After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Became a Slave to My Beloved Wife - Chapter 35

What? Marked?

At the end of the decrepit hallway, a rich scent of roses suddenly filled the air. Jiang Nian instantly became alert. She followed the fragrance, using her phone as a flashlight, heading toward the room at the far end.

Just as she confirmed that Qiao Wenyu’s pheromones were coming from that direction, a sharp pain struck the back of her head — and she collapsed to the ground.

Inside the room, bound tightly, Qiao Wenyu thrashed wildly. She knew at once that Jiang Nian had been ambushed by Tong Yunyao.

“Jiang Nian, you’re so stupid,” Tong Yunyao sneered. “Coming in here alone to play hero? Stupid to death. But… the boss told me not to hurt you. So I guess you’re lucky.”

She casually tossed away the stick she’d used, patted the dust off her hands, and smirked with satisfaction. “Wenyu-jie, you’re the smart one — using your pheromones to call for help. But now that no one’s here to interrupt us… let’s finish what we started.”

Qiao Wenyu’s gland had just been bitten. On top of that, she’d released a massive burst of pheromones in her desperation. Now she was like a withered leaf in a cold wind — trembling and defenseless.

Then — just in time — headlights lit up the ground floor of the abandoned building, followed by the sharp wail of police sirens.

“Damn it…” Tong Yunyao’s face twisted. She hadn’t expected Jiang Nian to call for backup so quickly.

Bai Ye charged up the stairs with reinforcements, lighting up the shadowy corridors with bright searchlights.

Realizing the situation had turned, Tong Yunyao dropped Qiao Wenyu and fled through a hidden passageway.

As Bai Ye’s team reached the upper floor, they found Jiang Nian unconscious and bleeding from the back of her head — and Qiao Wenyu tightly bound.

Once freed, Qiao Wenyu’s eyes scanned the room. She saw Jiang Nian, slumped in the arms of her assistant, still unconscious. On the floor, a blood-stained stick lay abandoned. In an instant, she understood — Jiang Nian had been struck with it. Hard.

“Hurry, call an ambulance!” Qiao Wenyu shouted, rushing forward to take Jiang Nian’s limp body into her arms. As she did, she felt warm blood soaking her hands.

Her nose stung. Tears flooded her eyes.

In that moment, Qiao Wenyu knew.

Jiang Nian was the one — the one worth spending her entire life loving and protecting.

“You silly mutt… wake up. Didn’t you say you’d always protect me? You can’t be hurt — you can’t be hurt…” she sobbed, cradling Jiang Nian tightly despite the mud and blood on her clothes, holding on with all her strength.

Bai Ye looked on with mixed emotions. Jealousy churned at the sight of Qiao Wenyu’s uncontrollable grief. But seeing what Jiang Nian had done, Bai Ye couldn’t help but think — maybe she really is someone worthy of a lifetime commitment.

“Xiao Yu, don’t cry. The ambulance is almost here. Let’s take her to the hospital first,” Bai Ye knelt beside them, speaking gently to comfort the emotionally shattered Qiao Wenyu.

Qiao Wenyu’s entire body trembled as if in a storm. Fear, anger, and helplessness coursed through her. With the help of Bai Ye and Lu Renbing, they carefully lifted Jiang Nian into the long-awaited ambulance.

The accompanying medical team immediately began emergency treatment.

“There’s limited space inside. The situation is urgent. Only one family member can come aboard — everyone else must stay behind,” the nurse instructed.

Despite being weak and exhausted, Qiao Wenyu stubbornly insisted on going. She gripped the ambulance’s steps tightly, unwilling to let go.

“Miss, you’re clearly unwell. Let someone in better condition accompany the patient,” the nurse said cautiously, worried there might be two patients to deal with.

“No. I’m going with her. I’m her wife — her only wife. It’s my responsibility,” Qiao Wenyu said with unwavering determination.

“Ah…” The nurse was at a loss.

Just then, the doctor administering first aid to Jiang Nian reached out to stop her. “Miss, for your partner’s sake, you must take care of yourself too.”

The assistant chimed in, “Miss Qiao, if you collapse, President Jiang will only worry more. Let me go. I’m her assistant.”

“Hurry and decide — there’s a risk of a concussion. We need to get her to the hospital immediately,” the doctor urged, impatience creeping into his voice.

Bai Ye rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. “Enough — I’ll go with her. Secretary Lu, you go with the police to track the suspect. Xiao Yu, get some rest. Then go give your statement.”

Under Bai Ye’s firm command, everyone finally agreed, each going off to handle their part.

Inside the ambulance, Bai Ye turned to look at the unconscious Jiang Nian, a bittersweet smile tugging at her lips.

So this is what you’re willing to do for her? she thought. I guess you really are more suited for Xiao Yu than I ever was.

After an entire day and night in the hospital, Jiang Nian finally woke up.

The moment she opened her eyes, the ceiling above her spun wildly, and bright stars danced before her eyes.

The first thought that popped into her head was Qiao Wenyu. Panic gripped her as she tried to sit up — but the moment she lifted her head, pain exploded in her skull, and her stomach lurched.

She doubled over, clutching the bedrail, retching uncontrollably.
“Ugh… cough, cough… ugh…”

“President Jiang, are you alright?” her assistant cried out in alarm and immediately pressed the emergency button on the wall to summon the doctor.

