I Heard I’m the Scumbag Alpha of a Top-Tier Leading Actress? - Chapter 14

After a brief moment of surprise, Ying Lu understood. “Not bad. I didn’t expect you to be this capable. You strangled the crisis while it was still in the cradle.”

Gu Xin was puzzled. “This doesn’t count as difficult, right? If you had someone look into it, Director Ying should’ve been able to find it too.”

“Technically, it really isn’t difficult. What’s difficult is the timing.” Ying Lu praised her without holding back. “Also, don’t call me Director Ying anymore. Just call me by my name. You’re not in this industry anyway. Director Ying sounds strangely distant.”

Gu Xin hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, “Ying Lu?”

“That feels better.” Ying Lu held the phone between her ear and shoulder while stirring her milk tea. “Little Xin, from now on, Xiao Shuang’s public opinion work will depend on you. With your relationship with her, you won’t refuse to help with such a small favor, right?”

“I…”

“Xiao Shuang has been too popular these past two years and offended too many people. There are plenty of people waiting to kick her while she’s down.” Ying Lu blew on her steaming milk tea. “Unless she climbs back to where she used to be, she can forget about turning things around for the rest of her life.”

Gu Xin was silent for two seconds. Looking at the sparrows chirping outside the window, she slowly blinked in the sunlight. “Mm.”

“You know perfectly well how outstanding she is. Compared with letting her make a comeback, completely stepping on her and keeping her down would make those people feel much more at ease.”

“Mm.”

“Don’t just keep mm-hmming every time I talk. Are you trying to drive me crazy?!” Ying Lu slapped her milk tea down with a smack. “Give me a clear answer. Are you helping with this or not?”

“I’ll definitely help!” Gu Xin grew anxious. “As long as it’s Shuangshuang’s matter, I’ll definitely help.”

Ying Lu was finally satisfied. “You should’ve said that earlier. So slow and fussy, annoying to death. Your words are enough. Xiao Shuang’s future public sentiment work can be handed to you, right?”

“But I…”

“No buts. What exactly are you still trying to do?”

For the first time, Gu Xin realized that when speaking with an impatient person, one could not speak slowly, or else the other person’s accusation would already arrive first. She was forced to speed up too. “I’m afraid Shuangshuang will mind!”

“That’s all?” Ying Lu sneered. “If Xiao Shuang refuses, are you really not going to do it?”

“…No.”

“Heh. The wondrous pride of an Alpha.” Her tone sounded quite mocking.

Ying Lu cut through the tangled mess decisively. “If you insist on being a hero behind the scenes, then I’m not in any position to reject you. If Xiao Shuang doesn’t ask, fine. If she does ask, I definitely won’t help you hide it. I’ll confirm one last thing. You won’t betray Xiao Shuang, right?”

“I won’t.” Gu Xin said it without even thinking, but immediately after, her mind flashed with the large batch of dazzling Beta photos in her album. She had not deleted those ambiguous photos. She had backed all of them up onto a hard drive.

Gu Xin did not know how she had been able to fool around like that with other people without the slightest barrier in her heart. If she really had done something that wronged Yan Shuangshuang, then something like “betrayal” had already existed long ago.

A prickling feeling surfaced in her heart. Gu Xin felt very uncomfortable, and even her stomach turned sour. She felt a little like throwing up.

Gu Xin quickly said, “I’ll set up automatic email forwarding. If the software catches any clues again and I don’t have time to sort through them, I’ll have to trouble Direc—Ying Lu.”

She had nearly forgotten to change the way she addressed her.

Ying Lu smiled brightly. “Then thank you, Little Xin.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the call ended. Ying Lu turned around and forwarded the email to Yan Shuangshuang.

Very soon, Yan Shuangshuang sent a “?” on WeChat.

