Chapter 3

Chu Yu returned to her villa halfway up a mountain in the suburbs.

It was far from the city. The original owner liked peace and quiet.

On this point, Chu Yu was actually quite happy.

As soon as she got home, she took a shower, put on a face mask, and sat on the sofa, seriously thinking about what kind of PR response would salvage her image as much as possible without hurting Lin Yi.

Today’s press conference had been livestreamed. The entire country could have seen it… so there was absolutely no possibility of withdrawing the news from the reporters.

All she could do was damage control afterward.

Chu Yu took a deep breath. After repeatedly building herself up mentally, she opened Weibo.

Although she had already recalled the hateful comments in the novel over and over in her memories, it was only when she truly opened the computer that she realized it was far more terrifying than the novel had described.

…

“I knew this scumbag Alpha Chu Yu wouldn’t be so kind!”

“I thought the CP I shipped was finally getting a happy ending. Why are you doing this again! Chu Yu, I hate you!”

“How has a director like Chu Yu not been blacklisted yet? Who exactly is watching the movies this thing directs?”

“Boycott Chu Yu!”

“Before becoming an artist, learn how to be a decent person. Chu Yu, you don’t deserve to be human.”

…

Chu Yu sighed softly.

She really was hated.

But at least the system had given her a chance to make amends afterward and would not make her enter the loop again.

Because the system said: [Making compensation after causing harm is behavior that conforms to the scumbag Alpha persona. No reward points will be deducted, and punishment mode will not be activated.]

Chu Yu: …

Earlier, she had wanted to apologize, only for it to inexplicably prompt that her scumbag Alpha development progress had increased by one. Now she wanted to fix the awful thing she had done, only to somehow become a scumbag Alpha again.

Chu Yu let out a heavy sigh.

She typed and deleted, deleted and typed on the computer. No matter how she looked at those words of apology, they seemed terribly empty.

Compared with words, action seemed to be more powerful…

But right now, she absolutely did not dare make any one-sided decisions involving Lin Yi anymore. So after thinking for a moment, the little dog began editing a Weibo post:

@ChuYu: Today’s press conference actually wasn’t what everyone saw, and my relationship with Lin Yi isn’t what everyone thinks either. I’ll keep the specific reason secret for now. Everyone can look forward to it. wink emoji #FilmEden

Since this could not be resolved immediately anyway, she might as well drag it out for now and calm the internet’s anger first. After reaching a consensus with Lin Yi at Teacher’s birthday banquet next Saturday, it would not be too late to post again.

Thinking this, Chu Yu hit send.

System: [Hidden achievement unlocked: shirking responsibility and being perfunctory. Model Scumbag Alpha development progress +1. Reward point +1.]

Chu Yu: …

Was she just never going to get past the words “scumbag Alpha”?

Still, if she could persuade Lin Yi to continue acting in Eden next Saturday, that would naturally be the best outcome, though she knew the chance of that happening was lower than 0.001%.

After she had humiliated Lin Yi like that in front of the media, Lin Yi would have to be possessed to be willing to act in it.

But she could look for some other scripts…

Over the past few years, Lin Yi had been developing overseas, and her acting skills had been honed to perfection, but her domestic network was nearly nonexistent. Meanwhile, Chu Yu had already established herself as the youngest and most commercially valuable director through three consecutive commercial films. Although her reputation was terrible, in this era where box office was king, her connections in the domestic entertainment industry were still excellent.

This was also why, in the novel, she could keep bullying Lin Yi.

Chu Yu thought carefully. She could search the industry for some promising big-production scripts and recommend them to Lin Yi. That way, it could at least reduce a little of her guilt.

She had originally thought that brushing this matter off would temporarily calm the storm of public opinion online. Who would have thought that the moment she posted it, nine hundred and ninety-nine comments would come flooding in?

“You hurt someone and now you’re brushing it off without even an apology? As expected of a scumbag Alpha.”

“Your relationship with Lin Yi? Stop trying to leech off our international Best Actress, thanks.”

