The White Moonlight’s Exclusive Alpha (Entertainment) - Chapter 8

In the smoothly moving car, Tang Xiaoyang tried hard to control her gaze from wandering toward the driver’s seat. But it was difficult. Mu Xue was still wearing the same shirt and trousers she had on when they said goodbye this morning. The matcha cake pheromones were continuously emanating from the woman, wafting into the nose of the stiffly seated Tang Xiaoyang in the passenger seat.

It was as if there was a tiny person in her ear, constantly reminding her of what had happened between them last night.

Meanwhile, Mu Xue, in the driver’s seat, seemed lost in thought, with no intention of starting a conversation. Silence stretched between them until Tang Xiaoyang couldn’t take it anymore. She rubbed her hot ears and whispered, “Didn’t you put on a scent blocker?”

Mu Xue paused and instinctively reached back to touch the scent blocker she had recently put on her neck. After confirming that the thin, transparent patch was still firmly in place, she answered responsibly, “I did. The instructions mention that it might be ineffective for some Alphas who have been intimate with the user.”

“Cough, cough…” Tang Xiaoyang felt the heat quickly spread from her ears to her cheeks. She knew her face must be a spectacular shade of red. Fortunately, Mu Xue was focused on the road and didn’t turn to look at her. She only asked, “Are you okay?”

Doesn’t this woman feel any shame at all?

“I’m fine…” Tang Xiaoyang replied in a muffled voice, using her hand to cool her cheek.

But then a more important question occurred to her. “How did you know I was surrounded by paparazzi? And how did you get into the complex?”

Tang Xiaoyang was both confused and nervous. Could Mu Xue actually be concerned about my whereabouts?

The woman in the driver’s seat curved her brows. “I thought you’d say thank you first?”

“Thank you…” This time, Tang Xiaoyang bowed her head and thanked her without hesitation. Whether she wanted to or not, Mu Xue had helped her again, and even though Tang Xiaoyang was often described as stubborn, she wasn’t ungrateful.

“A friend told me someone offered a reward to gather paparazzi to block you.” Mu Xue said vaguely and casually. “As for how I got into the complex…” The woman raised her fair, slender hand and lowered her sunglasses slightly. “The security guard asked me for an autograph and let me in.”

So she used her celebrity status. Tang Xiaoyang looked up at the car ceiling, speechless. The events of the past two days had been so surreal that she had almost forgotten that Mu Xue was a nationally famous celebrity.

“Can you drop me off at A University?” Tang Xiaoyang thought her only option was to return to her dorm to avoid the storm. Although there were a number of radical Qin Chang fans on campus, at least her friends and teachers were there. It was safer than most other places.

“I suggest you don’t go back.” Mu Xue seemed to have anticipated Tang Xiaoyang’s suggestion. “What’s happening today could easily happen on campus. And then, you wouldn’t be surrounded by money-hungry paparazzi, but by radical fans who have lost all reason.”

Tang Xiaoyang involuntarily recalled the insults, gruesome images, and doctored death photos in her Weibo DMs. She couldn’t find any reason to refute Mu Xue and could only whisper, “Are other places safer?”

Mu Xue chuckled softly. “There is one place that’s very safe, but I don’t think you’d dare to go.”

Looking at the woman’s mysterious smile, Tang Xiaoyang felt there had to be a trap, but the challenge festered in her heart. If she didn’t accept it, she’d be miserable. “What place wouldn’t I dare to go?”

“My home…” Just as they hit a red light, Mu Xue turned to look at the lamb that had fallen into her trap. She said in a friendly tone, “Do you dare to come?”

Ten minutes later, Tang Xiaoyang stood in the bright and clean living room of Mu Xue’s private residence, her suitcases by her side, stuck between the feeling that she had been tricked and the embarrassment of leaving now.

