A Scummy Divorcee Alpha: Ex-Wife’s Top-Tier Soothing Agent - Chapter 15

Zuo Yijia was furious, her finger trembling as she pointed it at Du Wan.

“Oh my, Boss Zuo, don’t point at me like that. I’m starting to feel dizzy.” Du Wan closed her eyes, making a show of collapsing toward her.

The mermaid leaped to the side, squeezing eight words through her gritted teeth: “Shameless, greedy, and devoid of integrity!”

“Why does Boss Zuo care so much about who it was?” Du Wan clutched her chest, her smile bright and wild. “Do you think 200,000 is too little and you’re afraid I’ll run away? Then give me a raise!”

“Or… are you jealous?”

Du Wan tilted her head, lifting her face slightly.

Zuo Yijia’s expression went blank for a moment. Her gaze darted all around Du Wan, but she never dared to meet her eyes.

Impossible. It’s impossible.

Who does she think she is? I don’t care.

I will never step into the same river twice.

Zuo Yijia’s mind was a mess. She snatched up the bag she had dropped in her earlier panic and turned to leave without hesitation.

“Boss Zuo, wait for me!” Du Wan hurried to catch up, mischievously pressing for an answer. “You haven’t answered my question yet.”

Zuo Yijia let out an angry roar without looking back: “Enough! Get lost!”

Du Wan froze in place.

The “fish” quickly disappeared from her line of sight.

Wait… she really left me behind!?

Zuo Yijia was the one who asked her to sign the agreement. Zuo Yijia was the one who broke the “three-meter distance” rule. That fish had provoked her first—what right did she have to summon her and dismiss her at will?

Just because of 200,000 a month?

It wasn’t even enough to cover the mental damages. This really was “humiliation pay.”

Du Wan pulled the scraps of the check from her shirt and threw them down, stomping on them twice for good measure. She wasn’t even sure why she was so angry.

Just then, her phone vibrated.

“Hello—”

Chai Tingyan’s anxious voice came through: “Du Wan! Sis! Where were you last night? I called you and you didn’t pick up. I was worried sick!”

“I’m fine.” Du Wan looked back at the manor. “I’m on Lingxiu Road, near a huge estate. I’ll try to send you a location; come pick me up.”

Assistant Chai: “Okay… Hey! What are you doing!?”

The line became screechy, and Du Wan moved the phone away. When she listened again, a different female voice had taken over. “Du Wan, say that again. Where are you?”

Chai Tingyan had been shoved into a corner by the newcomer and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Sister Jiang, why is it you?” Du Wan let out an irritated click of her tongue and repeated the location.

Jiang Ni’s eyes lit up. She said excitedly, “Stay put! I’ll come pick you up personally!”

Chai Tingyan sat in the back seat. As soon as they spotted Du Wan, she waved her inside.

Chai Tingyan: “Sis, you have to join the film crew earlier than expected. Should I go help you pack your things?”

Du Wan leaned back, rubbing her sore neck. “Just buy me new stuff. There’s nothing worth packing anyway.”

“Du Wan, you must be tired. Actually, tomorrow would have been fine, there was no rush.” Jiang Ni met Du Wan’s eyes in the rearview mirror with a fake smile. “It was my fault the other day. I spoke a bit harshly; don’t take it to heart.”

“What are you saying, Sis? I wouldn’t dare.” Du Wan scratched the red rash on her arm, pretending to be despondent as she shook her head. “Sigh, that’s just how it is for an 18th-tier star. Sometimes I really want to quit, but I can’t just live off someone else, right?”

Jiang Ni smiled thin-lipped, internally despising her for acting virtuous.

Assistant Chai got anxious: “Sis, you can’t quit! Have you heard of Director Yi Mingzhe? He’s a big-shot director with several Golden Bamboo Awards. Their movie crew is holding open auditions, and I’ve already submitted your resume. You might actually get picked!”

Jiang Ni chimed in sarcastically: “I heard Director Yi is extremely picky. He wants newcomers with a natural aura and high potential—one in ten thousand.”

Chai Tingyan: “How is Du Wan any worse than a newcomer?”

Du Wan: “…”

“Besides, if that one doesn’t work, I’ve signed you up for others!” Chai Tingyan counted on her fingers. “Director X’s new drama, the supporting role for starlet Lu XX… We’re casting a wide net to catch more fish.”

Du Wan was puzzled. “Where do you get all this news?”

Chai Tingyan gave a cheeky grin. “Don’t you worry about that. Just focus on being a superstar. To the moon!”

“God, Chai Tingyan,” Du Wan said, unable to imagine it. “Am I actually going to win Best Actress in three years!?”

Jiang Ni, sitting in the driver’s seat, couldn’t get a word in. Her expression turned exceptionally sour.

Zuo Yijia had been swamped with corporate affairs recently. Between back-to-back meetings and the side effects of the suppressors, even a woman of iron would be exhausted. She fell asleep in the back seat the moment she got in the car. The driver didn’t dare wake her and drove straight to the Zuo villa.

Zuo Yijia rested on the sofa for a while. The house felt emptier than usual. She looked around, unsure of what she was searching for.

Sister Lan: “She’s gone.”

“Gone?” Zuo Yijia immediately realized who “she” was and sat bolt upright. “Without my permission, where does she think she’s going!?”

Sister Lan stood with her hands down, explaining: “She joined a film crew. Apparently, she’ll be there for about two months. But don’t worry, Miss; I asked her, and she said she can come back whenever you need her.”

