After the Scumbag Alpha Heard her Inner Thoughts - Chapter 55

Extra Chapter 2 IF Line: If Chu Muqing’s gland had no issues.

Since Chu Muqing’s gland was fine in this version, everyone could focus on living their lives.

Meaning — no villains, a relaxed and sweet atmosphere all around.

At the beginning of April, Beicheng finally welcomed spring.
The tea trees in the plantation were thriving, and it seemed likely there would be a good harvest this year.
Because of this, Su Pingwei had been in an excellent mood these past few days.

During an after-dinner chat, Su Pingwei placed an invitation card on the table.
“Which one of you is going?”

The envelope was red, with a golden embossed character “Chu” on the front — even a simple invitation exuded prestige and status.

Su Wanqing curled her lips.
“I’m not going. Let my brother go. Isn’t he applying to Yunyao?”

Yunyao was the Chu family’s conglomerate, encompassing a wide range of industries.
Currently, they were most renowned in the field of electronic information — which just so happened to be Su Ningxuan’s major.

As for Su Wanqing, her deepest impression of the Chu family was Chu Muqing — an S-class Alpha, praised to the heavens and earth, flaunting herself like a peacock in full display.

This banquet was being held to celebrate Chu Muqing’s smooth succession of the Chu family, inviting all the famous (and less famous) business figures of Beicheng.

If it weren’t for that, the Su family probably wouldn’t have even received an invitation.

Su Pingwei glanced at the two siblings seated on opposite sides of the sofa.

Su Wanqing, holding an orange in her hand, appeared distracted, her gaze frequently drifting toward the door — clearly not paying attention to the conversation.
Meanwhile, Su Ningxuan’s eyes were practically sparkling with excitement, obviously eager to attend.

By all rights, the invitation should have gone to Su Ningxuan.
However, Su Pingwei secretly hoped Su Wanqing would go instead.

After all, the banquet would be full of prominent Alphas — outstanding candidates.
Su Wanqing was already twenty-eight; it was about time she found a suitable match.

Sighing inwardly, Su Pingwei handed the invitation to Su Ningxuan instead.
“You go. At the banquet, speak less, watch more, and don’t cause any trouble.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Su Ningxuan quickly took the invitation, afraid Su Pingwei might change his mind.
Once back in his room, he immediately locked the door.

With that settled, Su Wanqing got up and tossed out,
“I’m meeting a friend for something — I won’t be home tonight.”

By some incredible stroke of luck, their previously unpopular tea had exploded in popularity this year.
While it hadn’t reached the point of being “worth a thousand gold pieces,” it had certainly become “hard to buy even with a hundred.”

Earlier in the year, Su Wanqing had already been planning to renovate the observation room at the front of the tea plantation into a showroom —
A place where potential buyers could visit the tea fields and sit comfortably inside to taste the tea afterward.

While tea tasting wasn’t the height of elegance, it certainly wasn’t the same as drinking plain water.
It needed atmosphere, a sense of experience — which meant she had extremely high standards for the design.

After searching for a long time, she had finally found a suitable interior designer: skilled, unique in taste — and a little eccentric.

Since she had managed to secure an appointment, she couldn’t afford to waste it.

At the agreed time, Su Wanqing arrived at a high-end teahouse called Mingyuan.
The name was simple, but elegant.

Pushing open the door, she stepped inside.
The first floor was almost empty, unusually quiet — so quiet, it felt a little hollow.
The scent of tea lingered gently in the air.

Turning a corner, Su Wanqing ran into a staff member, who was dressed in a white uniform embroidered with green bamboo leaves.

“Hello, Miss,” he greeted politely. “Which room did you reserve?”

“Room 305, on the second floor,” Su Wanqing replied.

“This way — upstairs, first room on the left,” the staff member said.

His voice was soft but clear, warm yet distinct.

Su Wanqing thanked him and turned to head upstairs.

The private room was empty.
In the center stood a long table with a tea set neatly arranged.
In the corner, there was a shelf for personal items, and next to it, a flower stand holding a Bodhi tree.

Since she was the one asking for a favor, Su Wanqing waited patiently.

About ten minutes later, footsteps echoed outside.
Su Wanqing stood by the door, glancing over.

Two women walked in, one slightly ahead of the other.
The woman leading gave a slight look of surprise when she saw her.
“Miss Su, you’re early.”

“I just arrived,” Su Wanqing replied politely.

Cheng Wan pointed to the woman behind her.
“Miss Su, I hope you don’t mind — I brought someone along.”

“Let me introduce you: my friend, Chu Muqing.”

