Phoenix A: Internet Sensation! ( GL , ABO) - Chapter 4
After setting her plan in motion, Shen Nian ignored Ji Xicheng’s emotional state, took a hot shower, and went straight to bed. She fell into a peaceful and satisfying sleep.
She didn’t read any messages, so she had no idea that Ji Xicheng spent the entire night tossing and turning.
Her mind was filled with one question. Why didn’t Shen Nian reply? Was she coming tomorrow or not?
Should she send a message to test the waters?
She picked up her phone and started typing something vague and indirect.
“If you want to come, then come. That’s what you meant, right?”
Three minutes passed. Still no reply. Ji Xicheng sat up in frustration and entered full message-spam mode.
“Silent treatment? Trying to act all cool now? That’s my alpha image you’re stealing.”
“Honestly, I don’t even care if you show up.”
“You’re such a show-off, Shen Nian. Don’t forget, you came to me tonight, not the other way around.”
“Fine. I admit it. I do want you to come.”
“Your acting is awful, and yet you still get lead roles. I want that too.”
“I still haven’t fallen asleep. Shen Nian, answer me.”
By the time morning came, Ji Xicheng looked like a wreck. She came downstairs with dark circles under her eyes, scaring the housekeeper.
The woman instinctively knew that today was not the day to mess with the young miss. She carried a heavy aura, darker than a ghost.
While drying her hands with a tissue, the housekeeper gently suggested,
“Miss, would you like to wash up first? Breakfast will be ready soon.”
Ji Xicheng didn’t even look up. She simply let out a cold grunt.
Shen Nian had ignored her messages and refused to answer her calls.
She left her in limbo, dangling without a clear yes or no.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She ended up brushing her teeth so aggressively that she cursed Shen Nian in her mind dozens of times.
She had no idea how hurtful being left on read could be for an alpha waiting for a reply.
In contrast, Shen Nian had slept soundly through the night. When she woke up and turned her phone back on, she was immediately bombarded with a wave of messages.
She scrolled through them, eyes scanning line after line of green bubbles filled with emotional outbursts.
Apparently, Ji Xicheng was still doing fine mentally and emotionally.
Realizing that she had forgotten to reply last night and that her silence had caused the hot-tempered alpha to spiral, Shen Nian suddenly felt a little guilty.
She sent a simple reply.
“I’m coming. Don’t worry.”
The response came back instantly.
“Good. I’ll be waiting.”
The reply was so fast that Shen Nian couldn’t help but wonder.
Did she really stay up all night?
Her finger hovered over the screen for a second, but she stopped herself from asking.
Curiosity was dangerous, especially for a bird like her. If Ji Xicheng sensed even the slightest opening, there was no telling how far she’d push it.
When Shen Nian came downstairs, breakfast was already set. Toast and milk. Simple, nutritious, and balanced.
Two servings had been prepared. One for Shen Nian, the other for the omega in the house.
[Protagonist corruption level +5]
[Protagonist corruption level +10]
[Protagonist corruption level -5]
The sudden changes made Shen Nian anxious. The numbers were swinging wildly.
She didn’t need 432 to explain. She already knew what was happening.
Jiang Zhiwan had woken up and realized the little bird she had tied up had escaped. She had searched everywhere and found no trace. Her emotions had gone unstable.
Clearly, Jiang Zhiwan really did like her.
But hearing footsteps on the stairs, Shen Nian looked up and saw the omega’s cool and distant face. She corrected herself.
No. Jiang Zhiwan liked the bird.
That morning, Jiang Zhiwan woke up and instinctively glanced at the night lamp.
The bird was gone.
That was her only thought in that moment.
She got out of bed quickly and began searching, calling out the silly name she had given the bird before falling asleep.
But there was nothing.
The bird had come quietly, and it had left just as silently.
The only proof it had ever been there was the empty space on the nightstand where the leg chain had been.
After the initial frustration, Jiang Zhiwan calmed down.
The bird wasn’t normal. It was clever and even seemed to understand human language.
It hadn’t escaped by accident. It had chosen to leave.
That understanding brought a wave of irritation. When she walked to the dining room and saw the alpha already seated at the table, she didn’t bother hiding her displeasure.
Shen Nian was the master of the house. If a strange bird had flown into the wrong room, it wouldn’t be surprising if it had ended up in her hands.
Considering this, Jiang Zhiwan paused slightly and lifted her gaze.
“Shen Nian, have you seen my bird?”
At that moment, Shen Nian was calmly spreading jam on her toast. Without even looking up, she replied casually.
“What bird?”
She kept her expression calm and collected, while praising herself mentally for her perfectly natural performance.
Jiang Zhiwan studied her for a moment. Satisfied that there was no reason for her to lie, she sat down and said nothing more.
That could have been the end of the conversation, but Shen Nian, committed to her role, decided to keep going.
She glanced across the table at the omega.
