After the Scummy Alpha Marked the Crazy Beautiful Heroine - Chapter 48.1

“Wasn’t her health always good?”

Chi Yang sat in the back seat of the car. Outside, dusk was settling in. It had already been an hour since she last saw her grandmother. Originally, she had planned to visit Pei Jiuyao in the hospital.

But Chi Qing insisted they had to stop by home first.

At this moment, she didn’t want to make things more difficult for Chi Qing.

That woman sat right beside her, fingers tapping rapidly against her phone.

A moment later, she answered a call, her tone icy: “Still haven’t found out whose hands that 12% of shares ended up in?”

Chi Yang hadn’t even caught what was said on the other end before the line was abruptly cut off with two sharp beeps.

“I was surprised too,” Chi Qing remarked.

It took Chi Yang a few seconds to realize she was responding to her earlier question.

She turned to ask, “How did she pass away?”

“Five days ago,” Chi Qing’s hand stilled on the screen. She lifted her eyes and said, “A cerebral infarction.”

Five days ago.

Chi Yang quickly calculated—it was the exact time she had been on Mermaid Island, watching the aurora.

“Any clue who’s behind it?”

Chi Qing closed her phone, looked out the window, and answered flatly: “Once the mercenary died, the trail to the higher-ups was completely cut off. Even if she’d lived, the corps would’ve silenced her. Something like this is nearly impossible to trace.”

“But I suspect—”

Chi Yang cut in, “It’s the same person who kidnapped Chi Leya.”

Chi Qing turned her head toward her. “Tonight, everyone will be here. Among them—”

Chi Yang met her gaze, eyes locking.

“Among them, there must be someone who orchestrated the kidnapping of me and Xiao Ya,” Chi Yang said, her expression fierce though the corners of her lips curved in a faint smile. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

Chi Qing gave a quiet “Mm.” “Still not the best time to act.”

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a sprawling estate. The driver got out and opened the door. Chi Qing stepped down, but when she glanced back, Chi Yang had already slammed her own door shut on the other side.

Shi Nian followed, giving Chi Qing’s shoulder a pat. “I’ll stand guard outside.”

Once the car door shut, Shi Nian spun the curved blade in her hand, chuckling low, before watching the two women walk inside, side by side.

The villa door swung open.

Chi Yang casually tossed off her coat, swept her gaze over the room that instantly fell silent, and dropped herself onto a corner of the sofa.

“Well, well, Yangyang’s back,” came the first voice—Chi Ran. This woman always carried herself with the pride of the eldest daughter, trying to outshine everyone wherever she went.

But she was nothing more than an embroidered pillow—beautiful outside, useless within. She knew nothing of business warfare, relying only on petty tricks. After her failed partnership with Mo Tian—when Chi Qing set her up—her resentment toward the two of them had only deepened.

That was also the main reason Chi Yang suspected her first.

Beside Chi Ran stood her Alpha daughter, Chi Zao. Like her mother, her mouth was filled with old-fashioned notions of primogeniture. In truth, she was merely an assistant at Minghe, never having touched a real project.

Chi Zao leaned lazily against the counter with a wine glass, her tone dripping with sarcasm as her eyes flicked toward Chi Yang.

“I heard when Grandmother died, big sister was still overseas rolling around in bed with her little lover. Surprised you didn’t bring her here today.”

“Guess you don’t know yet,” Chi Shu—the younger aunt—called out from a beanbag near the counter, voice teasing. “That little lover’s still lying in a hospital bed. Tsk, not much luck in enjoying life.”

Chi Shu was CEO of a small Minghe subsidiary. Her stake was minor, and she had no real ambition—just content to play the idle rich lady, collecting beautiful, sweet-scented Alphas to warm her bed.

Her greatest hobby in life was stirring up trouble between others.

“I knew it!—anyone with big sister ends up unlucky.” Chi Zao sneered, plopping down beside Chi Yang. “Could it be you’ve got some… cursed gene in you?”

Chi Yang glanced at her lightly, lips curving in a small laugh. “And you still haven’t managed to latch onto the Mo family?”

The smile vanished from Chi Zao’s face as she glared.

“I heard Mo Tian plays with all kinds of Alphas. How is it you can’t even get into her bed?” Chi Yang’s voice was cool, detached. “Truly a disgrace to your mother.”

“What did you say?!” Chi Zao shot to her feet, glass clutched tight in her hand.

Fresh from her shower, Chi Qing strolled out, expression serene. With a gentle push she eased Chi Zao back, then sat herself beside Chi Yang. Looking up, she said sweetly, “Come now, Zao. We’re all family here—no need to get ugly.

Wouldn’t want word to spread that our dear aunt failed at raising her child properly.”

Chi Yang couldn’t help smirking, head tilted, amused at the hidden blade behind Chi Qing’s smile.

She had never seen Chi Qing wear such a face before.

Chi Shu, eager to fan the flames, piped up: “So Zao likes Mo Tian? Funny, I heard Mo Tian once pursued Chi Yang instead.”

“Pursued or slept with—hard to say,” Chi Ran remarked coolly, accepting a peeled tangerine from a servant and slipping a segment into her mouth.

Chi Qing lifted her eyes lazily. “Others talk about pure love, and here’s auntie, all about the bedroom. Seems your nightlife is lively enough. Why not lead by example and teach your daughter a thing or two?”

From the corner, Chi Leya—who had been quietly scrolling through supertopic forums—finally managed to snatch a bottle of water amid the chaos. She took a sip, only to sputter it out in a messy spray.

