The Movie Queen, a Flirty Omega, Has Been Plotting Against Me for a Long Time (GL) - Chapter 9

After dinner, Chu Zhou was walking on the road, pushing her bicycle, with Shen Qingli walking beside her.

She had just learned that Shen Qingli lived in the same residential complex as her.

Since they were going the same way, and heading home together, she naturally couldn’t just ride her bike and leave Shen Qingli to walk alone.

They walked along the road bordering the residential complex. The tall wall made the path seem dim, but families strolling and people jogging kept the road from being too quiet.

Cars constantly drove by on the main road. The headlights, combined with the streetlights, illuminated the entire city.

Chu Zhou usually liked to sit by her floor-to-ceiling window, watching the city’s night view. This road was the first scene she would see—the bustling traffic, which was calming.

Walking on the road now, she realized how comfortable it was to take a walk after dinner.

A row of trees separated the main road from the sidewalk, and flower seeds had been randomly scattered along the wall, now blooming with various colors in the summer.

Smelling the flowers, feeling the gentle breeze, and if she could walk alongside someone she liked, life’s happiness would be just this.

Thinking of this, Chu Zhou glanced at Shen Qingli beside her.

Shen Qingli was also wearing a bare face today, her hair casually draped over her shoulders. She was also wearing a white short-sleeved top, but hers was much shorter, ending slightly below her navel, paired with denim cutoff shorts that looked frayed at the leg openings, a visible belt, and a low-key baseball cap.

This simple outfit, worn by Shen Qingli, looked high-fashion and appealing, a mix of pure and subtly sexy.

They enjoyed the current atmosphere. Chu Zhou quite liked taking evening walks, but she usually didn’t go out alone, so this was a rare outing.

“Did you study in M Country?”

“Hmm?”

Chu Zhou took a moment to register Shen Qingli’s sudden question before answering. “Yes, I went for my graduate degree.”

She had been abroad for a little over a year, counting the time before and after her trip. She went to M Country for her master’s and returned to China to join Chu Yue after completing her studies.

She originally chose M Country because her Senior Sister was there.

In fact, even after going to M Country, and despite being in the same city for a year and a half, they never met.

Her Senior Sister didn’t proactively suggest it, and Chu Zhou didn’t bring up the topic either.

She had a soft spot for the city where her Senior Sister lived, but whenever the thought of meeting came up, she backed out.

Chu Zhou thought her first action upon going abroad would be to arrange a meeting with her Senior Sister. In reality, she consciously avoided the topic during their chats.

She and her Senior Sister met when they were children. Their connection had grown through years of daily, repetitive chatting online.

She had attached one label after another to her Senior Sister in her mind. What if the real Senior Sister wasn’t the person she imagined?

Whenever this thought arose, she would wonder: was she in love with the Senior Sister, or with a series of labels?

Did she mold her Senior Sister into her ideal type, or was the Senior Sister inherently her ideal type? The internet is ultimately a virtual place. Was the person she liked truly the person she liked?

After a long period of high-frequency chatting, they didn’t chat as much later, but Chu Zhou would always habitually look forward to her messages.

Habit is a terrifying thing; it can make one person dependent on another, relying only on the internet.

The year she was studying abroad, her Senior Sister seemed very busy. They often didn’t chat for days, and Chu Zhou lost even more courage to suggest meeting.

Many times, she wondered if her feelings for her Senior Sister were romantic love or the fondness for a close confidante. A novice who has never dated can’t distinguish between these, and she grouped them all as “like.”

That time studying abroad was the first time she had clearly considered these matters in her heart.

However, she never came to a conclusion. Some things, when hesitated over, simply pass by.

Shen Qingli’s question reminded her of the internal struggle during that period.

She had many things she was struggling with. She couldn’t be sure of her feelings for her Senior Sister, or if the Senior Sister liked her back.

She asked her Mum and Mommy, “I have a friend I’m hesitating about meeting.”

“That Senior Sister?”

She often asked her Mummy to mail things to her Senior Sister when she was little, so her Mummy knew of the Senior Sister’s existence.

Seeing that she didn’t deny it, her Mummy said seriously, “Do you know her well? Or how much does she know about you?”

“You’ve chatted for over ten years. Maybe you’ve imagined what she looks like now, but did you have the impulse to meet her before you went abroad?”

“You’ve traveled and studied abroad several times, but you never went to see her.”

“You should consider: can you accept it if, after meeting her, she is not the person you imagined?”

She talked with her Mummy for a long time that day. The discussion boiled down to three questions. If she could answer these three questions, she wouldn’t have to struggle anymore.

First, if the Senior Sister is different from her imagination, can she still remain friends with her?

Second, what is the reason for meeting the Senior Sister? Does she want to start a relationship, or just simply meet her?

Third, what kind of “like” is her feeling for the Senior Sister?

Before she could figure out these three questions, her Mummy’s advice was not to meet the Senior Sister.

And so, until the two women cut contact over two months ago, they never successfully met.

In the initial period after they stopped communicating, Chu Zhou felt very upset. But as time went by, the sour feeling she once had was almost gone when she thought about the matter now.

Lost in thought about her Senior Sister, Chu Zhou was inevitably distracted.

“Watch out.”

Shen Qingli pulled her aside, and the two of them pressed together, with Shen Qingli’s arm around her waist.

Feeling the softness of the other woman’s body, she was momentarily dazed, then instantly snapped back to attention. “Thank you.”

