After Getting Pregnant, I Fought for a Divorce from My Alpha - Chapter 15
At what was once a relatively quiet dining table, the sudden clatter of cutlery against a plate broke the silence with a sharp clang.
Looking up from the cat videos sent by his housekeeper, Cheng Youyi raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “What’s wrong?”
On Shen Xiao’s phone screen, his chat with his assistant Liu Qing was open. The assistant had reported everything about An Xiangdi in full detail, promptly and thoroughly.
Liu Qing: Bro, Royal Entertainment accepted a project for Teacher An with Director Qiu Cheng. Fans are fighting with the company over the billing and it’s already on the hot search.
Liu Qing: [link]
Liu Qing: [link]
The links Liu Qing sent explained the situation thoroughly enough, though Shen Xiao knew the behind-the-scenes story was definitely more complicated.
When no answer came, Cheng Youyi closed the cat video. “Shen ge, your face is so dark right now, I thought you were about to kill me.”
“One day,” Shen Xiao said.
“Huh?”
“One day. I want to know who the person in the photo is.”
Shen Xiao’s lips were tightly pressed together, his sharp features radiating an intimidating aura—completely unlike his usual self.
The original three-day deadline had suddenly been reduced to one, and seeing the change in Shen Xiao’s expression, Cheng Youyi knew he was genuinely furious. He didn’t dare joke anymore and silently began assigning tasks to his subordinates.
After ending the call, An Xiangdi took a few deep breaths in front of the mirror to make sure his expression didn’t look too unpleasant before returning to the private room—only to find the atmosphere had completely shifted.
The issue had blown up on the trending search. Shen Xiao had most likely already learned the full story.
Saying nothing, An Xiangdi pulled out a chair and sat down, placing his phone face-down on the table and stabbing at the leftover steak pieces like they were Li Guan, butchered beyond recognition.
“Full?” Shen Xiao broke the silence with a calm question.
“Yeah.” Even if he wasn’t, he had no appetite now.
Shen Xiao stood up. “Let’s go.”
“Alright. Shen ge, this one’s on me!” Cheng Youyi offered, sensing the heavy mood between them. It was the least he could do, especially after freeloading several meals off Shen Xiao abroad.
Shen Xiao grunted in acknowledgment, pulled An Xiangdi up by the wrist, and led him out of the restaurant.
They walked silently through the dim alley back toward the hotel. An Xiangdi, feeling suffocated by the silence, stared at the bugs swarming around the few shabby old street lamps until his vision was suddenly covered.
“You’re gonna ruin your eyes staring like that,” Shen Xiao murmured, his palm warm.
An Xiangdi pressed his lips together. After a long pause, he gently moved Shen Xiao’s hand away. “You found out.”
“Yeah.”
“How rare. You’re not even trying to talk me out of it today.” An Xiangdi was a little surprised. Normally, if he mentioned switching agencies, they’d end up in a multi-day cold war.
“Even if I tried, would you listen?” Shen Xiao replied calmly.
An Xiangdi heard the faint trace of resentment in his tone. “I told you before I’d terminate the contract. Now I’ve changed my mind.”
Shen Xiao’s lips tightened, and his expression darkened.
An Xiangdi kept a straight face but was secretly laughing inside. He leaned in close to Shen Xiao’s ear and whispered, “I’m going to terminate the contract without spending a single cent. And I’ll make them kneel to apologize to me.”
“I can make them kneel and apologize to you right now,” Shen Xiao’s voice oozed dominance, his previously tense expression softening.
Now it was An Xiangdi’s turn to be surprised. He stared at Shen Xiao for a moment and chuckled. “What kind of CEO cliché is that?”
“If you say so,” Shen Xiao didn’t mind playing the part of a domineering CEO for once.
“…Narcissist,” An Xiangdi teased.
Shen Xiao grabbed his fair wrist, pressing him against the wall and gently biting the gland at his nape, tasting a faint sweetness. “Let me know once it’s handled.”
“Got it.” An Xiangdi’s knees went weak the moment his gland was touched.
…
The next day, after finishing the second episode of Stage, An Xiangdi returned to Zongming City.
Given his usual temper, he would’ve stormed into the company and given Li Guan hell after being assigned a role by a director he despised. But An Xiangdi did nothing. Despite the storm online, he quietly stayed home for three full days.
It wasn’t just Xiao Gu who found it strange—even Li Guan was unnerved. If An Xiangdi had confronted him, it would’ve been better. But with nothing happening, he couldn’t sleep or eat in peace.
On the fourth day, Li Guan finally broke and called An Xiangdi.
“Hello, I got you a role in Director Qiu’s drama,” he blurted out, afraid An Xiangdi didn’t know.
“Where’s the script?” An Xiangdi asked, lounging on a chaise with a glass of freshly squeezed juice nearby.
If he were by the sea, he’d look like he was on vacation.
“…Huh?” Li Guan was caught off guard.
“The script. You want me to act, right? How am I supposed to do that without a script?” An Xiangdi put the call on speaker, tossed the phone aside, and turned on his Bluetooth speaker, letting classical piano music fill the air.
