Don’t Want a Divorce (4)
“There’s nothing that can’t be solved with a meal.”
Whether it is to maintain a good relationship with Feng Qingyu or out of her own principles of doing things, Xu Jiao knows that this kind of frenzied topic-churning around Feng Qingyu cannot continue.
The problem is—
Her current identity is that of an actress, and regardless of whether the original owner was professional enough, the fact is that the current Xu Jiao is truly a novice in the entertainment industry. If you place her on a filming set, she wouldn’t even know where to find the camera.
What if Feng Qingyu really suddenly helps her secure this opportunity? Should she go or not?
And then, what path should she take in the future? Should she simply leave the entertainment industry and live an ordinary life, or…
“Do you want to continue living in the entertainment industry?” The system’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
Upon hearing the system’s words, Xu Jiao narrowed her eyes slightly, “From the way you said that, it sounds like you have some kind of cheat prepared for me?”
The system replied flatly, “Yes.”
“Because you have consecutively failed to save two novels, the ‘Novice Aid Package’ has been activated. As long as you open this package, you will receive a special skill that can only be used in this world.”
Xu Jiao was not moved, she merely said, “There’s no such thing as pies that fall from the sky for free. If there were such a freebie, you would have pulled it out in the first world. Just say it, what price do I have to pay?”
System: “You are correct, with rewards naturally come penalties.”
“If you consecutively fail to save the endings in three worlds, the difficulty of completing your tasks in the subsequent book worlds will increase, accompanied by certain random penalties. You will find out the specifics when the time comes.”
Xu Jiao: “…”
A few moments of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she turned calm with a “just as expected” look. After pondering for a while, she asked, “If I don’t take this aid package, will the penalty mechanism still be activated?”
System: “Yes.”
Xu Jiao inwardly mocked this garbage system for its strong-arm tactics. After a while, she said, “Since it’s free, I might as well take it. Open it for me.”
As soon as she finished speaking—
The system spoke in its usual monotone, “Congratulations! You have obtained a world-exclusive skill, ‘Immersion.’ Whether you are studying a script, novel, or movie, as long as you activate this skill, you can experience the rich emotions of the character you choose, allowing you to immerse yourself in the scenario faster than anyone else.”
After a pause, it elaborated, “Acting is generally divided into three schools: representational, experiential, and method acting. ‘Immersion’ falls under the experiential category. Whether in front of or behind the camera, as long as you activate the skill, you can instantly become the character you wish to portray and maintain the same state as the character.”
Xu Jiao was just about to comment on this skill when she forgot she was still on the phone. Ni Hong’s voice suddenly grew louder, shouting, “Hello? Hello, hello?”
“Jiaojiao, are you listening? Don’t get discouraged just because Feng Qingyu’s attitude is cold. Don’t be afraid of losing face. Think about it, were our days in the past tough or not? Do you really want to go back to that obscure state? In this industry, as long as you can become famous, neither the methods nor the results matter. Do you know why your pheromone compatibility with her is as high as 95%? This is Heaven hinting at you that you are destined to use her influence to become a big star!”
Xu Jiao’s lips curved slightly.
She didn’t argue out loud—
No, the original owner would become famous, not because of Heaven’s hint or destiny, but because of her arrangements.
“Sister Hong.”. Xu Jiao had been listening to the long-winded brainwashing talk for a while and realized that if she didn’t interrupt, who knows what kind of moral heights Ni Hong might elevate this “riding on her coattails” matter to.
Ni Hong took a breath, “Hmm?”
Xu Jiao slowed her speech, starting with some reassurance: “I don’t want to go back to the way things were, but—”
Then she stated her purpose: “I want to establish myself in the entertainment industry, and it doesn’t necessarily have to rely on Feng Qingyu’s popularity. I feel that she dislikes me more and more now. Without a doubt, she will propose a divorce in a year.”
“She may let me ride on her coattails for a year, but can she let me ride on her popularity for a lifetime? When the marriage is over, with her team and PR abilities, if she wants to settle scores with me, do you think I have any ability to fight back?”
Of course, the truth was not like that.
Being the original owner’s biological mother, Xu Jiao knew very well that Feng Qingyu was well-educated, inherently compassionate, and very gentle. In this marriage, aside from not investing emotionally, she had not shortchanged the original owner in any other aspect.
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But…
To this manager, appealing to conscience and morals was useless.
Xu Jiao currently didn’t have the ability to switch to a better manager. With her current status, even though she was signed to the same company as Feng Qingyu, it was impossible for her to have an independent manager.