“Does Lin Yi even know who you are? What a joke.”

“Oh, look, where did this mad dog come from, barking again?”

“I’d like to see who in the entertainment industry dares take on this hot potato of being Eden’s female lead.”

“When this releases, I’ll laugh at anyone who goes to the theater to watch Eden.”

…

Chu Yu chose to close the computer.

It was fine, it was fine. There was still a long time before the car accident. She comforted herself in her heart. You can still live.

Since the press conference incident had been temporarily dealt with, Chu Yu began searching ​read the original at bailiantales.com​for the past between herself and Lin Yi that the author had never written about in the novel.

According to what Lin Yi had said earlier, they seemed to not only have known each other before, but to have been very close… Otherwise, Lin Yi would not have indulged her madness again and again.

Even when she did something as offensive as touching Lin Yi’s gland in public, Lin Yi did not hit her, nor did she blame her.

She had said she owed her…

Chu Yu seriously thought about herself.

A pervert whose love had gone unrequited, a paranoid control freak with an explosive desire for control, a low-class scumbag Alpha who liked using the power in her hands to torment Lin Yi… What could someone like that possibly have that would make Lin Yi owe her?

Aside from her face.

She had an extremely good-looking face.

A pair of clear puppy eyes, slightly pursed kitten-like lips, and when she smiled, she looked exactly like a little fox.

Could it be… a debt of affection?

Chu Yu’s eyes lit up.

Earlier, among those Weibo comments cursing her, there had indeed seemed to be someone saying they shipped Chu Yu and Lin Yi as a CP.

So Chu Yu immediately typed into the search bar: Chu Yu, Lin Yi, ex-girlfriend.

There was no related news at all.

Chu Yu refused to give up and typed in “Chu Yu, Lin Yi, passionately in love,” “Chu Yu, Lin Yi, breakup,” “Chu Yu, Lin Yi, CP”… several keywords in a row, but still found nothing.

Her heart felt a little disappointed and sad.

That was right. Thinking about it, the two of them had probably never been together.

Otherwise, Chu Yu would not have gone insane from unrequited love.

Helplessly, she deleted the last keyword and searched only Chu Yu and Lin Yi. What came up was all about how, after Lin Yi returned to the country, Chu Yu had haunted her like a lingering ghost, chasing after her and deliberately humiliating her.

Exhausted, Chu Yu buried her head in a throw pillow.

If she said she had amnesia now, would Lin Yi believe her?

Thinking this, she found Lin Yi’s number on her phone and typed: Sister, I have amnesia.

Although she knew this message definitely would not be sent out, it seemed that just looking at Lin Yi’s name at the top of the message editing page could effectively ease her anxiety.

Chu Yu was a pervert.

Lin Yi was her medicine.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Chu Yu had only just lifted her head from the throw pillow when the person outside had already entered the password and walked in.

“Director Chu?” Su Qingqing was startled and said in surprise, “You’re home!”

It was her little assistant.

Chu Yu asked in confusion, “Where else should I be?”

Su Qingqing said, “I don’t know, but every time I come over, you’re never home.”

Chu Yu said, “Do you need something from me?”

Su Qingqing froze. Then she raised the two plastic bags in her hands and said brightly, “I came to cook for you, clean the house, and take out the trash. You arranged before that you wanted to eat char siu today. I bought very fresh pork shoulder from the market!”

Chu Yu, who had just picked up her cup and was about to drink coffee, nearly choked.

Su Qingqing had already put on shoe covers out of habit and was about to carry the bag of fresh pork into the kitchen.

“Wait!” Chu Yu called out to stop her.

Su Qingqing turned around and said, “Do you have any instructions, Director Chu?”

Chu Yu said, “Come here. Sit down.”

Su Qingqing said, “I’ll put the pork shoulder in the kitchen first.”

She placed the pork shoulder in the kitchen, washed her hands, then returned to stand in front of Chu Yu. Pushing the black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose, she smiled and said, “Director Chu, just tell me directly what you need.”

