A Scummy Divorcee Alpha: Ex-Wife’s Top-Tier Soothing Agent - Chapter 20

“Cough, cough—”

Du Wan clutched her throat, trying to clear it.

After a night, the pain in her throat had grown heavier rather than lighter. Every vibration of her vocal cords tore at the delicate mucous membrane, bringing a stinging pain like thousands of needles pricking her at once.

Du Wan rolled her eyes in agony.

Assistant Chai handed her a cup and moved behind her to rub her back. “Drink slowly, drink slowly.”

Du Wan gulped down a whole cup of egg-drop tea and let out a burp. It was that very motion that exposed the deep purple-blue bruise lingering across her neck.

Chai Tingyan’s pupils shook. Instantly, her mind conjured countless R-rated scenarios. Her expression was complicated, to say the least. “You… you guys played pretty rough last night, didn’t you? Nobody died, right!?”

Du Wan suddenly choked, slowly turning her head. “If I told you we didn’t do anything, would you believe me?”

“Do you think I’d believe that?” Assistant Chai said expressionlessly while smearing concealer on Du Wan’s neck. “Instead of arguing with me, you’d better figure out how to explain this to the director. Can you even say your lines with that raspy voice?”

“I’m prepared for that.” Du Wan picked up a blush brush and swept it across her cheeks a few times.

“You have a cold?” The director sized her up with a suspicious gaze, muttering “troublemaker” under his breath.

“Yes.” Du Wan sniffled, the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose flushed red. In a raspy voice, she said piteously, “I have a fever. I went to the hospital yesterday and didn’t get back until the middle of the night…”

Beside them, Xie Yewei let out a scoff upon hearing this.

“Alright, alright, no need to explain further,” the director interrupted impatiently. “Do you know how much work is delayed by a missing actor? Fortunately, we couldn’t film last night, otherwise so much money and labor would have been wasted because of you alone.”

Du Wan hurriedly poured water and pulled out a chair for him, giving him plenty of face. The director was highly satisfied. “I see a big future for you. Don’t let it happen again.”

“Then what about my—” Du Wan opened her mouth and pointed to her throat.

“The post-production will add a filter; your pores will be smoothed away, so the audience won’t see any details of your face. As for your voice…” The director said dismissively, “We have professional voice actors. It’s not your place to use your original voice.”

In today’s scene, “Gu Yuan’s” (played by Lou Xuehan) “White Moonlight” (first love) returns to the country. The two arrange to meet in a coffee shop, only to be caught red-handed by “Ouyang Chang” (played by Du Wan).

The day before, Ouyang Chang was still in a sweet relationship with Gu Yuan; the next day, she suddenly learns she’s just a body double—it’s a bolt from the blue. Devastated, Ouyang Chang decides to confront her face-to-face.

“So I was never your only choice.” Ouyang Chang stroked Gu Yuan’s face affectionately, her eyes shimmering with fractured tears. Her voice was hoarse, and her whole body trembled slightly. “Then why… why did you have to provoke me first?”

A momentary blankness appeared on Gu Yuan’s face. She looked up, appearing hesitant to speak.

“Are you going to ask why I can’t give you another chance?” Ouyang Chang’s hand, reaching out to touch her, retracted as if she were caught in a painful contradiction. “I want a pure love. I cannot tolerate any betrayal!”

“Cut—!” the director shouted, jumping out from behind the camera. “Du Wan, you jumped the gun on the lines!”

Lou Xuehan lowered her head to smooth her hair, masking her embarrassment.

Damn, when did this girl’s acting get so good! I almost didn’t react in time!

Du Wan explained, “Lou Xuehan forgot to say her line.”

Her raspy voice and reddened eyes actually added a lot to the scene. By comparison, jumping the lines was just a minor hiccup that didn’t affect the overall quality.

The director waved his hand. “Fine, this take is a keeper.”

“What kind of CEO has a voice like a duck? It’s totally immersion-breaking!” Lou Xuehan snapped back into her grumpy mood. “And you jumped the lines—don’t blame it on me! I just forgot for a second; I would have remembered if you’d waited!”

“Lou Xuehan!” Du Wan stood up, her chair hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Lou Xuehan jumped in fright.

“I’ve put up with you for a long time.” Du Wan tapped the script in her hand and pointed off-set. “If you want to act, act. If not, forget it. I want to get off work on time; I don’t have time to play house with you.”

Despite Lou Xuehan’s usual arrogance, she was actually a paper tiger. She bit her trembling lip and lowered her voice: “You think I don’t know? You weren’t even in your room last night. Who knows what shady business you were out doing?”

Du Wan squinted. “And what of it?”

Sensing trouble, the director dragged his hundred-plus-kilogram frame over at top speed. It was rare to have two female leads who fought every day, yet he couldn’t afford to offend either one.

“Stop fighting!” The director had a massive headache. “Discuss non-acting topics after we wrap for the day.”

“Du Wan, hotel room number XX tonight.” Lou Xuehan refused to back down, issuing a challenge on the spot. “If you have the guts, let’s have a real confrontation!”

Du Wan agreed instantly: “Sure—”

As if!

Du Wan slipped away the moment she was done filming, running off secretly while no one was looking. She changed her clothes at the hotel and ran out wearing sunglasses.

“Du Wan, why are you going to find that mermaid again?” Chai Tingyan chased after her. “Aren’t you going to the confrontation?”

“I just said that to be polite. You actually believed me?” Du Wan lowered her sunglasses slightly, revealing a pair of clear, charming, smiling eyes.

