After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Became a Slave to My Beloved Wife - Chapter 56

Is it Wen Yun… or Qiao Wenyu?

“Jiejie, I’ll stay by your side forever…” Jiang Nian murmured softly, her lips moving faintly as she lay with her eyes closed. As soon as the words escaped her lips, she jolted awake.

Total darkness. The dead of night.

She turned her head and saw the soft glow of a Pikachu nightlight on her bedside table. Her heart skipped as she suddenly sat upright in bed.

The digital clock read 3:33—a strangely perfect number.

The room was silent.

Instinctively, Jiang Nian reached toward the blanket beside her.

“Jiejie!”

The spot beside her—where Qiao Wenyu should have been sleeping—was empty.

Jiang Nian pressed a hand to her forehead, slowly taking in her surroundings.

It hit her all at once…

She had returned to the real world.

She lowered her head and sniffed her wrist. A faint scent of grapes lingered.

Yes, that was right. This was her original pheromone scent.

“How can this be…” Jiang Nian’s thoughts were in disarray. The entire experience of living inside the book had felt so real. If heaven told her it was all just a dream…

She wasn’t sure she could accept it.

In that other world, she had fought so hard—finally managing to be with Qiao Wenyu. Now she was being told that her love wasn’t real? How was she supposed to live with that?

There was no sleep for her now.

She sat on the bay window seat, staring bleakly out at the street below. The streetlamps, the roads… all so familiar, yet unfamiliar. Her mind was clouded with confusion.

“Jiejie…” she whispered, placing her hand against the glass. A phantom silhouette of Qiao Wenyu seemed to appear in the reflection. Jiang Nian clutched her chest and closed her eyes, struggling to breathe through the ache.

She sat there until dawn, not even realizing how the time had passed.

If the strange journey through the novel world had been just a dream… then waking up to reality was a cruel joke.

Jiang Nian didn’t want to accept it—but she had no choice.

Once morning arrived, she received a phone call.

Today was the day she had agreed to return to campus with her former roommates to visit their university advisor. It had only been half a year since graduation. Now that her job had stabilized, it was finally time to visit the counselor who had looked after them so well.

Jiang Nian splashed cold water on her face to wake up, got dressed, slung a backpack over her shoulder, and headed out.

Even walking toward the bus stop, the streets around her felt strangely unfamiliar.

A world without Qiao Wenyu… was this lonely?

She laughed quietly to herself, mocking how seriously she was taking a dream.

“Just forget it already…” she sighed.

After a ten-minute ride, the bus pulled up near her old school. As she got off, she spotted her former roommates standing by the road, waving excitedly. Their faces were full of youthful joy.

“Ah Nian!”

“Nian-za!”

“Jiejie…” Jiang Nian gently touched the glass, her eyes glazing over as she imagined Qiao Wenyu’s reflection staring back at her. Then, overcome with sorrow, she closed her eyes, clutched her chest, and let out a painful breath.

She sat by the window, unknowingly, until the sky grew bright.

If the miraculous journey into the book was only a dream, then waking up to this reality was bitter indeed.

She didn’t want to accept it, but she had no choice.

When daylight finally flooded the city, Jiang Nian received a phone call. She had previously arranged with her former roommates to return to campus and visit one of their favorite professors. It had only been six months since she graduated. Now that her job was stable, it felt like the right time to see the advisor who had taken such good care of them.

She splashed cold water on her face, changed clothes, slung a bag over her shoulder, and left the house.

Walking toward the bus stop, everything around her felt strangely unfamiliar.

So this is the world without Qiao Wenyu.
So cold. So empty.

Jiang Nian let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh, mocking herself for taking a dream so seriously.

“Forget it all, already…” she sighed.

The bus ride took only ten minutes, and she soon arrived at her old university. As soon as she got off, she saw her former roommates standing at the roadside, waving energetically. Their faces were brimming with youthful joy.

“Ah Nian!”

“Nian-za!”

“Old Jiang, get over here!”

The three roommates were all outgoing and lively. They waved and ran toward her as they called out.

Jiang Nian took a moment to pull herself together and smiled tiredly. “Class rep, Third and Little One—it’s been a while.”

In their dorm, they’d ranked themselves by age. Jiang Nian was the second eldest.

“Ah Nian, why do you look so exhausted?” asked Jiang Fengyun—the youngest—slipping an arm over Jiang Nian’s shoulders. She was Jiang Nian’s closest friend in the dorm, bold and loud, and the most flirtatious female Alpha on campus.

“I didn’t sleep well last night,” Jiang Nian replied casually.

