After Being Used As A Substitute By A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 2

The lights in the living room were off. The first thing Zhongli Tang saw upon entering was the sight of Qin Wei curled up on the sofa.

Even in sleep, Qin Wei’s face was filled with a cold detachment that kept people a thousand miles away, it was impossible to imagine her ever being passionate.

“Sister, why are you back?”

Hearing the movement, Qin Wei slowly opened her eyes. Her voice was as soft as a pool of water, even knowing it could melt one’s bones, one couldn’t help but sink into it.

Detecting the coquettishness in her tone, Zhongli Tang couldn’t help but walk over and sit on the sofa.

Qin Wei was still blurry with sleep, but she naturally rested her head on Zhongli Tang’s lap. Her posture held an unconscious allure, like a defenseless small animal trusting a hunter, completely unaware of whether what awaited her was a bloody maw or an exquisite meal.

Zhongli Tang could have easily gripped that slender, fair neck. Looking at her like this, her temper vanished instantly. Most of the irritability from the business dinner dissipated, replaced by a hint of amusement in her voice. “Didn’t you send me a message? How can you deny it now?”

“You didn’t tell me you were back. Of course I thought Sister didn’t want me anymore.”

Qin Wei woke up a bit more and let out a soft hum from her nose. Her amber eyes were full of grievance, and her voice carried the hoarseness of someone just waking up. Where was the supposed coldness? She was clearly in the state of a young girl deeply in love.

A well-timed bit of pettiness wasn’t off-putting. Zhongli Tang didn’t mind coaxing her a little.

“Too busy.”

Qin Wei reasonably suspected that this excuse hadn’t even passed through Zhongli Tang’s brain, but she didn’t care about the truth, as long as Zhongli Tang came over, it was enough.

“Hm? Why aren’t you talking? Are you actually angry?” The smile on Zhongli Tang’s face didn’t reach her eyes.

Qin Wei intentionally looked away, playing the role of a love struck Omega vividly. “I know you’re busy. I wanted to go find you, but Assistant Mei actually rejected me.”

Zhongli Tang’s gaze turned slightly cold as her thoughts drifted. “They were all business partners. It’s not appropriate for a student like you to go.”

“Really? I don’t believe it. Take me with you next time.” Qin Wei looked up at her, leaning her face closer in an attempt to please.

“Be good.” Zhongli Tang stopped smiling, her tone hardening. The long-standing aura of a superior suddenly emerged.

She was angry.

Qin Wei was used to backing down. She broke the deadlock by wrapping her arms around Zhongli Tang’s leg, her voice sweet and soft enough to make one want to take a bite of her. “I’ll listen to Sister. It’s so boring anyway, I wouldn’t want to go.”

“Good girl.”

Hearing this, Zhongli Tang slowly stroked Qin Wei’s thick long hair. There was no technique to it; it was like playing with a kitten. Indeed, in her heart, there was no difference between Qin Wei and a kitten.

The temperature in the room gradually rose. While the atmosphere was ambiguous, it held a strange tension. Though they were physically close, they seemed separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.

The breathing of the person in her arms gradually leveled out. Zhongli Tang began to feel dissatisfied with this reaction again. Her fingertips brushed repeatedly around the area of Qin Wei’s scent gland, refusing to get closer yet refusing to leave.

Qin Wei felt itchy and was teased awake. She couldn’t even open her eyes, and small physiological tears hung from her eyelashes. She tilted her head up slightly to kiss Zhongli Tang, whimpering to express her dissatisfaction.

Zhongli Tang instinctively dodged. Qin Wei’s kiss landed on the corner of her mouth, but the girl seemed not to know fear, persevering and chasing after her.

“Sister… you can’t bully me like this.”

Zhongli Tang effortlessly avoided her kisses, her voice lazy and low against her ear. “You secretly hid my clothes to sleep with, and I haven’t even settled that account with you yet. And now you’re going to sleep?”

Qin Wei was wide awake now. She stopped trying to kiss her, her eyes darting away guiltily. “You saw wrong. I didn’t hide anything.”

“Is that so?” Zhongli Tang pinched her chin, her tone flat.

She might not remember every piece of clothing, but the pheromones on them didn’t lie. So, this was how Qin Wei spent her time when she wasn’t around.

“Of course not. You didn’t see anything.”

Feeling embarrassed, a flush of pink appeared on Qin Wei’s cheeks. She struggled out of the embrace and carefully folded the clothes, as if afraid Zhongli Tang would snatch them away the next second.

Unexpectedly, before she could take two steps, her wrist was grabbed. Before she could react, the world spun. When she came to, she was lying on the sofa, with Zhongli Tang’s arm firmly around her waist to ensure she wasn’t hurt.

