After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Became a Slave to My Beloved Wife - Chapter 44

The doctor, holding the medical file, carefully examined it before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and addressing Jiang Nian.
“Well… it’s not quite as severe as you described, but there’s a considerable amount of fluid buildup. She needs proper rest. President Jiang, the director has informed us. We’ll report any changes in her condition truthfully from now on.”

Jiang Nian nodded. “Thank you, doctor.”

After inquiring about Qiao Wenyu’s condition, Jiang Nian lingered at the door of the hospital room for a long time, unable to summon the courage to go back inside.

Earlier, she had lost her temper at Qiao Wenyu. While it was somewhat understandable, Qiao Wenyu’s silence had left her feeling awful.

Even now, at a time like this, Qiao Wenyu still faced danger alone—never once taking Jiang Nian into consideration.

Jiang Nian took the elevator down from the intensive care floor, clutching her bag. She made her way to the hospital’s rehabilitation garden, found a bench, and sat down. But her heart remained tethered to Qiao Wenyu. From time to time, she glanced toward the room where Qiao Wenyu lay.

The garden was filled with elderly patients slowly walking back and forth. One elderly woman, noticing Jiang Nian’s distracted state, approached.

“Young lady, what’s wrong? Is a loved one sick? Try to look on the bright side, dear.”

The old woman had grown tired from her walk and sat down beside Jiang Nian. “I saw you earlier while I was walking around. You’re still so young—don’t wear such a troubled face.”

“I’m fine, Grandma.” Jiang Nian quickly wiped her eyes with her palm.

The old woman smiled and shook her head gently. “Your eyes are red, dear. How can you say you’re fine?”

Jiang Nian sighed.

“Tell me about it. I’ve been in this hospital for a long time, and there’s no one to talk to.” There was a trace of loneliness in the old woman’s eyes.

“My partner doesn’t take care of her health, and she doesn’t trust me. I… I lost my temper with her.” Jiang Nian rested her chin on her hands, staring miserably at the ants crawling across the cement. “Now I don’t know what to do.”

“Ay, sounds like your first time in love,” the old woman said, tilting her head to look at her. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

“I do. More than anyone else in the world.” Jiang Nian’s eyes lit up as she said this.

The old woman slowly stood, clasping her hands behind her back as she walked a few steps. “Trust takes time to build. You’re both still young—don’t rush it. All right, I’m heading back to my room. Think about it carefully, child. You’ll figure it out.”

Jiang Nian watched the old woman disappear at the far end of the garden. She then lowered her head again, eyes fixed on the ants carrying food on the ground. When her eyes grew tired, she couldn’t help glancing back toward Qiao Wenyu’s room.

Should I go back…?

Despite all her deliberation, Jiang Nian still couldn’t bring herself to face Qiao Wenyu. She had no idea how Qiao Wenyu would respond with her usual silence.

The entire afternoon, Jiang Nian paced back and forth in front of Qiao Wenyu’s room, drawing curious glances from nearby nurses.

The manager, upon hearing that Jiang Nian was outside, waited until Qiao Wenyu had fallen asleep before hurrying out to speak with her.
“President Jiang, what are you doing out here? Miss Qiao had her reasons for what she did. You don’t need to be this upset.”

“She’s asleep? Good. She needs proper rest.” Jiang Nian avoided the subject.

The manager could only smile in exasperation at the couple. “Since you left the room, Miss Qiao has been uneasy. I think… she understands that you’re worried about her.”

“If she understands, then why doesn’t she tell me? If she doesn’t trust me, how can I feel at ease?” Jiang Nian’s brows were furrowed with sadness. She looked up, resigned. “Forget it. Let me go in and stay with her. You take a break.”

“Of course. Please, go in.” The manager stepped aside, and once Jiang Nian entered the room, she thoughtfully closed the door behind her, leaving them alone.

Jiang Nian tiptoed into the room and sat down in the caregiver’s chair.

Looking at Qiao Wenyu’s sleeping face, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but reach out, her fingers brushing slowly, inch by inch, across the face that seemed crafted by the hands of God.

Just as her fingertips made contact, Qiao Wenyu’s eyes fluttered open.

“You weren’t asleep?” Jiang Nian flinched, hurriedly pulling her hand back.

Qiao Wenyu quickly caught her wrist, not letting her hand retreat.

“Xiao Nian, don’t be mad. This time it was my fault.”

Jiang Nian’s ears turned red, and her cheeks flushed.

“Xiao Nian, I know there’s a lot you’re confused about—like why I didn’t tell you anything. Honestly… I just didn’t know how to start. And I was afraid that, once I did, it would hurt you or your friends.”

Qiao Wenyu’s long eyelashes trembled as she spoke.

Jiang Nian said nothing, her gaze avoiding Qiao Wenyu’s crystalline eyes.

“Xiao Nian, let me tell you a story,” Qiao Wenyu said softly.

“There was once a little girl,” Qiao Wenyu began softly. “Because she was born out of wedlock, her family looked down on her and bullied her. Even so, she never gave up—she studied hard and did her best to prove herself. But as she grew older, her father saw more of himself in her, and that made him jealous.”

“The girl didn’t realize how deep her father’s jealousy and hatred ran. It wasn’t until he personally got rid of her mother—the only person who had ever truly loved and cared for her—that she understood what kind of monster he was. Cold, heartless, and inhuman.”

