After I Picked Up the Movie Queen Who Was Pretending to Be an Alpha - Chapter 17

Because the second episode was to be filmed within a scenic area in Linshan City, there would naturally be fans watching. Director Lin Ling specifically emphasized this during the meeting, urging everyone to stay safe.

Especially Wei Jinzhi.

Everyone else present combined might not equal her level of fame. While Wang Shiming held the highest status as a “Best Actor” and was deeply respected for his long-standing reputation, his sheer popularity couldn’t compare to hers. As for the others, Qiao Yaning had the most “traffic,” but she was just an idol; she couldn’t be compared to Wei Jinzhi.

Furthermore, this was Wei Jinzhi’s variety show debut. The level of importance placed on it was obvious.

“We’ll start filming in about an hour. The costumes from the last ‘cosplay’ session are ready, so please change into them.”

This episode picked up where the last one left off. When aired, Wei Jinzhi would appear in the first episode as a “cliffhanger” teaser. The group acknowledged the instructions and headed to their respective dressing rooms. Although the Qijiang Hotel served the public, a large part of its operations catered to film crews, providing every necessity.

Wei Jinzhi was the last to emerge. Director Lin Ling was walking beside her, briefing her on the upcoming content. Pei Suyuan stole an extra glance at her as she walked out.

Wearing a black casual suit and silver-rimmed glasses, Wei Jinzhi looked somewhat stiff and ascetic. But when she spoke, her voice was warm and graceful, and her “peach blossom” eyes were full of spirit. Even Lin Ling, a male Beta, found himself blushing while standing before her. If she were an Omega, it would be even more overwhelming.

Pei Suyuan was a bit slow to withdraw her gaze. Wei Jinzhi seemed to notice; she looked up and, while Lin Ling wasn’t looking, gave Pei Suyuan a quick wink.

Pei Suyuan’s face felt like it was on fire. Remembering what Mu Xinyi had told her on the way there, she cursed Wei Jinzhi as a “temptress” under her breath and hurried outside.

The afternoon recording was a discussion session. Since the “Best Detective” of the first episode was Qiao Yaning, Wei Jinzhi acted as a surprise guest to present her with a medal. Before her entrance, everyone was chatting amongst themselves, but the moment Wei Jinzhi entered the studio, all eyes were on her. Qiao Yaning thanked her with a delicate, soft voice—and just as Pei Suyuan expected, she was blushing again.

Later, during the bus ride to Linshan, Qiao Yaning wouldn’t stop praising Wei Jinzhi to Pei Suyuan. Although this part wasn’t being filmed, the group traveled together. Because of her status as Yuefeng’s top star and a shareholder (effectively a small boss), Lin Ling had prepared a private SUV for Wei Jinzhi, but she didn’t want special treatment and insisted on riding the bus with everyone else.

The trip took about two and a half hours. Pei Suyuan was pulled by Qiao Yaning to sit right behind Wei Jinzhi. Qiao Yaning spoke in a tiny voice, her eyes constantly fixed on the woman in front. Pei Suyuan thought she was strange; was she treating her like a best friend?

But then the tone shifted. Midway through her praise, Qiao Yaning suddenly said, “Suyuan, I realized you’re actually really good-looking too~ Although everyone said you had a ‘displeased-with-the-world’ face back in the group, if you look closely, you’re actually quite cute.”

When she said “look closely,” Qiao Yaning actually leaned in very close—so close that Pei Suyuan almost bumped into her face when she turned around. This was completely outside a safe social distance. Pei Suyuan quickly leaned back.

“I’m an Alpha,” she reminded her in a whisper. “Could you… maybe…”

“Oh, I forgot while I was looking at you~” Qiao Yaning replied, her face flushing slightly. It made Pei Suyuan’s skin crawl. She started to think she really didn’t like Omegas. So dramatic!

For the rest of the trip, Pei Suyuan remained cold and stopped responding to Qiao Yaning’s chatter. Eventually, Qiao Yaning either got the hint or had other things to do, because she spent the rest of the time on her phone.

By the time the group reached Linshan City, dusk had fallen. They stayed at the Linshan Hotel, planning to rest for the night before starting the official shoot tomorrow. After checking in, the director gave everyone their scripts. Dinner was set for 7:00 PM.

This time, Pei Suyuan received a fairly important role. Because of Wei Jinzhi’s arrival, the IP for this episode was The Crossroads. Wei Jinzhi naturally reprised her original role as An Chu. Pei Suyuan was the other Alpha lead—the role originally played by Zhou Yan—Qi Yuan.

