After My Contract Marriage with the Aloof Omega (GL , ABO) - Chapter 2
Inside the van, Xie Yun watched as Lu Qingzhuo furiously tapped on her phone screen, deleting and rewriting messages to send to her haters, her focus so intense it seemed like she was in the midst of a fierce battle. Unable to hold back any longer, Xie Yun spoke up, “Lu Lu, why don’t we just hire some paid trolls? Look at you, your fingers are turning red from all this tapping. If you don’t feel bad for yourself, I do.”
“What’s the point of wasting money on trolls?” Lu Qingzhuo retorted, eyes glued to a comment with over ten thousand likes as she typed away, a lollipop dangling from her mouth. “These people are just bored out of their minds, spewing nonsense like they’ve eaten rotten fish.”
“But Lu Lu,” Xie Yun hesitated, “you never used to engage with these haters before. Why are you so active these days? The company has professionals to handle these negative comments, you don’t need to bother with them.”
“Just killing time and practicing my comebacks. These people are free practice targets, might as well make use of them.”
Lu Qingzhuo wasn’t worried about anyone noticing she was no longer the same person inside. She pulled out a compact mirror from her bag and reapplied her lipstick. Just then, her phone rang like a death knell.
The only person who ever called her directly was her manager, Su Lan.
Glancing at the screen, she confirmed it was indeed Su Lan calling. Unhurried, she answered the call, only to be met with a voice that sounded like thunder.
“Lu Qingzhuo, you went and left another stupid comment, didn’t you?”
“Lan Jie, no, that was my cat accidentally pressing the screen.”
Xie Yun listened in horror as Su Lan roared through the phone, “You—! You’re going to be the death of me! I leave you alone for one day, and you pull this kind of stunt!”
“Lan Jie, I know you’re worried about me, but the safest route the company takes is just throwing money at trolls. If that’s the case, I might as well respond to them myself.”
Su Lan on the other end seemed momentarily stunned by Lu Qingzhuo’s words. Disbelieving, she snapped, “Do you have any idea how much damage this could do to you? I’ve already pieced together what happened. Even if Ye Shutong ruined your dress, you shouldn’t have humiliated her in public like that!”
Lu Qingzhuo thought about it. True, for a rising star, this would be a major setback. But her reputation was already in the gutter even if she posted about volunteering in a disaster zone in the morning, by afternoon, people would accuse her of clout-chasing.
“Lan Jie, I know I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”
Her tone was sincere, as if she truly regretted her recklessness. But to Xie Yun, her boss looked anything but remorseful sucking on her lollipop, her eyes devoid of any guilt, as if she were watching the rise of an underdog protagonist in a revenge story.
After hanging up, Lu Qingzhuo immediately reverted to her pre-call demeanor. She crunched the last bit of her lollipop, swallowed it, then pinched the flesh on her stomach.
Flat, firm, no excess fat but still not good enough. She wanted defined abs.
No longer in the mood for sweets, Lu Qingzhuo took a sip of water and lay down. The windows were shut tight, the air conditioning blasting cold air. Feeling the chill, she curled up slightly. Xie Yun, ever attentive, draped a cashmere blanket over her.
The luxury van glided silently toward Mingsha Villa, a pilgrimage site for countless visitors, the private estate of the Fu family, C Nation’s wealthiest clan. Home to numerous renowned directors and tycoons from home and abroad, its heir was now set to become her marriage partner: Fu Yumian.
This was an absurd and laughable union. When Lu Qingzhuo woke up in this world, the first thing she saw was the icy face on the computer screen. The omega’s frigid gaze sent an involuntary shiver down her spine, leaving her speechless for a good ten seconds.
She still remembered that night, Fu Yumian’s assistant, Han Tian, standing respectfully beside her, her sharp eyes boring into Lu’s hand as she pressed her fingerprint onto the document.
These people were terrifying. Compared to them, Lu Qingzhuo was like a scraggly pheasant among phoenixes unsophisticated and utterly out of her depth.
Even in her past life, where she had rubbed shoulders with high society and powerful figures, none could match the aura of the omega on that screen.
She was noble, breathtaking, her entire demeanor exuding the refinement of someone raised in luxury. Soft light haloed her snow-white cheeks, her jawline sharp and defined. A single careless glance from her could pierce straight through a person’s heart.
Lu Qingzhuo was stunned but not by the fact that this Fu CEO wanted a contractual marriage with her. No, what left her gaping were the terms laid out before her.
She read the contract from start to finish, not missing a single punctuation mark. By the end, her jaw nearly hit the floor.
Han Tian stood nearby, closely observing Lu’s reactions, surprised by how well the woman was taking it all in.
“Miss Lu, have you finished reviewing? If everything is acceptable, we can proceed with signing and fingerprinting.”
