Don’t Want a Divorce (25)
“Do you like this cake?”
Feng Qingyu’s birthday is coming up, and her friends and the Feng family are all preparing for it.
Initially, Shangguan Yan was planning to give her a little surprise at Feng Qingyu’s birthday, but ever since he heard the content relayed by Xu Jiao from Lu Xun, during his spare time handling official duties, his attention has been focused on Xu Jiao.
Previously, when he invited the crew for a meal, he just found this female O somewhat obtrusive. He had no good feelings towards these frail Omegas, probably because his mother was too weak and easily bullied, and overly dependent on Alphas, which naturally left his impression of Omegas stuck on the parasitic vines by the roadside.
As long as the host tree species is strong, they thrive as well. If the host tree species is gone, they can’t even climb up, looking boneless all over, which makes him disgusted just looking at them.
The kind of person he admires should be like the Beta sister who lived next door when he was a child, strong, capable of handling everything rationally, yet still possessing compassion for those around her.
Since entering the entertainment industry, he has seen too many dazzling and colorful sights. The eyes of those people are either filled with desire or seem strong but are actually fragile inside. Clearly, they have been elevated to high places, yet they crumble uncontrollably when faced with messages from unseen people through screens.
Some of their personalities have even gradually become distorted, cultivating interests that cannot be shown to others.
In such a kaleidoscope of colors, he suddenly saw Feng Qingyu.
This person’s temperament is truly special. It’s not just her appearance, but also her calm eyes. At first sight of such a person, a line of poetry came to his mind: “A thousand trials and tribulations still make you strong, let the east, west, south, and north winds blow.”
Feng Qingyu seems to be such a person. No matter what difficulties or hardships she encounters, she can still stand there, and her way of dealing with people and things does not change because of them.
This person is like a green bamboo growing out of a sheer cliff.
Lush and verdant, with distinct joints.
But having stayed in this circle for a long time, he sometimes can’t help but worry if he might be seeing things wrongly. So he couldn’t resist the urge to test Feng Qingyu a bit. He wanted to know if this person was truly unperturbed by favors or humiliations. However, before he could do much, he was unexpectedly drawn to the Omega beside Feng Qingyu.
Xu Jiao.
Holding an expensive pen in his hand, with the cap still on, the smooth pen lid gently grazed the paper, as if it was about to write that name. Shangguan Yan couldn’t help but savor some peculiar meaning from it.
When he didn’t pay attention, it was fine, but once he focused his gaze on this person, he couldn’t help but look at her twice more, as if she had some kind of magic.
Shangguan Yan didn’t know that he was naturally drawn to the creator’s halo. He just felt it was intriguing. When Xu Jiao first auditioned, he found her obtrusive and was unwilling to admit that her acting could move Zhen Tiao. So even though he was momentarily shocked by her performance, he quickly dismissed her from his mind.
Later, during the crew’s late-night snack, she sat next to Feng Qingyu. Clearly, she should have been in a submissive position to the Alpha, but looking at the two of them, it was evident that Feng Qingyu relied on her more.
She was calm and unremarkable. Under his and Lu Xun’s pheromones, she didn’t show the slightest discomfort and continued to sit there steadily. Usually, in such situations, Shangguan Yan would openly and covertly use various threats to make her leave tactfully, but that time, he just watched her take away his prey.
And then…
Xu Jiao attended the endorsement advertisement with Feng Qingyu, easily disrupting his plans on the spot and instantly rendering the pieces he had bought useless.
Logically, he should have been angry, but somehow, the image of that person lingered in his mind every day. The usual thoughts of wanting to harm her aggressively disappeared. His instincts told him that since he was so curious, he should take a closer look. However, he had never targeted an Omega before. In his memory, these beings were soft, fragile, and easily collapsed, making it difficult for him to form a concrete plan even after a long time.
At this moment—
Xu Jiao had Lu Xun pass on a message.
Clearly, Xu Jiao was just an ordinary celebrity who used to only attract attention by sensationalizing and at most had become a bit more famous now. How did she have the ability to pry into his affairs like this?
How exactly did she know?
Now, whenever Shangguan Yan takes a short nap in his office and closes his eyes slightly, the image of Xu Jiao returning from the restroom at that banquet, calmly sitting beside Feng Qingyu with her hand held by Feng Qingyu and smiling at him, floats before his eyes.
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As a result, Shangguan Yan hasn’t been thinking much about Feng Qingyu.
He urgently wants to distinguish whether his attraction to Xu Jiao comes from the natural attraction between an Alpha and an Omega, or if there’s something deeper within Xu Jiao that is calling to him.
