After the Scummy Alpha Marked the Crazy Beautiful Heroine - Chapter 43.1

After putting the house up for sale, Wen Li looked at the quoted prices online. Her fingers tightened around her phone before she forced a laugh.

The house had a prime location and beautiful layout. It was the kind of place she’d dreamed of living in when she was young. She still remembered the feeling when, after endless days and nights of hustling with artists, she finally earned enough to buy it.

And now, the home that had once carried her youthful dreams would barely cover half the penalty fee if she sold it.

Wen Li suddenly found she didn’t like this house anymore.

She listed everything useless for resale, and the things worth keeping amounted to just two suitcases. Standing at a busy intersection, she felt as if there wasn’t a single soul in sight. The sky was heavy with clouds, and puddles of dark water dotted the street.

Cars sped by, splashing muddy water onto her limited-edition Chalene shoes from last season.

Wen Li frowned and wiped them clean with a tissue.

When the light turned green, she dragged her luggage across the street. She thought of heading to a bar for a drink, but first she’d need to find somewhere to store her bags.

As she drifted in thought, a child brushed past her, deliberately stomping into a puddle with a peal of silver-bell laughter. The mother kept apologizing to Wen Li while giving the child a light slap on the head.

Wen Li waved her hand, too tired to care. Looking at the child’s drooping head, she curved her lips into a casual smile and said, “Don’t play in the water by the street next time, okay?”

Still holding a tissue, she glanced down at her shoes again after crossing, sighed, and tossed the soggy paper into the trash.

Her mood to drink was gone.

Renting was troublesome, too. Now that she no longer managed artists, she couldn’t even freeload on food, lodging, and favors anymore.

Should she just go home?

But ever since her mother passed, she had already caused the Ying family enough trouble. For years, apart from sending things back, she had hardly returned.

Then again—it was almost New Year.

Wen Li wondered what Ying Ning was doing now.

—

At home, Ying Ning wore a white lab coat and disposable gloves as she watered the plants.

She scowled at the muddy splashes on her clothes and adjusted the hose with irritation.

“Baby, if you water like that you’ll drown them,” Du Ying said from the sofa, her manicured fingers carefully peeling the skin off grapes before popping them into her mouth.

Ying Ning shut off the tap, tossed the gloves and coat aside, and went to wash her hands.

Passing through the living room, she glanced at Du Ying and muttered, “Why don’t you just let the maid do it?”

“That’s no fun.”

Du Ying was Ying Ning’s Omega mother. She had been a leading star in musical theatre when she was younger, but after marrying her Alpha wife, she stopped working.

These days, her greatest joy was peeling grapes to feed herself.

Normally, the hospital would be swamped this time of year. But after Chi Qing fell ill, her Alpha wife cleared her entire schedule so she could focus solely on taking care of Chi Qing.

Now that Chi Qing had returned to work, she found herself idle at home.

Luckily, Ying Ning had no hobbies to speak of, so Du Ying’s pleasures had doubled—now it was peeling grapes for herself and bossing Ying Ning around to water the plants.

The door beeped as someone keyed in the code. When it opened, Du Ying turned her head.

Pressing a finger to her lips, she exclaimed in her elegant mezzo-soprano tone, “Baby, you’re back already?”

Ying Ning, still scrubbing her hands furiously, thought: Which ‘baby’ is it this time? Don’t tell me Mom’s back already?

Then a familiar voice called out: “Auntie Du, it’s almost New Year, so I came back to see you all.”

“Is Little Aunt not home?” Wen Li stepped in, slipping off her shoes, leaving her luggage by the door, and carrying in the gifts she’d bought.

“Minghe just acquired Huai’en Pharmaceuticals. She’s been busy lately,” Du Ying said, beaming so wide her smile nearly split her face. “Coming back is enough, you didn’t need to bring anything. You’re such a good child. Unlike that useless Ying Ning who won’t even peel me a grape.”

“Didn’t you insist on doing it yourself?” Ying Ning stood at the bathroom doorway, shaking water off her hands.

Wen Li’s eyes crinkled. “You’re here too? I thought you’d be swamped at year’s end.”

Du Ying opened the gift box and gasped. “Wow, isn’t this a piece from White Rose’s collection? I heard her exhibitions are invitation-only, nearly impossible to attend. And you managed to get one?”

“They invited Pei Jiuyao last time, and I tagged along. When I saw this, I thought of you.”

The necklace—a cluster of low-hanging flowers fashioned from vivid rubies and titanium—looked as if it swayed in an unseen breeze.

Holding it to her collarbone, Du Ying asked, “How does it look?”

“Beautiful. It’s like it was made just for you,” Wen Li said warmly.