Ni Hong, after all, only managed Xu Jiao, so she would care a bit more about her. If she switched to another manager who had seven or eight artists under their belt—some singing, some dancing, some joining drama groups—who knows when in the Year of the Monkey, Month of the Horse (indefinite time), they would be able to pay attention to her.
Hearing Xu Jiao’s words, Ni Hong was taken aback, “Really? Didn’t you say she was quite lustful for your body? Even if she has a heart of stone, considering you get hugged and wildly loved seven times every night, she wouldn’t be that heartless, right?”
Xu Jiao: “…”
No.
What kind of tall tales did the original owner spin in front of the manager?
Getting hugged and wildly loved seven times every night?
Can people be a bit more clear-headed?
Her cheeks tightened as she digested the manager’s shocking words for two seconds, barely stabilizing her voice as she continued along, “Whether she’s heartless or not mainly depends on how excessive my past actions were.”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. In short, she probably doesn’t want to see me in the near future.”
Ni Hong reluctantly agreed, “Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing. But let me give you some advice: there’s no overnight grudge between an Alpha and Omega. Is there anything that can’t be resolved with a night of passion?”
Xu Jiao almost pushed the book off the table with a forceful hand.
She mumbled, “Don’t worry about this, Sister Hong.”
……
Since she decided to minimize her appearances in front of Feng Qingyu, Xu Jiao needed to take corresponding actions.
After having lunch, she spent the entire afternoon reading a book and practicing the skills given by the system. She then meticulously washed the robe she borrowed yesterday until it was spotless, dried it using a machine, and even found something like a “pheromone scent remover” in her room to avoid giving Feng Qingyu the impression that she intentionally took her clothes to do something weird.
After that, remembering the pheromone setup in this world, she specially found a bottle of pheromone suppressant spray and gave herself a thorough “shhh” (sound of spraying), adopting a posture akin to using insecticide, emptying half the bottle in one go.
She initially thought she would be overwhelmed by the suppressant’s smell, but to her surprise, after waiting for a long time, she realized she couldn’t smell anything.
Thinking her sense of smell might be impaired, she walked over to the window, approached the wide-open panes, intending to breathe in some fresh air from outside for a change, and then come back to check the scent on herself.
In the end, after a long while, she still couldn’t smell anything.
Strange…
She remembered that, according to the settings, pheromone suppressants usually had the same scent as the person’s pheromones. How could this one be colorless and odorless? Could it be that this suppressant is the type that isolates air?
Xu Jiao picked up the suppressant spray and examined it for a long time, discovering that the bottom part could be unscrewed, but the inside was empty. She had no choice but to ask the system aloud:
“What’s the principle behind this suppressant?”
The system said, “The upper part of the suppressant is the inhibitory spray, and the bottom part is for the simulated scent insertion. Because in the ABO setting, each person’s pheromone scent is unique, it is obviously unrealistic for the market to sell suppressants with every possible scent. Therefore, the derivative form of the suppressant is as it is now—”
“After purchasing it, the user needs to first inject their own pheromones into the bottom part. The spray on top will then blend with this scent, and after being sprayed, it will release the scent half an hour later, achieving the effect of matching your pheromone scent.”
Xu Jiao suddenly realized, “That’s quite impressive.”
It turned out that it wasn’t her nose being overwhelmed by the concentration, but rather that the suppressant hadn’t taken effect yet.
She didn’t dwell on it any longer, just thinking that when Feng Qingyu returned, with the sensitivity of an Alpha’s sense of smell, she should be able to detect the strong scent of the suppressant on her.
At that time, as long as she clearly communicates to Feng Qingyu her determination not to entangle herself with her anymore, and returns the bathrobe, it should be fine.
—If it weren’t for the law stipulating that the couple must not live separately in different locations within the first year of marriage or be deemed illegal, Xu Jiao could have moved out immediately to prove her determination with even more resolute actions.
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……
8:20 PM.
Feng Qingyu finished her day’s work and returned home. Hearing Shi Weiya bustling about to heat up some dishes for her, she went upstairs first. Just as she was about to enter her room to take a bath, she was called by a voice not far away.
“Feng Qingyu.”
Xu Jiao grabbed an clothes hanger with both hands. Hanging on it was the white and fluffy bathrobe from yesterday. She raised it towards Feng Qingyu, keeping a friendly smile and maintaining a certain distance to avoid any possible misunderstandings.
“Thank you for lending me the bathrobe yesterday. I washed it clean and am returning it to you now.”
Feng Qingyu paused her steps, her gaze swept up and down Xu Jiao as if assessing her intentions.
