After Becoming the Live-in Scummy Alpha, I Pamper Her with Real Strength - Chapter 24

For the past few days, Mo Qingran had been busy handling the company’s transition. According to her, since she had already transferred all her shares to He Song, there was no longer any need for her to be involved in the company’s operations.

Mo Zixing, of course, was more than happy to hear that—he couldn’t wait for Mo Qingran to step away entirely.

But Mo Qingran simply shook her head in private. The company was no longer the Mo Corporation she once knew. Several of its development directions had gone off track, and year by year, its investments had bled losses. By the time she inherited the mess, she had done her best to turn things around—but was met with constant roadblocks.

Several of her uncles had forcibly installed their own protégés in the company—young Mo family members who, on the surface, were there to assist and learn from her, but in reality, none of them had a functioning brain. They made mistake after mistake, while proving surprisingly skilled at monitoring others and playing the game of share control. All they managed to do was stir up more chaos.

If things kept going this way, all they’d inherit would be a hollowed-out shell of the once-great Mo Corporation.

In the rare moments she wasn’t working, Mo Qingran would often curl up on the couch and watch dramas.

The show of choice: Fenghua Chronicle.

He Song always joined her, but whenever she saw that all-too-familiar face on screen—her own—she couldn’t help but feel an odd, almost shameful embarrassment.

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s just acting,” Mo Qingran said casually, digging into a slice of mango mille-feuille with her fork, a trace of coconut cream sticking to the corner of her mouth.

He Song couldn’t quite put the feeling into words. Every time one of her shows aired, outside of doing the necessary promo, she’d never sit down to watch it. It was pure secondhand embarrassment—the kind that made your toes curl.

It was like finishing a class essay and then being called up to the front to read it out loud and act it out while the whole class watched.

And while you performed, the classmates below would whisper, “That part was so good,” “That’s way too over the top,” or “Why did the teacher even call her up?”

Mo Qingran thought for a moment and said, “So it’s like being called up to present a PowerPoint in a meeting? You’ll get used to it.”

He Song shook her head. “I’ll never get used to it. There used to be this ad on the street—a milk drink I endorsed. I always wanted to run up and rip the poster down.”

Mo Qingran blinked innocently. “A milk drink? Which brand? Was it good?”

He Song replied without thinking, “It was called New Fresh. Pretty good, actually. Premium milk, healthy formula, safe to drink—New Fresh takes you on a journey of taste…” The jingle rolled off her tongue before she caught herself and slammed on the brakes.

Right—there was no New Fresh in this world.

She coughed awkwardly, trying to cover her tracks. “But I heard quality milk is expensive to produce. The company couldn’t keep up and went under. Real pity.”

Luckily, Mo Qingran didn’t seem too fazed. She let He Song awkwardly laugh her way past the topic.

Scratching her nose, He Song abruptly shifted gears. “By the way, why did you suddenly tell me to support Mo Zixing?”

Mo Qingran replied calmly, “Nothing much. He’s just more capable than Mo Yun when it comes to keeping the company afloat. That’s all.”

If she had to pick someone to take the reins, she would naturally choose the one who was most competent.

“He’s got a bad temper—unlike Mo Yun, who’s all smooth edges and social tricks. She always put personal interest first, and she pissed off too many people. That’s why her support base is so weak.”

“Besides, he and I don’t have much of a relationship. As long as I don’t pose a threat to him, he won’t go out of his way to stab me in the back.”

Listening to Mo Qingran speak so clearly and methodically, He Song couldn’t help but feel a mix of awe and admiration. It was a world she had never stepped foot in, but Mo Qingran, sitting in the eye of the storm, navigated it with such poise—analyzing the landscape with confidence and precision.

What she didn’t know was that reading people, masking emotions, and viewing every situation from a third-party perspective was the very first lesson Mo Qingran had learned when she joined the company.

After all, she was no mindless puppet. The experience of being used by others was, for her, just another opportunity to turn the tables.

