After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Was Spoiled by a Sweet Omega - Chapter 51

Yu Yazhi hung up the phone and gazed out the car window.

Her reflection shimmered faintly on the glass, lips curved in a subtle smile, eyes glimmering with quiet amusement.

Shang Li, driving, glanced sideways and clicked her tongue.

“Judging by the way you two are, I’d say you haven’t yet tasted the joys of adulthood.”

Yu Yazhi: “…”

Her smile faded.

“If you’re so good with words, why don’t you say that to Zhong Qiu?”

Shang Li was instantly silenced.

Yu Yazhi always knew how to strike a nerve.

“I haven’t contacted her in a long time. Maybe I should.”

Shang Li said nothing more.

She drove Yu Yazhi to the airport, waved, and left.

At the same time—

Splash!

A basin of water poured down.

Ning Xuan froze, wiped her drenched face, and looked up—

Zhu Shanshan stood at the upstairs window, covering her mouth in mock surprise.

“Ah! Sorry! Ning Xuan, I didn’t see you there.”

She had done it on purpose.

Ning Xuan was certain: the moment Yu Yazhi left, Zhu Shanshan started her mischief.

Fury surged. Ning Xuan stormed upstairs, kicked open Zhu Shanshan’s door.

Zhu Shanshan was at her vanity, applying makeup. She spun around at the noise.

“What are you doing?”

Her guilt showed. Faced with Ning Xuan’s fierce momentum, she panicked and shouted:
“Liu Zi! Liu Zi!”

But Liu Zi was in the bathroom, struggling with constipation brought on by stress and irregular routines since becoming Zhu Shanshan’s assistant.

She was in no mood to respond.

Come on, Liu Zi, you can do this.

She bit her lip, straining with all her focus.

Just then, the bathroom lock turned.

“Ah!”

“Ahhh.”

Two screams.

The first from Liu Zi, startled. The second, a drawn-out shriek from Zhu Shanshan.

Ning Xuan, strengthened by days of martial arts training, grabbed Zhu Shanshan’s hair, dragged her under the showerhead, and twisted the knob—cold water cascaded down.

“Let go! Ning Xuan, you’re insane!”

Forced to tilt her head back, Zhu Shanshan thrashed helplessly. Her eyes squeezed shut against the spray, her carefully painted makeup smeared into a grotesque mess.

Water flooded her mouth as she spoke, choking her until tears and snot streamed down her face.

When Ning Xuan finally released her, she collapsed to her knees, coughing miserably.

“Ning, Ning Xuan, how dare you, cough, cough.”

Her nose ran, mucus slipping into her mouth. Realizing what it was, her face twisted in rage.

“Ahhh! Damn you, Ning Xuan!”

Ning Xuan stood tall, cold and imperious, glaring down at her.

“Zhu Shanshan, try that again, and you’ll regret ever crossing me.”

But Zhu Shanshan scoffed.

“Hmph. Without President Yu, who do you think you are?”

She had eavesdropped the night before, seen them sleeping in separate rooms, and noted Yu Yazhi’s early departure without letting Ning Xuan send her off. Clearly, Ning Xuan had fallen out of favor.

Ning Xuan guessed her thoughts, anger and shame burned within her. She didn’t want respect only because of Yu Yazhi. She refused to live under her shadow.

At that moment, her resolve hardened: she would carve out her own place with her own strength. As for love, any relationship built on unequal footing was doomed.

Yu Yazhi, unaware, had her painstaking efforts undone by Zhu Shanshan’s petty stunt.

The cramped bathroom fell into an eerie silence.

An indescribable odor filled the air.

Ning Xuan wrinkled her nose, belatedly realizing she had intruded on someone else’s private struggle.

Liu Zi sat on the toilet, head bowed, cheeks flushed crimson. Her voice was barely audible.

“C-could you, leave for a moment?”

Oh god, kill me now. This is social death.

At 7:45, Yu Yazhi boarded her flight. Two hours later, she arrived at Shenzhen Airport.

