The White Moonlight’s Exclusive Alpha (Entertainment) - Chapter 7

“I don’t know how things ended up like that. There were no warning signs beforehand.”

Jiang Sheng recalled the events of December 25. “The crew had just finished a very important scene, and it went really well. Qin Chang said he wanted to treat the entire crew to a meal, and I agreed. He was especially happy that day, ordering a bunch of good food and drinks. At the end of the night, everyone was pretty drunk. I think I vaguely heard him say he had something to talk to Xiao Tang about. But I was so out of it then that I didn’t pay any attention. I only found out about the incident the next day.”

“I see…” Mu Xue concluded. “So, by the end of the meal, only Tang Xiaoyang was left with Qin Chang?”

“I think so…” Jiang Sheng said hesitantly, quickly defending his carelessness. “Honestly, I should have pulled Xiao Tang away, but Xiao Tang is an Alpha after all…” His implication was, what’s the big deal if an Omega takes a few liberties with an Alpha?

Mu Xue’s brows slightly furrowed, but she said nothing, only, “I understand. Thank you, this is very helpful.” She was about to hang up when Jiang Sheng stopped her. “Miss Mu, I’ve edited the parts of Lime that we filmed. Could you take a look and see what I need to improve?”

A senior like Mu Xue, whose films were always hits, was a rare find. Having her give him some pointers would be worth more than him toiling away on several films on his own. Especially since Mu Xue had become more reclusive in the past two years, Jiang Sheng didn’t want to miss this rare opportunity now that she had contacted him. He shamelessly made his request.

“Of course…” Mu Xue agreed readily. She also wanted to see Tang Xiaoyang’s performance. “I remember we added each other on WeChat before. Just send it to me directly.”

“Okay, okay, okay…” Jiang Sheng was so happy he forgot about his project being canceled. “I won’t bother you any longer. I’ll send it over as soon as I’ve got it ready.”

Mu Xue put down her phone and opened Weibo, scrolling through the trending topics related to Tang Xiaoyang. She had heard about the incident, but at the time, she was busy with the pre-production of her film Fallen City, and given Tang Xiaoyang’s resistance to her, she hadn’t paid any more attention to it.

But last night, Tang Xiaoyang’s tears had made it clear that this was beyond what the girl could handle.

She typed “Tang Xiaoyang” into the search bar, and the hashtag “#TangXiaoyangGoToHell” was at the top, glaringly so. Mu Xue’s brows furrowed, but she clicked on it anyway. The first post in the feed was Tang Xiaoyang’s Weibo. Just four simple words: “I am still alive.”

The top comment read: “Then why don’t you go to hell?”

The second read: “The mistress’s daughter is online. Is she going to start begging for pity now?”

The third read: “Don’t let me find you, or I’ll pull out all your teeth to avenge Qin Chang.”

The woman’s eyes grew colder and colder as she looked at her computer. While she was unaware, all this malice, enough to completely destroy a person, had been poured onto that child.

Why didn’t you tell me? How could a newcomer who hasn’t even found her footing fight against an organized scheme designed to ruin you?

A rare sense of complaint surfaced in Mu Xue’s heart. The tooth mark on her wrist seemed to throb faintly. Was I really so untrustworthy to you?

But she wasn’t immersed in this feeling for long before the file from Jiang Sheng interrupted her thoughts.

Lime was the story of two childhood friends who fall in love, face setbacks, are forced apart, and then reunite in middle age to rekindle their love. Mu Xue had read the original novel. The author’s writing style was solid and restrained. The story was largely devoid of the typical “life and death” drama. It was set in a small, outdated town, and the male and female leads were both “failures” in a conventional sense. They reunite, support each other, and reminisce about their carefree youth while trapped in their current hardships. A series of mundane small events built a touching love story in a cold world.

Such a restrained story was very difficult for a new actor to handle because, more than acting technique, it required the actor to deeply understand and internalize the characters. Trying too hard would be counterproductive.

