After Transmigrating as the Abandoned Rich Wife O, I Turned the Scum A's Life into a Crematorium [Transmigration] - Chapter 17

Xin Mengyao’s birthday arrived even earlier than the group’s debut day.

Since the piano competition ended, Xin Mengyao had received several offers for small commercial performances, but she turned them all down, content to stay at Shen Siying’s house.

During these days, Gu Bei left early and returned late. The first person Shen Siying saw upon opening her eyes was almost always Xin Mengyao. In the morning, when Shen Siying left for the office, Xin Mengyao was at the door to see her off. In the evening, when she returned, Xin Mengyao was there to welcome her home.

The maids watched Xin Mengyao’s attentive behavior, and the “strange feeling” grew stronger by the day. Although they didn’t particularly like the original Gu Bei, Xin Mengyao didn’t seem like the truly kind type either.

Today was her birthday. She woke up early, dressed beautifully, and rushed to the kitchen before Gu Bei even left her room. In the large East-meets-West kitchen, the chef was busy preparing breakfast for the masters. He was shocked to see Xin Mengyao.

“Good morning, Miss Xin,” he said.

Xin Mengyao grabbed the sky-blue apron hanging on the fridge. “I’ve come to make breakfast for Siying.”

Gu Bei came downstairs and smiled helplessly at the sight of the busy Xin Mengyao.

Xiao Ba: “You’ve been so busy with your career lately that this woman has started treating herself as the mistress of the house.”

Gu Bei: “That’s fine. When I move out, she can take over without a gap.”

Xiao Ba: “You’re moving out?”

Gu Bei: “Otherwise what? Stay and look at their faces every day?”

Xiao Ba knew she was referring to Xin Mengyao and Shen Siying.

Xiao Ba: “But if you move out, who’s going to fight her?”

Gu Bei: “Who cares? It won’t be me.”

Gu Bei had to take the members to the studio today; they had an appointment for a magazine cover shoot. The sight of Xin Mengyao fluttering around the kitchen only disgusted her. Before transmigrating, she hated these “Saintly White Lotuses” most of all. If Xin Mengyao swapped roles with an “evil female supporting character,” she’d probably play the part even better.

“Sister, you’re up! Come have breakfast,” Xin Mengyao said, bringing heart-shaped fried eggs to the table.

Gu Bei stood near the entrance hall, beneath the massive crystal chandelier, looking at Xin Mengyao from a distance. She thought: Maybe it’s better for Shen Siying to be with an Omega like this; she’s certainly better than me.

“I have things to do today, no time for breakfast…” Gu Bei was interrupted by Shen Siying, who was coming down the stairs.

“What could be so important that you can’t eat breakfast?”

Gu Bei didn’t want to explain.

“That ‘playing house’ of yours?” Shen Siying’s eyes held a sharp glint.

Gu Bei turned politely. “That’s right. My ‘playing house.'” Then she turned back and left without a backward glance.

Shen Siying’s expression froze. She was dazed for a long while until Xin Mengyao called her name, and only then did she slowly walk to the table.

When did her Omega start daring to speak to her in that tone?

When did her Omega become so unrecognizable?

When did her Omega start occupying her mind so much that the table felt empty without her?

Xin Mengyao hurried back and forth with small plates, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. As her long hair swayed about, Shen Siying actually felt a twinge of irritation watching her.

“There’s no reason for the birthday girl to be cooking,” the chef said, following Xin Mengyao with a tray of freshly baked Madeleines.

Reminded, Shen Siying finally said, “Mengyao, happy birthday.”

Xin Mengyao responded happily. Afterward, no matter what Xin Mengyao said to her, Shen Siying was distracted. Her thoughts had long since flown to Gu Bei’s increasingly crowded studio.

At the photo studio, everyone was present, including Magna. Gu Bei was late due to a crowded subway and immediately apologized to the photographer.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already spoken with the photography team,” Magna said, putting an arm around Gu Bei’s shoulder and whispering, “You’re the boss. You don’t need to bow and scrape anymore. It’s only been a month; how did you change so much?”

Gu Bei wasn’t in the mood for trivial talk. she turned to look at the four “money trees” she had worked so hard to sign—already made up and waiting—and the staff waiting for her orders. Gu Bei said, “We can begin.”

Everyone shifted into high gear. Gu Bei listened intently as the staff explained the shooting schedule and outfit coordination. Seeing that Gu Bei was focused, Magna smiled and didn’t disturb her.

