Divorced from the Cold CEO Who Lived by the Rules (GL, ABO) - Chapter 3
Xu Zhen’s response encouraged Jiang Ruan, who then began pushing her luck.
A faint flame, fanned by the wind, instantly spread in all directions like wildfire. The scent of Jiang Ruan’s Alpha pheromones, unique to Xu Zhen’s senses, grew increasingly potent.
Thick as viscous honey, it threatened to drown her.
Xu Zhen began to feel dizzy. She closed her eyes, her long lashes casting delicate shadows on her pale face. She could hear her own heartbeat quickening, her breaths turning heavy.
This shouldn’t be happening, a rational voice in her mind warned Xu Zhen.
She already had thoughts of divorce, so now was the time to maintain distance and begin emotionally detaching.
Lingering attachments were not Xu Zhen’s style.
Her lashes fluttered slightly. Surrounded by darkness, only Jiang Ruan moved with effortless ease, like a seasoned huntress, while Xu Zhen was the helpless, pitiful prey in her grasp.
Xu Zhen struggled to rebuild her resolve, but an Alpha in rut wouldn’t easily let go of her wife. Jiang Ruan lifted Xu Zhen and placed her on the central island in the walk-in closet.
The cold touch of glass against her skin forcibly snapped Xu Zhen back to her senses.
“That’s enough.” Xu Zhen tried to mask the tremor in her voice, forcing an icy, detached expression. “If you can’t control yourself, go take suppressants.”
She met Jiang Ruan’s dazed gaze. “I’m not your cure.”
Jiang Ruan’s unfocused pupils sharpened, confusion flickering in her eyes as if puzzled by Xu Zhen’s sudden coldness. Not wanting to waste words, Xu Zhen jumped off the island and, once her feet touched the ground, strode straight toward the guest room.
It was late, and leaving immediately wasn’t wise.
The marital home was some distance from Xu Zhen’s own, and she was already exhausted.
Jiang Ruan caught up with her again. An unsatisfied Alpha wouldn’t give up so easily. She followed Xu Zhen into the bathroom, only to be shooed out, left standing dumbly at the door, tall and motionless.
Xu Zhen ignored her. After washing up, she opened the door to find Jiang Ruan already gone.
She exhaled imperceptibly, running her fingers through her dry, wavy hair before heading toward the large bed in the next room.
This was a guest room, sparse in amenities, but far better than lying stiffly beside Jiang Ruan. Betas didn’t have ruts; their hormones were stable. Without Jiang Ruan’s disturbances, she could finally get a good night’s sleep.
But as fate would have it, the moment the thought crossed her mind, the Alpha reappeared, now clad in a uniform, asking pointedly, “Do you like this one?”
Xu Zhen pressed her pale lips together, staring at Jiang Ruan in silence.
Jiang Ruan frowned. “You used to love it when I wore this.”
“I said, if you can’t control your pheromones, take suppressants.” Xu Zhen’s tone was unyielding. “Jiang Ruan, is that so hard to understand?”
“No,” Jiang Ruan replied, casually closing the door behind her. “I just don’t understand why you’ve lost interest in me.”
The woman’s usually composed face twisted in rare frustration, like a scholar stumped by an unsolvable riddle.
Xu Zhen smiled, a trace of coldness and self-mockery in her expression. “Bored.”
She tossed out the word decisively, then climbed into bed without another glance, wrapping herself in the thin blanket. She had work tomorrow and needed proper rest.
Jiang Ruan’s gaze fell on the sightless “cocoon,” wanting to approach it, but her phone rang abruptly. “Hello.”
“Alright, I’ll be right there.”
After hearing Jiang Ruan’s brief response, Xu Zhen then saw her look up and say, “I need to leave for a while. Go to sleep tonight, don’t wait for me.”
The person on the bed showed no reaction, and no footsteps sounded from below for a long while.
Xu Zhen closed her eyes, easily guessing the caller. Other than Xing Yan, Jiang Ruan wouldn’t be so gentle with anyone else.
And only Xing Yan would call Jiang Ruan for help in the dead of night.
Sometimes it was a headache, sometimes a stomachache, sometimes fainting the excuses were always varied.
Xu Zhen didn’t need to question the authenticity of Xing Yan’s ailments because even if they were fake, someone as sharp as Jiang Ruan would still gladly play along, tirelessly catering to her whims. What more could Xu Zhen say?
Xu Zhen’s breathing involuntarily slowed. She had thought she could remain unruffled, unaffected by anything anymore.
But the sharp, relentless pain in her chest quickly brought her back to reality.
She still couldn’t let go.
Love at first sight was a physiological attraction, a deep-seated genetic recognition and entanglement with the other person. So what use was a clear mind? It couldn’t deceive the body.
