After Being Used As A Substitute By A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 1

The rain had been falling for nearly two hours, filling the air with a damp chill. The laboratory had been active all day.

“Senior, why don’t you go take a break?”

Bai Ling felt quite embarrassed. This was originally their task, but they simply couldn’t produce the results, and their supervisor was unreachable. They had no choice but to turn to Qin Wei for help. Omegas were fragile and generally not suited for high-intensity work; if her health collapsed because of them, their guilt would be immense.

Only after hearing the commotion did Qin Wei shift her gaze from the screen. She offered them a small smile. Her features were elegant and well-defined, yet her brow carried a hint of aloofness. When she smiled, she possessed a fleeting beauty that left people dazed, but it vanished quickly, making it hard to capture. Compared to a soft, sweet Omega, she seemed more like a calm, steady Beta.

But she was, in name and fact, an Omega.

“It’s fine. I just need a bit more data to finish up.”

The girls beside her exchanged looks. “We just went to the convenience store and bought an extra portion. Why don’t you eat a little first, Senior? We’ll treat you to a big dinner tonight.”

Qin Wei thanked them but immediately returned to the work that had been interrupted.

Once she started processing data, she became completely oblivious to everything else. She could truly be called a “lab maniac” a nickname known throughout the major. Someone had even joked about it to Qin Wei’s face, and she had candidly accepted it.

As the pace of work quickened, the rain outside intensified with no sign of stopping. Whispers drifted from behind her, tinged with excitement.

“The trending topics are exploding! Zhongli Tang has finished filming. She’s been back in the capital for several days now.”

“Ugh, she’s so beautiful I could cry. If only I could get an autograph…no, even just seeing her once would be enough.”

“Are you dreaming?”

Amidst the tedious pile of data, Qin Wei caught the name ‘Zhongli Tang.’ As if waking from a dream, her feathery eyelashes cast a shadow over her eyes. Her gaze dimmed as she spoke slowly, “Zhongli Tang is back in the capital?”

…She didn’t tell me.

The junior student who had been speaking nodded blankly. To be honest, she hadn’t expected the usually solitary Senior to follow celebrities. Forget celebrities, usually, Qin Wei wouldn’t even say an extra word to an Alpha on the street.

“Yeah! She was caught by the media today having lunch with a co-star. Do you like Zhongli Tang too, Senior? I have so many photos of her; every single one is a masterpiece. How can there be an Alpha this ‘A’ [cool/dominant]?”

“Okay.”

Qin Wei agreed, but she didn’t show the typical craze of a fan. She didn’t even pick up her phone to look.

However, even this small reaction was a massive discovery. Rumors about Qin Wei hadn’t stopped since she entered the university. All sorts of stories circulated, the most ridiculous being a guess that she already had an Alpha.

With the data on the screen nearly complete, everyone held their breath. Suddenly, Qin Wei caught a whiff of a strange scent, and her face turned pale.

“Did you encounter something on your way back?”

The junior student blinked, quickly shaking her head. “Nothing… Oh, wait, we met a Senior from the Fine Arts Academy. He was kind enough to lend us his umbrella.”

That Senior must have been an Alpha, and his pheromones smelled like rust.

Qin Wei tried her best to endure the numbing discomfort. She was used to enduring and didn’t let it show, pouring all her focus back into the data.

“It’s nothing. I’m just a bit sensitive to pheromones. Let’s continue.”

“Okay.”

There were several Omegas in the lab, including the junior who borrowed the umbrella, but she had no reaction at all, she hadn’t even noticed that trace of pheromones.

The data was correct, and the derivation was successful. Qin Wei’s participation had undoubtedly been a huge help. Bai Ling was so grateful her eyes shimmered with tears.

“Senior, why don’t you wait half an hour for us? We’ll pack up and go to dinner together?”

“No thanks. I don’t like crowded places. You guys go ahead.”

Qin Wei stood up. She had a very lean figure, and her white lab coat gave her an air of “abstinent” professionalism. She swiped her student ID on the scanner, and the door opened immediately.

[Beep… Capital University, 35th Class, Medical Research Department, 2nd Year Grad. Qin Wei.]

She left decisively, as if there was nothing worth lingering for.

Bai Ling stared at Qin Wei’s retreating back, lost in thought. Could someone as cold as Senior really have an Alpha?

Perhaps due to the rain, the sky didn’t look very dark. Not wanting to use someone else’s umbrella, Qin Wei had no choice but to run out into the rain to hail a taxi. After waiting for several minutes, no one accepted her order.

