Scum A with a Sweet Black Lotus O – Chapter 102
by Little PandaFu Chaoyun Gets a Promotion and Raise: Don’t Want This Kind of Thing!
Fu Chaoyun walked over to Pei Xuezhi’s side, stopped, and then looked at Mi Shan in front of them.
“You want to participate in 《Trainee》?”
She was naturally casual, and her impression of Mi Shan wasn’t great either. She just glanced at her lightly before looking away again.
“Go sign up yourself.”
Whether she was a real assistant or just playing around, she was in the circle anyway, so she could find her own way.
After saying that.
Fu Chaoyun’s gaze landed back on Pei Xuezhi. Pei Xuezhi glanced behind her but didn’t see the figure of a certain little kitty.
“It’s enjoying the air conditioning in the car. Knows how to enjoy life, refused to get out.” Fu Chaoyun asked again, “Finished filming?”
Pei Xuezhi nodded.
Fu Chaoyun: “Oh, let’s go back then.”
She had been frequently picking up and dropping off Pei Xuezhi during this period. The people in the film crew had gone from initial discomfort to numb habituation; at most, they would just greet her when passing by.
And after the script revision, seeing that Pei Xuezhi was adapting well, Fu Chaoyun hadn’t pointed fingers at the crew anymore.
Less trouble, lots of money – truly the director’s favorite kind of investor!
Pei Xuezhi tacitly agreed.
Before leaving, Fu Chaoyun politely waved goodbye to Mi Shan too, “We’re leaving then, goodbye.”
Mi Shan looked at the two of them, her expression unreadable, completely lacking the enthusiasm CP fans usually show when seeing their actual ship1 interact.
Fu Chaoyun didn’t mind. Her gaze swept past and landed on the milk tea Pei Xuezhi had placed aside.
“Zhizhi, is this yours?”
Pei Xuezhi looked over too, “Someone else from the crew gave it to me.”
“Seems like there’s quite a bit left, want to take it?”
“No need.” Pei Xuezhi paused, “It’s too bland.”
“Then forget it.” Fu Chaoyun let her be, still mumbling, “I always say milk tea and milk have to be sweet to taste good. Bland ones are worse than drinking plain water!”
“Mn.”
Pei Xuezhi listened to the Alpha’s bold pronouncements, occasionally turning her head, her dark eyes full of indulgence. The composition of the two walking side-by-side was exceptionally beautiful, but seeing it, Mi Shan behind them clenched her fists hard, her nails digging deeply into her flesh.
When these two walked together, their auras resonated with each other. Both Pei Xuezhi and Fu Chaoyun carried traces of the other’s pheromones; they were clearly marked, and the scent was even stronger than a few days ago.
How did things develop to this point?
Yet, thinking back to when she was with Pei Xuezhi, such intimate bonding had never occurred, even physical touch was extremely rare.
Just now, the other party hadn’t even mentioned her once!
Bit by bit, recalling these things… her emotions gradually spun out of control.
Perhaps, back then, she should have been more forceful…
More importantly, for that “Fu Chaoyun,” Pei Xuezhi had even changed her original tastes!!
This couldn’t go on.
Must speed things up…
Inside the car.
As soon as Nao Nao saw them, it pounced over to act cute with Pei Xuezhi. Pei Xuezhi held the little kitty, while Fu Chaoyun, who seemed to be watching them from the side, had her gaze fixed elsewhere, suddenly letting out a light laugh.
“Zhizhi was doing that on purpose just now.”
Pei Xuezhi didn’t deny it, “You were doing it on purpose too.”
Caught red-handed, Fu Chaoyun still looked completely justified, “Who asked her to always look like she’s trying to poach my partner2? I really don’t like those green tea types3!”
Pei Xuezhi remained silent.
She suddenly remembered a relationship tip she saw online: when your partner says they hate someone, agreeing with them and criticizing that person together is always the right move.
She immediately followed suit, but the topic didn’t last long. After all, talking too much even about someone you dislike can inevitably leave a strong impression, which would contradict the ultimate goal. One had to maintain a balance4.
The tool-cat was tossed back onto the back seat again. Fu Chaoyun, while driving, asked seemingly casually, “My family invited you over for dinner, what does Zhizhi think?”
Pei Xuezhi’s movements abruptly paused, her body even stiffening.
No matter how strong a person is, they inevitably get nervous when facing the ‘meeting the parents’ stage. She bit her lip.
“Isn’t it a bit early?”
“Oh right~!”
