I Heard I Was the Scumbag Alpha of a Top-Tier Celebrity (GL) - Chapter 5

Yan Shuangshuang drove aimlessly around the city outskirts. The result of having no destination was that she drove quite casually, completely zoning out. In this moment, she felt incredibly free.

If she reached an intersection, Yan Shuangshuang would choose to turn right, because someone had once said that when you can’t find your way out of a maze, you can just keep turning right. She would follow the path and eventually find her, who would then take her home.

Yan Shuangshuang believed it, but ultimately lost herself in the lie woven by that person.

The sound of an incoming call from AAA interrupted Yan Shuangshuang’s moment of blankness as she turned onto an unknown road.

The brakes squealed. Yan Shuangshuang’s pitch-black eyes stared at the constantly flashing call button, silent.

A director once said that although Yan Shuangshuang’s face was cold, her emotions were hot. This made it difficult for her to portray overly desperate scenes because she had never experienced true despair.

If that director were present now, he would be shocked to discover how wrong his past judgment was.

Yan Shuangshuang pressed the green call button. Gu Xin’s calm voice came through: “Do you have time now? I’ve redrafted a divorce agreement here; could you come take a look?”

Yan Shuangshuang frowned, subconsciously wondering what she had done wrong with the division of her assets.

Did Gu Xin want the house in Liuquan Mountain Villa?

But that house was purchased before their marriage; Gu Xin shouldn’t know about it.

Although puzzled, Yan Shuangshuang still answered calmly, “I’ll come over this afternoon.”

Perhaps sensing something from her brief reply, Gu Xin paused and said, “Don’t overthink it. The part I revised is that you gave me too much. Your situation is complicated now; if we really divide it this way, will you be left with nothing after the divorce?”

Yan Shuangshuang gripped the steering wheel tight. She thought, There it is again, there it is again. Always able to guess her true feelings, always revealing that false tenderness, as if she still loved her.

Is this her love?

It must be pity, as always.

High and mighty pity, indifferent to her feelings, seeing that she was suffering too much from love, and bestowing sympathy upon her.

Yan Shuangshuang suppressed her sudden surge of anger. She didn’t want the conversation to immediately devolve into accusations and shouting, especially since she had just visited Gu Xin’s family today. Today, at least, was not the time for a fight.

Under the intense emotional turmoil, Yan Shuangshuang could only manage a single syllable: “Fine.”

Gu Xin said, “I’ll wait for you at home.”

Hanging up quickly, Yan Shuangshuang slammed her fist against the steering wheel. The loud beep of the horn startled a sparrow on a nearby branch, which flapped its wings and circled into the air.

Yan Shuangshuang turned on the navigation and drove directly to Gu Xin’s location.

She thought to herself, What amnesia? What not remembering? Then why is she still so accurate at guessing my thoughts?

If this was another new trick, then she would take the challenge. At worst, they would be—locked in this conflict forever.

*

Listening to the busy signal, Gu Xin mumbled unconsciously, “She’s not mad, is she?”

She could almost picture the person with pursed lips, eyes blazing with fury, desperately wanting to rush over and bite her fiercely.

Vivid and beautiful, but it made her heart ache.

Gu Xin managed to suppress the strange feeling welling up inside. She forcibly cleared her mind and carefully put away the printed new version of the divorce agreement.

She had found the printer in the storage room; it was heavily dusted when she brought it out. It was initially out of ink, but Gu Xin, as if guided by muscle memory, fiddled with it a few times, tried again, and it worked.

After fixing the printer, she took the opportunity to understand her financial situation.

In addition to this place, she owned two other luxury homes, but the mortgage payments were all being made by Yan Shuangshuang.

Starting from 2018, her card would receive a fixed deposit of fifty thousand yuan from a trust fund every month. Without the pressure of rent, fifty thousand was more than enough, but consumption records showed that fifty thousand was far from enough for Gu Xin. Yan Shuangshuang had to transfer additional money to her every month.

Sometimes a few thousand, sometimes as much as two hundred thousand.

It could be said that all these years, Yan Shuangshuang was not only paying the mortgages but also supporting her. No wonder Yan Shuangshuang desperately took on acting jobs—without them, she simply couldn’t afford Gu Xin, who spent money like water.

