After My Fiancée Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha - Chapter 48

She had to prove Yu Xia’an wrong that Lu Xinxue’s choice was right, that she was no plagiarist but a true genius.

Even if, as Yu Xia’an said, she was burning through her talent without laying steady foundations so what? She didn’t care.

Tang Cheng stepped out of the car, unwilling to argue further. Her conviction was immovable; no one could change it.

Tang Qinggu followed. The room had been reserved in advance. They had barely settled when Lu Xinxue entered.

Only after confirming Tang Cheng was unharmed did she sit calmly.

Tang Cheng had already told her about the meeting and the nursing home. Without wasting a minute, Lu Xinxue turned to Tang Qinggu.

“When did you first notice something was wrong with him?”

“Today, when Xiao Cheng told me he carried Alpha pheromones.”

As a Beta, Tang Qinggu couldn’t sense pheromones herself, but she knew this wasn’t the first time Tang Han had drawn close.

Tang Cheng understood. No wonder her sister had worn that unreadable expression earlier, she had already suspected, but hadn’t said.

“Was it Liu Xiangqin, or.”

“He’s recently been in contact with a Gu family subsidiary. I need time to confirm.”

Lu Xinxue nodded. “If it’s him, everything makes sense.”

Tang Cheng frowned. Makes sense?

“At the mid-year meeting, those two suppressant injections shouldn’t have failed so quickly.”

Tang Cheng remembered. That was when she first met Tang Qinggu. Tang Han had approached, and later, when Liu Xiangqin blocked them at the elevator, he was there too. If he had interfered, triggering Lu Xinxue’s heat, neither Alpha nor Beta would have noticed.

So, it was him.

“Why betray you suddenly?”

“We share a mother, but that doesn’t mean we’re close. Perhaps he envies my talent.” Tang Qinggu’s tone was mocking. Tang Cheng looked away; even Lu Xinxue turned aside.

After a pause, Tang Qinggu smiled faintly. “Just a joke. Give me time, I’ll find out.”

“You won’t return to Tang Corporation?” Tang Cheng asked.

“I still have a media company. Small, but enough to live.”

“That’s good.”

“Without me, Tang Corporation won’t last long in the storm.”

“Is that a warning?” Lu Xinxue asked.

“Not a warning. We’re in the same boat. If you support me, it lays the foundation for us both.”

She wanted Lu Xinxue to pressure Tang Siyuan, to show shareholders where true profit lay. The company’s fate didn’t matter to her, what mattered was leveraging Lu Xinxue’s power.

“How much pressure?”

“Enough to survive.”

The negotiation was swift. Lu Xinxue agreed. Helping Tang Qinggu regain power, making her their hidden blade, was worthwhile.

But how to ensure that blade didn’t turn? Tang Qinggu revealed her safeguard, Grandmother Wang Si. By entrusting her to Tang Cheng, she bound herself to Lu Xinxue. Even if Tang Corporation became a shell, she didn’t care.

Tang Cheng admired her courage, though her heart ached watching her speak so easily with Lu Xinxue.

“I’ve wanted to ask two years ago, you leaked the news. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Lu Xinxue lifted her teacup calmly. “Yes.”

“You knew I’d come closer. You even foresaw I’d seek Zhong Rou?”

“That, no. I never thought you’d sacrifice so much.”

“It wasn’t sacrifice. We loved each other.”

Tang Cheng’s eyes widened. She turned to Lu Xinxue, stunned. Lu Xinxue remained composed. “Zhong Rou? I never heard she liked you.”

Tang Cheng bit her tongue. Lu Xinxue was lying. Zhong Rou had said otherwise. She glanced at Tang Qinggu, but her sister’s expression gave nothing away.

Tang Qinggu lowered her gaze. “Is that so? Fine.”

At the mention of Zhong Rou, Lu Xinxue’s face hardened.

“Tang Cheng, fetch the file from my car.”

She handed over the keys. Tang Cheng left.

Once she was gone, Lu Xinxue opened the window, lit a cigarette, and exhaled smoke into the wind.

“Anything you want to say?”

“She’s still too young. Too often.”

