After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, the Movie Queen Just Wants to Pamper Her Wife (LILY, ABO) - Chapter 3

As Meng Chuwu passed through the grand hall, a maid named Chen Lanying was walking by, holding a tray of used wine glasses. When she saw her mistress, she quickly stopped in her tracks.

“If Yanyan wakes up, come find me in the front garden,” Meng Chuwu said. She thought the girl’s features looked a little familiar.

Chen Lanying lowered her head slightly and answered, “Understood, Miss Meng.”

“You, um…”

Chen Lanying caught the meaning behind her gaze and quietly said, “I took a suppressant in advance. I’m fine.”

Her soft and slightly shy manner reminded Meng Chuwu of her assistant. The resemblance was there, though this maid wore a formal uniform and had her hair neatly pinned up, unlike her ponytail-wearing assistant.

Chen Lanying was an Omega. She had not been working here long and still found it hard to look directly into her mistress’s striking eyes.

Since she knew that Miss Meng might release pheromones on her wedding night, she had prepared ahead of time and taken a suppressant to protect herself from being affected.

Meng Chuwu walked past the young maid without another word. Her steps, guided by an unfamiliar sense of instinct, led her slowly forward. After a few minutes and one more turn, she arrived at the front garden. A pond lay nestled there, surrounded by lush flowers and jagged decorative rocks. The sound of water flowing added a soothing calm to the quiet night. The soft garden lights made everything shimmer gently.

The breeze was still cool. Along the path, small flowering crabapples were blooming. Based on this, she guessed that the seasons in this world must match those of the world she came from.

She reached into her pocket without thinking and, as expected, found a phone.

She turned it on. The date showed April twenty-first. It was the same night she had collapsed on set. The time was nearly eleven o’clock.

She turned back to glance at the main house. It was brightly lit even from dozens of meters away. The three-story building looked enormous, and the courtyard she stood in felt just as vast.

Both versions of herself were film queens, but Meng Chuwu could not help sighing. Clearly, this scumbag Alpha version of her had a lot more money. Just one look at this estate told her everything she needed to know.

As she passed a white swing covered in blooming vines, she stopped and sat down.

All the guests had already left. This was a quiet enough place to think clearly.

Just remembering that the character she now embodied was fated to die within three chapters made her shudder and hug her arms around herself.

“Why did I end up in a novel? Can I even go back?” She stared at the water where light and shadow rippled together. “That voice in my mind earlier… what was that?”

“Meow!” A white cat suddenly jumped into the empty seat beside her.

“Where did this stray cat come from?” Meng Chuwu was about to pet it, but something about the cat’s showy appearance made her stop. It looked like trouble. If it scratched her, she would be the one in pain.

“I am not a stray! Can you not see how noble I look?”

That flirtatious voice. It was the exact same one that had spoken in her head earlier to congratulate her on entering the world of The Film Queen Meng Chuwu.

A talking cat. Meng Chuwu instinctively leaned to the side in shock and asked, “Who are you? How can you speak in my mind?”

“I am not some street cat, thank you very much. I am a certified, show-quality Scottish Fold with noble lineage.” The white cat let out another meow, sounding even more dramatic than the most spoiled actress she had ever worked with.

Meng Chuwu stared at this overly charming little creature. Was she losing her mind?

“You are not losing your mind, Meng. Not yet.”

She forgot to respond. How could this cat read her thoughts?

“Didn’t you just ask why you ended up in a novel and whether you could return? I was summoned to answer those questions for you. Meow.”

That seductive voice echoed not just in her head but as if it were being whispered into her ear. Feminine, sticky sweet, and unmistakably dramatic, it matched the exaggerated little cat beside her perfectly.

“Who are you really?” Meng Chuwu forced herself to stay calm. Years of experience in the entertainment industry had prepared her for all kinds of strange situations. After a brief shock, she regained her composure.

“My name is Athena.”

“A cat named Athena? Why would a stray be called that?”

“I already told you, I am not a stray. I am the representative of the Cannon Fodder Alpha Redemption System.”

Under the light near the swing, Meng Chuwu studied the plump and round creature more closely. The cat wore a delicate scarf. Her mouth and nose were somewhere between red and black. Her fur was mostly snow white, except for a few darker patches on her face that looked suspiciously like blush. Her floppy ears had black markings at the base. Her coloring was far from perfect, yet she claimed to be noble. Truly a shameless little thing.

“Now, I will allow you to answer my questions,” Meng Chuwu said, completely slipping into her usual queen-like persona.