Now that she mentioned it, Fu Chaoyun suddenly remembered, “I’m still just Zhizhi’s secret lover, I haven’t been made official yet!”
Pei Xuezhi: “…”
The tense atmosphere suddenly vanished.
Pei Xuezhi’s gaze scanned the person beside her up and down several times. What she didn’t say was—although a secret lover, she was indeed very useful.
But now, their relationship wasn’t much different from being together. They had done everything they should and shouldn’t have done; only that final little bit was missing.
If they could maintain things like this… forget it, there was no reason they couldn’t maintain it.
After all, she was the one she had chosen, the one she liked.
“Let’s wait until the New Year.” Pei Xuezhi decided to give Fu Chaoyun a little sweetener. “During the New Year, I’ll go with you to visit Uncle and Auntie Fu.”
She felt her attitude was very solemn, yet she heard Fu Chaoyun laugh again. The traffic ahead was blocked, and turning her head, she saw the Alpha looking sideways at her, smiling brightly.
“So will Zhizhi need to prepare fruits, cigarettes, alcohol, and even health supplements then?”
“Do I need to bring those?” Pei Xuezhi asked, puzzled.
She was genuinely confused. It seemed she hadn’t had many friends growing up and lacked experience visiting classmates’ homes. She knew you generally brought a small gift when visiting, but she didn’t realize you had to bring so much.
Immediately.
The inexperienced Omega nodded, saying seriously, “I will prepare them.”
“Pfft—”
Fu Chaoyun laughed even more lightly, the corners of her eyes crinkling. Her amber eyes reflected the setting sun outside the window, even her eyelashes seemed dyed with a layer of molten gold warmth.
“So is Zhizhi planning to marry me?”
Pei Xuezhi: “…?”
The confusion in the Omega’s eyes was too obvious. Fu Chaoyun couldn’t help but reach out and pat her head.
“My bad,” the Alpha said. “I haven’t made Zhizhi watch enough dramas about trivial family matters lately.”
Pei Xuezhi wasn’t very savvy about worldly affairs, but she wasn’t stupid. Putting things together, she finally reacted.
Visiting during the New Year, bringing all those gifts… seemed like… proposing to the parents-in-law?
Her face managed to maintain composure, but her ears hidden beneath her hair had long turned bright red. Now that things had come to this, she understood Fu Chaoyun was teasing her, but people fight for face5, “If Jiejie has no objections, I can also…”
“Okay~”
Fu Chaoyun leaned over, kissed Pei Xuezhi, and agreed without a second thought. While the latter was stunned, she hooked a strand of the other’s fine hair, winding it around her fingertip again and again.
“Anyway, I’m just a rich second-gen heir6. There’s still an older sister ahead of me at home, the future heir should be handled by my sister too, right? We don’t lack children. If Zhizhi marries me, then I’d be the live-in son-in-law7? If we have kids in the future… just like Nao Nao, they can take Zhizhi’s surname.”
Pei Xuezhi: “…”
She’d even considered the issue of children; she really thought far ahead.
But as the future picture Fu Chaoyun sketched slowly unfolded before her, Pei Xuezhi inadvertently felt her heart flutter.
It wasn’t just about the children having her surname – that was the most superficial point. Rather, Fu Chaoyun saying this clearly indicated she hoped for a future together.
This relationship was gradually deepening…
Fu Chaoyun’s disposition was lazy and indolent, seemingly having only a three-minute passion for everything. She, however, was the opposite, extremely serious, someone who would repeatedly work on something until it reached perfection.
Making money should be the same.
So if she were to support Jiejie… controlling the entirety of the Alpha’s future life was also extremely appealing to Pei Xuezhi.
Then, Fu Chaoyun saw Pei Xuezhi purse her lips, seemingly smiling. She suddenly rummaged through her own wallet and placed a card in Fu Chaoyun’s hand.
Fu Chaoyun blinked, “What’s this?”
Pei Xuezhi closed the other’s hand, simultaneously making her grip the card tightly.
In a while, her pay from filming would be deposited into this card.
A scene they had played out during role-playing last time. This time, Pei Xuezhi seriously recited a string of numbers, clearly the PIN code, and finally said earnestly.
“Household expenses.”
“Hahahahaha—”
Fu Chaoyun couldn’t hold it in anymore, laughing so hard she swayed8. Looking again at Pei Xuezhi’s appearance of barely suppressing her shyness while maintaining a serious expression, she couldn’t resist breaking that expression, then kissing her, and kissing her again.
“Zhizhi is just too cute.”