This story featured an AA romance, so there was naturally a “Top” and a “Bottom.” Coincidentally, Qi Yuan was the “Bottom” in the script. Pei Suyuan felt a wave of frustration after reading just one page of the character’s backstory.

This script involved a supernatural “twist”—Pei Suyuan’s character was a “reborn” version of Qi Yuan, dealing with complex emotional entanglements while trying to find the killer. After reading it, Pei Suyuan felt a headache coming on. But she had no choice; she buried her head back into the script to study it further.

As she researched, she actually found it quite interesting. Aside from the “Bottom” issue, the character was great. In the original movie, Qi Yuan had fought with her parents and ultimately refused to inject a suppressant during her rut, dying from the overwhelming heat. This script picked up right after that: Qi Yuan is reborn back to when she first fell in love with An Chu, forced to experience the struggle all over again.

Reading about the character “dying from heat” made Pei Suyuan feel a sudden pang of sadness. She had always been sensitive to such things. Suddenly, she felt the urge to watch The Crossroads again. She hadn’t seen it back when it was a hit because the welfare home’s conditions were limited. Later, she was too busy chasing her own dreams. The movie was known for being depressing, and she knew she might not handle it well.

But once the thought entered her mind, she couldn’t stop it. Since it was still early, she turned on the TV and found the film. At first, she was fine, as the beginning was sweet. But the moment Qi Yuan locked herself in her room to wait for death, Pei Suyuan’s tears began to flow uncontrollably. Sad stories always affected her deeply; she became completely immersed.

By the time the movie ended with the still-frame of Wei Jinzhi’s An Chu holding Qi Yuan and shedding a single tear, Pei Suyuan was a sobbing mess, clutching a pillow and whimpering. She didn’t even hear the doorbell ring.

Mu Xinyi had pressed the bell several times, wanting to call Pei Suyuan down for dinner. But inside the room, she could hear the movie sounds mixed with a noise like a whimpering cat. Fearing something was wrong, she hurriedly called Pei’s phone.

At that moment, Wei Jinzhi happened to be passing by. She asked Mu Xinyi coldly, “What’s wrong?”

Mu Xinyi instinctively hung up the call. “It’s nothing, Sister Wei. Suyuan might be asleep…” Mu Xinyi had seen Wei Jinzhi at the office a few times but only from afar; she was naturally respectful and a bit afraid of her. Wei Jinzhi always had a cold face at the company. She was afraid that if Wei knew Pei Suyuan wasn’t answering the door, it would leave a bad impression, so she didn’t dare tell the truth.

But Wei Jinzhi kept staring at her. Mu Xinyi didn’t dare call again, so she just pressed the doorbell once more. Finally, after a few more tries, she heard the sound of someone walking toward the door. Her heart hammered as she stole glances at Wei Jinzhi, wishing she would leave while maintaining a forced smile.

Wei Jinzhi wasn’t staring at the assistant; she was staring at the door, and Mu Xinyi just happened to be in the way. She ignored the assistant’s gaze, wondering what Pei Suyuan was doing. After returning to her room earlier, she had thought about Qiao Yaning whispering to Pei and had sent her a teasing message, but Pei hadn’t replied. She was curious.

The door finally opened. Pei Suyuan’s eyes were red from crying; she had just washed her face, and water droplets were still clinging to her skin. Mu Xinyi looked at her with confusion but didn’t dare speak.

“What’s wrong?” Pei Suyuan asked. Her voice was raspy and thick with a nasal tone.

Mu Xinyi couldn’t help but ask, “What were you doing in your room?”

Pei Suyuan still hadn’t fully recovered from the movie’s sadness. She sniffed and started to speak with a sobbing tone: “I…” Before she could finish, she saw Wei Jinzhi standing there.

There was no filming right now, so Wei Jinzhi was dressed casually in a black hoodie and jeans. Despite ten years passing, she hadn’t changed at all; dressed like this, she looked almost exactly like An Chu from The Crossroads.

“Uwaa…” Pei Suyuan covered her face, and her tears broke out again instantly.

This sudden outburst sent Mu Xinyi into a panic. Wei Jinzhi wasn’t much better; she frowned at Pei. Because Mu Xinyi had been blocking her view, she hadn’t realized Pei Suyuan had come out crying. Seeing her cry right at her now, Wei Jinzhi felt confused, annoyed, and a bit aggrieved.

What does Pei Suyuan mean? She was all smiles with that other Omega, but the moment she sees me, she cries like this? Am I really that scary?