Suddenly, the secretary knocked on the door, came in, and asked him, “President Yan, Miss Feng’s birthday is coming up. The gift you instructed me to choose earlier has been selected. When would you like to have it?”
Shangguan Yan opened his eyes, tightened his grip on the pen in his hand slightly, and replied in a steady voice, “Just send it to the Feng family on her birthday. By the way, how is the progress with 《The Palace Walls of Willow》 recently?”
The secretary sincerely said, “It’s nearing the end, probably about a week left until filming wraps up. The current broadcast has already reached…”
She reported the various statistics of the TV series, detailing the feedback from the marketing department with great familiarity, which made Shangguan Yan nod in approval. Midway, he interrupted, “Has Xu Jiao finished filming?”
The secretary didn’t know why he suddenly brought this up, thinking that her boss was more interested in Feng Qingyu. However, this thought only circled in her mind and didn’t come out. She simply replied, “Not yet.”
Shangguan Yan acknowledged with a hum, looked down at the report in his hand, and casually said, “Check my schedule for the next few days and free up some time for me. We’ll visit the set again.”
“Okay.”
……
The day Shangguan Yan visited the set was Feng Qingyu’s birthday.
She had previously arranged her scenes with the director of 《Border Pass City》 to free up time that day to pick up Xu Jiao from 《The Palace Walls of Willow》.
Sometimes, it’s troublesome for celebrities to meet or have a date, especially when they are both on set for different projects. Feng Qingyu didn’t even hope that Xu Jiao could be free today, so she took it upon herself to run to the set of 《The Palace Walls of Willow》.
Qiu Yongli had just finished her scenes and greeted her with a friendly smile, saying from a comfortable distance, “Are you here to pick up Teacher Xu? She will be on break after this scene today, and it’s almost done now.”
“But President Yan is here today, and knowing his habits, there will probably be a banquet tonight. I guess your two-person world is going to be disrupted.” She playfully winked at Feng Qingyu.
Feng Qingyu gave her a faint smile, thinking about Shangguan Yan’s pheromones and traits that she could never bring herself to like, and said, “Today is quite special. I still hope President Yan will give Jiaojiao a break.”
“Oh right! I almost forgot with all the filming. Today is your big day. I sent a gift to your home a few days ago. Happy birthday and may all your wishes come true!” Qiu Yongli slapped her forehead and smiled at her.
Feng Qingyu responded kindly, “Thank you.”
……
In front of the camera.
Xu Jiao’s performance was nearing its end—
Rong Qing had just heard from Aya about the new round of maneuvers between her father and brother and the Emperor in the previous dynasty. She smiled faintly, about to say something, when she caught a glimpse of someone bringing in fresh grapes and placing the fruit platter on the table before silently retreating.
She wore a light makeup, neither losing color nor excessively adorned to appear overly luxurious. However, the color of her eyebrows and eye makeup was deeper than before. Compared to bright colors, her current look exuded a more profound temperament, perfectly fitting the image of a scheming woman.
Seeing the grapes, she looked out the window and said, “Is it the season for grapes already?”
Aya responded with a smile, “Yes, it was Consort Liu… now we should call her Imperial Noble Consort Liu, who had someone send them over, still the same old woman.”
“Speaking of which, I don’t know where Imperial Noble Consort Liu found such an unsightly old woman. She seems to have once lived a pampered life, with not many old scars on her hands, only fresh calluses.”
Rong Qing stared at the plump grapes for a while, then walked over and picked a bunch. She asked Aya, “Has that old woman left?”
“Of course, she has left. Although this Cold Palace is empty and even thieves don’t come to steal, the Emperor’s guards stationed around haven’t left for a moment. Even these grapes got quite a few crushed while being brought in. I had to pick out the good ones myself.”
Rong Qing, holding the grapes in her hand, said lightly, “Next time, if she brings such fresh fruits again, remember, don’t take them all. Leave some for her.”
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“Yes, Your Majesty,” Aya responded, then added, “Your Majesty has truly… changed a lot.”
“Are you trying to say I’ve become more compassionate?” Rong Qing turned to look at her, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her lips.
As Aya hesitated about whether to nod, she saw Rong Qing slowly take a grape and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour juice burst between her lips and teeth, and she swallowed the tart grape skin along with it. Only then did she say:
“No, I have never changed.”
“Back then, I was the Noble Consort. I killed the women in this palace because they were a threat to her… Now, I kill the people of the former dynasty. I want that dog Emperor dead—Aya, I have always known who my opponent is.”
“Also, do not call me Your Majesty anymore. In this cold palace, there is no Noble Consort, only Rong Qing.”
