Chapter 30
The sixteen-year-old girl returned from the capital and happily told her father, “Dad, Chairwoman Yue helped me get a movie role.”
The man smiled, not taking it seriously. “What movie? How much money can it make? If you ask me, back then, you should’ve followed Boss Liao’s people and left. You would’ve been eating and drinking well on Pu Island…”
After listening, the girl did not refute him.
She only said gently, “If I act in a movie, I’ll become more and more famous. I’ll be able to earn more money for you.”
The man laughed loudly. “You don’t blame Dad?”
The girl lowered her eyes slightly. The shadow of her long lashes covered her expression, making it impossible to see clearly.
However, Bo Mingliang did not need to see her expression clearly. He only needed to hear her gentle voice.
“I don’t blame you. I know Dad did it for my own good.”
“As expected of the daughter I spent so much effort raising, even asking many rich friends for advice. You really have the bearing of a young lady from a noble family.”
“All right, then. What movie? What role are you playing?”
“The Croupier. I’m playing a croupier’s daughter.”
The man clicked his tongue. “What billing?”
The girl laughed softly. “I don’t really have any billing, but this is my first script. I’m the protagonist’s daughter. It’s very important.”
“Croupier…”
The man drank tea while his fingertip scrolled through news on the screen.
Suddenly, a spam website popped up.
[Online Card Dealing]
[Beautiful Croupier]
And other large words entered his sight.
The scene shifted. Rain fell from the sky, neither light nor heavy, and the weather was gloomy.
One older and one younger person walked along the street. After walking for who knew how long, they stopped in front of an unremarkable house.
Water droplets gathered on the eaves and fell with pattering sounds.
At the door, an old man with half-closed eyes and skin full of wrinkles lay in a rocking chair.
His gaze sized up the two unfamiliar visitors.
“What are you here for?”
Bo Mingliang felt somewhat uncertain.
He pulled his daughter aside.
“You can learn if you want, but if you get addicted to gambling in the future, don’t blame me for not acknowledging you as my daughter. I won’t give you a single cent…”
The girl’s voice was gentle and sincere. “Dad, I want to grasp this role.”
“I can bring you in to take a master, but shouldn’t you give me some compensation? You should know, since you didn’t leave with Brother Hao’s people back then, how much risk I’ve been bearing now.”
The gentle young girl nodded slightly. “The pay is thirty thousand. I’ll keep some living expenses and give the rest to you. Chairwoman Yue said I’ll definitely become extremely famous. Just treat bringing me inside this time as an investment.”
Investment…
The man’s adrenaline surged.
Images appeared in his mind of his daughter becoming famous overnight and transferring him hundreds of thousands, even millions.
The slight restraint in his heart vanished like smoke.
Inside this unremarkable folk-style building, there really was an elderly card god.
The other party’s eyes were blind, but his ability to listen was extremely strong. He possessed a unique skill and would only teach once.
For the sake of the role, the young girl practiced day and night in her room.
Her father and her stepmother were her only two practice partners.
At first, she could only barely shuffle the cards. By the end, after shuffling an entire deck, she could accurately point out every card’s position from beginning to end.
With her outstanding skill, she smoothly finished filming The Croupier.
The Croupier was released very soon.
Because of the young girl’s gentle appearance and lively acting, it stirred up a wave of attention for a time.
But the good times did not last long. Only a few days after release, the two leading actors of The Croupier were exposed in scandals. The radio and television authorities directly banned them. Since the movie was filled with many shots of the two leads, it could only be forcibly pulled from theaters.
The dream of his daughter becoming wildly famous shattered instantly.
Over the phone, Bo Mingliang angrily scolded Bo Shuang, calling her useless and an unlucky disaster star.
There had been such a good opportunity to make money, yet scandals broke out one after another. How was Chairwoman Yue supposed to support her now?
The young girl only listened without saying a word.
The man had also recently lost his job and had no source of income at all.
Fortunately, although his daughter had completely lost one opportunity, the various business offers that came to her door were countless.
She had not become explosively famous, but at least there was no need to worry about food and clothing.
The money Bo Shuang earned was basically all given to him.
Ever since Bo Mingliang began enjoying the feeling of receiving money while lying down, he stopped doing those tiring outside jobs where he had to look at other people’s faces.
His daughter had reached the age where she should support him.
But those business deals were only a drop in the bucket and were used up all at once.
