The Scumbag Alpha Movie Queen Pampers Her Wife - Chapter 34

When the call connected, neither of them spoke immediately. The sound of the other’s long, steady breathing felt like a comfort.

“Gu Muchu, are you cold there?” Ji Yuran’s voice came through the receiver, hoarse and low, with a slight tremor at the end.

“I’m on the 28th floor, Ranran,” Gu Muchu exhaled a warm breath, the white mist cradled in her palm before it could dissipate. “There’s a saying: ‘The higher you climb, the colder it gets.'”

In this situation, warmth mattered more than appearances. The thin gauze draped over her shoulders offered no protection against the cold. Lan Jing had vanished somewhere; otherwise, she wouldn’t be standing here freezing.

Gu Muchu truly felt foolish. She gripped the railing, the Alpha’s distorted face still beautiful, her almond eyes curving into gentle, rippling waves of tenderness. After staring for a moment, she suddenly burst into laughter, her chest shaking slightly.

There was no clear reason for her joy, just an inexplicable happiness.

Complaining voices drifted from the other end of the line, but Ji Yuran was also infected by her laughter. “Gu Muchu, you’re such a show-off.”

“What about you? Are you cold?” Seeing no one passing through the corridor, Gu Muchu took the phone away from her ear, switched to speaker mode, and cradled it in her hands, as if trying to warm them with the voice on the other end.

The large blue head of Stitch floated on the screen, numbers jumping around it. She rubbed her reddened nose, her breathing heavy and rapid.

“I… I’m not cold. Are you getting sick?” Hearing the nasal tone in Gu Muchu’s voice, Ji Yuran’s chatterbox opened. She rarely rambled, but now she did. “I heard models wear so little during runway shows. Why didn’t you go inside?”

“It was too hot inside. I escaped,” Gu Muchu lied, trying to sound casual.

“Then why didn’t you ask Lan Jing to bring you a coat? She disappears when you need her most…” Ji Yuran muttered under her breath, clearly still annoyed about their earlier argument.

Gu Muchu started laughing again for no apparent reason. She seemed to be having an unusually good day, which inexplicably irritated Ji Yuran.

“Gu Muchu, are you secretly scrolling through memes while we’re talking?” Ji Yuran asked suspiciously.

Gu Muchu gazed at the reflective black screen of her phone, then raised it to her ear and whispered, “No, I’m listening to you.”

Her bl00d surged and boiled within her veins, she couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or excitement. Below, pedestrians scurried like disorganized ants, some strolling arm-in-arm along the crosswalks, neon lights flashing and shifting, car horns blaring in drawn-out, grating bursts.

The plaza teemed with couples wearing glowing horned headbands and waving sparklers that traced golden arcs in the air. Gu Muchu could only make out their blurred outlines, slowly filling in the details from memory.

“What did you have for dinner tonight?” After another three minutes of silence, she calmed her nerves and asked softly.

In the dimly lit living room, moonlight streamed through the latticed glass of the sliding door, scattering fine silver shards across the floor. The undulating silhouettes of the furniture loomed indistinctly.

Ji Yuran lay on the balcony, wrapped tightly in a thick blanket, tucking her swollen, red toes into her chest as she gazed up at the lonely, starry sky.

The only light came from Gu Muchu’s sunset-hued profile picture on her phone, illuminating her face with a soft glow. Her gentle, melodious voice drifted through the air, growing clearer against the howling wind.

When Ji Yuran realized Gu Muchu was asking about her dinner plans, she scoffed in amusement, resting her chin on the coffee table. “Have you forgotten? We were supposed to…”

The first firework exploded overhead.

She snapped back to reality, staring blankly at the falling sparks. Regaining her composure, she huddled into the blanket like a quail, her voice sharp and calculating.

“Gu Muchu.”

“You’re scheming against me.”

A second firework soared into the sky, its massive sparks trailing tails as they scattered like ripe, drooping ears of wheat. This was followed by a third, a fourth…

Cheers erupted from the distant square. Gu Muchu’s eyes reflected the fireworks’ glow as she patiently listened to Yuran’s muttering.

“Despicable.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You tricked me again.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You deliberately stalled for time.”

“I didn’t want the first words I heard in the new year to be your rejection.”

Feeling triumphant, Gu Muchu earnestly responded to each of Yuran’s complaints, her lips curving into a satisfied smile. She continued until Yuran ran out of words, her face flushed as she blurted out:

“Sly fox!”

“Where’s the slyness?” Gu Muchu retorted instinctively, her thoughts drifting back to Xi Jixuan’s words in the restroom earlier.

“Look at your age! Still trying to act young with a bunch of young girls.”

She unlocked her phone, opened the front camera, and pointed it at her face. Her furrowed brow deepened.

“You said that yourself, not me,” Ji Yuran hastily explained, sensing Gu Muchu’s silence and realizing she had struck a nerve.

“That was then.”

“But you’ve never said you get younger as you get older!”

“My online handle is ‘Ageless Beauty’,” Gu Muchu said without a hint of embarrassment, casually mentioning the exaggerated title the internet had bestowed upon her. Leaning against the railing, she bantered with Ji Yuran, no longer feeling the cold.

“So vain!”

Her lips pressed against the receiver, she heard footsteps approaching. Lan Jing, clutching a down jacket, was running toward them.

“I’ll hang up now. I’ll bring you a gift when I get home,” Gu Muchu whispered, covering the microphone until Ji Yuran hung up first. Only then did she press the power button to turn off the screen.

Lan Jing rushed over, panting, and struggled to form a coherent sentence.

