Captivating Beauty 33p2

Chapter 33 p2

“You wouldn’t believe how disgusting she was when she cheated! The most ridiculous excuse I’ve ever heard! She said she thought I was more… experienced because I’m mixed-race and have lived abroad, so she pursued me, but I wasn’t worth the effort! Can you believe that?!” Cai Ying slammed her glass down on the counter. “I saw her at the hotel the other day, and I was so angry I wanted to slap her!”

Xu Jinnan frowned. “Trash.”

Cai Ying’s eyes welled up. “I know, right?! How could I have been so blind? How could I have liked such trash?” She lowered her head.

At least, despite her heartbreak, she was still decisive.

Xu Jinnan retrieved a container of ice cream from the refrigerator and walked over to the sofa, intending to comfort her.

Cai Ying looked up, her eyes blazing with anger. “All Alphas are scum!”

Xu Jinnan: “…”

She put down the ice cream and sat down a few steps away. “That’s a bit of an overgeneralization, don’t you think?”

“Shu Shu went to therapy because of an Alpha. There are barely any decent Alphas out there.”

Xu Jinnan paused, remembering the therapy appointment slip she had seen in Shen Shu’s drawer. “What happened?” she asked.

Cai Ying looked surprised. “You don’t know? I thought you did.”

She refused to elaborate. “Shu Shu didn’t tell you, so I can’t. Just know that she really hates Alphas. Otherwise, why would she accept you?”

Xu Jinnan: “…”

Because I’m an Omega, obviously.

She felt a strange mix of emotions. She knew about Shen Shu’s aversion to Alphas, but not the details.

“She’s not seeing a therapist anymore, is she?” Xu Jinnan asked. “I haven’t seen her go.”

“No, but it still affects her,” Cai Ying replied.

The fact that Cai Ying, Shen Shu’s closest friend, didn’t know about her ongoing therapy meant the incident had deeply impacted her.

Xu Jinnan fell silent.

She didn’t want to lie to Shen Shu, but what if Shen Shu couldn’t accept the truth? Their relationship might become strained again.

She didn’t want that.

In this ABO world, she had no friends. Shen Shu, in a way, was her starting point.

She was special.

Lost in thought, she was brought back by Cai Ying’s words.

“It’s not just that, though. You seem like a decent person, and Shu Shu has been through a lot. Just treat her well, okay…?” Cai Ying looked up, her usual arrogance replaced by a childlike vulnerability, her love for cute things evident.

“I will,” Xu Jinnan replied, her voice firm.

Cai Ying smiled. “It’s just a shame Shu Shu’s orgasms are probably underwhelming.”

“Why?” Xu Jinnan asked, genuinely curious.

“Because you can’t mark her. Omegas feel the best when they’re marked!”

“…”

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Jinnan stood up. “Do you even know what marking is?”

“Of course! I’ve been in relationships before. While I haven’t done it myself, I’ve read about it,” Cai Ying retorted.

“…Let’s talk about something else,” Xu Jinnan said.

Cai Ying, assuming she was also an Omega, was speaking freely, treating her like a close friend.

“Like what?”

“I heard you failed your exam and your allowance is being cut.”

“…”

It was almost noon when Xu Jinnan placed a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs on the table. Cai Ying took a picture and sent it to Shen Shu, the glistening sauce on the ribs making them look incredibly appetizing.

“Xu Jinnan, you’re amazing!” Cai Ying exclaimed, genuinely impressed.

Xu Jinnan, pleased, asked, “Did Shen Shu reply?”

“No. Oh, right, you haven’t answered my question yet,” Cai Ying said. “How can I convince my dad to find me a good-looking tutor? He’s afraid I’ll be distracted and won’t focus on my studies. But he doesn’t understand that beauty is my motivation!”

“Simple. Find someone your father trusts to recommend a tutor,” Xu Jinnan replied.

Cai Ying’s eyes lit up. “That makes sense! But who… Shu Shu! But she’s on my dad’s side now. Can you talk to her for me?”

“What am I supposed to say? You know why they won’t find you a beautiful tutor.” Cai Ying was sentimental, but she was also easily infatuated. Her parents were probably afraid she would fall in love with her tutor.

“I don’t care. You’re her wife. She’ll at least listen to you a little. Just put in a good word for me. I’ll even say nice things about you to her.”

Xu Jinnan chuckled. “As if I need your help.”

Cai Ying rolled her eyes. “Fine, forget it,” she muttered, sending Shen Shu a message.

Xu Jinnan, seeing her expression, suspected she was badmouthing her. “Alright, I’ll think about it.”

Cai Ying’s face immediately brightened.

The apartment finally quieted down.

Xu Jinnan poured herself a glass of water. Cai Ying’s chatter had made her thirsty. She wasn’t sure if she regretted staying, but her ears were ringing.

As she sat at the counter, waiting for the shrimp to thaw, Cai Ying played on her phone on the sofa.

“I just thought of something,” she said suddenly.

“What?” Xu Jinnan asked.

“Between you and Shu Shu, who’s the top?”

Xu Jinnan almost choked on her water, coughing and turning pink.