He began frequently asking Bo Shuang for money.
Bo Shuang’s career was only in its beginning stage, and she did not have much spare money on hand.
Bo Mingliang cursed Bo Shuang for being unpromising. She clearly possessed such powerful card skills, yet she was only being some broken little star in the capital.
Bo Shuang’s silence on the other end of the phone undoubtedly made him even more certain of his own thoughts.
How much money could being a celebrity make?
It was not even as good as him entering a casino once.
Back then, he had at least practiced alongside Bo Shuang.
His own technique was not bad either. Added to the fact that he had grown used to spending money like water, he resolutely stepped into a casino.
Speaking of which, this casino was one Bo Shuang had casually mentioned when she returned home for New Year.
She had said someone there had especially good luck and had earned tens of thousands before going to the capital to open up their own career.
The other party had only mentioned it casually in conversation, but Bo Mingliang remembered it until now.
The first time he entered that kind of place in his life, Bo Mingliang earned a huge sum of one hundred thousand yuan.
He lived freely and happily for a while, then once again ran out of money. Using the money Bo Shuang gave him, he gambled again.
This time, fate treated him rather harshly.
Everything he threw in was lost, and he even owed quite a bit.
Fortunately, amid misfortune, Bo Shuang’s career began to improve slightly. With the first payment after her small rise in popularity, she filled this deficit.
At this time, Bo Shuang’s boss, that woman surnamed Yue, conveyed Bo Shuang’s own meaning to him.
“Ah Shuang said, you raised her alone, working hard for half your life. The second half of your life should be the time for you to enjoy blessings. Playing cards and drinking tea is quite good.”
Of course Bo Mingliang understood how filial the daughter he had raised was.
With his daughter backing him, he gambled even more recklessly.
Money flowed like water.
But his card skills soon became insufficient. It was still his thoughtful daughter who returned home during a holiday and taught him some more advanced techniques.
With these new techniques, he made a fortune at the casino.
Bo Mingliang truly lived like a person above others for a period of time.
But again, the good times did not last long. Casinos would also study their customers. The tricks Bo Mingliang had learned were soon seen through, and the dealers developed methods to counter Bo Mingliang.
The money he had earned for only a short while was once again lost completely.
But Bo Mingliang was still not afraid, because by then, Bo Shuang’s fame had already begun to soar. She had won the title of youngest Film Queen, and the money she could give him was increasing.
Having experienced being above others, Bo Mingliang looked down on this small amount of money.
Sooner or later, he would win a huge fortune for himself, enough that he could never spend it all.
The casinos near home could no longer satisfy his needs.
He turned to larger cities to look for opportunities, then wandered to Hong Kong Island. The more of the world he saw, the wider his horizons became, and the deeper he sank.
Even after he failed to repay debts in time and had one leg cut off by creditors, he still continued increasing his stakes as if possessed.
Until this time, when a mistake caused him to be blocked by Liao Hao’s men on Pu Island and face a death threat.
……
All the memories of the past connected in an instant.
Inside the cabin, Bo Mingliang’s roaring voice was loud and carried incomparable hatred.
“If not for Bo Shuang, if not for her…”
His head slammed heavily against the ground, making banging sounds.
He looked at the tall woman who turned away without hesitation.
His eyes were full of madness, as if he wanted to perish together with Bo Shuang.
“President Ji, you don’t understand her. You truly married the most terrifying demon under heaven. If you keep her by your side, your Ji family’s property will be swallowed up by her step by step. Even you will die by her hand…
“She is a lunatic who looks gentle and harmless. She schemes meticulously, plans every step, never dirtying her own hands at all, guiding you and the Ji family toward destruction…”
The man laughed wildly.
Ji Congyan boarded the private plane home expressionlessly.
The horizon was still dark.
She suddenly remembered what Yu Chen had said not long ago after failing the audition, when she had been gloomy and muffled.
—“…I almost forgot. When Bo Shuang was sixteen, she once acted in an obscure movie, The Croupier.”
—“The director said that what I can do is find the card we anchored at the beginning among all these cards, but Bo Shuang—Bo Shuang can point out the exact face of every single card from beginning to end.”
She was clearly an Omega smart enough to know to seek Ji Congyan’s protection.
Yet the money she transferred to her gambling-addict father flowed like water.
She also refused, no matter what, to transfer out of her management contract with Yueyu Entertainment.
