I Heard I Was the Scumbag Alpha of a Top-Tier Celebrity (GL) - Chapter 17

Backstage.

Yan Shuangshuang was rushing to drink water. Before this scene, she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for nearly five hours.

If not for Ying Lu saying there was a major scene coming up and noticing how hoarse her throat was, Yan Shuangshuang might have forgotten she was acting—she was completely immersed in the role, losing the line between the play and reality.

The makeup on Yan Shuangshuang’s face felt heavy and suffocating, causing her to drink water cautiously. Only then did Yan Shuangshuang’s overheated brain manage to spare a small part of its attention.

At the end of the previous scene, Yan Shuangshuang seemed to have seen someone who absolutely should not have been there. Her heart trembled, but the character’s emotion ultimately prevailed, and she quickly stabilized, preventing herself from breaking character.

Furthermore, the lighting under the stage was too dim, so she thought, Perhaps it was just a look-alike, or maybe an illusion.

—Let’s assume it was an illusion.

No matter how much it resembled her, nothing was more important than today’s performance.

Ying Lu was writing and drawing behind Yan Shuangshuang, occasionally exchanging ideas with her assistant.

In the tense atmosphere, Ying Lu was like a breath of fresh air. Only her corner looked leisurely, like a VIP audience member in the theater.

After Yan Shuangshuang finished her water, the makeup artist immediately came over to touch up her makeup. Outside, the Omega and Alpha segment was nearing its end, and it would soon be Yan Shuangshuang’s turn to take the stage.

Ying Lu told her assistant: “Discuss with Teacher Sun. The lines should be more resolute. This segment is a little too soft.”

“Also, the makeup and styling for this character should be slightly uglier in the early stages, otherwise it’s easy to steal the spotlight.”

“Tell logistics to quickly rent the vehicle. We need to transport the props in early.”

The assistant nodded repeatedly and took quick notes.

Just as Ying Lu was commanding the scene, the play’s director, Zhong Ying, walked over with a smile: “Director Ying, are you practicing on my set?”

“How can you call it practice? I’m here to learn from advanced experience.”

Zhong Ying was a petite female Omega. She looked thin, and her appearance was unremarkable, yet she was the kind of director who could most quickly find the right state for actors and inspire their talent. Everyone in the industry knew she had a knack for training actors, though she was very demanding.

Ying Lu bringing Yan Shuangshuang here was partly to see where Yan Shuangshuang’s limits lay.

Zhong Ying was noncommittal about Ying Lu’s teasing. She turned to Yan Shuangshuang and said softly: “Don’t be nervous. I saw you zone out briefly at the end just now. Did something happen? You performed very well yesterday; the rehearsal felt good.”

As expected of the director, she noticed the anomaly immediately.

Yan Shuangshuang bit her lower lip. Just as she was about to say something, Ying Lu took over the conversation: “There’s definitely no problem with my female lead. You saw it just now, what a beautiful cry.”

However, to achieve that single effect, Zhong Ying had painstakingly ground Yan Shuangshuang for almost three days, unable to say what was wrong but repeating the scene over and over. Even Ying Lu had lost her temper watching, exclaiming that she had witnessed a true demon.

Yan Shuangshuang said hoarsely: “It was a minor issue. I’ll adjust.”

Zhong Ying smiled: “I believe you. The next part is your main scene. Go well.”

Right after, a staff member reminded Yan Shuangshuang it was time to go on stage.

Yan Shuangshuang’s eyes sharpened. She quickly entered the zone, hitched up her dress, and walked forward.

Ying Lu gestured towards Yan Shuangshuang’s retreating figure: “How about that? My judgment is pretty good, huh?”

Zhong Ying said, “Director Ying certainly has skill. You have a discerning eye.”

“It’s still too risky to let her act in your play. I saw she almost broke character. Do cherish my actor a bit.”

Zhong Ying calmly replied: “Director Ying should have confidence in her actor’s psychological state. I think she’s quite fine.”

“Nonsense. Anyone who goes through your process will shed a layer of skin. They wouldn’t survive if they didn’t improve.”

Zhong Ying chuckled: “Is Director Ying expressing sympathy for her?”

