After My Contract Marriage with the Aloof Omega (GL , ABO) - Chapter 7
However, by evening, Fu Yumian still hadn’t gotten to enjoy the small pork chops. She had left in a hurry but didn’t take Han Tian with her, instead leaving her by Lu Qingzhuo’s side.
During the day, all the carpets in the villa had been replaced with handmade Irish lambswool. Lu Qingzhuo stepped on them, feeling the luxurious softness of the premium carpet, and was tempted to kick off her shoes and run a lap around the living room.
But with Han Tian following her closely, fulfilling her role as a “bodyguard” to the utmost, she restrained herself.
“Assistant Han, how much is your monthly salary?”
Lu Qingzhuo couldn’t suppress her gossipy curiosity. Yeye, tired from playing, lay at her feet fiddling with a plush toy, while Han Tian sat primly across from her, reviewing documents on her laptop and occasionally glancing her way.
Following the CEO through thick and thin every day, Han Tian had clearly become Fu Yumian’s most trusted aide, her salary must be substantial. Not to mention the Rolex on her wrist, which cost at least 200,000 yuan.
At Lu Qingzhuo’s question, Han Tian adjusted her glasses and deftly deflected the question to Fu Yumian: “That depends entirely on the CEO’s mood.”
Lu Qingzhuo: “…”
Rich people’s dramas really were different, even salaries depended on the employer’s whims. This made Lu Qingzhuo slightly worried about her own monthly allowance of 20 million.
Han Tian seemed to sense her concern and flashed an impeccable smile. “But don’t worry, Madam. The CEO deposits your living expenses into your account every month. If it’s not enough, I can request an increase on your behalf.”
Lu Qingzhuo: “!!!”
Did assistants really have that much authority?
“Did the CEO go on another business trip?” Lu Qingzhuo kneaded Yeye’s soft, meaty ears, hugged the dog’s head, and planted a few loud kisses before asking in confusion, “She just got back is she really that busy every day?”
“The agreement states that neither party shall interfere in the other’s private life,” Han Tian replied smoothly, clearly unwilling to disclose Fu Yumian’s schedule. She smiled. “Please don’t make things difficult for me, Madam.”
“Oh.” Lu Qingzhuo had nearly forgotten about that. Hearing Han Tian recite the clause like she was quoting the civil code, she guessed this was also Fu Yumian’s doing and could only nod. “You’ve worked hard.”
Han Tian nodded. “It’s my duty.”
Lu Qingzhuo sprawled bonelessly on the sofa while Yeye climbed up and rested its fluffy white head on her stomach, nudging her palm with its wet nose, urging her to pet it.
“Good boy, you’re so heavy.”
At this, Yeye’s perky ears instantly drooped. Seeing this, Lu Qingzhuo quickly hugged the dog and cooed in a high-pitched voice, “Oh, baby, you’re so adorable not heavy at all! You’re the cutest little sweetheart~”
Yeye immediately perked its soft ears back up and snuggled into Lu Qingzhuo’s arms, rubbing against her enthusiastically.
Witnessing this scene, Han Tian began reporting the day’s tasks to Fu Yumian.
Han Tian: [CEO, Madam says your dog is fat.]
After putting away her laptop, Han Tian left the living room. Bored and alone, Lu Qingzhuo went to the bar and opened a bottle of vintage wine from the 1960s.
This over 1,000-square-meter villa had already been transferred under her name, and Han Tian had assured her that she could freely open bottles of wine worth millions each. She could throw parties on the first floor with as many people as she liked even bathing in million-yuan bottles of wine would be fine if that’s what she wanted.
Such extravagance this was the decadent life of those at the very top of the pyramid. Lu Qingzhuo, however, was a frugal and responsible alpha. She would never allow such wasteful indulgence to happen to herself.
Sitting at the bar counter, Lu Qingzhuo poured herself half a glass of wine, propped her chin on one hand, and opened her phone to scroll through her chat history with Shen Shijun.
Shen Shijun seemed to genuinely like her, apparently unbothered by the negative impact of her controversial, love-hate public image.
Preparations for her new project had already begun. Lu Qingzhuo skimmed through the digital script sent to her email, the setting was a lush, green manor from the last century.
She was cast as the manor owner’s only daughter, gorgeous yet spoiled. At eighteen, she was sent to the countryside as the heir to toughen up, where she encountered a mysterious female landlord in a small town.
The story seemed rather bland at this point. Lu Qingzhuo took a small sip of wine, preparing to read further, when a WeChat notification chimed.
Mom: [You brat, why haven’t you sent money this month yet?]
Lu Qingzhuo opened the chat and, confirming that this was indeed a message from her own mother, felt her heart instantly sink. Her expression darkened.
She still carried the original owner’s memories this omega was her mother, who had developed a gambling addiction after marrying her alpha father. She had quickly squandered the family fortune, but because of her beauty, her father had no choice but to indulge her. He died under the wheels of a truck while working to earn money.
