After Becoming the Scummy Alpha in a Substitute Romance - Chapter 34

Jian Ya looked at Shen Shuyi, who seemed a bit flustered and embarrassed, and playfully caught up with her.

She gently placed the jacket back over Shen Shuyi’s shoulders, and the two of them, laughing and chatting along the way, finally arrived at the Shen family home.

At that moment, on the second-floor balcony of the house…

Shen Shuyi’s second uncle, Shen Songwei, stood watching them through the window with a deep frown. His expression was clearly displeased.

“What’s going on here?” he said. “Didn’t we hear they already got divorced? Why do they look even closer than they did before?”

His wife, who also had a sharp, sour look on her face, frowned as well.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “But I don’t think the information we got was wrong.”

Then she thought of something more important and turned to her husband.
“Songwei, if they’re still together, does that mean we’ll have trouble moving some of the family assets over to Xiaoru?”

“I’m not sure,” Shen Songwei said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. He was just about to light it when he suddenly remembered they were about to meet with the old master. The patriarch of the Shen family had always disliked his smoking.

This visit was about getting something from the old man. He had to play nice and earn his favor.

With a frustrated sigh, he put the cigarette away.

“Now that I think about it,” his wife said suddenly, as if a thought had struck her, “what if they’re just pretending?”

“Pretending?”

“Yes,” she said. “That girl, Shen Shuyi, has always been clever. She must know that if she really divorced that Jian girl, the family wouldn’t keep giving her resources. So maybe she gave that alpha from the Jian family a few benefits, and they’re just acting like nothing’s changed.”

Shen Songwei paused, then slowly nodded.
“That makes a lot of sense. She’s just a young woman, but she’s always full of schemes. Wants to take on all these resources but never thinks whether she can even handle them.”

The two of them continued gossiping, going back and forth, when they saw that Shen Shuyi and Jian Ya were nearly at the front door. They quickly pulled themselves together and headed downstairs to greet them.

Today was a rare family gathering.

With Jian Ya attending—and even the old master himself present—it was one of the few times the entire Shen family was together.

Everyone knew the real reason behind it. They wanted to strengthen ties with Jian Ya and win support from the Jian family. But no one dared say it outright.

As Shen Shuyi and Jian Ya stepped through the front gate, the first to greet them was Shen Songwei.

“Well, well, Shuyi, you’re finally back,” he said with an exaggerated smile. “You’re always buried in that lab of yours and never come home. Must be exhausting.”

Shen Shuyi’s face returned to its usual calm and distant expression. She nodded politely, her tone formal and detached.
“Second Uncle,” she said.

Shen Songwei kept up his cheerful act.
“Come on in, don’t just stand there. Go relax in your room.”

From the moment they entered the Shen house, Jian Ya had also adjusted her demeanor. She no longer acted playfully like she had outside.

Her posture was confident, with a quiet grace, and her expression carried a subtle pride. A soft, composed smile lingered at the corners of her lips.

With all the experience from her past life, Jian Ya knew very well that Shen Shuyi’s second uncle, Shen Songwei, wasn’t nearly as concerned about her as he pretended to be.

And Shen Shuyi’s cold and distant behavior had already made that clear.

When dealing with people who have hidden agendas, it’s best not to be too polite.

If you’re overly respectful, they’ll not only look down on you but also believe they can take even more advantage of you.

After greeting Shen Shuyi, Shen Songwei turned his attention to Jian Ya.

The moment he saw the natural confidence and quiet pride radiating from her, the arrogance he had shown earlier clearly faded.

Together, they made their way into the old family house.

Despite the Shen family’s wealth and status, they still kept some old traditions.

For example, during family gatherings like this, the patriarch, Old Master Shen, insisted that everyone cook for themselves instead of relying on the household chefs.

His philosophy was simple: no matter how successful you are, life is still built on everyday moments. That genuine feeling of home should never be lost.

Since Shen Shuyi and Jian Ya returned late and had things to handle, they weren’t expected to help out.

But just as Shen Shuyi stepped into the front courtyard, she heard her mother’s voice calling from the kitchen,
“Shuyi, you’re back? Come help in here.”

Jian Ya noticed that the moment Shen Shuyi heard that voice, her entire body tensed up.

A flicker of complicated emotion passed across her face.

It was the look of someone who didn’t know how to face her mother—conflicted, uncomfortable.

But she didn’t say a word. She simply turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Jian Ya followed behind her, frowning slightly. If she remembered the original story correctly, Shen Shuyi didn’t like being in the kitchen. Her hands were made for handling research samples and lab tools—not chopping vegetables.