“Why use such an unpleasant word? I call it appreciating talent.” Ying Lu rolled her eyes disdainfully. She pointed towards the stage: “It’s just that the script is a bit weak. Clichéd, unbearably clichéd. Without the actors to support it, half the audience would leave. How did Gu Jingqi write this script? It’s terrible.”

Zhong Ying slowly said: “Don’t be impatient, Director Ying. Keep watching.”

*

On stage, a new character appeared. She had a delicate appearance and fair skin. Her sharp brows and eyes were blurred by the timidity and fragility in her expression.

She was the town’s widow, who made a living as a milkmaid and was one of the targets of many scoundrels’ teasing.

After the Alpha and Omega got married, the Alpha would often stumble upon the widow being bullied. After one or two times, the Alpha finally couldn’t help but intervene, saving the pitiful widow. The widow was grateful, but constrained by the Alpha’s status as a married man, she had to keep her distance from him.

However, the admiration and sorrow in her expression were visible to the naked eye.

The rumors eventually reached the Omega’s ears. She had a big fight with the Alpha and furiously went to see the widow. But the moment she saw the widow’s face, the Omega’s expression changed drastically, and she hurried away, clutching her skirt.

That night, the Omega saw the ugly figure in the mirror again.

The Alpha came back reeking of alcohol, saying he had been socializing. He gently asked the Omega if she wanted to have a child together.

Time froze at this moment, and the ugly figure screamed out.

The Omega said, “No,” just before the figure could touch her.

As if by magic, the ugly figure suddenly disappeared.

The Omega was silent for a long time, then suddenly started laughing.

The uncle’s illness worsened day by day. He had no children, and only the Omega and her husband looked after him.

The Omega was heartbroken, almost fainting. The Alpha was also sorrowful, but privately, he repeatedly confirmed with the mayor who would inherit the uncle’s title and fiefdom.

The mayor said: “Since she loves you so much, it will naturally be given to you.”

A friend said: “You are an Alpha, so it will definitely be yours.”

But the widow said: “Even if she is an Omega, as long as you permanently mark her, what is hers will naturally be yours.”

A gasp immediately spread through the audience. Some even quietly cursed, “She’s crazy!”

Permanent marking was a very sensitive act. In most cases, no one liked to hear it suggested.

But the Alpha felt much better after hearing the widow’s words. He happily returned home, seeing his usually proud wife gently pouring him a glass of wine.

She said: “My dear, for our future, I have made a decision that is good for both of us.”

He asked: “What?”

Clap. The lights suddenly extinguished. After a few seconds of silence, a woman’s humming softly began to ring out.

The lights suddenly came back on. The widow was holding the sleeping Alpha, gently pressing her face against his, sitting on the floor, swaying and singing a love song.

The Omega wore the lord’s ring, looking pleased: “A pleasant transaction.”

The widow’s expression was still utterly pathetic, yet now it carried an innocent cruelty. She tilted her head and curtsied: “Madam, thank you for being willing to share him.”

The Omega said: “It’s nothing. I don’t need him anymore. He is yours now.”

The widow—no, the witch—suddenly rejoiced. She happily spun the Alpha around: “Did you hear that, darling? You finally belong to me!”

The Alpha, like a puppet on strings, wore a drunken yet vacant smile, dancing with the witch.

After turning two or three times, the two suddenly stopped. The witch lovingly stroked the Alpha’s face and leaned close: “I forgot. You can no longer speak those insincere words.”

The witch said: “That’s wonderful. I love you staying by my side forever.”

From then on, the Omega never saw the ugly figure again, nor heard any trace of the widow and the Alpha.

She touched her damaged scent gland and calmly entered old age.

At the end of her life, she heard that there was an envious monster on the border. Anyone she set her eyes on would become her plaything.

The Omega said: “What envious monster? Nothing but a desperate soul, plundering the love she could never have.”

The witch, from beginning to end, thought she was in love with the Alpha.

The curtain slowly fell, signifying the end of the play.

The audience remained silent for a long time.

Ying Lu silently watched everything on stage. She turned to Zhong Ying and said: “It’s truly terrifying. If I weren’t certain you didn’t know her past, I would almost think this role was tailor-made for her.”

Zhong Ying replied modestly: “You flatter me. Well, are you satisfied?”

Ying Lu said: “Completely convinced.”