“I can help her grow.” Tang Qinggu’s insight had sharpened. Lu Xinxue drew again, careful not to let the scent cling.

“Don’t make her too much like you.”

Lu Xinxue’s glance was sharp. Tang Qinggu only smiled.

She leaned against the window, her reflection showing longer hair, bangs shading her eyes, so unlike Tang Cheng. What did she truly admire in her sister? She wasn’t sure. But she knew Lu Xinxue had shifted from shielding Tang Cheng to pushing her to grow.

“Your grandmother, any chance of recovery?”

The question startled her. After a pause: “Doctors say, very little.”

“I’ll help you find one. You could—”

“No. Those memories are too painful. I want her to live peacefully.”

“Alright.”

Lu Xinxue understood. Wang Si was her lifeline, her vulnerability. By revealing her, Tang Qinggu had proven trust.

That was why, when she heard Tang Cheng had been targeted, she rushed over before the meeting ended.

She realized again, she couldn’t let Tang Cheng wander unchecked.

Since the day Tang Cheng had told her, “Don’t look back. I’m not afraid,” she had known she needed Tang Qinggu as a piece on the board.

Either cage Tang Cheng as a canary or let her grow, guided by Tang Qinggu’s ambition.

So, she allowed it. Tang Qinggu would draw close, but under her watch.

The Gu family had moved too soon. Lu Xinxue noted it silently, crushing the cigarette in the ashtray.

When Tang Cheng returned, both women were seated again, silent.

She handed over the folder. Inside was a contract transfer of Lu Xinxue’s Tang family shares.

“Pleasure working together.”

Lu Xinxue signed swiftly, passing it to Tang Qinggu. The clauses were clear: Tang Cheng’s safety, her well-being guaranteed.

Neither feared Tang Cheng reading it. Both signed without hesitation.

For Lu Xinxue, holding shares was less useful than buying goodwill. Small profits meant nothing to her.

With the contract signed, Tang Qinggu suddenly realized she was about to step into a long holiday. Her mood was bright, her face relaxed. She lifted her chopsticks and picked up a tender green vegetable—only to discover, too late, that it was drenched in numbing chili spice. She swallowed quickly, throat burning, eyes widening in disbelief as she turned toward Tang Cheng.

The dish had been ordered to suit Lu Xinxue’s taste, but Tang Cheng had forgotten that her sister, like herself, couldn’t handle spice.

The smug composure drained from Tang Qinggu’s face, replaced by a flush of red. Tang Cheng stifled her laughter. The revolving table turned the dish toward Lu Xinxue, who calmly took a bite, her expression unruffled, betraying no discomfort.

Tang Qinggu shook her head. She was destined to lose to this pair.

The dinner didn’t last long. Once business was concluded, Tang Qinggu excused herself, Grandmother Wang Si was waiting at home, and no caretaker had been hired.

When she left, only Tang Cheng and Lu Xinxue remained.

Tang Cheng leaned closer, whispering, “You smoked just now?”

“You can smell that?” Lu Xinxue was surprised. If Tang Cheng had noticed, then all those times she had hidden on the balcony hadn’t gone unnoticed either.

“I saw the cigarette butt. Tang Qinggu doesn’t smoke.”

“Nothing escapes you.”

“What did you say to her?”

“Nothing much. With Tang family leadership shifting, I asked what she planned next.”

Tang Cheng nodded. “Do you think she’s a reliable ally?”

“Not exactly. But right now, she’s the best option. She wants to cooperate why refuse?”

Tang Cheng felt reassured by her words.

“Don’t make me worry about you again, Tang Cheng.”

She meant today’s incident. Tang Cheng nodded. It had been sudden, her first time facing such danger. Without Tang Qinggu, she might have been taken. Still, she had gained something, a direction. What Lu Xinxue wouldn’t tell her, she could uncover herself.

“I won’t.”

“How are things at the company?”

Work had kept Lu Xinxue busy, and she rarely asked about Tang Cheng’s progress. But today she remembered the mechanical department had held its monthly meeting. Tang Cheng had been there a month now. Shouldn’t her talent have made waves? Instead, silence.

Tang Cheng: “…”

“Trouble with Yu Xia’an?”