Just then, a low-profile black car cut through the curtain of rain and stopped in front of her. The window rolled down to reveal a respectful face.

“Miss Qin, please get in.”

It was Mei Xiaowen, Zhongli Tang’s Beta assistant.

Qin Wei recognized her. In the three years she had been with Zhongli Tang, she had seen her a few times, though they had never spoken. After a two second hesitation, she got into the car.

The air conditioning was set to a comfortable temperature, and the interior was filled with high-end aromatherapy, sometimes elegant, sometimes intense.

Qin Wei pursed her lips. She didn’t like this scent.

While waiting for a red light, Mei Xiaowen glanced secretly in the rearview mirror at the overly quiet Qin Wei. As an ordinary person, she acknowledged Qin Wei’s excellence, both in looks and background but after seeing so many flashy beauties in the entertainment industry, she wasn’t particularly surprised.

Mei Xiaowen couldn’t remember how many of Zhongli Tang’s “little flings” she had handled. Every one of them started out acting like they would never leave, only to be sent away with a bit of money in the end.

But Qin Wei was different.

From the first glance, she could tell Qin Wei was a “good student.” She couldn’t hide that sheltered, scholarly aura from the campus. Unfortunately, she had met Zhongli Tang and… fallen deeply in love. She wouldn’t take money, wouldn’t take an apartment, did she really think she was someone special?

Besides, what can a student do once they graduate? In the end, it’s all just a word from President Zhong.

When the time comes and she’s left with nothing, she’ll realize how foolish she was.

“Hello, may I ask when Sister [Zhongli Tang] came back?” Qin Wei asked tentatively.

Here it comes. I knew she’d ask.

Mei Xiaowen had anticipated this and gave the prepared answer. “A week ago.”

Qin Wei lowered her eyes, her voice so soft it seemed it might dissipate at any moment. “I see… Did she say when she would come to see me?”

“It’s not convenient for me to ask that,” Mei Xiaowen replied.

“It’s okay. Can you take me to see her now? I haven’t seen her in forty-five days. I miss her very much.” Qin Wei’s voice trailed off with a hint of uncertainty. Only when mentioning Zhongli Tang did her cold demeanor shift, her eyes becoming exceptionally bright.

Mei Xiaowen paused, looking troubled. “Miss Qin, I’m afraid that’s not possible. President Zhong will be angry…” Besides, that kind of environment wasn’t suitable for an Omega.

“Okay.” Qin Wei’s eyes dimmed instantly. For the rest of the journey, she stared at the rainy scenery outside the window, showing no intention of speaking again.

The apartment Qin Wei lived in now had been found by Zhongli Tang. It was close to the university, and everything from its location to its interior design was meticulous. Zhongli Tang was always generous to those around her, in the first month of their relationship, she had intended to give the place to her outright, but Qin Wei had declined.

“Goodbye, Miss Qin.”

Mei Xiaowen considerately closed the door for her.

The first thing Qin Wei did upon arriving home was change her gland patch. She exposed her slender neck to the mirror and applied the new one with practiced ease, she had become very skilled at this.

Fortunately, the junior student had only brought back a trace of pheromones. After resting for a while, she felt much better, though that terrifying sense of suffocation still lingered in her heart.

Ding. Her phone lit up.

Bai Ling: Senior, are you home yet?

Qin Wei sent a simple “I’m home,” having no desire to continue the conversation. She saw the messages her junior had sent half an hour ago, fifteen in total, all about Zhongli Tang.

As if possessed, she tapped on one of the photos.

In the picture, Zhongli Tang’s gaze was sharp, bold, and beautiful. She was as bright as a blazing flame, even her stray strands of hair seemed to glow. She wore a bite suppressor unique to Alphas, and the silver metallic texture added an aggressive edge to her beauty. It could be said that wherever she was, no one else existed.

It truly was a “god-tier” photo.

Qin Wei knew Zhongli Tang was famous, but she hadn’t had much of a concept of it until her junior’s words today gave her some perspective.

Her gland began to heat up slightly.

This was the physiological response of a normal Omega toward their Alpha.

But will Zhongli Tang come?

Qin Wei lowered her eyelashes to hide her disappointment. She was habitually afraid of having too many expectations. After a moment of internal struggle, she pulled a black coat of a completely opposite style from the wardrobe and draped it over herself.

The clothes still carried a faint trace of pheromones, but after so much time, the scent had faded until it was almost indistinguishable.

Even so, Qin Wei cherished it exceptionally.