Chu Yu said, “Qingqing, you don’t need to do these things.”

Su Qingqing froze and said, “Director Chu, are you going to fire me?”

In that instant, all the resumes she had sent through job platforms that had received no replies, as well as the credit card bills she had not finished paying off, flashed through her mind.

The next second, Su Qingqing immediately said, “Director Chu, please don’t fire me. I can do even more work!”

Chu Yu: …

In the novel, she was already responsible for work in every field twenty-four hours a day. And now she wanted to do even more? Did she really think she was superhuman?

“I’m not firing you, Qingqing,” Chu Yu said. “I’m just telling you that you don’t need to do these things.”

“But you pay my salary, Director Chu,” Su Qingqing said.

Chu Yu said, “The salary I pay you is for being my work assistant. You only bailiantales.com need to handle assistant duties related to the filming set and film production. As for things like cleaning the house, cooking, taking out the trash, and all these random chores, you don’t need to do them.”

“Huh?” Su Qingqing said. “But you were the one who arranged for me to do them.”

Chu Yu said, “Then why didn’t you say no to me?”

Su Qingqing was so shocked her glasses almost fell off. “You can say no to your boss?”

Chu Yu: …

Just what had the original owner of this body done to manipulate the people around her into this state?

“Of course you can,” Chu Yu said. “You can refuse anything outside the scope of your job. That is your right. Do you understand?”

Su Qingqing nodded hard. “I understand!”

Chu Yu was very gratified.

Although the internet was still full of bloody storms and everyone was cursing her with great enthusiasm, no matter what, she had finally stopped at the source that seventy-two-page tearful PowerPoint accusing her of being an evil capitalist.

But in the next second, Su Qingqing stood up and said, “Director Chu, then can I go make the char siu now?”

The phone in Chu Yu’s hand was so startled by Su Qingqing’s divine-level response that it fell into the gap in the sofa.

She was practically angered into laughter.

She stared at Su Qingqing in disbelief and asked curiously, “Qingqing, tell me. You didn’t hear a single word I just said, did you?”

Su Qingqing scratched her hair a little awkwardly and said, “No, I really am willing to do these things outside of work.”

Chu Yu: …

No wonder the original owner had exploited such an over-dedicated employee into making a seventy-two-page PowerPoint.

“Why?” Chu Yu asked curiously.

Su Qingqing said, “Because you pay my salary, Director Chu… And also, you’ve changed.”

Chu Yu froze.

Su Qingqing said happily, “You can remember my name! Director Chu, you called me Qingqing today. Twice. No one has ever been able to remember my name before.”

On set, whether it was Chu Yu or the staff who worked on the films together, they always called her “hey, you.”

So it turned out that having someone remember your name was such a happy thing.

Chu Yu: …

She only felt deeply shocked. What kind of people were there in the entertainment industry?

“I’m going to make the char siu!” After Su Qingqing finished speaking, she started walking toward the kitchen.

“Stop right there!” Chu Yu ordered. Then she let out a helpless sigh. “Are you stupid?”

Su Qingqing stood where she was, at a loss.

“I am your boss, and you have to listen to my work arrangements. So now I’m arranging this for you: from now on, you are only allowed to do work related to films! And you are not allowed to step into my house again!” Chu Yu said seriously. “If I find out you came here to clean, cook, or take out the trash again, I’ll fire you.”

She absolutely would not give that seventy-two-page worker’s PowerPoint, the final straw that would crush her to death, any chance to appear.

This tone was the evil capitalist Su Qingqing was familiar with, even if the words she said were not evil at all.

Su Qingqing said happily, “Thank you, Director Chu!”

Then she turned and left, no longer disturbing Chu Yu.

Chu Yu fished the phone that Su Qingqing had startled into falling out of the gap in the sofa. The moment she unlocked the screen, she stared at the words “Sent successfully” and froze in place.

“Sister, I have amnesia.”

She had sent it!