“No. It’s fine. Just starting from scratch. Slow.”

They had grown up together. Such a flimsy excuse was transparent. Tang Cheng didn’t want to explain, and Lu Xinxue didn’t press, though suspicion lingered in her eyes.

She remembered something else. Tang Cheng had never had close friends. As children, she had clung to Lu Xinxue. At the academy, with her brilliance, she should have drawn companions but she hadn’t. That period was the only time Lu Xinxue hadn’t been part of her life, and she knew nothing of it.

She told herself to remember, though she didn’t know when she would.

Her gaze shifted to Tang Cheng. A memory flickered the dream she’d had, of a weary Tang Cheng opposite her, hair falling over her eyes, brilliance fading into defeat.

“Axin, shall we go home?”

Tang Cheng’s eyes shone with curiosity, confidence bright within them. Lu Xinxue inhaled deeply. It must be stress, conjuring such thoughts.

“Tang Cheng, will you always be you?”

Her gaze was intense, almost pleading. Did she mean the lost six years? Tang Cheng couldn’t promise. She didn’t know who had stolen her time, her life.

“As long as I’m alive, I’m me.”

She couldn’t give the naked truth. Perhaps Lu Xinxue already knew, but she didn’t ask, and Tang Cheng didn’t say.

“Alright. Let’s go home.”

Tang Cheng noticed her mood, cupped her face, kissed her lips lightly, and smiled. “You don’t believe me.”

“I know you. That’s why I worry.”

The next day.

Yu Xia’an took an odd leave of absence. Two reports from Group Five landed on Tang Cheng’s desk, courtesy of Xie Chensong.

“Why me?”

“You’ll handle it.” She gave no further explanation, handing over the forms before disappearing into the lab. Yuan Jie was out on repairs, Yu Fan avoided her gaze. With no choice, Tang Cheng set aside her chip work and went upstairs to seek Lu Xinxue’s signature.

Her secretary told her Lu Xinxue was in a meeting. Tang Cheng waited in the adjacent conference room.

Opening the door, she encountered someone unexpected.

Gu.

She had forgotten the name. But the tailored suit, the secretary at her side, clearly here for business with Lu Xinxue. Two months ago, they had shared cheap takeout. Now, Gu family negotiations with Lu Group were underway.

They stared at each other, equally surprised.

“Miss Gu, this is President Lu’s fiancée,” the secretary whispered.

“Tang Cheng?”

Perhaps she had never connected the mechanic with Lu Xinxue’s fiancée. The photos online showed only a glamorous socialite, not this plainly dressed woman.

“Long time no see.” Tang Cheng remembered. “Gu Simiao. President Gu.”

“I can’t believe it was you. Back then, how didn’t I recognize you?”

“I was keeping a low profile. Easy to miss.”

Tang Cheng’s reply was casual. Gu Simiao, once a shop owner, now here in the executive lounge, was she hiding her strength?

Lu Xinxue had said the Gu and Lu families were negotiating. Clearly, Lu Group held the advantage.

Tang Cheng lifted her eyes. The secretary’s stare was sharp, venomous. She had seen eyes like that before in Xingcheng. When she met his gaze, he looked away quickly.

“You’re working at Lu Group now?”

Tang Cheng nodded. “After years of neglect, I had to start again.”

Her words were for Gu Simiao, but her eyes stayed on the secretary. She memorized his face, planning to ask Tang Qinggu to investigate.

“Is your car repaired? I’ve been busy, left it to my secretary. Haven’t apologized properly.”

“No matter. It’s just a car. I’m fine.”

The exchange was polite, but Tang Cheng sensed probing beneath it. Gu Simiao was no innocent.

“Leave me your contact. I’ll treat you to dinner.” She smiled, like a sheltered heiress.

Tang Cheng hesitated, but Gu Simiao pressed. “Forget family ties. We’re friends. You fixed my machine I owe you thanks. You promised we’d be friends, didn’t you?”

Tang Cheng couldn’t refuse. She nodded, accepting the card.

Gu Simiao. She repeated the name silently.

The door opened. A faint scent of thyme drifted in. Lu Xinxue entered. Their eyes met. Tang Cheng quickly hid the card in her palm.