“…”

Su Wanqing’s attention shifted from Cheng Wan to the person behind her.

She had heard plenty about Chu Muqing but had never actually met her.

Chu Muqing was dressed casually.
The moment she entered, she took off her cap and held it in her hand.
She wore a light grey tracksuit and let her straight hair fall naturally around her shoulders.
At a glance, she didn’t seem particularly remarkable.

But a closer look revealed a different story — her temperament was striking.
Especially those fox-like eyes, subtly seductive, captivating, with a touch of softness added by her light-colored lipstick.

It was clear she was trying to appear “ordinary.”

After Cheng Wan finished the introduction, Chu Muqing nodded and greeted her,
“Hello.”

Su Wanqing nodded back as a polite response.

The three of them sat down.
Since she had a favor to ask, Su Wanqing took the initiative to show goodwill.
“Miss Cheng, I brought some tea from my family’s plantation. Would you like to try it?”

“I’m looking forward to seeing Miss Su’s skills,” Cheng Wan responded.

Rumor had it that this designer had a difficult and temperamental personality, but now it seemed the rumors were exaggerated — or perhaps she was more reserved because a friend was present.

While preparing the tea, Su Wanqing’s mind wandered.

Chu Muqing, for her part, had tagged along with Cheng Wan just to escape from other social obligations.
Now she sat on the side, utterly bored, occasionally casting glances at Su Wanqing.

This woman had very gentle features — almond-shaped eyes that sparkled under the light, long curled lashes.
Her head was lowered slightly as she focused on brewing the tea, her thin lips gently pursed.
The orange-toned lipstick added a lively touch to her otherwise quiet face.

She looked well-behaved — though Chu Muqing suspected her temperament was anything but.

Chu Muqing smiled faintly.

As the final step was completed, the rich fragrance of tea filled the room.
Su Wanqing, holding a teacup in each hand, carefully placed one in front of Cheng Wan and the other in front of Chu Muqing.

“Miss Cheng, Miss Chu — please, enjoy.”

She blinked innocently, looking harmless and sweet.

Cheng Wan didn’t have much of a tea-drinking habit and couldn’t tell good tea from bad.
She blew on it a little and drank it all in one go.

Su Wanqing: “……”

Chu Muqing shot Cheng Wan a faintly disdainful glance.
She lifted the teacup gracefully, tilting her wrist lightly as she swirled the tea, taking in the fragrance before sipping delicately.

“Jin Jun Mei?” she asked.

Su Wanqing was briefly stunned, then smiled and nodded.
“I didn’t expect Miss Chu to know tea. Yes — Jin Jun Mei, but from last year’s harvest. This year’s hasn’t come down yet.”

Despite her casual tracksuit, Chu Muqing’s every move carried an innate sense of refinement.

Before meeting her, Su Wanqing had assumed Chu Muqing would be some spoiled rich second-generation — the kind who flaunted herself, chased after Omegas, and boasted about taking over the family business.

She hadn’t expected her to actually understand tea.

“Miss Su, I’ve reviewed your proposal,” Cheng Wan spoke up lazily.
“I’m not entirely uninterested in the project — but I’m very expensive.”

Cheng Wan’s pricing was peculiar. She only charged if she was satisfied with her own work; if she wasn’t, she would rather give it away for free.

It was rare for her to bring up money at the beginning.

“Miss Cheng, you’re joking — naturally, you’ll be properly compensated,” Su Wanqing said tactfully.
“Perhaps Miss Cheng could propose a price?”

While the tea garden’s design itself was important, Su Wanqing’s real goal was to use Cheng Wan’s name.
With her reputation in Beicheng, just having her design the place would attract curious visitors.

“I haven’t been feeling very inspired lately,” Cheng Wan replied lazily.
“Let’s wait until I’m inspired, then we’ll talk.”

But the tea harvest was only a month away. If they delayed any longer, there wouldn’t be enough time to begin construction.

“Miss Cheng,” Su Wanqing asked carefully, “how do you usually find inspiration? Maybe we could give it a try?”

Su Wanqing knew that Cheng Wan was doing it on purpose.

“Let’s have a drink,” Cheng Wan said, propping her chin on her hand.
“Miss Su, would you care to join me?”

Su Wanqing had done her homework — she knew Cheng Wan loved drinking and wasn’t fond of tea at all. In fact, it had felt odd to schedule the meeting at a teahouse to begin with.

“Of course,” Su Wanqing agreed.

“How about Tipsy? It’s just across the street.”