“I’m so sorry, Sister Gu! I got stuck in traffic! But let’s not dwell on that. There are reporters here today, so I didn’t dare accept the fur coat someone offered. I brought a down jacket instead.”

She frantically draped the down jacket over Gu Muchu’s head, but Gu Muchu waved her off, took the jacket, and put it on herself.

In matters of practicality—zippers, retaining warmth—Gu Muchu nodded approvingly. “Don’t accept anything like this in private again.”

Lan Jing casually wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, repeatedly apologizing. “I’m so sorry! I was dealing with a counterfeit item and got held up.”

Gu Muchu suddenly remembered the curse words she’d heard Lan Jing utter earlier. In her experience, Lan Jing rarely lost control in front of her, so she couldn’t resist asking, “Were you being harassed earlier?”

At this, the assistant’s words poured out like a flood. “Harassed? That’s an understatement! I’ve never seen so many busybodies in my life!”

“Sister Gu, you wouldn’t believe it! I casually tossed the counterfeit into the trash can by the door and had barely taken two steps when Xi Jixuan showed up. She immediately started mocking me, calling me a lapdog…”

“After trading insults with them, Xi Jixuan slunk away with her tail between her legs. Since the trash can was nearby, I worried she might find it, so I decided to move it to another spot.”

“I had just finished emptying the trash can when someone came to toss a cigarette butt. The moment she saw me, she gave me that scornful look…” Lan Jing deliberately stretched the corners of her mouth, mimicking the woman’s deep, mocking voice: “Tch, stooping to this for a measly fashion show discount? You’re even willing to ignore the germs.”

“I just thought, what’s it to her if I’m picking up trash? What a busybody! I was already furious after seeing Xi Jixuan…” Lan Jing rambled on, embellishing the entire story. After hearing the gist of it, Gu Muchu didn’t dwell on it much.

She was merely puzzled. Lan Jing’s usually meticulous nature should have prevented her from mistaking a fake for the real thing.

As Lan Jing’s impassioned account continued, Gu Muchu interrupted her: “Investigate today’s incident thoroughly. Find out exactly when Serein’s gown was switched. I had to change it at the last minute, and we need to provide an explanation.”

“Okay, okay,” Lan Jing nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at grain, immediately forgetting her earlier displeasure. She pulled a palm-sized, exquisitely crafted gift box from her coat. “This just arrived—a custom-made piece.”

The heavy, red velvet box felt substantial in Gu Muchu’s hand. She casually tucked it into her down jacket, pretending not to care, when Lan Jing nudged her elbow.

“Is that for Sister Ranran?” Lan Jing’s expression turned gossipy. Seeing Gu Muchu’s momentary blank look, she thought she’d uncovered the truth and clicked her tongue in exasperation. “Aiya, Sister Gu, you’re so clueless! Always these gifts, always the same packaging—I’m sick of seeing them. If you didn’t tell me, I’d bet you’d give Sister Ranran a crystal ball next time,” she lectured Gu Muchu. “Gifts are about the thought behind them. Even a bouquet of flowers would be better than this.”

With that, she tapped Gu Muchu’s right down jacket pocket, feeling the bulky shape inside. She added earnestly, “Even though I’ve never been in love, I can tell you’re doing it all wrong.”

“Mind your own business,” Gu Muchu snapped, turning away to avoid Lan Jing’s touch. Seeing her boss’s darkening expression, the junior assistant finally fell silent, looking sheepish.

Today was truly awful. She’d been scolded by her boss, berated by Xi Jixuan, and even inexplicably cursed at by a random stranger…

Lan Jing trailed behind Gu Muchu, feeling inexplicably aggrieved.

As the fashion show crowd thinned, she had the nanny van brought to Gu Muchu’s side. The moment they settled into the warm interior, the abundant heat instantly revitalized them. Lan Jing thoughtfully draped a blanket over Gu Muchu’s legs.

By now, the plaza was nearly deserted. Gu Muchu gazed through the tinted glass at the massive advertising screen still playing New Year’s greetings. Affectionate couples huddled together, their laughter mingling with the lingering white mist of their breath, creating an intimate tableau.

She couldn’t help but smile. As they neared home, she signaled Lan Jing to stop the car.

“Sister Gu, are you sure it’s safe to be out alone so late?” Lan Jing tried to dissuade her, but Gu Muchu waved her off.

Gu Muchu really had caught a cold; her nose was completely blocked. She waved dismissively, saying, “What danger could an Alpha face? It’s late. You should get home early.”

Seeing she couldn’t persuade Gu Muchu, Lan Jing pouted and reminded her to text when she got home before leaving with the driver.

Soft snowflakes fluttered under the streetlights as Gu Muchu stood by the lamppost, her legs pressed together. She swiped her finger across her phone screen, scrolling through numerous articles before finally stepping into the small shop.

The doorbell chimed. The owner, a grandfather in his fifties, was bent over, carrying flowers to the back room. Hearing the sound, he poked his head out, his brow furrowing even deeper, as if displeased that Gu Muchu was adding to his workload just before closing time.

“What do you want? We’re about to close.”

Gu Muchu kept her hands in her pockets, her damp palms gripping her phone tightly. She asked tentatively, “Excuse me, do you have any yellow roses?”

“Oh, how novel! Everyone gives red roses for the holidays, but you…” The owner bent down, flipping through the bouquets. “None left, none left. We’re closing soon.”

In the cramped, crowded flower shop, there seemed to be no room to stand. Gu Muchu clasped her hands together and breathed into them, carefully choosing her words as if resigned to her fate.

“Then… just regular roses will do.”

She added, “Wrap up all the remaining ones and include a greeting card.”