After Being Used As A Substitute By A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 13

After some discussion, they chose a very famous hotpot restaurant. About half of the lab staff came along, the others were either busy or held back by work. By the time Qin Wei arrived, they were already seated.

“Senior, do you have any dietary restrictions?” Bai Ling naturally handed over the menu, asking with casual intent.

“Nothing specific, I eat everything,” Qin Wei replied as she took it. She checked off a few dishes and handed it back. She used to be quite picky, but Zhongli Tang’s palate wasn’t picky at all, she ate almost anything. Gradually, Qin Wei had stopped having so many demands.

“Me too,” Bai Ling said.

The food was served quickly. Succulent beef balls were scalded in the boiling, spicy broth; biting into one released a burst of meat juice so hot it made one gasp. The beef rolls transformed from raw to cooked in a mere ten seconds, their texture so tender and smooth that it was impossible to put down the chopsticks.

Surrounded by the rising steam, Qin Wei’s fair skin took on a slight pink flush, making her look a little less cold and distant.

“Senior, try my dipping sauce, it’s delicious.”

Bai Ling fished out a few pieces of beef tripe, soaked them in her bowl, and offered them to Qin Wei with a hint of nervousness and anticipation in her eyes.

Qin Wei couldn’t easily refuse, so she took two pieces. The taste was indeed excellent, and she nodded with a smile.

“By the way, I heard our lab is expanding undergraduate recruitment this year. We’ll all be ‘Seniors’ to them soon.”

“I heard an undergraduate female Alpha is coming, her last name is also Qin. When she reported for registration, a lot of Omegas went to sneak a peek. She’s incredibly beautiful, supposedly looking a bit like a younger Zhongli Tang!”

“Are you joking? Like Zhongli Tang? Can they even be compared?”

“Exactly. I saw her too. She’s pretty, but saying she looks like Zhongli Tang is a bit of a stretch.”

“If she wants to compare herself to the visual queen Zhongli Tang, she better practice for a few more years. I don’t know how these rumors even start,” a junior sister said indignantly. “Qin Senior, don’t you agree?!”

Qin Wei nodded slightly; she certainly couldn’t deny Zhongli Tang’s beauty.

Bai Ling, however, was full of curiosity. “Senior, what kind of person do you like? Someone good-looking or someone exceptionally talented?”

As soon as this question was asked, everyone present lost interest in other topics and stared over. Qin Wei felt they looked remarkably like a group of owls.

“I don’t have anyone I like, so I don’t know.”

The crowd instantly felt the air go out of the room. Although they had expected this answer, hearing it made them wonder if Qin Wei was hiding something from them.

“What about a type? There must be a type,” a third-year Alpha senior asked persistently.

Qin Wei still shook her head and quietly took a sip of her drink. If it weren’t for the allergy incident, she would only be walking this singular academic path; she never would have agreed to Zhongli Tang’s contract.

“Alright, alright, our Qin Wei only loves her research.”

Qin Wei let out a faint, resigned smile. Her peripheral vision caught her phone on the side; there were several unread messages. She frowned.

“Excuse me, a friend is nearby. I’m going to say hello. I’ve already settled the bill, you guys keep eating.”

Bai Ling opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, she saw Qin Wei’s hurried footsteps.

The other juniors looked at each other. “That doesn’t look like she’s just meeting a ‘friend’…”

The meal had lasted a long time, and the sky was already very dark, yet the surrounding pedestrians hadn’t thinned out. Qin Wei wore only a simple shirt, but her temperament remained extraordinary, she didn’t look like someone walking out of a hotpot restaurant, but rather out of a high-end office building.

Not far away, a girl stood under a streetlamp. Her shadow was stretched long, but her eyes were fixed deathly on Qin Wei.

“Sister, it’s been a long time.”

Qin Wei truly had no pleasantries for her. Her attitude took a sharp turn for the worse, becoming as cold as an ice cellar, touching her would freeze one’s hand. She ignored the pleasantries and asked, “Why are you here?”

Qin Cinan smiled triumphantly, crossing her arms as she looked Qin Wei up and down. “What’s wrong? I’ve called you sister for over ten years, are you really this unwelcoming?”

“I have nothing to welcome you for.” Qin Wei pursed her lips.

The reason Dr. Qin’s family had adopted her was simple: Mrs. Qin was infertile. Qin Wei had enjoyed a few years of familial love, but within two years, Qin Cinan was born. The family treated the newborn like a precious treasure; Mrs. Qin couldn’t bear to let her out of her sight for a second. At that time, Qin Wei’s presence became incredibly awkward, she could neither move forward nor retreat.

