Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 8
In an upscale club in the city center, the grand banquet hall buzzed with guests mingling and toasting.
After completing the afternoon’s film opening ceremony, the producer, Cui Cui, had invited the entire crew to celebrate and wish the movie Unrequited Love in the Dark a box office success.
Ye Shuyi stood in a quiet corner of the banquet hall, lightly swirling a glass of champagne in her hand, her gaze fixed on Yi Qian at the center of the room, chatting with the director and the producer.
“President Ye.”
Someone suddenly appeared beside her. She glanced sideways to see Tang Chi, who, though speaking to her, kept her eyes firmly on Jiang Shiluo in the middle of the hall. Amidst the sea of guests, her gaze held only her.
“President Tang, you really are a devoted partner. You accompany Miss Jiang practically everywhere she goes,” Ye Shuyi remarked, casting another look at Tang Chi. She wasn’t surprised the other woman had approached her today, Tang Chi had already given her a questioning look back at the studio.
Tang Chi raised her glass and lightly clinked it against Ye Shuyi’s before turning her gaze back to the same spot, her voice tender. “Of course I have to take good care of her. She’s my beloved.”
Seeing the happiness in Tang Chi’s smile, Ye Shuyi’s lips curved slightly as well, though her expression carried a hint of bitterness. “I really envy you, President Tang.”
Tang Chi briefly tore her gaze away from Jiang Shiluo to look at Ye Shuyi, her smile radiant with contentment. “No need for envy, President Ye. One day, you’ll meet someone you truly love with all your heart. And… isn’t there already someone you have your eye on?” She gestured subtly toward Yi Qian before continuing, “So, what’s your game plan? I heard you even went out of your way to get a talent agent license just to become her manager?”
Ye Shuyi stared at the figure in the center of the banquet hall, silent for a moment before replying with a faintly resigned expression, “After all… if you want to stand by someone’s side, you need a proper role to play, don’t you agree, President Tang?”
She paused, tilting her head to look at Tang Chi, her smile tinged with melancholy. “As for whether she’s the one I’m aiming for… that’s still uncertain. I’d appreciate it if you kept this between us.”
Tang Chi extended her glass again. “Naturally. I look forward to hearing good news from you someday.”
Ye Shuyi clinked her glass against it. “Thank you, President Tang.”
With that, she downed the rest of her drink in one go, casually setting the empty glass on a nearby tray. “I’ll excuse myself for now.”
Tang Chi nodded. “Of course.”
She turned her attention back to where her beloved stood in the crowd, only to notice the producer, Cui Cui, glance in the direction Ye Shuyi had left before following after her.
After a while, Tang Chi’s gaze drifted toward the restroom entrance. Neither of the two who had entered had come back out. A slight frown creased her brow something about the situation felt off.
She glanced at Yi Qian amidst the crowd and made her way toward her.
Inside the restroom, Ye Shuyi studied her reflection in the mirror. She was the type whose face flushed easily after drinking, and after a few glasses, her cheeks were already tinged pink. She turned on the faucet, bent down, and splashed water on her face, the redness fading slightly.
Just as she reached the restroom door, a pair of striking red high heels came into view.
“Class monitor, do you remember who I am?” The newcomer asked in a disdainful tone.
Ye Shuyi slowly wiped her hands and raised her head leisurely, a faint smirk playing on her lips as she met the other woman’s gaze. Her voice was lazy and unhurried: “This utterly forgettable face of yours… wait, let me think…”
She studied the woman carefully dressed in eye-catching red, arms crossed, exuding arrogance. Small eyes, high cheekbones to put it bluntly, this was the kind of face that, if tossed into a crowd, would be impossible to remember no matter how many times she looked at it.
Yet, contrary to reality, this face was etched deeply into her memory.
After all, who could easily forget the person who found every excuse to bully them during their youth?
During high school, Ye Shuyi had been exceptionally admitted to a prestigious private academy due to her outstanding grades. The students there were all from wealthy or influential families, while Ye Shuyi, a scholarship student from a poor background, stood out like an anomaly.
In Classroom 18 of the second year, the setting sun bathed the room in golden light. The teenage Ye Shuyi sat at her desk finishing her homework when a stack of notebooks was suddenly slammed onto her desk. A smug, arrogant voice followed: “Class monitor, do us a favor and write our homework for us. Oh, and make sure to use different handwriting for each one.”
Without even looking up, Ye Shuyi silently gathered the notebooks and set them aside, listening as the group laughed mockingly and swaggered out of the classroom.
On a corridor flooded with sunlight, the young Ye Shuyi carried a pile of notebooks back to class. As she passed the stairwell, someone suddenly yanked her scarf, dragging her into an empty corner. A group of girls surrounded her, pointing and jeering. The ringleader, Cui Cui, tugged at her scarf and sneered, “The class monitor wears this white scarf every day, huh? Does it have some special meaning?”
For the first time, Ye Shuyi, who had never resisted before, stubbornly clutched her scarf, her eyes red but her voice firm: “It was left to me by my grandmother. Don’t touch it.”
Cui Cui paused, then curled her lips into a wicked grin. She shot a glance at the other girls, who immediately seized Ye Shuyi’s arms, allowing Cui Cui to pull the scarf free.
Holding the pristine white scarf, Cui Cui mused aloud, “Such a flawless scarf… what should we do with it?”
One of the girls piped up, “Cui-jie, your shoes are a little dirty.”
Cui Cui gave her an approving look, then examined her own shoes with a tsk. “You’re right. They are filthy, they could use a wipe.”
She turned to Ye Shuyi, whose eyes were red with suppressed fury but still dry of tears, and smirked coldly. “Class monitor, mind if I borrow your scarf to clean my shoes?”