Mu Xue hadn’t lied to her. Mu Xue’s private residence was a two-story villa located next to a secluded ancient garden in the northern part of the city. This villa neighborhood was one of Mu Corp’s signature projects. Its main advantages were safety and a beautiful environment. Seeing the teams of tall security guards patrolling the complex, the all-encompassing surveillance cameras, and the strict ID verification system at the entrance, Tang Xiaoyang knew there probably weren’t many places in the entire city that were safer than this.

The house she was currently in was likely the best one in the already well-designed and ideally located neighborhood. Tang Xiaoyang mentally calculated the rent but sadly realized that in her current state, with no income, she couldn’t afford it no matter what.

Mu Xue seemed completely oblivious to Tang Xiaoyang’s inner turmoil. She opened the door to the guest room on the first floor and said, “Is it okay if you stay here?”

Tang Xiaoyang gritted her teeth and finally said each word slowly and deliberately, “I can’t stay here.”

Mu Xue looked at the girl standing stiffly like a flagpole. She said calmly, “Why not?”

Her tone hadn’t changed, but Tang Xiaoyang noticed that Mu Xue’s pheromones suddenly became sharp, like a strong tea.

Mu Xue was unhappy. Tang Xiaoyang felt a sudden panic but insisted, “It’s too much trouble for you.” She didn’t want Mu Xue’s pity. All she wanted was the woman’s respect and acknowledgment.

Mu Xue didn’t say anything and walked straight toward her. Her expression remained calm, and her pheromones didn’t change, but Tang Xiaoyang became tense, her body stiffening as she stood even straighter.

“I don’t think I’ve ever asked you.” The woman, who was a head shorter than her, looked up, a questioning light in her light gray eyes.

This seemed to be the first time Tang Xiaoyang was facing the Mu Xue that the public knew—the cool, intelligent woman who seemed impossible to fool. The younger Mu Xue had treated her like a cute child, with only indulgence and kindness. The older Mu Xue, whom she had recently reunited with, also seemed friendly and had never spoken to her in such an official tone.

“What?” Tang Xiaoyang controlled her urge to take a step back. If she backed down now, how could she ever have an equal conversation with Mu Xue?

Mu Xue looked at the girl’s face, which was as stiff as a stone statue, and let out a laugh. Her smile was like the first ray of a glorious sun, melting the ice and snow, and the tense atmosphere vanished instantly. “Are you a good cook?” The woman’s thin lips parted, asking a question that Tang Xiaoyang hadn’t expected.

Tang Xiaoyang had just recovered from the oppressive atmosphere. She nodded blankly. “I’m okay…” The time she had spent living with her neurotic mother as a child had made Tang Xiaoyang very self-sufficient. While she might not be a professional chef, she was an excellent home cook.

“Then you can cook for me,” Mu Xue said with a smile. “That way, you won’t be staying here for free.”

“Okay…” The words of refusal were on the tip of Tang Xiaoyang’s tongue, but when she saw Mu Xue’s waist, which she could wrap her hand around, she chose to compromise. Of course, there was another reason she wasn’t willing to admit to herself. After being intimidated by Mu Xue’s “poker face” once, she didn’t want to be treated with that kind of cold, official tone again anytime soon.

Tang Xiaoyang was led into the guest room. Mu Xue said she had work to do and left her alone to unpack. Is she worried I’ll change my mind? Tang Xiaoyang thought to herself as she folded her clothes and placed them in the closet.

Her phone rang, and when she answered, she heard Duan Sisi’s rushed voice on the other end. “Lamb, are you okay? You hung up so fast. You said a friend came to pick you up. Who was it?”

“Uh, I’m fine.” Tang Xiaoyang hesitated about whether to tell Duan Sisi about Mu Xue. She wasn’t worried that the top paparazzo would leak the information. The main reason was that the four residents of the infamous dorm room 415 at A University were all Mu Xue’s fans, with the exception of herself. Duan Sisi was the biggest fan of them all, the kind who would re-watch every production Mu Xue was involved in at least ten times. For Duan Sisi, who had a high salary but never spent a single dollar needlessly, this was true love.