She had long had her own plan.
In every gentle and soft movement, there were countless subtle guidances, leading the man who had once wanted to sell her toward the cruelest destruction.
Then what about Ji Congyan, and the child in her womb?
Were they also part of what Bo Shuang wanted to use and overturn?
……
·
The private plane crossed half the country and slowly landed in the capital.
The horizon had already turned pale like a fish’s belly.
When she returned home, Bo Shuang had not yet gotten up. Ji Congyan put on an apron and made breakfast.
Soft footsteps came from the stairs.
“Congyan, good morning.”
The Omega’s voice was gentle as usual. She wore a soft, fitted nightdress, and her lower abdomen bulged in a slight curve. Ji Congyan glanced at it.
“Good morning.”
She plated the food and sat with Bo Shuang at opposite diagonal corners of the dining table.
In the quiet atmosphere, the two ate breakfast.
For some reason, Ji Congyan was more silent than usual, and her silence was frightening.
After cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, she picked up her phone. “I’ll take you to the set.”
“Today is a rest day.”
The day off after every ten working days had arrived. Bo Shuang had no other work arrangements today. She planned to read her script at home for a while, then accompany Ji Congyan in the evening to pick Ji Xunwu up from school.
Ji Congyan nodded. “Then rest well.”
She lifted her foot and was about to leave. Bo Shuang followed closely behind her. “Congyan…”
Ji Congyan’s steps toward the outside did not stop. “Is there anything else?”
The Alpha walked too quickly, and Bo Shuang had no choice but to quicken her pace to keep up.
It was only a short distance, yet by the time she reached Ji Congyan’s side, she was already panting.
Her breathing was slightly disordered.
Ji Congyan frowned. “So reckless. Be careful not to hurt the child.”
“You weren’t home last night.”
Bo Shuang looked into her eyes.
Ji Congyan said faintly, “How do you know I wasn’t home?”
Bo Shuang lowered her eyes. “I couldn’t sleep and wanted to find you to talk, but you didn’t come back the entire night…”
Ji Congyan only gave a soft hum and did not explain why. Her attitude was truly cold.
Bo Shuang stepped forward, her voice gentle. “Congyan, why is there an Omega’s scent on you?”
After returning, Ji Congyan had quickly showered, but perhaps because she had come into contact with quite a few people along the way, she had unintentionally picked up some scents.
But Bo Shuang’s words clearly suspected that she had an Omega outside.
She sneered. “Miss Bo, I neither like nor have the energy to deal with any other Omega.”
The Alpha’s tone was unlike usual. At this moment, it seemed somewhat heavy, though her emotions were very well restrained.
Even as a Film Queen, Bo Shuang could not read the deeper meaning in Ji Congyan’s words.
She softly pressed, “Then can you tell me where you went last night?”
Ji Congyan looked at her without speaking. For some reason, Bo Shuang felt uneasy.
They stood face to face, and the air was extremely silent.
At just this moment, the news anchor’s voice came from the giant screen television.
“This morning, a shipwreck occurred in the international waters closest to Pu Island.
“The ship belonged to the Liao family of Pu Island and was a floating casino. At present, it has been confirmed that most personnel on board survived. As of now, only two bodies have been recovered.”
“One of them has been identified as Liao Hao, the eldest son of the Liao family. The other body is named Bo Mingliang. The police are currently attempting to contact his family through the household registration system.”
“According to information disclosed by the maritime police, a large-scale gunfight had occurred on the ship. The ship’s hull was damaged as a result, causing water to enter the cabin and the ship to sink.”
“According to an informed source, Liao Hao’s body had been bound with metal chains, while Bo Mingliang had lost all four limbs. Initial on-site examination indicates that the deaths of Liao Hao and Bo Mingliang may have been caused by internal criminal conflict…”
A picture appeared on the screen. Even through the mosaic, one could feel the bloodiness and brutality of that limbless corpse.
The news continued to broadcast. Ji Congyan, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.
“You asked where I went.” She pointed at the screen. “Do you still need to ask?”
Bo Shuang stood where she was, eyes lowered. No expression could be seen on her gentle face.
Her voice was difficult. “…Did you… leave any handle behind?”
“No. But before Bo Mingliang died, he told me some things I never knew before.”
Bo Shuang’s breathing slowed.
