After Being Used As A Substitute By A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 20

“Chen Ya claimed he saw the project’s potential and developed a desire to monopolize it. He intended to trick Miss Qin into handing over the complete data set and then join the investment under the guise of it being a ‘gratuitous gift’ from her. Fortunately, Miss Qin saw through him, but he didn’t expect President Su to arrive so suddenly, so…”

On the other end of the phone, Song Yuan spoke very tactfully. If Qin Wei hadn’t held her ground, she would have been devoured until not even crumbs remained.

The wind on the hospital rooftop was refreshingly cool, dispelling the lingering heat of the day. Looking out, the view was serene and peaceful. Zhongli Tang had waited until Qin Wei fell asleep before leaving the ward. There was no one around, and the soundproofing was excellent, she didn’t have to worry about being overheard.

She felt she was being calm enough, nodding indifferently. “I understand.”

Su He, who had followed her out, could not contain her rage. “I’m absolutely fuming! Chen Ya and those guys are just lawless. They aren’t afraid of anything happening at all.” After speaking, she immediately scanned Zhongli Tang’s face, but could detect no emotion. “You aren’t planning on just letting them go, are you? If you do, people will definitely talk behind Qin Wei’s back…”

Zhongli Tang replied coldly, “You know what they’re saying about her?”

“You left in a hurry that day. It’s no secret in our circle what Xu Sui’s pheromones are like. They don’t dare say anything about you, so they can only resort to veiled insults against Qin Wei. It’s quite nasty. I almost spoke up several times,” Su He said.

Zhongli Tang remained silent, listening quietly.

“What exactly do you mean by this?” Su He couldn’t help but ask. She had been furious at the time but chose not to act impulsively. Looking at the bigger picture, even if she helped Qin Wei, it would ultimately come down to a single word from Zhongli Tang.

Song Yuan hesitated for a moment before saying, “Chen Ya has been making a scene inside, refusing to cooperate. He insists on seeing you.”

Zhongli Tang walked a few paces, a cold snort escaping her nose. “Fine. Give him the phone.”

Chen Ya hurriedly grabbed the phone, his voice trembling with unconscious panic. “President Zhong, President Zhong! This is all a misunderstanding! I just wanted to play a little joke on Qin Wei. Who knew her heat cycle would start right then? If I had known, I definitely wouldn’t have locked her up for so long! Please, tell them to let me out.”

“And how long exactly did you plan on keeping her locked up?” Zhongli Tang asked, her tone sounding lukewarm.

“I only intended for half an hour! If she had just told me her heat was starting, I would have let her out!” Chen Ya babbled incoherently before something clicked. “No, no….I wouldn’t have locked her up at all. President Zhong, you can’t be this heartless.”

Zhongli Tang had called the police directly, something Chen Ya never expected. He thought that, at most, she would ignore him for a couple of days and that would be the end of it. To him, Qin Wei was just a “little toy” why would she burn bridges over her?

The severity of the situation depended entirely on the opposing party.

“President Zhong, rest assured, once I’m out, I will definitely apologize to Qin Wei. The project will also be re-evaluated according to its true value…” Chen Ya said through gritted teeth, as if he were the one suffering a great loss.

Zhongli Tang pursed her lips, a shadow of gloom crossing her eyes. “You sound quite troubled by that. How about this: I don’t need your apology.”

Chen Ya felt a surge of joy. He knew she wouldn’t hold a grudge over such a small matter. Perhaps the police report was just a formality, and he’d be out soon.

“Thank you, President Zhong.”

“That pharmaceutical factory of yours has always relied on the formula data we provide. Moving forward, I will be switching to a different partner. This won’t be ‘troublesome’ for me at all,” Zhongli Tang said lightly, her voice carrying no weight.

The Gamma Company already had its own pharmaceutical plants under its umbrella, they weren’t lacking. Back then, Zhongli Tang had only agreed to the partnership out of respect for Xu Sui. It wouldn’t be difficult to reclaim it now.

Chen Ya finally understood. He nearly jumped up in agitation, his voice rising several octaves. “Zhongli Tang!”

“I’m listening,” Zhongli Tang sneered, unsurprised by his reaction.

“Qin Wei is nothing more than a substitute for Sister Xu Sui! How similar can her pheromones really be? It’s not worth offending the Chen family over her!” Chen Ya kicked the table violently. He couldn’t imagine what his family would become without Gamma’s support, he could only try to “wake her up” this way.

Zhongli Tang was clear headed or rather, she had been suppressing her emotions until a sliver of the truth leaked out. “Even if Qin Wei is a substitute, she is my person. Since when is it your place to discipline her?”

