After Being Used As A Substitute By A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 19

Night had fallen long ago. Zhongli Tang rested her chin on her hand, watching the city lights and the flowing traffic outside. The lingering base note of the expensive incense in the car carried a hint of ebony, steady and cold. With an expressionless gaze, she wondered what Qin Wei was doing. By this time, she should have left school; perhaps she had already prepared dinner.

The moment she stepped through the door, Qin Wei would obediently take her coat, embrace her tightly, and give her a long, lingering kiss. Finally, she would complain in a soft voice, “Sister, you’re finally back. I’ve been waiting for so long.”

Even before seeing her, Zhongli Tang had already anticipated every one of Qin Wei’s reactions in her mind.

She even felt a sense of relief that she was the one who had encountered Qin Wei first. She didn’t want anyone else to catch a glimpse of that tenderness.

“Drive faster,” Zhongli Tang couldn’t help but say. Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly, though she didn’t look truly angry or troubled.

After all, the “little substitute” at home was just too clingy.

Song Yuan hesitated. Hadn’t today’s activities already been completed? She was confused but immediately complied.

Suddenly, a series of notifications chimed on a phone. Zhongli Tang glanced at the screen casually, but upon seeing the content, she took a deep breath. She couldn’t suppress her emotions, her face turned pale, her gaze instantly sharpened, and her lips thinned into a straight line. Her voice dropped an octave.

“We’re going to Capital Hospital first.”

Song Yuan and Mei Xiaowen exchanged bewildered looks but sped up.

At Capital Hospital

The hospital was crowded and chaotic, becoming even busier at night. The air was thick with the pungent, inescapable smell of disinfectant.

“President Zhong, should we wait for them to come down? There are too many people here. If we run into some unscrupulous media, we’ll be at a disadvantage, and they’ll start making things up again,” Song Yuan suggested.

As an agent, she had seen many celebrities. Countless people had tried to latch onto President Zhong once they knew who she was. Because of her upbringing, Zhongli Tang didn’t usually take offense the first few times, but it often led to people overstepping.

Once, a rookie Omega actress showed up in a hotel bed without a scent blocker, filling the room with heat-period pheromones. That was the first time Zhongli Tang truly lost her temper, she threw the person and the bedsheets out the door and slept on the floor all night. The media caught wind of it the next day, and the trending topics were wild. Zhongli Tang had to deal with public relations on top of her actual work.

With that experience in mind, Song Yuan was extremely cautious, especially in a sensitive place like a hospital.

“Qin Wei was framed and locked in a classroom. Her heat started suddenly, and she endured it in there for an hour.” A flash of coldness crossed the corners of Zhongli Tang’s eyes as she clenched her fists.

Song Yuan gasped. “Ah, how did that happen? Then we definitely need to go to the hospital. President Zhong, let’s go see her first.”

“She’s fine, of course. She’s quite clever,” Zhongli Tang’s voice was raspy and laced with sarcasm. “The moment she felt something was wrong, she immediately called for help.”

Mei Xiaowen nodded in approval but quickly realized something was off. “Did Miss Qin call the police?”

Zhongli Tang didn’t answer. Instead, she put on the mask and sunglasses she always kept in the car.

“That shouldn’t be it,” Mei Xiaowen quickly ruled out that answer. “Did she call you, President Zhong?”

Zhongli Tang’s voice came from the back seat, gritted through her teeth: “She called Su He.”

She called Su He.

When did those two get so close? When Qin Wei was in danger, the first person she thought of and called for help was her?! What about herself? What did she count for!

Zhongli Tang was nearly overwhelmed by these thoughts, even as her logic reminded her that Qin Wei was just a “little substitute” even if she was driven mad by her heat, it had nothing to do with her.

She couldn’t control the faint aura of hostility radiating from her. Her sharp heels clicked against the floor as if stomping on people’s hearts, turning the small hospital corridor into a runway. People around her didn’t dare look twice, fearing they would attract trouble.