The body’s reaction laid everything bare, mercilessly exposing the emotions Xu Zhen had tried to bury and ignore.
Before long, footsteps finally reached Xu Zhen’s ears but instead of fading away, they approached directly, stopping right in front of her.
Xu Zhen’s breathing grew even slower. She kept her eyes shut, feigning indifference flawlessly.
“I’m heading out,” she heard Jiang Ruan say from above.
Did she really need a response? Xu Zhen frowned slightly but didn’t open her eyes. “Just go. No one’s stopping you.”
The impatience in her tone made Jiang Ruan’s relaxed brows furrow in turn. She crouched down, level with Xu Zhen’s face. “Don’t believe the nonsense the media spreads. Xing Yan and I are just friends.”
“There’s nothing beyond friendship between us.”
“Is that so?” Xu Zhen finally pried her eyelids apart. “That sounds so familiar. I bet your next line is, ‘If there was something between us, it would’ve happened long ago.'”
Xu Zhen smirked coldly. “Right?”
Jiang Ruan’s expression grew graver. She stared unblinkingly at Xu Zhen, who met her gaze just as stubbornly.
“Goodnight,” Jiang Ruan finally said before standing and leaving without another glance.
As the door clicked softly shut behind her, the room plunged into darkness. Xu Zhen closed her eyes, her heart turning cold.
Three years of marriage, nearly a thousand days yet the time she’d spent with Jiang Ruan paled in comparison to the few months since Xing Yan had returned…
–
At six in the morning, Xu Zhen woke up on schedule. Today, she had a beverage commercial to shoot. Skipping the breakfast prepared by Butler Zhao, she grabbed a new set of car keys and headed straight for Jiang Ruan’s garage, choosing the most understated luxury car available.
Jiang Ruan never restricted Xu Zhen’s access to material comforts everything of hers was freely available to Xu Zhen.
But that was all.
Xu Zhen should have been content. And in this regard, she had done well.
Before Xing Yan returned to the country, Xu Zhen was obedient, gentle, sensible, and considerate, never causing any conflicts with Jiang Ruan. That was the most harmonious and sweetest period between them.
The luxury car sped down the morning road, with no other vehicles on either side. Occasionally, joggers flashed by, but Xu Zhen paid them little attention.
The studio was quite far, and it took Xu Zhen about an hour and a half to arrive.
It was still early, and the pre-shoot preparations weren’t finished yet. So Xu Zhen sat in the car wearing a cap and a mask, waiting for her assistant’s message.
The assistant was late today. Nearing nine o’clock, she came running over, panting, “Sorry, Sister Zhen, I got stuck in traffic.”
Xu Zhen said it was fine, and the assistant handed her breakfast. “I figured you probably hadn’t eaten yet, so I prepared something for you in advance.”
“Let’s go in first,” Xu Zhen said, reaching to open the car door, but the assistant quickly stopped her.
Puzzled, Xu Zhen looked at her. The assistant’s eyes flickered nervously. “Maybe eat first before going in. I heard the director in charge of this shoot is really difficult, always yelling at and even hitting the staff…”
“Then I won’t eat,” Xu Zhen said, her narrow eyes darkening. “We’re almost late.”
“No, you can’t skip it!” The assistant raised her voice involuntarily before quickly composing herself. “I mean, your health is more important.”
Xu Zhen didn’t respond immediately. After a moment of thought, she asked, “Xiao Yang, are you hiding something from me?”
The assistant stayed silent. Xu Zhen pressed patiently, “Just say it. I can handle it.”
“Well…” The assistant hesitated for a long time before finally closing her eyes, steeling herself, and blurting out, “Sister Zhen, you’ve been replaced.”
“The female lead for this ad was changed last minute. If we go in now, we’ll just be humiliating ourselves.”
Xu Zhen’s mind buzzed. Her voice came out hoarse. “When did this happen?”
“Just now. When I got the call from Lei-ge, I was so relieved you hadn’t shown your face yet. Otherwise, they’d definitely be laughing at you.” The assistant’s tone was agitated. “That damn company is screwing you over on purpose, treating you like a fool.”
“Do you know who ended up getting this ad? Xue Long!”
“Xue Long is running wild these days. Most of the resources you’ve lost have gone straight to her. But of course, she has backing, and she’s a ‘noble’ Alpha. The company naturally favors her.”
The assistant’s rambling words swirled around Xu Zhen. She thought she’d feel heartbroken over losing the job, but instead, she didn’t.
In fact, she even felt a faint sense of relief.
When things like this happened too often, Xu Zhen had grown numb to them, her heart undisturbed.
“Brother Lei and the company just want to force you to back down and sign their unfair contract again.” At this point, the assistant paused before carefully suggesting, “Sister Zhen zhen, maybe!”
“You could go home and talk to President Jiang? Ask her to step in and help you?”