Her voice trembled slightly at the end, filled with mockery.

Chen Ya suddenly went quiet. He realized he had made a catastrophic mistake. Many people knew about the “substitute” situation. Zhongli Tang might not care what others thought of Qin Wei, but she absolutely would not allow anyone to touch her property, even if she didn’t care for it that much.

“President Zhong, President Zhong! I know I was wrong! I won’t do it again! If Sister Xu Sui comes back and I’m not here, she’ll definitely suspect you. President Zhong, I promise when she returns, I’ll try to convince you two to get back together…”

Zhongli Tang closed her eyes, allowing no trace of exhaustion to show. She didn’t want to hear another word. Ignoring his frantic reactions, she hung up.

Su He, having listened to the entire exchange, took a moment to recover. “I… I thought you weren’t going to get involved. I didn’t expect you to be the same as when we were kids.”

The current Zhongli Tang appeared glamorous, mature, and exuded the aura of a powerful Alpha. But few knew that she was very sickly as a child. If her differentiation report hadn’t clearly stated she was an Alpha, Su He would have thought she was an Omega and a weak one at that. She had been bullied severely back then, and her only friend she could talk to was Xu Sui, though that didn’t change her circumstances.

Su He remembered it vividly. Zhongli Tang had a book she rarely read. The Alphas in class, used to bullying her, grabbed the book and tore it up. No one expected Zhongli Tang to physically retaliate, even Xu Sui couldn’t hold her back.

The incident caused a huge scene. Everyone was called in for questioning. The teacher asked Zhongli Tang if she knew what she did was wrong, but despite the pressure, she refused to bow her head.

“That was my thing.”

They all thought a single book wasn’t worth the trouble, but Zhongli Tang was stubborn, even a bit obsessive.

It was then Su He realized she was an Alpha: selfish, violent, and intensely possessive.

It was just that these traits eventually focused entirely on Xu Sui, disappearing for a long time afterward. Su He had naturally forgotten about that side of her. But today, she realized Zhongli Tang hadn’t “recovered” she had simply buried it deep.

It was hard to imagine Zhongli Tang acting so swiftly and ruthlessly in such a short time, leaving the opponent no chance to recover. If it had been Su He, she likely wouldn’t have been able to do it.

Su He suddenly understood why Zhongli Tang wanted Qin Wei to sleep early. She didn’t want Qin Wei to know too much.

Song Yuan called again. “President Zhong, I’ve finished. I’ve arranged for the posts on the school forum to be deleted.”

Zhongli Tang took a breath and hummed in acknowledgment. In truth, whether they were deleted or not didn’t matter much; too many people already knew about Qin Wei.

“Thanks for the trouble.”

She hung up and looked at Su He. “What did you say just now?”

“I… I said that when I took Qin Wei out of the classroom, even though she wasn’t fully conscious, she kept calling your name…” Su He said intentionally.

Unexpectedly, Zhongli Tang only gave a simple “Oh.” “Is that so? I see.”

It wasn’t hard to imagine Qin Wei’s state at that moment, pathetic and weak, like a newborn kitten. But even if Qin Wei liked her, so what? She could never truly love a substitute.

Seeing that Zhongli Tang wasn’t faking her indifference, Su He stopped pushing. “Then have you thought about how you’ll explain things to Xu Sui if you really offend the Chen family?”

Qin Wei’s condition wasn’t very serious. After two days of suppressants, her pheromones stabilized, and the discomfort faded.

“Go get a full check-up,” Zhongli Tang said, frowning. Her innate pressure made one instinctively want to obey.

Qin Wei lowered her gaze, looking like a startled rabbit. “I don’t want to go.”

The two locked eyes for a long time. Zhongli Tang didn’t want to be too forceful while she was still recovering. Finally, at Qin Wei’s insistence, the doctor just prescribed some vitamins and left it at that.

Qin Wei stayed in the hospital for three full days before being allowed to leave. Zhongli Tang didn’t mention Chen Ya or the competition, and Qin Wei didn’t ask. Just as they stepped out of the hospital entrance, before Qin Wei could even enjoy the taste of freedom, she was covered by a coat smelling of sea-salt pheromones.

The pheromones brought a sense of warmth, which was beneficial for her recovery. Qin Wei felt a bit puzzled but turned around with a bright smile. “Thank you, Sister.”

Zhongli Tang felt a bit awkward. It was just a coat, what was there to be so happy about?

Suddenly, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, but Zhongli Tang felt an indescribable premonition. She answered it expressionlessly.

The voice on the other end was both strange and familiar.

Xu Sui: “Do you miss me?”