“So, have you found an Alpha now? Clinging to some rich person?” Qin Cinan was habitually arrogant, pointing toward the hotpot restaurant. “Are they inside? I’d love to meet them. I thought after my parents kicked you out of the house, I’d never see you again. I didn’t expect you’d actually get into school here… how unlucky.”

When she had seen Qin Wei’s name on the forum list, she found it unbelievable. Since childhood, this “cheap” older sister had good grades and acted as if she didn’t care about competing for anything. Even though Qin Wei had always been kind to her, Cinan simply didn’t want her to have a smooth life.

“Qin Cinan, I am not your parents. You’d better watch your mouth.” Qin Wei’s gaze suddenly turned sharp and piercing. She finally knew who that “undergraduate Alpha freshman” was.

Qin Cinan grit her teeth, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to back down. She shouted blusteringly, “What, did I hit a nerve?! I’m telling you, if they knew your true face, would they still talk to you? Would your Alpha still help you out?”

Qin Wei wasn’t angry at the threat; instead, she let out a couple of soft laughs. “Even if you told them, they wouldn’t believe you.”

Qin Cinan pulled up her sleeve, revealing a scar nearly ten centimeters long. It hadn’t faded with time. “This is the proof that you pushed me down the stairs. You wished I were dead. You clearly saw me fall and did nothing. If Mom hadn’t found me, I would be dead. Luckily they kicked you out, but I’ve remembered you all this time.”

The commotion was not small, attracting the attention of several passersby. However, since they couldn’t hear the specific content, they assumed it was just a couple’s quarrel and quickly dispersed. Yet, some of their interactions were being captured by a phone not far away.

Qin Wei’s pale pupils seemed shrouded in a layer of mist, revealing no emotion. Her tone remained flat. “If you want to remember, then remember. If you don’t want people to know about your past scandals, you’d better keep a low profile. Anyway, I was kicked out long ago, so from now on at school, we can just be ordinary classmates. Better yet, don’t even say a word to me.”

“Qin Wei!” Qin Cinan couldn’t stand being ignored like this. This was different from the reaction she imagined Qin Wei would have, there should have been panic, unease, or even fear. But instead, all those reactions were being reflected back onto herself.

She was afraid of the current Qin Wei.

Qin Cinan felt she was being utterly ridiculous.

In the past, as long as she complained a little, her mother would go and torment Qin Wei. In the end, didn’t Qin Wei still work like a slave to please them just for a tiny bit of affection? This time would surely be the same.

“Senior, if that’s your friend outside, you can ask her to come join us,” Bai Ling said.

Qin Wei returned to her original demeanor. “No need, she’s probably already full.”

The large group had ordered a lot of food, and the leftovers were packed for the sisters who had to return to the lab.

“This was really expensive. I’ll treat you next time, Senior.”

The group walked slowly. Bai Ling and Qin Wei trailed behind, chatting.

“No need to be so polite, especially since you agreed to help me look for an apartment.”

“It’s nothing, the apartment is a small matter. But I wanted to ask, Senior, why do you want to move?” Bai Ling asked tentatively.

“Difficult neighbors,” Qin Wei came up with a random excuse.

Just as she finished speaking, the people in front seemed to notice something and stopped. Someone said unclearly, “There’s a car that’s been following us for a while.”

Qin Wei felt a strange, bad premonition in her heart. When she looked back, the trailing car flashed its high beams, momentarily blinding her. Then, the car slowly pulled up beside her.

Mei Xiaowen rolled down the window. “Miss Qin, do you want me to give your classmates a ride home?”

The classmates looked at each other, confused by the situation, but some were quick-witted. They immediately declined and shot Qin Wei suggestive looks.

What a performance, they thought. At this hour, whoever showed up certainly wasn’t a parent. She said she didn’t have an Alpha she liked, but she was clearly just brushing them off.

Some tried to see who was inside, but the windows seemed custom-tinted; they couldn’t see the situation inside at all.

Qin Wei pursed her lips. She didn’t want others to know about her relationship with Zhongli Tang. Mei Xiaowen was her assistant and appeared in public often, if she were recognized, it would be very hard to explain.

But wasn’t Zhongli Tang already away on a business trip?

However, once Qin Wei got into the car, she realized Zhongli Tang wasn’t there.

“CEO Zhong said she didn’t want you to lose face in front of your classmates, so she had me drive a more expensive car,” Mei Xiaowen explained proactively.

“More expensive” was equivalent to seven figures.

Qin Wei didn’t dwell on what just happened. She closed her eyes, suppressing her internal emotions. “Has Sister returned yet?”

Remembering Zhongli Tang’s instructions, Mei Xiaowen said ambiguously, “Soon.”

Qin Wei arched an eyebrow. “Soon?” An hour is soon, and a day can also be soon.