Du Ying chuckled and cooed, “Ah Li always treats me best.”

Ying Ning took the necklace from her and closed it back in its box. “I’ll put it in the jewelry case.”

Du Ying pouted, flopping onto the sofa. “You really ruin the fun.”

Then she turned to Wen Li again. “Ah Li, stay a while this time, won’t you? At least through New Year.”

Wen Li nodded with a smile.

Lowering her gaze, Ying Ning picked up the sandalwood box, gave Wen Li a look, and muttered, “How much jewelry have you bought her already? She doesn’t even wear them. Do you just have money to burn?”

With that, she carried the box off toward the walk-in closet.

Du Ying huffed, squeezing Wen Li’s hand playfully. “Don’t listen to her nonsense. Of course I’ll wear it.”

“All right,” Wen Li said with a smile, glancing toward Ying Ning’s retreating figure. “You enjoy yourself, I’ll go check on her.”

—

In the walk-in closet, Ying Ning placed the necklace into the glass case and reset the lock.

When she turned back, Wen Li was standing quietly at the door.

“Why did you think of coming back?” she asked coldly.

Wen Li smiled faintly. “Pei Jiuyao and Chi Yang went traveling. I don’t have any other artists to manage right now, so I thought I’d come back and take a look.”

“You’re Tianji’s golden agent. How could they have you managing only Pei Jiuyao?”

Wen Li shrugged. “I offended Mo Tian because of Pei Jiuyao. She pulled all the other projects from me.”

“Then why…” Ying Ning frowned. “Why would you still buy such expensive jewelry?”

“Bought it a while back.” Wen Li brushed it off casually, leaning against the doorframe as she asked, “Little kitten, what’s this? Not happy I came back?”

Ying Ning lowered her head. “Of course not.”

“Oh, then it must be because I didn’t buy you a gift. You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

Ying Ning muttered, “Why would I be jealous?”

“You’re the most jealous person I know. Sometimes I wonder if your pheromones don’t actually smell like vinegar.”

“My pheromones smell like peaches.” Ying Ning frowned.

Wen Li chuckled. “Well, either way, I can’t smell them.”

A faint, invisible air of resentment seemed to drift around Ying Ning. She glared at Wen Li, clearly displeased.

Wen Li stepped forward. Ying Ning instinctively shifted back half a step but didn’t move further, letting Wen Li close the distance until she was standing right in front of her.

Wen Li raised her hand. Ying Ning thought she was going to touch her, and the tips of her fingers trembled.

But instead, Wen Li let something fall between them—a pendant.

A dark green gemstone, with a black swirl in the middle. From a distance, it looked just like a cat’s eye.

Smiling, Wen Li said, “You’re my little sister. How could I not buy you something?”

Ying Ning’s lashes fluttered, and she drew back the foot she’d stepped away with.

“Why won’t you take it? Still angry?” Wen Li tilted her wrist. “My hand’s getting sore.”

“Put it on me,” Ying Ning said in a low voice.

Wen Li snorted. “So dramatic. You Alphas are always troublesome.”

But still, she unclasped the chain and circled it around Ying Ning’s neck.

Maybe the clasp was too tricky, but Wen Li fumbled with it for a long time.

Ying Ning could feel the countless warm breaths brushing over her nape, seeping into the skin along her gland, sinking into her bloodstream.

Betas… they never know their place.

________________________________________

By the time the plane landed in Ithaca, it was only a little past three in the afternoon, but the sky was already pitch black.

The cold wind struck Pei Jiuyao and Chi Yang as they stepped off the plane.

Bundled up like a hibernating creature, Chi Yang shrank inside her oversized down jacket, her head leaning against Pei Jiuyao’s shoulder, letting Jiuyao half-drag her along.

“I swear I just stepped straight from a fridge into a freezer,” Chi Yang grumbled.

Pei Jiuyao tugged the hood of her jacket down over her head, then laughed and pulled her back into her arms from behind, pushing her forward.

“So afraid of the cold?”

Chi Yang gave a little hum. “Would it kill this place to just—poof—turn into summer?”

“Then you could just—poof—turn into a fox, and I’d bundle you up inside my coat and carry you home.”

Chi Yang pushed the brim of her hood up so she could see, sighing. “This is probably the last trip I’ll ever take. Why on earth did I tell Chi Qing I wanted to see the northern lights? Why didn’t I just say I wanted a tropical rainforest?”

Pei Jiuyao guided her out of the airport. While they waited for their ride, she wrapped her arms around Chi Yang from behind, tightening her jacket for her and angling her body to block the wind.

She pinched Chi Yang’s cheek through her mask, her voice soft. “As long as you’ve got the rainforest in your heart, everywhere is a rainforest.”

