The Scumbag Alpha Movie Queen Pampers Her Wife - Chapter 52

Under normal circumstances, Gu Muchu wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But just that afternoon, she had met with Shen Xu and even listened to the recording.

When Ji Yuran casually mentioned the matter, Gu Muchu’s sensitive nerves snapped, and her emotions nearly overflowed.

But that had happened yesterday, so Shen Xu couldn’t have been behind it.

It was Gu Yiqiong.

The realization struck Gu Muchu like a blow, her expression hardening as her breathing quickened.

So Gu Yiqiong had known all along that the Shen Family was secretly plotting against her, yet she had turned a blind eye for the sake of immediate gain.

To avoid worrying Ji Yuran, Gu Muchu had only mentioned it briefly. But now, Gu Yiqiong had deliberately sent the recording to her on set, the threat implicit.

If that person so desired, Ji Yuran would be in constant danger and under surveillance.

After what felt like an eternity, a crackling sound came through the receiver.

“Gu Muchu? Are you… alright?” Ji Yuran, her entire focus on Gu Muchu, was acutely sensitive to her emotions.

Almost the instant she noticed the silence, she knew something was wrong.

Despite the turmoil of negative emotions churning within her, Gu Muchu didn’t want to worry Ji Yuran. She rubbed her temples, forcing a casual tone.

“I was just thinking about that time a stranger sent me a threatening letter. Next time something like that happens, just ignore it and throw it away, okay?”

Ji Yuran clearly didn’t believe her, but Gu Muchu’s explanation left no room for argument. She reluctantly agreed.

“Okay.”

Gu Muchu grabbed her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and opened Lu Panwei’s chat window. Her fingertip tapped out a message on the screen, then deleted it, character by character.

“You should get back to filming. Aren’t you still doing wire work lately?”

Martial arts scenes were essential in fantasy dramas. As the villain, and without a stunt double, Ji Yuran had to gradually learn and practice these skills herself.

Sometimes, the pressure wavered, and her control over the force was insufficient, making it difficult to achieve the desired effect. This made it the most exhausting part of her work.

There was no response from the other end. Their breaths filled the silence between them. Ji Yuran gripped her phone tightly, a flicker of unspoken disappointment crossing her eyes.

“Mm.”

Gu Muchu still refused to share anything with her.

It was always like this, Muchu forever standing on the sidelines, observing. The two were separated by an invisible barrier, like a pane of glass. Ji Yuran could shout and plead with all her might, but Muchu remained deaf to her pleas.

“Be good, don’t worry about Elder Sister,” Gu Muchu said gently, her keen intuition picking up on the reluctance in Ji Yuran’s voice.

There was no reply, just a muffled acknowledgment before the call ended.

The screen switched to their chat window. Ji Yuran stared at their messages, the usual warm exchanges now feeling like a heavy stone pressing on her chest, a burden she couldn’t bear.

Was she just a burden to Gu Muchu?

The resentment threatened to overwhelm her. Ji Yuran tilted her head back, pressing the back of her hand against her eye sockets. After a long moment, she finally set her phone down in the lounge area and turned to leave.

Gu Muchu’s mind was in turmoil. The fashion magazine lay abandoned on the corner of the table, the joy of Ji Yuran’s phone call now dimmed.

She bent over, her spine arching against the thin, warm lake-green sweater like jagged rocks. Strands of hair fell across her forehead, making her appear frail and worn. After hesitating for a long time, she sent a message to Lu Panwei.

First Light of Dusk: What happened yesterday?

The message sank without a trace. Anxious without a reply, she lost her appetite.

About ten minutes later, another message popped up, this time from Gu Yiqiong.

Come for dinner tonight.

The message was concise and authoritative, perfectly reflecting the Alpha’s domineering and uncompromising nature.

The stark words burned into Gu Muchu’s eyes. She stared at them as if she didn’t recognize them, reading them over and over before flipping her phone over and tossing it onto the sofa.

Frost Flower painted the bare branches silver-white, reflecting the bright moonlight against the deep night sky. Dirty snow piled up along the roadsides as cars crawled by with their headlights on.

