After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Refuse to Get Divorced - Chapter 9

Zhu Qingran rushed as fast as she could, but she still only managed to return to Du Shiyu after the lights in the venue dimmed.

She had just been tangled up by that group of people, almost ready to snap, “Let me go! I’m going to hold my wife’s hand!”

Zhu Qingran had clearly seen the little sweet girl swarming her dear wife. Yet, instead of playing the hero, she had been caught up by the group and showered with flattery.

“President Zhu truly has remarkable skills. Harmony at home and success at work—truly a model for our industry!”

They praised Zhu Qingran’s career, and she had nothing to say.

Her mistress was practically trampling all over his wife—was this their idea of “marital harmony”?!

She had no intention of living in a home built on betrayal!

Her makeup, a kaleidoscope of colors, barely hid her constipated expression.

“You flatter me,” Secretary Liang Jing quickly interjected, sensing her boss’s rising anger. “President Zhu’s household is harmonious because the lady is kind, and Miss He is also a good person. Truly, the lady’s virtues are countless!”

Fortunately, Secretary Liang Jing realized that the boss was about to lose it. She took the opportunity to speak, prompting gasps from everyone present.

“Miss He? Are you saying President Zhu and the lady are~”

These people really were overdoing it—almost rewriting a whole new Dream of the Red Chamber for Zhu Qingran.

Zhu Qingran knew the Red Chamber had many beauties, but she hadn’t even fully indulged in her own little wife yet.

“Everyone, before the board starts bidding, Miss He Yimo is President Zhu’s cousin—her real cousin, no mistake!”

Liang Jing spoke again, and Zhu Qingran froze.

What? The little sweet girl is her cousin?

Her actual, blood-related cousin?

And she with her cousin.

Zhu Qingran’s face turned grim, and her hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly.

Thankfully, the venue lights dimmed further, saving her from completely collapsing her image.

“President Zhu, relax. You and Miss He are only conducting a transaction. You are doing this for her.”

The more Liang Jing explained, the more confused Zhu Qingran became.

“Doing this for her? Doing what? Wait, what?”

Wasn’t this novel supposed to be normal?

Not some twisted family ethics melodrama, right?

She needed to calm down.

She tried to recall the novel’s plot, along with the original owner’s illustrious deeds.

The scumbag CEO only became morally compromised after the divorce, right?

A world full of temptation, mountains of people, chasing love and losing herself—ultimately ruining her bright future.

Before that, she only had scandalous rumors, tabloid news every year, and then.

“Cousin, what are you staring at? You’re supposed to be with cousin-in-law—there’s still so much to do.”

“So much to do? My wife is mine, you—”

The little cousin had just cornered the dear wife, and now she was circling in front of her again.

Zhu Qingran’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that this little girl had her sights on her wife?

The CEO and the little cousin shared a deep bond, but the cousin working for the CEO—was she purely trying to get close to the dear wife?

“What exactly are your intentions toward my wife?”

“Ah?”

He Yimo was stunned.

Had she just been scolded?

Maybe she’d acted a bit too much today and triggered her cousin.

Grandma. I’m sorry! Your future great-granddaughter’s genes might be ruined by me!

He Yimo wanted to cry.

Cousin is shocked—would the little nephew be any less stunned?

From now on, Zhu Qingran probably wouldn’t make the scandal pages. Only the “overcoming adversity” section, right?

“Cousin, although I understand you may not want to speak much with me, you did contact me before. Regarding my pay for playing the lovesick role, how should it be settled?”

He Yimo spoke up just as the host picked up the microphone to begin the opening remarks.

Amid the roaring noise, Zhu Qingran finally regained her focus.

So, all that the little cousin did before was just acting for money?

Brilliant!

This whole setup was so typical of a CEO-romance plot.

How had Zhu Qingran never thought of it before?

She could give her little cousin some money, let the two of them tease her little wife, and then play out the whole “torment-the-wife-then-chase-her-to-happiness” arc.

But just one misstep, and the CEO ended up sabotaging herself.

Now, though, things were different. It was as if Zhu Qingran had gained a godlike perspective. The springtime of her love had arrived.

Breathe in—this air was filled with bliss.

And a hint of green-tea sweetness.

Zhu Qingran couldn’t help but question her life choices. Ever since meeting her little wife, that subtle green-tea aroma had lingered, refusing to dissipate.

Was life itself trying to tell her not to act anymore? Not to go chasing after every green-tea Alpha?

The path of a playboy was never easy. The small, cozy bed of her little wife—that was her true forever home.

As Zhu Qingran’s mood rode the rollercoaster, Du Shiyu caught a glimpse of her displeased expression in the faint light.

Could she be about to throw another tantrum?

The memory of Zhu Qingran’s encounter with her little cousin was still fresh in Du Shiyu’s mind.

Were all those scummy CEOs really this manipulative?

No, she wasn’t distracted—just generous, apparently. Hence, a few extra “good little sisters” in her life?

Thinking of this, Du Shiyu’s tightly clasped hands involuntarily clenched even harder.

When she felt Zhu Qingran intervening between them, all she wanted was to push her away.

But Zhu Qingran gently pinched her fingertips, and in that instant, Du Shiyu’s resistance melted.

“My little cousin came looking for me earlier,” Zhu Qingran murmured, her voice a little hoarse from their earlier conversation.

Still, it couldn’t hide the natural charm in her tone.

This time, she was voluntarily confessing what had just happened but to what end? What scheme was she hatching now?

Du Shiyu ignored her, focusing instead on the auction items on display.

