After I Picked Up the Movie Queen Who Was Pretending to Be an Alpha - Chapter 5

Early morning. On the artificial lake’s circular running track in the North District of Huajiang Court, a slender Alpha enjoyed the quiet and fresh air. She ran at a moderate pace, rhythmically adjusting her breathing. It wasn’t until sweat dripped from her jaw and soaked her shirt that she slowly came to a stop.

Pei Suyuan actually lived in the South District of Huajiang Court, but since there was no dedicated running track there, she would warm up by jogging all the way over. Today was no exception. She took off her Bluetooth headphones and began her stretching routine.

When she wasn’t working, she woke up early almost every day to run five kilometers. Because her work schedule could be erratic and grueling, she forced herself to run to keep her physical condition from declining. Over the past two years, she had grown accustomed to it; in fact, she felt uncomfortable if she didn’t run.

Halfway through a stretch, a woman wearing a pale purple sports bra and black shorts entered her field of vision.

Pei Suyuan’s arms stopped moving. Her eyes followed the woman as she passed, and once the woman had fully walked by, Pei Suyuan’s body instinctively turned to keep her in sight.

The woman was Wei Jinzhi.

As she passed, she didn’t give Pei Suyuan so much as a glance.

It was already late summer; a sports bra might not have been the most appropriate choice for the cooling weather. And then there was the matter of that note—what did it mean?

Pei Suyuan had prepared two different opening lines in her head, but neither had been used. A flash of disappointment appeared on her face, though her mind hadn’t quite processed the feeling yet. She finished her stretches perfunctorily, took a few more glances at Wei Jinzhi’s retreating figure, and headed home.

After a quick shower, she made a sandwich and poured a glass of milk, sitting on the lounge chair on her balcony to eat in peace. Her apartment was very small—it only had a tiny living room and coffee table, with no space for a dining table. Usually, she ate on the sofa, but for something simple like a sandwich, the lounge chair sufficed.

After eating, she squinted her eyes and enjoyed the sunlight. She was strict with herself in some ways but very casual in others. For instance, right now the kitchen was a mess, but she insisted on resting for a while first.

About half an hour later, she began cleaning the room. She put everything back in its usual place, bagged the trash, and headed downstairs. As she was coming back up from the dumpsters, she received a WeChat message.

It was from her Alpha friend, Yan Xin, asking if she wanted to “get on.” “Getting on” referred to logging into their video game.

Pei Suyuan thought about it and checked the time: 9:00 AM. She replied to Yan Xin: [Maybe this afternoon. I have some inspiration right now.]

The claim of “inspiration” was only half-true. She’d had some ideas a few days ago, but right now, she had nothing. She just wanted to be alone for a while.

She took the elevator up, went inside, grabbed her guitar, and laid back down on the balcony. She didn’t even bring paper with her, clearly uncertain if “inspiration” would actually strike. Staring into space with a guitar in her arms was a common occurrence for her, but her thoughts varied.

Today, she was thinking about… marshmallows. Wei Jinzhi’s marshmallows.

But it wasn’t just about Wei Jinzhi. Pei Suyuan was wondering how, exactly, she had been so blinded by those marshmallows that night. Before meeting Wei Jinzhi… no, even after meeting her, Pei Suyuan was still unsure of her own sexual orientation. Was she attracted to Alphas, Omegas, or Betas? She had never defined it, nor had she ever truly fallen for anyone of any gender.

The only person hidden in her heart… she didn’t know. She didn’t even know that person’s gender.

Her thoughts drifted from marshmallows to the three ABO genders for a few seconds before returning to marshmallows in even less time. That sweet, soft scent made her heart feel tender. The primal attraction an Alpha felt toward Omega pheromones made her irritable—and seeing Wei Jinzhi this morning only made it worse.

She couldn’t help but wonder: Does this woman live here permanently? Does she run there every day? If so, why am I only seeing her for the first time today?

That uncomfortable feeling made it impossible to get anything done. She set the guitar down and placed a WeChat voice call to Yan Xin. The ringtone only lasted a few seconds before it was hung up, followed by a message from Yan Xin:

[Busy. You come. Food.]

Having known each other for so long, Pei Suyuan understood the shorthand. she tidied up briefly, threw on a jacket, and headed out. Yan Xin lived in the same South District of Huajiang Court, only a few buildings away. Pei Suyuan stopped to buy some braised duck—Yan Xin’s favorite—before heading to her place. The security guard at the gate knew her and let her in. She knew the passcode to Yan Xin’s door, making the journey seamless.

She placed the duck on the desk where Yan Xin was live-streaming, then curled up in a beanbag chair to log into the game and spectate.