“You’re incredible,” He Song said. “Mo Yun’s face that day was pitch black—she was sitting next to me like she wanted to eat me alive. Not that I blame her. Years of hard work, all stolen away in a single moment. If it was me, I’d lose it too. But you managed to think of a counter so quickly.”

“It’s nothing. I just had a bad dream,” Mo Qingran murmured, remembering that strange night.

Was it… a prophetic dream?

He Song didn’t catch her soft muttering. She turned slightly to glance at the woman beside her. Mo Qingran’s pale yellow silk dress clung softly to her waist.

Her short black hair, tinged with a faint chestnut hue near the ends, slipped past her neck and over her shoulders, revealing a stretch of delicate, fair skin.

There was a white suppression patch on her nape. Through the semi-transparent material, He Song could just barely make out the outline of her gland.

And the steady, rhythmic motion beneath.

He Song’s face began to flush. A bead of heat formed on the tip of her nose. Her gaze burned hot as it inched closer, and closer… Her teeth itched.

“He Song! He Song! He Song!”

Mo Qingran’s urgent voice jolted her back to reality. She looked down, realizing just how close they’d gotten—her lips were less than five centimeters from Mo Qingran’s neck, and the soft strands of hair were brushing the tip of her sweaty nose.

He Song jerked back in alarm and saw the faint blush on Mo Qingran’s cheeks.

“What are you doing? I called you several times.”

“I… I…” He Song stammered.

Mo Qingran narrowed her eyes. “Were you thinking something indecent just now?”

“I wasn’t! I really wasn’t!” He Song’s face went bright red as she shrank to the far end of the sofa, waving her hands and denying it with the flustered air of someone very much guilty.

“I was teasing you. Why so nervous?”

He Song unconsciously twirled the ends of her hair around a finger and slouched back into the seat beside Mo Qingran, feeling thoroughly defeated. Her mind wandered back to that day—when everything spiraled out of control.

She didn’t come from this ABO-structured world. She didn’t truly understand what a temporary mark meant to someone like Mo Qingran. Though the two of them had silently agreed to pretend nothing happened, she couldn’t help but wonder—

Was it really okay to just leave it like this?

Maybe she could find someone to talk to.

Mo Qingran didn’t notice He Song’s mental spiral and casually asked while watching the drama, “You seem pretty close with that Yu Dongdong. She was all over you at the wrap party.”

“Oh, Yu Dongdong… she…”

Wait, what?! Yu Dongdong?

Sweat began to bead on He Song’s forehead. She glanced sideways at Mo Qingran, who looked perfectly calm, and weighed how best to explain.

Mo Qingran turned to her. “Tell the truth.”

He Song had no choice but to come clean.

Yu Dongdong had shown up at the wrap party too. Since there might not be another chance to work together, everyone let loose and vowed not to go home sober.

Having learned her lesson from her last drunken escapade, He Song was careful not to drink too much. Whenever someone came over with a toast, she only sipped politely. Director Yan even patted her on the shoulder, complaining she wasn’t being festive enough.

She thought to herself, If I lose control now, wanna bet on whether the cops or the ambulance show up first?

Yu Dongdong, on the other hand, drank way too much. She wasn’t a good drinker to begin with, and after a few glasses, her face turned red. She clung to He Song’s sleeve and refused to let go.

Gone was the reserved professionalism from the set. Sobbing and sniffling, she blurted out a teary confession.

Her assistant, Sister Mei, scrambled to explain—she hadn’t fully gotten out of character yet and had probably mistaken He Song for “Lu Li.” She even had to pry the drunk Yu Dongdong off of He Song by force.

“I’m so sorry, Miss He. Dongdong’s tolerance is terrible. She’s had too much.”

He Song nodded and gestured for her to take Yu Dongdong away. “She’s drunk… maybe keep an eye on her. There are a lot of people here.”

Her words were vague, but Sister Mei instantly understood and quickly escorted Yu Dongdong out with a string of apologies.

