After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Became a Slave to My Beloved Wife - Chapter 52

“Wenyu!”

“Qiao Wenyu!”

“Jiejie!”

One shout after another echoed through the dark forest, scattering birds and beasts alike.

The moment Jiang Nian realized Qiao Wenyu was missing, she immediately gathered all the women in their group.

In the pitch-black woods, a voice inside Jiang Nian kept whispering—Qiao Wenyu is in that direction…

Death Valley.

“Where are you going?” Jiang Fenyun turned around just in time to see Jiang Nian breaking away from the group, running off into the darkness. She rushed forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Don’t go! Are you insane? That place is dangerous! You can’t go!”

Jiang Nian stared at her for a moment—then suddenly punched Jiang Fenyun straight in the face. Her eyes were bloodshot, her entire presence oppressive. The sharp tang of her pheromones surged between them.

“This has something to do with you, doesn’t it? You’d better pray Wenyu is unharmed. If anything happens to her, I swear I won’t let you off.”

Jiang Fenyun froze for a moment—then burst out laughing hysterically, still holding her bleeding mouth. “So you already knew? You knew—and you still brought me here? Do you really love her?”

“I don’t have time to waste on you.” Jiang Nian shoved Jiang Fenyun aside, no longer willing to waste another second on her.

Their friendship ended right then and there.

They would never…

Never be friends again.

Still, Jiang Fenyun chased after her in a panic. “Don’t go! A-Nian, goddammit—I did this for you! Qiao Wenyu isn’t right for you! She’s going to destroy you!”

But Jiang Nian didn’t look back. She acted like she didn’t hear a word, running straight toward Death Valley.

The path was steep and shrouded in darkness. As Jiang Nian ran with her flashlight in hand, her grip trembled uncontrollably. The white beam shook wildly across the ground, distorting the road ahead.

Wenyu… please be safe…

The cold wind whipped at her face as Jiang Nian sprinted, her mind filled with terrifying images of Qiao Wenyu getting hurt.

If someone as good as Qiao Wenyu were harmed because of her, Jiang Nian would willingly be the cannon fodder in this twisted story—just to trade her safety for Wenyu’s peace.

Death Valley was remote. Jiang Nian had to run for a long time to get there, while Jiang Fenyun continued trailing her from behind, yelling things like, “Don’t go!” and “Stay away from Qiao Wenyu!”

Just as she reached the edge of the cliff, Jiang Nian spotted Qiao Wenyu lying unconscious in the distance.

She wasn’t moving at all. A man dressed in black stood over her, slowly reaching out his hand.

He was just four or five steps away from the edge. All he had to do was grab Qiao Wenyu and toss her off the cliff.

“Don’t move! If you touch her, I swear I’ll kill your whole damn family!” Jiang Nian shouted, desperate. Her knees nearly gave out as she stumbled up the slope.

Startled, the man in black pulled his hand back immediately. His gaze flicked past Jiang Nian to Jiang Fenyun, as if silently asking his employer—What now?

At that critical moment, beams of light suddenly flickered from the bushes nearby. The flash of steel briefly gleamed among the shadows—clearly weapons.

Jiang Fenyun noticed first. Her eyes widened as she looked toward the trees. “Who’s there?!”

But the lights vanished just as quickly as they’d appeared, and the forest sank back into darkness.

Behind the dense brush and branches, a gun muzzle was raised. The cold metal gleamed faintly like a star in the night.

Jiang Nian didn’t wait. In three quick strides, she rushed forward and pulled Qiao Wenyu away from the man in black—just in time.

“Get lost!” Jiang Nian growled through gritted teeth. In the next instant, her red wine-scented pheromones exploded outward. The man in black stumbled back like a frightened rat and bolted into the woods.

Jiang Nian immediately dropped to her knees, scooping Qiao Wenyu into her arms. But before she could react further, a glint of cold light flashed through the darkness of the trees.

A metal gun barrel lifted from the shadows—aimed straight at Jiang Nian.

Jiang Fenyun was the first to notice the danger. Without hesitation, she dove in front of Jiang Nian.

“Bang—!”

“Cough…” Qiao Wenyu collapsed in front of Jiang Nian, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Just before losing consciousness, she looked up at her with a faint, peaceful smile.
“I… I never… wanted to hurt you…”

Jiang Fenyun, barely conscious, forced out her final words. Then, with an exhausted sigh, she closed her eyes. A faint smile still lingered on her lips, as if she felt no pain at all.

Qiuqiu… I’m coming to find you now…

Jiang Nian froze. She hadn’t expected things to spiral like this.

When she tried to chase after the shooter, the figure vanished into the forest before she could react.

Her mind went blank. She gripped Jiang Fenyun’s shoulder, only to feel the warm blood from the back of her head soaking through to her clothes. In her other arm, she still held the unconscious Qiao Wenyu.

She didn’t know how long it was before she finally called for help, stumbling through the chaos in a daze. By the time help arrived and the ordeal ended, Jiang Nian’s vision went dark—she fainted on the spot.

“Wenyu!”
Jiang Nian shot upright in bed. Her head spun, and her vision was blurry. She closed her eyes and opened them again. Only then did the room begin to come into focus.

Qiao Wenyu was at her bedside, holding her hand tightly. “Xiao Nian, you’re finally awake.”

“Jiejie? Are you okay?” Jiang Nian’s voice was rough, like it had been scraped raw.

Qiao Wenyu shook her head gently, her eyes rimmed with red—she had clearly been crying.

“You’ve been asleep for a whole day. I was so worried.”

“I was just… too tired.” But as soon as Jiang Nian said it, the memories of that night came rushing back. The gunshot. The blood. The fear. She hesitated, then asked, “Where’s Jiang Fenyun…?”