The film began with an awkward reunion. The male lead, who had failed at his business, returned to his hometown to escape debt and ran into the female lead, who was selling breakfast at the train station. At the time, the female lead had just been kicked out by her ex-husband because she couldn’t have children. She had borrowed money to set up a small food stall to make a living. Both of them were covered in dirt and dressed in rags when they ran into their first loves. Qin Chang’s male lead looked at the female lead with a face full of affection.

Tang Xiaoyang’s female lead, however, didn’t even lift her head. She only sped up her movements and quickly wiped the corner of her eye when she handed over the breakfast.

Mu Xue nodded in approval. Given the female lead’s proud yet insecure mindset, Tang Xiaoyang’s portrayal was very reasonable. In contrast, Qin Chang was a bit… out of place. The male lead at this point should not have the leisure to act in an idol drama.

Jiang Sheng seemed to have spliced together the key plot points, so the next scene showed the female lead’s stall being ostracized by a competitor and being cursed at. It was the first time the female lead cursed at someone. It was also the first time she completely let go of the dignity and self-respect she had tried so hard to maintain, fighting fiercely like a fishwife to earn a living.

Tang Xiaoyang’s face, with its rough and aged makeup, was flushed with emotion. She argued fiercely with the man, spitting and cursing. Her body trembled with anger and shame. In that moment, she was the female lead—a pitiable person who had been knocked down by fate over and over again and, though resilient, had finally succumbed to despair.

Mu Xue was captivated until the male lead appeared. He watched his love interest swearing like a fishwife with a look of deep affection.

Mu Xue rubbed her temple in frustration. The only advice she could give Jiang Sheng was to improve his casting judgment in the future. It was inappropriate to put an idol drama male lead in a film like this.

After scaring off her competitor, the female lead turned around and saw her childhood love. Faced with such an embarrassing situation, she chose to go back to her business. It was as if the girl she used to be had died in that moment. How could she, a walking corpse, deserve beautiful love?

Tang Xiaoyang’s performance was still stable, natural, and vivid, but Mu Xue was pulled out of the scene at an inappropriate moment. She saw Tang Xiaoyang’s own reflection in the female lead’s rough, cracked face.

Last night, before Tang Xiaoyang collapsed in front of her like a princess in distress, she had already seen the girl. It was only a fleeting glimpse, but that look had left a deep impression on her. Even after the chaos of the heat cycle, she hadn’t forgotten it.

That look was very similar to the female lead’s now—desperate and dejected. Though she still loved the male lead, she had given up all hope for their future.

But it was also different. The girl’s eyes were bright and alive. They would dart away the moment they met hers. She still cared. She wasn’t completely hopeless like the female lead.

Wait… Mu Xue’s brows furrowed. Why would Tang Xiaoyang look at me like that?

In that moment, regarding her and Tang Xiaoyang’s relationship, Mu Xue felt as if she had found the loose thread in a tangled ball of yarn. But before she could think any further, the sound from the computer screen interrupted her thoughts.

The male lead finally gathered the courage to tell the female lead that he wanted to be with her, but the female lead rejected him. Her heart, so broken and tattered by fate, couldn’t even accept that such good fortune could be real. Qin Chang’s male lead continued to express his resolve with a look of deep affection, but the female lead’s expression grew more and more resentful, more and more desperate.

Finally, as if making a deadly decision, she shoved the male lead forcefully against the wall.

“Shut up! Do you know what kind of life I’ve had all these years?”

Her education cut short by her parents’ favoritism for sons, an abusive husband, her difficult life after the divorce, and the gossip of others—all these common yet life-destroying hardships were presented to the audience through the author’s simple, realistic language and Tang Xiaoyang’s crazy, choked-up dialogue. First, there was anger, then a wild madness, and finally, it all dissolved into a painful sob. The female lead clutched the man’s collar, burying her face into his chest as if he were her last hope.

The male lead’s lips trembled, his face a picture of confusion. But Mu Xue had no time to notice Qin Chang’s bad acting. The surging emotions from Tang Xiaoyang on the screen were almost drowning Mu Xue herself.