Li Xuelan couldn’t resist the itch to gamble. After burning through the compensation money, she racked up tens of millions in gambling debts, relentlessly draining her daughter, Lu Qingzhuo. Every penny she had earned from acting over the years had gone toward paying off Li Xuelan’s debts.
Now Lu Qingzhuo finally understood why she had been forced to film over a dozen terrible movies a year, it was all to pay off her leech of a mother’s debts. Otherwise, Li Xuelan would threaten her career, exposing all her private affairs to ruin her reputation.
After recalling everything about Li Xuelan, Lu Qingzhuo was so furious she felt her chest tighten. She pressed a hand to her sternum, trying to steady her breathing, as she stared at their chat history.
Their conversations were sparse mostly just transfers from the original owner and receipts from Li Xuelan, interspersed with abusive messages.
Lu Qingzhuo checked the transfer amounts not a single one was under 100,000 yuan. The largest was from two months ago, a full million.
And these were just the WeChat transactions. She couldn’t even imagine how staggering the amounts from other channels might be.
No wonder the original owner didn’t own a single decent luxury item, she had been handing over every hard-earned cent to Li Xuelan without question.
On the other end, Li Xuelan seemed to have lost patience and started bombarding Lu Qingzhuo with messages.
[Where the hell are you?]
[Why haven’t you sent the money yet?]
[I’m not asking for much this time, if you can’t even spare 200,000, you might as well drop dead.]
Lu Qingzhuo watched with indifference as the other party bombarded her with message after message, nothing but demands for money and verbal abuse. Her fists clenched in anger, though for now she couldn’t think of a better way to deal with the situation.
An idea suddenly struck her. Lu Qingzhuo took a screenshot of their chat and sent it to Fu Yumian, rubbing her eyes dramatically for effect as she typed out her grievances with feigned distress.
Lu Qingzhuo: [President Fu, I had no choice but to come to you…]
Lu Qingzhuo: [Please, you have to help me. I really don’t know what to do anymore.]
The more critical the situation, the more Lu Qingzhuo needed to play the role of the vulnerable and helpless victim. The last thing she should do was confront the issue head-on, what if the original owner of this body had some dirt in Li Xuelan’s hands? That would be disastrous.
Right now, the only person Lu Qingzhuo could rely on was Fu Yumian. At this moment, she was the most trustworthy ally.
Fu Yumian, who was visiting Shen Shijun’s home, heard her phone buzz on the table. She opened it to find a screenshot sent by Lu Qingzhuo.
Shen Shijun, who had been pondering over a new script, noticed Fu Yumian’s expression darkening as she stared at her phone. Curious, she leaned over. “What’s wrong, President Fu? Who’s got you so worked up this time? Don’t tell me it’s your dear little Lu again?”
Shen Shijun had always been cheeky. Ever since she found out about Fu Yumian’s marriage to Lu Qingzhuo, she couldn’t resist teasing her about divorce. But after actually meeting Lu Qingzhuo once, all of Shen Shijun’s disapproval had vanished.
Who wouldn’t like a sweet-talking, stunningly beautiful alpha with an exceptional figure?
“It’s a family matter,” Fu Yumian replied calmly, never one to hide things from those close to her. “Lu Qingzhuo’s mother is trying to blackmail her. She couldn’t find a way out, so she came to me for help.”
“Little Lu? Blackmail? Her mother?” Shen Shijun was stunned. “Didn’t you look into her family background before marrying her?”
Fu Yumian replied evenly, “She doesn’t have a father. Her mother treated her poorly, she’s an alcoholic and a gambler, drowning in debt.”
Shen Shijun couldn’t help but sigh. “Then… who knows how much hardship she’s endured to get where she is now. You have to help her.”
Fu Yumian returned home quickly, her clothes carrying the faint, sweet scent of gardenia pheromones.
Lu Qingzhuo was curled up barefoot on the sofa, motionless. She hugged her knees with her back to the door, not reacting even as Fu Yumian approached and sat beside her.
The sofa dipped slightly under Fu Yumian’s weight. Sensing the movement, Lu Qingzhuo turned her head to look at her. Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her delicate nose tinged pink, as if she had just been crying.
“President Fu…”
Her voice, usually so alluring, now sounded hoarse and thick with emotion, laced with a heavy nasal tone.
“President Fu, please., help me!”
She clutched her phone tightly, showing Fu Yumian the dozens of missed calls from Li Xuelan. Biting her lower lip in distress, she let out a soft sob. “I really… don’t know what to do anymore…”
“Throughout my years in the industry, nearly all the money I’ve earned has gone toward paying off her gambling debts,” Lu Qingzhuo set down his phone and looked up pitifully at Fu Yumian, as if wanting to reach out and cling to the other man’s legs, but ultimately lowered his head in shame. “I… I truly had no other choice but to come to you.”
His pale, slender calves dangled above the floor, rounded toes pressing into the newly replaced carpet. The wine-red nail polish covering his neat, oval nails made them look delicate, beautiful, and somewhat sensual.
His hands were equally attractive.
Fu Yumian averted his gaze, but the first thought that came to mind was that he still wasn’t wearing shoes.