After Being Mistaken for a Heartless Alpha by My Childhood Sweetheart - Chapter 5

Every day since their reunion, Yue Ximing had been trying to bridge the gap in Qiao Yang’s train of thought.

Piecing together the context of what had just happened, Qiao Yang’s sudden embrace was solely because she wanted to eat ice cream, and for no other reason at all.

Feeling a bit helpless, Yue Ximing gently pushed her away. “I never agreed to that kind of trade, so it doesn’t count.”

Even though Qiao Yang had her head bandages removed today, Yue Ximing was still worried that her recovery might take a turn for the worse.

Qiao Yang lowered her gaze, her entire aura deflating instantly. She felt completely powerless. Yue Ximing was paranoid and highly controlling, so defying her would be an incredibly foolish move that would only lead to being abandoned.

Trailed by a despondent Qiao Yang who refused to say a single word, Yue Ximing frequently looked back at her. The girl looked as fragile and pale as a withered scrap of paper.

Yue Ximing brought her to a commercial street where they used to hang out all the time. In her memory, Qiao Yang rarely showed sadness or disappointment in front of her. She used to walk a step or two ahead, chattering away happily about the latest interesting things that had happened to her.

They used to grab late-night snacks together at the food street, browse through every single stationery shop, watch both masterpieces and absolute trash movies at the cinema, and wander aimlessly just like they were doing today. The memories were so vast and tangled that Yue Ximing didn’t even know where to begin.

Suddenly, she paused her steps, breaking the silence between them. “Look over there. Didn’t you say you wanted ice cream?”

The dessert shop ahead of them had been open for many years, and their ice cream was legendary.

Qiao Yang was startled at first, then turned her head to look at her seriously, as if trying to confirm whether she was telling the truth.

Yue Ximing smiled. “What? Do you think I’m going to physically restrain you in the middle of the street?”

Qiao Yang let out a cold huff. That really is hard to say.

However, her body was much more honest than her mouth. She marched straight into the shop, terrified that walking too slow would give Yue Ximing a chance to regret her decision.

The sweet osmanthus soft-serve cone was the shop’s autumn special. Smooth milk ice cream was drizzled with sweet osmanthus syrup and topped with chewy taro balls. Taking a bite felt like strolling down an avenue lined with blooming osmanthus trees in full autumn. Furthermore, the shop happened to be running a couples’ promotion today—buy one, get the second at half price.

Qiao Yang went in with high spirits and returned completely satisfied, carrying a cone in each hand. She took a massive bite, the sweet, fragrant flavor bursting across her tongue, making her eyes squint with sheer happiness.

Yue Ximing watched her patiently for two minutes, only to realize that Qiao Yang had absolutely no intention of sharing. Holding one in each hand, she clearly intended to finish the entire couples’ combo all by herself.

The corners of Yue Ximing’s mouth curved upward as she spoke in a thoroughly gentle voice, “Isn’t two a bit too much? Your injury isn’t fully healed yet.”

Qiao Yang instantly felt a chill run down her spine. She instinctively pulled the cones further away from Yue Ximing, arguing defensively, “The second one was half price. It would be a total waste not to buy two.”

Yue Ximing merely smiled without a word.

A moment later, while they were riding down an escalator, Yue Ximing suddenly leaned over under Qiao Yang’s watchful gaze and bit off the top of the second ice cream cone.

It really was delicious, tasting exactly as she remembered. The sweetness of the milk and sweet osmanthus could easily wash away a whole day of exhaustion and sorrow. No wonder Qiao Yang loved sweet things so much.

Qiao Yang stared at her, completely dumbfounded. “You—”

Yue Ximing nodded sincerely to thank her. “Thanks for holding it for me, Qiao Qiao. My hands happened to be cold.”

“You—”

Qiao Yang’s eyes widened in shock. She looked exactly like a cat discovering that its owner was secretly eating its kibble, too stunned to even make a sound. She nearly tripped while stepping off the escalator, and it was only thanks to Yue Ximing grabbing her in time that she didn’t fall.

Yue Ximing had assumed that the second cone now belonged to her. Yet, Qiao Yang hesitated for a full thirty seconds, a faint blush creeping over her earlobes.

