Transmigrated as the Black-Bellied Film Empress's Live-in Alpha (GL) - Chapter 3

Bai Nian successfully snuck into Chen Qingying’s villa. Although she had the owner’s permission, her shifty-eyed behavior while packing certainly didn’t look like she was “invited” in.

Rustling quietly, she found a large pile of expensive shirts in the guest bedroom and stuffed them into the suitcase she’d just pulled from the corner.

The guest bedroom had good sunlight, warmly baking the balcony, reflecting fractured rainbow colors under the glass. She packed everything as a backup plan, then crawled like a snail to the railing of the second-floor staircase.

Chen Qingying was lying on the living room sofa, propped up by a pillow, typing on her laptop. From another angle, the screen showed large blocks of text interspersed with pictures and tables.

Bai Nian remembered that Chen Qingying wasn’t just an actress; she also handled some trivial family business. When she read the novel, she thought it was impressive how Chen Qingying could multitask with such high efficiency—no wonder she was the female lead.

The Omega wore gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Beneath the transparent lenses were beautiful foxy eyes, adding a touch of literary softness to her cool and elegant demeanor.

Honestly, a woman working seriously was indeed captivating.

Bai Nian stared at her for a long time. Suddenly, the other person seemed to sense her gaze, looked up in her direction, then continued working.

She clearly regarded Bai Nian as invisible.

Bai Nian, who had intended to make peace, started to back down. Chen Qingying showed no interest in acknowledging her; how was she supposed to negotiate?

In a relationship, this was emotional abuse!

She only dared to shout internally. After much hesitation, she still wouldn’t give up, wanting to seize an opportunity for herself.

She thought through her words, but before she could open her mouth, she choked.

What should she call Chen Qingying? She found herself in a dilemma.

Calling her by her full name was too impolite, “Qingying” was too intimate and lacking in boundaries, and “Ms. Chen”…

The original character’s clingy, unpleasant face resurfaced in her mind.

She absolutely wouldn’t!

“Um…” Bai Nian spoke weakly, her voice so soft that it would be carried away by a gust of wind.

Chen Qingying didn’t even look at her.

Okay, died before even going to battle.

“Regarding what happened last night, I’m truly sorry,” she lowered her head, as if the person were standing right in front of her. “I can understand that you won’t forgive me no matter what. I will find a way to compensate you.”

She had no money, no power, only her life. If Chen Qingying really asked what she planned to compensate her with, she wouldn’t be able to think of anything for a while.

Fortunately, the other party sat there like a statue, silent.

This feeling was like punching cotton. Bai Nian felt both relieved and disappointed. The other party wasn’t even willing to give her a chance. Indeed, her thoughts yesterday were too naive.

Negotiation failed, execute Plan B.

She turned around, carrying the heavy suitcase, and took the elevator to the first floor.

Anyway, she couldn’t stay in this house anymore; she needed to find a place to settle down first. With clothes and basic necessities, Bai Nian wasn’t as anxious.

The sound of wheels sliding on the tiles made a dull thud. The suitcase was so full that it bulged slightly. Chen Qingying’s typing movements slowed down, and she looked at Bai Nian over the raised screen.

“Then, I’ll be going, okay?” Bai Nian tentatively asked.

Are you really not going to try and keep me? After all, I’m your nominal wife. During the contract period, isn’t it reasonable to ask where I’m going?

But Chen Qingying clearly detested her to the extreme. Allowing her inside was already an act of great mercy, so it was impossible for her to say any polite words.

Understandable, all understandable.

And so, Bai Nian left Chen Qingying’s villa, even receiving an enthusiastic greeting from security on her way out.

“Going on a trip?”

“Yeah, it’s too hot here. Going somewhere else to escape the summer heat,” she said with a dry laugh, wiping sweat from her forehead.

When you’re out and about, your identity is what you make it, and besides, family scandals shouldn’t be aired in public.

Comforting herself, Bai Nian walked to the bus stop and sat on the scorching hot seat. There were three minutes until the next bus arrived, and she idly scrolled on her phone.

Sticky sweat drenched her clothes, making her feel as though she had been pulled from water. The pervasive dampness was inescapable, and her heart grew inexplicably irritable.

The unknown future filled her with dread. In a strange place, with only fragmented memories of the original book, facing it alone was indeed difficult.

Since her bank card was frozen, her top priority was to earn money.

She was incredibly glad for the shirts she had stuffed into her suitcase earlier; at least selling them secondhand at a low price would allow her to catch her breath.

Bai Nian had rarely been so financially strapped. After planning, she decided to find a job first, temporarily stay in a cheap guesthouse, and then look for a rental while working.

The bus arrived. She lifted her cumbersome suitcase, scanned her phone, and found a seat in the back row.

The scorching sun was blocked out, and the dark blue curtains swayed with the moving vehicle. Passing by a commercial building, a huge electronic screen stood in the plaza, displaying Chen Qingying’s face in fluid motion repeatedly.

The best way to experience a city is to take a bus from beginning to end. When she encountered many commercial plazas and bus stops, she deeply understood this statement.

Chen Qingying was everywhere: shampoo, yogurt, snacks, even brand-name summer clothing, jewelry, and perfume. The brands she endorsed covered various fields.

This redefined Bai Nian’s understanding of “nationally renowned.” Regardless of age, anyone who saw Chen Qingying would mention a character she had played.