“Do you want a bird? I can ask Aunt Wu to pick one up from the pet market for you.”
Jiang Zhiwan replied without any emotion.
“No need.”
Shen Nian seemed determined to provoke irritation as she continued casually, “How about a white parrot? It can even mimic human speech.”
“I said, no,” Jiang Zhiwan repeated, this time with more emphasis.
After a pause, her tone turned cold with a hint of sarcasm. “What’s the point of buying one? So it can lose its freedom like me?”
Hearing that, Shen Nian frowned slightly. She was about to say something, but was interrupted by Wu Ma, who had arrived after hearing her name called.
“Miss Shen, is there anything you need me to do?”
Whatever she had wanted to say was now stuck in her throat. Shen Nian simply lowered her gaze and took a bite of her toast.
The jam was too sweet, more than she preferred.
Wu Ma, having been called but receiving no instructions, stood uncertainly between the two. For a moment, she wondered if she had imagined the call.
Thankfully, Jiang Zhiwan broke the silence.
“Wu Ma, I’ll be attending the wrap party tonight. No need to prepare dinner for me.”
Wu Ma nodded. “Understood.”
Her eyes shifted habitually to the alpha sitting across the table, waiting to see if she had any orders.
But Miss Shen was unexpectedly cooperative today, offering not a hint of trouble.
Wu Ma’s emotions were mixed. Although she felt a bit off balance, she also couldn’t help but feel relieved.
Miss Shen, when she wasn’t being difficult, was actually quite pleasant.
Having worked for the Shen family for over two years, Wu Ma had a solid grasp of her temperament. Shen Nian had the typical traits of a high-level alpha—possessive and occasionally unpredictable. But most of the time, she didn’t seem like a bad person.
As Wu Ma turned to leave, she sighed quietly to herself, pitying Jiang Zhiwan.
Jiang Zhiwan was undeniably an excellent omega. If Miss Shen genuinely cared for her, perhaps something beautiful might have come of it.
But the problem was, Shen Nian had only kept her around because she resembled the white moonlight in her memory.
A relationship built on that kind of foundation was never healthy and unlikely to end well.
Of course, Shen Nian had no idea Wu Ma was thinking such things as she quietly ate her breakfast.
Following her personal no-waste rule, she finished her meal and stood up to head upstairs and change for her appointment.
Jiang Zhiwan remained at the table, gracefully finishing her own toast. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the alpha’s departing figure and kept her expression flat.
Judging by Shen Nian’s usual habits, she would at least say something like “I’ll send the driver for you tonight.” But today, she said nothing.
Jiang Zhiwan couldn’t figure out what Shen Nian was thinking. So she stopped trying and simply focused on her own thoughts, particularly the little bird that had escaped.
Somehow, she felt that the mischievous thing hadn’t gone far. Maybe it would even come back.
After breakfast, Jiang Zhiwan applied some light makeup. Just as she was finishing, her agent texted her—the car arranged to take her to A University was already waiting.
To avoid attention and protect the secrecy of her relationship with Shen Nian, Jiang Zhiwan never took the Shen family’s private car to filming locations.
She was about to leave when she heard footsteps from upstairs. Shen Nian was coming down.
The sound caught Jiang Zhiwan’s sensitive ears. She turned her head slightly and glanced toward the staircase.
Today, Shen Nian was dressed differently. A simple pair of jeans matched with a striped black-and-white top. From her elevated position on the stairs, she looked down, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
That image overlapped perfectly with the memory of a certain clean, gentle alpha Jiang Zhiwan had once met. For a brief moment, it left her dazed.
Sitting in the car on the way to set, Jiang Zhiwan leaned back and closed her eyes. Her mind drifted back to when they first met.
It was the beginning of filming Youth, Love You. While Jiang Zhiwan was still getting used to the campus, she ran into Shen Nian, who had gotten lost while attending a nearby event.
Back then, Shen Nian had been dressed similarly, casual and friendly. Her eyes were clear and warm. When she smiled, she looked just like any other kind-hearted college student.
That impression had been what led Jiang Zhiwan to mistakenly escort her to the auditorium.
If she had ignored her back then, would everything in the past life have turned out differently?
Thinking this, Jiang Zhiwan slowly opened her eyes. She stared out at the changing scenery outside the car window and gave a faint, unreadable smile.
Even after being reborn, this life had already come this far. The answer was painfully clear.
Shen Nian, as an alpha, had always given her a strange sense of duality.
It was that initial moment of vulnerability and charm that left a mark, causing Jiang Zhiwan to retreat over and over again, eventually becoming trapped in a long, painful push-and-pull.
“Miss Jiang, we’ve arrived.”
The driver’s gentle reminder pulled her back to the present. The dark cloud that had gathered in her eyes faded just a little.
She stepped out of the car and looked up at the stone-carved name of A University’s gate. Her gaze grew harder to read.
Shen Nian, I never said I’d let you go that easily.