After My Fiancée Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha - Chapter 28

“When I met with Jenny about work the other day, I saw a beautiful bouquet of tulips. Unfortunately, someone bought it before I could.”

Tang Cheng followed Lu Xinxue’s gaze to the vibrant flowers blooming nearby. Something inside her eased, and she smiled. “Maybe I was the one who bought them.”

Seeing Tang Cheng relax, Lu Xinxue let out a quiet breath.

In the past, if Tang Cheng hadn’t spoken, Lu Xinxue would have pretended not to notice—no explanations, no comfort. They would sulk in silence, each waiting for the other to speak first, unwilling to yield, as if doing so meant losing ground.

But Lu Xinxue was no longer that immature. Time had taught her to grow. A few words of initiative wouldn’t hurt; they could prevent needless conflict.

She was relearning how to love.

Lu Xinxue asked, “What were you about to say?”

Tang Cheng shook her head. “Nothing. Just wondering if you wanted dessert.”

“Did you buy any?”

“I had one ready the other day, but I dropped it. I’ll prepare another tomorrow.”

Lu Xinxue nodded. Judging by Tang Cheng’s guilty look, she probably saw Jenny and threw it away. She knew Tang Cheng’s petty jealousy too well.

And so, the sour-faced Tang Cheng suddenly brightened, clinging to Lu Xinxue’s side, calling her “Axin” over and over.

Lu Xinxue pushed her away, pointing at the notebook. “What’s this?”

Tang Cheng paused, then glanced at the notebook. It was her notes from working with new experimental equipment earlier that day.

She explained each detail. Before their differentiation, Lu Xinxue had been the one holding mechanical textbooks, teaching her. Becoming a mechanic had been Lu Xinxue’s childhood dream. She had shared all her knowledge with Tang Cheng, making her Tang Cheng’s first teacher in mechanics.

But after differentiation, Lu Xinxue shifted to finance. Tang Cheng had to shoulder the burden of mechanics alone. In research, there had to be someone trustworthy. Tang Cheng bore the pressure, climbing upward.

Now, their roles had reversed. Tang Cheng was the one explaining research data.

Years of focusing on Lu Corporation’s finances had left Lu Xinxue behind in technical study. Even with Tang Cheng’s detailed explanations, she understood only half.

Research was nothing like finance. After a while, Lu Xinxue cut her off.

“Is it stressful?” she asked.

Tang Cheng shook her head. “Not really. Just rusty after so long.”

Satisfied, Lu Xinxue said, “Do your best. Don’t disappoint me.”

With that, she went upstairs, leaving Tang Cheng alone.

The living room lamp glowed yellow. Tang Cheng touched the fresh notes on the aged paper, feeling the passage of time beneath her fingertips. The stairwell swallowed Lu Xinxue’s fading voice.

Don’t disappoint her.

Tang Cheng closed the notebook, her eyes dim.

The next morning, they went to work together. As they stepped out of the car, someone emerged from the vehicle opposite.

Xie Chensong, Tang Cheng’s colleague.

She greeted Lu Xinxue warmly, deliberately ignoring Tang Cheng.

This junior clearly had a problem with her.

In the elevator, Lu Xinxue stood silently at the back. Xie Chensong refused to stand near Tang Cheng, instead pressing close to Lu Xinxue.

Tang Cheng couldn’t fathom what she had done to offend her.

But since they would be working together, she stopped her once the elevator doors closed.

“You seem to have a big problem with me.”

Tang Cheng emphasized big. It was obvious this wasn’t ordinary dislike.

She could see the hatred in Xie Chensong’s eyes.

“Of course. Mechanics despise plagiarists most of all.”

Her bangs shadowed her eyes. She wasn’t as tall as Tang Cheng, so she tilted her chin upward, stubborn like a young girl.

Tang Cheng had no intention of explaining the past. She hadn’t even told Lu Xinxue, let alone this inexperienced junior.

“It’s been years.”