“She’s in the ICU. She might never wake up again.” Qiao Wenyu lifted Jiang Nian’s hand in both of hers. “The bullet lodged in her skull. The doctors said… the chances of her waking up are very slim.”

“She’s probably… already facing her punishment.”

Jiang Nian’s voice dropped. “What exactly happened that night? How did you get taken?”

“I was drugged by one of Jiang Fenyun’s people. I woke up in the hospital later. I only found out what happened to you after talking to the crew.”

Then she leaned in closer, whispering by Jiang Nian’s ear.
“The ones who took me—Jiang Fenyun arranged it. But the man with the gun… that might have been someone sent by my father.”

“What? Is he insane? You’re his daughter! Why would he…?” Jiang Nian was stunned.

Qiao Wenyu sighed and leaned back slowly, her expression distant and bitter.
“His real target… was you.”

Jiang Nian’s eyes widened. She was speechless.

So, that meant Jiang Fenyun had… taken a bullet for her?

What was this even supposed to mean?

In her ears, Jiang Fenyun’s final words echoed again.

“I never meant to hurt you.”

“I never meant to…”

“Never meant…”

“Ugh…” Jiang Nian groaned, curling up in pain, her hands clutching her head. Her whole body folded into itself, as if trying to escape the weight of it all.

Qiao Wenyu rushed forward and wrapped her tightly in her arms.
“Xiao Nian, please… don’t be sad anymore.”

“I…”
Jiang Nian lifted her tear-streaked face. “I don’t know whether I should hate her… or not. I don’t understand why things turned out like this. Maybe I shouldn’t have loved you. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried so hard. Maybe… I shouldn’t have come here at all.”

It felt like everything had unraveled—all because Jiang Nian entered this story.

Now, the characters were no longer just words on a page.
They were real people.

People who could laugh, cry, live… and die.

“How could you say something like that?” Qiao Wenyu looked at Jiang Nian, who was drowning in self-blame, and felt a sharp ache in her chest.

Jiang Nian’s thoughts were a mess—chaotic, tangled, impossible to sort out. In that moment, it felt like her presence here was a mistake.
Originally, all of this would have been handled by Bai Ye.
If it had been Bai Ye, maybe everything would’ve turned out better.

At the very least, Qiao Wenyu might not have gotten hurt so badly.
Maybe Jiang Fenyun wouldn’t have harbored so much hate.
And facing Yan Zhong… maybe Bai Ye would’ve had more power, more courage.

After that night, the show’s production was officially suspended.

Jiang Nian wasn’t in a good state. She stayed home for several days, withdrawn and silent.
Qiao Wenyu stayed by her side the entire time, never once leaving her alone. Sometimes, she even cooked full meals herself, carefully laying out a table of warm dishes.

But when Jiang Nian sat there with her chopsticks in hand, she couldn’t help but think—
Someone like me… impulsive, immature, reckless, and not sharp at all—do I even deserve someone like Qiao Wenyu?

She thought a break at home might help her feel better.

Unfortunately, the final straw still came crashing down.

That afternoon, Jiang Nian was on the balcony, just about to light a cigarette when her phone rang. It was her assistant.

“Hello?” Jiang Nian held the cigarette between her fingers, leaning against the railing.

Her assistant sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“President Jiang, while you were away, a project needed a guarantor. But since you were busy filming Wilderness Survival, the board said your name alone wasn’t enough. They’re requiring one more company to co-sign. The terms are strict—basically asking for a guarantee with the entire company’s assets. I’ve contacted everyone, but no one is willing. If we can’t find a guarantor… the project will collapse.”

“What kind of loss are we talking about?”

“The company probably won’t survive it,” her assistant said, her voice breaking.

The cigarette burned too long—hot ash dropped onto Jiang Nian’s other hand.
She hissed softly from the pain. “Tch. Who took this project on?”

“A few members of the board. On paper, they’re the most experienced. There shouldn’t have been a risk.”

Jiang Nian stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray. Her voice was calm, almost cold.
“Those old foxes. You still don’t get it, do you? Someone probably bought them off—had them set a trap for me.”

“I looked into it, but…” The assistant hesitated, clearly afraid to say more.

Jiang Nian already had a sinking feeling. “Say it.”

“They seem to have accepted favors from the Yan family… But President Jiang, given your relationship with Miss Qiao, why would the Yan family want to hurt you?”

Jiang Nian chuckled bitterly as the wind brushed past her.
“Why wouldn’t they…”

Given Yan Zhong’s personality, anyone who could bring happiness to Qiao Wenyu—he’d eliminate them all.

“Then what do we do, President Jiang?” her assistant asked, now panicking.

Jiang Nian began pacing the balcony, thinking. “I’ll figure something out. I won’t let the company go down like this. I don’t want my mom coming back to beat me with a broom.”

She laughed bitterly at her own joke. That was all she had left—sarcasm to mask despair.

After hanging up, Jiang Nian sat alone for a long time, staring into nothing.

Flashes of her past came back—before she was pulled into this world—when she first read the Inferno of Love synopsis.

In the original story, it was Bai Ye who saved Qiao Wenyu.
Bai Ye who solved every crisis.
Bai Ye who gave her a future and happiness.

If that’s how it was supposed to be…

Was it fate? Was it never meant to be her?

Jiang Nian finally gave in.
She didn’t want to keep dragging things down into chaos.

Maybe… it was time to return everything to where it belonged.

With trembling hands, she dialed a long-forgotten number.

When the call connected, she spoke quietly, exhausted.

“Bai Ye… I need to ask you for a favor.”

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