And Yan Shuangshuang had just terminated her contract with the company, almost certainly paying a breach of contract fee. She barely had any money left in hand.

If they insisted on divorcing now, Yan Shuangshuang could end up completely broke.

Gu Xin felt she was somewhat lacking in conscience, but she couldn’t bring herself to do something so heartless. She gave two of the houses under her name to Yan Shuangshuang, all the cars were transferred to Yan Shuangshuang—she wasn’t planning on retaking the driving test anyway—and all the miscellaneous money in her other accounts, totaling over a hundred thousand, was also given to Yan Shuangshuang.

The emotional knot Yan Shuangshuang had over Gu Xin couldn’t be untied overnight, but Gu Xin hoped that, at least materially, she could offer a small compensation.

Tapping her pen, Gu Xin thought for a few seconds and wrote down “The Capital” on the last line of her to-do list.

*

Yan Shuangshuang arrived at three in the afternoon.

Gu Xin went to open the door for her and noticed that as soon as Yan Shuangshuang saw her, she gave her a fierce glare.

Gu Xin looked down at herself and involuntarily asked, “Am I wearing my clothes inside out?”

“No, you’re not,” Yan Shuangshuang denied. “It’s fine.” This was sarcasm, but Gu Xin wearing it like this reminded her of when she was still in school.

She quickened her pace as she walked past Gu Xin, entering the room like a gust of wind.

Gu Xin stood there scratching her head. All she did was take a quick shower and put on the most basic white T-shirt and shorts from the closet. Could that be wrong too?

Heaven knew how long it took her to find a non-flamboyant outfit.

Yan Shuangshuang sat on the sofa waiting for her. Gu Xin took out the new divorce agreement and handed it to her: “Everything else is unchanged. Just look at the asset division part again.”

Even though she was mentally prepared, Yan Shuangshuang was still surprised when she actually saw the changes.

Gu Xin had barely left herself anything except for the house she was currently living in.

“I personally think this division is more reasonable,” Gu Xin said, pulling up a small stool and sitting calmly across from Yan Shuangshuang. “Besides this, I consider the money you gave me during the marriage to be a loan. I will slowly repay you after I find a job. This is the IOU.”

Gu Xin pushed a handwritten IOU across the table. Yan Shuangshuang didn’t take it, but her eyes immediately caught the loan amount: four million, eight hundred and fifty-six thousand yuan. Even Yan Shuangshuang herself hadn’t realized she had given Gu Xin so much money in total.

Gu Xin was composed: “We need to discuss the interest. Tell me what interest rate you’d accept, and I’ll add it.”

Yan Shuangshuang picked up the IOU. She gently touched the handwriting. The strokes, outlines, and directions of every character made her dizzy. Her heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear Gu Xin speak.

Gu Xin felt a bit strange but didn’t rush her. It wasn’t until Yan Shuangshuang looked up, folded the IOU, and tucked it into her pocket that she spoke.

“You said it yourself, it was during the marriage, so it counts as communal property. The IOU isn’t necessary.”

Her voice was calm and her expression composed, but the action indicated she had no intention of being repaid.

Gu Xin: “…”

Fine.

It was all going to her anyway.

Gu Xin said, “The IOU is effective anytime. If you change your mind, just tell me. I won’t default.”

Yan Shuangshuang smiled but didn’t speak.

Finally, the most important part, the divorce agreement.

Yan Shuangshuang said she had no objections. Since this was Gu Xin’s wish, she respected it.

The ink pad and pen were already prepared. They each signed one copy, then swapped and signed the other.

After they finished signing, Yan Shuangshuang looked toward the window: “You used to hate drawing the curtains.”

The sun was bright outside, but Gu Xin had pulled the curtains completely shut, ensuring not a single ray of light leaked in.

Instead, the overhead chandelier faithfully emitted its light, illuminating a small area for the two disillusioned spouses whose marriage had crumbled.

Gu Xin scratched her head: “I want to sell this place.”

Yan Shuangshuang was confused: “Huh? Why sell it suddenly?”