“Wait! I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
Lu took a deep breath to steady her racing heart, then pointed at the clause stating, “20 million monthly allowance deposited into bank account.” Tentatively, she asked, “Assistant Han, on what day of the month will your CEO transfer the money? Without a specific date, I don’t feel secure.”
Han Tian: “…”
Thankfully, Fu Yumian had already logged off. If she had heard this money-grubbing alpha’s words, she might’ve flown into a rage and docked Han’s salary.
The life of an employee was truly bitter.
“The CEO has arranged for the first of every month,” Han replied, forcing a smile to protect her meager annual income. “But we can adjust it to your preference.”
Lu nodded as if pacified, feigning composure. Then her finger moved to the next line: “100 billion RMB deposited upon divorce.” Her eyes locked onto the words “100 billion,” and she pinched her thigh hard.
It hurt.
This wasn’t a dream.
“So this 100 billion… I get it as soon as the two-year marriage period ends?”
“Correct,” Han confirmed. “The moment the marriage concludes, the full amount will be yours.”
“Is there a deposit or something? I mean, 100 billion isn’t pocket change. Signing this with your CEO feels like signing a slave contract, it’s making me nervous.”
Han’s smile was strained to the point of cracking. She had dealt with plenty of difficult clients in business, relying on her silver tongue to seal deals. But today, she had finally met her match.
As expected, President Fu has unique taste. Originally planning to marry a scandal-ridden, money-grubbing public figure with a terrible personality just to spite her grandfather, but this alpha before her seems to be on an entirely different level.
“If you need, I can certainly consult President Fu about this.”
Lu Qingzhuo glanced up at her, the corner of her right lip curling as she suppressed a smile: “No need to trouble you. I’ll speak with her personally after we’re married.”
“You must not have read the full agreement. It states that you and President Fu won’t live together and won’t interfere in each other’s private matters. Visiting President Fu’s private residence requires her prior consent.”
Lu Qingzhuo’s eyes widened slightly as they lingered on the final clause about mutual non-interference in private affairs.
No wonder she’d missed this crucial detail, her attention had been completely captured by that ten billion figure earlier.
Han Yian, mistaking her reaction for dissatisfaction, patiently explained: “President Fu has cleanliness OCD and won’t share living space with an alpha without romantic experience. So Ms. Lu, perhaps you should reconsider.”
A house, a car, and a beautiful wife depositing money into her account daily.
Most importantly, this beautiful wife neither controls her nor comes home.
How is this any different from marrying an ATM?
Was there really anything to reconsider?
Resting her chin on one hand, Lu Qingzhuo pondered briefly before asking softly: “I have one more question does President Fu have say, some white moonlight abroad? Or a deceased wife who looked like me? That sort of thing.”
Han Tian’s perfectly maintained professional expression cracked momentarily. Her lips twitched before she cleared her throat to regain composure: “Ms. Lu seems to have read too many domineering CEO novels. You can rest assured, President Fu has no white moonlight, let alone any deceased wives. Any other questions?”
Seeing the strained amusement on Han Tian’s face, Lu Qingzhuo decided not to torment this innocent employee further.
“Nothing for now. Let’s exchange contacts,” Lu Qingzhuo said, pulling out her phone to open WeChat. “Shall I scan you?”
After happily adding each other, Han Tian produced a brand new pale gold card from her briefcase. “Ms. Lu, this is the supplementary card President Fu prepared for you. Your monthly allowance will be deposited on the first, and the current balance should be more than sufficient.”
“How embarrassing,” Lu Qingzhuo said, her words contradicting her actions as she eagerly accepted the cool metal card. She flashed Han Tian a practiced smile. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now. I’d like to keep a copy of this contract.”
“Already prepared,” Han Tian said, producing the duplicate with a slight bow. “The villa you’re currently in has been transferred to your name, President Fu’s greeting gift.”
A luxury villa as a first-meeting present? Now that’s what I call sincerity.
Struggling to suppress her rising grin, Lu Qingzhuo avoided Han Tian’s gaze by propping her chin on her hand. “Please convey my thanks to President Fu. I’ll strictly adhere to all agreement terms without overstepping boundaries. She can rest assured.”
Then she got proven wrong her knack for attracting criticism was truly something else. Even a carefully crafted online post would get slammed as blatantly trying to ride the coattails of some A-list celebrity.
When Lu Qingzhuo casually posted a food selfie, she was accused of wasting food and staging photos.
The buzz skyrocketed, but this kind of notorious, controversy-driven fame made many brands hesitant to sign her as their spokesperson, afraid her anti-fans would rally and tarnish their reputation.
The only brand Lu Qingzhuo currently endorses is Aurora, a mid-to-high-end women’s watch under the Fu Corporation, marketed to the general public.
It symbolizes the aurora.
She wears the same watch to every public appearance because she knows the brand didn’t approach her without reason perhaps Fu Yumian, seeing how unworthy her status was, couldn’t stand it and decided to elevate her image.