Transmigrated as a Scum Alpha Cannon Fodder, Sweetly Pampering the Heroine - Chapter 23

Xu Jinman was no longer sleepy.

 

In this world, calling someone “fake” was the same as saying they were incompetent.

 

Seeing Shen Shu head toward the bedroom balcony with something in her hand, Xu Jinman sprang to her feet, eager to discuss it with her. She took a few steps forward when she heard the sound of shattering glass from the balcony.

 

Between the balcony and the doorway, a transparent glass vase lay shattered on the floor, its fragments scattered around a lush pothos plant.

 

“Don’t move,” Xu Jinman warned, eyeing the shards around Shen Shu’s feet.

 

“It’s fine,” Shen Shu replied, then hesitated.

 

Puzzled, Xu Jinman watched as Shen Shu tilted her head and reached for a small clip on the clothesline.

 

The white fabric, translucent when wet, hung limply.

 

Xu Jinman glanced at the small item…

 

Shen Shu pulled the balcony trash can closer, bent down to pick up the larger glass shards, and examined the ear, which had a faint, cool pink hue. “It’s getting late. You should head home.”

 

“Get up first,” Xu Jinman insisted, eyeing the sharp, transparent fragments in Shen Shu’s hand. “Where are the gloves?”

 

“I don’t need them. There aren’t many pieces,” Shen Shu replied.

 

Her fingers froze mid-motion, and tiny beads of crimson welled up from her pale skin.

 

Xu Jinman grew impatient. “Why are you being so stubborn?”

 

Shen Shu glanced at her fingertip. It was just a scratch, the tiny bead of bl00d already beginning to clot. Nothing serious.

 

A shadow fell over the ground.

 

Before Shen Shu could react, she was suddenly lifted into the air. She gasped in surprise.

 

Xu Jinman pulled her closer, pressing her against her chest.

 

“Xu Jinman!”

 

Her arm brushed against Xu Jinman’s soft, warm body. When she looked up, she saw the woman’s pale, delicate neck. Beyond the faint scent of wine, there was only the clear, sunlit air…

 

Her breath hitched, and her body felt inexplicably weak.

 

Xu Jinman didn’t reply, carrying Shen Shu to the bedroom and gently setting her down.

 

“Stay here,” she ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.

 

She’s so light I could carry her with one hand. And she dares to call herself strong? If I really wanted to do something, would she be able to handle it?

 

Xu Jinman’s resentment simmered.

 

She tossed her own towel onto the floor and bent down.

 

Shen Shu pressed down on her slightly racing heart. Pheromones could be replicated, but the feeling one person gave another couldn’t be faked.

 

Watching Xu Jinman’s figure through the bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window, Shen Shu sank into deep thought. As a certain possibility occurred to her, her mood darkened, weighed down by a heavy sense of foreboding.

 

 

An hour ago, it had rained. Tong Jia had invited Xu Jinman out for coffee.

 

“What are you spacing out about? Did you and your wife have a fight?” Tong Jia asked, digging into a small piece of cake.

 

After playing the role of a wife for so long, constantly hearing people say “your wife, your wife,” Xu Jinman had started to overthink things.

 

With Shen Shu’s personality, Xu Jinman thought, even if we were actually married, we probably wouldn’t argue much.

 

She couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong, but Shen Shu had seemed a bit off these past few days.

 

Tong Jia declared definitively, “Incompatible s3x life, probably. You look unsatisfied.”

 

Xu Jinman glanced at her, dismissing the childish banter.

 

Though Xu Jinman was generally easy to get along with, Tong Jia had learned her limits after several interactions. When Xu Jinman was genuinely annoyed, Tong Jia knew better than to push her luck.

 

She shifted the conversation to Shen Shu’s recent progress on set.

 

Shen Shu’s filming had been going well for the past two weeks. According to online buzz, her looks had made her a minor sensation.

 

“The main leads of the show haven’t even trended yet, but your girl’s already making headlines,” Tong Jia said. “And I have more news: the director added a few extra scenes for her.”

 

Xu Jinman: “Why?”

 

“Because she’s become popular. In this industry, maintaining passion is crucial, but staying relevant is even more important. After all, everyone needs to make money.”

 

Tong Jia and Xu Jinman had met several times and genuinely found the heiress difficult to figure out. Sometimes she seemed grounded, buying street food like hand-pulled pancakes, while other times she acted aloof, oblivious to the struggles of ordinary people.

 

Xu Jinman didn’t care what she thought. “Oh.”

 

“Our second female lead quit,” Tong Jia said coldly, opening the floodgates. “The director added scenes for Shen Shu, and she threw a fit, demanding more screen time for herself. The director scolded her, and now that filming is about to start, she’s refusing to act. Fine, let her go.”

 

“But I heard a big shot is interested in the script and might take over for a low salary.”

 

Xu Jinman responded with another disinterested “Oh.”

 

Tong Jia tucked her silver bob behind her ear. “I need to warn you: after the trending search, some online comments might upset you.”

 

“How so?” Xu Jinman picked up her iced shaken lemonade.

 

Tong Jia showed her Weibo. On the entertainment trending list, beneath the top-ranked post, a wave of posts with related hashtags was riding the coattails of the buzz.

 

Two particularly eye-catching negative comments stood out:

 

* Righteous Gentleman: #WhatIsATrueQipaoBeauty# This face is so heavily photoshopped it looks fake. [Image]

 

* Ruth: #WhatIsATrueQipaoBeauty# Great figure, but she has that generic “influencer” face, and… the filter is way too heavy. [Image]

 

Xu Jinman registered a new account right in front of Tong Jia, naming it “Sister’s Got Money and Stamina.”

 

Tong Jia rolled her eyes. So what if you’re rich?