“Hmph.” Athena realized this woman would not be easy to manage.

These power games between women always lasted longer than expected.

“Fine. You are noble. Sure,” Meng Chuwu said to the air, choosing to play along.

Athena leaped down from the swing gracefully and said, “Miss Meng, surely you realize that you died from overwork, right?”

That single sentence made Meng Chuwu completely lose her composure. In her mind, she shouted, “What? I died from working too hard? Seriously?”

“No amount of swearing will change that. Who told you to work like a machine? Eight years since your debut. Tell me, have you given your body even two days of rest in all that time? No. You panic when you rest for even a day. So tell me, how is sudden death unexpected?”

Athena laid out the facts without mercy. And Meng Chuwu had no way to refute them. Everything she said was true. Eight years of relentless work had earned her a billion in the bank and an early grave.

“So what you are saying is, I cannot go back?”

Athena rolled her eyes dramatically. “Have you ever seen someone return from the dead?”

“You are looking at one.” Meng Chuwu reached out and stroked the cat’s head. It was soft. The texture felt surprisingly pleasant.

“Please do not casually touch my noble head.”

“Aren’t cats supposed to like having their heads rubbed?”

“I am not your average alley cat, alright?”

“Then, noble Athena, can you now tell me why I was sent into this novel?”

What she really wanted to know, of course, was whether there was a way to survive more than three chapters.

“Well, that starts with my mission. I belong to the Cannon Fodder Alpha Redemption System.”

Cannon Fodder Alpha Redemption System. Meng Chuwu felt a spark of hope but kept her tone neutral. “Are you a cat or a system?”

Athena looked irritated at being interrupted and pressed a paw against her hand. “Woman, listen to me.”

“Go ahead.”

“You already know you are in the world of The Film Queen Meng Chuwu, right? The publishing platform noticed that the title did not match the content. The main character is not you, but Xi Xiaoyan. They asked the author to change the title or rewrite the story. The author refused, saying creative freedom is a basic right. She claimed that in her story outline, Xi Xiaoyan spends her entire life affected by this relationship. Even after the scumbag Alpha dies, her mark remains on Xi Xiaoyan. So the title still makes sense.”

The platform and the author disagreed. In the end, the novel remained unfinished. The author quit, leaving the story incomplete and full of contradictions.

“That was when you came in. You had just died but still desperately wanted to live. The system picked you as the best candidate. Your job is to guide the story toward a proper narrative, cleanse the plot, and restore a balanced tone.”

“So, I’m safe now?” Meng Chuwu’s tightly clenched hands began to relax.

“No. If your choices continue to take the story in the wrong direction, the novel will be removed permanently. And you will disappear with it.”

Athena gave her a sharp look. “Do you understand now? You are not safe. You have to become the real female lead. Only then will the plot align, and the story gain a positive tone. That is the only way you will survive. Why do you think I, the Cannon Fodder Alpha Redemption System, was sent here?”

“So, I have to become the heroine. Does that mean I have to live happily ever after with Xi Xiaoyan?” Meng Chuwu looked up at the night sky.

Did this mean that, as someone still deeply closeted, she was going to fall in love with Xi Xiaoyan?

This world was quite ideal. Love between women carried no social stigma or moral burden.

But Meng Chuwu still deeply resented the original host’s past. She felt that the body of the former scumbag Alpha was not clean and unworthy of someone as beautiful and pure as Xi Xiaoyan.

“That’s right,” Athena replied. “But don’t look down on yourself. The heroine married you for a reason.”

For a moment, Meng Chuwu wasn’t sure whether Athena was responding to her spoken question or to the thoughts she had just now. “Wouldn’t it be easier for your people to just change the book’s title?”

She felt lost. Somehow, she had been given a second chance at life, but the outcome was still uncertain. Everything was filled with the unknown. Becoming an Alpha in this world felt unfamiliar and awkward. On top of that, her mind was now filled with fragments of the original character’s past. Nothing that happened in this world before tonight belonged to her. Many of those memories were unbearable, even disgusting.

What she didn’t know was that the worst parts had already been filtered out by the transmigration system. Anything extremely unhealthy or disturbing had been removed.

“Without the author’s permission, we can’t directly change the title or rewrite the plot. But since the story has stopped updating, we are allowed to reset the protagonist’s storyline, give her independent will, and let her work together with the original heroine toward a positive narrative. That way, we purify the tone and correct the story’s direction.”

“So what you’re saying is, you select someone like me to co-write the rest of the story through how we live it?”

