After Becoming the Scummy Alpha in a Substitute Romance - Chapter 113

That night, Shen Shuyi waited for a long time, but Jian Ya never replied.

She had an important experiment to lead the next morning, and she couldn’t afford to stay up too late. In the end, she sighed, forced herself to stop overthinking, and fell into a shallow sleep.

The next morning, Shen Shuyi woke up.

She sat on the bed in silence for a while, her gaze settling on the empty pillow beside her.

Only after a long pause did she get up and start her morning routine.

Before heading to the lab, she opened her laptop once more and checked their chat. She hadn’t expected anything, but to her surprise, Jian Ya had replied.

She read the message carefully.

The tone looked the same as usual, but for some reason, maybe instinct, a faint unease began to rise again in Shen Shuyi’s chest.

She controlled herself, trying not to think too much, and typed a brief response.

[Shen Shuyi: Okay.]

Then she left for the lab and began working on the project with full focus.

Over the days that followed, her growing sense of unease began to prove itself right.

Jian Ya talked to her less and less. Compared to how she had behaved when she first went abroad, clingy and full of affection, she now seemed distant and cold.

During their few remaining video calls, Jian Ya’s eyes often wandered, and her responses were casual, sometimes even perfunctory.

Every now and then, there was a trace of impatience or dismissiveness in her tone.

If this had happened once or twice, Shen Shuyi could have convinced herself she was imagining things.

But as it kept happening, and their interactions became more shallow, the growing distance between them became impossible to ignore.

Shen Shuyi eventually asked Harry about it. His explanation was that during the treatment process, it was normal for patients with dissociative identity disorder to experience some cognitive confusion and occasional emotional instability.

Shen Shuyi understood the reasoning. She also knew it might not be Jian Ya’s intention.

But even with that understanding, the way Jian Ya now responded to her, cold and indifferent, still hurt.

She didn’t want her emotions to become another burden for Jian Ya. She didn’t want her to see her worry or unease.

So, during their latest video call, when Jian Ya once again showed clear disinterest, Shen Shuyi ended the conversation early.

Then she sent a message.

[Shen Shuyi: The lab work is at a crucial stage. I might not be able to chat regularly. Sorry.]

Jian Ya stared at the message on the screen, dazed.

A dull ache throbbed in her chest, but her fingers typed quickly.

[Jian Ya: Alright, focus on your work.]

Just one simple line, with no follow-up.

It felt as if she couldn’t wait to end the conversation, as though she didn’t care to continue it at all.

Shen Shuyi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She closed her eyes and sat in silence for a long while.

When she opened them again, her expression was calm and unreadable. Her eyes were like still water, deep and quiet, impossible to read.

She pushed away her emotions with sheer will and threw herself completely into her research.

Scientific work demanded time.

Days passed quickly, and before she knew it, weeks had gone by.

Working in the lab with her data helped her forget everything emotional. She could clear her mind and focus entirely, without distractions, without fear, without hesitation.

This was the only way she could find peace.

Even though she was hurting, she endured it in her own way.

She still believed in Jian Ya.

And just as Shen Shuyi expected, once she shifted her focus to the lab, time seemed to fly.

Before long, half a month had passed.

Meanwhile…

Since arriving at the estate, Fu Qingrong had not left.

She had always been hot-tempered, but during these days, she had somehow found patience. She stayed by Jian Ya’s side, quietly spending time with her.

Of course, whenever she got bored, she still went out for walks.

That day, Fu Qingrong was feeling restless again and was planning to go out.

Before leaving, she stopped by to ask Jévanie about Jian Ya’s condition.

Jévanie answered truthfully. “Madam Fu, based on what I’ve observed, Miss Jian Ya seems much more stable than before. But there is something important I must tell you.”

“Go ahead,” Fu Qingrong said with concern.

“Jian Ya’s case is different from others I’ve worked with. The conflict between her two personalities is intense. But it’s also clear that the more aggressive one, although emotionally unstable, has her own conscious thoughts.”

Jévanie continued calmly. “Lately, Miss Jian Ya has appeared more stable. However, I still cannot say for sure whether she is truly improving, or if the other personality has simply learned to hide better.”

After hearing this, Fu Qingrong’s expression grew heavier.

She was not a professional, and her understanding of such things was limited. She knew she had to trust the experts.

“I understand. I’ll leave it to you, then. But please stay cautious, even if she seems stable. Don’t let anyone get hurt,” she said seriously.

“Don’t worry. I’ve reminded everyone to be careful. We’re all prepared,” Jévanie said. Then she added gently, “You don’t need to worry too much. Overall, Miss Jian Ya’s condition is indeed improving, and her emotional state is more stable now.”

That reassurance brought a bit of relief to Fu Qingrong, and her expression softened. “That’s good to hear. Thank you for your hard work.”