Once she finished her own portion, she casually gripped the remaining cone tightly, appearing as though she intended to keep eating it. After all, sharing a single cone was perfectly normal behavior between wives, so letting Yue Ximing have a bite wasn’t a total loss.

Instead, it was Yue Ximing who suddenly caught Qiao Yang’s wrist, easily sliding the cone out of her hand while she was caught off guard.

The exact moment Qiao Yang had looked down earlier, Yue Ximing had actually been incredibly tense. Before her brain could even process what to do, her hand had already reacted on its own. She quietly ate the ice cream, stealing a glance at Qiao Yang’s profile before quickly looking away.

Qiao Yang frowned, muttering under her breath, “If you wanted to eat it, you should have just said so. What’s the point of only taking one bite?”

Yue Ximing let out a light cough, changing the subject bluntly. “We’re having lunch at Qujiang Restaurant today. Sister Xuyu will be joining us.”

Qiao Yang spoke up again, her face entirely blank. “Some people just insist on eating ice cream even when they have a cough.”

“…”

Yue Ximing could only shut her mouth and silently lead Qiao Yang to the restaurant.

Qujiang Restaurant was another place they used to visit frequently. It served Chinese cuisine, featuring an elegant, antique decor and excellent privacy. Most importantly, the flavors were something Qiao Yang herself had explicitly praised, calling it delicious and a personal favorite.

A server led them to a private room where Xuyu was already seated.

Yue Ximing nodded to her. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

She had only been waiting for a few minutes, so Xuyu naturally didn’t mind at all. She joked, “Since I heard I was having lunch with Qiao Qiao, I had to make sure I got here early no matter what.”

Xuyu was two years older than Yue Ximing and Qiao Yang. She was their high school senior and had gotten to know them well because she served on the student council alongside Yue Ximing. Their families also did business together, making them very close friends. Before inviting her out, Yue Ximing had briefly explained Qiao Yang’s condition.

Qiao Yang sat down properly, greeting her somewhat stiffly at first, “Sister Xuyu, it’s been a long time.”

Xuyu smiled back. “Long time no see.” She leaned back against her chair, looking her up and down. “I feel like you’ve gotten even more beautiful.”

Having shed her teenage innocence, the girl in front of her was strikingly gorgeous—the kind of person who would instantly captivate anyone with just a casual glance in a crowd. In fact, ever since high school, Qiao Yang had been a highly popular Omega on campus. With her sweet personality, incredible looks, and prominent family background, she was the ultimate ideal type. Every year on her birthday, the gifts and love letters she received would completely pack her locker.

Recalling the past, Xuyu stole a meaningful glance at Yue Ximing. Yet, someone had somehow used unknown methods to make Qiao Yang completely ignore all those confessions, leaving her to throw herself entirely into her studies.

Feeling a bit shy from the compliment, Qiao Yang poured a drink for Xuyu. Yue Ximing took Qiao Yang’s glass and poured one for her as well.

Xuyu continued, “I remember you said back then that you wanted to draw comics. Have you finally succeeded?”

Qiao Yang replied modestly, “I wouldn’t call it a complete success yet.”

Even though she said that, a soft smile played on her lips, showing she was clearly very satisfied with her current profession.

Xuyu sighed with nostalgia. “Ah, Yue is the same; she’s about to open her own design studio.” Watching the juniors she used to tutor and share notes with become so successful gave her a wonderful sense of achievement.

Yue Ximing stayed quiet, listening as the two of them chatted more and more naturally. They talked about everything from their school days to their current lives before critiquing today’s dishes and recommending their personal favorites to one another.

The conversation between Qiao Yang and Xuyu was completely normal. For a split second, Yue Ximing even thought she had recovered her memories.

That was until Xuyu smiled and unlocked her tablet. “Speaking of which, I still have a photo of the two of you in my album.” She scrolled through her cloud storage, clicking open a picture from a long time ago.

The people in the photo looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, their features still youthful, wearing outdated school uniforms as they sat side by side on the bleachers next to the running track. Qiao Yang was gesturing wildly with her sketchbook while Yue Ximing rested her head on her hand, watching her intently. Heaven knew what happy topic they were discussing, but the warmth in Yue Ximing’s eyes was brighter than the sunlight behind them, practically overflowing with affection.

Yue Ximing turned her head in confusion. Why don’t I remember taking this photo?