“To survive, the girl began to hide her talents. But that only made her father act more recklessly. He forced everyone close to her out of her life and tried to take full control of her future.”

“She eventually made it into high school. That’s where she met someone who would become a very important part of her life. Her name was Qiuqiu. She was a bright, cheerful omega who brought warmth into the girl’s world.”

“But misfortune came quietly. Her father found out about Qiuqiu and tried everything to separate them.”

“Qiuqiu wasn’t afraid of power or threats. She stayed by the girl’s side, and together they looked forward to their graduation party. But on the night of the party… the girl lost her best friend.”

“What?” Jiang Nian’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Your father actually tried to kill someone?”

Qiao Wenyu gently motioned for her not to interrupt, and continued.

“Before the party, Qiuqiu had been admiring the dress I was wearing. I thought nothing of it and offered to switch dresses with her, just to make her happy. But my father—he had planned to push me into the river at school that night. He wanted to scare me into cutting ties with Qiuqiu. He knew I could swim…”

“But Qiuqiu, who couldn’t swim, ended up wearing my dress. She became the scapegoat. She fell into the river and… never came out. When I got there, I saw her body being pulled from the water. I broke down. I cried for hours. Since then, I’ve been terrified of going near water.”

Qiao Wenyu’s eyes were red now, her voice trembling. “Xiao Nian… that girl was me. And Qiuqiu… was Tong Qiu. I recently found out that Tong Qiu used to be close with Jiang Fenyun.”

“So Jiang Fenyun’s been coming after you for revenge? But if she doesn’t know what really happened, why is she so sure you were the one responsible?” Jiang Nian asked, her voice tight with disbelief.

“I was the one who gave Qiuqiu the dress. No matter how I explain it, it looks bad. Tong Qiu’s death…” Qiao Wenyu’s voice cracked as she bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears. But eventually, she couldn’t stop herself from falling into Jiang Nian’s arms, sobbing. “It was my fault. But I won’t let my father keep doing this. As for Jiang Fenyun—if she wants revenge, I understand. But now she’s interfering with my life.”

“I understand. I’ve had my suspicions for a while,” Jiang Nian said gently, stroking Qiao Wenyu’s hair to comfort her. “But asking you to repay a life with a life—that’s too much. She’s lost her mind. And I’m not going to let her drag you down with her.”

“We’ve got something on Jiang Fenyun this time,” Qiao Wenyu said, calming herself. “But until we have solid evidence, we have to stay quiet.”

The room fell silent. It was so still, you could hear every breath.

After a moment, Jiang Nian gently took Qiao Wenyu’s hand and placed it over her heart.

“Wenyu, I know there’s so much weighing on you. But promise me you’ll stop hurting yourself. Even if it’s not for your own sake… please, do it for me.”

“…I promise, Xiao Nian.” Qiao Wenyu reached up and touched Jiang Nian’s chin. “You must’ve been so worried. My silly puppy… don’t ignore me again, okay?”

“How could I ever?” Jiang Nian pouted. “I just… I was afraid you didn’t love me anymore.”

Qiao Wenyu stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly smiled.

“Silly girl. How many times do I have to say it?”

“Huh? You’ve said it a lot?” Jiang Nian perked up, cupping her hand around her ear like she was waiting for something.

Qiao Wenyu sat up, wrapped a hand around Jiang Nian’s shoulder, and slowly moved her fingers to the back of her neck, brushing softly against the alpha’s gland. Then, with a sly grin, she leaned in and planted a gentle, rose-scented kiss there.

“Xiao Nian, I love you.” Qiao Wenyu’s voice lingered by her ear, wrapping around her like a whisper that lasted the whole night.

From that day on, Jiang Nian cleared her entire schedule. She stayed by Qiao Wenyu’s side, caring for her until the doctors finally approved her discharge.

While Qiao Wenyu was still recovering in the hospital, Jiang Xianxian came to visit with fruit and flowers in hand.

Jiang Nian was cautious around anyone from the Jiang family now. When she took the gifts, she turned them over several times, carefully inspecting them.

“Come on, relax,” Jiang Xianxian said with a grin, standing close to her. “It’s not poisoned. Why would I want to harm Sister Qiao? Oh wait—if I were your love rival, I guess that would make sense, huh?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Jiang Nian’s expression turned cold.

As always, Jiang Xianxian knew just when to back off. Before Jiang Nian could snap, she had already walked out of the room.

Watching her go, Qiao Wenyu finally remembered why Jiang Xianxian had always felt so familiar.

Back when Qiao Wenyu had unresolved feelings for Bai Ye, there had been an omega who suddenly appeared by Bai Ye’s side—that omega was Jiang Xianxian.

Because of her, the rift between Qiao Wenyu and Bai Ye had grown wider and wider, until the two of them ended up on completely separate paths.

“Xiao Nian,” Qiao Wenyu asked suddenly, “does Jiang Xianxian have feelings for you?”

Jiang Nian flailed nervously. “No way! She’s so unpredictable. It’s not serious. Probably just messing around.”

Qiao Wenyu’s voice softened. “Xiao Nian, your eyes can only hold me.”

“…Because you’re all I have left.”

Family, friends—Qiao Wenyu had failed to hold onto them all. Now, only her beloved remained.

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