A Flirtatious Beauty Alpha Provokes a Crazy Omega - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Like

 

The rain began to fall more heavily under the mist. The gloom that had built up over the day finally poured down all at once.

 

A black car cut through the rain and fog, speeding along the elevated highway. Raindrops slapped against the windows. Yan Wei stared straight ahead, silence enveloping her. Reflected on the glass was her beautiful, privileged, yet cold and somber face.

 

Twenty minutes later, the car turned into an underground parking garage beneath an apartment complex.

 

Yan Wei sat in the car, pulling a pack of slim cigarettes from a case. She wasn’t addicted to smoking—she had just been smoking more frequently lately. Lighting a cigarette, she wore a cold and distant expression, sitting quietly in her seat, her eyes void of emotion.

 

Suddenly, a car honked on her right. It wasn’t until the second honk that she turned her head. A few meters away, the driver’s side window of a car slowly rolled down, revealing a woman’s refined profile.

 

Tan Zhaoxin raised an eyebrow at her, then unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.

 

Yan Wei turned her gaze back, exhaling smoke slowly. A few seconds later, she stubbed out the cigarette and stepped out.

 

Tan Zhaoxin calmly sized her up from head to toe. It was obvious she had dressed carefully. “You drove back alone?”

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Clearly, Yan Wei had little patience for her visit.

 

Tan Zhaoxin waved the document in her hand. “Contract renewal. Figured I’d check on you too.”

 

Yan Wei said nothing, turning and heading upstairs.

 

The sound of heels faded through the garage and disappeared in the elevator.

 

“Don’t drive alone in this kind of weather next time,” Tan Zhaoxin said inside the elevator, arms crossed as she looked at Yan Wei, trying to advise her. “What if something happens? Who would be responsible?”

 

Yan Wei gave her a dangerous look. “Sign it and leave.”

 

She gestured for Tan Zhaoxin to hand over the document.

 

It was a clear dismissal.

 

Tan Zhaoxin curled her lips slightly, then straightened her face. “Have a drink?”

 

This time, Yan Wei looked away but didn’t object.

 

On the twelfth floor, the apartment door opened. Tan Zhaoxin looked around. Because Yan Wei didn’t like going home, the company had rented this place for her in Huai City during filming—just in case she ever had “nowhere” to sleep.

 

But it looked like she didn’t come here often.

 

“Getting used to hotel beds?” Tan Zhaoxin asked.

 

Yan Wei gave a light hum of acknowledgment, opened the file Tan Zhaoxin had placed on the table, quickly signed it, then closed it and tossed it aside.

 

Watching her expression, Tan Zhaoxin took off her jacket and walked over to help prepare two glasses of red wine.

 

On the white table, two transparent glasses were filled with red wine, reflecting their faces in the liquid. Tan Zhaoxin was the first to speak: “About that thing at DK… I heard the underage girl tried to kill herself twice. Did you know?”

 

Yan Wei frowned and looked up.

 

Tan Zhaoxin continued, “The scandal at school blew up. The girl couldn’t handle the pressure and slit her wrists at home. If you didn’t know, I guess Surui didn’t trouble you with it…”

 

“So what if she did?”

 

Yan Wei’s tone was flat, laced with a trace of hostility.

 

“Not much,” Tan Zhaoxin took a sip. “That’s your style. The company can handle it. I just want to ask—this girl, Jiang Mi… is she special to you?”

 

Yan Wei had never been the type to meddle in others’ business.

 

Her ex slapped her in the face right in front of her, and Yan Wei didn’t even blink. Yet a little-known actress she’d barely met had pushed her this far.

 

To the point of recklessness.

 

“The matter’s been suppressed for now. The girl on the other side has some background. If it blows up, it might affect you too.”

 

Yan Wei sneered, “What, you want me to apologize?”

 

“…No need to be that polite,” Tan Zhaoxin replied with a sarcastic smile.

 

It’s ridiculous how easily age can turn the guilty into the vulnerable. She didn’t think Yan Wei had done anything wrong.

 

And she wasn’t here tonight because of that incident.

 

After a moment of silence, Tan Zhaoxin slowly asked, “Did it not go well?”

 

Yan Wei exhaled a long breath. In a blink, the wine in her glass was nearly gone. She stared at the bottom, at the clear, deep red liquid.

 

She didn’t speak. The silence made Tan Zhaoxin uneasy.

 

She cut in. “Stop whatever you’re thinking right now.”

 

Yan Wei didn’t look at her.

 

The room fell quiet again before Tan Zhaoxin added evenly, “Not everyone can handle your way of doing things. Did you forget what happened before?”

 

Yan Wei’s expression shifted slightly. She downed the remaining wine, then heard Tan Zhaoxin ask: “Yan Wei, do you like her?”

 

Impatience returned to Yan Wei’s face. “Does it matter?”

 

By this point, Tan Zhaoxin had a sense of things. The situation might not be great for Jiang Mi—but it wasn’t necessarily bad for Yan Wei.

 

“Half-alive” was a phrase that suited Yan Wei perfectly. She lacked empathy. To reach her status at this age, she already had everything—yet also had nothing.

 

No familial attachment. Her connection to Mo Yun and Mo Xi had long since ceased being familial.

 

In short, she had everything and nothing.