Yan Xin was currently a gaming streamer, but a few years ago, she was a teammate who had debuted in the same girl group. Even more than that, she was Pei’s middle school classmate. When they were teenagers, they were both in Lin City. Later, Yan Xin moved to West Beijing. Back then, Pei Suyuan didn’t have a cell phone and could only occasionally contact her through an internet cafe, but their timing was always off. It had been a massive shock when they ran into each other on the survival show.

After the shock wore off, they remained as close as ever. After all, they had spent the most difficult and miserable moments of their lives together. Depending on each other was their normal state.

“Winner winner, chicken dinner! Wuhu~!” Yan Xin’s excited voice rang out. Pei Suyuan was staring at Yan Xin’s game avatar; a few seconds later, Yan Xin—still talking to her stream—invited her to the party.

Pei Suyuan wasn’t great at the game, but she wasn’t a “campsite box” (dying immediately upon landing) either; she was a “stealth” player. Yan Xin was incredibly protective of her. Even when playing with fans, the first person she would revive was always Pei.

“Help me!” “Help me!” “Help me!”

The fans in the game kept spamming the help message before Yan Xin could even get Pei back up. Yan Xin’s face went cold; Pei could tell she was annoyed. But Yan Xin didn’t say a word, went to save the fans, and ended the stream after the match, saying she was tired.

In truth, when Pei Suyuan asked her to play games, it wasn’t because she loved gaming. Most of the time, she just wanted company, and the only person who could always be there for her was Yan Xin.

“Xiao Yuan, want a Coke?” Yan Xin knew she liked Coke but also knew she usually watched her diet, so she asked tentatively.

As expected, Pei Suyuan shook her head. Yan Xin opened the fridge for her to see. After looking through the options—which only included peach juice and alcohol besides the Coke—Pei Suyuan spoke up: “Actually, let’s go with the Coke.”

Coke was crisp and carbonated. After drinking it, Pei Suyuan couldn’t help but let out a burp and then started gnawing on a duck wing. She wasn’t the type to gain weight easily, but eating too much still meant gaining a pound or two, so she only had two wings.

The two of them chatted while they ate. Yan Xin was the talker; usually, Pei Suyuan just listened. But today, she couldn’t seem to focus. She was spacing out.

“Xiao Yuan? Xiao Yuan?” Yan Xin called her several times, wanting to tell her about a fan from the stream, but Pei Suyuan’s gaze was vacant. Annoyed, Yan Xin patted her head and shouted, “Pei Suyuan!!”

Pei Suyuan flinched, waking from her marshmallow-scented daydream. Upon waking, her cheeks had an unnatural flush. Yan Xin asked in surprise, “Do you have a fever?” She touched Pei’s forehead and muttered, “No. What’s wrong with you?”

Pei Suyuan swallowed, feeling a bit lost. She had no secrets from Yan Xin, but she didn’t want to talk about this. After struggling for words, she decided to be somewhat honest.

“I’ve been going through some things lately, but I haven’t figured them out yet. I’ll tell you later.”

While friends don’t have to share everything, these two had been through too much to have secrets. Instinctively, they didn’t like hiding things from each other. Yan Xin shrugged, her tone somewhat dismissive: “Who said I wanted to know? Besides… can you really figure things out on your own?”

Yan Xin was genuinely skeptical. Pei Suyuan was skeptical too, but she didn’t elaborate, asking instead if Yan Xin wanted to play more games. Yan Xin was still hungry and wanted food. “I saw a new fried chicken place opened in the North District yesterday. Want to go eat and then come back to play?”

Without Pei Suyuan around, Yan Xin was a total shut-in; she only wanted to leave the house when Pei was there. Pei Suyuan naturally agreed. She knew Yan Xin was a foodie.

It was exactly 1:00 PM when they stepped out of the fried chicken shop. Yan Xin said she wanted milk tea, so Pei Suyuan accompanied her. Yan Xin took it upon herself to buy one for Pei—30% sugar—while she got 50% sugar for herself. Neither of them liked things too sweet.

Yan Xin was the type of person who wanted to buy anything she saw; Pei Suyuan generally didn’t mind. While they waited for the tea, Pei spaced out while Yan Xin looked at the street. When the tea was ready, Yan Xin seemed to spot something. Pei Suyuan took the drinks since Yan Xin didn’t move, then felt a tap on her back. She turned to see Yan Xin’s eyes wide with shock.

“I think I just saw Wei Jinzhi!”

Wei Jinzhi…?!

Pei Suyuan whipped around. Her eyesight was excellent. She immediately saw Wei Jinzhi standing at the entrance of the residential complex. She was wearing sunglasses and loungewear; it looked like she had just showered, as her wavy hair was still slightly damp and not as voluminous as usual. She stood with her hands on her hips, her posture a bit relaxed, the loungewear doing little to hide her great figure.

Pei Suyuan didn’t dare look longer and quickly turned her head back. But she couldn’t help but wonder: Wei Jinzhi… who is she waiting for?