A Scummy Divorcee Alpha: Ex-Wife’s Top-Tier Soothing Agent - Chapter 4

“I’m not going back!”

Du Wan quickened her pace, bag slung over her shoulder.

Secretary Liang followed behind, trying to persuade her. “Miss Du, if you act like this, President Zuo will be angry.”

Du Wan stopped abruptly and asked with a serious face, “When a mermaid gets angry, can she turn into a pufferfish?”

“…” Secretary Liang stared at her in horror, his eyes screaming ‘Are you insane?’ His raised hand shook, and his voice trembled along with it. “Miss Du, how could you…”

How could her speaking style become so aggressive after the divorce!

“Alright, alright, I’m just teasing.” Du Wan shrugged. “Your boss is just afraid I’ll run away. My manager has something for me—urgent business, a total emergency. How about this: you drive me there, wait to pick me up, and bring me back. I can’t run away that way.”

Secretary Liang adjusted his glasses. “One moment.”

He handed a connected call to Du Wan. She picked it up, gave two “hello”s, and before the person on the other end could speak, she snapped it shut.

Du Wan: “Your boss says she agrees.”

Secretary Liang: “…”

The Scummy Alpha had signed with an entertainment company before graduation. Logically, she should have had a bright future, but the company’s follow-up resources hadn’t kept pace. Combined with the fact that her acting skills remained stuck at the level of “frowning and staring,” her film offers had dwindled over time.

But the Scummy A didn’t care; she had always viewed the entertainment industry as a springboard, fantasizing about marrying into a wealthy family to escape her financial straits once and for all.

In the company, people secretly treated her like a joke.

A woman set down a contract and looked up. “Did you see clearly? Was it really a luxury car that dropped her off?”

“I definitely didn’t see wrong. Plenty of people ran to the entrance to look. That car is worth at least tens of millions.”

Jiang Ni twirled her pen and let out an incredulous sneer. “I was wondering why she’s been too busy to show her face lately—turns out she really did land a sugar daddy. If the girls under me had even half that ambition, I wouldn’t have to worry myself to death every day.”

The assistant winked at her and whispered, “She’s here.”

Du Wan walked in out of breath and tossed her designer bag—which looked remarkably like a vegetable basket—onto a chair. She sat down and said, “Sis, your office is really out of the way. It took me forever to find it.”

Jiang Ni’s temple throbbed.

Who are you implying is irrelevant?

Having a backer really was different; even her confidence had spiked.

Jiang Ni put on a smile to bridge the gap. “Du Wan, it must have been exhausting rushing all the way here.”

Du Wan was used to the manager’s high-pitched yelling over the phone; hearing this sudden tender tone made her uneasy. “Not exhausted. I took a car.”

Jiang Ni: “Then I’m relieved.”

“The reason I called you in is to understand your future career plans.” Jiang Ni crumpled the paper in her hand and tossed it into the trash.

Du Wan answered cautiously, “I don’t have much experience. It depends on the company’s arrangements.”

“Don’t say that.” Jiang Ni grabbed her hand and showered her with praise. “The first time I saw you, I knew you were someone who could make things happen. When you’re famous later, you can’t forget the company, and you certainly can’t forget us.”

The flowery praise left Du Wan a bit dazed. She blinked, and suddenly, it clicked.

The luxury car escort was too conspicuous; these people had clearly misunderstood something.

Snobs, Du Wan thought privately.

Facing Jiang Ni’s expectant gaze, she said bluntly, “Sis, I want to film a drama.”

“What a coincidence, baby!” Jiang Ni turned around, picked up a stack of papers, and handed them over. “This is a new script that was just sent over. I think the genre suits you perfectly. Take it back and look it over; if you think it’s a fit, we’ll sign the contract.”

It was a clichéd urban romance: a dogblood love triangle where She loves Her, but She loves Her. Du Wan flipped through a few pages and asked in surprise, “I get to play the second female lead?!”

And she was a CEO. Was she sure this role suited her?

Jiang Ni: “Of course. You have the strength.”

The assistant looked at her and nodded vigorously.

This is too much; this is ‘killing with praise.’ Du Wan suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and closed the script. “My acting is bad. I can’t pull this off. Just give me a walk-on role.”

Jiang Ni laughed. “You’re too modest. Improving acting skills isn’t hard. The company happens to have a vacant performance classroom; I’ll apply for you to use it.”

“I’ll assign you two assistants later. You just focus on acting,” she patted Du Wan’s shoulder. “Leave everything else to me.”

Du Wan: “…”

Du Wan couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

Well, fine. Experiencing life while earning money is pretty good. A small dimple appeared at the corner of Du Wan’s mouth as she said sweetly, “Thanks, Sis.”

Once she left, the assistant asked eagerly, “Sister Jiang, Lou Xuehan is already locked in as the female lead for this script. She has a history with Du Wan. Won’t there be trouble if they film together?”

“Didn’t you see? She has a backer now; she won’t care about that.” Jiang Ni sat back in her chair. “Besides, if she’s capable, she can push the other one out and be the lead herself. If she isn’t, she can just learn to keep a low profile.”

The assistant gave a thumbs up. “Sister Jiang, you’re still the best.”

Du Wan wandered around the company. When she drifted toward the performance classroom, the door wasn’t fully closed. Her sharp ears caught her own name.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You didn’t see the look on Du Wan’s face—so smug.”

“I really don’t know why they signed her. Her looks are bland, and her pheromone scent is weak. Can she even attract fans? Surely they didn’t just sign her to balance the company’s ABO ratio.”

