After I Picked Up the Movie Queen Who Was Pretending to Be an Alpha - Chapter 11

Pei Suyuan hadn’t expected the caller to be Wei Jinzhi. She stared at the number without moving until the call disconnected automatically. Only then did she grip the phone tight and press it face-down against her lap.

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against the back of the phone.

A few minutes later, a vibration traveled through her forehead. Pei Suyuan looked through misty, tear-filled eyes; it was Zheng Xuncheng. She wiped her face and cleared her throat before answering.

“Uncle…” Despite her efforts, the tremor in her voice was obvious. Zheng Xuncheng paused for a few seconds on the other end before saying, “Xiao Yuan, I’m taking your mom home first. You come back a bit later.”

Tears welled up again. Her chest felt so tight she could barely breathe. After a long moment, she gave a low, muffled response. Before hanging up, Zheng Xuncheng told her to drive carefully.

Pei Suyuan murmured her agreement, and then the tears finally broke like a levee.

In truth, she was quite fragile. A grown adult, yet she had to hide in a corner and cry just because she’d been slapped.

She waited for ten more minutes after drying her eyes, making sure Pei Jing had been taken away so they wouldn’t cross paths. When she finally stood up, her feet were numb from crouching. She stumbled against the wall for support and left the hotel step by step.

Once inside her car, she felt slightly more composed. Remembering Wei Jinzhi’s earlier call, she hesitated over whether to return it. She saw that Wei Jinzhi had called twice more while she was talking to Zheng Xuncheng.

She dazed out for a while but decided not to call back. She had cried for too long; her voice would give her away. Pei Suyuan didn’t want anyone to find her in such an embarrassing state. Zheng Xuncheng was unavoidable, but Wei Jinzhi…

She was afraid of losing face.

But thinking it might be rude to ignore her entirely, she logged into WeChat. The first dialog box was the contact she had added that morning.

[Pei Suyuan]: I’m not in West Beijing. Is something the matter?

After sending the message, she locked her screen and rushed toward the welfare home.

For the next few days, Pei Suyuan stayed in her small room at the welfare home. She didn’t go out during the day, only sneaking out at night when Pei Jing was sound asleep to look at her through the small glass window of her room.

A few days later, she prepared to leave Lin City. Pei Jing likely wouldn’t be lucid again anytime soon, and she had to work. During her time in Lin City, she had received two contracts: one was a management contract from Yuefeng Media, and the other was for the variety show Hello, Detective.

However, Pei Suyuan’s immediate work was something else. She had a part-time job as a recording engineer. After her group disbanded, she had earned a junior recording engineer certificate, thinking she might make a career of it. But without much fame, her clients were mostly web influencers or indie singers. It paid the bills but left her with no savings, so her recording work shifted from full-time to part-time. Currently, she held a mid-level certificate, and she still worked mostly for old friends at the same price.

The person who contacted her this time was Ge Jun, a male Alpha she’d known for years. They shared similar tastes and a silent but strong professional rapport.

Returning to West Beijing, she went straight to the studio to find him. There, she met Ge Jun’s Omega boyfriend, Fang Xiaojie—an arranger who had worked on several of Pei’s songs—and a few other mutual friends. In her familiar professional element, Pei Suyuan entered “the zone” quickly.

She spent the next week holed up in the studio. Concentrating on work allowed her to completely forget the recent heartaches and the two pending contracts. She left her phone aside and focused entirely on the music.

When she finally emerged from the studio, a week had passed. She hadn’t been home the entire time. The studio was actually Ge Jun and Fang Xiaojie’s home as well; they lived and worked there. When she was tired, she slept in the spare room; when she was free, they jammed together. Time flew, and it was a perfect way to drown out her troubles.

However, leaving was a bit awkward. Because she had left for Lin City in such a rush, she only had the clothes she’d packed then. Now, she was wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt and a white tracksuit. The early autumn weather was fine, but late autumn was turning chilly, and for warmth, she had to stick with what she had.

It was early morning and the streets were empty. Pei Suyuan drove back to Huajiang Court. Near the entrance, there was a steamed bun shop she loved. She looked down at her bright yellow outfit and hesitated—deciding between the risk of embarrassment and a hungry stomach. She chose the risk of embarrassment.

She bought the buns, hurried home, and ate them while they were still hot. Then she took a shower and fell into a deep sleep.

She woke up at 3:00 PM, still feeling groggy after several all-nighters. She was lounging in bed when her phone vibrated. It was Yan Xin, asking if she was back and if she wanted to grab dinner.

Pei Suyuan realized Yan Xin would be streaming in an hour, so there wouldn’t be enough time to get ready and meet up. She declined.

Yan Xin was unhappy. “You’ve been gone for half a month! I missed you to death, and now you won’t even eat with me!” she whined.

Pei Suyuan knew she was the clingy type. After coaxing her for a while and promising to bring her favorite fried chicken and milk tea tomorrow, Yan Xin was finally appeased.

Pei played Snake on her phone for another hour before finally getting up to clean the house. After being away so long, cleaning was her top priority. Once finished, she showered again, grabbed her trash, and headed downstairs to find something to eat.

She bought a bowl of Yunnan rice noodles. As she was paying, a transfer from Ge Jun arrived: 30,000 yuan.

Pei didn’t accept the transfer yet. She paid for her noodles and messaged Ge Jun, asking why the price had changed. Usually, she charged 10,000 yuan for a session.

[Ge Jun]: My booking price went up, so yours does too!

Only then did she accept the money with a clear conscience. Who doesn’t like money? It was the happiest moment of her day. As she walked back with her noodles, she began to fantasize about a life with more money—buying a big house and bringing Pei Jing to West Beijing to live with her.

But reality hit her quickly. Mom won’t even stand to be in the same room as me. How could we live together?

Happiness and sadness always alternated quickly for Pei Suyuan. She lowered her head, looking at the road with a gloomy expression. She lost her appetite for the noodles and dropped them into a trash can, then sat on a park bench. She wasn’t wearing much; after an hour, her nose was red and she sneezed several times.

Can’t get sick. Being sick is miserable and expensive.

She got up and walked toward her building. After a few steps, she heard rustling footsteps behind her. She turned around.

There, under the moonlight, was Wei Jinzhi.

Wei Jinzhi didn’t miss the look of surprise and embarrassment on Pei’s face. She stepped closer, almost touching her, and asked, “In a bad mood?”

Although Wei lived in the North District, her building was on higher ground. She had seen Pei Suyuan buy the noodles and had watched her sit on the bench for the entire hour.

Pei Suyuan was too embarrassed to answer. She looked at her toes, suddenly catching a whiff of marshmallows. Wei Jinzhi was… even closer now.

Her voice was melodic and seductive as she asked: “When you’re in a bad mood, you should eat something sweet. Do you want some marshmallows?”

Pei Suyuan looked up, dazed, as if trying to confirm if she had heard correctly.

Wei Jinzhi smiled faintly and brought her hand out from behind her back. In front of Pei Suyuan was a fluffy, soft cotton candy—the kind that looked like your hand would sink right into it if you touched it.

Pei Suyuan’s nose suddenly felt prickly. Wei Jinzhi placed the wooden stick in her hand and said, as soft as the candy itself:

“Try it. It’s sweet and soft.”