After the Scummy Alpha Marked the Crazy Beautiful Heroine - Chapter 47.1

The door opened. Ross walked in, tossed a hamburger onto the table in front of Chi Yang, and barked in a low voice,

“Eat.”

Chi Yang slowly let go of Pei Jiuyao’s hand, lifted her eyes, and asked,

“Why is there only one?”

Ross sneered.

“I only need to make sure you don’t die. Whether she lives or not has nothing to do with me.”

Chi Yang’s voice was icy, carrying an unyielding edge of fury.

“If she dies, I won’t live either. Let her eat first.”

Ross’s eyes hardened. She clamped her hand around Chi Yang’s jaw and growled,

“You eat it!”

“Chi Yang!” Pei Jiuyao knew her temperament—stubborn to the bone, incapable of yielding. She nudged her gently with her elbow, trying to soothe her.

“I already ate. I’m not hungry. You should eat. Be good.”

Chi Yang clenched her teeth and refused to open her mouth. In the struggle, she bit down hard on Ross’s hand.

She cursed furiously, raising her hand to strike her.

But Chi Yang tilted her head up, eyes bared and glacial, staring at her without the slightest trace of fear.

Ross slowly lowered her palm, lips curving into a strange, meaningful smile.

“Give it to her,” Chi Yang ordered coldly.

“Don’t want to eat, huh?” Ross turned toward Pei Jiuyao. Her boot pressed down on her leg, grinding in cruelly.

Pei Jiuyao’s head jerked down as she bit her lip against the pain, a muffled groan escaping. New injuries piled atop old ones, cold sweat streamed down her forehead. Her face grew pale and contorted, lower lip bitten until it bore teeth marks.

Her nerves throbbed painfully; her leg spasmed. At last, she couldn’t hold back a sharp cry and bent forward, gasping for breath.

“Don’t touch her!” Chi Yang’s body jolted. She fought wildly against the ropes, her voice frigid and vicious.

“This is between me and you—come at me!”

“Then will you eat?” Ross’s boot never left Pei Jiuyao’s leg.

Pei Jiuyao gritted her teeth, enduring.

Chi Yang reached back, searching for her hand, only to find Pei Jiuyao’s fingers curled tight and trembling, sticky warmth seeping from her palm.

It was blood—Chi Yang knew instantly. She pried open Pei Jiuyao’s fingers and laced them with her own, interlocking tightly.

At once, Pei Jiuyao’s grip slackened. She dared not resist anymore.

That instinctive submission tore at Chi Yang’s heart.

“I’ll eat… just don’t touch her.”

Her voice steadied again, though it quivered with a hoarse mixture of hatred and grief.

“Would’ve been easier if you’d listened sooner.” Ross withdrew her foot, crouched before her, shoved the burger against her lips, and sneered at Pei Jiuyao.

“See? Works every time. You really know how to control her.”

Chi Yang’s bloodshot eyes glared at her with loathing. Tears stung as she bit into the food and forced it down.

In mere seconds, she swallowed it whole, every chew savage, as though tearing Ross’s throat apart instead of bread and meat.

When she finished, she lifted her head, staring her down coldly.

“Touch her again, and I’ll smash my head open right here.”

“If you kill yourself, I’ll toy with her to death.” Ross had already figured out her weakness. She tossed the wrapper into the trash, kicked Pei Jiuyao once for good measure, and left the room.

Chi Yang clutched Pei Jiuyao’s fingers, shaking uncontrollably, on the verge of collapse. She thrashed against the ropes until her wrists were raw, not even noticing the torn skin.

At last, unable to break free, she lowered her head and let out a silent scream. When it ended, her whole body trembled, bones rattling as though her soul was falling apart. Her shoulders shook as she finally broke into muffled sobs.

A drop of sweat slipped off Pei Jiuyao’s nose and splattered against the floor. She narrowed her eyes slightly, head still ringing, but she could feel the body behind her trembling.

She rubbed her eyes against her shoulder, her voice hoarse.

“It’s okay now, Xiao Li.”

A long time passed before Chi Yang asked softly,

“Does it still hurt?”

“No. Just in the moment, but afterward it’s nothing.” Pei Jiuyao tried to sound convincing.

Chi Yang tilted her head, messy hair spilling down her cheeks, her words sharp and deliberate:

“You’re lying.”

“Maybe a little. But it’s not as bad as you think,” Pei Jiuyao explained.

Chi Yang twisted her body enough to rest her head against Pei Jiuyao’s back. Her voice was low.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

“If I hadn’t, you’d have no restraints at all, right?” Pei Jiuyao turned her head slightly, brushing her temple against Chi Yang’s.

“I’d worry about you.”

“You don’t understand. I…” Chi Yang faltered, then whispered,

“I worry about you too.”

Even more fiercely. Even more painfully.

She closed her eyes.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” Pei Jiuyao rubbed at Chi Yang’s cold, lifeless fingers. They were icy, almost boneless—like they belonged to a hand without life.

Better this way, she thought. Better she take the pain, so Chi Yang wouldn’t have to.

“At least Ross vents on me. That way, she leaves you alone.”

“They won’t kill me,” Chi Yang murmured after a long silence, leaning against her, her breath uneven. She wanted to scold, to lash out, but the words stuck in her throat. All she could manage was a faint repetition:

“You shouldn’t have come.”

The words clogged her chest, bitter and unspoken.

She wanted to snarl You’re nothing but a burden. She wanted to vent her anger.

But she couldn’t direct it at Pei Jiuyao.

Because it wasn’t true. Because she herself had no chance of survival—how could Pei Jiuyao ever be her burden?

All of her fury, in truth, was born of heartache.

Even through the haze of pain, Pei Jiuyao kept murmuring comfort.

