Transmigrated as the Black-Bellied Film Empress's Live-in Alpha (GL) - Chapter 18

As night fell, a clear sky held a moon like a shard of ice. Silhouettes were cast on the glass in front of the open window. After Bai Nian and Chen Qingying said goodnight to each other, Bai Nian lay in bed, scrolling through Weibo.

During her remote work period, her life had been comfortable. Apart from occasionally helping Yun Ning polish her drafts, she was largely free, almost forgetting her identity as a working professional. Her editor also trusted Bai Nian implicitly, entrusting her with significant responsibilities.

Bai Nian wasn’t particularly focused on work for now. Anyway, she had two more months. She figured she’d slowly dig for something; then she could wear Chen Qingying down and see if she could get some inside scoop.

Of course, ideals are abundant, and she didn’t consider the feasibility behind her elaborate plan in the slightest.

Bai Nian had a habit of keeping a diary, not with pen and paper, but on her personal Weibo account, which served as a confessional “tree hollow.”

She would post about what happened that day and her feelings at the time. Anyway, her alt account didn’t have many followers, and the views were minimal.

Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior: [Made my goddess angry again today [crying emoji], a slave at work, a maid at home.]

The accompanying image was a lake view at dusk, looking down from the living room’s panoramic window. The shimmering lake surface was rippled by the wind, white birds swiftly flew by, and the distant sunset looked like a flowing salted duck egg yolk.

The imagery was beautiful; she really knew how to take a picture.

She complained in a joking tone, clicked send, refreshed again, and sure enough, garnered less than ten views.

Bai Nian didn’t care about that; what she cared about more was the anonymous user who frequently visited her personal page.

The username was an initial ID, and the profile picture was a white silhouette like a WeChat account after deactivation. Entering this person’s profile, not a single post had been liked or sent.

If it were a robot, it wouldn’t consistently check her updates. She immediately concluded that this was someone’s alt account, possibly even a real-life acquaintance.

Having no interaction with her, this feeling of being watched creeped Bai Nian out, making her get goosebumps. She rolled over, about to block the alt account, when a message popped up in her WeChat chatbox.

He Kun: [Are you still mad [finger hook emoji]]

As soon as she saw this person, Bai Nian was furious. To preserve evidence for future exoneration, she had kept his WeChat account and hadn’t deleted it.

Rolling her eyes, she decided to ignore him, about to set He Kun to do not disturb, but the other side still wouldn’t give up.

He Kun: [You’re still not over it? What’s with the craziness.]

He Kun: [Didn’t we say, “when you get rich, don’t forget your old friends”? Now you’re married and getting benefits, so you’re abandoning your buddies?]

He Kun: [Be careful, I’ll dig out all our old call records and tell Chen Qingying.]

The last sentence was full of menace and made Bai Nian pause. She licked her dry lips, feeling a tightness in her throat.

How could she allow a small fry who suddenly appeared to ruin all her efforts of so many days? And judging by the book’s description of the original owner’s malicious actions, this He Kun, who could hang around with her, was probably a desperado who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

No! She had to appease him first.

Bai Nian: [What exactly do you want?]

He Kun: [Heh heh, finally willing to talk to me? How are things going for you in the Chen family?]

Behind the disgusting pleasantries, his intentions were barely concealed. Bai Nian suppressed the anger in her heart and replied, “Not so good.”

Bai Nian: [Don’t bother me unless it’s important. I’m busy.]

He Kun: [What could you possibly be busy with? Aren’t you living the life of a rich young lady?]

Not wanting to argue with such a rotten person during her private evening hours, she sent the two words “Sleeping now” and immediately exited the chat.

She felt a jolt run through her body, like static electricity, and after chatting with He Kun, she felt like her WeChat was no longer clean.

That night, Bai Nian didn’t sleep well.

So much so that when she woke up the next morning, her steps were as unsteady as if she were walking on cotton. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was pale.