No doubt Zhou Yidong had spread her infamy through the academy after she left. No one had defended her. She had been expelled, branded.

“It’s your shame. Naturally, you don’t want it mentioned.” Her voice was firm, as if Tang Cheng was irredeemable.

Tang Cheng said evenly, “Let’s compete. If I win, you stop bringing it up.”

“And if I win, you stay out of my sight.”

“I’ll try.” Tang Cheng nodded.

They agreed. The wager was set.

Tang Cheng hadn’t yet mastered the new high-tech tools, so she would rely on her own.

“What shall we compete in?”

Whether it was assembly, circuitry, or coding, Tang Cheng was skilled. Yu Xia’an had said Xie Chensong was a mechanic, but hadn’t specified her specialty.

Yuan Jie and Yu Fan overheard and rushed to prepare. One tidied the lab equipment, the other ran to call Yu Xia’an.

Yu Xia’an was stuck in traffic. Hearing of the challenge, she only laughed. “Let them. It’ll be fine.”

With the team leader’s approval, Yu Fan returned to watch.

Yuan Jie asked, “What did the boss say?”

Yu Fan shook his head. “Not interfering.”

Yuan Jie sighed, setting equipment on the table. “Great. I still have two systems to repair, and now this.”

Yu Fan grinned. “Enjoy it. They’re both A University’s prodigies.”

Yuan Jie adjusted his glasses. He was always buried in work, uninterested in fame. “Didn’t Tang Cheng quit years ago?”

Yu Fan replied, “Last time, when we repaired United’s machine, the code nearly broke me. She cracked it instantly.”

He spoke vividly. Yuan Jie remembered the danger. Yu Fan had repeated the story many times. Could Tang Cheng really have done it?

Yu Fan specialized in code creation, not virus defense. Tang Cheng had solved the virus problem, proof she was strong in that area too. And Yuan Jie had heard she’d worked at a repair company recently, meaning her hands-on skills were solid.

Such a versatile mechanic, comparable to their leader. No wonder Xie Chensong wanted to challenge her. Yuan Jie himself felt tempted.

Xie Chensong pointed to the machine core. “Assembly practice or chip repair?”

“Whichever you prefer.”

“Then assembly. Those are new parts from the neighboring group—seven hundred thirty-two pieces, still experimental. We’ll time ourselves, inspect, and repair.”

“Alright.”

Tang Cheng accepted the challenge. It felt like the childhood game of building blocks—precision was equal, so the race came down to speed.

Outside, Yuan Jie and Yu Fan watched as the two cleared a space, preparing for the contest.

A pair of hands landed on their shoulders. Yu Fan grinned. “Finally, you’re here, boss.”

It was Yu Xia’an. Hearing that her two juniors were about to compete, she had rushed over, arriving just in time before they began.

Yu Xia’an frowned. “Assembly practice? Boring.”

Yuan Jie blinked. “Boss, what do you mean?”

“For them, it’s too easy. Next time, give them something harder. Then we won’t have to work.”

The two exchanged a laugh.

The timer was set on the table. Tang Cheng pressed start. Both women opened their toolboxes, laying out their instruments in neat order.

Their hands moved quickly. In moments, each had built a workstation suited to her habits.

Tang Cheng still used her old tools—far fewer than Xie Chensong’s. While Tang Cheng was shaping the framework, Xie Chensong was only removing her first piece.

She even had time to glance at Tang Cheng’s progress and scoff.

Tang Cheng ignored her. She built the foundation, then moved to the complex midsection. A mistake here would mean tearing it apart repeatedly, wasting time.

She slowed her movements, her left hand deftly assisting. If only I’d brought the mechanical arm.

The parts were many and intricate. She needed to gather a dozen at once, and it strained her.

Meanwhile, Xie Chensong had already used a sorting machine to classify her pieces, quickly catching up.

Yu Fan whispered, “Boss, who do you think will win?”

