After My Fiancée Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha - Chapter 005

The interview was scheduled for nine in the morning. Tang Cheng drove over and arrived right on time.

After stating her purpose, the receptionist personally escorted her inside, stealing a few discreet glances along the way.

In City A, Tang Cheng’s name was widely known—not for the mechanical genius she had displayed in her youth, but for the notoriety she had earned over the past two years. She had become a favorite topic of idle gossip: the perfect example of a decadent aristocrat, whose glossy surface hid nothing but rot. The louder the rumors grew, the more the Tang family seized the chance to publicly denounce her under the guise of an apology, all to draw attention to their company.

She was discarded like an unwanted chess piece. From then on, whenever she needed money, she no longer reached out to the Tang family, but to Lu Xinxue.

Today, Tang Cheng wore her last decent hoodie, her long hair tied back, a fresh cut still visible on her face. She looked every bit the young student—so different from the bold, glamorous image in the news that even the girl leading her inside didn’t connect her to that person.

The interview skipped pointless small talk. Instead, they handed Tang Cheng a WF456 unit and told her to start repairs.

Holding a pair of needle-nose pliers in her left hand, she pried it open. At the soft click of the latch, her focused gaze shifted slightly. With a firm press of her fingertips, the room was silent but for the sound of metal scraping and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. Even now, the fact that she was back still felt unreal.

The interviewer noticed she was left-handed and paused to observe her technique before leaving, reassured that her speed was on par with the other candidates.

Back in her university days, this machine had been cutting-edge technology—capable of linking to the human brain and translating thoughts directly into text.

Now, however, technology had advanced to 3D construction models, with the WF734 replacing the WF456 entirely. Once the pride of the industry, these older units were now obsolete and nearly worthless, occasionally dismantled for parts, but otherwise forgotten.

Tang Cheng was fortunate; if they’d given her one of the newest high-end models from the past two years, she would have needed extra time to study it.

Her passion for mechanics bordered on obsession. Examining an exterior wasn’t enough—she often felt compelled to dismantle the inside, even dig into the code, until she understood every detail from the inside out.

Small companies like this mostly dealt with home-use machines—robotic pets, modular furniture—occasionally printers or security devices.

This was nothing like the Lu Corporation, whose mechanical division led innovation and development instead of cleaning up after faulty products.

The interview went smoothly. Tang Cheng was the fastest in her group. Once they confirmed she had no criminal record, she signed the contract and could leave immediately after confirming her registration with the third-party platform.

The company’s system was simple: employers posted requests through the third party, which then listed them on an open app for mechanics. Jobs were first-come, first-served, and the more you worked, the more you earned.

When she left, it was only eleven. She found a noodle shop and ordered the best set meal she could afford—by the end of the afternoon job, she’d have money again.

Her next assignment came quickly: repairing an optical measuring machine from an eyeglass store. Mechanics dreaded these devices—not only were they bulky, but their calibration process was tedious and time-consuming. Those with short tempers couldn’t manage it.

It was also marked as a rush order, and with skilled mechanics scarce, no one wanted to stop for it—leaving Tang Cheng to pick up the opportunity.

The shop owner hadn’t held out much hope. When she saw “A University – Mechanical Engineering” on Tang Cheng’s profile, she reached out on a whim. To her surprise, Tang Cheng immediately accepted. She figured the mechanic must be a strapped-for-cash student and doubted she’d manage it.

But when they met, and she saw Tang Cheng was a young female Alpha, she could only steel herself and greet her.

Tang Cheng cut her off before the pleasantries began.

“No need for small talk—let’s see the machine first.”

She had a medical exam scheduled for five o’clock, so time was tight.

“Do you have a trial lens set?” Tang Cheng asked.

The woman nodded and hurried over to the display rack, taking down a single-lens frame and handing it to her. The metal frame gave Tang Cheng an added air of maturity. Seeing her get straight to dismantling the unit, the shop owner finally relaxed.

The pay for this job was generous. With it, Tang Cheng could settle her debt with Officer Fang Jing and still afford her hospital checkup.

She had confidence in her skills—time-consuming, yes, but not difficult.

Beneath the cover, a dense weave of circuits appeared. Brushing away the dust, she decided to clean it thoroughly while she was at it.

Some parts were worn with age, but she quickly pinpointed the fault. Just as she began repairs, the shop owner handed her a takeout lunch.

The Omega woman smiled warmly. Tang Cheng had been working all morning, and it was already midday—she decided to treat her.

Tang Cheng didn’t refuse; in her current situation, she couldn’t afford to turn down a free meal.

They sat together on the shop’s couch, plastic meal boxes in hand, exchanging glances.

“You’re a student?” the shop owner asked first. “I’ve hired several mechanics before, but they all said this couldn’t be fixed.”