Her fingertips clutched the hem of her skirt. Ji Congyan walked toward her step by step, but she seemed unable to hear the approaching footsteps and stood where she was, until Ji Congyan’s shadow completely covered her.
“My Omega wife, the mother of my child, taught Bo Mingliang how to play cards, how to find casinos, and how to win more money… She truly is remarkable.”
She knew.
She knew everything…
Bo Shuang raised her head to look at Ji Congyan. The darkest place she had hidden most tightly in her heart seemed to have all its cover lifted in an instant.
The darkness deep inside her had nowhere to hide.
The darkness that should not have been exposed before Ji Congyan had now been clearly picked out by Ji Congyan.
Her heart pounded violently, and Bo Shuang felt something close to fear.
She feared that this darkness would be known by someone as bright and open as Ji Congyan. Even more, she feared Ji Congyan would distance herself because of it.
Her eyes reddened.
“Bo Shuang, did you think you were very capable? Thirteen years. Nearly two billion. Do you know your funds were almost unable to sustain Bo Mingliang’s squandering? Do you know what your end would have been if the funds collapsed and Bo Mingliang’s creditors found you!?”
Bo Shuang looked at her. “It’s not that I never thought of asking you for help.”
“I was also very afraid that before he walked himself into death, the funds wouldn’t be enough. I was very afraid. Congyan, I was under a lot of pressure…”
“Why didn’t you actively ask me for help? Aren’t you very good at using me? Was it that hard to open your mouth and ask me to help you with this? Answer me!”
All of Ji Congyan’s emotions that she had held back from night until morning poured out in this moment.
Only after the words completely left her mouth did she realize that the dissatisfaction she had held in for so long was not because of Bo Shuang using her at all.
What she cared about, from beginning to end, was why Bo Shuang had not come to her for help. It was Bo Shuang’s concealment.
She minded that Bo Shuang had not taken the initiative to tell her about her family situation.
Even more, she minded that Bo Shuang had fought alone and placed herself in an extremely dangerous situation, yet still had not asked her for help.
Ji Congyan’s words far exceeded Bo Shuang’s expectations.
She had thought Ji Congyan would become angry because of her darkness and because of her using people.
She had not expected that what the Alpha cared about was only such a tiny matter…
Her chest seemed to be scorched hot by the other woman’s words.
A tear fell from the corner of her eye. Bo Shuang’s voice was gentle, yet seemed so terrified and powerless. “I wanted to present the best version of myself before you.”
Ji Congyan frowned. “What does that have to do with this?”
“Did you think I would be biased against you because of a plan you spent more than ten years arranging? I won’t, Bo Shuang. I would only think that the you who kept sending money to a gambling addict is sick. I would only think, how could I, Ji Congyan, marry such a stupid Omega? How could my child have such a foolish mother!?”
Her disdain for stupid people was practically overflowing.
Every word made the beauty cry even harder. Tear stains covered her fair face.
For a moment, only soft sobs remained in the vast living room, enough to make one’s heart break for her.
Ji Congyan handed a tissue to her and said dryly, “Wipe it clean.”
The beauty drew two sheets and gently pressed away the tear stains on her face.
“Congyan, can I borrow your shoulder to lean on for a moment?”
The Omega finally took the initiative to ask for help.
Although the request was a little outrageous.
Ji Congyan only looked at her faintly, sat on the sofa, picked up a blanket, and covered one shoulder with it, sitting upright and proper.
Beside her, the sofa sank slightly. The quiet orchid-and-sandalwood scent uncontrollably slipped into her nose.
Ji Congyan’s body stiffened. After a head gently leaned onto her shoulder, she became infinitely close to petrified.
The Alpha’s body was far too tense.
The beauty comforted her softly. “Relax a little.”
Ji Congyan’s tone was cold and hard. “I am very relaxed right now.”
As she spoke, she tried to move her body. However, her limbs were stiff to such a degree that her movement was extremely uncoordinated. She only tried slightly to relax her shoulder, but her tense shoulder suddenly dropped down a level like an elevator platform.
Bo Shuang’s head fell through the air and hit Ji Congyan’s shoulder. Ji Congyan apologized in a panic.
She smiled and rubbed the side of her forehead, then choked softly, “I’m fine.”
“In the future, if something happens, remember not to hide it from me again. Do you understand?”
