After the Bigshot Turned into a Gold-Digging Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 18

Jiang Shuiyun had been staring at Yi Jinbai, lost in thought, and didn’t even notice that Yi Jinbai had already finished bandaging her wound. When Yi Jinbai finally looked up, she unexpectedly met Jiang Shuiyun’s gaze head-on.

Snapping back to reality, Jiang Shuiyun caught Yi Jinbai quickly averting her eyes, clearly a little flustered. She blinked and reacted, “Uh, thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Yi Jinbai lowered her head as she released Jiang Shuiyun’s hand. But that was when she noticed the silver line circling Jiang Shuiyun’s right wrist. “What happened to your wrist?”

“What?”

Jiang Shuiyun also looked down. Yi Jinbai was referring to the thin silver thread—her mech—her only possession brought over from her previous life.

“This is.”

Before Jiang Shuiyun could think of an explanation, a burst of noise rose from downstairs. Seizing the opportunity to dodge the topic, she said, “I’ll go see what’s happening outside.”

Not daring to meet Yi Jinbai’s eyes again, Jiang Shuiyun hurriedly got up and rushed out, afraid she’d give something away if she stayed.

Once she stepped out of the room, her pace slowed. Her left hand brushed over the silver thread on her right wrist. Right—she still had her mech. It wasn’t just a weapon; its value extended far beyond combat. The technology embedded within it was priceless in this era.

Deep in thought, she walked downstairs and reached the entrance of the first floor, only to find Jian Mang and the others returning from the gym. Xi Rong was with them, talking to Shen Yunyi.

“President Shen, how can we let you handle such heavy labor?”

The moment Xi Rong stepped into the courtyard, he spotted Shen Yunyi covered in dust, hammering away at a piece of wood—he almost didn’t recognize her.

Shen Yunyi dusted off her hands and stood up. “Since you know, shouldn’t you come help?”

“Right, right—coming now.”

Xi Rong quickly put down what he was carrying, took off his jacket, and joined Shen Yunyi in lifting lumber. Jian Mang and the others exchanged glances—they couldn’t just stand around watching—so they rolled up their sleeves and jumped in as well.

Jiang Shuiyun leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching. Yi Jinbai happened to come downstairs.

“Jinbai, where’s the blueprint? Now that we’ve got enough manpower, we might finish it in one go.”

“Here.”

Yi Jinbai pulled out the blueprint. She and Jiang Shuiyun directed from the side while the others worked. An hour later, a brand-new pavilion stood completed.

“President Shen, have some water. Why did you suddenly decide to build us a pavilion? And even do the work yourself? You’re really too polite.”

After they finished, the group admired their handiwork. Xi Rong twisted open a water bottle and handed it to Shen Yunyi.

“You’re asking me?” Shen Yunyi still hadn’t cooled off the irritation in her chest. She shot Xi Rong a glance. “Ask your Miss Jiang.”

“Thank you all for the help,” Jiang Shuiyun carried over a box of water, handing each person a bottle. “Especially President Shen. If not for her, I’d have no idea what to do with this. I didn’t notice when buying it that it wasn’t pre-assembled. I was completely dumbfounded when it arrived.”

Realization dawned on Xi Rong, and he laughed awkwardly before changing the topic. “Right, none of you have eaten yet, have you? I heard from Yao Yao and the others that you skipped lunch. Since everyone’s been working all afternoon, how about I treat you all to dinner?”

“I’m starving, Brother Xi!” Jiao Yang immediately cheered. The others chimed in one after another, even discussing what and where to eat.

“Training time.”

Jian Mang’s voice cut sharply through the lively chatter. The group instantly straightened up.

Standing to the side, Jiang Shuiyun watched. Xi Rong scratched his head and looked at her—it was ultimately up to her whether they were eating or not.

They had all been working hard these past days. Jiang Shuiyun glanced at them and said, “Take the afternoon off. We’ll make up the hours tonight.”

“Long live!”

“Yes!”

They were a bunch of twenty-something kids—give them half a day off and a good meal, and they lit up like fireworks.

“Captain Jiang, Miss Yi, President Shen—what would you all like to eat? We’ll tally the votes.”

After gathering the others’ choices, Xi Rong turned to the three of them.

“I’m fine with anything. Jinbai?”

Jiang Shuiyun never cared much about food, so she deferred to Yi Jinbai.

“Anything is fine.”

Yi Jinbai was always overly easygoing. Even though she’d gotten much more familiar with everyone recently, she still answered the same way.

“I won’t be joining. I need to go home and change.”

Shen Yunyi brushed at the dust on her sleeves. She clearly didn’t intend to go—she wasn’t close with these young people, and as their boss, her presence would probably make things awkward.

But how could Xi Rong possibly let Shen Yunyi slip away? He still needed her to foot the bill.

“It’s fine, President Shen. Look at us—we’re all filthy. We’ll all go clean up first. Besides, the Shenji team will be heading to the competition soon. Think of this as a morale boost, right, President Shen?”

“That’s right. Come with us. I also have something I wanted to ask you.” Jiang Shuiyun chimed in as well.

With both of them insisting, Shen Yunyi could only relent. The group agreed to meet up in an hour, then went their separate ways to wash up.

Jiang Shuiyun returned to her room and grabbed a change of clothes.

“I’m going to the room next door to shower.”

