Chapter 52

Perhaps because of her dreams during the night, when Lin Chen finally woke up, it was already noon, and she was the only one left in the bedroom.

With one person missing, the quilt wasn’t as warm as it had been last night, but there was still some lingering heat and a sparse scent of Sea Lavender. Even in her daze last night, the Alpha had instinctively released pheromones to soothe her and made promises that satisfied her.

However, thinking of the scenes in the dream and the things Yi Fei had said, Lin Chen’s face darkened.

When Jin Mo was first brought home by Yun Qi, she had displayed malice toward both Xi’er and herself. In that very first dream, the Alpha had even seemed ready to punish Xi’er for Jin Mo’s sake. If Yun Qi hadn’t returned to normal later on, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to harm the child currently in her womb for Jin Mo’s sake.

She would not let herself become like the person in that dream.

She would not let go and allow the Alpha and Jin Mo to move to a remote place to live happily ever after. She would not let the Alpha hurt her child, and she would not marry someone she didn’t love.

She would nip every undesirable event in the bud the moment a sign appeared.

Mu Yu might know something; she was the one who appeared most in her dreams. However, she had a more pressing matter to attend to right now.

“Long time no see.” The Duchess appeared on the set of a hit drama to greet her old acquaintance.

Several months into her pregnancy, the Omega’s belly had a slight stolen contentprotrusion. Fearing an accident, the butler had arranged for several trusted people to follow her. Despite this, the director was terrified, fearing Lin Chen might be provoked by Jin Mo or that an accident on set might affect the baby.

There wasn’t a soul on set who hadn’t heard the rumors regarding Jin Mo and the Grand Duke. Even the newcomers, who might not have known much before, understood the situation after reading recent entertainment weeklies. They weren’t foolish enough to think those viral articles were a reporter’s whim; they were old scandals being recycled with new phrasing. Given that Jin Mo had recently been eclipsed by a newcomer, everyone knew exactly where those articles came from.

These things did bring Jin Mo some publicity, but while the hype was fun, the aftermath—having the actual wife show up at the door—was not.

“Hello,” Jin Mo replied weakly, a faint smile on her face that made the Alphas present feel an instinctive urge to protect her.

Yuan Ying felt a touch of sarcasm in her heart as she watched the shift in the surrounding Alphas. Since meeting that strange person last time, the rewards for her past hardships seemed to have arrived all at once. After traveling with the payment from that person, she was scouted, signed, and perfectly fit the company’s next star profile, being pushed out under the title of “Little Jin Mo.”

There was also a more subtle point: her pheromones. Baby’s Breath pheromones have a high compatibility with the Grand Duke’s Sea Lavender. Since the Duke once liked Jin Mo, it was possible she would like Yuan Ying, who was the same type. To prevent Yuan Ying from becoming unmanageable like Jin Mo after getting famous, the company had signed her to very strict terms. These terms didn’t bother Yuan Ying; she was originally just a nightclub waitress and was satisfied with where she was now.

As for Jin Mo, whom they had spent so much resources on, the company was pained to let her go. However, between her “Omega Number One Beauty” title and her scandals with the Duke, Jin Mo had become arrogant and defiant. The company had no choice but to abandon her.

“I was a bit bored at home, and heard there’s a popular new starlet, so I thought I’d come take a look and see my old friend,” the Omega told the director, telling him not to hover and to proceed as usual.

“This is Yuan Ying.” Hearing Lin Chen’s interest, the director brought Yuan Ying forward. This one had joined the cast with her own funding, with the sole request of promoting the newcomer. Now that the Duchess was interested, a good first impression would be beneficial.

The Grand Duke’s attitude toward her might not have changed, but the child in Lin Chen’s womb was recognized by both Yun Lan and Bai Mingshu.

“What a lovely person,” Lin Chen remarked, sizing up Yuan Ying. “I saw those titles outside and thought she might be a hypocritical person, but she looks so well-behaved.”

Hearing this, Jin Mo’s expression remained unchanged, but she dug her nails into her palm to remind herself of the humiliation. When she used to see Lin Chen, she didn’t need to use honorifics like “Madam”; she could even mock and play with her. This was just a temporary loss of power. As long as Yun Qi didn’t like Lin Chen, she still had a chance to turn the tables. As for the company, she felt no affection for them; she had earned so much for them, only to be discarded as a stepping stone for a newcomer.