Meng Xi, informed of her arrival, drove to meet her.

Anticipating her exhaustion, she had prepared chilled mineral water. Handing it over, she said:
“President Yu, you must be tired. Have some water.”

She reached for her bag.

“Let me carry that.”

“No need.”

Yu Yazhi shook her head, accepted the water, opened the car door, and settled into the back seat.

She twisted the cap, drank two gulps. The icy rush jolted her awake, easing the heaviness in her chest.

“How’s Yu Jiayan?”

Though she despised hearing about that fool, blood ties compelled her to stay informed.

Meng Xi replied:
“Security says he’s still in Dafu Village, living leisurely, not in any hurry to return.”

Yu Yazhi frowned. Impossible. Yu Jiayan was pampered, how could he endure such a remote place? He must be scheming something.

She asked, “And Chairman Yu? Has he complained?”

Meng Xi had already arranged surveillance and answered easily.

“Chairman Yu seems unaware. He’s been at the villa with Madam Xu. Last night, Madam Xu hosted an auction. Chairman Yu attended personally and bought her a gemstone necklace worth twenty million.”

Yu Yazhi’s frown deepened.

“Yu Jiayan’s behavior is suspicious. Have security send me a video, I want to see what he’s up to. At least I need to know his mental state.”

Meng Xi nodded.

“Yes.”

Dafu Village

Yu Jiayan was herding sheep.

There were many—twenty-six in total.

Afraid they might stray, he counted them again and again.

“Sixteen, seventeen—”

Suddenly, one sheep rejoined the flock, disrupting his tally.

Furious, he shoved the shoulder of the person beside him.

“Can’t you mark them somehow? They all look the same, I can’t tell them apart.”

The girl beside him lay under the shade of a tree, seemingly asleep.

Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, warming her pale face with a faint blush.

“Hey, Qu Ran, asleep again?”

He nudged her shoulder.

Qu Ran stirred, opening eyes dark as ink.

“How exactly do you want to mark them?”

She sat up slowly, her movements languid, her voice dripping with indolence.

But she was strikingly beautiful—delicate features, lively brows, plump lips that were almost childishly cute, yet her aura was cold, detached, almost nihilistic. A paradoxical kind of beauty.

The moment Yu Jiayan had arrived at her home in Dafu Village, he had been captivated.

Men, after all, were easily ensnared by beauty.

He had begged for a meal, and after eating his fill, lingered at her doorstep under the pretense of gratitude.

Learning she was an orphan, surviving by herding sheep in this desolate village, his protective instincts surged.

The next day, he insisted on helping her herd.

“Just dye them—every five sheep a different color. That way they’re easier to count.”

“Oh.”

Her reply was perfunctory.

Yu Jiayan thought she agreed and volunteered eagerly.

“I’ll do it. I used to study painting.”

Qu Ran saw no connection between painting and dyeing sheep, nor did she care.

“They won’t get lost. No one here steals sheep. They know the way home better than you do.”

Yu Jiayan: “…”

He failed to make an impression, but refused to give up, staring unblinkingly at the flock.

Suddenly, a sheep with a limp shoved another aside, then lay down where it had been grazing.

At once, he seized the chance to prove himself, pointing excitedly:
“Ranran, that sheep looks injured!”

He jumped up and ran over, startling the sheep into a stumbling run.

Its front leg was indeed lame.

Thrilled, he called out:
“Ranran, come quickly, your sheep is hurt!”

Qu Ran: “…”

She suddenly wanted to break his leg.

Too lazy to move, she waved a hand from where she lay.

“Bring it here yourself.”

“Alright!”

Yu Jiayan answered eagerly, grabbed the sheep by the neck, and tried to drag it over.

The sturdy animal, thinking it was about to be slaughtered, bleated furiously and fought back, its hind legs kicking wildly nearly striking his most vulnerable spot.

Terrified, he shielded himself and stumbled back several steps.

“Damn it! If you kick me, I’ll roast you whole!”

Still shaken, he glanced at Qu Ran under the tree’s shade. Meeting her gaze, his male pride forced a sheepish grin.