After two seconds, she extended her hand to Xu Jiao, taking the bathrobe initiative. Pressing her lips together, her deep and gentle black eyes looked over: “No need to thank me.”
Feng Qingyu: “As long as Miss Xu doesn’t come to my room uninvited to give me such a big ‘surprise’ again, I would be extremely grateful.”
Xu Jiao didn’t have much reaction to her slightly sarcastic words, just nodded and wanted to assure her: “It won’t happen again next time.”
Xu Jiao was about to continue, but then she heard Feng Qingyu speak again: “By the way, the production team got back to me today. You can audition for the role of ‘Consort Rong’ in three days.”
“But beyond that, there’s nothing more I can do to help, as this is a drama invested by Yantian, and they have their own people to promote.”
In other words, she could only help Xu Jiao secure this audition opportunity.
Xu Jiao forgot whether the original owner in the book got this role, but… she didn’t want to miss the chance.
“Thank you.” Xu Jiao gave Feng Qingyu a serious bow.
In Feng Qingyu’s astonished gaze, Xu Jiao stood up straight, her eyes firmly meeting Feng Qingyu’s beautiful and gentle eyes. She said softly, “Maybe you won’t believe my words now, but… I will prove in the days to come that I won’t pester you anymore, nor will I do what I did last night again, and I won’t say those troubling things in public that bother you.”
“And also, the kindness you’ve shown in negotiating the script for me, and the resources you’ve given me, I will remember them all, and I will repay you—”
“Although you may not need anything now and just want me to stay far away from you, I will start with this request. From today on, I will keep at least one meter distance from you. Is that okay?”
The corridor was silent for a long time.
Feng Qingyu’s expression subtly changed several times, as if she was judging the credibility behind Xu Jiao’s earnest words.
After a while, she hung the robe she was holding on the doorknob, then walked step by step towards Xu Jiao. The fragrance of bitter orange blossoms unconsciously enveloped Xu Jiao from all sides.
It made one feel somewhat uneasy.
After all… an Alpha’s pheromones are naturally suppressive to an Omega.
Xu Jiao took a deep breath to keep herself from retreating in the face of the other’s overly aggressive aura, until Feng Qingyu stopped just a step away.
Because the lines of her eyes were so soft, as long as Feng Qingyu’s expression wasn’t hard, her eyes would naturally carry a curve, making them look as if they were smiling.
A somewhat fresh, orange-peel-like bitterness wafted into her nose.
Domineering, and unreasonable.
Just when she was about to frown because of this bitterness, a faint, soothing sweetness surrounded her, as if experiencing the flavor of relief and joy after enduring hardships, making it somewhat irresistible.
Xu Jiao absentmindedly wondered why Feng Qingyu, as an Alpha, had pheromones that changed like perfume with top, middle, and base notes.
But the other’s voice had already sounded, coming calmly from the front—
“I really want to believe you, Miss Xu.”
Xu Jiao looked up slightly. Feng Qingyu was much taller than her, with a well-proportioned frame and a height of about 1.75 meters. This was a natural advantage of Alphas, while she… was only 1.65 meters.
So, in such close proximity, Feng Qingyu’s pheromones seemed to overwhelm her, making Xu Jiao feel as if she was entirely enveloped in her shadow.
Just as she was about to ask Feng Qingyu what she meant, the other person leaned slightly and bent down to her, her cheek so close to hers as if she was going to touch her face. The bitter and sweet flavors seemed to squeeze together.
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It made Xu Jiao feel that every breath she took, every alveolus in her stomach, was tainted with the other person’s scent.
At that moment—
Feng Qingyu’s voice fell lightly and evenly in her ear, accompanied by a slightly moist and warm breath that landed on the edge of her ear:
“If the next time you make these promises, the suppressant on your body can refrain from carrying such a strong bitter orange blossom scent, I think your words would be more convincing.”
Xu Jiao: “…”
Xu Jiao: “!”
After Feng Qingyu finished speaking and took the initiative to step back, Xu Jiao immediately lowered her head to smell her own sleeve and indeed discovered that the suppressant, which originally had no scent, had somehow transformed into Feng Qingyu’s pheromone scent.
She was stunned for a moment.
The spray in the previous suppressant didn’t contain the original owner’s pheromone scent, but instead, it had collected Feng Qingyu’s pheromone!
To say in front of the other person, with their strong pheromone scent, “I promise to stay far away from you in the future.”
These words…
No matter how you listen to them, they sound like a strategy of pretending to be weak to catch the strong? Or to resist while welcoming? Or to say but not really mean it?