“Two months!?” Zuo Yijia chewed on her barely-healed knuckle and let out a dismissive laugh. “No… it’s fine. I don’t care.”

“I was actually looking for a chance to get rid of her. During this time, I can gradually break my dependency. By the time she comes back, I won’t need her anymore.”

Sister Lan watched her for a moment, then beckoned someone to bring a tray. In the center were five tubes of transparent liquid—five milliliters in total.

“She left these glandular secretions before she left, for the Miss to use in case of emergency.”

Zuo Yijia’s fingertips stroked the cold glass tubes one by one, her eyes flickering with unidentifiable emotions. She went silent for a moment, then suddenly grabbed one and smashed it.

“I don’t need this!” Zuo Yijia exploded. “Take it away! Take it all away!”

Sister Lan was startled. “Miss…”

Zuo Yijia collapsed back into the sofa, holding her splitting head in one hand. She waved her other hand weakly. “Sorry, Sister Lan. Please go.”

What is wrong with me?

Why am I being swayed by that woman’s emotions?

I’m just tired. I’ll be fine after a sleep.

…

Zuo Yijia showered and lay on the water bed, her hands folded neatly over her stomach. She fell into a dream soon after.

Sister Lan, being older, woke up frequently at night and was a light sleeper. Just as she returned to her room, she heard a faint sound from the living room. Puzzled, she went to check.

A blurry figure drifted from the corner like a ghost of the night.

Sister Lan turned on her flashlight. Seeing the person, she gasped and covered her mouth in horror.

“Miss…”

Zuo Yijia’s eyes were half-closed. She accurately bypassed all obstacles and walked straight to the spot where the secretions had spilled earlier. She crouched down, frantically rubbing the floor and twitching her nose, as if trying with all her might to memorize those scents.

Sister Lan couldn’t take it anymore and screamed, “Miss! What are you doing!?”

She lunged forward, and both women fell to the floor.

Zuo Yijia’s head hit the leg of the sofa, snapping her awake. She looked at her hands, which were covered in tiny scratches. She said nothing as Sister Lan led her by the shoulder back to the bedroom.

That night, she didn’t sleep at all, staring at the ceiling until dawn.

Finally, Zuo Yijia heard the only good news in days—research into a replacement drug had made significant progress.

The doctor showed her the experimental process, warning her that the drug still had unknown side effects and couldn’t be used immediately.

“It’s fine. I can wait.” Zuo Yijia stood with her arms crossed in front of the glass, watching the white lab mouse gradually calm down after a mental riot. A sliver of a smile touched her lips. “One month, two months… however long it takes… I can wait.”

“Miss Zuo, your current pheromone levels are unstable, coupled with the mental power riots,” the doctor babbled on, lacking any situational awareness. “I suggest against using replacement therapy yet. Having a stable partner is the best option.”

An image flashed through Zuo Yijia’s mind—someone laughing or angry, so vibrantly alive. She fought to banish the image and sneered. “Nonsense. If I could find ‘that person,’ why would I be paying you?”

Doctor: “Well—”

“Give me a deadline.” Zuo Yijia tapped her finger on the desk, her sapphire eyes sweeping over him with a powerful aura. “I can wait, but my patience has limits.”

The doctor replied immediately: “At most, three more months.”

Three months. Just three months.

Then I can finally be free of Du Wan.

Before leaving, Zuo Yijia confirmed once more: “Once the replacement drug is used, will it eliminate my addiction to previous… ‘treatment’ methods?”

“As there are no precedents, we cannot make any guarantees. Everything must be verified through experiments. However—” The doctor adjusted his glasses, looking closely at the lab reports. “According to the test results, Miss Zuo, your body is very healthy. There don’t seem to be any signs of addiction?”

Zuo Yijia paused for a split second, then said coldly, “The shallow sensations brought by physiological reactions can never deceive my true heart.”

“Addiction is the only explanation.”

“And it must be…” This time, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

“Ah… yes.” The doctor was confused but nodded in agreement. “We will closely monitor your data and inform you immediately of any anomalies.”

“No need.” Zuo Yijia was always confident in her own abilities. “Do not underestimate me. I can control myself.”

The set of I Like You Too, the night before filming began.

“Achoo—!”

Du Wan sat by the foot of a wall, rubbing her nose.

“Sis, who’s talking behind your back? You’ve sneezed dozens of times tonight.”

“Chai Tingyan, you’re one to talk!” Du Wan was shivering with cold. “You kept lying to me that I’m ‘Best Actress’ material. The director has left me hanging here for how long? Tell me!”

Several lead actors had joined the crew early and gone out for barbecue with the director. Du Wan hadn’t received any notice and, unfamiliar with the crew’s procedures, had run to a filming location that hadn’t even been set up yet.

“Hahaha…” Chai Tingyan averted her eyes guiltily and pulled a thermos from her bag.

Du Wan took it and drank some hot water. Feeling a bit warmer, she looked up at the moon.

Is that fish cursing me?

Du Wan sneezed several more times.

Anyway, five tubes of secretions should last half a month, right? I haven’t broken the agreement. It’s all that fish’s fault!

At the same time, the Zuo villa.

Zuo Yijia stood by her bed, pouring the remaining four tubes of secretions all over the duvet. Then, she bent down and buried her face into the soft bedding. Like parched earth meeting a spring rain, she took a long, deep breath.

Her starved cells were temporarily soothed. Dazed, she thought: I can finally get a good night’s sleep.