After Being Used As A Substitute By A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 23

“What’s wrong?” Qin Wei stopped her work and offered a smile.

Zhongli Tang pursed her lips, her expression remaining calm. “Nothing. I just came over to tell you to go to bed early.”

Qin Wei nodded obediently.

But by the time Zhongli Tang wanted to go over and see her again, the study door had already closed. Unable to see Qin Wei, a sense of inexplicable panic rose in her heart.

Zhongli Tang blamed everything on Chen Ya. If he hadn’t caused this mess, Qin Wei would probably be lying comfortably in her arms right now, there would be no need for all this extra effort.

Working alone involved a massive workload. Qin Wei had expected it to be large, but she hadn’t anticipated it being this overwhelming. After a few days, she was starting to feel the strain.

[Su He: You there?]

Qin Wei didn’t really want to reply, but suddenly there was a knock at the door, forcing her to get up and open it.

“Are you looking for Sister? She went out,” Qin Wei said. It seemed like something urgent had happened, but Qin Wei never asked what, this time was no exception.

“Oh, is that so?” Su He blinked, acting as if she were hearing it for the first time. “That’s quite unfortunate.”

“It’s fine. Why don’t you come in and sit for a while? I’ve been very busy lately, so I haven’t had much free time.”

Su He appeared very proactive. “Is it about that project we talked about last time? How is the progress?”

Qin Wei hummed in affirmation. It wasn’t exactly a secret, so she didn’t mind telling Su He. “Not very fast.”

At least, it wasn’t reaching the speed she wanted. The university labs had limited availability, and she wasn’t the only one who needed them. Even when she brought work home, her laptop’s processing speed simply couldn’t keep up.

As the days passed, although she didn’t care much about the reactions on the school forums, Bai Ling would relay them to her. She didn’t need to guess to know how lively things were over there.

“How about this? I have everything you need at my place. I’ll lend it to you for a few days.” Su He finally managed to steer the conversation toward what she actually wanted to say.

Qin Wei blinked in disbelief, hesitating. “Is that okay?”

If she could have access to that, it would be wonderful.

Hearing this, Su He almost patted her chest in guarantee and even called Zhongli Tang on the spot. Qin Wei had no reason to disbelieve her, nor did she feel she had anything worth being coveted by the other party.

Half an hour later, Su He didn’t take her to the Su Corporation, but to another location. Qin Wei found it strange, but upon entering and seeing the equipment before her, her eyes instantly lit up.

Most of it was the latest hardware.

Qin Wei didn’t let the excitement go to her head and quickly calmed down. “Is this for me to borrow?”

“Ahem, yes. Use it for now.”

Fearing Qin Wei would figure out too much, Su He quickly ran out.

[Su He: Why don’t you just tell her this lab is yours? I’ve become the middleman between you two.]

She remembered that when Zhongli Tang was in relationships before, she never acted like this. Why go through all this trouble now just to let Qin Wei use a newly opened lab?

Su He couldn’t wrap her head around it.

[Zhongli Tang: Thanks. I owe you one.]

Su He found this extraordinary. It was rare to hear Zhongli Tang say such a thing.

[Su He: Then let Qin Wei cook for me a few more times.]

Su He had been craving her cooking ever since the last time she tasted it, but she just hadn’t found the right opportunity.

Zhongli Tang’s reply came quickly, just two succinct words: [No way.]

Su He snorted. A rejection meant nothing; she could just trick Qin Wei anyway.

With the help of the lab, Qin Wei’s progress could be described as skyrocketing. She no longer had to sacrifice food and sleep for the sake of progress, and her recently thinned frame began to recover.

Ultimately, Su He couldn’t resist the temptation of Qin Wei’s cooking and threw Zhongli Tang’s warning to the wind. In exchange for a few meals, she took over the task of driving Qin Wei back and forth.

Finding a nearby empty room, Qin Wei habitually took out two lunch boxes. Su He ate with a look of pure touched emotion.