“It’s just nonsense from outsiders,” Yuan Ying said, uncaring that Jin Mo was standing right there. When she worked at the club, many of her colleagues were in Jin Mo’s current state—discarded but still fantasizing that it was temporary, dreaming they could hook the Alphas back. The Duke hadn’t looked for Jin Mo in months, and even those “friends” of the Duke who used to bring Jin Mo along had stopped communicating with her.

Take Jin Mo’s recent luxury endorsement: she was photographed drinking with a mid-level executive. That wasn’t a good sign. Although the matter was suppressed, the number of fans who unfollowed was significant.

Lin Chen sat to the side, watching these minor celebrities film. One scene featured Jin Mo playing Yuan Ying’s best friend, coming to protect her when she was being bullied.

In the plot, Yuan Ying, an orphaned Omega posing as a Beta, is in love with a second-generation Alpha. However, the Alpha’s parents look down on her and, behind their daughter’s back, betroth her to a high-status Omega. In today’s scene, the wealthy Omega fiancee, taking advantage of the Alpha being sent to another city for studies, comes to intimidate Yuan Ying.

“Smack!” An antagonist gave Jin Mo a hard slap, sneering at her for trying to protect Yuan Ying. The antagonist was also played by a newcomer; because the slapping scene required a clear view of the face, Jin Mo didn’t use a double. The newcomer didn’t dare use too much force.

“Doesn’t this scene feel a bit off?” the Omega said to the director, stroking her belly. “Baby, don’t you think it’s a bit boring too?”

“What do you suggest?” The director sensed that Lin Chen wanted to make things difficult for Jin Mo.

“Isn’t it too light?” Lin Chen pointed at the antagonist. “This part lacks that overbearing aura; it looks more like flirting.”

At the director’s signal, the scene was reshot. The antagonist increased the force, but the Omega still shook her head in dissatisfaction. Seeing the antagonist still hesitant to go harder, the Omega “ge[stolen content]nerously” offered one of the Alphas following her.

The people chosen by the butler were loyal; they didn’t care who the Omega in front of them was. If the Madam gave an order, they would follow it. This time, the scene was a “one-take.” The Omega smiled and clapped for the “dedicated actors.”

The subsequent plot was boring, and the Omega lost interest. She gave her “old friend” some gifts and left. “Open the gifts when you get back; they’re some very beautiful photos,” she handed the items to Jin Mo.

During a break, Jin Mo returned to her dressing room and opened the gift. It was a dozen photos. Some were intimate shots of her with the Grand Duke’s friends from the past; others were recent.

She panicked. Her sixth sense told her these photos would soon appear online for all to see. This would ruin her! Lin Chen had always been weak and dull—why had she changed today?

Fear and rage made Jin Mo unable to maintain her smile. She scattered the photos across the floor. At that moment, the door was pushed open.

“Get out!” Jin Mo screamed at the intruding Yuan Ying. They were rivals; she didn’t need to maintain her persona.

“But isn’t this the company’s dressing room, Sister?” Yuan Ying picked up a photo near her feet. The Omega in the photo was beautiful, forming a sharp contrast with the fat, greasy man holding her. Yuan Ying admired the photo for a moment, ignoring the distorted face of the Omega sitting there. This used to be Jin Mo’s exclusive room, but since the company decided to push the newcomer, the usage rights were now shared.

“You’d better hide these well, Sister. If those Alphas outside see them, they’ll cry themselves to death,” Yuan Ying said insincerely before sitting down to rest.

Jin Mo forced herself to calm down. She needed to figure out how to handle these photos. Perhaps there was a way out through the Grand Duke? The Duke usually cut off all contact with old lovers, but she felt she might be an exception, just as she had been so many times before.

In anxious waiting, the call finally connected, but the person who picked up was not bailiantales.com the one she expected.

“Who is calling, please?” After Yun Qi returned, she went to the study to look through books her uncle gave her, containing notes Yun Lan had made.

Lin Chen had asked for the phone. “Disturbing your thoughts with a phone call while you’re reading is quite disruptive. I’ll keep it for you.” Recalling last night, Yun Qi thought Lin Chen seemed a bit uneasy. Since she had nothing to hide, she handed the phone over.

Jin Mo hung up the moment she heard Lin Chen’s voice. Lin Chen looked at the familiar number, searched her memory, and finally recognized it as Jin Mo’s. When the Alpha used to get drunk, this was the number that would call with an apologetic tone, saying the Duke wouldn’t be coming home tonight.

Since the party hung up without speaking, she went ahead and blocked this persistent nuisance for the Alpha.