“It’s too big,” Gu Xin said, shrugging her shoulders and sounding like a slacker. “Even with various tools to assist, cleaning is a hassle. Plus, the decor looks… well.”

Gu Xin was extremely reluctant to admit this was her taste, but if she hadn’t planned it herself, what designer would install such light-pollution-heavy decor for a client? Did they not want to keep their job?

Gu Xin put the divorce agreement away and looked at Yan Shuangshuang, “Do you want to sit for a while? There’s coffee over there.”

“No, thanks.”

Gu Xin understood and didn’t press her.

Instead, Yan Shuangshuang stood up with her bag, her eyes fixed on Gu Xin, her tone ambiguous: “Aren’t you going to see me out?”

Gu Xin considered it and thought it was a natural gesture to see an ex-wife out, so she nodded in agreement. As she put her phone in her pocket, she also placed the keys to the four cars in Yan Shuangshuang’s palm: “You can drive them away whenever you like. You can take one back today if you want.”

Today was Saturday, and the transfer of the four cars would have to wait until Monday, which was perfect timing to process along with the divorce certificate.

The warm sensation in her palm was fleeting, gone so quickly it felt like an illusion.

Yan Shuangshuang was momentarily distracted by this sudden physical contact. Then, her eyes regained clarity, and she said with a teasing tone: “Then I’ll drive your red one.”

Gu Xin nodded indifferently.

The two entered the elevator in silence.

The community’s underground parking lot wasn’t in Gu Xin’s building. They needed to go around to the building behind it to find the entrance to the underground parking lot.

But the moment she stepped out of the unit access door, Gu Xin had a strange, uncomfortable feeling, as if someone was maliciously peeking at her.

Gu Xin scanned her surroundings and noticed a dark camera hidden in the flower bed across the way; it was impossible to spot without looking closely. But Gu Xin spotted it instantly.

Gu Xin instinctively turned around to block the person close behind her. However, she stopped too abruptly, and Yan Shuangshuang directly stumbled into her arms, knocking her off balance.

Gu Xin quickly stabilized herself, opened her arms, and firmly pressed Yan Shuangshuang’s head onto her shoulder: “Someone is taking pictures.”

Yan Shuangshuang’s initial struggle abruptly ceased. The hands she had braced between them began to tremble. Gu Xin didn’t notice and walked step by step back toward the door, holding Yan Shuangshuang.

“Trust me, don’t look up.”

In the resulting darkness, Yan Shuangshuang was forced to follow Gu Xin’s rhythm backward.

Gu Xin took a step forward, and she had to take a step back.

Forward, back, forward, back, like dancing.

With her sight lost, her other five senses were infinitely amplified.

She smelled the scent of soap on Gu Xin, familiar yet strange. Gu Xin hadn’t used soap for many years. She used to say she was young and didn’t know better, and if she had the means, why not use something better?

Time seemed to flow backward in this instant.

Under the dim light, Gu Xin, still a young girl, unreservedly revealed her restless edge, but the moment she saw her, Gu Xin walked straight over, her eyes fixed on her without wavering, and asked, “Shall we dance?”

That was the first time she learned Gu Xin could dance the tango.

She was led by Gu Xin, sliding onto the dance floor and merging into the crowd. In her arms, she gradually bloomed wantonly, dancing passionately.

That night, Gu Xin led her through every corner of the dance floor. They were like two birds. When one moved away, the other would tightly follow, never separating. Their sweat mixed with their pheromones, intertwining secretly. They exchanged their scents in plain sight.

When they were almost too exhausted to move, they left the dance floor, settling in a corner, in the shadows, their eyes, both blazing with fire, fixed on each other.

Neither would look away first.

Everything around them was heating up. They felt as though they were in the clouds, dreamlike, excessively beautiful. Their palms were sweaty, but they held each other even tighter.

The distance was so close that their breaths felt like each other’s exhales. Yan Shuangshuang finally smelled Gu Xin’s pheromones—a floral scent so rich it was almost suffocating. And accompanying the floral scent was a quick, gentle kiss.

Like a spring thunderclap and the falling of spring rain, everything on the ground began to sway and grow with joy.

They exchanged their first adult-to-youth kiss in the midst of a surging crowd.