Having been there once before, Gu Muchu no longer needed navigation to find the Gu Family’s restaurant. She parked in the courtyard and opened the car door, only for a blast of cold air to rush down her neck. She gasped involuntarily.

From afar, Gu Muchu spotted a gaunt woman standing at the top of the steps. They gazed at each other across the distance, and the woman waved.

It was Lu Panwei.

Objectively speaking, Gu Muchu’s feelings toward Lu Panwei had shifted from indifference to outright aversion. Even when Lu Panwei played the role of a doting mother in her presence, her true nature remained indistinguishable from Gu Yiqiong’s.

Gu Muchu nodded curtly in acknowledgment and stepped onto the snow-dusted stone steps, subtly avoiding Lu Panwei’s outstretched hand.

Lu Panwei paused briefly, then immediately brightened with feigned warmth. “Aren’t you cold?”

Snowflakes drifted from the sky, dampening the collar of Gu Muchu’s coat and sending a chill down her neck.

She remained silent, tacitly admitting the cold.

Lu Panwei pushed open the door, and a wave of warmth washed over them. The opulent crystal chandelier cast a dazzling light, its oppressive grandeur nearly suffocating.

“I’ve had clothes prepared for you. Go upstairs and change first,” Lu Panwei said, placing a hand on Gu Muchu’s shoulder and gently nudging her forward.

“I’m not staying the night,” Gu Muchu replied.

“Nonsense,” Lu Panwei insisted. “Just change and have dinner. We have a guest coming today.”

Gu Muchu removed her coat and draped it over the sofa armrest. “Who?”

Lu Panwei couldn’t conceal her delight. “Oh, you’ll meet them soon enough. What’s the rush?”

Seeing her reaction, Gu Muchu guessed it was another tedious business partner. She lowered her eyelids and followed a servant upstairs.

Since the Original Self had left, her room had remained vacant. The household staff cleaned it regularly, keeping it relatively tidy.

Gu Muchu hung her coat on the rack by the door and casually rinsed off in the bathroom.

The mirror was fogged with a thin layer of condensation. She stepped out barefoot, wiped the glass twice, revealing her full reflection.

This home, which should have felt warm and welcoming, instead filled her with an unprecedented sense of oppression. The woman in the mirror stared back with wary eyes and a tightly furrowed brow, like a drawn bowstring poised to release.

At this hour, she would normally be curled up in her warm bed, chatting with Ji Yuran about their day.

Gu Muchu unconsciously recalled the strange emotion in the Omega’s voice before they hung up at noon.

Their earlier promise had quietly faded amidst their busy schedules, and neither had brought up calling each other later.

It seemed to have simply slipped away, unspoken.

Dismissing these thoughts, Gu Muchu pulled on a long, high-necked sweater she had prepared. She brushed her long hair over the collar, casually tied it into a low ponytail with a hair tie, and walked to the room.

The mansion was uniformly heated. She followed the sound-absorbing carpet to the staircase, where she could just glimpse the first floor.

A familiar figure caught her eye, and her hand tightened sharply on the wooden railing.

The Omega she had met just this afternoon was now being led by Madam Shen, bowing his head and greeting everyone politely. Lu Panwei sized him up, her mouth agape in astonishment.

So this is the guest.

Gu Muchu felt a chill run down her spine, regretting not having inquired about the situation before coming.

Some people were like stubborn psoriasis, impossible to shake off. It seemed Gu Yiqiong had already made her decision, deliberately luring Gu Muchu home to meet Shen Xu.

Her gaze was too direct, and Shen Xu seemed to sense it. He looked up and met her eyes, then, as if nothing had happened, greeted Gu Muchu with a radiant smile.

“Muchu.”

The intimate address pleased the elders, who exchanged satisfied glances.

Everyone seemed delighted except Gu Muchu.

“You seem to have trouble understanding what I’m saying,” Gu Muchu said coldly, ignoring the teasing looks from the adults as she descended the spiral staircase.

The Omega’s face stiffened, clearly not expecting her to disregard the families’ reputations and abandon even the pretense of politeness.