She drowsily walked out of the bedroom, unexpectedly seeing Chen Qingying in the living room. Her gaze flickered to the wall clock, its black and white hour hand already pointing to ten.

The woman’s bare shoulders were draped with a long scarf, and a large expanse of skin was exposed across her rising chest. Her long hair was tied back, and her eyes were suspiciously scrutinizing Bai Nian.

“You woke up late,” Chen Qingying said, picking up the freshly brewed lemon water. Her heavy nasal tone might make one think she was feeling wronged.

It seemed she had just woken up too.

Bai Nian covered her throbbing temples, mumbling vaguely, “Oh… I forgot to get up and make breakfast, sorry.”

She thought the other person’s remark was a complaint about not having food, so she walked towards the bathroom, preparing to wash up.

It was all because of He Kun last night, who filled her dreams with images of Chen Qingying pointing a knife at her. She definitely didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes once her past was known.

And that anonymous user!

Bai Nian silently protested in her heart, maintaining a calm exterior.

A helpless sigh came from beside her ear. The scent of rosemary, carried by footsteps, moved closer. The next moment, her chin was cupped, gently guiding her face towards Chen Qingying.

Caught off guard, her eyes met those bright ones. Her heart skipped a beat, and Chen Qingying aptly withdrew her hand, subtly brushing her fingers where they had touched.

“Didn’t sleep well last night? What made you look like this?” The Omega’s voice was magnetic and gentle, carrying a hint of alluring charm.

This was the first time Chen Qingying had actively leaned in, and Bai Nian’s face flushed with excitement. Before she could speak, she saw Chen Qingying slightly furrow her brow, as if reflecting.

“Or was it because I lectured you last night?”

She was referring to the incident of handing the bath towel outside the bathroom.

“No, no, I didn’t take it to heart,” The faint, lingering scent of the woman made Bai Nian feel lightheaded. She was flushed red, and quickly absolved Chen Qingying, afraid she would blame herself.

Bai Nian herself wasn’t one to overthink, and with Chen Qingying involved, no matter what went wrong, it would always circle back to her.

“Never mind, come and eat. I ordered room service.” Not dwelling on the matter, Chen Qingying showed a polite, detached smile and walked to the dining table.

Only then did Bai Nian notice the seven or eight dishes on the table. At a glance, it was all French foie gras, red wine beef stew…

Having never had such a luxurious breakfast, she sat in her usual seat, feeling the air around her permeated with opulence.

Although it was already nearing noon.

She forked a small piece of beef into her mouth and chewed, then seeing Chen Qingying still drinking lemon water, she asked in confusion, “Aren’t you going to sit down and eat with me?”

“No,” Chen Qingying politely refused, walking around the dining area to sit on the sofa.

The lighting here was excellent; when the sun rose, it would envelop the area, making even the fresh flowers in the narrow-necked vase in the center of the coffee table appear vibrantly colored. Because of this, she loved to work or entertain herself here.

Looking at the nearly untouched breakfast, Bai Nian’s heart stirred: “Is all this… prepared for me?”

After all, Chen Qingying didn’t care much for food.

“Yes.” A concise answer, effortlessly stirred a flutter of joy in Bai Nian’s heart.

For Chen Qingying to put thought into her was truly rare. She praised herself repeatedly in her mind, affirming her success in the “conquest.”

“By the way, why didn’t you go to work today?” Bai Nian took a sip of soup, gazing steadily at Chen Qingying’s profile.

“I don’t have any scenes. Instead of basking in the sun outside, I’d rather spend time doing other things.” The other party replied. For her, filling her life with work was routine.

Bai Nian, however, couldn’t understand or empathize. Her philosophy was simply that life was but thirty thousand days, and each day she enjoyed was a day well spent.

Compared to yesterday, Chen Qingying’s attitude was somewhat better; she couldn’t pinpoint why. Although her smile still didn’t reach her eyes, Bai Nian felt she was more patient with her.

