After Breaking Up with the Scumbag Girl, I Became an Alpha [Entertainment Circle] (GL) - Chapter 15

Those words sounded casual, like something said between friends, but coming from Xu Wuhuan’s mouth, the flavor shifted entirely. At first glance, her eyes held a trace of a faint, flickering smile—a shell of polite decorum—but Zhong Yan could peer through the depths of that shell to see a sincerity devoid of falsehood.

She was serious. It wasn’t for the sake of the show; she simply wanted to tell Zhong Yan this fact.

Zhong Yan’s face remained calm, but her heart skipped a beat. The dressing room lights spilled lazily onto the tips of Xu Wuhuan’s hair and settled in her pupils, shining brilliantly.

Unsettled by Xu Wuhuan’s gaze and unable to endure the atmosphere, Zhong Yan hurried to extract herself, feigning great surprise. “Really? You better keep your word then.”

Xu Wuhuan’s lips curled into a smile as she nodded.

Zhong Yan immediately turned to the cameraman. “What she just said counts as a romantic line, right? I completed the task, didn’t I?”

The cameraman was a hardcore “straight man” and hadn’t caught the romance in it at all. He looked a bit dazed, but Zhong Yan pulled out every trick in the book—acting spoiled and stubborn—to force him to agree.

The cameraman nodded helplessly.

Zhong Yan flashed a “V” for victory sign, pride rising in her brow. She then explained the situation to Xu Wuhuan, babbling nonsense to brush past the slightly ambiguous moment.

Xu Wuhuan opened her mouth to say something more, only to see Zhong Yan glare at her behind the camera’s back. Her face was a warning, practically screaming: “Don’t you dare say another word, or I’ll hit you.”

Xu Wuhuan found it funny and gave a helpless smile, blinking to signal her understanding.

Zhong Yan was satisfied.

After the shoot, it was already night. Jiang Cha had to film an advertisement and Chu Yun had to record a song; the two took another car to the airport.

Thus, only Zhong Yan and Xu Wuhuan headed back to the hotel. Since the driver had an emergency, the task of driving fell to Xu Wuhuan.

Zhong Yan closed her eyes in the back seat, pretending to nap. Xu Wuhuan drove in silence. The atmosphere was quiet, yet it held a peculiar harmony. It felt almost like an illusion of peace—as if they had been together for a long time and today was just another ordinary day.

Usually, Zhong Yan never gave her a good face; it was either sarcasm or a cold stare, looking as if she carried a deep-seated grudge. Though a grudge certainly existed, Xu Wuhuan didn’t blame her—she had no right to.

She just felt a bit helpless. She was trying desperately to move forward, only to sadly discover she was still in the same place. She didn’t want to retreat, but she couldn’t advance. Zhong Yan’s stubborn, expressionless refusal to let her into her world truly made her heart ache.

Thinking this, Xu Wuhuan’s gaze inadvertently swept to the rearview mirror. She noticed a car had been following her. Her brow furrowed; her intuition told her this car wasn’t simple.

She took several random turns, but the car followed tightly from beginning to end. She had no choice but to speed up. Zhong Yan was jolted awake by the sudden acceleration and was very displeased. “Xu Wuhuan, what are you doing? Playing Fast and Furious?”

Xu Wuhuan’s expression was grave. She said solemnly, “Someone is following us.”

“What!” Zhong Yan sat up and looked out the window. When she saw the license plate of the car behind them, her expression turned dark and her tone went cold. “It’s a ‘sasaeng’ fan. Go to the hotel’s back entrance; the terrain there is more winding.”

Xu Wuhuan slammed the gas, swerving onto a less populated street. After navigating several alleys until Zhong Yan felt dizzy, they finally lost the car.

“Who was that?” Xu Wuhuan asked.

“My sasaeng.” Zhong Yan’s expression was grim, her brow tightly knit with visible disgust. “More like a pervert—a total lunatic!”

Xu Wuhuan didn’t ask why she hated that person so much; she assumed the reasons were unpleasant. She remained silent, and the atmosphere lapsed back into a stiff quiet until they drove into the back entrance parking lot.

Zhong Yan, wearing a hat and her hands in her pockets, strode forward. Xu Wuhuan followed a short distance behind.