The cute yet dignified Pei Xuezhi, who also had to support her Alpha wife: “…………”
“Actually, although I don’t produce anything, I still have company dividends9. It should be enough to support me and Zhizhi usually. But seeing how hard Zhizhi is working…”
Fu Chaoyun pinched the card in her hand, finally closing her fingers around it, “I’ll gladly accept it then.”
“Mn.”
This traffic jam was really lasting a bit long, long enough for Fu Chaoyun to also rummage around until she found one of her own cards.
Pei Xuezhi tilted her head: “?”
“Hasn’t Zhizhi heard stories about Alphas becoming bad once they have money? Can’t leave too much money with me. Having the allowance Zhizhi gives me is enough, so my card, I’ll have to trouble Zhizhi to help keep it safe.”
What keeping it safe?
It was clearly giving it to the other person to use.
Pei Xuezhi opened her mouth, about to speak, but saw Fu Chaoyun wink at her, “Does this count as exchanging keepsakes ahead of time?”
How could she have thought Mi Shan and Fu Chaoyun were similar before?
Clearly, the Alpha before her was so dazzling and bright; the scattered rays of the setting sun couldn’t hide the radiance surrounding her at this moment.
They were completely different people.
Being watched by her like this, Pei Xuezhi unconsciously nodded.
“Then agree quickly,” Fu Chaoyun muttered again. “This secret relationship is really tiring. Can’t make an official announcement, and there are too many annoying flies buzzing around.”
Pei Xuezhi smiled.
For a moment, she even thought, just agree like this. No need for a romantic scene, no need for touching confessions, just the two of them, right here, right now, in the car.
Everything else was just formality; the rest of their lives would be walked hand-in-hand together.
Suddenly, she heard Fu Chaoyun sigh again.
“What’s wrong?” Pei Xuezhi asked.
The traffic started to move slowly now. Fu Chaoyun’s gaze returned to the front, no longer meeting Pei Xuezhi’s.
“I was thinking, since I’m going to be a live-in son-in-law in the future, can I ask the family for more money in advance, to prepare early?”
Pei Xuezhi: “…”
“What does Zhizhi think?”
“……………… So filial.”
Fu Chaoyun automatically ignored that comment, still chattering, “Zhizhi also thinks my idea is good, right? Nobody knows what the future holds, what if things change drastically? This is me preparing for a rainy day10. Gotta eat, right~ Gotta live, right~”
Beside her, Pei Xuezhi listened expressionlessly.
Oh.
A certain Alpha, currently focused on figuring out how to fleece money from her family11 to support her wife, would probably never know what she had just missed in that instant.
Fu Chaoyun was a person of action.
Returning home that evening, she brought the matter up with her family, seeking out her dear dad Gu Huaiyi, who usually doted on her the most.
Father Gu first asked about the matter of the other party visiting and the parents meeting.
“Zhizhi said she’ll come visit during the New Year.”
Gu Huaiyi looked at her with gentle eyes, then asked, “And when are you planning to meet her family?”
“Can’t go.” Fu Chaoyun fell silent for a rare moment, then explained seriously, “Her family members are all gone. Don’t bring this up again in the future.”
There was a reason she had abruptly hung up the phone last time. Gu Huaiyi was a gentle and considerate person and immediately expressed understanding. He would pay attention to this point in the future and not mention it again.
“Let’s not talk about this!” Fu Chaoyun cut to the chase, “I’m in a relationship now, right, so can I…”
Before she finished speaking, Madam Fu, worried about her pampered child, came over and glanced down at her younger daughter from above.
“Perfect timing.”
Fu Chaoyun: …?
Perfect timing for what? An ominous premonition suddenly surged within her.
Sure enough, Madam Fu’s next sentence.
“The position of Executive President at Xingdong is vacant. You go take it.”
Fu Chaoyun: ???
Madam Fu gave her absolutely no chance to refuse, “Your recent decisions in this circle have been decent enough. And you still have popularity right now, give it a try.”
The Alpha, who had zero desire to be an overbearing CEO, and who was even thinking of leeching off her family while being supported by her wife in the future, “…Is there really no room for negotiation?”
Madam Fu looked over with a half-smile. Fu Chaoyun could already imagine the next sentence, but then Gu Huaiyi went over and patted his wife’s arm, and Madam Fu retracted her words.
“Tsk, there is.”
Fu Chaoyun immediately shot her dear dad a grateful look.
Madam Fu: “Use this popularity to debut yourself and make money for the company.”
Fu Chaoyun: “…”
“Anyway, the one whose wife will have to live a hard life in the future isn’t me.”