Xuyu handed the tablet to Qiao Yang, her expression softening. “If I told you that you’ve actually lost your memories, would you believe me?”

Qiao Yang looked down, her smile vanishing in an instant. “Sister Xuyu, stop joking around. Yue Ximing and I…”

Her expression was deeply bitter, as if to say, Do I look like a fool who would believe that? This photo was clearly fake. How could Yue Ximing ever look at her with such intense, focused affection?

Seeing this reaction, Xuyu let out a soft hiss and gave Yue Ximing a helpless look that said she had done all she could.

Yue Ximing kept her composure, not feeling too disappointed. Given the current circumstances, it was already a win that Qiao Yang hadn’t added another crime to her name. She told herself not to rush; things were perfectly fine as they were.

Xuyu could only tuck the photo away, asking casually, “Where are you two going to hang out this afternoon?”

“Anywhere is fine,” Qiao Yang said blankly, mechanically chewing on a piece of shrimp. “Aside from staying by Yue Ximing’s side, where else could I possibly go?”

Her murmur was quiet, but unfortunately, the two Alphas at the table possessed excellent hearing.

“…”

The muscles on Xuyu’s face twitched slightly as she tried her absolute hardest to hold back her reaction.

Yue Ximing shot her a look, a silent warning: Don’t you dare laugh.

Ultimately unable to contain herself, Xuyu waved her hands and hurried out of the private room.

Yue Ximing set down her chopsticks and said to Qiao Yang, “Keep eating, I’ll go settle the bill.” She followed her out.

Once they were far enough down the hallway, she found Xuyu crouching around a corner, her body shaking violently as she let out strange, muffled wheezes of laughter. Anyone who didn’t know the situation would have been terrified.

“Hahaha, oh my god,” Xuyu covered her face, unable to stop laughing.

Yue Ximing watched coldly until Xuyu finally wiped away her nonexistent tears and stood up. “Ouch, my stomach hurts from laughing so hard. What on earth happened to make Qiao Yang imagine your relationship in such a twisted way?”

She had assumed that Yue Ximing’s explanation of “Qiao Yang thinking I’m a heartless Alpha” was just a figure of speech. She never expected the actual reality to be this dramatic!

Yue Ximing spoke softly, “You’re right. There has to be a reason why she thinks this way. But I’m not sure if this is a story she completely made up, or if…” She hesitated for a few seconds before continuing slowly, “…or if this is how she truly perceives things.”

In Qiao Yang’s memory, only her perception regarding Yue Ximing had changed. Could this be a projection of her subconscious? In Qiao Yang’s eyes, was she truly such a controlling, heartless, and cold person? She forced herself not to overthink it, because whenever she dug deeper into the reasons, she couldn’t help but feel incredibly restless.

Xuyu, on the other hand, was much more optimistic, offering some comfort. “Should I call you thorough, or are you just overcomplicating things? After knowing each other for so many years, you should be the person who understands Qiao Yang best. Don’t doubt yourself.”

Yue Ximing didn’t reply. After all, four years had passed. Could she really claim to understand the current Qiao Yang?

After saying goodbye to Xuyu after lunch, Qiao Yang wanted to head back to check on her cat. Yue Ximing naturally didn’t object, treating it as an afternoon rest.

When they arrived at Qiao Yang’s apartment today, Baigao wasn’t as terrified of her anymore. While Qiao Yang was busy cleaning the litter box, the beautiful white cat perched on the coffee table, observing Yue Ximing. She tilted her fluffy head, her odd-colored eyes looking as clear as fine crystals.

As Yue Ximing leaned down to reply to some messages, the cat grew bold enough to step forward, attempting to bat at her hair with a paw. The moment Yue Ximing raised her eyes, the cat instantly scrambled back several steps, accidentally knocking over a box of tissues in her haste.

Knowing full well that her relationship with this “daughter” wasn’t great, Yue Ximing ignored Baigao and began to scan the room idly. She had been too exhausted to notice the night before, but today she realized there were several brightly colored comic books stacked on the coffee table, likely left behind before Qiao Yang had time to clean up.

Yue Ximing leaned in closer. Reading the titles from top to bottom, the stack consisted of:

The CEO’s Little Runaway Wife

The Cold Omega Runs Away with the Baby

Office Obsession

Forcibly Possessing That Weak Alpha

“…”

Yue Ximing: ?

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