 

So what if you’re rich?

 

When Tong Jia refreshed Weibo later, the entire topic seemed to have been “cleaned up.” Even the two earlier haters had flipped their tune.

 

* Righteous Gentleman: #WhatIsATrueQipaoBeauty# Holy crap, she’s gorgeous!

 

* Ruth: #WhatIsATrueQipaoBeauty# Confirmed! I was wrong earlier. The real person is absolutely stunning, and she’s a newcomer! Support!

 

Tong Jia: “……” Looks like the money was well-spent.

 

Tong Jia sent Xu Jinman a WeChat message: Sister’s really rich. Actually… I have a Weibo account too, with quite a few followers.

 

Two minutes passed without a response from Xu Jinman.

 

Tong Jia sent another message: Your fairy’s having a rough day. Go comfort her.

 

Xu Jinman replied with a transfer of 5,000 yuan.

 

Tong Jia: ……! As if she’d stumbled upon a wealth-creation manual.

 

Xu Jinman turned off her phone and texted Shen Shu to ask if she was home. Half an hour later, she received a single, icy reply.

 

Sometimes I really do feel like a lapdog, she thought, laughing at herself. She’s in a bad mood, and I’m still crawling back.

 

Slipping into her white rabbit slippers, Xu Jinman entered the apartment.

 

A script lay open on the sofa.

 

“Get your own water,” Shen Shu said.

 

“Okay,” Xu Jinman replied.

 

They hadn’t seen each other since that night she left Shen Shu’s place. Their WeChat conversations had dwindled; Xu Jinman was busy with work, and Shen Shu rarely replied, leaving Xu Jinman wondering what she was so preoccupied with.

 

Xu Jinman had always poured her own water here, but today, Shen Shu’s words carried a deliberate coldness.

 

“Are you adjusting well on set?”

 

“Fine.”

 

“No issues?”

 

“None.”

 

“……”

 

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Jinman asked, “Did I offend you?”

 

Shen Shu wasn’t used to this kind of atmosphere. If Xu Jinman genuinely disliked her, she simply wouldn’t come again. But first, she needed to understand why.

 

When Xu Jinman wasn’t smiling, her phoenix eyes drooped, giving her an air of aggression.

 

Their gazes met, and despite Shen Shu’s efforts to remain composed, she subconsciously felt the urge to retreat.

 

Shen Shu’s expression turned cold. What right did Xu Jinman have to act so assertively in her own home?

 

“Was I too harsh that day?” Xu Jinman asked, her eyes lowered. “I didn’t mean to be, but I was worried you’d get hurt.”

 

Shen Shu froze, belatedly realizing Xu Jinman was trying to explain herself.

 

Shen Shu: “……”

 

Xu Jinman’s brow furrowed slightly, a hint of genuine speculation in her expression.

 

Shen Shu suppressed her surprise, averted her gaze, and turned to sit on the sofa.

 

“No,” she replied flatly. “It has nothing to do with you.”

 

Fine.

 

Xu Jinman stood at the kitchen island, her fingertips tapping a rapid rhythm against the rim of her water glass. She glanced at Shen Shu’s dry lips, poured another glass, and walked over to her.

 

Shen Shu paused, her gaze landing on the water glass Xu Jinman offered. Just as Xu Jinman was about to retract it, Shen Shu took the glass.

 

Her body’s reaction had fueled an obsession in her mind, constantly superimposing Xu Jinman’s image over the person from the karaoke room. Whether through intuition or gut feeling, she was convinced it was Xu Jinman.

 

Once this thought took root, it spread like wildfire, growing unchecked and overwhelming her.

 

That was why she had been avoiding Xu Jinman these past few days.

 

Seeing Shen Shu’s continued lack of emotion, Xu Jinman stood up.

 

“Then get some rest. I won’t bother you for the next couple of days.”

 

Shen Shu had been busy with her investments all morning, barely pausing when her WeChat buzzed.

 

She didn’t have time to check it.

 

But two seconds later, something made her pick it up.

 

At the same moment, a call popped up at the top of the screen.

 

Tong Jia.

 

Xu Jinman flipped through the papers. “…You really have too much time on your hands.”

 

“President Xu, so busy?”

 

Xu Jinman replied flatly, “Busy. Hanging up.”

 

Tong Jia: “Busy, busy. Keep it up, and your wife will be gone.”

 

Xu Jinman put the phone back to her ear, saying nothing.

 

Tong Jia chuckled triumphantly. “To be honest, President Xu, you’re as beautiful as a flower, stunningly gorgeous, and most importantly, rich. But I still have to say, you might lose this time.”

 

Xu Jinman: “?”

 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… Xia Chun, the woman who’s here to play the female supporting role. Oh, and today she’ll be filming a particularly intense scene with your wife.”

 

Xu Jinman unconsciously frowned. “Who?”

 

Tong Jia: “Still half-asleep? You haven’t heard of the Best Actress? I’ll send you a photo to wake you up.”

 

Xu Jinman opened Tong Jia’s WeChat. In the photo, a tall, short-haired woman with striking charisma stood on wooden steps, her profile stunningly beautiful. She gazed at Shen Shu with a warm smile, her eyes hinting at deep affection. Shen Shu wore the dark green qipao from “Nightingale,” a faint curve playing at the corner of her lips.

 

Through the loudspeaker, Tong Jia’s gloating voice echoed: “The Best Actress is here to compete, gazing at your wife with such devotion. She’s clearly after Shen Shu.”

 

Xu Jinman: “……”

 

No wonder the name sounded familiar.

 

Xia Chun wasn’t just anyone; she was the female lead’s official romantic partner in the novel Brutal Lover.

 

In other words, Shen Shu’s official romantic partner.