Suddenly, a large man rushed out. Before Zhong Yan could react, he grabbed her by the throat. He was an Alpha, naturally strong; Zhong Yan felt a surge of stifling pain in her neck. Seeing this, Xu Wuhuan’s eyes sharpened. She strode forward and kicked the man in the stomach. The man grunted in pain and loosened his grip, causing Zhong Yan to stumble against a nearby pillar.

The man then turned a gaze like a hungry ghost toward Xu Wuhuan.

“Who are you?” Xu Wuhuan asked expressionlessly.

The man’s face was gaunt, his cheekbones protruding, and his skin was dull and aged like an old man’s, yet his eyes were fierce. He looked like an evil spirit, though he seemed young.

The man didn’t speak. He just clenched his fists and charged. Xu Wuhuan dodged, but the man was agile; he reacted in a second, pulling a knife from his pocket to lunge at her.

Xu Wuhuan’s gaze turned icy. She sidestepped as he drew near, slammed her elbow into his lower ribs, and kicked him hard in the back of the knee. The man collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in pain.

Xu Wuhuan had no desire to fight. She ran to Zhong Yan’s side. Zhong Yan had hit her head hard against the pillar and was dazed. Xu Wuhuan’s voice was urgent. “Yan Yan, are you okay? Where did you hit? Speak to me!”

Zhong Yan came to her senses. Hearing Xu Wuhuan’s frantic voice, she was momentarily stunned. “…Ah, I think I’m okay.”

“What do you mean ‘think you’re okay’! Be clear.”

Just as Zhong Yan was about to speak, she saw Xu Wuhuan’s expression turn to horror. Xu Wuhuan shoved her aside. Zhong Yan whipped her head around and saw a sight that made her heart stop.

The man had lunged out again. He had intended to attack Zhong Yan with the knife, but Xu Wuhuan had pushed her out of the way. As the blade lunged toward her heart, Xu Wuhuan grabbed the blade with her right hand to cushion the force. Blood gushed continuously from her palm.

Zhong Yan cursed under her breath and slammed a fist into the man’s head. As an S-class Alpha, her strength was immense; even though she masked her pheromones, she couldn’t hide her physical power. The punch knocked the man unconscious instantly.

Zhong Yan’s heart was in a panic. Her mind went blank, and she didn’t care whether the man lived or died. Xu Wuhuan’s right hand was covered in blood, the flesh torn and mangled. Her face was deathly pale.

Zhong Yan hurried Xu Wuhuan to the hospital. The injury to her right hand was severe; she wouldn’t be able to use it for quite some time. After the doctor left, only the two of them remained in the room.

Xu Wuhuan sat on the bed. Zhong Yan sat on the sofa with a dark face, head lowered, silent, exuding a heavy, low-pressure aura.

Xu Wuhuan tried to comfort her, forcing a smile. “What’s with that face? People would think you were the one who got hurt.”

Zhong Yan was silent for a while before saying, “…It should have been me who got hurt.”

“…”

Xu Wuhuan smiled. “Don’t overthink it. It’s not a lethal injury. We should figure out who that man is instead.”

Zhong Yan ignored the second half of her sentence and looked up. “You call this ‘not heavy’? If it had gone any deeper, your hand would be f*cking ruined! Don’t you know that?”

“…It doesn’t matter. As long as it isn’t you, it’s not heavy.”

Zhong Yan understood her perfectly: As long as you aren’t hurt, my injury counts for nothing.

Zhong Yan closed her eyes, feeling lost and helpless. Their relationship was becoming more and more tangled.

“…Xu Wuhuan,” Zhong Yan said softly. “I understand you less and less. What are you actually thinking?”

Xu Wuhuan said, “You know what I’m thinking.”

“Know what?!” Zhong Yan’s voice rose, her tone sharp. “That you want to repent now, so you’re constantly atoning? Or that you want to get back together with me?”

Xu Wuhuan said nothing, her silence an admission.

“Xu Wuhuan! What makes you think I’ll just follow your script? Five years have passed, and you suddenly pop back into my life, jumping around me constantly. You make me remember my stupidity and humiliation from five years ago over and over again! I don’t want to see you at all. I wish you’d stay far away from me! But—”

Zhong Yan’s eyes turned red, her voice thick. “…But you keep appearing before me in this way, regardless of the cost. You make my hostility look petty and disgusting. You were the one who was wrong, but you make me feel like I’m the villain.”