The beauty said, “I understand…”
Smelling the Alpha’s sharp and pleasant scent of clear wine atop a snowy peak, she gradually closed her eyes and entered a deep, peaceful sleep.
Half of Ji Congyan’s shoulder seemed to have been sealed in place, fixed there and not daring to move. With her other hand, only her fingertips poked at the screen.
Mom: [You’ve even learned to skip work now?]
Ji Congyan: [The Omega at home has a day off. I’m accompanying the child. Taking a day off.]
Mom: [If you’re accompanying the Omega, just say you’re accompanying the Omega. What does it have to do with the child?]
Ji Congyan expressionlessly turned off the screen.
Sunlight streamed in from outside the window and gradually fell upon the beauty’s porcelain-like delicate eyelids. She seemed unused to it, and her long lashes trembled.
Ji Congyan raised her hand, and the shadow of her palm landed exactly over her eyelids.
The trembling lashes returned to calm.
·
At night, in Yueyu Entertainment’s press conference hall.
Reporters gathered, their cameras and microphones aimed at the stage.
On stage, the Omega wore a plain black long dress. Her eyes were lowered, their rims faintly red, and she had almost no expression.
Yet from her nearly nonexistent reaction, everyone felt an unprecedented sense of sorrow.
Bo Shuang was gentle. This was something everyone inside and outside the entertainment industry acknowledged.
She was also approachable and down-to-earth.
Aside from the roles she played in films, this was the first time reporters had seen her emit such an aura of keeping strangers away.
They had originally prepared many sharp questions, but under the influence of this extremely sorrowful atmosphere, the reporters’ voices unconsciously softened.
“For so many years, your family situation has always been a very hidden privacy in the eyes of the public. May I ask, is it because your father’s gambling was too disgraceful to reveal that you and your management company chose to hide the truth so tightly?”
Bo Shuang said, “As a public figure, my every word and action must be regulated. I do not wish for the many fans and viewers to receive any negative ideological guidance from me.”
“You clearly knew your father, Bo Mingliang, was addicted to gambling, yet you still took on the responsibility of supporting him, covering for him, and repaying his debts. May I ask whether you admit that this was foolish loyalty?”
Bo Shuang said, “My father raised me alone. It was very difficult. I thought that covering for him again and again was saving him, but I never expected that he would…”
She finished speaking with a choked voice. Almost everyone present listened until tears came to their eyes.
The questions became sharper one after another. Even immersed in grief, Film Queen Bo still answered the reporters’ questions one by one. After it ended, she seemed to have no strength left and was supported away by Ji Congyan, who had accompanied her at her side like a bodyguard the whole time.
The reporters present typed out their drafts with clattering sounds, fighting to be the first to publish them on their own media platforms.
After sending out the draft, one reporter breathed out in relief. Suddenly, their gaze noticed the curve at the middle of Film Queen Bo’s skirt. Thinking of how Bo Shuang and Ji Congyan had suddenly registered their marriage…
A flash of inspiration crossed their mind.
They caught it in time.
They abruptly patted the photographer resting beside them, signaling them to hurry and follow. This was extremely urgent.
The photographer carried the camera cannon and ran after the reporter.
The reporter rushed in one step into the crowd surrounding Bo Shuang and Ji Congyan, trying hard to squeeze past the colleagues ahead. The microphone suddenly thrust directly toward Bo Shuang’s mouth, nearly hitting Bo Shuang. But the reporter could not care about too much and opened their mouth wide to speak.
At that moment, a hand reached over without hesitation and heavily knocked the microphone away.
The microphone rolled once on the ground.
President Ji’s cold gaze swept over. One of her hands was still loosely around Bo Shuang, whose face was pale.
The reporter was so frightened that they trembled violently. The words at the edge of their mouth instantly jammed.
They were stuck for a long while.
Only when Ji Congyan and Bo Shuang had almost walked past them, and they had been pushed to the outer ring by their colleagues, did they suddenly remember what they wanted to ask.
They simply stopped squeezing in. Clearing their throat, they shouted loudly from outside the crowd.
“Film Queen Bo, please wait!”
“I noticed that you are wearing a loose dress. Judging from the way the hem of your skirt moves when you walk, one can clearly see a slight protrusion of your stomach.”
“May I ask, did you marry President Ji because you were pregnant?”
The moment their words fell, the noisy venue seemed to have its mute button suddenly pressed, instantly falling into silence.
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