Du Wan lifted her arm and sniffed carefully. Strange—she really couldn’t smell anything.

“And look at her clothes. Tacky as hell. Her aesthetic is so weird.”

Du Wan looked down. She had struggled to find two wearable items in the Scummy A’s flamboyant wardrobe: a white shirt and an A-line skirt. Was there something wrong with that?

“She’s clung to a ‘Golden Thigh’ (wealthy backer). No matter how ugly she is, we can’t compete.”

“What Golden Thigh? I heard she’s the one desperately chasing after someone who doesn’t even want to give her the time of day.”

Du Wan kicked the door open and sauntered in, bag over her shoulder. Her gaze swept over their faces one by one as she opened fire.

“You seem to know so much about my private life. What? You act during the day and sleep under my bed at night?”

The group didn’t dare breathe.

Having dropped that line, Du Wan turned and left coolly.

Not far away, she heard someone call from behind: “Wait—”

A girl caught up, her eyes full of stars. “Senior, I’m your fan.” She skillfully produced a stack of photos. “Can you give me an autograph?”

Du Wan was shocked. The Scummy A has a little fangirl?

Seeing her disbelief, the girl hurried to prove it. “I especially loved your character in A Pond of Spring Water. There’s an indescribable vibe to you. It’s just a pity you didn’t show your face.”

Du Wan found it strange. “Then how did you recognize me?”

“Senior, don’t you know?” the girl said. “You don’t like showing your face in dramas. Old fans can recognize you easily.”

Du Wan: “…”

I overestimated you, Scummy A.

After Du Wan signed the autograph, the fan wanted to treat her to dinner.

“Let’s do it another day. Someone is waiting for me outside.” Du Wan couldn’t handle overly enthusiastic people. She hurried to the entrance, only to find Secretary Liang wasn’t there.

The bright sunlight was covered by clouds, and the light dimmed significantly. Du Wan stood by the roadside, feeling exceptionally gloomy.

He had left without a word, car and all. It looked exactly like an order from Zuo Yijia to punish her on purpose.

While Du Wan was debating how to get back, the sky suddenly opened up into a torrential downpour. In the blink of an eye, the road was soaked. She hurriedly stepped back, terrified of ruining her leather shoes.

It was nearly dark when Zuo Yijia returned home from the office. She asked Sister Lan, “Is that person back yet?”

“Not yet.” Sister Lan glanced at the rain outside. “Miss, should I send a driver to pick her up?”

“No need. She’s no longer Mrs. Zuo; she doesn’t get any special treatment.” Zuo Yijia was intent on giving her a warning. “She even dared to order my secretary around. I’ll wait for her right here in the living room and see how she plans to get back.”

Sister Lan started to say something but stopped.

The rain grew heavier. Bolts of lightning danced like silver snakes across the black sky, accompanied by rolling thunder. Zuo Yijia sat comfortably on the sofa, letting out a yawn as she turned the page of her book.

Her gaze lingered on that page for a long time. Whenever there was the slightest movement at the door, her attention drifted there involuntarily. After this happened a few times, she closed the book irritably.

Another sound came from the entrance. Someone walked out from the shadows.

She looked utterly pathetic, like a water ghost that had just crawled out of a pond. She was soaking wet, leaving a damp footprint behind with every step.

Zuo Yijia stood up. Her ingrained upbringing kept her from laughing out loud, but that was as far as it went. She immediately opened fire with her mockery: “Look at you. Where did you go fooling around this time?”

Du Wan kept her head down and walked forward, faster and closer. Seeing the distance between them shrinking rapidly, Zuo Yijia couldn’t help but shout, “What are you trying to do?!”

“Boss Zuo deigned to wait for me to come home. I’m so moved.” Du Wan’s smile was incredibly sincere. She opened her arms and took a large stride forward. “Come here, darling, give me a hug.”

“What kind of madness is this?” Zuo Yijia dodged behind the sofa, pointing a finger at her. “Stay back! Don’t come over! You’re filthy!”

Obsessive-compulsive about cleanliness? Even better.

Du Wan pointedly shook her arms, spraying water.

Zuo Yijia wiped her face, her expression on the verge of collapse. “What do you actually want!?”

Du Wan said with a smile, “Don’t be shy.”

One chased, the other dodged—dodging left, lunging right, jumping up and down.

Du Wan steadied a vase. “Boss Zuo, be careful.”

Tired of the game, she wanted to go upstairs to rest.

Zuo Yijia was so focused on holding up her dress that she didn’t pay attention. Her foot tripped, and Du Wan, who was right behind her, fell with her. They collapsed together in a heap. Zuo Yijia, pale with fright, quickly lifted her head. Their lips brushed lightly—the soft, moist sensation made her expression turn indescribable.

Zuo Yijia wiped her mouth repeatedly until her lips were red and swollen. She clenched her fists, a fire of rage burning in her eyes. “This was your scheme, wasn’t it? Get up right now! Or I’ll hit you!”

Despite the threat, the person remained unmoved. Zuo Yijia took a deep breath. Her vision began to blur; that uncontrollable feeling of losing power was returning.

The next second, Zuo Yijia felt something warm on her face.

One drop, two drops, then more… she wiped her face blankly. It was warm blood.

Useless thing.

Zuo Yijia shoved the person off of her.

Du Wan’s eyes were closed. With two fresh trails of blood running from her nose, she had long since passed out.