Su Wanqing gritted her teeth inwardly. Tipsy might sound like a small, harmless place, but she knew their drinks were notorious — practically guaranteed to get someone drunk.

“Sure,” she said.

Tonight, she was determined to win Cheng Wan over.

“I’ll just use the restroom first,” Su Wanqing said.
“Please wait a moment.”

She grabbed her bag and walked out.

As soon as Su Wanqing left, Chu Muqing spoke coldly, “Behave yourself. If you make a scene again, I won’t speak up for you with Uncle Cheng.”

Cheng Wan clicked her tongue. “What, you’re interested in her?”

She leaned closer, teasing, “Did you catch her scent? It’s quite nice.”

Chu Muqing shot her a warning look. Cheng Wan immediately fell silent.

When they had brushed past each other earlier, there had indeed been a faint floral fragrance — fresh and elegant.

Chu Muqing tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It was a nice scent.

When Su Wanqing returned, the three of them headed out toward Tipsy.
Leaving the teahouse, Chu Muqing pulled her cap back on and silently walked alongside them.

Su Wanqing noticed she was extremely quiet, not saying a word along the way.
Still, the powerful Alpha aura surrounding her was impossible to ignore.

At this hour, the bar wasn’t crowded. Cheng Wan clearly knew the place well — she made her way directly to the bar, leaned on the counter, and beckoned the bartender over.

“Three Long Island Iced Teas, three Bloody Marys, and three Death in the Afternoon, please.”

Hearing the order, the bartender paused for a moment, then nodded.

Cheng Wan led them to a booth off to the side, where the lighting was dim. Up front, a small stage stood empty except for a lone guitarist playing a soft, mellow tune that didn’t quite fit the usual bar atmosphere.

After sitting down, Cheng Wan kept sneaking glances at Su Wanqing — her gaze making Su Wanqing distinctly uncomfortable.

Su Wanqing knew she had to stay firm. “Miss Cheng, why do you keep looking at me?”

Cheng Wan chuckled, “You look familiar.”

“I don’t recall meeting you before.”

“Maybe I’m mistaken,” Cheng Wan said lightly, dropping the subject.

Soon, the drinks arrived — the caramel-colored Long Island Iced Teas, ice cubes swirling inside, large bubbles rising and popping. Condensation dripped down the sides of the glasses.

Cheng Wan casually grabbed one, swirled it, and took a large gulp.

Su Wanqing immediately understood where her drinking posture had come from — she treated drinking like sipping tea.

“Miss Su…” Cheng Wan raised an eyebrow.

Su Wanqing followed her lead and took a sip. How to describe the taste? Like cola mixed with strong liquor.

“Miss Su, you can really hold your liquor,” Cheng Wan said, genuinely surprised.

Su Wanqing’s drinking ability was average. Before coming back from the restroom, she had taken an anti-hangover pill — a little drinking was manageable.

Before they even finished the Long Island Iced Teas, the other six drinks arrived.

Cheng Wan clearly intended to get her drunk, but Su Wanqing didn’t shy away. After three more drinks, her head throbbed slightly, but she remained clear-headed.

Chu Muqing got up and left for the restroom, leaving the two women alone.

Su Wanqing’s cheeks were flushed with a rosy tint, while Cheng Wan looked completely unaffected.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected Su Wanqing to handle alcohol this well.

“Miss Su, you’re very straightforward,” Cheng Wan remarked.

“So, about the collaboration?” Su Wanqing asked, her speech slightly slow, trying hard to keep her words crisp.

“I do have one small condition,” Cheng Wan said with a sly smile.

“Go ahead, Miss Cheng.”

“Why don’t you date me? If it’s for my girlfriend, of course I’d design it wholeheartedly.”

Su Wanqing had half-expected Cheng Wan to say something like this and had prepared a rebuttal —
But seeing the playful glint in Cheng Wan’s eyes, she suddenly changed her mind.

Su Wanqing stood up and walked around to stand in front of Cheng Wan.

“Designer Cheng,” she said sweetly, leaning forward and placing a hand lightly on her shoulder,
“Do you have to date someone every time you take on a new project?”

“My standards for a girlfriend are as high as my standards for design,” Cheng Wan said, intrigued.

“Oh?” Su Wanqing smiled slyly, “And what are those standards?”

Cheng Wan, confident in her own attractiveness — famous designer, beautiful looks, an A-level Alpha with countless admirers — was already curious.

Su Wanqing tucked her hair behind her ear, the soft waves cascading down one side of her shoulder.
Leaning closer to Cheng Wan’s ear, she whispered: “I want her to love me. Only me. I want her to be unable to live without me.”

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