The Scumbag Alpha Movie Queen Pampers Her Wife - Chapter 39

Gu Muchu spoke with genuine sincerity, her warm breath tickling Ji Yuran’s ear. Ji Yuran rubbed her ear, feigning reluctance.

“Since you’re putting it that way, I’ll keep you company then.”

Seeing her act of playing pitiful had worked, Gu Muchu’s lips curved into a smile, her heart bubbling with joy.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She glanced at the screen and saw it was Lu Panwei. She pursed her lips and slipped the phone back into her pocket.

“So… will we spend Lunar New Year at home?” Ji Yuran blinked.

Gu Muchu pondered for a moment, then countered, “If you want to go out and have fun, we can do that too.”

However, most scenic spots would be swarming with crowds during the holiday, hardly an ideal experience. She’d much rather stay cozy at home, finish buying New Year’s supplies, and snuggle on the sofa with Ji Yuran to watch movies.

The image felt so real that a faint anticipation stirred within her.

The dim yellow streetlights cast long, slanted shadows on the ground, obscuring the pavilion below. The gentle murmur of flowing water drifted through the air.

As they walked home, her phone buzzed again in her pocket, this time for an extended period, indicating an incoming call.

Gu Muchu glanced at the screen and saw Lu Panwei’s name. She frowned imperceptibly and hung up without answering.

When the phone rang a third time, Ji Yuran glanced over.

Realizing she couldn’t hide it any longer, Gu Muchu finally raised her phone. “Sorry, I need to take this.”

Below, the bushes were coated in a layer of icy frost, a stark reminder of the bitter winter. Pressing the receiver to her ear, she heard Lu Panwei’s gentle voice.

“Chuchu, when are you coming home to visit? Your mother misses you terribly.”

Gu Muchu disliked Gu Yiqiong and barely tolerated Lu Panwei, so she gave a perfunctory reply. “I’ve been busy lately.”

“Even if you’re busy, you should still come home. After all, you’re still my daughter,” Lu Panwei said, her words tinged with emotional manipulation. Gu Muchu pressed her lips together, unwilling to engage further.

A cold wind whipped around her neck, and she felt something brush against it. Looking down, she saw the Omega standing on tiptoe, deftly adjusting her collar to trap the warmth inside.

Before Ji Yuran, even the sharpest, most cutting words dissolved into nothingness. Gu Muchu licked her dry lips and said into the phone, “Mom, I really am busy.”

“But Aunt Yu told me you’ve already wrapped up filming. The company’s Public Relations Department is handling all the nonsense after the fashion show. What else could you possibly be busy with?”

Despite the concern evident in her words, Gu Muchu felt suffocated, as if she were being drowned in a lake of affection, every move restrained.

As the car pulled up downstairs, Gu Muchu glimpsed someone standing below, looking up. She squinted but couldn’t recognize the person and dismissed it.

“An actress’s life isn’t just about work,” Gu Muchu explained patiently. “There are personal matters too, as you should know.” Beside her, Ji Yuran tucked her chin into her raised collar, remaining obediently silent. Occasionally, her frost-reddened cheeks peeked out as she exhaled a warm breath.

As they approached, Gu Muchu finally recognized the figure.

The woman’s meticulously maintained face showed no trace of age. A thick coat enveloped her entirely. The Omega held a phone in her left hand, leaning casually against the car door. Hearing footsteps, she turned, her gaze meeting Gu Muchu’s.

“I heard you were staying at East City Garden. I wanted to check on you, especially in this bitter cold…”

Her words trailed off abruptly.

The voice on the phone overlapped with the voice of the woman before them. Gu Muchu’s face froze, and she halted abruptly.

Noticing her reaction, Ji Yuran stopped as well, following her gaze to meet Lu Panwei’s eyes.

The wind rustled through the air, leaving the three women in an awkward silence.

The living room lights suddenly blazed to life, illuminating Lu Panwei, who sat gracefully on the sofa, a cup of steaming tea before her.

Time had been kind to Lu Panwei; after all these years, she still radiated charm and possessed an exceptional aura.

“So, when you said you were busy with personal matters, you meant this?” Her temper was surprisingly mild, at least she hadn’t erupted in anger at her daughter’s apparent lack of ambition.

It was the calm before the storm.

Gu Muchu sat at the other end of the sofa, Ji Yuran pressed close beside her, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, silent as a statue.

Lu Panwei sighed deeply, carefully choosing her words. “Chuchu, you’ve always been such a worry-free child. Do you realize what would happen if Aunt Gu found out about this?”

“She’s not someone to be ashamed of,” Gu Muchu retorted coldly, her voice sharp. She resented Lu Panwei’s dismissive attitude toward Ji Yuran.

It was as if Ji Yuran were a pet to be toyed with and discarded at will, or like the decadent rich who flaunted their “flings” while insisting they would eventually “settle down.”

A single sentence shattered Lu Panwei’s carefully maintained composure. Her demeanor grew colder as she realized she couldn’t overcome Gu Muchu’s resolve. Gradually, she shifted her focus to Ji Yuran.

The Omega lowered her lashes, her deep-set features making her appear aloof and distant. Only when her gaze softened did her expression soften.

Lu Panwei turned to Ji Yuran, her tone earnest and admonishing. “Young lady, when did you move in here?”

Sensing Ji Yuran’s gaze, Gu Muchu leaned slightly toward her, adopting a protective stance. “I asked her to move in. Don’t make things difficult for Ranran.”

