The Fallen Film Queen’s Possessive Alpha (GL, ABO) - Chapter 4

June in Luocheng was about to usher in the most beautiful season of the year. Small, eye-catching flowers had begun to bloom along the roadside greenery. Standing in the lobby of Magic Cube Industries, Song Haoyin gazed outside. Despite her many years of high-intensity, fast-paced filming and studies, this was the first time she had ever paid attention to the wildflowers by the road.

“Who planted those flowers?” Footsteps approached from behind, and assuming it was Yu Miao returning after parking the car, Song Haoyin casually asked the question.

“Urban landscaping,” came the somewhat familiar reply.

Song Haoyin nearly jumped in fright. Turning her head, she saw Zhou Qiwei standing behind her she had no idea when the woman had arrived. Noticing Song Haoyin’s startled reaction, Zhou Qiwei silently took a few steps back.

“Sorry, I saw you standing here alone and came over,” Zhou Qiwei immediately apologized, maintaining a safe distance as she sensed Song Haoyin’s discomfort.

Song Haoyin didn’t respond, merely nodding to acknowledge the apology. She hadn’t expected Zhou Qiwei to show up today. Standing a few paces away, neither too close nor too far, Zhou Qiwei’s presence made Song Haoyin feel slightly uneasy though not because Zhou Qiwei looked stunning in that impeccably tailored white suit, which most people struggled to pull off.

Nor was it because she had realized that Zhou Qiwei wasn’t nearly as terrible as the rumors made her out to be.

And it certainly wasn’t because of the bizarre train of thought this woman had, which had left Song Haoyin utterly bewildered not long ago.

After leaving the hospital last week, Song Haoyin had been taken by Zhou Qiwei to Cloud Peak Villa Luocheng’s most notorious pleasure den. By the time the car passed through the villa gates, Song Haoyin had already resigned herself to fate: Zhou held the knife, and she was the fish on the chopping block.

“Come with me.”

Zhou Qiwei escorted Song Haoyin out of the car. This was her first time here she had heard of the place but never set foot inside. After discovering Song Haoyin’s acting talent, Director Song Yu had been very clear about her daughter’s career path. Given her industry standing and the Song family’s reputation, no one would have dared bring her to a place like this.

It wasn’t peak hours at Cloud Peak Villa. Zhou Qiwei led Song Haoyin into the lobby, where they were promptly ushered to a VIP room upstairs. Once seated, Zhou Qiwei whispered something to the attendant, who then left. She turned to Song Haoyin. “Miss Song, I brought you here to clarify something.”

“Last week at Caesar Hotel, you were drugged into an induced estrus cycle. I caught your scent, so I won’t demand any intimate relationship from you.”

“Also, the one who tampered with your drink was Wei Yu that creep who harassed you at the party with his entourage of Omegas. The Zuo family had nothing to do with it; he acted out of his own lust. How to deal with him is up to you.”

Song Haoyin listened woodenly, taking a long moment before responding. “So you’re saying what happened was just an accident, that our pheromones happened to be compatible. But you only like my scent and don’t intend to make any unreasonable demands Then why bring me here?”

“To show sincerity.”

Zhou Qiwei’s solemn expression only deepened Song Haoyin’s confusion until the attendant returned, this time accompanied by several men and women of varying styles.

Alphas?

“So your way of showing sincerity is to gift me Alphas?”

Not entirely inexperienced, Song Haoyin didn’t know what expression to wear. She’d never dreamed she’d encounter such a situation in her life. It seemed that ever since meeting Zhou Qiwei, her life had begun veering off its predetermined track.

“If you’re not particularly impressed with the Alphas here, Omegas are fine too, or Betas. Of course, you don’t have to make your selection here either.” Seeing Song Haoyin’s shocked expression, Zhou Qiwei reconsidered, feeling she might have been inconsiderate, and waved the Alphas away. “If you meet someone you like and want to develop a deeper relationship with, you can just tell me. After all, pheromones are pheromones, and people are people they’re not the same.”

