After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Refuse to Get Divorced - Chapter 38

During the days leading up to the university’s anniversary celebration, Zhu Qingran practically worked around the clock, successfully clearing nearly all of her backlogged tasks by the day before.

She finally found a window of free time to try on the formal attire Liang Jing had prepared for the big event.

To be fair, a university anniversary wasn’t exactly a massive, high-profile occasion—it was just one of many minor events Zhu Qingran routinely attended. However, it happened to be her sweet wife’s current workplace, as well as the relaxed environment where Zhu Qingran herself had spent two years of her youth.

Therefore, she decided to dress to impress, torturing several high-end clothing boutiques just to assemble a matching couple’s look that perfectly complemented her wife’s outfit.

Setting off for the campus in high spirits, Zhu Qingran pulled into the parking lot, only to immediately spot a very familiar figure.

Wasn’t that her childhood family friend and rival, the “elder sister” Fu Chensi?

What on earth was that woman doing at her sweet wife’s university?

As Zhu Qingran lined up according to the rules, waiting her turn for a parking space, she spotted quite a few recognizable faces.

For instance, there was a certain wealthy socialite with whom she had once been rumored to have a “childhood sweetheart, completely synchronized” relationship—even though they had barely met a handful of times, and their entire “chemistry” had been entirely fabricated by the media.

Then over there was a critically acclaimed movie queen, an actress who had split the industry’s spotlight fifty-fifty with Zhu Qingran’s younger cousin, He Yimo, ever since her debut.

And walking right past her front windshield was a brilliant, successful young male Alpha—a self-made man whose net worth was easily on par with the Zhu family.

But most importantly, why was this particular old rival here?

Granted, during her last trip back to her sweet wife’s family home, Zhu Qingran had done everything in her power to utterly crush and overshadow the woman. But until this old childhood friend finally got taken off the market and put under the strict management of a wife of her own, Zhu Qingran absolutely could not let her guard down.

So what if the woman made good money, looked decent, was cultured, had artistic taste, was single, and had known her sweet wife for ages? Zhu Qingran firmly believed that the latecomer could still come out on top.

When it came to matters of the heart, only true love got to laugh last, precisely because love could never be measured in terms of winning or losing.

Zhu Qingran wanted to get out of the car immediately to greet her old rival and scout out the enemy’s battle lines. Unfortunately, the car in front of her suddenly moved forward, forcing her to focus on parking first. By the time she stepped out and completed her guest registration, the old childhood friend had already vanished without a trace.

“Did I see things?”

Zhu Qingran didn’t think her eyes were playing tricks on her, but over the past two days, she had combed through the anniversary guest list multiple times and hadn’t seen her rival’s name anywhere.

While she was still pondering this, a member of the university leadership walked right toward her.

Back in the day, whenever Zhu Qingran was sent to the principal’s office by her professors for skipping classes, she would inevitably run into this specific administrator. Reencountering him today, it looked like he had dyed his hair.

Furthermore, whatever brand of hairpiece he was using to cover his “Mediterranean” male-pattern baldness was remarkably effective—it looked incredibly thick.

Zhu Qingran was tempted to go over, throw an arm around his shoulder, and ask him like a bro for the name of his toupee manufacturer. She wouldn’t mind gifting a few premium hairpieces the next time she visited Old Master Fu.

The old patriarch’s head was truly barren. It was highly likely that having an old-maid, perpetual-bachelor granddaughter like Fu Chensi was causing the old man to lose all his hair from sheer worry.

Thinking of hairpieces naturally brought Zhu Qingran’s train of thought right back to Fu Chensi. She looked over and realized the university leader was only a few paces away from her.

Zhu Qingran did her absolute best to plaster the most dazzling, corporate-friendly smile onto her face, only for the administrator to stop a few steps short of her.

Once again, Zhu Qingran caught sight of Fu Chensi.

“Expert Fu, you’ve finally arrived! The university invited you multiple times to participate in this anniversary celebration, but you always maintained you were too busy. What wind blew you in today?”

The person the university leader had personally come out to welcome wasn’t the honored alumna and faculty spouse, Zhu Qingran. Instead, it was Fu Chensi, who had somehow quietly gotten herself registered as a visiting expert at the school!

Son of a—!

When exactly had Fu Chensi laid her hands on a position at this university? Surely, she wasn’t planning on becoming a permanent member of the faculty in the future, was she? If she was, wouldn’t she be constantly lurking around the campus long-term, seeing her sweet wife day in and day out, working closely together, and trying to pull off a classic “love growing over time through proximity” trope?