“Ranran, wait a moment. I’ll get the sheep over.”

Watching him sweat and struggle, failing miserably, she finally couldn’t bear it. She rose and walked over.

The sheep calmed at her presence.

Qu Ran crouched, lifted its front leg with ease, examined it, and murmured:
“Nothing serious. Just a bit of rot above the hoof. Spray some antibiotics.”

She spoke with the confidence of experience.

Yu Jiayan’s eyes lit with admiration.

“Ranran, you’re amazing!”

Qu Ran only shot him a look that said, Are you stupid?

Oblivious, he grinned.

“Where’s the antibiotic? Did you bring it?”

She carried a worn backpack when tending sheep, filled with water, food, books, and odds and ends.

“Is it in the bag?” he asked, already rummaging through it.

He found the spray, but also noticed other medicine tucked in the inner pocket. Just as he reached for it—

“Don’t touch my bag.”

“Oh.”

Not wanting to anger her, he obediently brought the antibiotic over.

Under her guidance, he sprayed the sheep’s leg.

Suspicious, he asked:

“That’s all?”

She nodded, then slowly returned to the shade.

A pale yellow blanket lay beneath the tree.

Qu Ran stretched out on it, eyes closed.

Her figure was slender and frail, long black hair spilling down, her face so pale it seemed translucent.

Yu Jiayan sat beside her, staring like a lovesick fool, thinking how easily she could fit into his arms.

Uncomfortable under his gaze, she said:
“Yu Jiayan, control your eyes.”

He blushed.

“You’re really beautiful.”

She turned her back to him, unwilling to be looked at.

The breeze stirred.

The mountains lay quiet.

In the distance, the grass rippled, revealing sheep grazing.

For a fleeting moment, Yu Jiayan truly enjoyed this pastoral life.

But more than that, he longed to take her home as his wife.

“Ranran, my family’s wealthy. I could buy land just for sheep. Why don’t you come home with me?”

Qu Ran showed no interest.

“Say that again and you can get lost.”

She had finally found this tranquil retreat and had no desire to return to the noisy city.

Yu Jiayan sighed deeply. Winning her over would be a long, arduous road.

Yu Yazhi received a video from security.

In it, Yu Jiayan was wrestling with a sheep, nearly kicked in the groin, face pale, cursing incoherently.

She rubbed her forehead. A few days away, and he’s still the same fool.

A guard messaged on WeChat:

Young Master Yu met a pretty girl in Dafu Village—he’s chasing her.

Yu Yazhi understood immediately. No wonder he’d been quiet, not tattling to their father, he was lovestruck.

But what kind of girl could captivate him?

With his family background and handsome looks, he’d seen countless beauties.

Curiosity stirred.

What’s her name? What does she look like?

She meant for them to send another video.

The guard did record one, but before he could send it, Yu Jiayan noticed.

He had long known Yu Yazhi kept people watching him. Sometimes he even accepted their help. Fine, at least she cared enough to ensure his safety. Otherwise, he’d have tattled to their father and made her suffer.

But tolerating surveillance didn’t mean he’d allow it freely.

“Hand over the phone!”

Face dark, he held out his hand.

The guard smiled nervously.

“Don’t misunderstand, Young Master. Miss Yu just asked us to send her a video for peace of mind.”

Yu Jiayan didn’t listen. When the guard refused, he grabbed his collar and swung a punch.

The guard dodged easily. As trained security, his strength far surpassed that of a pampered young master.

Yu Jiayan lunged and missed.

The uneven ground, scattered with stones, betrayed him. He stumbled, slipped, and rolled down the slope.

“Ahhh!”

His scream tore through the quiet hills.

“Young Master! Young Master”

The guard panicked, rushing after him.

Yu Jiayan tumbled far before stopping.

His handsome face was scraped, pain twisting his features. When the guard reached to help, he kicked him away.

“Get lost!”

Then, seizing the chance to play the victim, he wailed:
“It hurts! Ranran, Ranran, save me!”