The four of them weren’t from the same major—Class Rep and Third were literature majors, while Jiang Nian and Jiang Fengyun were both in business management. So, naturally, they each planned to visit different faculty members.

Jiang Fengyun slung her arm around Jiang Nian and said to the others, “We’ll head this way, then. Let’s meet back here at noon and have dinner together.”

“Got it. We’ll call you later,” the class rep said, walking away with Third.

Jiang Nian waved goodbye to them and followed Jiang Fengyun toward the management building.

“I heard that some alumni from previous years are also visiting around this time, which is why campus has been packed lately,” Jiang Fengyun whispered with a mischievous smile, leaning close. “Who knows, we might run into some big shots. I heard there are quite a few successful names from our department—and even from the one next door.”

“You’re one of them,” Jiang Nian teased, giving her a playful pat on the shoulder.

Jiang Fengyun laughed. “Yeah right. I don’t have a gold mine at home.”

“Well, we’re just regular folk after all,” Jiang Nian added. The transition from being a fictional CEO to a recent graduate was still a bit jarring.

The two chatted as they walked and soon reached the building where their old counselor worked. Just as they got to the elevator, Jiang Fengyun’s phone rang.

“What? Seriously? They changed it?”

“Alright, got it.”

“Good thing we didn’t go up yet.”

From her half-heard conversation, Jiang Nian pieced it together—apparently, the layout of the school had changed. The literature and business faculties had swapped buildings, and their class rep had only realized this upon arriving. She’d called immediately to let them know.

“Let’s head back, then,” Jiang Nian said, turning the corner.

But just as she did—

Thud!

Her vision went dark as she collided head-on with someone.

Jiang Nian instinctively reached out to steady the person, but she was a beat too slow. The other person stumbled and fell hard to the ground.

“I heard that some upperclassmen from earlier years are also visiting professors around this time,” Jiang Fengyun said in a conspiratorial whisper, leaning close to Jiang Nian. “So the campus is packed this week. Who knows—we might bump into some big shots. Apparently, both our department and the one next door have a lot of impressive alumni.”

“You’re one of them,” Jiang Nian said, giving her a pat.

Fengyun let out a chuckle. “Please, my family doesn’t own any gold mines. I’ve got nothing on those real elites.”

“True. We’re just ordinary folks,” Jiang Nian murmured. Going from a fictional CEO back to a fresh graduate was still something she hadn’t quite adjusted to.

The two chatted as they walked. In no time, they reached the building where their counselor was supposed to be. But just as they got to the elevator, Fengyun’s phone rang.

“What? What do you mean it changed?”

“Okay, got it.”

“Phew, lucky we didn’t go upstairs yet.”

From those few lines, Jiang Nian pieced together the situation. The campus layout had been shuffled—the literature and business buildings had swapped places. Their dorm leader only realized it upon arrival and quickly called to warn them.

“Guess we’re heading back,” Jiang Nian said, turning the corner.

But just as she did—everything went black for a split second as she bumped into someone head-on.

Reacting quickly, she tried to steady the person, but she was a moment too late. The woman across from her fell straight to the ground.

Jiang Nian crouched down immediately, offering a hand. “Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine…” came a soft voice. The woman lowered her head and began picking up a crossbody bag from the floor.

Jiang Nian still looked concerned. “Are you sure? Maybe we should go to the campus clinic, just in case?”

“Really, I’m fine…” the woman replied, sounding shy and slightly nervous as she looked up.

The moment Jiang Nian saw her face, she forgot how to breathe.

Those cool, glassy eyes, the delicate features, and that faint scent of roses on her skin—

“Jiejie?”

Jiang Nian blurted it out instinctively.

The woman froze. She gave Jiang Nian a confused glance, then quickly stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes.

“I’m fine. There’s no need to… get so familiar,” she said awkwardly.

Jiang Nian withdrew her hand, eyes still fixed on the woman who looked exactly like Qiao Wenyu.

“Hey! Hey! Earth to Nian!” Jiang Fengyun shouted several times. “She’s gone already—what’s gotten into you?”

Jiang Nian snapped out of it.

Right… this was the real world.

“It’s rare to see you so flustered over someone,” Fengyun said, amused. “What’s this? Love at first sight with that pretty girl?”

She turned to look at Jiang Nian—only to see her actually blushing.

“No way. You seriously into someone like that?” Fengyun asked, shocked.

“I mean… maybe not seriously…” Jiang Nian lifted her gaze, still looking toward the end of the hallway, as if savoring the moment of their encounter.