Every gaze turned instantly toward her.

Chi Leya dabbed at her mouth with a tissue, grinning sheepishly. “Hehe… Auntie, um… take care of yourself.”

Chi Ran snorted, turned sharply, and went upstairs without another word.

Once she was gone, Chi Yue—who had been silent on the sofa the entire time—spoke coldly: “Auntie, let’s eat.”

Chi Qing rose, giving Chi Yang’s icy-cold fingers a brief squeeze. She turned her head, catching the other still dazed, and asked softly, “Want to take a hot bath first? Warm yourself up?”

Chi Yang blinked back to focus. “Didn’t you say dinner’s ready?”

“So what if you’re late? You think Chi Yue would actually keep food from you?”

Chi Yang murmured an “Mm,” then headed upstairs.

She understood—Chi Qing wanted her to arrive late on purpose.

Truth was, she didn’t want to linger downstairs either. The atmosphere in this house was suffocating. Being here always dragged her mind back to childhood—when her mother would bring her over for Grandmother’s inspection.

Back then, she didn’t know how to act coquettish. Chi Yue’s daughter, Chi Yuxuan, was about the same age as her but a natural-born darling.

So Grandmother always praised Chi Yuxuan and overlooked her.

After enough time being compared, Chi Yang was scolded as ill-mannered, ill-tempered, a little debt-collector—never a kind word.

But the truth was, she had never lacked the proper manners. In a family like this, blood meant nothing—no elder would show love for no reason.

Even as a child, you had to prove your value.

Only later did she realize her nature had caused her mother no small amount of trouble. Yet her mother had never treated her as a social tool.

She often wondered—if only she had been more obedient, sweeter back then, maybe…

The instant cold water hit her body, Chi Yang shuddered violently, bracing one hand against the white tiles as her chest rose and fell.

There was no maybe anymore.

She shut off the water, towelled herself dry, pulled on her clothes, and stepped out. Leaning against the upstairs corridor, she could still hear the clamor from below.

She sent An a message: [Pei Jiuyao hasn’t woken up yet?]

An replied: [Not yet.]

[Send me a photo of her.]

An snapped several shots from different angles, even added a video—careful and precise.

But mercenaries were used to reporting to employers. Every shot came at an unflattering, almost deathly angle. Still, even from those perspectives, that woman was far too beautiful.

The only one who had ever told her, “You’re good at acting spoiled.”

Until then, Chi Yang had never thought herself the type anyone would find endearing.

From downstairs, Chi Ran’s sharp voice pierced the air:

“Why hasn’t Chi Yang come down yet? With so many elders waiting—is this proper? Auntie, hurry upstairs and check on her!”

Chi Qing cut her off. “Aunt, instead of worrying about other people’s children, why don’t you pay more attention to your own?”

Chi Ran bristled. “What do you mean, ‘other people’s children’? Am I not your aunt? Has the third branch of your family completely lost its manners?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, wait—I almost forgot. You never had any to begin with.”

Chi Yang frowned, clutching her phone as she squatted in the hallway with her hands over her ears.

So annoying.

After a while, she let out a soft sigh, stood up, and headed downstairs.

Chi Yue lifted her head, cutting off the quarrel with a calm voice. “She’s here. Let’s eat.”

The seat of honor remained empty. Chi Ran and Chi Yue sat opposite each other, locked in silent rivalry. Chi Qing sat beside Chi Yue, while Chi Zao sat next to Chi Ran.

Chi Yang walked over, nodded politely, tugged at the corner of her lips in a semblance of a smile, and sat across from Chi Shu. In the corner, Chi Leya buried herself in her food, head down, occasionally scrolling on her phone.

Chi Ran shot Chi Yang a cold glance. As she served food into Chi Zao’s bowl, she sneered, “Yangyang really loves being clean, doesn’t she? Making everyone wait half an hour just so she could shower.”

“Not nearly as impressive as you showing up with a week’s worth of a boy toy’s fluids on you,” Chi Qing said sweetly, deliberately piling all of Chi Zao’s favorite dish into Chi Yang’s bowl.

Chi Ran’s eyelids twitched. “You’re disgusting.”

“Enough!” Chi Yue’s sharp voice cracked like a whip as she slammed her hand on the table.

The table fell silent at once, everyone lowering their heads to eat.

Only Chi Leya blinked, bewildered. After glancing around and seeing no one else move, she simply went back to shoveling food into her mouth.

Chi Yang stared at the mountain of sweet-and-sour pork stacked in her bowl, her teeth aching with the cloying grease.

She really didn’t get it—of all the dishes in the world, why did Chi Zao have to love sweet-and-sour pork? It meant every family dinner ended the same way: Chi Qing dumping the entire plate into her bowl, not missing a single piece.

Couldn’t Chi Qing just eat it herself?

With a frown, Chi Yang picked up a piece of pork and tossed it into Chi Qing’s bowl in quiet defiance.

“Second Sister, why didn’t Yuxuan come back?” Chi Shu cut in smoothly, turning the conversation toward Chi Yue.

“She’s abroad for a competition. She’ll be back in a few days.”

Chi Leya had already emptied her bowl but was still hungry.

God knew how hard it had been these past few days keeping vigil for their grandmother—half-starved, half-fed, she’d nearly been seeing hallucinations from hunger. Today she hadn’t eaten a single thing.

But she didn’t dare reach for anyone else’s food.

When she saw Chi Yang fling a piece of pork into Chi Qing’s bowl, she quietly slipped over with her own.