After a few more words, Fu Qingrong finally felt at ease enough to leave for a walk.

Inside the study, Jian Ya sat alone.

In the past few weeks, she had carefully reduced her contact with Shen Shuyi.

But the strength of her longing had not faded.

In fact, it had grown even more intense.

She often found herself staring into space, lost in thought.

Time and again, memories of her time with Shen Shuyi would come rushing back. And every time, they ended with a dull, aching sadness.

She tried to distract herself.

The only way was to stay in the study, letting the gentle fragrance of incense calm her nerves.

That day, she casually pulled a book from the shelf.

Then she glanced at the clock.

Jian Ya let out a long, slow breath.

At this point, the original personality’s active time had already increased to four full hours.

During this time, the original personality had appeared several times, each time remaining completely calm.

She didn’t do anything extreme or attention-seeking.

She was quiet and well-behaved.

So quiet, in fact, that Jian Ya began to suspect she was planning something.

If she was truly turning over a new leaf, that would be one thing. But Jian Ya feared this silence was merely the calm before the storm.

That day, Jian Ya was reading a book.

Gradually, her gaze grew a little distant.

Her focus drifted from the pages and wandered around the room.

When she realized she was in the study, a faint sneer escaped her lips, but she quickly reined it in and kept a calm, harmless expression.

She glanced at the book in her hands: Master Jingkong’s Teachings on the Taishang Ganying Chapter.

The corners of her mouth twitched.

Was this an attempt to exorcise her?

She tossed the book onto the desk without care, just as her phone lit up beside her.

[Jian Du: How are you feeling today? On my way home from work, I saw a sugar sculpture vendor from Huaxia near the company. Want one?]

A simple message, yet Jian Ya stared at it for a long time.

Suddenly, a rush of anger surged from deep within her.

She quickly forced it down before it could show on her face.

There was a brief flicker in her expression, but it vanished almost instantly. Unless someone was watching her closely, they would never notice she had reacted at all.

Jian Ya picked up her phone with a bright, harmless smile, her eyes curved sweetly.

[Jian Ya: Yes, give me the biggest one!]

[Jian Du: …Be careful not to hurt your teeth.]

[Jian Ya: Once in a while is fine.]

[Jian Du: Alright, I’ll have someone bring it to you later.]

[Jian Ya: Sister.]

[Jian Du: Hmm?]

[Jian Ya: Can you bring it yourself? I’m a little bored here alone… and I miss you.]

In her office, Jian Du had been dealing with company matters.

Reading that last message, her hands suddenly paused.

She unlocked the monitoring system and checked the live footage of the house.

Soon, she located Jian Ya in the study. She enlarged the feed.

Jian Ya was resting her head on her arms, leaning sideways on the desk, lips slightly curved, staring at her phone as if waiting for a reply.

After a while with no response, her eyes dimmed.

In that moment, she looked completely surrounded by loneliness.

Jian Du’s expression grew complicated, and a trace of guilt stirred in her heart.

She knew all too well what Jian Ya had been enduring at home.

There were servants in the house, and everyone appeared attentive to her needs.

But in truth, they were there to monitor her.

Apart from their mother, she had no one to talk to.

She really was lonely.

Jian Du sighed quietly, told her assistant to postpone the evening meeting, then stood up and left her office.

At the same time, she replied to Jian Ya.

[Jian Du: Alright, I’ll be home soon.]

On the other end, Jian Ya saw the message and immediately smiled with joy.

Jian Du stopped downstairs and asked someone to prepare the biggest sugar figure, then brought it home herself.

When she reached the first floor, she asked Jévanie about Jian Ya’s condition.

Jévanie said everything had remained stable throughout the day.

Jian Du nodded. “Good. I’ll go check on her.”

With the sugar figure in hand, she headed to the study.

As she reached the door, she glanced at the two bodyguards following behind her.

Her eyes darkened slightly.

No wonder Jian Ya felt so alone. When someone is treated like a dangerous person, constantly guarded and watched, how could they ever feel happy?

Jian Du sighed again, her eyes softening with pity.

“You stay outside,” she told them.

The two bodyguards exchanged a look, then nodded.

They stood on either side of the door, alert and ready for any sign of trouble from inside.

Jian Du stepped into the study and saw Jian Ya still lying on the desk.

She handed her the sugar figure.

Jian Ya took it and smiled sweetly. “Sis, why are you so good to me?”

Jian Du raised an eyebrow and didn’t respond.

Jian Ya continued smiling, but a flicker of hostility flashed in her eyes. “Sis, can I have a hug?”

Jian Du said nothing at first.

“You’re acting like a child,” she muttered, exasperated but not moving away from the closeness.

“Sis… why are you so nice to her? Aren’t I your sister?”

As Jian Ya leaned in, that soft question reached Jian Du’s ears.

Her pupils suddenly contracted.

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