“…I’ll send it to your email tonight.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Yeah, yeah! Director Qiu scheduled a dinner with all the leads next week. I’ll send you the location later.”
“Mm. That it?”
Li Guan thought he heard wrong and checked his phone screen several times, even confirming with An Xiangdi again—who genuinely seemed to have agreed.
Once the call ended, An Xiangdi let out a snort of laughter. He could already imagine the expression on that idiot Li Guan’s face—probably worse than eating a fly.
…
Over the next few days, An Xiangdi went about his work at the company as usual, preparing for his new song release. Li Guan happened to be out doing promotions with Zhao Zeyun, so they didn’t cross paths.
On the day of the dinner, Xiao Gu personally drove An Xiangdi to the restaurant.
“…Teacher An.” Xiao Gu couldn’t understand An Xiangdi’s behavior lately. Today, it was obvious he’d dressed up—wearing a brand-new dark green suit and a luxurious silver pen clipped to his chest pocket.
But more than confusion, Xiao Gu was worried for his safety.
“Teacher An?” he asked again anxiously when he didn’t get a reply.
“What is it?” An Xiangdi finally looked up.
Xiao Gu hesitated, then gritted his teeth and asked, “Does Teacher Shen know about tonight’s dinner with Director Qiu?”
“Nope.” An Xiangdi hadn’t told Shen Xiao. The latter had been working overseas these past few days.
“Then—what if something happens? How am I supposed to explain this to him?!” Xiao Gu panicked, tempted to turn the car around immediately.
“It’s just a meal. And…” An Xiangdi paused, “Whether I get taken advantage of or not—that’s for me to decide.”
Xiao Gu blinked, glanced in the rearview mirror again, and felt like he saw something strange in An Xiangdi’s expression. But with another blink, it was gone.
…
The dinner was set at an upscale club in Zongming City. On the surface, it was a fine-dining venue, but behind the scenes, it also offered escort services.
Whether the other actors knew this or not, An Xiangdi was clear. When he first signed with Li Guan, he’d been asked to accompany investors here—only to end the night by dumping a bottle of wine on someone’s head.
By the time he arrived at the Lotus Hall, two leads were already seated beside Director Qiu Cheng, chatting happily.
“Well, if it isn’t our Xiangdi!” Qiu Cheng, his large belly leading the way, stood and reached out to grab him.
An Xiangdi smoothly avoided the gesture and sat down in the “fifth lead” seat. “Director Qiu, so polite. I’ve heard you’ve always wanted to work with me. What a coincidence—I’ve been wanting to work with you again, too. After all, last time didn’t go so well.”
“You two know each other?” one of the young actors asked.
“Wow! I’m a fan of Teacher An! Director Qiu, you’ve got amazing connections!”
The two yet-to-debut lead actors piled on compliments for both An Xiangdi and Qiu Cheng.
An Xiangdi didn’t think they were clever—just pitiful. To survive in showbiz, they had to learn to flatter anyone and everyone.
Qiu Cheng’s smile looked strained. The moment An Xiangdi mentioned their previous collaboration, his scalp started tingling.
An Xiangdi took a calm sip of water.
Qiu Cheng’s directing was terrible, and he was greedy and lecherous. Though married for over a decade, he still slept around with young stars. Yet, thanks to his long-standing industry connections, he had plenty of decent resources.
Many naive young artists fell into his trap—lured by initial opportunities, only to be taken advantage of and later silenced with threats.
An Xiangdi had met him a year into his acting career. Qiu Cheng had approached him with a decent script. Initially interested, An Xiangdi reconsidered after the director tried to get handsy. He didn’t hold back—dislocating Qiu Cheng’s shoulder in front of over a hundred crew members.
The incident had stirred up the entire industry. Word was, Qiu Cheng used every connection he had to cover it up—otherwise, it would’ve been a trending scandal.
Remembering it now made An Xiangdi’s hands itch, while Qiu Cheng’s arm began to ache just from the memory.
Clutching his elbow, Qiu Cheng thought about how long he’d endured and about the “delicious prey” now right in front of him. There was no way he’d give up.
Before long, the supporting actors for the second male and female leads arrived. After some small talk, the dinner officially began.
…
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Shen Xiao received a message from Cheng Youyi.
Rich Heir: Shen ge, your hubby’s having dinner with Qiu Cheng.
Rich Heir: A Hongmen banquet, huh～
Rich Heir: You worried?
Shen Xiao: Shut up. Do your job.
Rich Heir: …
Rich Heir: Shen ge, show me some love!
Rich Heir: I found everything about that little Omega Zhao Zeyun you asked for.
Rich Heir: I also handled those shares you wanted.
Rich Heir: No ox or horse works harder than me!
Rich Heir: I had more to tell you, but now—
Rich Heir: I’m keeping my mouth shut!
Shen Xiao: Spit it out.
Rich Heir: …
Rich Heir: Your hubby’s new song demo—keep an eye on it.
Shen Xiao’s gaze locked on that last line, ignoring his manager Hua Jiang’s voice droning from another phone about tomorrow’s schedule—he didn’t hear a single word.