The male lead’s comforting hand slowly fell on the female lead’s hair, which was dry like weeds. But the female lead suddenly looked up, staring directly into the man’s eyes. Her bright black eyes reignited with a scorching love, but a different kind. The beautiful future she had fantasized about as a child was now completely shattered. All that was left was an endless entanglement.

Since you love me, come to hell with me.

The video ended there. Mu Xue remained silent for a moment, then slowly relaxed into the back of the leather chair. She raised a hand to her forehead, covering her slightly moist eyes, but a genuine smile she couldn’t control appeared on her lips.

“You really are suited for acting.”

She recalled the days when Tang Xiaoyang stayed at the Mu family’s home as a child. The little girl would follow her everywhere, her beautiful big eyes full of admiration and affection, making it impossible to send her away.

Mu Xue had never lacked love. In fact, one could say she had received far more love than most people in the world. As a child, her family was prominent, her elders were loving, and her brother protected her. As an adult, despite her terminal illness, her beauty and talent were far beyond the ordinary, and she had countless admirers.

But it was precisely because she never lacked it that Mu Xue never thought highly of others just because they loved her. To her, being adored was normal. Having witnessed the tragedy of her parents’ love, Mu Xue understood the emptiness and fragility of love earlier than others. She might have countless admirers, but few would remain faithful forever. Mu Xue hated things that she couldn’t control and whose success depended on chance.

Mu Xue would never ask someone to go through fire for love, and she didn’t believe love was a particularly precious thing.

But Tang Xiaoyang was different.

The emotion in the girl’s eyes was like a rushing river—it never stopped and never ran dry. When she was looked at, Mu Xue’s usually rock-solid heart would often feel a hint of doubt. Will you follow me forever?

Even though everything that happened later proved it was just an illusion, Mu Xue harbored no blame or resentment. On the contrary, she had always cared about Tang Xiaoyang and sincerely hoped that this emotional girl would be treated kindly by the world.

This was why the busy producer Mu, who rarely gave special treatment to anyone, had insisted on writing birthday invitations to Tang Xiaoyang for ten years.

And now, Tang Xiaoyang’s emotional depth was on full display in this film. Although her face in the movie was haggard and her acting was still a bit raw, Mu Xue saw a unique and brilliant light in her. Technique could be honed with practice, but an innate spirit was something that permeated every corner of an artistic work. It was intangible and essential.

Whether for personal reasons or for justice, Mu Xue would not allow this light to dim because of someone’s nasty plot.

She picked up her phone and dialed another number.

“Hello, Boss Mu?” The woman’s voice on the other end was lazy, as if she had just woken up.

“Wuyou, use Xingyue Media’s name to sign Tang Xiaoyang.”

“Uh, the little singer who’s being attacked by the whole country these past few days?”

“That’s right…”

“Boss, this looks like a difficult mess to clean up.”

“Just sign her. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Okay, no problem. But are you sure you’re up for it?”

“I haven’t officially announced my retirement yet.”

“Alright. So, for now, should I go deal with the paparazzi surrounding Tang Xiaoyang’s apartment complex?”

“What did you say?”

Tang Xiaoyang was standing under a large sycamore tree in a corner of her apartment complex, discussing how to sneak past the paparazzi at the main gate with the person on the phone. These weren’t ordinary paparazzi; they all had press passes. There was nothing to stop them from rushing up to Tang Xiaoyang and firing off a barrage of tough questions. Although the law prevented them from entering the complex, if Tang Xiaoyang dared to go outside, she would definitely be surrounded and trapped. If she got annoyed and raised her voice, it would be another piece of evidence that she had violent tendencies.

Duan Sisi, a seasoned paparazzo, made a quick decision. “Xiaoyang, don’t panic. Stay right there. I’ll get a company car to pick you up.”

Tang Xiaoyang’s brows were tightly furrowed. “No way. The security guards won’t let anyone they don’t know…”

She stopped mid-sentence. The tall, pretty girl stood there, her usually bright black eyes looking unusually blank. A silver, sleek sports car pulled up steadily in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing Mu Xue’s beautiful face. A pair of large sunglasses hid her enchanting peach-blossom eyes. The woman’s slightly swollen, thin lips parted.

“Come with me…”