Fu Chaoyun glared!
Her Zhizhi was very capable!
Alright, as an Alpha needing an Omega to earn money to support her really wasn’t great, although sponging off the family together with her wife didn’t sound much better either…
Fu Chaoyun looked over, mustering her courage, “You don’t earn money now either!”
“That’s because I earned enough when I was young. Now it’s time for me to enjoy life.”
Madam Fu’s aura was powerful. She glanced condescendingly at her younger daughter and added, “The options have been given to you. Make your own decision.”
“And give your sister some time for marital harmony too.”
She was even playing the emotion card.
A moment later.
Fu Chaoyun gritted her teeth, “I’ll do it!”
Madam Fu continued with her half-smile, “Do which one?”
“…………”
That night, Pei Xuezhi received a call from Fu Chaoyun. As soon as she answered, the Alpha on the other end started whimpering.
Pei Xuezhi coaxed her gently, “What’s wrong?”
She thought about how at the Fu residence, Fu Chaoyun was too lazy and like a salted fish12, far less favored than her sister Fu Lingfeng. Was she being bullied?
Pei Xuezhi’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
The Alpha she chose, no one could bully, not even her family members.
For a moment, Pei Xuezhi thought of many, many things, while Fu Chaoyun on the other end finished crying and said aggrievedly.
“Sigh, I might be getting a promotion and a raise, becoming the Executive President of Xingdong.”
Pei Xuezhi, with her cool webnovel female lead mindset13, completely unable to comprehend the other’s train of thought14: “………………”
The author has something to say:
Good noon~!
【Probably a five-and-a-half-year-old mini-theater from the previous chapters】
The kindergarten is putting on a fairy tale, la la~!
Little friend Zhizhi is chosen to play Sleeping Beauty.
Little friend Yunyun frantically raises her hand: “Me me me, I want to play the prince who kisses Zhizhi~!”
Then the teacher explains that the prince is a boy, so she can’t.
Seeing Yunyun-jiejie’s disappointed look, little friend Zhizhi also puts on a serious face, “I won’t act anymore.”
In the end, the two still performed. They played the blessing witches. Yunyun even winked at Zhizhi, “Even more powerful than the king and queen, this way no one will bully Zhizhi.”
Little friend Zhizhi looks at their held hands, blushing: “…Mn.”
Footnotes
- 正主 | zhèngzhǔ | Lit. “main master/owner”; internet slang referring to the actual people involved in a ship (romantic pairing), as opposed to fan creations.
- 挖墙脚 | wā qiángjiǎo | Lit. “digging the corner of a wall”; slang for trying to steal someone’s partner or undermine someone’s foundation.
- 茶兮兮 | chá xī xī | Internet slang derived from “green tea bitch” (绿茶婊 lǜchábiǎo), referring to someone who appears innocent and harmless but is actually manipulative and scheming.
- 把握个度 | bǎwò ge dù | Lit. “grasp a degree/limit”; meaning to handle something appropriately, not going too far.
- 人争一口气 | rén zhēng yī kǒu qì | Lit. “people fight for one breath”; meaning people strive for dignity, pride, or to prove themselves.
- 二世祖 | èr shì zǔ | Lit. “second generation ancestor”; often derogatory term for descendants of rich or powerful families who live idly off their inheritance, implying they are spoiled and unproductive.
- 上门女婿 | shàngmén nǚxù | A man who marries into his wife’s family and lives with them, sometimes taking their surname. Traditionally less common or prestigious.
- 花枝乱颤 | huā zhī luàn chàn | Lit. “flowering branches tremble randomly”; describes someone, usually a woman, shaking with laughter.
- 分红 | fēnhóng | Dividends or profit shares.
- 未雨绸缪 | wèi yǔ chóu móu | Lit. “bind the windows and doors before it rains”; meaning to take precautions beforehand.
- 薅家里钱 | hāo jiāli qián | Slang meaning to extract or fleece money from one’s family, often implies taking advantage.
- 咸鱼 | xiányú | Lit. “salted fish”; internet slang for someone who is lazy, unmotivated, or unambitious.
- 爽文大女主思维 | shuǎngwén dà nǚzhǔ sīwéi | “Shuangwen” are ‘cool’ or ‘feel-good’ webnovels, often featuring powerful protagonists. “Da Nüzhu” means ‘strong female lead’. The phrase implies a mindset focused on power, success, and overcoming obstacles, typical of such characters.
- 脑回路 | nǎohuílù | Lit. “brain circuit”; slang for way of thinking or logic.
Gotta work for the wife!