The distance between them was even closer than before.

Zhongli Tang’s first thought was that Qin Wei had gotten thinner again.

Qin Wei, however, misunderstood her intent. She pursed her lips, looking unhappy. “It’s no big deal. I’ll pay you back for the clothes.”

Zhongli Tang truly laughed this time, her eyes full of charm. She tucked a stray hair behind Qin Wei’s ear and said dismissively, “Good student, how much money do you have?”

She didn’t actually have high demands for clothes, they were mostly handled by her assistant but even so, the price wouldn’t be less than tens of thousands.

“A lot,” Qin Wei said seriously. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll give it to you right now.” As she spoke, she moved to get her phone.

“Qin Wei.”

Zhongli Tang called out her name clearly, every syllable distinct. “Are you a fool?”

Qin Wei heard a hint of grit in the other woman’s voice. Her eyes were full of confusion. “I’m not a fool. If I were, the lab would have kicked me out long ago.”

“My smart classmate, so do you want the clothes right now, or do you want me? Hmm?”

Zhongli Tang’s words carried a question, but she gave her no choice. She directly tore off the thin gland patch. Without its cage, Qin Wei’s pheromones instantly filled the small space.

Ebony. The scent was delicate, warm, steady, and possessed a unique power. No one could resist its advance.

Despite how intense it was, a signal of an Omega in heat, a flash of daze appeared in Zhongli Tang’s eyes. She suddenly realized how much she had missed this scent, it had truly been too long since she last smelled it.

Zhongli Tang hesitated. She suddenly thought of the business dinner earlier. She had said Zhou Su wasn’t like her at all, but that was a lie. There were similarities. Qin Wei, on the other hand, was entirely different.

The cold appearance, the cloying personality, she was the polar opposite of Xu Sui. But the pheromones were identical.

Unique Ebony pheromones. She believed that in the entire capital, one couldn’t find a second person with them. This was a comfort that a similar face couldn’t provide, pheromones were the key to stimulating an Alpha’s desire.

An unknown amount of time passed.

“Does Sister not want to mark me?” Qin Wei gazed at her quietly. Although she was suffering, she continued to endure.

Zhongli Tang snapped out of her memories. A flash of ruthlessness crossed her eyes, and she lowered her head without hesitation to bury it in the neck. This emotion fell squarely upon Qin Wei.

The two embraced, yet no warmth was produced.

Sharp teeth easily pierced the tender gland, and a surge of pheromones poured down. Like a wolf biting its prey and refusing to let go, Zhongli Tang’s pheromones were the Ocean, if one had to describe the smell, it was the saltiness of a sea breeze, neither fragrant nor unpleasant.

It was more of a sensation.

Qin Wei bit her lower lip hard from the pain, yet she didn’t make a sound. Her body trembled violently like an abandoned cat, but she received no pity from the Alpha. The storm intensified, and she calmly accepted the end.

The boundless sea was not calm. Dark clouds hung so heavy they nearly touched the water. Waves surged and crashed against the rocks, after being blocked, the next round was an even more violent collision. It was thrilling and dangerous, a pursuit that wouldn’t stop until the goal was reached.

Suddenly, a piece of Ebony surfaced. It didn’t emit a rotten smell from being soaked in the wretched seawater instead, it spontaneously combusted. The fire was intense and extreme, becoming the only light.

The nearly ascetic aura of the Ebony didn’t inspire reverence in the two instead, it became the most natural fuel.

“It’s burning too much.”

Zhongli Tang still retained a shred of sobriety or rather, she was dissatisfied with that combustion. In her memory, Ebony should be like Xu Sui: elegant and indifferent, not like this.

It almost reached the point of losing control.

“This… I can’t control it myself.”

Qin Wei finally spoke. A thin layer of sweat covered her forehead, and she looked as if she had been frightened by the power of the sea. A single tear hung from the corner of her almond shaped eyes, refusing to fall; there wasn’t a trace of her usual coldness to be found.

Zhongli Tang remained stone hearted, watching that tear slide down.

She didn’t lift a finger.

Simultaneously, she withdrew the pheromones that Qin Wei yearned for day and night.

This was merely a temporary mark. The “Ocean” would linger briefly in Qin Wei’s gland and would vanish completely after a week.

“Sister…”

Qin Wei’s gaze was vacant, her eyes losing focus, but her consciousness remained sharp. She understood deeply that Zhongli Tang liked her pheromones, yet didn’t like her all that much. Only once in ten times would Zhongli Tang grant her a mark, and usually, that one time was something she had piteously begged for.

So, Zhongli Tang must have been provoked by something today.

Zhongli Tang’s breathing was slightly erratic as she lowered her voice. “We’re not going back to the room. Right here.”