The Bar

Near midnight, the lights inside were still crisscrossing, and pop songs played one after another. People in the dance floor were pressed against each other. Besides the smell of alcohol, the air was thick with a mixture of pheromones. Receiving a subtle hint from his manager, Zhou Su immediately flushed and poured a drink into an empty glass.

“Hello, President Zhong. My name is Zhou Su. I’m a singer newly signed to the studio. I’m an Omega. Previously, my pheromones were [out of control], and it was the medicine developed by your company that saved me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.”

The woman, dressed in a red gown, leaned halfway against the sofa. Under the dazzling lights, her face appeared even more cold and captivating. Her long legs were crossed, occasionally revealing flashes of snowy skin. Her posture was commanding, and her eyes held a hint of a smile that didn’t quite reach them. She looked no different from the revelers around her, yet she seemed entirely distinct.

“Zhou Su?”

“Yes.”

Zhou Su’s hands trembled slightly. Under that gaze, her thoughts felt exposed, and her cheeks burned. Originally, when she heard she had to accompany someone, she was a thousand times unwilling. But now that she was here and saw it was Zhongli Tang, all her dissatisfaction had vanished.

This was Zhongli Tang! A top-tier actress with a string of masterpieces, her popularity consistently ranked first. More importantly, she was the successor to the Zhong Group.

“Oh ho, this one looks so much like.” A mutual acquaintance present started to speak, having heard rumors of the past. Realizing the atmosphere was off, they immediately fell silent.

Zhongli Tang didn’t speak. A lock of curly hair fell over her forehead, her laziness filled with a seductive quality, looking very much like a man-eating enchantress. She calmly withdrew her gaze and took a sip of her wine with her red lips.

Emboldened, Zhou Su let her fingertips land lightly on Zhongli Tang’s calf, slowly creeping upward in an overt invitation. Just as she thought she had succeeded, a calm, emotionless voice came from above.

“Kid, keep your mind on the right things. Don’t do these unnecessary antics.”

Zhou Su froze instantly, staring at Zhongli Tang’s face in a daze.

“Whoever brought this person, take them away,” Zhongli Tang said without looking up, showing no lingering attachment, even her pheromones didn’t fluctuate.

Zhou Su’s manager, now breaking into a cold sweat, hurriedly agreed and dragged the terrified, weak-kneed Zhou Su out, not daring to delay for a second.

This minor interlude naturally didn’t escape Su He’s eyes. She raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Why make things hard for a little Omega? Besides, her features look so much like Xu Sui.”

The moment Xu Sui’s name was mentioned, Su He knew she had misspoken. She covered her slip of the tongue with a cough.

Zhongli Tang’s cold eyes swept over her. Her Alpha dominance was on full display, creating an unavoidable sense of pressure. “You arranged it. Don’t let it happen again. Also, she doesn’t look like her at all.”

Su He raised both hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. I won’t mention it again.”

She and Zhongli Tang were childhood acquaintances and high school classmates; she knew much more than outsiders. Years ago, the romance between Zhongli Tang and Xu Sui had been tumultuous and legendary. There was no shortage of opposition, and the Zhong family had nearly kicked Zhongli Tang out, yet they couldn’t tear the two apart.

But then, the Gamma Group, controlled by the Zhong family, was hit by a massive scandal involving adulterated medication and the death of a victim. The commercial giant teetered on the brink of collapse. The head of the family was involved in a retaliatory car accident. Under layers of pressure, Zhongli Tang took command in a time of crisis, picking up this hot potato. She was so busy she barely ate, yet after putting down her documents, she still had to coax Xu Sui to take care of her health and go to bed early.

But in the end, Xu Sui didn’t trust Zhongli Tang.

When the two broke up, it was quiet and uneventful. Now, one was a shining star above everyone else, while the other was far away abroad, their connection faded.

Over these past six years, Su He could see that although Zhongli Tang didn’t avoid mentioning Xu Sui, the lovers she found all more or less carried a shadow of Xu Sui. It was clear she had never truly let go.

Despite the surrounding noise, dark and indecipherable emotions swirled in Zhongli Tang’s eyes. Her slender fingers gripped the wine glass tightly; she felt nothing but irritation.

Xu Sui, Xu Sui.

Just then, her phone vibrated. She caught a glimpse of it from the corner of her eye. A cold smirk crossed her lips, and she suddenly stood up.

Su He was shocked. “You’re not staying? There are more activities later.”

Zhongli Tang walked away with a casual, nonchalant gait, her tone light. “A little plaything is throwing a tantrum. I’m going back to coax her.”