Under the spotlights, the four female Alphas radiated charm. They were shooting C-brand’s new autumn/winter collection. Different series and styles were tailored to the four girls; the moss green set complemented their skin tones perfectly, much to Gu Bei’s satisfaction.

After the first set, during a break, Wen Mei draped herself seductively over Bai Jin. Her loose, wide-neck sweater hung off her, revealing her collarbones. Bai Jin initially tried to dodge toward Gu Bei’s side, but unable to shake the other woman off—who was like a piece of “dog-skin plaster”—she eventually gave up and let her be.

“Are you two too deep in character?” Su Xiaotang asked, looking at Wen Mei.

“I call this ‘instant immersion,’ and I’ll definitely have ‘instant withdrawal’ too,” Wen Mei said, resting her chin on Bai Jin’s shoulder. “Right, Little Bai?”

Bai Jin ignored her and gave a slight shrug; Wen Mei’s chin slipped off. Since they were about the same height, the pose was actually quite a strain, and Wen Mei raised a hand to rub her aching neck.

The photographer wanted to ask for Gu Bei’s opinion on the next set of outfits. Before transmigrating, Gu Bei was a total fashion amateur. Although she liked shopping, she didn’t want to “teach a fish how to swim” in front of an expert. She politely declined, stating she respected the photographer’s vision.

The photographer was slightly stunned. She had expected a wealthy socialite wife to be difficult to deal with, but after meeting the real Gu Bei, she realized she had overthought it.

Each outfit required a different makeup look. By the end of the day, the members were exhausted. Unlike the professional models Wen Mei and Bai Jin, Su Xiaotang was just a cosplayer, and Jian Peiyun was even less experienced; the two of them were slumped on the studio’s gray velvet sofa.

Gu Bei felt for her money trees: “I’m treating everyone to a feast today!”

In a high-end Japanese BBQ restaurant, the photography team and Gu Bei’s group took up the largest private room. Decorated in pure Japanese style, everyone took off their shoes—some sat cross-legged, others in the seiza (kneeling) style. For the first time, Gu Bei looked closely at her feet; it wasn’t a hallucination—her feet were more than a size smaller than they used to be.

The servers brought in food and drinks, sliding the doors open and moving on their knees to serve everyone politely. After a round of eating and drinking, the photography crew began to goad Gu Bei into drinking.

She couldn’t hold her liquor. Thinking about how hard everyone worked and that she could only help by paying, she picked up a full glass and downed it in one go. Gu Bei’s tolerance was truly poor; after the second glass, she was slumped on the table with a dazed look.

She was sitting between Magna and Jian Peiyun. Seeing the Omega in a tipsy state, both Alphas had their sensitive nerves triggered and simultaneously reached out to support her. They glanced at each other, their intentions written clearly on their faces, and both quickly withdrew their hands.

Gu Bei let out a groan, looking like she was about to be sick. One of them grabbed a glass of warm water while the other grabbed a plastic bag, leaving the rest of the group looking on in confusion.

Finally, the party ended. As a petite Omega, Gu Bei could be easily carried by any Alpha present, but Magna and Jian Peiyun couldn’t stop arguing. In the end, they each supported one side of her as they walked to the parking lot.

A somewhat old, black company van had been driven to the elevator by the driver. Gu Bei was tight on cash lately and had rented it temporarily for the members; she never asked the driver to ferry her alone, planning to upgrade later.

Once in the car, Jian Peiyun and Magna thoughtfully buckled Gu Bei’s seatbelt and wiped her face with a damp towel. Gu Bei shifted her hips, and her phone slid out of her pocket. Magna picked it up.

Incoming call: Shen Siying.

Magna didn’t answer, letting it ring out. Within ten seconds, Shen Siying called again.

Magna’s competitive streak was triggered. She swiped the screen and answered: “Hello, President Shen.”

On the other end, Shen Siying froze for a few seconds. “Who are you? Where is Gu Bei?”

Magna smiled. “Bei Bei is asleep.”

Bei Bei?

Shen Siying’s voice turned ten times colder: “Asleep? Where?”

Magna said with satisfaction: “Don’t misunderstand, President Shen. We had a group dinner today and she drank too much. She’s asleep in the car now. I’ll send her back to you in a bit.”

Magna could practically smell Shen Siying’s jealousy and rage through the phone. Feeling like she had won, she locked the screen and tucked the phone back into Gu Bei’s pocket.