Yu Xia’an raised a brow, smiling faintly. “What do you think?”

Yu Fan shook his head. “No idea.”

Yu Xia’an turned to Yuan Jie. “And you?”

Yuan Jie hesitated. “No idea. But since you allowed it, Miss Tang probably won’t lose.”

Yu Xia’an chuckled. “They’re just competing. Neither will win.”

Inside, the two had reached the final stage. Assembly was complete. Now came the computer diagnostics.

Tang Cheng connected her system, beginning to program parameters.

They started almost simultaneously, separated by only a breath.

The timer ticked past thirty minutes. Outside, the three watched intently, unwilling to miss a moment.

Then Tang Cheng hit a problem. One program revealed a flaw in the chip itself—a defect in the equipment. She deleted the last two lines of code and restarted the repair.

Yu Fan frowned. “Why did she delete it?”

Yuan Jie explained calmly, “The chip’s faulty. This batch is experimental, quality varies.”

He was a master of chip repair. Even from a distance, he could guess the issue.

Yu Fan clenched his fingers nervously.

Yu Xia’an remained composed.

Tang Cheng struggled with the chip, while Xie Chensong raced ahead, fingers flying across the keyboard, nearing completion.

Tang Cheng glanced at her. Her calm heart suddenly flared. She couldn’t fix this bug. The chip’s defect was beyond her. Her once-sure hands stiffened, trembling uncontrollably.

She tried to type, but her fingers recoiled from the keyboard. She couldn’t repair it.

Xie Chensong noticed her hesitation, pausing in confusion.

Tang Cheng whispered, “I lost.”

Her voice was small, almost closed-mouthed, devoid of emotion, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Xie Chensong bristled. At their pace, the outcome was still uncertain. Why admit defeat now?

“What do you mean? Do you look down on me?”

Her gray hair swayed as she turned, anger flashing. She was furious. To surrender without a word wasn’t about winning or losing, it was about respect.

If she feared losing, she shouldn’t have competed. To quit midway felt like condescension.

The three outside entered. Seeing the chip issue, Yuan Jie stepped forward, sat at Tang Cheng’s station, and began typing.

The lab filled with the sound of his keystrokes. Tang Cheng stood behind him, following every move. As she suspected, he too stalled at the critical step.

Then Yuan Jie deleted the entire line of code, rewriting it, attempting to patch the defect through programming.

“Boss,” he said, “it can be fixed. Give me a day.”

Yu Xia’an shook her head. “No need. Report it to Group Two. Let them take these rejects back.”

She turned to the competitors. “Well? Shall we go again?”

Tang Cheng didn’t hesitate. She stepped back, shaking her head. “No. I’ll honor the agreement.”

She strode out of the lab.

Lu Xinxue had been right. Many things change.

Technology had advanced beyond her reach. Six years ago, she had been diligent, a rising star in mechanics. Now, she was six years behind.

She couldn’t even fix a chip’s code.

She took half an hour to assemble a device. Repairing old machines was fine, but did she truly have the ability to push forward into new technology?

For the first time, Tang Cheng doubted her own strength. Yesterday she had promised Lu Xinxue she wouldn’t disappoint her. Today, she couldn’t even edit a simple chip program.

Mechanics was her last shield. Without it, she had nothing.

The nightmare’s fear still clung to her. If she lost her title as a mechanic, how could she chase Lu Xinxue?

What would Lu Xinxue admire in her then?

Her temper? Her kindness? Her gentleness?

Absurd. Those were the basics of any lover. When had they become her only virtues?

Silence pressed in. Tang Cheng felt she had lost everything.

The pain of forcing her hands through assembly numbed her fingertips, leaving them itching faintly.

She left the building, retreating to a café downstairs.

Cold coffee cooled her fingers, easing the agitation. But the turmoil in her heart never stopped. Did she still have a chance?

A shadow fell across her table. Someone sat opposite, calm and steady.

Tang Cheng looked up. It was him.