After My Fiancée Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha - Chapter 26

“Even though we did plenty of business together in the past, I prefer the way you are now.” Zhang He rose to her feet. “I hope we’ll have time to gamble again someday.” She walked straight out. Tang Cheng didn’t stop her, she had already gotten the answers she needed.

A madwoman. She hid behind a mask of careless arrogance, mingling among wealthy heirs, expanding her network, exploiting gamblers’ weaknesses, and draining them dry. Her disguise was flawless. No wonder the Zhang family had always thrived—surely this young woman played no small role.

Tang Cheng hurried out, heading toward another room in search of Yuan Tai. She had barely taken two steps when hurried footsteps sounded behind her.

She turned and in an instant, a powerful grip seized her arm, slamming her face against the wall. Her body was pinned, unable to move.

“Tang Cheng?”

The woman behind her was Fang Jing. She quickly released her hold, checking Tang Cheng’s condition, confirming she was unharmed.

“What are you doing here?” Fang Jing asked.

“I came to collect money from Zhang He.” Tang Cheng rubbed her sore arm—her grip had been vicious. “Is this the operation you mentioned yesterday?”

“She just turned herself in. You can find her downstairs.”

“Will this place be shut down now?” Tang Cheng pressed. “I still have assets here.”

“Most likely.” Fang Jing thought for a moment, then nodded. “I warned you to be careful.”

“If the manager’s still here, can I get my money back?”

“You want money? Find him first.” Fang Jing shook her head, realizing she’d said too much. She pointed. “Zhang He should be around that area. Go look.”

Tang Cheng nodded, said goodbye, and went downstairs.

But the manager was gone. Where could he have gone?

This was a sudden report. Even Zhang He, the main culprit, hadn’t fled. Why would the manager disappear?

It couldn’t be that simple. There had to be darker secrets behind it.

She lifted her gaze and met a pair of eyes at the foot of the stairs.

Waiting for her.

Lu Xinxue.

Tang Cheng stepped forward. “Axin.”

“If I said seeing you here made me angry?”

“I’ll apologize.”

Lu Xinxue didn’t respond. Her eyes were like frozen steel, filled with disappointment.

That look was too much like the one from Tang Cheng’s nightmare. Her fingertips curled. Fear rose first, but she forced it down. “I have my reasons for being here. What about you, Axin? Why are you here?”

“My business is none of yours.”

“If you don’t want to say, I won’t ask. Shall we go home?”

Her words were light, almost meaningless, stirring no waves in Tang Cheng’s heart.

“I don’t care what you’re doing. But this is my last warning, at Lu Corporation, be a mechanic. Don’t meddle.”

“Even in your affairs?”

“Yes.”

The finality was clear. Tang Cheng understood. She reached for Lu Xinxue’s hand—it was cold, almost lifeless. Her own palm was always warm, steady through the seasons. Their touch carried the faint scent of thyme.

At least tonight, she got her wish: to go home with Lu Xinxue. She didn’t chatter or tease along the way. Her mind spun, weighing the implications.

Why had Zhang He surrendered?

She was a shrewd businesswoman. Risking everything to protect the Zhang family’s interests made sense.

But why had Lu Xinxue intervened? Surely not just to shield her. Why now, of all times?

If it was about Zhang He, Lu Xinxue wouldn’t bother. Otherwise, why had she chosen Tang Qinggu to handle trouble before?

Her mind was like a perfect machine—cold, logical, weighing every benefit. Acting now meant maximum gain.

Why now?

According to Fang Jing, two or three days ago. At that time, Lu Xinxue had been preparing recruitment at Lu Corporation, while negotiating a major deal.

The blonde Alpha. They had met again yesterday. The target was Star City—the largest casino, its profits beyond ordinary reach. Lu Xinxue struck first, severing someone’s lifeline.

The Gu family.

Yuan Tai. Lu Xinxue had known all along. Her move was to cut off the Gu family’s supply. She was playing a much larger game.

So, what was Tang Cheng? A piece on the board or just a spectator?

Clearly, Lu Xinxue had no use for her now.

