummy Alpha Director is Always Breaking Character - Chapter 2

Chu Yu rushed to the backstage, only to find it completely deserted.

“Director Chu?” A girl with black-rimmed glasses and a ponytail, clutching a large stack of folders, blinked in surprise as she hurried over. “Is the press conference over already?”

Chu Yu scanned her memory of the novel and guessed that this girl must be her assistant. In the book, the original Chu Yu treated her assistant horribly, demanding 24-hour availability and dumping every personal chore on her—from cleaning her private residence to taking out the trash. To make matters worse, she never even bothered to remember the girl’s name.

Eventually, the assistant reached her breaking point and released a 72-page PowerPoint presentation exposing the “inhumane abuse” she suffered under the great Director Chu. This happened just a month before the car accident, utterly destroying what little public sympathy Chu Yu had left.

But Chu Yu didn’t have time for the assistant right now; her mind was entirely on catching up to Lin Yi.

“You…” Chu Yu frowned slightly, realizing her mind was a blank.

The novel was right—Director Chu truly hadn’t remembered her assistant’s name.

“Su Qingqing. Director Chu, my name is Su Qingqing,” the assistant chimed in with practiced ease.

Chu Yu: “…”

It seemed the poor girl was used to being forgotten. How much of a monster was I?

“Qingqing,” she said urgently, “where is Lin Yi? Where did she go?”

“Teacher Lin left that way; she’s likely heading toward the garage,” Su Qingqing replied.

“Thank you!” After tossing out a quick thanks, Chu Yu bolted in the direction Su Qingqing had pointed.

Su Qingqing stood there, clutching her folders, a look of pure bewilderment on her face as she watched Chu Yu disappear.

Director Chu… just called me by my name?

Director Chu… said thank you?

Su Qingqing placed her folders on a table and felt her own forehead. Her temperature was normal; no fever.

“Is Director Chu the one with the fever?” she muttered. Her boss had suddenly developed manners—what should she do? Waiting for answers online, urgent.

Chu Yu mashed the elevator button several times, but the lift refused to arrive. Panicking that Lin Yi would get away, she gave up on the elevator and sprinted into the fire exit stairwell.

She ran all the way down to the garage and spotted Lin Yi standing to the side, waiting for her assistant to pull the car around.

Chu Yu had been desperate to catch her, but now that she actually saw Lin Yi, she felt a sudden wave of fear. She had said such horrible things and acted so out of line—how could she face her now?

Lin Yi was now draped in a long, khaki trench coat. Her long hair was no longer pinned to the side but flowed down naturally, concealing her swan-like neck and the pheromone patch on her Omega gland.

The memory of that soft, sweet sensation still seemed to linger on Chu Yu’s fingertips. But the sweeter the memory felt, the more guilt and shame weighed her down.

Lin Yi didn’t turn around. Her back was as perfect and noble as ever; she only had to stand there to command the attention of everyone in the room.

Chu Yu was terrified, but she knew if she didn’t face Lin Yi now, she would lose her forever. And she feared losing her more than anything—both for herself and for the original Chu Yu.

“Sister…” she whispered, her voice a cautious, tentative probe.

Lin Yi heard her, but she didn’t turn back.

Like a puppy that had done something wrong, Chu Yu grew even more frightened. She hung her head guiltily, reached out with trembling fingers, and carefully tugged at the sleeve of Lin Yi’s trench coat.

“Sister, I didn’t mean it. I… I…” Chu Yu didn’t know how to explain herself.

Finally, she just ran in front of Lin Yi, dropped into a half-squat, and looked up at her earnestly. “Sister, just scold me.”

Lin Yi looked down. A flash of surprise flickered in her beautiful eyes.

This wasn’t the first time Chu Yu had provoked her in public, but usually, after the public humiliation, Chu Yu would continue the torment in private. This was the first time… she had ever run after her to apologize so submissively.

She stared at Chu Yu. Those wet, puppy-like eyes were full of remorse, waiting for a reprimand.

…What is this? A new game?

Lin Yi felt she understood Chu Yu less and less. Regardless, the fact that Chu Yu hated her was set in stone. This apology was likely just a setup for the next round of bullying—the old “slap them then give them a sweet date” routine. It was what she was best at, wasn’t it?

Lin Yi’s gaze grew colder.

“Sister…” Seeing the coldness, Chu Yu panicked. She grabbed Lin Yi’s hand and pressed it against her own cheek. “Sister, I’ve wronged you! Just hit me!”

Lin Yi: “…”

She pulled her hand away and lightly brushed the back of it against Chu Yu’s forehead, then touched her own. Temperature normal. No fever.

“What I said earlier was true. From now on, we have no connection,” Lin Yi said softly. “Chu Yu, I know you hate me, and I know I owe you. But you’ve toyed with me until now. Whatever I owed you, it’s been paid in full.”