 

Even she and Yan Wei rarely met. But when they did, Yan Wei always seemed disconnected from the world.

 

Like someone who could abandon it at any moment.

 

But that day on set, Tan Zhaoxin saw something shift. Emotion finally rippled across that stunning but lifeless face.

 

And that was a good thing.

 

For Yan Wei, it was a good thing.

 

To be blunt, it was like she had finally found something interesting in her dull, barren life.

 

So she had a background check done on Jiang Mi.

 

A rising actress, not dangerous based on the data. Reputable in the industry. Directors and actors who’d worked with her praised her.

 

But her career was stagnant—working for a tiny studio, making it hard to break out. That reassured Tan Zhaoxin. Someone like that was easy for them to control.

 

If things got out of hand, she could be easily removed.

 

She hadn’t expected Yan Wei to act so ruthlessly at DK. Surui had already toned it down. If Yan Wei had handled it alone, that girl might not have survived it.

 

Tan Zhaoxin had gathered the latest updates, thought it over, and—both as a business partner and as a reluctant friend—decided to step in.

 

“Yan Wei, I’m not trying to invalidate your emotions. I just want to tell you, from experience: accept your feelings first. Fighting them won’t help.”

 

She picked up the bottle of wine—an aged vintage she had selected personally from the vineyard—and added, “Caring doesn’t mean you have to possess. And if you want to possess her, do it the right way.”

 

Yan Wei finally looked at her.

 

“In a way she can accept,” Tan Zhaoxin said.

 

“Not the way you’re thinking now.”

 

Yan Wei looked at her coolly. “You know what I’m thinking?”

 

“One round in the dark room is enough.”

 

Clink— The wine glass hit the table with a dull sound, strangely piercing.

 

“You afraid I’ll do something?” she asked, smiling coldly.

 

Tan Zhaoxin was used to it, but didn’t push her. “She’s just a simple girl. No match for you. I’m saying this out of kindness.”

 

This was a warning. Outside of acting, Tan Zhaoxin knew Yan Wei had little patience for anything. But when it came to people—she didn’t know Yan Wei’s limit.

 

Given her current state, a gentler approach would be best.

 

“You don’t want emotional ties. But the moment you wanted to possess her, that bond already existed. I’m not preaching. I’m just suggesting—don’t rush into romance, but at least give her a chance to get to know you.”

 

“If you hit her too hard too soon, she’ll run—like now.”

 

Talking with Yan Wei was like negotiating a contract.

 

You couldn’t push too hard. You couldn’t give in too easily. You had to lay out all the risks and benefits.

 

Yan Wei was scary when rational—but even scarier when irrational. Not that she thought Yan Wei liked Jiang Mi that much—but she was interested, and that focus made her unpredictable.

 

Yan Wei’s position was too important. As both a friend and a business associate, Tan Zhaoxin had to stabilize her.

 

But surprisingly, Yan Wei actually seemed to be listening tonight. She looked troubled—less like she was angry, more like something was bothering her.

 

Tan Zhaoxin clinked her glass against Yan Wei’s, then downed her wine and stood, taking the signed contract.

 

“One more thing. Mo Xi called me.”

 

“She didn’t try to talk sense into you. Just told me to let you know.”

 

Soon after, the front door closed.

 

Yan Wei’s hand paused mid-air. She brought the glass to her lips, sipped slowly, and looked toward the balcony window. Another rainy night. Raindrops spattered across the glass. Only then did she notice the window was cracked open.

 

And she remembered a night not long ago in the hotel. The scene had been similar.

 

The wind blew in from outside.

 

And she saw Jiang Mi sitting by the coffee table, those clear eyes looking at her.

 

She remembered asking if everyone was like this.

 

She didn’t even remember Jiang Mi’s exact reply. Her own thoughts hadn’t gone that far back then.

 

Yan Wei set the glass down. Tan Zhaoxin’s voice and Jiang Mi’s from earlier overlapped in her mind.

 

What was she feeling now? Maybe it wasn’t so bad. Or maybe it was so bad she could go insane.

 

The night was dark, and time rewound to before the rain began.

 

Jiang Mi stood a few meters away from her, wearing a simple white dress. The wind lifted her skirt, revealing pale calves that looked fragile under the dim light.

 

Jiang Mi always gave that impression.

 

The rain outside suddenly grew heavier. Raindrops on the glass sounded like a drumbeat—

 

Over and over. Dense and unrelenting.

 

Yan Wei took a deep breath.

 

She remembered hearing Jiang Mi sigh. Then her voice—so powerful it brought back the beat of her own heart from that night.

 

“I admit I did it on purpose today. I just wanted to try… I don’t know what you’re thinking. You seem to be pushing me away, but you don’t want me close to anyone else either. Don’t you think that’s unfair to me?”

 

“But I’ve thought about it. This whole situation… it’s not all your fault. Because I never actually said it.”

 

What was she nervous about? Yan Wei couldn’t tell.

 

She sensed danger—an uncontrollable emotion rising from her heart, her organs, her brain.

 

Like a net suddenly cast over her, ready to ensnare her at any moment.

 

“Ms. Yan.”

 

In that instant, the world was silent. So she heard it clearly.

 

“I like you.”

 

Jiang Mi said.

 

“I like you.”