After an Alluring Alpha Provokes an Unhinged Omega 15

Chapter 15: Illusory

The weather forecast had predicted rain yesterday, and as expected, the morning started with a misty drizzle.

The gowns for the red carpet event needed to be reserved in advance. The next day, during a break in filming, Zhao Jia took Jiang Mi to several high-end custom gown shops in Huai City.

For this kind of event, most celebrities would borrow from brands they partnered with. Of course, someone like Yan Wei, who had brands lining up to collaborate with her, was in a different league.

The rest, like Jiang Mi, who were neither at the top nor at the very bottom and didn’t have any high-end brand partnerships, had to find a solution on their own.

Mainly, this opportunity had been hard-won, and Zhao Jia was determined. The shop they were in now had previously collaborated with Yan Wei, Shen Ruoxi, and many other top-tier stars. However, several pieces Zhao Jia had her eye on had already been privately ordered.

After looking around, Jiang Mi pointed to a backless white gown and said, “Let’s go with this one.”

Zhao Jia said it was too plain. It would be fine for a normal day, but they couldn’t afford to look cheap at this red carpet event.

Jiang Mi said, “Let’s be realistic. How much money did the company allocate?”

Zhao Jia: “…”

Jiang Mi saw through her and spread her hands. “See?”

Zhao Jia waved her hand. “Worst case, I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket. Let’s get a more expensive one! That one, the one with the crystals.”

The sales associate said, “The current price for this one is two hundred and thirty thousand.”

Zhao Jia: “…Do you have the same style without the crystals?”

The sales associate smiled. “I’m sorry, we don’t have that at the moment.”

Jiang Mi felt that even the sales associate was in a difficult position. She leaned closer to Zhao Jia. “Sister Zhao, I like that white one. Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

Zhao Jia tore her eyes away from the “two hundred and thirty thousand” and looked at the “twenty-three thousand” one. “It does look alright.”

Jiang Mi: “Right? Right?”

On the way back with the gown, Zhao Jia sighed. “Maybe we should get a different one. I can probably manage anything under a hundred thousand.”

“There’s no need. This is fine,” Jiang Mi insisted.

“The company won’t give us a budget, and even the stylists and makeup artists have to prioritize Qin Yao. Mimi, maybe we could ask Miss Zhou or apple to step in? Borrowing a high-end gown shouldn’t be a problem.”

Zhou Shanshan was a well-known rich second-generation, and although apple hadn’t filmed much in recent years, she was a regular in the fashion circle and still had resources.

Jiang Mi patted Zhao Jia’s shoulder. “I really think this dress is great.”

“It’s beautiful, but I just feel that twenty-three thousand doesn’t do you justice.”

Zhao Jia felt a bit indignant. If the company fully supported her, Jiang Mi’s value on the red carpet would definitely be higher than Qin Yao’s.

“Actually, I’ve always felt that not being worthy of one’s position is a very stressful thing.”

Jiang Mi was grateful for Zhao Jia’s good intentions.

“But I don’t have any notable works to my name yet. If I desperately fight for headlines like this, even if I get them, wouldn’t you be scared? I would be, anyway. I’m afraid I’ll forget my original reason for entering this industry. I know you’re not wrong; you need popularity to have a voice. I just always feel that these aren’t the things an actor should be fighting for.”

Zhao Jia was silent for a long time. Sigh, still too young.

When people were too young and hadn’t experienced much of the world, they always felt that the world was full of passion and hope.

But on second thought, wasn’t it this purity in Jiang Mi that she valued?

She waved her hand. “You’ve already called me by my full name. Can I really leave you? You’re just like that idol of yours. But besides her own abilities, she’s also backed by Shenhai Capital. That’s real power. You—you’re just stubborn.”

Jiang Mi put her hands together. “Thank you for the compliment, but the fortune teller said my fate is the strongest.”

Zhao Jia was speechless for a few seconds, then suddenly remembered something. Due to the driver’s presence, she typed a line on her phone.

[Is your heat close to the red carpet event this time?]

Jiang Mi thought for a moment. The red carpet was at the end of the month, so it was possible they would coincide. She nodded and said, “I’ll take precautions in advance.”

**

The two returned to the set. After a short break, they began to prepare for the afternoon’s scenes.

Jiang Qu called Jiang Mi and Yan Wei over. Under the studio canopy, she went over the script and explained the details. When she was almost done, she turned and heard the props team weakly say that there was a problem with a prop inside and they needed a little more time.

An annoyed look crossed Jiang Qu’s face, but she managed to hold back her anger. She waved her hand for them to hurry up and deal with it, then went to the side and lit a cigarette.

