After I Picked Up the Movie Queen Who Was Pretending to Be an Alpha - Chapter 14

After returning to Huajiang Court, the two grabbed a quick bite and headed to their respective homes.

Back at her apartment, Pei Suyuan went through her usual routine: cleaning the room and washing up before curling into bed for a nap. However, just as she was drifting off, she received a call from an unknown number.

It was her new assistant.

The caller introduced herself as Mu Xinyi, a female Alpha. She informed Pei Suyuan that she would pick her up at Huajiang Court the next morning at 10:00 AM, promising to send a notification beforehand. She also reminded Pei to pack basic daily necessities and a change of clothes.

Transportation was provided.

Having spent her entire career running around on her own, Pei Suyuan felt a strange, inexplicable sensation. The only clear thought she had was that buying the Golf had been a waste; she should have saved the money and stuck with a Polo. But it was too late now. she shared the news with Yan Xin to let her know she was officially starting work. Yan Xin replied with a crying emoji, followed by a flurry of encouraging messages.

Early the next morning, Pei Suyuan got up for her five-kilometer run by the lake. She returned home, showered, ate breakfast, and waited for Mu Xinyi’s call.

Pei Suyuan was strict about punctuality and liked to be early. By 9:40 AM, she was ready to head down. By 9:55 AM, she was at the gate, calculating that if Mu Xinyi hadn’t called by 10:00 AM, she would wait exactly five more minutes—until 10:05 AM—before calling her.

Fortunately, Mu Xinyi called at 9:58 AM saying she had arrived at the entrance. Pei Suyuan breathed a sigh of relief. She hated chasing after people, but if things didn’t go according to schedule, it would make her feel uneasy for the rest of the day.

After locating Mu Xinyi, they met up and got into the car. Mu Xinyi handed her a folder. It contained the guidelines, process, and guest list for Hello, Detective.

As the name suggested, it was a detective-themed variety show—or more accurately, a “Script Kill” (Jubensha) mystery game. Pei Suyuan had never played one before, but she had spent the last few days cramming. She used an app to study the mechanics; while she wasn’t an expert yet, she understood the gist of the game.

The recording for Hello, Detective was split into two parts: the first was an immersive roleplay game where guests are assigned roles and must find clues to identify the “murderer.” The second part required them to fully act out the script’s plot. Consequently, most of the fixed guests were actors.

The lineup included big names, popular idols, variety show veterans, and one artist who, like Pei Suyuan, was virtually unknown to the public. Pei Suyuan looked at the name and had zero recollection of ever hearing it.

Her eyes scanned the profiles:

Wang Shiming: Best Actor, male Alpha, a veteran senior with high status in the industry. Rumor had it he had a bit of a temper.

Wang Pei and Zhai Linna: The “Ace” duo of Yuefeng’s variety department. One male, one female, both Betas. They had worked together so often they had a massive “CP” (couple) following. Pei knew of them; they were genuinely funny.

Jiang Zhan: The newcomer, a male Omega. He was about Pei’s age. He didn’t quite look like a “rookie,” but she simply didn’t recognize him.

However, none of those names held her attention as much as the one following them—the “it-girl” who had exploded in popularity over the past year. Most of the show’s traffic likely came from her.

She was someone Pei Suyuan was actually familiar with: Qiao Yaning, the leader of the X-Seven group.

Pei Suyuan’s relationship with her had been… average. Her “familiarity” mostly came from the long period they spent together as teammates. They hadn’t seen each other in two years; they were still on each other’s WeChat, but they never spoke. Furthermore, after the scandal that broke out when the group disbanded, Pei was quite reluctant to see her former teammates.

Even though there was no hard evidence regarding that incident and Pei had issued legal letters, it ultimately led nowhere. In such matters, logic is irrelevant; those who chose to believe the lies would always believe them.

Fortunately, Qiao Yaning hadn’t taken a side or joined the fray back then, so it wasn’t overly awkward. Also, Pei was only signed for six episodes, so it was a limited engagement.

Because of Qiao Yaning, Pei Suyuan lost the heart to keep reading. She tidied the documents and handed them back to Mu Xinyi.

Mu Xinyi was surprised that she finished so quickly and fell into a deep silence afterward, but she didn’t pry and simply took the file back.

The recording site for the first episode was the Binsui Film Studio, near the Qijiang Hotel. The area was primarily used for modern and Republican-era dramas, and many variety shows filmed there as well. Most of the buildings were soundstages; this recording would take place in a studio.