Ye Shuyi lowered her head, her voice trembling. “If I said no, would you listen?”
Cui Cui let out a triumphant laugh. “The class monitor really gets me.” Then, deliberately slow, she crouched in front of Ye Shuyi and began wiping the grime from her shoes, staining the pure white scarf bit by bit.
When she finished, she feigned regret. “Oh dear, it’s all dirty now. Let me throw it away for you, monitor.”
Ye Shuyi suddenly looked up to see Cui Cui smiling brightly as she waved a scarf at her, then let go. The pure white scarf disappeared into the black trash bin without a trace.
Similar incidents kept happening every few days. She always told herself to endure it, fewer troubles were better than more, and everything would improve after graduation.
Until one day, when Cui Cui and her gang were no longer satisfied with the pleasure of verbal and non-physical bullying. The torment escalated to physical violence, and Ye Shuyi’s fate took a complete turn that day.
On this particular day, Ye Shuyi was cornered in the restroom by Cui Cui and her group. Two girls held her arms, pinning her in place, while Cui Cui stood before her, tugging at her scarf with a sneer. “Class monitor… you’ve been acting up lately, daring to fight back. Have I been too lenient with you?”
Ye Shuyi raised her head, her gaze icy as she stared at the girl before her. With a scornful laugh, she retorted, “I do live better than you at least I have goals and a fulfilling life. Unlike you people.” She glanced around at the surrounding faces, her eyes filled with disdain. “The only time anyone notices you is when you pick on me. And even then, you all have to share the attention. Pathetic. I almost feel sorry for you.”
From the moment Ye Shuyi started speaking, Cui Cui’s expression darkened. With every word, her face grew more furious. By the time Ye Shuyi finished, Cui Cui’s face was black with rage. She burst into a hysterical laugh, the sound echoing through the restroom, scaring away anyone who tried to enter.
“You live well? Oh, you definitely do.” Cui Cui’s eyes turned vicious as she raised her hand to slap Ye Shuyi across the face.
Unable to move, Ye Shuyi instinctively lowered her head, bracing for the pain but the expected blow never came.
She slowly looked up to see Yi Qian gripping Cui Cui’s wrist, her tone dripping with impatience. “Don’t you think people who stifle the growth of their peers are just the worst?”
Her cold eyes locked onto Cui Cui’s, the words phrased as a question but delivered as a statement.
Cui Cui, caught off guard by the sudden grip, initially flared with anger. But when she turned and saw who it was, her fury instantly fizzled. She let out a confused “Huh?” as pain radiated from her wrist, yet she didn’t dare struggle. While she could bully someone like Ye Shuyi without a second thought, Yi Qian was someone she and practically everyone else in school knew better than to provoke.
Yi Qian flung her hand away and walked to the sink, turning on the faucet. She meticulously washed her hands as if she had touched something filthy. After drying them with a paper towel, she glanced at Cui Cui, lips curling into a mocking smirk. “If you can’t understand basic decency, maybe you should hit the books instead of picking on classmates.” With that, she strode toward the exit.
One of the girls beside Cui Cui, deep in thought after Yi Qian’s remark, leaned in and whispered, “Cui-jie, if I remember right, Yi Qian is ranked dead last in our grade. You, at least, are second to last.”
The girl even gestured with her fingers to indicate first and second place, her expression seemingly proud that her “Cui-jie” had managed to score second-to-last.
Cui Cui shot her a glare: “Get lost. No one would think you’re mute if you shut up.”
“Hey.”
Yi Qian’s voice made the clustered group straighten their backs instantly, all turning to look.
Ye Shuyi also lifted her gaze. Standing against the light at the doorway, Yi Qian’s expression was unclear, but Ye Shuyi could distinctly feel the other’s eyes fixed on her.
“Aren’t you leaving yet?” Yi Qian said.
Before Ye Shuyi could react, a hand reached out, grasping her wrist and pulling her through the crowd toward the sunlit entrance.
“So? Remembered yet?”
Cui Cui’s repeated question snapped Ye Shuyi back to the present. The woman sneered, “Took you this long and still can’t recall my utterly forgettable face? Guess I didn’t leave much of an impression back then, huh?”
Ye Shuyi narrowed her eyes slightly, studying the woman before her, trying to discern her intentions.
“Don’t know me? Whatever.” Cui Cui shrugged. “Heard you’re Yi Qian’s manager now? What, still clinging to her like a lost puppy?”
“Tell me, after all these years, have you made any progress at all? Still need Yi Qian’s protection to survive?” Cui Cui crossed her arms, tilting her chin as she scrutinized Ye Shuyi before scoffing through her nose. “Don’t think I don’t know, you shamelessly stuck to her back then because you knew no one would dare bully you as long as she was around. You were using her!”
Ye Shuyi leisurely folded the tissue in her hand into a neat square before replying calmly, “You’re right. That’s exactly what I thought back then. But Yi Qian let me cling to her. What about you? Aside from that one time in the bathroom, did she ever even glance your way?”
Cui Cui paused, then laughed in frustration, gloating, “So what? Now that I’m the producer of her movie, she’ll naturally speak to me properly.”
Leaning closer, she fixed Ye Shuyi with a hostile stare, taunting, “I can invest in films for her to star in. What can you give her?”
“I can stay by her side,” Ye Shuyi replied nonchalantly. “Can you?”
Cui Cui sneered. “So you’re just a shameless b1tch who refuses to leave her, huh? Back then, you were always in the way, and now—”
“And what? What can you do about it?” Ye Shuyi interrupted coolly.
“You!” Enraged, Cui Cui raised her hand to slap Ye Shuyi across the face.