Chi Yang gave a frosty snort. “My heart’s already frozen to pieces.”

A moment later, a black SUV pulled up. A woman in heavy winter clothes, only her eyes visible, stepped out from the driver’s seat.

“Chi Yang?” she called, circling the car.

Chi Yang lifted her head, blinking snowflakes off her lashes, and waved. “Sister Zhu Qiao.”

“So it really is you two. From a distance I thought some giant beast had wandered out here.” Zhu Qiao popped the trunk, and she and Pei Jiuyao tossed the suitcases in together.

“Get in, quickly.”

She opened the back door. A blast of warm air rushed out.

Chi Yang climbed in at once, with Pei Jiuyao following behind to close the door. Chi Yang shrank into herself, pulled off her mask, exhaled a puff of white mist, and after a long moment whispered, “Finally warm.”

Zhu Qiao had the heat turned up high, the car almost stiflingly hot.

As she started driving, she asked with a laugh, “So, what made you want to spend New Year here?”

“Wanted to see the aurora.” Chi Yang rubbed her hands together.

Zhu Qiao chuckled. “Then you’ll suffer for it. The weather here is unpredictable—this time of year could freeze you solid.”

She added, “If I remember right, you’re the one most afraid of the cold.”

Almost as if on cue, snow began to fall outside. At first light, then thicker and thicker, until Zhu Qiao had to switch on the wipers.

Chi Yang propped her chin on her down jacket and pressed against the window. Outside, the road wound along the sea: deep blue water meeting ink-dark sky, mountains tinged in gray-blue. The whole world looked as though it had been sealed inside a glass cup of blue, speckled with golden pinpricks of light.

The SUV rocked along the road, fogging the glass, the world outside tilting and turning upside down.

It was the first time Chi Yang had seen true blue hour—like stepping into a fairy tale.

By the time she pulled her hand back from the window, her fingertips were red with cold, damp with condensation.

She held them up to Pei Jiuyao. “So cold.”

Her lashes trembled, tipped with ice crystals, like a mother-of-pearl butterfly had landed there.

Her nose and cheeks were flushed, water droplets melting on her skin after the mask came off.

She looked both pitiful and impossibly endearing.

Pei Jiuyao laughed softly, warming her fingers with her hands, then pressed them to her own cheek. The chill seeped into her skin.

When they were warm again, she carefully tucked them into her pocket, leaning down to whisper, “How did I never realize my little fox could be this sweet?”

Chi Yang turned her head, a little annoyed. “I am not.”

From the rearview mirror, Zhu Qiao glanced back, eyes twinkling. “Chi Yang, is this your girlfriend?”

Chi Yang hesitated for a beat, then softly answered, “Mm.”

“She looks like an Alpha,” Zhu Qiao observed.

“She is an Alpha,” Chi Yang replied.

Zhu Qiao took a turn, stopping in front of a supermarket. She looked back and said, “Just like your sister. You Chi girls really do all fall for Alphas.”

Chi Yang smiled faintly. “Guess that’s why we’re sisters.”

Zhu Qiao wrapped her scarf around her neck, tugged her hat lower, and said, “I’ll grab some food. You two wait in the car.”

Pei Jiuyao immediately reached for the door, ready to get out. “We’ll go with you.”

“Don’t be so polite,” Zhu Qiao said casually. “You stay in the car and keep Yangyang company.”

Chi Yang had no intention of being polite. Even when Pei Jiuyao stood up, her hands remained tucked snugly in Jiuyao’s coat pockets.

“It’s fine, let Sister Zhu Qiao handle it. You don’t need to go and get in the way,” she said.

Once Zhu Qiao left, Pei Jiuyao lowered her voice. “You two seem pretty close.”

“She’s my sister’s friend,” Chi Yang tilted her head and leaned against Jiuyao’s shoulder. “We used to spend a lot of time together when I was little. But when I grew up, most of my sister’s friends either took over their family businesses or built careers of their own. Only Sister Zhu Qiao… she went wandering.”

“Wandering?” Jiuyao asked, puzzled.

Chi Yang looked up with a smile. “Well, technically it’s world travel. But everyone calls it wandering. She’s been drifting for years, only posting the occasional photo on social media. It makes people envy her to death.”

Jiuyao wrapped her arm around her, glancing out the window. “I thought she lived here.”

“No, not really. But she has stayed here for quite a while.” Chi Yang thought for a moment, tilting her head. “Two or three years, maybe. She said she really liked it here. Ithaca is a place that calms you down.”

“I heard the sun barely shows here, and depression rates are high.” Outside the car, it was nearly pitch-black. Darkness seeped inside as well, to the point that when Jiuyao lowered her head, she couldn’t even make out Chi Yang’s expression.