The makeup artist seized the opportunity to check their makeup. At this moment, Jiang Mi took something out of her coat pocket, held it in her palm, and then closed her hand into a fist, extending it to Yan Wei.

“Teacher Yan, can you hold out your hand?”

Yan Wei: “For what?”

Jiang Mi: “Just hold it out.”

Yan Wei glanced at her and, as if possessed, held out a hand, palm up. Soon, a small object was placed in her hand. It was macaron-colored, with a pink fox as the base, holding a light blue soft pillow. Above the pillow was a manually rotating seven-colored flower.

Jiang Mi said, as if presenting a treasure, “I bought it on the way back this morning. A little trinket. Isn’t it cute?”

Yan Wei’s expression was faint, but her gaze lingered on the small trinket for several seconds. This seemed to be the first time someone had given her such a childish gift.

“It’s okay if you don’t like it.”

Just as Jiang Mi finished speaking, she heard the floor manager call for all departments to get ready. Jiang Mi subconsciously turned to look. When she looked back, Yan Wei was no longer beside her. A closer look revealed that she had gone over to Jiang Qu.

Jiang Mi came back to her senses. So, did she accept it?

**

Filming continued until seven in the evening, with only one last scene remaining.

On the second night after Qin Shui moved into the residential building, an accident occurred—her water heater broke.

At eight in the evening, Bai Xiao had just finished dinner and gone to work. She was on the night shift for the whole month. Liang Yongping was clearing the dinner table when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

She stood by the door and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me. I’m sorry, my water heater is broken. The landlord told me to borrow yours for a bit. Did she tell you?”

The woman’s voice was as gentle as the first time they met, like a soft, long stream of water.

Liang Yongping had indeed received a call five minutes ago, but she didn’t want to open this door.

Perhaps if it were someone else, she would have done this good deed, but facing this beautiful woman, she felt a strong sense of rejection.

But she still let Qin Shui in.

On a night in March or April, Qin Shui stood at the door, hugging her arms. Her hair was already half-wet. She wore a white dress underneath and was wrapped in a thin blanket.

The sound of water from the bathroom soon filled the narrow room.

Liang Yongping was washing dishes in the kitchen, her head down. The sound of running water flowed, yet she felt that the sound of water from the next room was harsher, clearer.

After she had tidied the room for the umpteenth time, the bathroom door opened, and a rich rose scent wafted out from the small, steamy room.

She was wearing black flip-flops and had changed into a blue slip dress, with the thin blanket draped over her. Her hair was down, and she walked out like a fairy treading through a rose garden.

From that day on, whenever Liang Yongping heard or saw roses, she would think of this woman.

After Qin Shui said her thanks and left, Liang Yongping walked into the bathroom and stared blankly at the bottle of shower gel on the windowsill.

Her mind went crazy—that woman had used this bottle of shower gel to cover her entire body.

Jiang Qu called out, “Good. Your current imagination is something that can’t be shown to others. Pay attention to your expression, your breathing. Heavier breathing. It’s as if you can see Qin Shui right in front of you at this moment… Very good, very good, hold it.”

Yan Wei had already left the set. She wrapped herself in a coat and walked to the side, her gaze on Jiang Mi at the bathroom door.

Under the dim yellow light, the woman’s face was flushed, her restrained breathing like a full balloon, making the viewer feel stuffy and their chest tight. Sometimes, Jiang Mi’s performance would exceed her expectations.

“Okay, that’s a wrap.”

As the sky darkened, the temperature dropped considerably. Zhao Jia came forward and wrapped Jiang Mi in a coat, praising her for her great improvement. But Jiang Mi was secretly sniffing. The scent of this shower gel was indeed the same as the one she had smelled in Yan Wei’s room that day.

So she habitually looked toward Yan Wei and saw her heading to the break room.

“Hey, what’s this? It’s quite cute.”

Jiang Mi came back to her senses and happened to see the small trinket in a crew member’s hand. She recognized it at a glance. It was the one she had placed in Yan Wei’s hand.

Perhaps she didn’t like it that much.

Or perhaps she had accidentally dropped it.

A small trinket was really nothing to care about.

But a soft buzzing still sounded in Jiang Mi’s ears, like a wave rising and slowly clogging her chest. It seemed that in that instant, the recent easing of tension between her and Yan Wei had suddenly become illusory.

Zhao Jia didn’t notice, only seeing the slight change in Jiang Mi’s expression. She asked, “Tired?”

Jiang Mi smiled. “Impossible. I’m so young.”

Zhao Jia: “Even young people get tired, sister. You have tomorrow off. You should get a good sleep at the hotel.”

Jiang Mi agreed, her gaze drifting again in Yan Wei’s direction. She was already gone.