Toxic Pheromones of a Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 13

Tan Zishu had just fallen asleep, gently sinking into layers of dreams. Her body was finally at rest, and only then did her mind begin to relax into a peaceful sleep—until a burst of noise abruptly woke her.

It was some unfamiliar music.

That unfamiliarity made her feel uneasy. Frustrated, she sat up to find the source of the noise—it was her phone.

She kept it on silent most of the time, so even the ringtone sounded foreign to her.

“What happened?” she asked calmly after seeing the caller ID, already preparing herself to listen.

Of course, nothing had actually happened.

But Lou Juan couldn’t bring herself to admit that she was just feeling anxious and needed someone to talk to.

Lou Juan asked, “Did I wake you?”

Tan Zishu replied, “I don’t sleep much—you know that.”

“The audition went really well,” Lou Juan said. “Director Huo was very satisfied. Jiang Jiaran is furious. Her studio is going crazy right now, flooding the internet with smear articles about you. I’ve already had them taken down.”

“But even if you didn’t, it wouldn’t be a big deal,” Tan Zishu said casually. She knew Jiang Jiaran couldn’t make any real waves, so she didn’t bother worrying. “You wouldn’t normally call me over something that minor.”

Lou Juan paused, then quickly changed the subject. “Xu Xiyan and I are coming to see you later. Director Huo has something he wants to discuss with us. Also, make sure to get into the right mindset—you’ve got an event to attend tomorrow.”

Tan Zishu sounded tired. “Got it.”

She had really just wanted to stay home with Ji Yao.

“It’s time to eat,” Ji Yao called gently from the doorway, tapping on the doorframe. “Aunt Zhao isn’t feeling well today, so I told her to take the day off. I made breakfast—come try it and tell me if it tastes any different.”

“I’ve got a work meeting later.”

Tan Zishu didn’t sound interested. The same process, repeated again and again—it had all become dull and predictable.

Ji Yao sat across from her. “Do you hate your job?”

Tan Zishu replied, “I’ve never liked being in front of the camera. It’s not about liking or disliking it—I became a celebrity because I had no choice.”

“You know,” Ji Yao said with a smile, “other people would give anything for the kind of opportunities you have, but you don’t seem to care much. You’ve got such striking looks, and a unique charm. You should know—monolids can be a weakness, but they can also be your edge in this industry…”

Tan Zishu spoke between bites, “People always say I look cold or unapproachable on camera, like I think I’m better than the audience. They’re always telling me to ‘open my eyes wider.’ But it’s not something I can help—monolids are just tricky like that.”

“You’re the most beautiful girl with monolids I’ve ever seen,” Ji Yao said sincerely. “And beauty always wins. As long as you’re beautiful, everything else comes second. Look at you—your acting might be terrible, but you’ve still managed to win so many awards just on your looks.”

Tan Zishu: “…”

Thanks for the compliment. I’ve lost my appetite now.

“I was joking, don’t get mad,” Ji Yao said quickly. “It’s not just your face. One of the judges for that award is an old friend of the family—he’s basically watched you grow up…”

Tan Zishu gave up all pretense and muttered, “It’s not just that. One of the judges is also an investor in my next film.”

Ji Yao, confident in her outlook, teased, “Our superstar Miss Tan has a bright future ahead.”

Tan Zishu stared miserably at the overcooked fried egg. “The egg’s burnt. The future doesn’t look so bright anymore.”

“That’s life for you,” Ji Yao said cheerfully. “Even if you don’t like it, you still have to hold your nose and get through it—just like how you don’t enjoy being on camera, but still have to cooperate because it’s part of your job. Same with this egg—burnt or not, you still have to smile and eat it…” She grinned. “Picky eaters get smacked by their guardians, you know.”

Tan Zishu froze, dropped her utensils, and bolted out of the room.

Being scolded for being picky—some things you just never outgrow. And seriously, who knew Ji Yao could mess up cooking this badly? Even using a nonstick pan, she’d somehow managed to turn it into a scorched mess. The egg tasted bitter. Undercooked? No, it was burnt brown and bitter. Overcooked? Maybe, but it was still runny and falling apart.

Tan Zishu decided—without hesitation—to flee.

Outside Tan Zishu’s house, Lou Juan stood with Xu Xiyan, who looked like a nervous little quail.

Before ringing the doorbell, one was wiping her glasses while the other munched on a jianbing. Neither expected Tan Zishu to open the door anytime soon.

They were used to it. Every visit required at least half an hour of phone bombardment, ten minutes of knocking, a combination of doorbell and pounding—if they were lucky and the housekeeper was home, maybe someone would open the door sooner.

But if the housekeeper wasn’t in, well… then good luck. Getting her to come out was hit-or-miss.

This time, however, before Lou Juan could even lift her hand to knock, the door lock let out a soft beep—and suddenly, someone came bursting out of the house.

Tan Zishu, clutching her shoes, dashed past them—

Barefoot.

Behind her, Ji Yao stood in the doorway holding a tall-necked flower vase. She and the two visitors locked eyes.

Xu Xiyan let out an awkward burp, breaking the silence.

Ji Yao blinked at their stunned expressions, suddenly remembering she still had to play her “well-behaved canary” role. She smiled sweetly, lowered the vase with a touch of shyness, and said, “I was doing a bit of cleaning. Zishu said she wanted to add some… excitement.”

Xu Xiyan choked on her saliva and erupted into a coughing fit—Good lord! Could you please handle that vase more gently? That thing looks like it came from an auction. If its price were converted into eggs… we’d be eating cholesterol for a lifetime.

Unfortunately, she was too busy coughing to stop Ji Yao. In contrast, Lou Juan remained perfectly calm. She pushed up her glasses and, in a knowing tone, said, “Thanks for taking care of things at home. If anything comes up, feel free to contact either of us.”

Ji Yao casually set the vase down in the entryway and beamed. “Will do.”

Meanwhile, poor assistant Xu Xiyan was staring at the vase on the floor like her eyes were about to pop out.

Lou Juan grabbed her arm, offered Ji Yao a polite nod and smile—and then vanished with the efficiency of a gust of wind.

“They really left like a breeze,” Ji Yao said, glancing down at the broken flakes of crisp batter left on the ground. “Guess the assistant’s jianbing lost its soul in the escape.”

Xu Xiyan mourned, “The soul of the jianbing is the crispy bits… that was a big chunk. Totally gone.”

Lou Juan: “…”

She looked ahead to where Tan Zishu was now crouched at a distance, hurriedly putting on her shoes. For a moment, Lou Juan felt like she was the odd one out in this whole scene.