A Scummy Divorcee Alpha: Ex-Wife’s Top-Tier Soothing Agent - Chapter 7

Yingshan was located in the primary commercial district of City A, with a famous food street nearby. Once mealtime hit, that street came alive—teeming with people and vibrant energy. The scents of frying, roasting, and boiling mixed into an irresistible aroma that snaked its way right under one’s nose.

Du Wan took a deep, longing breath. “Do you smell that…?”

Chai Tingyan sniffed around. “What?”

“The scent of Malatang,” Du Wan clicked her tongue. “You can’t smell it?”

“I can’t!” Chai Tingyan saw through her scheme and crossed her arms in an ‘X’ shape. “That stuff is unhealthy. Let’s go, we’re eating back at the office.”

“Just let me smell it for a little longer.” Du Wan stuck her rear out, refusing to move, wailing, “Eating grass every day, I’m turning into a cow!”

Suddenly, Chai Tingyan cried out, “Du Wan, your neck is covered in red rashes!”

“They’ve been there for two days.” Du Wan scratched them nonchalantly. “It’s definitely from the fat-loss meals. I’m allergic to vegetables.”

Chai Tingyan: “…”

After spending time together, Chai Tingyan’s “idol filter” had long since shattered. This person was a glutton, a slacker, and a compulsive liar, yet somehow, she wasn’t actually dislikable. She sighed and pulled a small circular patch from her backpack.

Du Wan took it. “What’s this?”

“A new type of pheromone suppressor patch,” Chai Tingyan said. “Your heat might be coming up. Better to wear this just in case.”

“Zuo Pharmaceutical.” Du Wan tore open the packaging and noticed a line of small print in the corner. “So high-tech?”

“Eighty percent of the pheromone-related drugs on the market come from Zuo Pharmaceutical,” Chai Tingyan said knowingly. “With two rare mermaids in the family, it’s no wonder they attracted so many scientists.”

“I see.” Du Wan nodded. Following the instructions, she applied the patch between her collarbones. A wave of coolness rushed straight to her head, making her shiver.

Chai Tingyan stared ahead, muttering to herself, “Why is she here…?”

Du Wan looked up.

Across the street stood the city’s largest hotel tower. Two low-key but luxurious cars were parked by the curb.

Since transmigrating, Du Wan’s physical fitness had improved, and her eyesight had sharpened, so she saw the scene perfectly.

Zuo Yijia was wearing a long black trench coat, her silver hair pulled up high with a hairpin—sharp yet elegant. Surrounded by secretaries and bodyguards, she headed into the hotel. Across dozens of meters, as if sensing something, she cast a distant glance back.

“Holy crap!”

Du Wan usually went home early while Zuo Yijia finished late; their schedules were completely offset, and they hadn’t seen each other for two days.

At this moment, it was as if a button inside Du Wan was pushed. Without thinking, she ducked down and hid behind Chai Tingyan.

Chai Tingyan turned in confusion. “What’s wrong with you?”

Du Wan hunched over, clutching her stomach. “I ate something bad at lunch. My stomach hurts.”

Chai Tingyan grew anxious. “Huh? Is it serious?”

“I’m fine.” Du Wan kept her head down, not daring to look across the street. “I’ll be okay in a bit.”

Only after the group had completely entered the hotel did the crisis pass. Du Wan straightened up and brushed the dust off her clothes. “I feel much better now.”

“Alright then, stay right here.” Chai Tingyan held up her phone. “I need to take this call. I’ll be right back.”

“No problem.” Du Wan gave an ‘OK’ sign.

Standing there, Du Wan reflected on how pathetic she had just looked. So what if she was seen? Why be afraid of that fish?

Shaking her head with her hands in her pockets, she followed the scent to a skewer stall. She rubbed her hands together, hesitating between chicken wings and squid, when someone tapped her shoulder.

Du Wan turned and jumped in fright.

Secretary Liang, dressed in a sharp suit, flashed a professional smile. “Miss Du, we meet again. President Zuo would like to invite you upstairs for a chat.”

She hadn’t escaped after all.

Feeling a bit of heartache, Du Wan waved him off. “No thanks, I’m heading back soon, and—”

Secretary Liang adjusted his glasses and leaned over to the vendor. “Boss, five skewers of every variety.”

“Coming right up!”

The meat sizzled on the iron plate. Du Wan’s stomach let out a growl, and her resolve weakened. “I have to wait for a friend.”

“I’ve already sent someone to notify your friend,” Secretary Liang said with a smile. “Miss Du, can we go now?”

Du Wan took two steps back.

Several bodyguards blocked her path.

“My apologies, but President Zuo ordered me to bring you up.” Secretary Liang checked his watch. “You caused me quite a bit of trouble last time. I can’t let you run away again.”

Du Wan was placed in a hotel lounge. Having filled her stomach, she was bored out of her mind. She counted every piece of fruit in the bowl and was about to start counting the tissues in the box when Secretary Liang appeared.

Du Wan asked, “Where is your Boss Zuo?”

“President Zuo instructed that you may only leave after she has finished her business.”

Du Wan realized the truth. “She had no intention of seeing me at all.”

Her pent-up frustration had nowhere to go. She crossed her legs and shook her foot. “She’s on a blind date and afraid I’ll ruin her chances, right? I’m not that shameless. Is there not even a shred of basic trust between people?”

“Miss Du, please don’t joke around. And—” Secretary Liang paused. “You truly don’t have much credibility.”

Du Wan: “…”

Meanwhile, Zuo Yijia was at a banquet table.

“Niece!” An older man poured a full glass of wine for her. “I watched you grow up.”

With a face like frost, Zuo Yijia drained the glass in one gulp.