Absolutely not!

The moment this terrifying thought flashed through her mind, Zhu Qingran internally screamed a massive, resounding, “No way!”

As Zhu Qingran quickened her pace by two steps, she overheard the further exchange between the administrator and Fu Chensi.

“I happened to realize that I could clear some time over these past two days, so I decided to come and attend the university’s celebration. Back when Shiyu was first hired by the school, I had intended to establish a collaboration with the university as well. It’s just that my free time has been scarce in recent years, leaving me unable to witness Shiyu’s professional growth or the campus’s evolution. My coming here this time is actually specifically for—”

What was Fu Chensi trying to say?

She couldn’t possibly be about to tell an outsider that she had come to the university specifically for her sweet wife, could she? These old fogies in the university leadership better understand how the world works and refrain from getting entangled in other people’s romantic dramas. Otherwise, Zhu Qingran couldn’t guarantee how terrifying the consequences might be.

“Say no more, Expert Fu! I almost forgot that you and Professor Du are close acquaintances. Since it’s such a rare occasion for you to visit, should I arrange a private meeting for you and Professor Du.”

The university leader was truly testing his limits now. What on earth was this bald little old man trying to pull?

Zhu Qingran could barely keep a grip on the metaphorical forty-meter blade in her hands. She wouldn’t even let this old man run thirty-nine meters to escape her wrath—not a single meter!

“I believe you may have misunderstood,” Fu Chensi replied smoothly, cutting him off. “My coming here this time is actually to attend the ‘concert’ of our honored alumna, President Zhu Qingran!”

Fu Chensi pointed to the anniversary itinerary in her hands for the administrator to see, eliciting a sudden wave of dramatic realization from him.

“Oh, so that’s how it is! To be completely honest with you, the majority of our guests today are actually here entirely for President Zhu’s vocal performance. Even I am looking forward to it immensely!”

Wait, what?

Watching the two figures ahead suddenly come to a harmonious agreement, Zhu Qingran felt an immense, crushing weight of responsibility land squarely on her shoulders.

Even a little old man with a family and kids is looking forward to it? Why is my old rival so unhinged that she absolutely insists on hearing me sing? Zhu Qingran lamented, even feeling a sudden twinge of guilt toward the elderly patriarch, Old Master Fu, whom she had bonded with just a few days ago. Old buddy, if your granddaughter still can’t find a partner this year, I’ll drink with you until we both pass out!

Just what kind of hardships had life thrown at Fu Chensi to drive an otherwise highly intelligent, sensible childhood friend down such a tragic path of no return? Zhu Qingran was genuinely worried that after hearing her solo performance, her old rival might experience a total mental breakdown and spontaneously re-present as an Omega on the spot out of sheer trauma.

Tsk, tsk, tsk!

While Zhu Qingran was still lamenting that no one had come out to receive her, she caught sight of a familiar figure in the blink of an eye.

Du Shiyu was walking right toward them, wearing an elegant, graceful maxi dress that perfectly matched Zhu Qingran’s outfit to form a couple’s look. Her sweet wife’s face was bright with a radiant, sun-kissed smile.

Furthermore, she was slowly opening her arms, a gesture that looked as though she was preparing to envelop her old childhood friend, Fu Chensi, in a warm embrace.

Sure enough, Fu Chensi’s sophisticated aura was a perfect fit for a university campus. She merely had to walk quietly in the front to effortlessly attract the exact gaze she wanted to draw.

Zhu Qingran felt a distinct twinge of jealousy. As a mere alumna, she had ultimately failed to compete against a designated expert backed by the university management.

Watching her sweet wife arrive right in front of Fu Chensi, Zhu Qingran forced herself to rationalize: The woman is a current affiliate of the school, Du Shiyu’s colleague. A good Alpha hubby doesn’t fight a colleague for attention.

At school, her sweet wife was merely discussing work with an old acquaintance. At home, her sweet wife would be discussing romance and family planning with her Alpha hubby. Zhu Qingran is absolutely not jealous!

To her surprise, upon reaching the two figures, her sweet wife merely offered a simple, professional handshake to welcome them. Then, completely brushing past the duo, she walked straight to Zhu Qingran’s side.

“For President Zhu to take time out of her incredibly busy schedule to attend is truly my honor,” her sweet wife initiated officially, yet she simultaneously opened her arms wide toward Zhu Qingran.

“As a graduate of this university, to be so warmly welcomed and invited by the school and Professor Du is also my honor,” Zhu Qingran replied, maintaining an extremely proper, gentlemanly posture as she merely extended a polite hand.