The meeting point was at the entrance of the Qijiang Hotel. When Mu Xinyi and Pei Suyuan stepped out of the car, Wang Pei and Zhai Linna were already waiting.

Mu Xinyi was around Pei’s age but possessed high-level social skills. After introducing Pei to Wang Pei and Zhai Linna, she quickly blended in with the group. She introduced herself as Pei Suyuan’s manager.

Pei Suyuan’s eyes widened, but Mu Xinyi just gave a tiny smile and continued chatting. Tong Lin had already warned Mu Xinyi about Pei’s lack of social grace.

A moment later, Wang Shiming arrived with his team. Wang Pei, Zhai Linna, and Mu Xinyi (with Pei in tow) all went over to greet him. Since they were all Yuefeng employees, they were technically on the same team, but out of respect for the “Best Actor,” everyone circled around him.

Pei Suyuan stood quietly to the side. Mu Xinyi leaned in and whispered, “Are you… always like this?”

“Like what?” Pei asked, turning to her.

“This quiet,” Mu Xinyi said, lowering her voice even further.

“Mhm.”

A woman of few words indeed. Mu Xinyi only asked because she didn’t want Pei’s “persona” to crumble later. If this was her genuine personality, it was easy to work with. A silent, brooding, “displeased-with-the-world” Alpha was exactly the type to attract young female fans.

Mu Xinyi smiled to herself, feeling optimistic about her career path with Pei. She then explained why she had introduced herself as a manager.

“Sister Tong is a legendary manager at our company. Although you are officially under her, I’m the one who handles all your daily details and work schedules for the next few years. So, I am both your junior manager and your assistant. Since we’re both Alphas, it’s very convenient.”

Pei Suyuan nodded. She didn’t mind. She knew legendary managers didn’t usually handle small-time artists directly. Having just Mu Xinyi by her side was fine; it was quiet.

Shortly after Wang Shiming arrived, the newcomer male Omega, Jiang Zhan, also appeared. He looked like the kind of person people instinctively wanted to dote on—soft, fair-skinned, and very polite. He bowed and greeted everyone with a bright smile: “Hello everyone, I’m Jiang Zhan. I hope we get along well.”

Pei Suyuan felt a faint pang of envy. She could rarely smile that brilliantly. The more unfamiliar a person was, the more awkward she felt.

“Alright, everyone’s here. Shall we go in?” Wang Pei suggested. Zhai Linna stepped aside to let Wang Shiming lead the way.

However, Wang Shiming didn’t move. He looked over the crowd with a grim expression. Pei Suyuan realized he was counting heads.

“One person is missing,” Wang Shiming said sternly.

Wang Pei hurried to his side, his tone respectful. “Brother Wang, Teacher Qiao has another engagement and won’t arrive until this afternoon. We’ll start our meeting first.”

Wang Pei was both a guest and a producer of the show, but even then, Wang Shiming didn’t give him any face. His expression remained terrifyingly dark. He glanced at the others but bit his tongue.

The meeting proceeded under heavy atmospheric pressure. Because of his status, even the director, Lin Ling, didn’t dare say much. They covered the recording details: the format was fresh—half-roleplay, half-acting—and the first episode was based on a popular Xianxia (fantasy) IP. Pei Suyuan’s role was a supporting character, essentially a “utility player” for the plot. For the sake of authenticity, roles were kept secret among guests, though the staff knew the lineup.

The suspense-themed promotional video was scheduled for night shooting. After the meeting, everyone was told to return to the hotel to rest until Qiao Yaning arrived.

Back in her room, Pei Suyuan felt sleepy. She set an alarm for one hour later, fearing a sudden notice would catch her off guard. But when she woke up, no one had contacted her.

She lay in bed dazed. The lights were off, but the moon was full, illuminating the room clearly. Pei didn’t care about the room, though; she just stared at the moon outside.

Usually, she would get lost in the sight, but for some reason today, she kept thinking about Wei Jinzhi.

Ever since Wei Jinzhi had mentioned starting work that day, Pei had been busy. Pei wasn’t someone who took the initiative, but she found herself opening her chat window with Wei Jinzhi as if possessed.

Not knowing what to say, she opened Wei Jinzhi’s “Moments” (social feed). She hadn’t looked at it closely before, but now she saw that Wei Jinzhi’s background image was a crescent moon.

Pei Suyuan stared at it, mesmerized. She suddenly felt that this crescent moon looked exactly like Wei Jinzhi’s eyes.