Xu Wuhuan clenched her fist, her lips pressed tight. Her voice was dry. “I was indeed wrong. I will always be in the wrong; I won’t make excuses. I don’t need you to give me compensation out of awkward guilt. I just want to be by your side. That’s all.”

I just suddenly missed you so much. I couldn’t help but want to see you. I just realized, belatedly, that I’ve fallen in love with you again, so I want to give you the fierce love I failed to give you in our youth.

Zhong Yan saw Xu Wuhuan’s pale face and the layers of gauze on her hand—the hand that took a blow for her. The woman’s expression was sorrowful, devoid of her usual radiance.

Zhong Yan felt a mess of tangled emotions in her heart. Deep down, a flower that had been buried deep was now tremulously sprouting, but it was too small—barely visible.

“Stay here for now. Sister Yu will be here soon.” Having said that, Zhong Yan prepared to leave.

“Where are you going?” Xu Wuhuan asked.

Zhong Yan reached the door and replied expressionlessly, “None of your business.” She opened the door and walked out.

Xu Wuhuan stared at the door long after Zhong Yan had vanished. She looked for a long time, until her eyes ached and dawn began to break.

Finally, she stiffly turned her head to look at the gauze on her right hand. She thought of Zhong Yan’s words.

I don’t want to see you at all. I just want you to stay far away from me.

It was true. No one wanted to see her. Everyone saw her as a maggot; they held their noses and walked around her. Even Zhong Yan was no exception.

Yet, she still wanted to reach out both hands to beg Zhong Yan for a warm touch. Or a hug—just a little warmth, so she could carry that spark and walk contentedly into hell.

A single tear fell from Xu Wuhuan’s right eye. Just one.

Zhong Yan, wearing a black hoodie, hat, and mask, went alone to a cramped residential building. She took off her mask and knocked on one of the doors.

The man from before opened it. When he saw Zhong Yan, his eyes lit up momentarily before turning back into hatred. Before he could speak, Zhong Yan kicked him to the floor, entered, and locked the door.

She stepped on the man’s chest, her voice cold and stern. “Why have you been following me? Why did you try to stab me?”

The man’s face was contorted. He spat viciously, “Weren’t you the one who let people follow? You celebrities should let us control everything. I’m your fan! Is it wrong to follow you because I love you?”

“There’s nothing wrong with liking me, but—” she paused. “Breaking into my bedroom, sleeping in my bed, pleasuring yourself on my sheets, following me every second, giving me no privacy! This is your way of ‘liking’ me!”

This man had followed her for a year, his behavior perverted and insane. He had even mysteriously forced his address onto her, though she never expected it to be useful until today.

The man laughed, a terrifying sound. “Isn’t that normal? Celebrities serve the fans. You should belong to us.”

Zhong Yan’s gaze sharpened. She applied pressure with her foot, making the man cry out. “Then why did you want to kill me?”

“Because you’re dating Guan Man! How could you date! We will never allow it! You don’t care about the fans’ feelings at all! So you deserve to die!”

Guan Man was a rising star, a female Alpha. There had been rumors of them dating, but it was all fake—just for company interests.

“So you want to kill me? What kind of logic is that?” Zhong Yan’s voice was slow and cold. “I am a celebrity, yes, but I am also a human being. I am not a god. You placed the halo of a god on me yourself. I am a normal person, already touched by the dust of the world, yet you blame me for being dirty. Who’s at fault?”

“You aren’t a fan. You don’t care about your idol’s thoughts at all.”

The man continued to stare at her with hatred. He was mentally unstable.

Zhong Yan suddenly smiled. “Why am I even talking to you? I almost forgot the important business.”

Zhong Yan released her pheromones. The immensely oppressive S-class scent flooded the man’s body. He immediately struggled for breath, his expression one of disbelief. “You… you’re an Alpha…”

Zhong Yan raised an eyebrow and squatted down, watching the man struggle with interest. She laughed coldly. “Don’t be afraid. I’m just a little unhappy.”

“Because you hurt someone. I thought about it, and I need to pay you back for her.”

The man was paralyzed by the pheromone pressure, staring at her in terror.

Zhong Yan gave a sweet smile, but then her expression vanished, turning cold as mountain snow. She held a small knife and, without hesitation, drove it through the man’s palm. The man wailed incessantly.

Once she had had her fill, Zhong Yan stood up and warned him, “Don’t even think about exposing me. If you don’t want the footage of the parking lot attack to go public, stay quiet. Now, we’re even.”