She also spoke more.

She liked Chen Qingying talking to her.

“By the way, I want to discuss something with you,” Chen Qingying closed the magazine in her hand.

Every time someone spoke in such a serious tone with the same words, Bai Nian would inexplicably get nervous. She sat up straighter, her hands resting obediently on her knees, observing Chen Qingying through the glass.

Noticing her discomfort, Chen Qingying chuckled: “Don’t be nervous. For you, it’s probably not a bad thing.”

Bai Nian breathed a sigh of relief. From her tone just now, she thought they were getting divorced again.

“Before, I gave you a bank card,” the other person said calmly. Even though their marriage agreement was actually a sugar baby relationship in practice, she could speak of it as if it were nothing.

Mentioning this, Bai Nian thought of the night she first transmigrated, wandering under the bridge for three hours, from the Intercontinental Hotel to a dilapidated old guesthouse.

“I’ve unfrozen the bank card. You can use the money inside freely…” Chen Qingying’s voice paused, then she suddenly smiled, “You’ve helped me a lot. Consider this money as compensation.”

“Why so sudden?” Bai Nian bit her chopsticks, unable to figure out which part had made Chen Qingying make such a big concession.

Was it a trap? Or…

She also wanted to be incredibly wealthy, but she also needed to be alive to spend it! The sudden happiness made her wary of what mischief the other party might be brewing.

Although Bai Nian believed that in Chen Qingying’s eyes, she couldn’t even compare to her assistant.

The Omega fell into thought, as if seriously considering the question: “You’re skilled at cooking and good at taking care of people. It’s a pity for you to work. Why suffer?”

“No matter how bad the Chen family gets, even if it were a live-in Alpha, they wouldn’t mistreat people without cause.”

This reason convinced Bai Nian. Thinking of the complaints she made last night, she secretly rejoiced.

It was truly like getting a pillow when you’re sleepy, but she had to politely refuse two or three times to prove that she wasn’t a vain person.

“Taking care of Ms. Chen is my duty; there’s no question of mistreatment or not,” Bai Nian said, uttering words that even she found hypocritical.

If only all bosses in the world were half as self-aware as Chen Qingying, constantly reflecting, where would there be a shortage of hardworking laborers?

Chen Qingying didn’t speak. Only then did Bai Nian notice that those foxy eyes were locked on her. The other party raised an eyebrow slightly: “Are you saying you don’t want it?”

“I want it!” Bai Nian blurted out.

How could she possibly refuse such a windfall?

Not at all surprised by her answer, Chen Qingying let out a faint hum from her nose, her face showing pleasure. Bai Nian’s frankness inexplicably prevented her from feeling any aversion.

She rolled up the magazine, took her phone from the coffee table, and walked straight to the bedroom. Not long after, Bai Nian received a text message from the bank.

She quickly opened the app, and seeing a string of zeros, her heart pounded in her chest with excitement. The most recent transfer was from five minutes ago.

She had never seen so much money. Even working diligently for three generations, it wouldn’t amount to half of it.

Bai Nian had once asked herself what she would do first if she suddenly became rich. Her answer would invariably be to quit her job, then travel the world, living a carefree life of romance.

This change in thought occurred after she transmigrated and saw the expensive brands in the original owner’s wardrobe. She suddenly realized she lacked nothing.

Moreover, aside from the busy life at the newspaper, Bai Nian felt that picking up a camera to document current events was not something she disliked.

Especially making a friend like Yun Ning.

She suddenly understood the feelings of a parvenu; even if one becomes famous overnight, they are still destined to toil, unlike those from prominent families like Chen Qingying…

No, Chen Qingying seemed to love her work too.

Realizing that work and wealth weren’t necessarily linked, Bai Nian felt relieved.

It wasn’t until a phone call came in that her fantasy completely shattered.

Staring at the name “He Kun” in her contacts, she couldn’t help but feel a headache.