Yi Jinbai set down the towel in her hand. She had been living here for so many days, and every time Jiang Shuiyun finished training, she would find an excuse to stay behind, then quietly sleep on the sofa. The next morning, she would get up early, and their daily routines—washing up, getting ready—were usually staggered. On the rare occasions when their schedules couldn’t avoid overlapping, Jiang Shuiyun would simply go next door to the empty room. She still cared for

Yi Jinbai meticulously, but the two of them didn’t look even the slightest bit like a married couple.

Jiang Shuiyun grabbed a set of clothes and headed out, closing the door behind her. Yi Jinbai never said a word from start to finish.

Just as Jiang Shuiyun stepped out and pushed open the door of the room next door—without yet entering—Yao Tao Ling happened to come out of her own room. Her gaze fell on the clothes in her hand. “Captain, did Sis Jinbai kick you out?”

“No. Time’s tight, that room’s empty, so I’m just borrowing it for a bit.”

Jiang Shuiyun answered calmly.

Yao Yao Ling’s eyes slowly swept over her, then narrowed with certainty as she shook her head. “Captain, you don’t have to pretend. I’ve seen it these past two days—you’ve been sleeping on the sofa every night. You must’ve had a fight with Sis Jinbai, right?”

Jiang Shuiyun never expected that her sofa-sleeping streak would go unnoticed, but that was between her and Yi Jinbai. There was no need to report it to anyone else. “Are you done packing? If so, go start the car.”

“No, see, Captain, the more you dodge the question, the more obvious it is that something’s wrong.” Yao Yao Ling glanced toward Yi Jinbai’s room. “And I’m not taking sides, but Sis Jinbai has such a good temper—if you two are fighting, the problem’s definitely you. Reflect on yourself a bit, apologize, and it’ll be fine. Otherwise, if you keep sleeping on the sofa like this, couples who live separately for too long usually end up breaking up, you know?”

“You seem pretty experienced,” Jiang Shuiyun remarked with a half-smile.

A chill shot down Yao Yao Ling’s spine for no reason. With a jolt, she immediately shut her mouth and dashed back into her room. “Uh—I haven’t showered yet! Captain, see you later!”

Jiang Shuiyun shook her head and glanced in Yi Jinbai’s direction. This wasn’t something an apology could fix. How could mistakes made in the past be brushed aside so easily? That would be far too unfair to Yi Jinbai.

Sinking into the bathtub, Jiang Shuiyun let the water cover the tip of her nose. Yao Yao Ling’s words had indeed made her realize a new problem.

Ever since arriving in this world, she’d thought her goal was clear—make amends to Yi Jinbai, restore her life and future to the path they should have been on. But after that, then what?

If she was being honest, Jiang Shuiyun knew she could never forgive someone who had hurt her like that in her previous life. So once Yi Jinbai’s life returned completely to normal, wouldn’t that also be the moment Yi Jinbai should cut ties with the one who had once destroyed her?

Breaking through the surface, Jiang Shuiyun wiped the water from her face. A faint sting pricked at her fingertips. Only then did she notice that the little flower-shaped bandage Yi Jinbai had put on her had loosened and fallen off in the water.

She reached into the water and fished out the tiny flower, squeezing it dry—but even so, it could no longer stick.

Placing it on the windowsill above the bathtub, letting sunlight shine over it, Jiang Shuiyun made up her mind. When the day came that Yi Jinbai’s life was fully returned to her, she would take the initiative to request a divorce and let Yi Jinbai go.

Lost in thought while bathing, she was startled back to reality only when she heard Xi Rong’s booming voice calling from downstairs. She suddenly realized she had been soaking for nearly an hour.

She hurriedly wiped the water from her body, pulled on clean clothes, and walked out while toweling her damp hair. Just as she reached the door, she ran into Yi Jinbai, who was stepping out of her room at the same moment. Jiang Shuiyun’s movements paused, her expression briefly stunned.

Today, Yi Jinbai was wearing the dress Jiang Shuiyun had personally picked out. Her earlier instincts had been right—this dress suited her perfectly.

Soft, airy chiffon. Pure white. No embellishments needed. It framed Yi Jinbai’s serene, delicate features like an ink-wash painting. Only her lips carried a faint tint of color—a single stroke that brought the whole image to life.

“Miss Jiang, shall we go?”

Xi Rong’s voice snapped Jiang Shuiyun back to herself. She quickly avoided Yi Jinbai’s gaze, rubbed her hair vigorously with the towel, and headed down the stairs. “Coming. Let’s go.”

“Wow! Sis Jinbai, you look so pretty today!”

After Jiang Shuiyun left, Du She and Yao Yao Ling pulled Yi Jinbai into the elevator. Jiang Shuiyun could still hear their excited chatter. She couldn’t help glancing back—only to lock eyes with Yi Jinbai through the transparent elevator.

Her steps faltered, almost twisting her ankle. She barely managed to catch the railing in time.

She did not want to know how foolish she must have looked in Yi Jinbai’s eyes just now. She quickened her pace automatically, not daring to turn back again.

“Miss Jiang, you’re dressed pretty casually today.”

Xi Rong glanced at her loose black tracksuit and the slightly messy, still-damp hair. He had to admit—paired with Jiang Shuiyun’s face—it still carried a kind of effortless cool.

“It’s comfortable.”

Absent-mindedly rolling up her sleeves, Jiang Shuiyun couldn’t stop herself from glancing toward the elevator as the doors chimed open.