Both her intuition and her keen eye for acting told Song Haoyin that Zhou Qiwei wasn’t being disingenuous she was actually serious. Song Haoyin began to understand Zhou Qiwei’s logic: she only wanted the pheromones, with no disrespect intended, and certainly no ulterior motives toward her as a person.

For the sake of pheromones, Zhou Qiwei had invested in her studio and provided her with a personal interest-free loan. Song Haoyin decided she would have to investigate later whether her ancestors had any peculiar bloodlines perhaps succubi, mermaids, or fox spirits.

This mindset of treating a part of a person as a tradable commodity while having no designs on the person themselves somehow managed to be logically consistent and, to her own surprise, Song Haoyin found herself acknowledging Zhou Qiwei’s sincerity. Rubbing her temples, she deeply felt that she had been “contaminated” by Zhou Qiwei’s words and actions.

At the end of their conversation that day, Song Haoyin posed a question: “In the eyes of a businessperson, can anything or anyone in this world be negotiated?”

Zhou Qiwei didn’t answer.

At the Rubik’s Industrial building, Song Haoyin was about to lead Yu Miao into the conference room when Zhou Qiwei stopped her. The woman pointed upstairs, indicating someone was coming.

“What are you two doing here ?” Du Xin, descending the stairs, stared in astonishment at the unlikely pair. Zhou Qiwei and Song Haoyin,what were they doing together?

Upon hearing their purpose, the deputy CEO’s expression looked as if she’d just seen a Komodo dragon appear before her. She couldn’t help but gaze at Song Haoyin with confusion. Given her understanding of her old classmate, how had Qiwei managed to change her mind?

Song Haoyin avoided Du Xin’s gaze, while Zhou Qiwei stepped in front of her: “I invited Ms. Song here to discuss cooperation. Tinglu should have informed you.”

“Right.” Du Xin nodded and informed them, “The lawyer is already here, and so is the other person.”

The group silently arrived at the conference room door, where Song Haoyin was politely ushered inside Zhou Qiwei always had impeccable manners in such matters. Just like earlier, just like when they’d left Cloudtop Villa that day, when they’d encountered someone unexpected, Zhou Qiwei had shielded her and escorted her all the way out.

No matter what, Song Haoyin couldn’t ignore these considerate gestures.

The presence of Rubik’s Industrial’s lawyer in the conference room was perfectly normal. Whether it was the company’s investment in Song Haoyin’s studio or Zhou Qiwei’s personal interest-free loan to Song Haoyin, these were all standard, legally sound investment and lending practices.

But the other person in the conference room was someone Song Haoyin had never expected to see Ms. Xu Su, the head butler of Caesar Hotel’s presidential suite.

“Before joining Caesar as the head butler, Ms. Xu was a top-tier professional in the PR industry with extensive connections. I’ve invited her to serve as the PR director for Ms. Song’s studio.” Zhou Qiwei turned to Song Haoyin, “What do you think?”

Song Haoyin had no objections about the candidate, but she strongly disapproved of Zhou Qiwei’s approach. She could have informed her beforehand instead of springing this surprise, making Song feel compelled to agree. With Xu Su present, Song decided to discuss the studio’s independence her bottom line with Zhou privately after the meeting.

The “negotiation” concluded with Magic Cube Industries investing in Song Haoyin’s studio, acquiring 24% of the shares, while Zhou Qiwei personally provided an interest-free loan of 170 million yuan. After the lawyers drafted the documents and both parties signed, Song had barely exchanged pleasantries with Xu Su when she realized Zhou had already vanished without a trace.

Had this woman mastered some magical disappearing act? Just like last time, she’d fled faster than paparazzi chasing a scoop.

“See you at the studio tomorrow,” Xu Su politely took her leave, thoughtfully giving Song private space now wasn’t the time for work discussions. For Zhou to personally poach her from Caesar, this Ms. Song must possess not only exceptional acting skills but also considerable influence over the formidable CEO.

Song asked Yu Miao to leave first, leaving only her and Du Xin in the conference room. The old classmates exchanged awkward glances, the air thick with tension.

Finally, Du Xin broke the silence: “Qiwei has excellent judgment I mean, her investment instincts are sharp. We should discuss your comeback strategy with Xu Su, along with your studio’s shareholding structure.”