The intimate nickname raised Lu Panwei’s eyebrows slightly. She returned Gu Muchu’s gaze, her own becoming serious and formal.

Her? Lu Panwei thought, her eyes rolling inwardly. She’s so arrogant, she wouldn’t even glance at the most beautiful and sought-after stars in the industry. Yet she’s taking responsibility for some nobody?

Lu Panwei suddenly laughed.

“Such grand claims sound rather… sarcastic,” she said. Gu Muchu pressed her lips together, her gaze slowly turning icy.

“Mom, Ranran is also in the industry,” Gu Muchu explained patiently. “I fell in love with her at first sight on set.”

What Gu Muchu said was true. In the original novel, Ji Yuran’s cold and aloof demeanor on set had ignited the Original Self’s desire for conquest, amounting to a peculiar kind of “love at first sight.”

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart. Ji Yuran’s eyelashes fluttered, and a secret joy bloomed within her. It felt as if her own feelings had been accurately conveyed, echoing again and again through the valley of her heart.

“I was talking to her,” Lu Panwei said, her voice still gentle. Perhaps years spent beside Gu Yiqiong had imbued even her mildest tones with an undeniable air of authority.

Gu Muchu, having spent years navigating such situations, effortlessly picked up the thread. “Ranran wasn’t feeling well and went back to her room.”

Before Ji Yuran could react, Gu Muchu seized the Omega’s wrist, pulled her into the master bedroom, and closed the door behind them. She turned to face Lu Panwei, her gaze locking with hers.

The temperature in the room plummeted to freezing.

Lu Panwei abandoned her amiable demeanor, smoothing the sofa cover beneath her. “Chuchu, you know about the arranged marriage you’re bound to, don’t you?”

Although she had outwardly supported Gu Muchu in front of Gu Yiqiong, Lu Panwei’s standards had been raised too high. She had forgotten that she herself had once been an “actress for others’ amusement” and didn’t approve of Gu Muchu dating someone from the industry.

“Mom, I’ve already rejected him,” Gu Muchu said, finally relaxing now that Ji Yuran was gone. “Don’t try to arrange any business marriages for me. There’s no need.”

The Gu Group had reached its current status through the hard work of each successive head of the Gu Family. They truly didn’t need to rely on nepotism to curry favor with others.

After all, the Gu Corporation was the one being looked up to and climbed toward.

“But you can’t just choose anyone!” Lu Panwei’s voice rose with emotion. “I’ve raised you with such care for so many years. How could you possibly be with someone like that?”

“Like that?” Gu Muchu swallowed the words she was about to say.

Lu Panwei tried to stop herself, but it was too late. After composing herself, she reverted to her usual submissive demeanor. “In any case, break things off with that Omega immediately.”

“Yuran and I aren’t what you think…” Gu Muchu began to explain, but Lu Panwei cut her off.

“Whatever the case may be, Aunt Gu knows more than she lets on,” Lu Panwei said, picking up her purse as if preparing to leave. “If you don’t want to hurt anyone, you’d better go home and admit your mistakes. Otherwise…”

She didn’t finish the sentence. Gu Muchu was, after all, the apple of her eye, and even a mild scolding felt excessive.

After the front door slammed shut, the master bedroom door cracked open a sliver. Once the lingering scent of the stranger had faded, Ji Yuran hesitantly emerged.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Muchu asked, shrugging nonchalantly when she saw the Omega’s hesitant expression.

Ji Yuran’s nose stung with emotion. She had overheard their entire conversation through the door.

I’ve only caused trouble for Gu Muchu.

Sensing her thoughts, Gu Muchu reached out and gently ruffled her hair, soothingly saying, “Don’t dwell on such nonsense. Go wash up and get a good night’s sleep.”

“What about you?” Ji Yuran asked, standing on tiptoe to nuzzle Gu Muchu like a cat, leaving her scent on her.

The soft, furry sensation in her palm stirred Gu Muchu’s heart. “I’ll go pack right away,” she said.

She turned to head back to her bedroom, but Ji Yuran stopped her.

“Gu Muchu,” Ji Yuran’s voice trembled with hesitation. “Have they been making things difficult for you?”

Gu Muchu paused, realizing Ji Yuran was referring to Gu Yiqiong and Lu Panwei. A sudden urge to laugh welled up inside her.

Ji Yuran’s slender frame, combined with the stray strands of hair falling across her forehead as she looked down, made her appear even more frail and pitiful. Yet, despite her own vulnerability, she still managed to offer genuine concern for Gu Muchu.

If news of their relationship ever reached Gu Yiqiong’s ears, Ji Yuran would undoubtedly be the first to suffer—even if Gu Muchu tried to protect her.

Ji Yuran stared blankly at the tips of her slippers, acutely aware that her question had been intrusive and inappropriate. After all, this was Gu Muchu’s family matter, and she had only made things worse by bringing it up.

“If it’s inconvenient, never mind…” She began to back away when a sudden tug on her shoulder and a shadow falling across her face stopped her.

A sharp flick on her forehead made Ji Yuran gasp in pain.

“Exactly. So, can you please stop giving me so much trouble?”

At that moment, the Omega looked like a chicken being held up by its neck, her neck stiff as she glared at Gu Muchu with wide eyes. “I… I’m not causing any trouble!”

“If you’re not causing trouble, then you should listen obediently.”

“Now, go wash up.” Gu Muchu draped an arm around Ji Yuran’s shoulder, half-pushing her toward the bathroom.