“It’s just… a really good friend I hadn’t seen in a while. We happened to run into each other today, and she let me stay at her place for now.”

Tang Xiaoyang decided against telling her for now. She was genuinely a little worried that Duan Sisi would get arrested trying to charge the villa complex.

“Okay, that’s good. Settle in, and then we’ll figure something out,” Duan Sisi said, relieved. She added, “I’m probably going to be working overtime these days. Our boss, Le Wuyou, who’s always skipping work, is actually coming in tomorrow for a meeting. She said the company is going to sign some kind of dangerous person.”

“That sounds tough…” Tang Xiaoyang remembered that Duan Sisi’s company was called Xingyue Media. It was a well-known name in the industry. But unlike a small, exploitative agency like LeXiang Entertainment, Xingyue Media was known as “Charity Media.” They were rumored to often invest in projects that had been stalled due to lack of funds and occasionally sign unknown artists. They had a decent reputation and never stopped artists from leaving when they became successful.

“I gotta go. I’ll bring up your situation with the boss tomorrow and see if she has any ideas.”

Duan Sisi, the head of marketing for Xingyue Media, hung up and returned to her work.

The guest room in Mu Xue’s house was spacious and clean. It was clear that someone took care of it regularly. However, most of the furniture was minimalist, and Tang Xiaoyang’s cartoon-themed cups, alarm clock, and small figurines looked very out of place.

It was already 3 PM by the time Tang Xiaoyang finished organizing the room. She had only eaten breakfast today and had been running around all day. She was ravenous. But there was no sound from Mu Xue’s side. Is that woman not hungry at all?

That’s probably why her body is in such bad shape.

The girl with the thick brows and almond-shaped eyes furrowed them in thought. She walked out of the room, went upstairs, and knocked on the thick wooden door of the study.

“Come in…” Mu Xue’s voice came from inside. Tang Xiaoyang opened the door with a straight face and saw Mu Xue sitting at a large desk, engrossed in a pile of documents, with no sign of wanting to eat.

“I’m hungry…” Seeing this, Tang Xiaoyang became even more annoyed, and her tone wasn’t very gentle.

Mu Xue looked at her watch as if waking from a dream and gave Tang Xiaoyang an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t keep track of the time.” She started to stand up but suddenly went limp. Tang Xiaoyang quickly stepped forward and caught the woman, who was about to fall back into her chair.

Mu Xue seemed a little taken aback, staring at Tang Xiaoyang with a bewildered expression, like a frightened kitten. It was hard to believe she was the same person as the composed woman who had just intimidated Tang Xiaoyang.

Tang Xiaoyang’s brows were tightly furrowed. “Do you have low blood pressure?”

“A little…” Mu Xue had steadied herself now. She gently pulled away from the girl’s hands and said with a laugh, “Or maybe I’m just hungry.”

Tang Xiaoyang’s face was so dark it could drip water. She gritted out a few words from between her teeth. “Where’s the kitchen?”

If Tang Xiaoyang’s anger had been at 60% before, it hit 100% when she walked into the kitchen. The kitchen was very clean and well-stocked with utensils. Unfortunately, there were no ingredients whatsoever. The cupboards were filled with a variety of instant foods, so comprehensive and numerous that you could hold a party dedicated to self-heating rice, hot pot, and instant noodles.

“Is this all you eat?” She angrily turned to face Mu Xue, ready to launch into a long lecture about the unhealthy nature of processed foods.

Mu Xue, however, seemed to have not noticed Tang Xiaoyang’s rage at all. She simply held up the phone she had been looking at. “I want to eat this.” On the phone screen was a Weibo post from Tang Xiaoyang, with a picture of a well-presented bowl of tomato beef brisket. The caption read: “You have to eat warm meat in the winter.”

Tang Xiaoyang was speechless for a moment. She looked at the woman’s expectant face, and all her anger suddenly vanished.

“I’ll cook for you…”