“Mercenaries turn on their employers all the time. They won’t necessarily be loyal.”

She had come only to reassure Chi Yang, to draw fire onto herself.

“You’re so stupid,” Chi Yang whispered, unsure if it was meant for her or Pei Jiuyao.

Until now, she had never really believed Pei Jiuyao liked her.

To Chi Yang, to truly love someone was to cling with everything you had, never letting go.

But every time she asked, Pei Jiuyao would only say, If you want to leave, I’ll respect that.

Was love without possessiveness still love?

The old Chi Yang would’ve said no.

But now… now, if Pei Jiuyao chose to die here beside her, she almost wished she had never come—wished she had never met her at all.

Snow drifted in endlessly through the vents. Perhaps from the pain, time crawled unbearably slow. Pei Jiuyao’s mind buzzed, half hallucinating, hearing phantom drops of water fall beside her ear.

When the heavy doors opened again, the blaze of white light felt even colder than before.

Ross stepped in once more, a wave of disappointment piercing Chi Yang’s chest.

“Hurry up. Take them out.” Her voice was flat, a cigarette dangling between her lips as she ordered her men.

Several mercenaries came to untie Pei Jiuyao’s ropes.

“Don’t touch her!” Chi Yang’s voice snapped like a whip.

But they ignored her. With a few swift movements, the ropes were unfastened, then rewrapped around Pei Jiuyao’s wrists. They dragged her forward by the excess cord.

Her steps faltered, her body staggering dangerously as she nearly fell several times.

“What are you doing?” Panic cracked Chi Yang’s voice.

“If anything happens to her, you’ll regret—”

“Can you shut up?” Ross yanked the knife from her belt, waved it twice, and frowned impatiently. She barked at her men, “Hurry up.”

Then she turned back to Chi Yang. “Relax. Before you die, she’ll still be alive. As for how she lives—well, that depends on my mood.”

The men returned and began untying Chi Yang’s ropes.

When she stood, her legs were numb, and she staggered. Ross shoved her forward. “Move it.”

Only then did Chi Yang realize Ross intended to transfer them elsewhere.

At least she wasn’t going to do anything to Pei Jiuyao—yet.

She didn’t care much about herself; a few injuries were nothing. But Pei Jiuyao looked to be in real pain, her body weakened.

Pei Jiuyao was never like this.

She couldn’t even pretend to be fine anymore. She had to be truly hurting.

Unfortunately, Ross herself drove the car holding Chi Yang, while Pei Jiuyao was shoved into another vehicle. Chi Yang couldn’t even check how badly she was hurt.

Inside the car, Ross spoke into the walkie-talkie to the group behind them: “If anything happens, use that Alpha as bait to draw them off.”

Chi Yang exhaled in relief.

Good. That meant Pei Jiuyao wasn’t in immediate danger—in fact, she might even be rescued before Chi Yang.

The vehicles sped through the forest. In the back seat, Pei Jiuyao leaned weakly, her pain almost numbing. It wasn’t just her wounds—her mind felt like it was shutting down. She blacked out several times, and each time she came to, the world was still rocking, spinning, buzzing relentlessly.

Still in the car.

Ross kept making calls, nine out of ten words insults about various body parts of unnamed relatives.

Finally she ended with, “Everyone gets a cut,” and ordered, “Head to Warehouse 98.”

Chi Yang knew the mercenary code. Everyone gets a cut meant anyone who helped during the mission got a share of the prize. The higher the bounty, the more mercenaries wanted in—sometimes even helping protect the target just to keep the payday intact.

Chi Ran had really gone all out this time. But if she was Chi Ran, she would’ve just paid per head—safer, and foolproof.

Then again, where would Chi Ran get so much cash?

Could she have already taken over Minghe… or their grandmother?

Chi Yang was still lost in thought when the car braked violently, slamming her into the seat. Before she could react, Ross hauled her out.

She glanced back at Pei Jiuyao not far away. Jiuyao curved her lips in the faintest smile, but her body was clearly giving out.

It cut into Chi Yang’s chest like a knife.

The two of them were thrown into the warehouse, and Ross turned to leave.

“Boom!”

A deafening explosion shook the ground. A few seconds later, the rumble faded. Ross answered a call, staring toward the distant blast site.

The night was pitch-black, but faint smoke rose, spreading across half the sky. Winter winds carried the acrid scent of gunpowder, scattering the haze like snow.

Ross hadn’t shut the door, so the voice on the phone carried clearly to Pei Jiuyao and Chi Yang:

“The warehouse was breached. Consulate staff and police are here… looks like another mercenary unit too. Doesn’t seem to be ours…”

A sharp crackle—then silence. The signal was gone.

Pei Jiuyao and Chi Yang exchanged a glance.

Ross hurled her phone to the ground, consumed with rage.

Molly edged closer, whispering, “Maybe… maybe we should drop this job. Leave them here and just go.”

Ross grabbed her collar, roaring, “Go? Go where? If we bail now, everything we’ve done is for nothing! Even if I die tonight, I’m taking the two of them with me!”

She stormed over to Pei Jiuyao, yanked her up, and bellowed, “Was it you? Did you expose our location?”

Then she dragged her toward the exit.

Chi Yang struggled frantically, shouting, “Ross! Let her go! Come at me instead!”

Ross sneered without looking back. “You’re next.”

Ignoring her cries, she pulled Jiuyao along. Jiuyao stumbled but turned her head, calling out urgently:

“Xiao Li—Chi Yang—don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Trust me!”

The warehouse door clanged shut, sealing light and dark apart with a sheet of iron.

Outside, Pei Jiuyao was searched top to bottom. She gritted her teeth through the pain. “I really don’t have a tracker on me.”

“Nothing found,” one of the men reported.