In the star-studded entertainment industry, no one dared to publicly admit they were the “Film Empress,” but whenever the term was mentioned, Chen Qingying’s face would undoubtedly be the first to appear in the public’s mind.

The scratches on the glass fell into Bai Nian’s eyes, her amber pupils illuminated transparently. She opened a social app and browsed Chen Qingying’s profile.

All sorts of dazzling awards, both well-known and niche, were almost all conquered. She then switched to WeChat, staring at the other person’s profile picture for a long time.

Who could imagine that there was a marriage certificate with Chen Qingying lying on her bedside table?

Forget it, Chen Qingying was not someone she could possibly fantasize about. Settling for a superficial relationship was enough.

Bai Nian changed to a different guesthouse and placed her suitcase by the bed. This place was better than last night’s; the faded white sheets were spotless, and though the furniture was old, it was clean.

She gathered the clothes she intended to sell, put them in a plastic bag, and went out. Conveniently, there was a secondhand luxury store next door. The owner was a shrewd woman wearing black-rimmed glasses.

She lifted the shirt and its tags. After confirming it was genuine, she quoted a price. They negotiated, and the payment was swiftly made.

Walking into the shop feeling defeated, Bai Nian emerged feeling like an arrogant nouveau riche. She looked at the five-figure balance on her phone, and the first thing she did upon returning to the guesthouse was order takeout to celebrate.

With the immediate crisis resolved, she still needed to find a job and rent a place.

The Alpha sat cross-legged on the bed, drinking bubble tea while Browse job apps. The projector was playing Chen Qingying’s latest movie. Occasionally, when tired, she would look up and glance at it.

Her initial anxiety faded, and Bai Nian felt a real sense of being able to settle down here.

Finding a job was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but fortunately, she had three years of work experience from her previous world. After nearly ten days of searching, she successfully passed an interview and received an offer from a newspaper agency.

During these days, she had lost contact with Chen Qingying.

They weren’t originally in the same social circles. If it weren’t for Chen Qingying using her to ward off blind dates, they might never have intersected in life.

But Bai Nian wouldn’t let it go so easily. She understood the female lead’s personality in this book too well. Her unwillingness to contact her was simply because she was entangled with other matters.

Once she had free time, she would definitely deal with her.

Thinking this, she shivered. She had been enjoying a comfortable life for a few days and almost forgot she had a task at hand.

On her first day of work, Bai Nian sat at her workstation, feeling at a loss in front of the new and unfamiliar equipment. Her colleague beside her, seeing her motionless, tapped the desk.

“Sister Nian Nian, the boss is here,” her colleague whispered in a hushed tone.

Bai Nian snapped back to attention, looked in the direction of the voice, and smiled. “Thanks, Ning Ning.”

Yun Ning was two years younger than her and had also just started working. The Omega was pretty and sweet, her round almond eyes curved slightly when she smiled, and faint dimples appeared on her cheeks.

Her voice was melodious, like a water village girl stepping out of a misty, rainy painting.

“Speaking of which, I heard Sister Nian Nian is a senior. I’ll have to trouble you a lot in the future.”

Bai Nian considered herself as straight as an arrow, but facing such a sweet girl, she couldn’t help but blush and stammer shyly, “It won’t be much trouble.”

Meeting a cute colleague even improved her work efficiency. The two cooperated seamlessly and even agreed to go out for a sketching trip when they had time.

After work, returning to the guesthouse, Bai Nian placed the dumplings she bought downstairs on the table. The first thing she did was text Chen Qingying.

Bai Nian: [Just got off work. First day at work today, colleagues are friendly~]

Finishing her message, she picked up her bath towel in a good mood to shower. When she emerged, still misty from the steam, her phone screen was lit up.

Before this, Bai Nian would text Chen Qingying every day. Although she never received a reply, she believed that the other person would definitely see them.

But suddenly receiving a reply, she felt a sudden loss of composure. Her movements of wiping her hair slowed. She sat solemnly on the bed and clicked on the message box.

Chen Qingying: [Are you free to talk on the phone?]

Evidently, she wasn’t interested in Bai Nian’s trivial daily life. After saying her piece, there was a record of an unanswered call below.

Bai Nian felt a lump in her throat, unable to relieve it. Seeing the other person’s polite tone, she probably wouldn’t send a lawyer’s letter or call the police, right?

A sword seemed to be hanging over her head, threatening to fall at any moment and cleave her to pieces. Bai Nian forced out two words.

[Convenient.]

Chen Qingying seemed to be waiting by her phone; as soon as she typed those two words, the call invitation from the other end came directly.

She quickly grabbed the water from the table to moisten her throat, coughed twice, then answered and put it on speakerphone.

Even breathing sounds came from the other end. Bai Nian was inexplicably nervous, like the embarrassment of being called upon by a teacher to answer a question in class.

“How have you been doing lately?” she said, a greeting that anyone would find perfunctory. “I just found a job and am preparing to settle down. I’m working at a newspaper agency. I might not be able to pay back the money you gave me in the short term, but please give me some time!”

Bai Nian had figured it out: she had not only caused Chen Qingying emotional harm but also financial loss. But she forgot that for an Omega from a wealthy family, that money was nothing.

Constantly talking about compensation but delaying action, she felt like a manipulative woman who made empty promises.

After listening to her silently, after a brief few seconds, Chen Qingying spoke.

Her clear voice carried a magnetic, granular quality, making one’s earlobes tingle slightly.

“Bai Nian, let’s get a divorce.”