“Wifey, winter’s coming. Let’s grow some flowers,” Zhu Qingran continued, subtly rolling Du Shiyu’s fingers between hers.

Once, twice, like a tireless child, she didn’t stop.

She chattered on to herself, and Du Shiyu did her best to mentally tune her out.

Winter and yet still trying to grow flowers?

Du Shiyu lowered her head, reflecting. Back when they first met, other teachers had received little Teacher’s Day gifts from students, but she hadn’t.

At the time, Du Shiyu’s frosty demeanor had made her a notorious “ice queen.”

Combined with seniority and popularity accumulated by older teachers, rumors swirled that she was unapproachable.

It was a bright, sunny early autumn morning. While other teachers chatted with students bringing their congratulations, a single sunflower sat on Du Shiyu’s desk.

She initially assumed someone had gifted it to her out of charity. For a long time afterward, a flower was always there on her desk.

By winter, the class’s naughtiest student—the little troublemaker—was gone, apparently off to experience the working world.

Du Shiyu still received flowers occasionally, but never as consistently.

After they officially became a couple, Du Shiyu never received flowers again. Not in spring, not in summer—never again.

Now, hearing that Zhu Qingran wanted to grow flowers, Du Shiyu pondered silently for a long while.

It wasn’t until she felt the hand clasping her fingertips withdraw that she snapped back to reality.

“Five hundred thousand.”

Zhu Qingran had made her bid.

The item up for auction was a vase, reportedly one of a pair of Ruyi vases, though only a single piece remained.

If it had been a pair, it would have been a perfect gift. But as a lone item, few would bid.

The vase was priced at 350,000—and Zhu Qingran had just bid 500,000 outright.

“Five hundred thousand, first bid!”

The auctioneer called out. Du Shiyu’s eyes widened in shock.

Was she crazy? She never made unprepared transactions—and this was, by all accounts, a loss for them.

And yet, she was determined to win it.

“Zhu Qingran.”

Du Shiyu tried to caution her, only to find her gesturing animatedly at the vase.

“Though the painting is a bit plain, I can renovate it. That little bird looks too lonely. It needs a big eagle as a companion!”

Zhu Qingran rambled on, seemingly planning to redesign the vase herself.

She was talking to herself until Du Shiyu pinched her fingertips in response.

A gesture Zhu Qingran often did herself was now returned by her little wife.

“Ah Ran, didn’t you say we don’t need all these vases and knickknacks at home? What if we accidentally break it.”

“I told you, the house needs flowers. What do you think of this container? The ones outside are too ordinary. I want something unique—just like you and this place. One of a kind, nothing else.”

Zhu Qingran held her little wife’s hand over her heart and then raised the vase’s number card high.

“Thank you, everyone. My wife loves sunflowers, but there’s never been anything worthy of holding them—until now. And look, this one is truly unique. It belongs to her, with no substitute. So, I had no choice but to take what she loves!”

Zhu Qingran proudly carried her little wife and the vase, grinning all the way home. The news outlets nearly exploded.

“IO Group CEO Zhu Qingran Splurges on Antique Vase for Love”

“Tonight, I believe in love again”

“Love can’t be bought but she buys it for her”

Back home, the smart news reader was still reading out all the sensational headlines and comments.

Zhu Qingran grinned like an idiot, tugging her struggling little wife along with a laugh as she tried to arrange the flowers.

“Wifey, aren’t they so boring~”

“Zhu Qingran!” Her little wife suddenly stopped and called her name.

Zhu Qingran obediently turned off the news reader and faced Du Shiyu seriously.

Her eyes were full of genuine affection, no pretense.

With such a perfect evening not doing something now would feel wrong.

Zhu Qingran took a deep breath. She smelled of tea, completely devoid of pheromones.

Had the CEO’s “kidneys” recovered today?

Nope!

“Wifey, I’m hungry, is there still food at home?”

As Zhu Qingran looked at Du Shiyu with a pitiful expression, the words she had been about to say got pushed aside again.

“It’s too late. I’ll make you a bowl of noodles.”

After placing the last sunflower into the vase and heading to the kitchen, Du Shiyu left Zhu Qingran exhaling deeply.

“Even though I’d like to kiss her but my pheromones are too weak. Should I?”

That night, Secretary Liang Jing and the rest of Zhu Qingran’s “cabinet”—everyone in the office—noticed that the CEO had failed to switch off her personal system and was still logged into the web browser.

“Is the normally dominant A suddenly weak in pheromones? Kidney problems?”

“An A with no secondary differentiation, yet frequent intimacy and kidney weakness is she turning into an O?”

“Two Os meet, can love make one an A?”

Liang Jing had planned to bring the CEO a stack of dinner photos of her little wife the next day, but at that moment, her eyes glinted with sudden brilliance.

Ah! The perfect moment to show loyalty to the CEO had arrived!

Liang Jing opened the shopping platform and went all out—everything was same-day delivery:

“Pheromone booster—watch me, super strong, happy A pills!”

“SA oral solution—drink me, instantly SSSA!”

“O Milk—makes you full O in no time!”

Author’s Note:

Many years later, Liang Jing would lead the interstellar live-selling era.

Liang Jing: That strong □□? CEO Zhu tried it—super effective!

Liang Jing: That O milk? My little wife drank it—so O!

Liang Jing: “…”

Meanwhile, the couple watching TV.

Zhu Qingran: I didn’t, I’m not, I won’t.

Du Shiyu quietly pulled out her phone and searched: “If a grumpy old Alpha has a third child, does she get even dumber?”