“I dream of marrying an Omega like you… sigh, what a pity…”

“It’s not too late. I know many Omegas. What type do you like? I can introduce you, though it depends on your own luck,” Qin Wei said calmly.

Su He shook her head, her tone turning slightly urgent. “That’s not the same… that’s not what I meant… I mean you’re so gentle and virtuous. Which Omega is like you? This is a hundred times better than the ones President Zhong dated before.”

She realized what she said and immediately shut her mouth.

Seeing her fall silent, Qin Wei asked curiously, “Why did you stop talking?”

Su He knew exactly why Zhongli Tang chose to keep Qin Wei by her side, but Qin Wei didn’t know. Qin Wei even seemed deeply in love with her. Su He had chosen to keep the secret initially because of Zhongli Tang’s request, but now it was because she didn’t want Qin Wei to be too heartbroken.

No Omega would be willing to love an Alpha who was only with them because their pheromones resembled another Omega’s.

“Aren’t you angry?” Su He snapped back to reality and looked at Qin Wei’s face, trying to find any hidden sadness. There was none.

Qin Wei’s amber pupils were crystal clear, looking into them for too long gave the illusion of falling in. Her lashes fluttered, and she suddenly smiled, her voice clear and gentle. “Why should I be angry about that?”

Besides, the experiment was progressing, and she was happy enough about that.

Su He could see that Qin Wei truly didn’t care. She had dated several girlfriends, and every time the topic of exes came up, it would lead to endless trouble. Qin Wei didn’t have those thoughts at all. Either she was a great actor, or she genuinely didn’t mind.

“But when you love someone, you get jealous. You clearly like her so much, it’s okay to admit you’re jealous. It’s just the two of us here anyway.”

Qin Wei paused. A flicker of confusion appeared in her eyes. Why would she “like” Zhongli Tang? She was only there because of the other’s pheromones. Zhongli Tang couldn’t leave her, at least not for now. Since Zhongli Tang liked her to act a certain way, she would just play the part. At least the two of them were very compatible in certain matters, she didn’t dislike it, so it was a win-win for everyone.

Qin Wei had always felt this was their unspoken agreement, creating an atmosphere that neither of them hated. She had grown quite used to it after all, it wasn’t difficult.

“It’s alright. Actually, I’ve always been very grateful to her.” Her voice was as calm as still water.

“Huh?” The food that Su He usually found delicious suddenly lost its flavor. She looked on in total disbelief. Her only thought was that it was a good thing Zhongli Tang wasn’t here, or she would surely go crazy.

Qin Wei was puzzled by her shocked reaction and pursed her lips. “Didn’t Sister tell you?”

“Wh-what?” Su He stammered.

“Our relationship has always been simple. She helped me a lot, but I’ve also accompanied her for a long time. As for what you said… isn’t the one by her side right now still me? So I don’t need to be jealous.”

Qin Wei spoke without a shred of selfishness. Setting aside the pheromone aspect, she neither disliked nor “loved” Zhongli Tang. If she had to name a feeling, it was only gratitude.

Su He’s expression was numb. Subconsciously, she actually thought Qin Wei’s logic made sense.

She took a moment to digest the information, but didn’t forget to finish every scrap of food in her bowl.

Fair enough, she thought. Since Zhongli Tang is just treating her as a stand-in anyway, love doesn’t really enter the equation.

When Zhongli Tang returned, it was already eleven o’clock at night. Qin Wei had prepared a midnight snack for her and was staying in the study alone, surrounded by stacks of research materials.

“Sister is back?” Qin Wei smiled, her warmth infectious.

Zhongli Tang couldn’t help but want to sink into that warmth. She felt the corners of her lips turning up and tried her best to control it, frowning instead. “Go to sleep, now.”

Qin Wei immediately lowered her head, pretending not to hear, and continued flipping through her papers.

Zhongli Tang patiently waited for five minutes, but Qin Wei only grew more absorbed in her work. Unable to bear it any longer, she simply scooped the girl up from her chair in a princess carry.

“Sleep!”