She understood, but that didn’t stop the hollow ache in her chest.

At a red light, she glanced at Lu Xinxue. Still cold as ice.

At home, one went upstairs, the other cooked.

Tonight, Tang Cheng didn’t bother with her sleeveless vest. She wore a proper shirt, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared dinner.

When it was ready, she called Lu Xinxue down. But upstairs, her room was empty. Tang Cheng noticed the door to her private room slightly ajar.

What was she doing inside?

Tang Cheng took two steps forward. The door cracked open, revealing Lu Xinxue’s head. “I’ll be down in a moment.”

Tang Cheng tried to peek inside, but one sharp glare sent her back.

“Alright. I’ll wait downstairs.”

Before she could think further, Lu Xinxue came down and sat opposite her.

“Yu Xia’an is your senior?”

A deliberate change of subject. Tang Cheng replied, “We crossed paths at the academy, but not much.”

“Because of that project?”

Tang Cheng: “…”

Her chopsticks froze. She forced a smile, ugly and strained. “Why bring her up suddenly?”

She knew her smile was false. Her lips twitched, fear pressing against her feigned ease.

“Nothing. Just asking.”

Lu Xinxue lowered her head, eating, giving Tang Cheng time to recover.

Tang Cheng pressed her lips together, steadying her breath.

After a while, she picked up some greens and placed them in Lu Xinxue’s bowl. “This is good.”

She lifted her own chopsticks, eating as if nothing was wrong.

“Your recent research, is it related?” Lu Xinxue asked.

Tang Cheng nodded. “What she couldn’t do, I can.”

She had noticed before—Lu Xinxue had looked through her notebook. The pages were out of order. Perhaps someone else had tried to reconstruct it.

It wasn’t surprising. She was about to join Lu Corporation. Every step she took, Lu Xinxue would know including her work on new materials.

“It failed before. Why are you confident now?”

“Because failure taught me how to improve.”

Tang Cheng’s voice was steady, unyielding. With machines, she carried innate confidence.

“Everything changes. I hope you can adapt quickly.”

Lu Xinxue set down her chopsticks, finished, and went upstairs without hesitation.

Tang Cheng stared at the empty bowl. The food before her had lost all taste.

What did she mean by that?

Many things change. Lu Xinxue had said this two days ago, and at the time it hadn’t struck Tang Cheng. But now she repeated it again, clearly a reminder for Tang Cheng to recognize her place.

Tang Cheng set down her chopsticks. Lu Xinxue was always like this, never speaking plainly, always leaving others to guess.

She had already exhausted herself meddling in Zhang He’s affairs today, with Lu Xinxue also involved. Her mind was overworked, and she had no energy left to decipher the hidden meaning behind Lu Xinxue’s words.

Later, she thought.

As for that project six years ago, Lu Xinxue likely didn’t know the full story. It had been so long, why would she still remember?

At last, Tang Cheng got her wish: riding with Lu Xinxue to and from work. Sun Qiang sat in the front, while the two of them shared the back seat. It felt almost like their school days again, when they were inseparable.

Lu Xinxue didn’t like to talk. She leaned her head against her hand, stealing a moment’s rest. Tang Cheng sat beside her, occasionally watching her in silence.

They spoke little along the way. At parting, Tang Cheng handed over the lunch box she had brought along. Lu Xinxue accepted it, and they went their separate ways.

Tang Cheng headed to HR to report in, but halfway there she ran into the interviewer from the other day—HR Director Lin Xin.

“Hello, Tang Cheng. Welcome to Lu Corporation.”

“Hello, Manager Lin.”

“No need to stop by HR. I’ll take you straight to Yu Xia’an.”

It was a convenient privilege, though Tang Cheng accepted it without fuss, following Lin Xin to the research lab.

Inside, Yu Xia’an was already waiting.

“Welcome to Group Five. I look forward to working with you.”

Tang Cheng stepped forward, shaking her hand. The calluses on Yu Xia’an’s palm reminded her again, she couldn’t afford to slack off. She had already fallen behind the times.