“Exactly. As the newly chosen main character, you have to actively seek survival and avoid dying early.”

“You make it sound like I have no choice at all.”

“That’s one way to put it. If you sign a contract with me, I can help you survive in this world.”

“You’ll help me?” Meng Chuwu was skeptical. It all sounded too easy. In her early career, when she was still new to the industry, she had suffered a lot due to unfair contracts.

“Although we’ve reset your timeline and brought you back to the beginning of the novel, the characters inside are still heavily influenced by the original plot. It’s easy for everyone to fall back into the same patterns. If your scumbag traits return and you hurt the heroine again, she will break down emotionally and mentally.”

“You seem to be forgetting that I’m not the original character from the book.” Meng Chuwu was firm. She truly wanted to live, but not by signing some vague contract that left her powerless.

She was unwilling. After giving so much of her life to hard work, she had died before enjoying even a single day of true happiness.

In what remained of her life, she didn’t want to be bound by any form of contract. She wanted freedom. She wanted to take control of her fate.

“You’re right. You’re not from the novel. You were admired and capable in your past life. You have the potential to build a better future with the heroine than the author ever imagined. That’s why the system chose you. It’s a mutual agreement. Now, are you ready to sign and become the true heroine? Once you sign, you and the original scumbag Alpha will merge into one.”

“Miss Meng!” came a voice calling her name. It was Chen Lanying.

The voice in Meng Chuwu’s mind disappeared instantly. She looked beside her and saw the supposedly noble Scottish Fold now curled up neatly, tail wrapped around its body. Sitting calmly like that, it actually did look a bit elegant rather than seductive.

“Did Yanyan wake up?” Meng Chuwu asked as she looked toward the maid. Chen Lanying’s expression was perfectly neutral. It seemed she couldn’t hear the cat’s voice.

“No, she hasn’t,” Chen Lanying replied as she approached. “I just thought Miss Meng might want something to help sober up, so I mixed some honey and warm milk.”

“Thank you.” Meng Chuwu smiled gently. This young maid really did remind her of her assistant. She felt a strange sense of comfort, as if meeting someone familiar in a foreign place.

Chen Lanying looked overwhelmed and awkward under her gaze. After a moment, she fumbled to place the glass on the white iron table beside the swing. Standing straight again, she held the tray at her waist and bowed her head slightly, stammering, “It… it was nothing.”

That was when she noticed the cat sitting next to Meng Chuwu.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “What an adorable cat!”

“Her name is Axi,” Meng Chuwu said, giving the cat another playful rub on the head.

“Axi!” Chen Lanying’s eyes lit up with stars. She was touched that Miss Meng had named the cat after her wife, using the same surname. It seemed she really loved her.

Athena let out several indignant meows, clearly objecting.

Meng Chuwu ignored the protest and said to Chen Lanying, “It’s getting late. You should go rest. No need to stay with me.”

“Alright.” Chen Lanying stepped back, then turned and ran lightly into the night.

People had once whispered that Meng Chuwu only hired her because of her looks.

But Chen Lanying believed that her mistress had genuinely wanted to help her escape a difficult past and find a better life.

Meng Chuwu watched the direction she disappeared into, then found herself thinking about her assistant again. The way they both startled easily was so similar.

“Axi, I’m tired. You should head back. Let me think about the contract. By the way, how do I summon you in the future? Can I just call for Axi?”

She figured the cat must have been hiding in the house earlier.

Otherwise, how else could she have appeared at just the right moment to explain everything?

A cat who liked watching people kiss in secret could not be too decent.

Meng Chuwu didn’t want to sign a strange contract. She didn’t want to merge with the scumbag Alpha.

It was always wise to leave a backup plan. She had only just arrived in this new world. Who knew what dangers it might hold?

“My name is Athena!” the cat growled, eyes narrowing.

Meng Chuwu ignored the frustration. “Axi is your new name, given by me.”

“Today you act like you don’t care. Tomorrow, you won’t be worthy to speak to me! Goodbye.”

The white cat leapt from the swing and disappeared into the darkness.

Meng Chuwu picked up the glass. It was still warm in her hand.

Looking up at the night sky, she wondered if she could divorce Xi Xiaoyan.

If she could, then she wouldn’t have to sign anything at all. That contract must come with hidden restrictions. Even Axi had said it was a matter of mutual interest. Clearly, if the story went along the original plotline, it would all fall apart. Maybe divorce was actually the smartest way forward.

In a new world like this, every decision had to be made carefully.