That was indeed an issue. While established under Song’s name, the studio was actually funded by her mother, director Song Yu. The current shareholder breakdown included Song’s 27% and Zhou’s 24%, along with the frozen 25% belonging to Song Yu and her husband Zuo Wangxun, Su Ye’s 15%, An Ge’s 4%, and a reduced 5% held by an old friend.

While Su Ye’s shares could potentially be repurchased, Zuo Wangxun would never relinquish his stake. Since her mother’s death, that old bastard had taken perverse pleasure in making Song’s life difficult.

“Haoyin, Qiwei isn’t as peculiar as rumors suggest.” Du Xin’s solemn expression interrupted Song’s thoughts. “I know there are many stories circulating about her, but they’re all misunderstandings. You know how it is once a rumor spreads widely, refuting it becomes impossible. Qiwei keeps a low profile and hates seeing her name in entertainment news, which led to… the current situation.”

Song studied her old classmate Du Xin wore a simple white blouse and black pencil skirt, her long legs crossed, arms folded, the stern beauty’s face framed by gold-rimmed glasses. As a longtime high-ranking executive, Du Xin exuded the allure of a mature Omega woman.

And considering she’d made that pheromone request on Zhou’s behalf and was now defending her could it be.

“Du Xin, do you like Zhou Qiwei?” The question escaped Song’s lips before she could stop it. Strangely, she found herself desperate to know the answer.

“You’ve been with Du Xin for so many years, you should bring her home for dinner occasionally.”

Meanwhile, in Zhou Qiwei’s office sat an unexpected guest. Slightly older than Zhou Qiwei with similar features but a completely different demeanor, the visitor wore a Klein blue sleeveless maxi dress while sipping coffee, smiling at Zhou Qiwei behind the desk.

Zhou Qiwei had been in a meeting when Assistant Xuan bombarded her with urgent calls just four words: Zhou Mu is here. Because of this, Zhou Qiwei didn’t even get to compliment Song Haoyin on her stylish gray pencil skirt before rushing back to her office.

“Is this all you came for?” Zhou Qiwei didn’t bother hiding her impatience, scoffing: “You must have too much free time lately.”

Zhou Mu set down her coffee cup, smile fading: “It’s been half a year no, seven months since you last came home. When Mom asked Du Xin to relay her dinner invitation last time, you sent over an acquisition proposal instead. Qiwei, both Mom and Mama are hurt. Big sister and I are worried about you too ”

“So?” Zhou Qiwei cut off the performance, massaging her temples: “Do you want me to take responsibility for Madam Du and Madam Zhou’s bad moods? Or are two daughters not enough for them to shower with maternal affection?”

“It’s about Cloud Peak Villa.”

The estrangement between Zhou Qiwei and the Zhou family ran deep. Zhou Mu had long adopted a gentle approach, never daring harsh words for fear of further damaging their fragile relationship. Given the choice, Zhou Mu wouldn’t have played the villain by meddling in Zhou Qiwei’s private affairs.

But Zhou Qiwei’s sudden appearance at Cloud Peak Villa was abnormal enough especially bringing along that scandal-plagued fallen movie queen and summoning multiple Alphas.

Zhou Mu never knew her youngest sister had such proclivities. When she inquired, subordinates eagerly volunteered information. Not daring to alert their mother, Zhou Mu consulted only with eldest sister Zhou Zhao before deciding to personally speak with Zhou Qiwei.

When leaving Cloud Peak with Song Haoyin that day, Zhou Qiwei had encountered some Zhou family relative she didn’t even know the name, just vaguely remembered seeing them at the ancestral home. Though she’d avoided them with Song Haoyin, she knew the family would eventually hear.

“I’m not interfering with your personal life,” Zhou Mu adopted a soothing tone, speaking to Zhou Qiwei as if to a child. “You’ve always cycled through partners before, and we never said anything, right? But how did Song Haoyin latch onto you? I’m worried she’s using you to escape her troubles.”

“…” Zhou Qiwei studied her second sister before suddenly laughing: “Negotiating with the Zuo family, are we?”