If she was in pain, Xu Sui had to be in more pain even if it was through a substitute.

Qin Wei was utterly incapable of saying no.

An hour later, Zhongli Tang finally let Qin Wei drift off to sleep. Qin Wei looked exhausted, her neck covered in numerous bite marks, appearing truly piteous.

As the culprit, Zhongli Tang felt negligible psychological burden. Her mind drifted back to her first meeting with Qin Wei or rather, the cause of them ending up in bed together.

It was a year after Xu Sui had left.

Back then, she was too busy to think much. The affairs of her entertainment company were as numerous as cow hairs, and the pressure was so intense she felt like a string about to snap. In a rare gap in her schedule, she accepted an invitation to a commercial event regarding the direction of ABO medical research equipment. She had long since forgotten the specific details of the content.

Qin Wei then was much like she was now, though with more of a student’s laughable naivety. She had worn an ill-fitting shirt and forced herself to stay calm while chatting with others. No one was willing to say more than a word to her, some didn’t even deign to give her a glance, yet she persisted, even at the cost of being looked down upon.

Ordinarily, Zhongli Tang despised this kind of person. She preferred those who were effortless, mature, and indifferent. Perhaps because she found the girl so ridiculous, she actually found herself paying a bit more attention.

At that time, Qin Wei’s mentor had won a major award for a thesis and was beaming with pride. Facing praise, the mentor kept repeating “it’s nothing, it’s nothing” while bringing people over to offer toasts.

Qin Wei was among them.

When Qin Wei finally stepped in front of her, she raised her glass, her eyes sparkling. “Hello, my name is Qin Wei. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Could I trouble you for your contact information?”

Zhongli Tang knew that look all too well. She took a sip of her wine expressionlessly and shook her head.

Regardless, there wouldn’t be another chance to meet.

As for Qin Wei, after asking that question, she was dragged out of the banquet by bystanders who considered her a suspicious individual.

But the second meeting came surprisingly fast. After the banquet ended, Zhongli Tang overheard a conversation between Qin Wei and her mentor in the underground parking lot.

“Don’t think anyone is going to help you. As an Omega, you’re lucky I even let you into the project team; consider it pity! Now you’re saying my research results are yours? Go home and keep dreaming!” The mentor had dropped the humble act and was being aggressive.

Qin Wei stood tall, her voice ringing out clearly. “I don’t see any issue with an Omega being in a project team. Your article claims the direct cause of Omega pheromone disorder lies in the heat cycle, this point is completely unfounded. Also, on page eight…”

Zhongli Tang raised an eyebrow and let out a cold snort in her heart. Childish.

The mentor interrupted her directly, a murky smile on her face. “Qin Wei, do you know why I dared to bring you here? Because I’m not afraid of you speaking out. You have talent, but this world isn’t just about talent, it’s about power. You should thank me for teaching you this lesson.”

Qin Wei listened expressionlessly, as if accepting the outcome.

“You could try to find a backer, but unfortunately, my people are from the Gamma Group. They have the best, most advanced experimental equipment and top-tier connections. What are you?”

Unfortunately, the mentor didn’t get to finish her boasting. A sharp smack left her face stinging. It took her several seconds to realize she had been hit. Her voice turned shrill: “Qin Wei! You dare hit me?!”

“Why not? If you’re so capable, call your backer here right now.” Qin Wei’s gaze was icy as she stepped on the other’s shoulder.

The two quickly began to scrap.

For a student to act without weighing the pros and cons was something Zhongli Tang never expected. She felt that if she didn’t intervene, the mentor might never get up again.

Qin Wei clearly had the upper hand, but the mentor wasn’t a pushover either, managing to scratch several bloody welts into Qin Wei’s face. However, those scratches were nothing compared to a broken bone.

How does a pretty-looking Beta have this much strength?

It wasn’t until Zhongli Tang drew closer and smelled that intense, familiar pheromone that her soul was shaken, making her forget her original purpose for coming out.

Ebony.

The excitement of the scent completely overshadowed the discovery that Qin Wei was actually an Omega.

Qin Wei no longer had the cautiousness from before, nor the nervousness of being caught. She was tall and well-proportioned, her white shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal fair arms and wrists so slender they wouldn’t fill a circle. Her eyes were full of defiance as she casually wiped the blood from her face, exuding a kind of beauty that seemed on the verge of shattering.

“Are you her backer?”

The mentor on the ground couldn’t possibly fail to recognize Zhongli Tang. She immediately called out, “President Zhong! This student is simply lawless!”

Zhongli Tang didn’t spare her even a glance. Her aura matched Qin Wei’s as she slightly curled her lips, revealing a soul-stirring beauty. She spoke cruel words in a calm tone.

“No. I’m your backer now.”