“Good!” The old man slurred, letting out a cheer. The bottle was soon empty. He raised a hand. “Another bottle! Your best!”

“That’s enough.” Zuo Yijia pressed her hand down on his. Her naturally thin eyelids lifted, making her look cold and detached. “Uncle, can you even afford this wine anymore?”

The old man’s face turned a kaleidoscope of colors. His knees buckled, and he dropped to a kneel by Zuo Yijia’s chair, tears in his eyes.

“Niece, back then there were so many talented heirs in the Zuo family, but I stood by your father without hesitation. I never left, no matter how hard it got. Then he died—”

The man began to wail, his nose running as he sobbed. “I supported you with all my heart. All these years… if not for my merits, think of my hard work. Forgive your uncle this once. Give me one more chance.”

“And so you use past favors to demand rewards,” Zuo Yijia’s expression darkened at his words. She ruthlessly pushed his hand away. “You caused such a massive disaster for the company, breaking the capital chain for the entire project, and you don’t intend to take responsibility?”

The old man cried out, “Your uncle was powerless…”

“Enough!” Zuo Yijia slammed the table in anger. “Zuo Xiu couldn’t touch you because he was weak and incompetent. That doesn’t mean I am!” She grabbed her bag to leave. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. Watch yourself.”

The old man slumped into his chair in despair. A shadow crossed his eyes as he muttered, “Niece, you are too cold-hearted. Don’t blame me for what happens next…”

He beckoned, and a man emerged from the shadows.

“Is everything ready? Do it.”

Zuo Yijia stepped out of the suffocating private room and walked quickly to a window to catch her breath.

The clouds were dark and heavy, pressing down like an inverted bowl on the remaining air. She leaned against the wall, her hair fluttering in the breeze, yet she didn’t feel the slightest bit of relief.

She pulled her coat tighter, preparing to leave.

Just then, the hallway fire alarm began to blare.

Her usually inseparable bodyguards were nowhere to be found. Zuo Yijia’s heart skipped a beat as she realized what was happening.

She dialed her phone while sprinting toward the stairs. “Secretary Liang, go get Du Wan. We meet outside the main entrance.”

“President Zuo, your safety is the priority, I can’t—”

“I told you to go!” Zuo Yijia gripped her phone, her voice brook no argument. “Without my permission, she cannot die like this. If she dies, it must be by my hand!”

Zuo Yijia hung up and grabbed the stair railing.

Faint smoke began to fill the stairwell. As the steps stretched downward, her vision began to distort. The stairs twisted and folded, merging into a giant vortex.

Her vision flickered. Fighting back the nausea rising in her throat, she covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve, inching downward bit by bit.

“Don’t leave…”

A tiny, cat-like whimpering of a little girl seemed to echo in her ears.

“You bringer of misfortune!”

A massive force threw her to the ground. The little girl was in too much pain to cry, shaking violently from fear.

The door slammed shut. In the dark, damp attic, a little girl with short silver hair slowly sat up, curling into a ball and sobbing quietly.

…

Zuo Yijia reached a landing and lifted her foot.

The little girl wiped her tears, stood on a stool, and pushed open the only window. She carefully gripped the windowsill, half her body hanging out.

She was too weak to support her own weight. A moment later, like a butterfly with broken wings, she fell toward the ground like a moth to a flame.

…

Memory and reality began to overlap.

Zuo Yijia collapsed in a corner, gasping for air. Her chest made a raspy sound like a bellows. She clawed at her neck with her nails, trying to relieve the suffocating feeling of being strangled, but to no avail.

Du Wan was so bored she felt like she was growing mold. She took a flower from a vase and plucked a petal.

“Zuo Yijia is not a person.”

She plucked another.

“Zuo Yijia is sick.”

A pile of petals soon gathered on the floor.

Du Wan tossed the stem away and smelled a strange scorched scent. She looked around and suddenly saw wisps of smoke seeping in from under the door.

Immediately after, the alarm let out a piercing shriek.

Du Wan jumped off the sofa. “Holy crap, what’s going on?! A fire?!”

She grabbed a towel from the bathroom, soaked it, covered her face, and ran out the door.

Such bad luck. Nothing good ever happens when I’m involved with Zuo Yijia.

Du Wan pushed through the billowing smoke, her eyes tearing up until she could barely see. People were shouting and screaming. She carefully avoided the crowds and sprinted down the hallway for her life.

She ran quite a distance before suddenly turning back.

“Zuo Yijia?”

Her voice came muffled from behind the wet towel.

The person in the corner moved slightly, revealing a pale, colorless face. Her pupils were dilated and her lips were purple—she was clearly on the verge of suffocating.

Blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. Sensing someone approaching, she bit her tongue hard, barely regaining a sliver of clarity.

“It’s you…” Zuo Yijia’s voice was as thin as thread as she collapsed onto Du Wan’s shoulder.

Du Wan: “…”

How many times? How many times has she thrown herself into my arms? This doesn’t look like a mental power riot. Is a non-treatment scenario even covered by the agreement?

While Du Wan thought this, her hands were honest as she supported the mermaid’s waist. She was the boss, after all; it would be wrong not to save her, and Du Wan’s morals wouldn’t allow her to just watch Zuo Yijia die.

Just as she got the mermaid onto her back, she felt a patch of wetness on her shoulder.

The faint sobbing of the mermaid reached her.

Pearls rolled down the steps, snowy white and flawless, falling like a light rain.

“Boss Zuo,” Du Wan hoisted her higher, pretending to scare her, “hold onto my neck tight, or I might accidentally bounce you off.”

As expected, the mermaid stopped crying and hurriedly wrapped her arms around Du Wan.