Lu Panwei was the first to react. She had heard rumors earlier that day but dismissed them. Now, sensing the tense atmosphere between the two, she hurried over to Gu Muchu.

“It’s rare for you to come home. It’s just a meal, don’t be so tense.”

Leaning in close, she whispered, “This was Aunt Gu’s idea too.”

Gu Muchu knew Gu Yiqiong’s temperament all too well. Her mother was fiercely protective of her image in public, and if they strained their relationship today, who knew what lengths her mother’s volatile nature might drive her to?

Muchu suppressed the fire in her chest.

It’s just a meal, she told herself. I can endure this.

As they were speaking, the sound of an engine approached from outside. Moments later, Gu Yiqiong pushed open the door, bringing with her a gust of cold air.

The moment she stepped inside, her eyes locked with Muchu’s.

Since their last encounter, the two had barely maintained contact. Neither spoke first.

Gu Yiqiong removed her coat and tossed it onto the sofa before turning to nod at Shen Xu.

“Zheng Xu, make yourself at home. Don’t stand on ceremony.”

Lu Panwei hurried to her side, chattering incessantly. Gu Yiqiong’s expression remained unchanged, though she cast a casual glance at Muchu.

Finally, Shen Xu broke the awkward silence.

The five of them moved to the dining room to begin their meal.

The room was decorated in a classic European style, the soft lighting creating an almost dreamlike atmosphere. Muchu deliberately chose the seat farthest from Gu Yiqiong, her face devoid of emotion.

“Muchu seems to have lost some weight since the last gathering,” Aunt Shen remarked, pulling Shen Xu down to sit beside her and scrutinizing Gu Muchu with a maternal gaze.

Gu Muchu found the scrutiny deeply unsettling.

“She’s been out playing every day, not even coming home. How could she not lose weight?” Gu Yiqiong said coldly, taking a sip of her lemon water.

The air crackled with tension. Even Aunt Shen couldn’t maintain her composure, casting a pleading glance at Lu Panwei.

Lu Panwei cleared her throat and nudged the Alpha with her elbow, her tone sharp but her words smooth. “With Zheng Xu watching over us from now on, we parents won’t have to worry anymore.”

The words were nauseating, especially since no one had even bothered to ask Gu Muchu’s opinion. Her hand tightened around her glass, the icy chill seeping into her palm, forcing her to maintain her composure.

Aunt Shen naturally picked up the thread, as if this arrangement were already a done deal, even though nothing had been formally agreed upon.

After the dishes were served, Shen Xu ate in silence, perhaps aware of his awkward position and avoiding eye contact with Gu Muchu.

“When Zheng Xu first came here, he was just this tall,” Madam Shen gestured with her hand, holding it level with the table, her face filled with nostalgia. “He used to chase after Muchu all day, calling her ‘Elder Sister.'”

“Yes…”

“Zheng Xu has matured so much. Look at Muchu—she hasn’t grown at all, even at her age. I worry about Zheng Xu suffering if he comes here.” Lu Panwei was about to respond when Gu Yiqiong, who had been sitting with her hands folded and had yet to touch her utensils, suddenly interrupted, her words dripping with disapproval of Gu Muchu.

The scraping of Gu Muchu’s fork against the edge of her porcelain plate echoed sharply through the eerily silent dining room, the grating sound making everyone’s teeth ache.

She had been wrong.

She had thought she could quietly finish her meal and then go record Gu Yiqiong’s statement without provoking anyone.

But these words shattered that illusion, making it clear that even when she tried to keep to herself, some people would always seek to stir up trouble.

With two outsiders present, she had always avoided airing family matters publicly, not wanting the Shen Family to witness their internal conflicts.

The true purpose of this meal was to use Ji Yuran as leverage, subtly pressuring her to acknowledge her engagement to the Shen Family.

A soft laugh escaped Gu Muchu’s lips, but she didn’t pause her movements. In the warmly heated room, her voice carried an icy chill.

“If he’s afraid of hardship and I find it troublesome, what’s the point of forcing us together?”