And her mother knew that too. Yet every time she came home, she would insist on making Shen Shuyi help in the kitchen, as if it were mandatory.

The reason? Simple.

As an omega, if you don’t even know how to cook, what kind of alpha would want you?

Jian Ya had always disagreed with that kind of thinking. Not just in this world’s dynamic between alphas and omegas—but also in her past life, where it was gender roles instead.

There was no rule that said an omega had to take care of an alpha, had to be able to cook, or had to play both perfect hostess and homemaker.

Those expectations were nothing more than tools of control.

The only reason they pressured Shen Shuyi like this was out of fear—that she might one day resist them, and they would lose the powerful connection to the Jian family.

Jian Ya’s fingers curled slightly, but her face quickly returned to its usual calm smile as she stepped into the kitchen.

Inside, Shen Shuyi’s mother was scolding her in a cold tone,
“I heard the Jian family doesn’t think very highly of you these days. You really need to take a good look at yourself. How many times have I told you? You need to be more considerate toward Jian Ya. You always—”

“Mom, are you busy in here?” Jian Ya’s voice cut in casually, interrupting the lecture.

Shen Shuyi’s mother stopped mid-sentence.

The change in her expression was immediate. Compared to how she had just spoken to Shen Shuyi, her attitude toward Jian Ya was visibly softer. If someone didn’t know better, they might assume Jian Ya was her real daughter.

“Oh, Jian Ya, what are you doing in here? Go relax in the living room, everything’s almost done. We’ll serve the food soon,” she said quickly, her tone much warmer now.

“No need, really,” Jian Ya said with a friendly smile. “Shen Shuyi and I cook together all the time. I’m already used to it.”

That one sentence carried more weight than it seemed. A few people in the kitchen subtly perked up their ears.

Even Shen Shuyi raised her eyebrows slightly.

Their eyes met, and Jian Ya immediately understood the look in Shen Shuyi’s gaze: When did we ever cook together?

Jian Ya quickly took advantage of everyone being distracted, gave Shen Shuyi a small wink, and silently mouthed, “Just acting.”

Shen Shuyi: “…”

She really didn’t understand why Jian Ya was suddenly being so enthusiastic or why she was “acting” at all.

But still, she cooperated.

Truthfully, Shen Shuyi wasn’t good in the kitchen. She’d always assumed Jian Ya wasn’t either, but to her surprise, she was wrong.

Jian Ya was skilled and moved confidently, even making sure to look after her throughout the process.

What surprised Shen Shuyi even more was how easily Jian Ya kept up a conversation with her mother. She chatted naturally while helping out, without missing a beat. If Shen Shuyi hadn’t known better, even she might have believed they really got along that well all the time.

The warm atmosphere seemed to convince her mother too. The initial suspicion on her face slowly faded into something much more accepting.

Shen Shuyi knew exactly why she’d been called back today; this wasn’t just a casual dinner. It was more of a test.

The Shen family had heard about the divorce and wanted to confront her.

She had expected today to be tense, maybe even lead to a direct confrontation. But to her surprise, Jian Ya had somehow smoothed things over without a single serious question until now.

Just as Shen Shuyi began to feel a little relieved, her second aunt suddenly spoke up.

“Jian Ya, people outside are saying you and Shen Shuyi are divorced. What’s going on? Is it true?”

With that single question, the light atmosphere in the kitchen disappeared, and the air grew noticeably heavy.

Everyone turned to look at Jian Ya and Shen Shuyi, waiting for their answer.

Shen Shuyi immediately tensed.

She had known this moment was coming.

And because Jian Ya had just been “putting on a show,” the family had probably decided it was time to cut the act and get straight to the point.

If they were asking this directly, then they must already have some evidence.

Denying it now would only make them seem like they had something to hide.

Shen Shuyi took a deep breath. She had already prepared for this kind of situation on the way here and was ready to tell the truth.

But before she could say anything, Jian Ya spoke first.

“Yes,” Jian Ya said, calm and direct. “Yes, we went through with the divorce..”

The expressions in the room shifted instantly.

Her second aunt looked thoughtful, though the hint of smugness in her eyes was obvious.

Shen Shuyi’s mother frowned immediately, her face clearly showing her frustration and concern.

“You two seemed perfectly fine. Why would you get divorced?” her aunt pressed, unwilling to let the topic go.

Jian Ya hesitated slightly, her voice turning soft as she mumbled under her breath,
“Um… personal reasons… like intimacy?”

…???

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