A small child had been running too fast and nearly collided with her. If Shen Qingli hadn’t grabbed the bicycle handlebar with one hand and wrapped the other around her waist, the child probably would have fallen if they had collided.

The child ran off, and the parent hurried to catch up without offering an apology.

Shen Qingli frowned slightly. “Why aren’t you paying attention when you walk?”

The weather was hot, and Chu Zhou’s exposed arms were warm. When they made contact, she realized Shen Qingli’s arm was ice-cold.

She unconsciously rubbed her arm against Shen Qingli’s again. Shen Qingli’s arm really was cold.

The weather in late June, 36 degrees Celsius, shouldn’t be this cool, even at night.

Her arm was very warm, making the contact obvious. Shen Qingli tilted her head and glanced at her, wondering if Chu Zhou was doing it on purpose.

Chu Zhou realized her action was a bit abrupt and quickly widened the distance between them.

Shen Qingli looked at the space between them—large enough for another person—her eyes twinkling. “Who was that person at the coffee shop today?”

“Ah? My friend, Hua Nanyi.” Her reply was quick. She didn’t notice the intentional lowering of Shen Qingli’s voice.

“Isn’t Hua Nanyi an Alpha?”

Shen Qingli recalled Hua Nanyi whom she saw at the coffee shop. “She was wearing an Omega-specific inhibitor patch.”

Hearing this, Chu Zhou seemed to open up. “She? She loves to pretend to be an Omega. The inhibitor patch is custom-made, and she often uses it to confuse people.”

Hua Nanyi finds it fun to pretend to be an Omega, as it allows her to see the darkest sides of many Alphas, whether they are male Alphas or female Alphas, which coincidentally provides material for her creative work.

Hua Nanyi is a comic artist. She has a comic that has been serialized for over three years. It’s very popular in the community, and her fans believe the artist they follow is an Omega, which allows her to draw such realistic characters and generate strong empathy.

However, the fact that Hua Nanyi is a comic artist is only known to Chu Zhou and Hua Nanyi herself.

Chu Zhou naturally wouldn’t reveal her friend’s privacy. She just added, “It’s Hua Nanyi’s personal hobby; please don’t mind it.”

“Of course not.” Shen Qingli’s lips curved, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

After walking for a long time, they finally entered the complex through the side gate. Chu Zhou stopped and asked, “Which building do you live in? I’ll walk you over.”

“Building 6.”

“Huh?” Chu Zhou raised an eyebrow. “I’m in Building 6 too.”

The coincidence was too much. When they reached Building 6, she found out that Shen Qingli lived in the unit next door, Unit 2, and also on the 28th floor.

The two walked inside the building. The corridor was much narrower than the outside road, forcing them to walk closer.

Chu Zhou kept her body straight. Despite the cool, refreshing evening breeze, she felt an inexplicable warmth.

Shen Qingli turned to look at her and suddenly initiated a topic. “Before returning to China, I envisioned many scenarios. A strange environment, new relationships. I wondered what kind of situation I would face.”

Chu Zhou was quiet. She could somewhat understand Shen Qingli’s feelings.

The situation she faced during her year abroad was similar to what Shen Qingli was facing now.

Remembering her mindset back then, she couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for the person next to her.

“Why did you choose to develop your career domestically?”

Shen Qingli was doing very well abroad. In her familiar circle, her career was thriving and profitable. There was absolutely no need for her to return to China.

Shen Qingli smiled but didn’t seem to want to explain.

Seeing this, Chu Zhou didn’t press further and watched Shen Qingli walk into the unit lobby.

…

The first thing she did when she got home was wash up and change into comfortable loungewear.

It was only nine o’clock. Chu Zhou walked onto the balcony, which featured a full wall of floor-to-ceiling glass.

There were glass windows on the left and right sides of the balcony. She opened both to enjoy the natural cool breeze.

The living room and the balcony were connected. She settled onto the sofa, perfectly positioned to enjoy the evening breeze.

She picked up the remote control from the table and pressed the button facing the wall; a screen lowered, and the projector turned on.

She chose a classic old movie, leaned back on the sofa, and watched the film while enjoying the cool air.

After a thought, she walked to the ice machine, filled a transparent glass with ice cubes, and chose a whiskey to pour over the ice. She raised the glass, admiring the beauty of the liquor mixing with the ice, and walked back to the sofa at a leisurely pace, enjoying the comfort of the moment.

Halfway through the movie, she suddenly remembered something: Shen Qingli lived in the unit next door, on the same floor. If she sat here, could she see Shen Qingli’s apartment?

Chu Zhou tilted her head to look across the balcony and immediately spotted Shen Qingli’s figure. The other woman was hanging laundry.

The apartment layout includes two balconies.

The one Shen Qingli was on was the standard balcony, generally used for drying clothes. Chu Zhou had a similar secondary balcony.

Chu Zhou’s face flushed. She hadn’t expected to actually see Shen Qingli. She quickly turned her head back, but after a moment of internal hesitation, she turned back again, only to find the window of the opposite balcony was closed with a curtain. A feeling of disappointment welled up inside her.

Wait, why am I disappointed? Chu Zhou slapped her forehead, trying to bring herself back to reality.

Just then, a text message from Shen Qingli popped up.

—We only parted a moment ago, and you already miss seeing me?

Chu Zhou felt a “buzz” as if something rushed straight to her brain. Her entire body froze.

She could explain…