She looked up, a smile playing on her lips. “What do you think?”

Her gaze was slightly dangerous, as if warning Cai Ying to choose her words carefully.

Cai Ying hesitated. “You.”

“Good.”

Shen Shu, returning from a scene with Xia Chun, checked her phone.

Cai Ying: [Your wife is so domesticated.]

Cai Ying: [Photo]

Cai Ying retracted a message.

Cai Ying: [Between you and Xu Jinnan, who’s the top?]

Cai Ying: [I think it’s you.]

Shen Shu: “…”

She immediately opened her chat with Xu Jinnan.

Shen Shu: [Stop teaching her those things.]

A few seconds later:

Xu Jinnan: [?]

Just as Shen Shu closed her phone, she saw Ren Xiaoqi approaching. “Shu-jie, there’s a new Japanese restaurant on Lan Street. A few of us are going tonight. Want to join us?”

“Sorry, I have plans,” Shen Shu replied.

“Oh, that’s too bad. We’ll go another time,” Ren Xiaoqi said. “Next time, you can bring your friend, that Miss Xu. I think we would get along.”

Shen Shu paused. “She’s been busy lately.”

Ren Xiaoqi moved closer, smiling. “It’s fine. Why don’t you give me her WeChat?”

Shen Shu understood her intentions. She didn’t mind, but she had to ask Xu Jinnan first.

“I have your WeChat. I’ll send it to her later.”

Ren Xiaoqi wasn’t convinced. Who knew if she would actually do it, or if she was just making an excuse?

Her tone cooled slightly, and after a few polite remarks, she left.

Shen Shu put her phone away and was about to take a sip of water when she saw Xia Chun approaching.

Xia Chun sat down beside her, holding a script, and the surrounding people’s attention immediately shifted to them.

“With the script in hand, they won’t gossip,” Xia Chun said, opening the script.

“What do you want?” Shen Shu asked.

“I heard about the incident at the banquet from Han Wenling. Are you alright? Were you hurt?”

“No.”

Shen Shu put down her water bottle and picked up her own script. “Thank you for your concern, Xia Chun. If you want to discuss the script, I’m happy to. If it’s anything else, there’s no need.”

“Can you at least stop calling me ‘Xia Chun’ in private?”

Xia Chun knew this wasn’t the right time or place. “We can talk about that later. Ah Shu, leave Xu Jinnan. She’ll hurt you,” she said, changing the subject.

Shen Shu’s expression turned cold. “You’re the last person who has the right to say that.”

Xia Chun flinched. She hadn’t known that the day she left for her overseas studies was the day Shen Shu’s grandmother passed away.

Shen Shu hadn’t tried to stop her. Later, while abroad, Xia Chun had been cast in a Hollywood movie.

She hadn’t had much time to contact Shen Shu.

She had continued her studies, planning to explain how busy she had been when she returned after the first phase of her program.

She had thought that as long as she came back, everything would be alright.

But then, the movie had made her a star.

She had signed with an agency, and her contract included a no-dating clause.

Her public image was that of a single woman.

Every time she was asked about relationships in interviews, she felt a pang of guilt.

Even then, she had thought she could explain everything to Shen Shu.

During a break in filming, she had returned to find Shen Shu, only to learn that Shen Shu had almost been assaulted by an Alpha a few days earlier.

She didn’t know the details, but Shen Shu, upon seeing her, had reacted the same way she did to all Alphas, recoiling from her touch.

She had wanted to hold Shen Shu, but Shen Shu had rejected her.

In the years since, she would often dream of that afternoon, Shen Shu sitting by the window, watching an interview where Xia Chun declared she was single.

Shen Shu had calmly said, “It’s over.”

Xia Chun had offered to explain, but Shen Shu had asked, “Do you think I need an explanation now?”

She didn’t.

She didn’t need Xia Chun anymore.

When Xia Chun returned after the second phase of her program, Shen Shu had changed completely. To her surprise, she had abandoned her acting dreams and joined the Shen family business, becoming cold and distant, the light gone from her eyes.

Later, while filming abroad, she had heard about Shen Shu’s marriage to Xu Jinnan.

She hadn’t believed it and had contacted Han Wenling, only to learn that Shen Shu had been forced into it.

She had hurt Shen Shu, leaving her when she needed her most.

And she was always one step too late.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, the only words she could manage.

She stared at the script in her hand, covered in highlighted notes, now mocking reminders of her choices.

Had her career truly been more important than Shen Shu?

“It’s too late,” Shen Shu said, standing up and taking a deep breath, her voice flat. “Xia Chun, I’ve moved on. You should too.”

It was over.

It had been over a long time ago.

She had read a quote once: The moment someone leaves you, they must have thought, at some point, that they would be better off without you. That moment is unforgivable.

The clicking of her heels echoed through the hallway as Xia Chun walked away, her heart heavy.

She reached the backstage area and collapsed onto a chair, deflated.

“A cigarette,” she said.

Her assistant handed her one. “Chun-jie, Miss Han just called. She said she’s on her way.”

Xia Chun lit the cigarette, the flame flickering in her eyes. “I see.”