However, when she reached the door of the ward mentioned in Su He’s message, she stopped abruptly. Through the small glass pane on the door, she caught sight of Qin Wei’s pale, powerless face. She looked so frail she seemed like she could disappear at any moment.

“Thank you for your help, Sister Su He. Otherwise, I don’t know when I would have gotten out,” Qin Wei said. Her words were thankful, but her manner was polite, courteous but not intimate.

Zhongli Tang had rehearsed how she was going to give Qin Wei a “lesson” she wouldn’t forget, but the moment she saw her, those plans vanished. She couldn’t remember them. Qin Wei looked so pitiful.

“It’s nothing. I was in a meeting for too long. If I had seen your message sooner, it wouldn’t have gotten this serious.” Su He was actually quite shaken. If she hadn’t gotten to her phone, the consequences for Qin Wei would have been unthinkable.

“It wasn’t like that…” Qin Wei shook her head. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Zhongli Tang. She froze for a few seconds, then reacted immediately, a spark of light flickering in her pale eyes.

From Zhongli Tang’s perspective, she looked like a wilting little flower that had suddenly been graced by rain, bursting with a heavy sense of vitality.

Before this, she had never noticed or perhaps never cared, how much Qin Wei looked at her.

“Sister, why are you here? Is there anyone filming outside?” Qin Wei’s eyes showed doubt and worry.

Zhongli Tang didn’t answer. She deliberately darkened her expression, looking aggressive. As expected, Qin Wei showed signs of retreating. Although Zhongli Tang didn’t plan to do anything to her anymore, seeing this reaction still made her feel frustrated.

Forget it, it was all Su He’s fault. Why did she have to add people on WeChat for no reason?

“What’s the situation?” Zhongli Tang asked proactively.

Su He replied, “The doctor said Qin Wei’s glands are somehow more fragile than a typical Omega’s. That’s why her heat is easily triggered early by external factors or emotions. She endured it for a long time in that classroom. She had to take four doses of suppressants at the hospital to stabilize. They couldn’t run too many tests then, and she just woke up.”

Qin Wei had chosen a new type of Omega suppressant available on the market. Having been involved in its research, she knew it was the most effective and fastest-acting, though its only side effect was drowsiness.

“And?” Zhongli Tang sensed there was more.

“Her arm was scratched a few times,” Su He said, choosing her words carefully. She had been at the scene and was quite impressed by Qin Wei’s composure. Her pheromone scent wasn’t strong, so other Alphas weren’t affected much, but there were bloody streaks on her forearm. The blood had reached her fingertips. Su He didn’t know how much force Qin Wei had used on herself to stay conscious.

Qin Wei had even been able to say politely, “I’m sorry to trouble you. Please take me to the hospital.”

Su He understood Qin Wei’s choice perfectly. Maintaining consciousness was the most important thing.

Now, Zhongli Tang was losing her grip on her composure. At first glance, she saw the bandage wrapped around Qin Wei’s forearm. That couldn’t have been a wound from an injection. Just a few days ago, she was fine, wearing a beautiful bracelet. In the blink of an eye, she had become like this.

“Does it hurt?”

Qin Wei had never heard Zhongli Tang speak in such a soft tone. She was a beat late in responding. “It’s alright.”

“I think what happened this time was just too much…” Su He was the first to speak up.

Hearing this, Zhongli Tang regained her calm faster than expected. It was as if those emotions had never appeared. She nodded plainly to show she understood and changed the subject. “Are you hungry? I had Mei Xiaowen buy something. Eat a bit before you sleep.”

Qin Wei hesitated and gave a soft “Mm.” A look of confusion appeared in her pale eyes, giving her a weak, easily bullied appearance. She couldn’t quite grasp Zhongli Tang’s current attitude.

Zhongli Tang noticed. She walked to the bedside, a slight curve appearing on her lips, though there was no warmth in her eyes. She stroked Qin Wei’s slightly messy hair a few times, her tone brook no refusal.

“Be good.”

“Okay.”

Qin Wei lowered her eyes, her butterfly wing lashes concealing all of her emotions.