……
“Cut!”
Director Zhen, from behind the monitor, said to Xu Jiao, “Good.”
Xu Jiao let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, her nose caught the faint scent of bitter orange blossoms, and she knew Feng Qingyu had arrived. She couldn’t help but smile and walk in her direction, naturally ignoring Shangguan Yan, who sat silently in a chair beside her, his gaze fixed on her from start to finish.
This male lead…
Xu Jiao didn’t need to think to know that Shangguan Yan, with his admiration for strength and particular fondness for women with strong minds, had inexplicably taken a liking to her again, as usual.
Forget it, as long as he doesn’t set his sights on Feng Qingyu and doesn’t interfere with her matters, it’s fine.
She followed Feng Qingyu to the dressing room and said first, “Happy birthday, I ordered you a cake, and the other gifts are at home. How about we check them out when we get back?”
Feng Qingyu’s eyes were filled with tender affection as she replied, “Okay.”
She patiently waited for Xu Jiao to remove her makeup and change clothes. When they were about to leave, Feng Qingyu noticed dark circles under Xu Jiao’s eyes. She wondered what kind of scenes Xu Jiao had been filming lately since the TV series hadn’t yet aired the later episodes.
Feng Qingyu greeted Shangguan Yan and Director Zhen on Xu Jiao’s behalf. Strangely, she found Shangguan Yan’s presence even more… annoying. Previously, she had felt that he was not a simple person, and now she even sensed a hint of rivalry.
Thinking about the purpose of Shangguan Yan’s visit to the set today, she couldn’t help but gaze at him intently.
Shangguan Yan merely smiled blandly and said to her, “I heard it’s your birthday today? Happy birthday, and may you and her have a long-lasting relationship.”
Those last four words, “long-lasting relationship (é•¿é•¿ä¹…ä¹…),” sounded somewhat strange.
But Feng Qingyu had no mind to ponder over it. She simply thanked him politely and then led Xu Jiao towards the car outside. As soon as they got into the car, Xu Jiao noticed that some things had changed.
The water had been switched to the brand she usually drank the most, and even the scent of the eye mask had been changed to a floral type, specifically the rose essential oil fragrance she had used before.
She raised her eyebrows slightly and turned to look at Feng Qingyu. Feng Qingyu gently stroked her hair and asked, “Have you been too tired from filming lately? Do you want to sleep for a while? I’ll wake you when we get home.”
Xu Jiao did feel a bit sleepy. Hearing her words, she tilted her head, intending to lean against the seatback for a nap, but Feng Qingyu pressed her over to her side, even reaching out a hand to gently press her head.
Feng Qingyu’s technique was excellent, and Xu Jiao felt much more relaxed. In the end, she fell into a deep sleep on Feng Qingyu’s shoulder.
……
When Xu Jiao woke up, she realized she was still in the car, which had been parked in the garage for quite a while.
She slowly rubbed her eyes, yawned, and asked Feng Qingyu beside her, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Feng Qingyu, maintaining the same position without moving, now had a slightly sore and numb shoulder. Hearing Xu Jiao’s words, she smiled softly, kissed her on the side of her face, and whispered:
“You were sleeping soundly, and I didn’t want to disturb you. I originally planned to carry you into the house, but since it’s my birthday today, my parents are definitely home, and the housekeeper is probably very busy. I was afraid you’d wake up as soon as you entered the house.”
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“Besides, you don’t like being affectionate with me in public, so I let it be.”
She just waited here, stubbornly, for Xu Jiao to wake up.
Xu Jiao, halfway through yawning, glanced up at the person beside her. By now, the light outside the car was very dim, and the car door was only slightly ajar. Feng Qingyu’s fair profile exuded a soft glow, like jade.
In this kind of light, this face was especially alluring.
Xu Jiao looked at her for a while and suddenly asked, “Do you want to know what kind of cake I bought for you?”
Feng Qingyu blinked in confusion. She wondered, could this cake be handmade by Xu Jiao? Or is there some surprise hidden inside?
So she couldn’t help but respond with a soft “Hmm?”
Xu Jiao raised her hand, holding Feng Qingyu’s wrist, and led her out of the car, walking towards the house above the garage. After greeting Feng Qingyu’s parents, she pulled Feng Qingyu into the kitchen and took out the cake, letting her see it through the transparent packaging under the light.
On top were rose petals, beautiful macarons in pink and white, with a red velvet base and snow-white cream—very, very beautiful.
As Feng Qingyu’s eyes lit up with surprise, Xu Jiao smiled and asked:
“Do you like this cake?”