However, her sweet wife completely ignored her chivalrous hand, stepping forward to wrap her entirely in a full, tight embrace.

“President Zhu, your Mrs. Zhu has been waiting and hoping for a very long time just to catch a glimpse of you. Aren’t you even going to give her a hug?”

It was rare for her sweet wife to act so spoiled, especially in such a public setting. Having previously avoided any public displays of affection, it was unclear if the recent streak of mutual overtime had unlocked a hidden instinct in her, causing her to start acting so clingy and adorable.

Since she had actively offered an embrace, there was no way Zhu Qingran was going to let it go to waste. She instantly pulled the woman tightly into her arms.

“Of course I want to. It’s been dozens of hours since I last got to kiss, hug, and lift my wife up high. I missed you so much!”

The young couple flaunted their deep affection without a care, their intimate, lovey-dovey gestures leaving the passing pedestrians green with envy.

Meanwhile, a certain entertainment reporter who had been assigned to track and document the domestic life of President Zhu and her sweet wife felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to retire, go home, and just live a quiet life with a cozy fireplace.

Screw this! How am I even supposed to spin this narrative anymore? The rumors used to claim that the perfect relationship between Zhu Qingran and her sweet wife was completely fake—that every sweet detail and public display was carefully choreographed and acted out by Zhu Qingran herself, while her sweet wife was just an unpaid extra kept entirely in the dark. Now look at this, the clown is actually me! What on earth do you mean her sweet wife is actively flaunting her affection? My cold, intellectual, sophisticated goddess Du Shiyu has really been completely conquered by Little President Zhu just like that?

The entertainment reporter was practically drowning in his own tears and snot; there was absolutely no way he could keep filming this.

Whoever wants this story can take it! Getting force-fed dog food every single day—even a dog would barf at this point.

He pushed himself up, intending to pack it in and head home to find his own little partner so they could be all lovey-dovey and affectionate together.

However, the very moment he stood up from his hiding spot in the bushes, his fellow paparazzi hidden in various corners around him fired a barrage of soul-crushing questions:

“Bro, it’s broad daylight, stop dreaming. Do you even have a partner?”

“Oh yeah, where is my partner? I don’t have one! Woooaaaah!”

The reporter promptly crouched right back down into the literal hole he had just dug for himself and kept digging. He furiously began drafting his headlines:

[Did President Zhu Flaunt Her Affection with Her Sweet Wife Today?]

[On the University Campus, Sweet Wife Actively Throws Herself into Her Arms; President Zhu’s Face Flushes with Bashful Red!]

[President Zhu Holds Her Sweet Wife’s Waist the Entire Time—Is a Cloud Nine Baby on the Way?]

[University Anniversary: A Day of Universal Celebration and Endless Dog Food!]

The reporter had clearly been driven mad by the sheer volume of romantic display, because his speed at churning out these fluffy, lovey-dovey articles was terrifyingly fast.

Meanwhile, with an arm securely wrapped around her sweet wife’s waist, Zhu Qingran walked toward the dressing room under the skeptical, shocked, envious, and jealous stares of the crowd.

The anniversary event kicked off right on schedule. Out on the main stage, the hosts were seamlessly driving the itinerary forward, introducing one performance after another. Zhu Qingran waited in the wings backstage for her cue.

Because she was serving as the artistic director, her sweet wife didn’t have a single moment of free time. She could only throw Zhu Qingran a supportive wink from across the room right before it was time for her to go on.

Zhu Qingran’s life was already incredibly legendary. If absolutely everything about her was MVP-tier, it would be a bit too smooth-sailing, aggressively bordering on a cliché web novel featuring a female lead with maxed-out cheat codes.

But even the most perfect person had to have at least one tiny flaw.

For instance, the protagonists in CEO novels always seemed to have mouths but lacked the ability to communicate properly; melodramatic Mary Sues always had a male lead’s mother waiting to hand over a five-million-dollar check to buy them off; and here, we had the seemingly flawless Little Zhu, who was completely and utterly tone-deaf.

By the time Zhu Qingran gritted her teeth and took her final bow, the entertainment reporter had completely forgotten to record video, snap photos, or write his press release.

One moment, the audience had witnessed the deeply affectionate display between President Zhu and her sweet wife, making them believe in true love forever.

The very next second, after listening to Little Zhu’s incredibly passionate, soul-stirring vocal solo, everyone suddenly wanted to ask their bosses: My ears are broken and my soul is traumatized—can I get a corporate reimbursement for the hospital registration fee?