Huh?

Chu Yu looked at her, baffled. When she read the novel, the author hadn’t explained the past between Lin Yi and Chu Yu. She had just assumed Chu Yu was a power-tripping lunatic. Only after transmigrating did she realize the original owner wasn’t just crazy—she was a twisted soul obsessed with an unrequited love.

But now it sounded like there was real history between them. And I know nothing! Author, why didn’t you write the backstory? How could you skip such vital context?!

The sound of screeching brakes echoed as Lin Yi’s assistant pulled up.

“Teacher Lin, we can go now,” the assistant said, hopping out to open the door.

Lin Yi stepped past the dejected “puppy” and moved to enter the car. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back. “Next Saturday is Teacher’s birthday. Remember to come.”

“Teacher?” Chu Yu blinked. She scrolled through her mental file of the novel but couldn’t recall a single “Teacher.” Another detail skipped by the author.

In the original plot, Chu Yu never chased after her to apologize, so this birthday party invitation never happened.

A look of icy disappointment crossed Lin Yi’s face. “Chu Yu, regardless of the conflict between us, Teacher treated you well. By any logic or sentiment, you should go see her.”

“I-I’ll go!” Chu Yu nodded vigorously. “Don’t worry, Sister!”

“…” Lin Yi said coldly, “You aren’t going for my sake.”

[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Use Twisted Logic to Irritate the Mission Target. Model Scummy Alpha Progress +1. Reward Point +1.]

Chu Yu wanted to cry. She had come to apologize, so how was she still being “scummy”? Lin Yi was going to hate her even more…

Realizing she’d said the wrong thing again, she hung her head sadly. “I’m sorry, Sister.”

Lin Yi replied icily, “The one you should be sorry to isn’t me.”

The puppy was lost. Terrified of another blunder, she whispered tentatively, “I… I’m sorry to Teacher?”

Lin Yi couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

Chu Yu froze, staring at her. Her damp eyes instantly lit up with joy. “Sister, you laughed!”

She immediately rushed forward to grab Lin Yi’s hand, but hesitated at the last second, settling for tugging the sleeve of the trench coat instead, shaking it like a child throwing a tantrum.

The unshielded joy and affection in the girl’s eyes made Lin Yi daze for a moment. How long had it been since she’d seen eyes like that?

At some point, only hatred had remained between them… No, she knew exactly when it started. It began three years ago, when she left Chu Yu without a word. By the time she returned with an international film award, Chu Yu—now a famous director—had seemingly lost her mind and begun bullying her relentlessly.

But if she had to do it again, she would. She had to leave Chu Yu back then.

The puppy in front of her had no idea about any of that; she was just thrilled she had made the beautiful sister smile. Afraid Lin Yi would ignore her again, Chu Yu raised her hand in a solemn vow: “I’ll handle the fallout from today’s event perfectly! I won’t let it affect Sister negatively at all!”

Lin Yi didn’t speak. She just frowned slightly, looking down at Chu Yu’s hand gripping her sleeve.

Realizing she had no excuse to keep holding on, Chu Yu quickly let go. She blinked, looking at Lin Yi with lingering attachment. “Sister, see you next Saturday!”

Chu Yu stood there, watching the car until it disappeared from sight.

As soon as Lin Yi got into the car, her phone rang. It was her manager, Anna.

Anna’s voice was livid on the other end: “I saw the livestream! That Chu Yu deliberately embarrassed you on camera again!”

Lin Yi thought back to the “puppy” and that cautious, tearful apology…

The long-lost feeling made her smile faintly. “Forget it.”

“I knew you’d say that! You can’t just let her keep bullying you. Yes, you left her to go abroad, but there were better opportunities there, weren’t there? It was a masterpiece that could enter the Berlin Film Festival! Who would turn that down to film her student project? Besides, you weren’t even a couple back then. You don’t owe her guilt, and you certainly shouldn’t let her walk all over you…”

After a long rant of familiar arguments, Anna suddenly paused. “Wait. Did you just smile?”

She must have misheard. When Lin Yi said “Forget it,” there was a hint of amusement in her voice. Anna’s skin crawled. Had Chu Yu finally driven Lin Yi insane? Do I need to find her a therapist? Stockholm Syndrome would be a nightmare…

“Yes,” Lin Yi said calmly. “She apologized to me.”

“She apolo—” Anna’s goosebumps doubled. “Chu Yu knows how to apologize?”

Anna had once suspected Chu Yu never received a formal education because of how arrogant and unrefined she was. If Chu Yu knew the meaning of the word “apology,” the world would have turned into a utopia long ago.

“It’s a trap!” Anna cried. “Lin Yi, she definitely has some other scheme!”

Lin Yi thought of those wet, puppy-like eyes again.

She whispered, “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

Anna calmed down. Lin Yi always knew what was best for herself. Lin Yi always made the right choice.