“Then stop spacing out. Let’s go see our advisor,” Fengyun said, tugging Jiang Nian along as they jogged toward the back of the teaching building.

The new literature building faced a wide plaza. As they stepped outside, Jiang Nian’s attention was immediately drawn to the bustling row of vendor booths set up in the open space.

The plaza was packed with people, all lined up at the stalls.

A bold banner hung overhead, printed in large yellow characters.

“Warmly Welcome Senior Alumna Wen Yun, Author of Burning Devotion, Back to Campus — Please Line Up for Book Signing”

Jiang Nian stopped in her tracks.
An inexplicable urge welled up inside her—she had to see what the author looked like. Only then could she let go of the obsession that still lingered from that “dream.”

“Hey, where are you going? Our department is this way…” Jiang Fengyun looked at her in confusion as she saw Jiang Nian walking off in the opposite direction.

“You go ahead first,” Jiang Nian called back. “I’m a fan of this author—I want to line up for the signing.”

Jiang Fengyun shot her a you’ve got to be kidding look. She didn’t recall Jiang Nian ever being into web novels.

Jiang Nian ignored her friend’s confusion and headed straight for the line.

The queue was enormous—stretching all the way from the vendor booth to the teaching building steps. Jiang Nian found herself near the back, slowly inching forward with the crowd.

After about half an hour, she finally reached the front.

“Hello…” Wen Yun looked up and locked eyes with her.

Jiang Nian froze.

They’d just seen each other in the hallway.

“You…” they said at the same time, voices hesitant.

Wen Yun quickly looked down, scribbled a signature, and handed the book to Jiang Nian. “Thank you for your support.”

Jiang Nian didn’t know what to say. As she took the book, her fingers brushed Wen Yun’s hand. Both of them instinctively pulled away and turned their heads in sync, avoiding eye contact.

“Next!” the event staff quickly moved to usher Jiang Nian aside.

She stepped aside, hesitated, and took two steps to the side of the booth before stopping.

“Please don’t linger here,” one of the staff said, frowning.

Jiang Nian took a deep breath, turned back, and said, “Jiejie… can I have your contact information?”

The nearby staff stared in surprise. Wen Yun paused mid-signature. Even the fans waiting in line looked stunned.

Wen Yun shot the staff a look. One of them stepped forward. “Sorry, miss, the author’s personal information isn’t something we can just hand out.”

Disappointment clouded Jiang Nian’s face. She turned and walked away from the booth.

Wen Yun wasn’t Qiao Wenyu.

It was time to wake up.

Clearing her mind, Jiang Nian headed back toward the management building.

“Excuse me—hey, student!”

Jiang Nian heard someone calling from behind and turned around. It was the same staff member who’d just turned her away.

“This is from Wen Yun. Please don’t share it with anyone,” he said hurriedly, handing her a name card before disappearing again.

Jiang Nian stood there, holding the card. Her eyes fell on the two characters: “Wen Yun.”

A gentle smile appeared on her lips.

“Wen Yun… that’s basically Wen Yu, isn’t it…” she muttered.

“What Wenyu?” Jiang Fengyun suddenly popped up behind her, peering over her shoulder.

Startled, Jiang Nian quickly tucked the name card into her pocket.

“What are you hiding? And we’ve been waiting for ages—you’re just now showing up?” Fengyun grumbled.

Jiang Nian slipped the card deeper into her bag. “I’ll go see our advisor now and meet you guys after.”

“Better hurry—he was just asking about you,” the dorm leader said, walking up to them.

Jiang Nian nodded. She’d always been one of their counselor’s favorite students, and as expected, once she entered the office, she ended up chatting for over ten minutes.

Afterward, her roommates dragged her out for a meal—on her dime, of course, since she’d kept them waiting for nearly an hour.

After the meal, they said their goodbyes, and Jiang Nian headed home.

Once she got back, she sat at her desk with the name card in hand. She picked up her phone and typed the string of numbers into her contacts.

Just as she keyed in the final digit, a message popped up.

Wen Yun: Hello.

Jiang Nian’s heart skipped. She immediately replied:

Hello.

Then, after a second’s thought, she added:

I’m Jiang Nian. It’s nice to meet you.

After sending the message, she stared at the screen, waiting—hoping—for a reply.

But by the time she was too tired to keep her eyes open, no message had come.

She gave in to sleep, setting her phone aside and curling up under the covers.

Just as the phone slipped from her fingers and landed on the pillow…

A new message appeared.

Wen Yun: You had a dream, didn’t you?

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