Tang Cheng paused, picking the chili from her rice with her left hand. “Do I really look like a student?”

“You can’t be more than twenty-two?”

“I’m twenty-six,” Tang Cheng replied.

The woman’s lips curved. “I’m Gu Simiao. Thank you for coming today.”

Tang Cheng hesitated to give her name, but the Omega had already extended a hand. She shook it. “Tang Cheng. And don’t thank me—if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be eating this meal.”

She gave a small laugh. Getting back to Lu Xinxue’s side would take time and resources, and in the meantime, she had no choice but to take whatever repair jobs came her way.

In the past, someone with her skills could command a seven-figure annual salary. She’d never had the chance to enjoy such a life before she was forced to start over.

Gu Simiao hadn’t expected Tang Cheng to be living so… miserably.

The mechanics she knew were all aloof, with money to burn.

Tang Cheng was different—and that made Gu Simiao want to befriend her. “Then we’re friends now. If you ever need anything, you can come to me.”

Having a mechanic as a friend was no bad thing. This optical shop was just one of her private holdings, and Tang Cheng clearly had potential. Investment was about the future, not the present.

Tang Cheng was momentarily taken aback, but she understood the intention. For the sake of survival, she nodded in agreement.

By three o’clock, the machine was repaired and tested. Gu Simiao gifted her the trial lens set as thanks.

Tang Cheng accepted—she really did need it. Life was hard, and sometimes you had to be thick-skinned.

She earned thirty thousand from the job. First, she transferred repayment to Fang Jing and asked when she’d be available to return the watch.

No reply—probably busy with a case.

By four o’clock, Tang Cheng was at the hospital and still hadn’t heard back.

The sharp scent of disinfectant hit her as she approached. She picked up a suppression patch before entering.

She opted for a full-body examination, adding extra checks for her glands and brain—making it a comprehensive assessment.

Tang Cheng had never liked hospitals. They carried a heaviness, a quiet sorrow. The people here felt like broken machines waiting to be repaired—some would recover, while others were like the WF456, good only for harvesting parts.

While waiting for her results, one hand on the back of her neck, she caught sight of a familiar figure.

A tall woman, a white mask doing nothing to hide her striking beauty. The bruises on her neck from a few days ago had faded. She held paperwork in one hand, the other covering her neck. Was she here for a gland check?

What was Lu Xinxue doing here?

Her gaze must have lingered too long, because Lu Xinxue soon noticed her.

Tang Cheng walked toward her. In public, Lu Xinxue wasn’t afraid she’d try anything outrageous, so she stood her ground to see what she was up to this time.

She knew about the incident from two days ago—Tang Cheng seemed to forget that her credit card was linked to Lu Xinxue’s phone. Every expense and payment was there for her to see.

The loan sharks, the cash advances… At first, she turned a blind eye. But then Tang Cheng lost a million in a single night, and took advantage of Lu’s pheromone-triggered heat, boldly entering her home.

If she hadn’t left quickly that night, years of restraint might have gone up in smoke.

At least she had the sense to ask Zhang He to patch things over afterward, and stayed away for a while.

When she called late at night, Lu hadn’t intended to answer. But with the haze of alcohol, a faint sense of emptiness crept in, and just before the call cut off, she picked up.

Unfortunately, that brief peace didn’t last. The next night, Tang Cheng stirred up more trouble, forcing Lu to send Uncle Sun to fetch her. The marriage contract hadn’t been dissolved yet, and no matter how badly

Tang Cheng behaved, the Tang family’s disgrace still touched her by association.

But then Uncle Sun reported she had taken on part-time work today.

“A-Xin, are you hurt?” Tang Cheng asked, worry plain in her eyes.

The concern caught Lu Xinxue off guard—it was the first thing she saw in Tang Cheng’s expression.

Looking closely, she recognized the hoodie Tang Cheng often wore back when she was nineteen and still in school. Back then, Lu was always buying her new clothes, but she rarely wore them. This casual look was what Lu usually saw on campus.

She also noticed the injury on her face—likely from the fight with Zhang He. A sudden tightness welled in her chest. She wasn’t sure whether it was anger at Zhang He for hitting her… or something else entirely.

Lu shook her head. “Routine checkup.”

A checkup? A few nights ago, she had said suppression patches didn’t work on her. Was this why?

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Tang Cheng asked.

The words carried an unintended double meaning—an Alpha asking an Omega if she needed help with her glands sounded far too suggestive.

Catching the cold look in Lu’s eyes, she quickly waved her hands. “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that, A-Xin, I just meant…”

You can call me if you need me?

I’ll be there anytime?

But both sounded wrong. Her grip on the prescription slip tightened until the paper crumpled. In the end, Tang Cheng simply pressed her lips together, unsure what else to say.

Lu noticed she was holding the slip with her left hand and frowned slightly before speaking.

“Are you free later?”