She turned to her panting little assistant. “I get paid to bicker with Zuo Yijia. What do I get for arguing with that Lou woman? Only an idiot would go!”

“Ah—” Assistant Chai realized. “Miss Zuo has such strange tastes!?”

Du Wan was speechless. “Where is your mind going?”

“Anyway, let the Lou girl cool off on her own.” Du Wan put her sunglasses back on, the corners of her mouth curving up. “I won’t lower myself to her level.”

Just as they stepped out of the hotel entrance, seven or eight people suddenly swarmed forward. They wore matching support hats and held banners—looking like a celebrity’s fan support group.

Assistant Chai was shocked. “Du-Du-Du Wan, are you becoming famous?”

“Look closer.” Du Wan pointed at the words on the banner.

Assistant Chai: “Xie Yewei? Who’s that?”

Du Wan whispered sneakily into her ear, “The one who smells like stinky socks…”

The group hung around the entrance for a long time without success, and the scene became messy. One fan threw their support items on the ground in anger, and a few tried to rush into the hotel, only to be stopped by security.

Du Wan, dressed low-key in her sunglasses, looked completely unremarkable. Once the frantic crowd was driven away, she stepped forward and picked up a discarded bouquet of flowers.

“So disrespectful,” Chai Tingyan said indignantly. “I’m pretty sure the company explicitly forbids this kind of behavior, right?”

“Fans are easily provoked; the celebrity’s own attitude is more important.” Du Wan brushed the dust off the flowers. “Without restraint, problems will happen sooner or later.”

“No, I definitely have to ask Sister Jiang for two bodyguards.” Chai Tingyan clutched her bag tightly, still shaken. “That was terrifying. Du Wan, how am I supposed to protect you from so many people?”

Du Wan patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, it won’t come to that.”

The Scummy Alpha hadn’t touched social media for over half a year. Even if she had fans, they’d mostly forgotten her; she was as irrelevant as they come.

Assistant Chai: “Then these flowers—”

“It’s a waste to throw them away. I’m just recycling.” Du Wan shrugged.

The pink and white rose bouquet was “borrowed” by Du Wan to serve as a gift; she stuck it into the vase on the mermaid’s bedside table in the hospital.

Zuo Yijia looked up from her laptop screen, staring at her coldly.

“Don’t worry, Boss Zuo, I won’t charge you for these,” Du Wan said with a provocative smile. “They’re free.”

Zuo Yijia: “…”

Her pheromone levels were being managed well, but the doctor refused to let her be discharged. Even after she revealed her status, they only agreed to upgrade her from a standard room to a VIP suite.

The suite was quiet and elegant; aside from the white bedding, it hardly felt like a hospital. Below was a small park shaded by green trees, where the occasional crisp bird song could be heard.

Zuo Yijia put down her work and licked her sharp fangs, suppressing the urge to bite someone. “What are you here for again? You aren’t welcome here!”

She didn’t mention that she hadn’t slept well all night because of her anger, and only managed to drift off for a bit after the nurse gave her a sedative.

And the culprit was the person standing right in front of her!

“Boss Zuo is so heartless.” Du Wan touched the hidden bruise on her neck, her tone flippant. “It’s all your fault—I still hurt even now.”

Before the mermaid could get truly angry, Du Wan brushed non-existent dust off her pants, took a step back, and sat in the armchair opposite the bed, her expression turning serious.

“Your private doctor asked me to come. He wants to observe exactly what kind of effect I have on your pheromones.”

“I’m fine. I don’t need your cooperation for treatment for now.” Zuo Yijia’s face was like frost, and her tone was icy. “And without my command, it doesn’t matter who asks you to come—you aren’t allowed here.”

The mermaid had a small circular patch on her nape, with a tube extending from beneath it to a square machine beside the bed.

That was the monitor for her pheromone levels. Currently, the fluctuating lines on the screen showed that the subject’s state was not as calm as she was trying to appear.

“Oh?” Du Wan tilted her head, observing the monitor. A playful smile returned to her face. “Is Boss Zuo sure?”

She couldn’t read the meaning of the lines on the screen, but that didn’t stop her from pushing the mermaid’s buttons.

Zuo Yijia’s face, which looked slightly weary without makeup, was still breathtakingly beautiful. She instinctively licked and bit her full lower lip, saying coldly, “I am very sure.”

As soon as she spoke, the chaotic lines began to drop back to normal levels. Zuo Yijia’s face remained as calm as a still pond, without a single ripple.

“Alright then.” Du Wan stood up before her seat even got warm. “I’m going.”

Zuo Yijia’s gaze followed Du Wan’s footsteps as she moved toward the door. Du Wan paused for a moment, and just as the mermaid thought this was another prank, Du Wan walked out of the room without looking back.

The door closed with a click.

Wait, she actually left?

Zuo Yijia sat up slightly, but quickly sat back. She grabbed the “tacky” roses and lilies from the vase and hurled them to the floor, making a loud noise. Her assistant rushed in.

The assistant was a new transfer, and much of the work was still being handed over. She was startled by the scene and walked forward cautiously. “President Zuo, would you like me to throw those away for you?”

Zuo Yijia was silent for a moment, then moved the hand supporting her forehead and suddenly changed her mind. “You guys take them. One flower each.”

Assistant: “???”

Who would dare take one!?

“By the way,” Zuo Yijia said, acting as if she didn’t care at all. “Leave one behind.”

“The vase looks empty. It’s not very nice.”