She glanced around at the lab.

Three pairs of desks, six in total. Yu Xia’an, and another she recognized from the United Tower. Two more workstations: one empty, the other occupied by a curious male Beta who studied her openly.

Tang Cheng nodded in greeting.

Yu Xia’an asked, “Manager Lin, how come you had time to personally escort her?”

Lin Xin smiled. “I was just passing by. Isn’t she welcome?” Her eyes roamed the office.

Yu Xia’an smirked, unconvinced. “She’s here. You can go now.”

Lin Xin widened her eyes dramatically, clutching her chest. “You—you.”

“Alright, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”

“That’s better. I’m leaving.”

With Lin Xin gone, Yu Xia’an began introductions.

“Yu Fan—you’ve met him. Mechanic, specializes in code control.”

“Yuan Jie—the perfect support. He can repair any chip or device.” The shy Beta nodded.

“And then there’s Xie Chensong. Late again.” Yu Xia’an checked her watch. “You’ll get used to it. She graduated from A University, three years after you. You wouldn’t know her. She’s one of our core researchers, like me. And soon, you.”

Tang Cheng nodded, greeting each in turn.

Just then, the door opened. A female Omega entered, hair dyed smoky gray, long and straight to her waist, bangs neat despite the equipment case slung over her shoulder. Calm, orderly—that was Tang Cheng’s first impression of Xie Chensong.

“Chensong, this is Tang Cheng. You’ll be colleagues.”

Yu Xia’an introduced them.

Xie Chensong brushed past Tang Cheng, returning to her desk to unpack her tools.

“I know,” she said, glancing at Tang Cheng. “President Lu’s fiancée.”

Just a few words, without even looking her in the eye.

“Chensong is one of the hottest rising stars in mechanics these past years. She’s just a bit proud. Don’t mind her,” Yu Xia’an explained.

Tang Cheng heard clearly. Three years younger—twenty-three. And already challenging her.

Mechanical engineering often produced prodigies. But prodigies faded, and new talent rose. Tang Cheng had started at seven, entered the academy at seventeen, and worked from dismantling to designing, from prototypes to market. She had immersed herself in the industry. She knew she was behind, but not by much. Time could make up for lost time.

“Everyone’s like that when they’re young,” Tang Cheng said with a smile. At twenty, she too had been arrogant, shutting herself away to build alone.

“Hmph.”

Xie Chensong scoffed, unimpressed.

Tang Cheng didn’t take offense. She exchanged a look with Yu Xia’an, there were questions she had long wanted to ask.

They left together, one after the other.

In the office, the three remaining stared at each other. Xie Chensong glared at the door, then slammed a chip onto her desk.

At the end of the corridor, no one lingered.

Tang Cheng asked, “Why did you join Lu Corporation?”

Outside, traffic roared. Six years had changed everything in technology.

Yu Xia’an leaned against the window, lighting a cigarette. “Same as you. To pursue the most advanced materials, to create. You don’t mind, do you?”

Tang Cheng opened the window slightly, letting in air. “Is that all?”

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t care about President Lu,” Yu Xia’an replied.

Tang Cheng clicked her tongue. “That’s not what I meant. Why didn’t you continue? Your graduation project—if successful, it could have changed the world. Why not keep researching once you joined Lu Corporation?”

She studied Yu Xia’an’s face. Her eyes flickered. “Because I don’t dare touch it again.”

“Because of what happened afterward?”

Tang Cheng meant the incident after the presentation. A company had invited them to sample the experiment. It was highly anticipated. But due to mishandling by the team, the subjects—young students volunteering for charity suffered tragedy. One dead, one injured. A life lost before Yu Xia’an’s eyes at twenty-two.

All because of her naïve dream to change the world.

“After graduation, I never touched that field again. I wasted away at home,” Yu Xia’an admitted. For Tang Cheng, that time had been blank. But if it had been her, if she had killed someone through negligence, what would she have done?

“Then why return?”

“Two years ago, Lu Corporation expanded into new fields. President Lu came personally to invite me back. And because of news about you.”