Ying Lu sent a voice message. “My dear female lead, look. I just freshly hugged a big thigh. This is what happens to people who randomly blacken your name~”

With a whoosh, the voice message was sent. Ying Lu tapped her phone screen and muttered to herself, “This doesn’t count as going back on my word. After all, I didn’t say any names.”

Yan Shuangshuang replied with a string of “……”

Ying Lu skipped over the topic above and sent another voice message. “Let’s hold a rough version of the script reading at my place tomorrow morning. I’ve already found someone for the A2 role. Come take a look tomorrow too and build some chemistry.”

Yan Shuangshuang replied, “OK.”

Thinking of the person chosen for A2, Ying Lu raised a gloating smile.

Next, there would be a good show to watch.

On Friday, Gu Xin interviewed at the final research institute, and it was also the one she cared about most.

Because this research institute directly cooperated with the best university in X City. It could be considered the top in X City when it came to communications, and its relationship with the capital side was also far from shallow.

She originally thought she would not pass, but unexpectedly, after the interview ended, the professor asked her to stay behind alone.

“You are Gu Xin.” The professor’s surname was Ma, full name Ma Huaiyue. She was also a Beta, and it was said that next year, she would be eligible to be elected as an academician. Her achievements were remarkable.

When she called out to Gu Xin, her tone was very certain, as though she had heard this name long ago.

“Yes, Professor.”

“When you were at the Capital Communications Research Institute, what area were you researching?”

Gu Xin honestly shook her head. “I don’t remember, Professor. According to my previous mentor, I used to work on quantum communications, but the direction I’m researching now is radar meteorology.”

“Those are two completely different topics.”

“That’s why I’ve read until even my dark circles have appeared.” Gu Xin made a joke that was neither too light nor too heavy. In truth, she did not have much psychological burden, nor did she really expect to pass. If this truly did not work, there were still backup options. Surely there would always be places that needed academic laborers.

Ma Huaiyue smiled gently. “Quite hardworking. Do you usually not have any recreational activities?”

Gu Xin hesitated, then shook her head.

Ma Huaiyue said, “Looks like you’ve thrown yourself wholeheartedly into academia. Then let’s leave it at that. Go home and wait for the notice. The result should be given before next Thursday.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

“By the way.” Ma Huaiyue called out to Gu Xin, who had been about to leave. She pushed up her glasses, her tone as natural as if she were saying the weather was nice today. “Send my regards to An Pingyu for me, and tell her that I’ll be taking in her proud disciple without ceremony.”

Gu Xin froze.

Shao Xiaosheng was the first to learn who Gu Xin’s new mentor was. The moment she heard the name, she laughed so hard she bent over at the waist. She sent Gu Xin a long string of “hahahahaha,” and only then told Gu Xin that Ma Huaiyue was Professor An’s ex-girlfriend.

Professor An had lost her wife in her early years, leaving behind only An Shizhi, her Omega son. From then on, she had not remarried for twenty years. Later, she cooperated with Professor Ma on a project, and somehow, the two of them got together. After dating for a few years, for some unknown reason, they separated again, putting on the posture of never contacting each other until death. An Shizhi tried to persuade them from both sides, but nothing worked, so he simply gave up too.

Shao Xiaosheng said, “It’s hard not to suspect that Professor Ma had her eye on you from the start. Back then, your name was basically used by Professor An like punctuation. Prepare yourself to be squeezed dry.”

Gu Xin thought about it for a long time and could only squeeze out two words: “Fate.”

Shao Xiaosheng burst into laughter again. “Let’s hope it isn’t ill-fated.”

Resigned to her fate, Gu Xin packed up, worked hard to remain calm, and entered her new workplace. On her first day, her main task was to familiarize herself with the work content and the area. Because her identity was special, she also signed many confidentiality agreements and underwent many tests.

After going around the new workplace in a dizzying circle, she turned and met Professor Ma’s benevolent face.

“Are you free this weekend? I have two tickets to the theater here. If you’re free, come watch with me.”

“Ah?” What kind of magical welcome ceremony was this?