After Becoming the Scummy Alpha in a Substitute Romance - Chapter 31

There were all kinds of responses to the question Shen Shuyi had searched.

One long reply in particular caught her attention:

“Absolutely, a person can change completely—and the impact can be huge. I used to have a friend who had the kindest personality. She was always smiling, and it felt like nothing could bring her down. But just before she was about to marry her omega, a terrible accident happened. Her omega passed away.

After that, my friend became someone else entirely. She started drinking heavily, getting into fights, quit her job, and never smiled again. Her temper became terrible. No one was allowed to even mention her omega’s name—just hearing it would set her off.

She used to be like a ray of sunshine. Who would’ve thought she’d end up like that? Slowly, people stopped coming around. Everyone was afraid of getting hurt by her mood swings. I left too. But honestly, she was just someone who loved too deeply. That’s why the pain hit her so hard.”

Shen Shuyi read the entire reply word by word, her eyes fixed on the screen for a long time after.

Eventually, she let out a long breath, like she was trying to push out the heaviness building in her chest.

Was Jian Ya the same?

Had she once loved someone so deeply that losing them tore her apart?

Shen Shuyi’s mind filled with image after image—scenes of the old Jian Ya, and the Jian Ya she had come to know recently.

Maybe this version of Jian Ya, the confident and driven one, was who she had truly been all along.

All the obsession and longing she had once shown—maybe it wasn’t really about her. Maybe it was just a way to hold onto the memory of someone she had loved and lost.

That thought stirred a dull ache in Shen Shuyi’s heart.

She wasn’t sure why she felt this way. Maybe it was just sympathy for what Jian Ya had gone through.

She even began to wonder—what if Jian Ya’s lover had never left her? What if they had stayed by her side?

Would Jian Ya have turned out completely different?

Maybe, if that person was still alive, they would be living happily together right now.

Jian Ya would have taken care of Su Qing with everything she had, and Su Qing would have loved her back just as much.

There would have been no heartbreak, no obsession, no extremes. Maybe they would’ve brought out the best in each other.

Shen Shuyi thought about it for a long time. Eventually, she rubbed her temples, feeling a little overwhelmed. Her chest felt tight, weighed down by something she couldn’t quite name.

She got up and walked to the bathroom. Only when the warm water surrounded her body did she begin to feel calm again.

The next day, when Shen Shuyi arrived at the lab, she noticed that Jian Ya, just like always, had arrived early.

From the looks of it, she had already been working for quite some time.

“When did you get here?” Shen Shuyi walked over with a cup of water and placed it on Jian Ya’s desk.

“Huh? Not long ago,” Jian Ya said with a smile when she saw her. “I figured we’ve already been delayed for a while on this part of the project, and I’m more efficient at handling this stage, so I came early. If my calculations are correct, in about two more weeks, the database integration will be complete. The module development should also be wrapping up.”

That was definitely good news. Finishing all the work would mean this experimental project, which had taken nearly two years, was finally approaching its end.

Throughout the process, they had encountered all sorts of problems. Even now, Shen Shuyi couldn’t completely relax until the project was officially declared complete. There was always the chance something could go wrong.

Still, despite her excitement, she hadn’t forgotten why she had come over in the first place.

“Even though the project is important, you need to take care of yourself too,” she said. “You kept reminding me to get enough rest, but honestly, I think you’re the one who hasn’t taken a proper break.”

“We’re different,” Jian Ya replied casually. “I’m an alpha—my body can handle more.”

She had already grown quite comfortable in her current identity.

Shen Shuyi didn’t respond to that.

Without saying much more, she returned to her seat and got back to work.

Jian Ya kept typing away, her fingers tapping out lines of code. After completing a full component, her eyes drifted to the cup of water Shen Shuyi had left on her desk. She raised her eyebrows slightly.

She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but something about Shen Shuyi’s attitude today felt a little different.

She held the cup in her hands, taking a few sips. As she leaned back in her chair, she finally felt the slight pressure in her head and realized she had probably been sitting for too long.

Stretching, she stood up and took the cup with her toward the break room.

When she entered, she saw Shen Shuyi standing by the window. Jian Ya had originally planned to say good morning, but as soon as she noticed Shen Shuyi was on a call, she quietly stopped in her tracks.

She went to refill her water without making a sound, ready to leave again.

But just then, she overheard Shen Shuyi’s voice, slightly tense with frustration.

“What happens between me and Jian Ya is my business. I’ve been really busy with work lately and don’t have time to go back. I’ve already done what you asked—didn’t you promise that once I got married, I’d have my freedom? And now…”

Jian Ya’s steps froze. She furrowed her brows slightly.

This… was about her?

And from the sound of it, Shen Shuyi was speaking with her family.

Jian Ya lowered her eyes thoughtfully. If she remembered correctly, the book had described Shen Shuyi’s background in some detail.

The Shen family had never treated her well.

As one of the most sought-after omegas in the circle, the Shen family knew exactly how to turn that into a profitable advantage.

To them, Shen Shuyi was nothing more than a bargaining chip—a tool to exchange for greater benefits.

Even her own mother didn’t seem to understand the line between love and control. She believed that if Shen Shuyi obeyed the family and sacrificed herself, she would eventually earn their favor and be rewarded.

Because of that, she constantly pressured Shen Shuyi, using guilt and emotional manipulation to bind her.

Jian Ya’s fingers tightened slightly around her cup.

She couldn’t hear what the person on the other end of the call was saying, but she could see Shen Shuyi’s hand gripping the phone so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

“I’m doing just fine with her. And Mom, where did you even hear that we got divorced? I told you, we’ve just been really busy and haven’t had time to come home.”

Hearing this, Jian Ya pressed her lips together slightly.

After a brief pause, she put on a gentle smile, walked over to Shen Shuyi’s side, and asked softly,
“Shuyi, is that your mom on the phone?”

Shen Shuyi’s movements froze for a moment. She looked up at Jian Ya, eyes filled with confusion, clearly caught off guard and not sure how to respond right away.

Jian Ya gave her a small, playful wink and silently mouthed, “I’ll take it from here.”

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