The attending physician entered with medical instruments and performed a routine checkup on Jiang Nian. After recording notes on her chart, he spoke in a flat tone:
“Everything looks normal. This is typical for a concussion. Get plenty of rest and keep a light diet.”

“Understood,” the assistant breathed a sigh of relief.

After the doctor left, Jiang Nian tried to sit up, holding her head. But the dizziness quickly overwhelmed her. She slid off the bed, collapsing to the floor, where she clung to a trash can, retching uncontrollably.

It was the first time since joining the company that Lu Renbing had seen his boss in such a fragile, broken state. He felt a pang of sadness.
“President Jiang… do you want to eat something?”

“Look at me…” gag “Do you think…” cough, gag “Do you think I can eat like this?” Jiang Nian could barely open her eyes. Everything in her vision spun uncontrollably.

“Right. Then we won’t eat,” the assistant replied quietly, standing in place, helpless.

Jiang Nian clutched her head. “Wenyu… How is she?”

“Miss Qiao is fine. She’s resting at home. She came to see you last night,” Lu Renbing said, gently. “Also, Tong Yunyao’s been arrested. President Bai said she’ll make sure she never gets out again — not even from a psychiatric hospital.”

Jiang Nian couldn’t handle complex thoughts right now. She buried her face in the trash can, waiting until the nausea subsided before she looked up.
“As long as she’s safe… But… something about this whole thing doesn’t sit right with me.”

A suspicion gnawed at her — one she didn’t want to acknowledge.

“President Jiang, if you’re unsure about something, I can look into it for you,” Lu Renbing offered.

Still curled on the floor, hugging her knees, Jiang Nian whispered hoarsely,
“Find out where Wenyu was… that year I went abroad.”

She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a hidden connection between Qiao Wenyu, Jiang Fenyun, and the girl in that photo.

After giving her instructions, Jiang Nian climbed weakly back into bed and shut her eyes tightly. The bandaged head injury wasn’t the real issue — it was the concussion that made everything unbearable.

That evening, after the assistant left, a caregiver stayed with her in the hospital room.

Jiang Nian had slept in a daze all afternoon. She didn’t want to open her eyes — her vision spun and the nausea made it hard to breathe.

How much hatred must Tong Yunyao have had to strike her that hard?

In her half-awake state, Jiang Nian felt someone at her bedside. A person leaned down gently, brushing her brow with soft fingertips.

The familiar scent of rose pheromones lingered near her nose. Jiang Nian wanted to pretend to be asleep, but another part of her longed to catch a glimpse of Qiao Wenyu.

The rose scent was familiar… and yet…
Why was there a hint of rainwater in it?

Her eyelids twitched. She was about to open her eyes.

“Xiao Nian, I know you’re pretending to sleep. If you’re not feeling well, it’s okay — just keep your eyes closed. I heard everything the doctor said.”
Qiao Wenyu’s soft voice drifted into her ears.

Jiang Nian slowly opened her eyes, despite the discomfort. In the moonlight spilling through the window, she could make out Qiao Wenyu’s worried face.

“Wenyu… why do you smell like Tong Yunyao’s pheromone?”

Qiao Wenyu recoiled, tears suddenly streaming down her face.
“Xiao Nian… I’m here to divorce you. I’ve been permanently marked by Tong Yunyao. I… I have to marry her…”

“No… no!”
Jiang Nian jolted awake from the nightmare.

“Ugh…”
The sudden movement triggered a wave of dizziness. Her stomach churned and burned. She grabbed the bed rail, retching violently into the trash can. Nothing came up — but the dry heaving wouldn’t stop.

“Miss Jiang? Are you alright?” The caregiver quickly turned on the bedside lamp. “Should I call the doctor?”

“No… I’m okay,” Jiang Nian rasped. “Just dizzy…”

Her hands trembled as she clung to the bed frame. Her whole body was weak and unsteady.

“President Jiang, have some water.”
The caregiver handed her a glass.

But the moment she took a sip, Jiang Nian vomited it back up.

“You need to take your medicine, at least. Keep your eyes closed when you take it — that’ll help with the dizziness,” the caregiver said kindly, passing her a new cup of warm water and the medication.

Leaning back on the pillow, Jiang Nian closed her eyes and swallowed the pills. She panted heavily for a while before her breathing calmed.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. If you’re hungry, there’s fresh fruit. Someone just brought it in,” the caregiver added.

“Someone visited me?”

“Yes. Miss Qiao Wenyu and Miss Jiang Fenyun both came by. Miss Qiao dropped off the fruit and then left.”

As she spoke, the caregiver sighed quietly, adding, “She’s an omega — she’s had a hard time too.”

“What? What happened to Wenyu?” Jiang Nian immediately straightened, concern flooding her voice.

The caregiver realized she’d said too much. She quickly covered her mouth. “Miss Jiang, you should rest. You need to recover first.”

“Tell me. What happened to Wenyu?” Jiang Nian’s concern for Qiao Wenyu always overpowered everything else.

The caregiver hesitated, clearly torn. After a long moment, head bowed, she finally spoke.

“They say… Miss Qiao was… marked by that alpha who was arrested. That type of mark isn’t easy to undo. I heard she might be trying to undergo removal treatment…”

Jiang Nian’s eyes widened in shock. Her hand gripped the sheets tightly.

“What did you say?”

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