Unfortunately, that exact moment was when Mo Qingran showed up to pick He Song up—and caught the scene dead-on. While there wasn’t anything that inappropriate going on… still, He Song couldn’t help feeling guilty.

Luckily, Lili poked her in the shoulder just in time. “Family’s here to pick you up, let’s go, He. I’ll stay behind and hang out with the others. I’ll let Director Yan know too.”

He Song gave her arm a grateful pat. “Alright, I’m counting on you. Go easy on the drinks, and text me when you’re home safe.”

Lili nodded. She could drink like a tank and still walk straight, but watching her boss get “claimed” so openly made her giddy. With a girlfriend like Mo Qingran? He Song was clearly under strict wife management.

But that night, Mo Qingran didn’t say a word. He Song had assumed the matter had been buried.

Turns out… not quite.

“So that’s what happened,” He Song said. “She confessed to me, and I turned her down. I mean, I’m… technically a married woman now. I can’t go around flirting with someone else.”

“It’s just a contractual marriage,” Mo Qingran replied calmly. “Don’t let it weigh on you. But if you do fall for someone… please tell me first.”

He Song nodded quickly. She really wanted to say that even a fake marriage, once registered, was still a real one. And consensual infidelity within it was still cheating.

________________________________________

That afternoon, Mo Qingran had to head to the company. Although she no longer needed to show up every day after stepping down, when issues came up, she still had to handle them.

She really was a workhorse.

He Song, meanwhile, called Lili. After Fenghua Chronicle wrapped, He Song had arranged a paid vacation for her. Lili immediately bought a ticket to Yunnan and took off on a spontaneous trip.

“Hello? He Song? I’m helping out at a friend’s guesthouse café right now.”

He Song frowned. “Didn’t I give you paid time off? Why are you still working instead of relaxing?”

“It’s a new place and they’re running a launch promo. Business is booming—she’s swamped. I’m just helping out with some light serving. It’s beautiful here, by the way. You and Miss Mo should totally come for a visit. I’ll even give you a special discount.”

“We’ll see. Mo Qingran’s been busy lately. I’m staying home to keep her company.”

“Oho~ I can smell the romance from all the way over here.”

He Song flushed but moved on to the real reason for her call.

“So… say my friend went into heat, and her Omega friend offered to temporarily mark her. But afterward, they both acted like it never happened.”

Lili: He, I’m starting to seriously suspect you’re projecting.

“Well, why doesn’t your friend just ask her directly?”

“She’s pretending like nothing happened. Wouldn’t it be weird for my friend to suddenly bring it up again?”

“There’s nothing weird about it. If she offered a temporary mark, she probably has feelings for your friend.”

He Song blushed. “No, that’s not fair. I was really uncomfortable—maybe she just wanted to help me.”

Lili sighed. “If it was just to help, then forget about it and move on. You two can stay friends.”

“But… maybe it’s the pheromones. It feels like…”

Lili gasped. “You realized you’re super attracted to her pheromones?!”

He Song stammered, “Yeah. I mean—no—not me. My friend. My friend is drawn to her pheromones.”

Lili: He, you just exposed yourself. You really didn’t notice?

Lately, He Song had found herself blushing and dizzy every time she caught a whiff of Mo Qingran’s scent. She couldn’t help wanting to get closer, even possess her—but the bouts of sudden irritability and aggression that came with it were deeply unfamiliar.

It all pointed to a textbook case of pre-heat symptoms for an Alpha—an overwhelming instinct to mark nearby Omegas.

But her last heat cycle was over. It shouldn’t be happening again.

Lili thought it over but came up empty. She was a Beta, after all—Alpha biology wasn’t really her area. In the end, she could only suggest a trip to the hospital.

“Book an appointment at a third-gender clinic, get some suppressants. Who knows—maybe the kid’s been holding it in so long and about to short-circuit.”

He Song: ??? What kind of feral nonsense is that?!

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

He Song: She’s getting freaky. Report her.

Author: Be good. Go to the hospital.