After the Scummy Alpha Marked the Crazy Beautiful Heroine - Chapter 54.2

The door burst open, and Chi Yang rushed in, her voice frantic.

“Chi Yue, put the gun down!”

A smile spread across Chi Yue’s face, as if she had expected this.

“So you came,” she said, laughing softly. “She really does matter to you.”

“Chi Yue, isn’t it the Minghe shares you want? Let her go. Let us walk out of here, and the entire company will be yours.”

The strong wind rattled the door, leaves outside rustling in a sharp whishhh.

Pei Jiuyao wanted to object, but the words stuck in her throat.

Chi Yue flipped off the safety. “Yangyang, your pretty mouth has never been trustworthy.”

She beckoned to the person beside her. “I brought my lawyer today. Let’s sign the transfer agreement right now.”

“Chi Yang, you can’t agree to this!” Pei Jiuyao shouted in fury.

“Don’t move!” Chi Yue pressed the muzzle against Pei Jiuyao’s forehead and stepped closer.

Chi Yang’s legs nearly gave out beneath her. Her whole body trembled as she all but begged:

“Chi Yue, I’ll give you anything you want—just don’t touch her. Move the gun away from her!”

Slowly, step by step, Chi Yang edged toward the contract and picked up the pen.

Pei Jiuyao’s eyes darkened. “Chi Yang, don’t sign it! Think—why have you been fighting so hard all this time? Think of your sister!”

Chi Yang bit down hard on her molars, tears pooling in her reddened eyes as she looked at Pei Jiuyao.

“Yaoyao, it’s my fault. I never should have locked you in here.” A tear slipped free, her voice soft as a whisper. “I’m sorry…”

She pulled the cap off the pen. Just as she was about to sign, she asked, voice trembling:

“I only want to know… did you ever love me, even once?”

Pei Jiuyao said nothing.

Chi Yang waited, waited far too long, and no answer came. Her hand finally moved to the paper.

“Don’t sign!” Pei Jiuyao roared, slamming Chi Yue’s gun aside.

The gun went off with a deafening crack, the bullet splintering into the table. An surged forward, grappling for the weapon. Chi Yue twisted free and swung the barrel back toward Pei Jiuyao.

Bang!

The bullet seemed to crawl through the air in slow motion.

Pei Jiuyao’s eyes widened as a memory surged back—Mermaid Island, the kidnapping.

“It wasn’t Chi Ran… it was you!” she gasped.

But the answer never came.

Boom!

The bullet tore through her heart, detonating into fragments that shredded flesh and bone.

Pei Jiuyao’s eyes locked on Chi Yang. She wanted to say something—

Be careful of Chi Ran.

Live well.

Or maybe… I love you.

She didn’t know. And she would never know. Everything dissolved into silence.

Her soul seemed to lift from her body. She saw Chi Yang still facing Chi Yue, eyes bloodshot, tears streaked with red, staggering madly to her side before collapsing.

An had already wrested the gun away from Chi Yue, yet Chi Yue clutched the signed agreement and laughed coldly.

“Yes, I planned the kidnapping. But with that fool Chi Ran taking the blame, even Chi Qing never suspected me. How ridiculous.”

Chi Yang turned, blood dripping from the corner of her eye, staining her cheek scarlet.

“Chi Yue!” she roared, trying to stand, only to collapse back to her knees.

Whether the mission succeeded or not no longer mattered to Pei Jiuyao.

Her heart ached for Chi Yang. She only wanted to hold her, stroke her hair, whisper to her not to cry.

But Chi Yang, half-crazed, crawled toward An, snatched up the gun—

And smiled, lifting the muzzle to her own jaw.

“You win, Chi Yue.” She turned to look at Pei Jiuyao.

For a heartbeat, it was as if they were staring across time itself.

Tears filled Chi Yang’s eyes. Pain tore through her organs, her very bones felt like they were breaking apart. Her body was nothing but a split log, every vein of grief spilling outward, unstoppable.

Without you, the world means nothing.

Bang!

“No!”

Pei Jiuyao shot upright.

She touched her face. Tears streamed down in torrents.

A dream.

“Chi Yang! Chi Yang!” she screamed hoarsely, stumbling out of bed.

Her legs buckled, and she crashed to her knees, sharp pain splitting across her forehead.

Collapsing to the ground, curling in on herself, her nails dug into her palms until blood dripped steadily onto the floor.

Memories surged back, one after another—

“Why did you get engaged to Mo Tian? Didn’t you say you liked me? Was your ‘love’ that cheap?”

“This is betrayal, Chi Yang! What do you take me for?”

“Get out! I never want to see you again!”

…

“In that case, go.”

“You’re right. I never loved you. You were nothing but my antidote, a tool to cure my pheromone disorder.”

“Even if I really marry Mo Tian, I’ll never love you. This is my villa—why don’t you get lost?”

…

“You want me gone? Then I’ll stay. I’ll watch how sweet you are with your precious Mo Tian.”

So that’s how it was…

Pei Jiuyao’s eyes snapped open, bloodshot red.

She forced herself to her feet, staggering to the door.

So that’s how it was… this wasn’t her first time in this world.

She was the one 7023 had spoken of—the only one who died mid-mission, who drifted into the Land of the Unclaimed.

That was why, when she woke there, it had been late summer.

Because she’d struck her head that summer, crossing into this world… and meeting Chi Yang.

Pei Jiuyao had only ever come to complete her mission. But Chi Yang had fallen in love with her, imprisoned her, desperate again and again to confirm her feelings.

Later, perhaps sensing Chi Yue’s growing threat, Chi Yang had tried to drive her away with cruel words.

But Pei Jiuyao believed her, and stayed—if only to spite her.

Until Chi Yue appeared and fired that fatal shot.

Pei Jiuyao had spent nine months in the Land of the Unclaimed. Time there moved differently—slower, far slower than this world.

It was there she met Chi Qing, trapped in a coma after her accident. Their encounter was fleeting before 7023 cast Chi Qing into Chi Yang’s world.

And Chi Yang… had been reborn at the age of eight.

Nine months had passed—the exact mirror of the eighteen years Chi Yang had spent growing up. When she returned to this world again, it was already late autumn.

The timeline had successfully reset.

That was why, the very first time Pei Jiuyao saw Chi Yang, she lost control and blurted out, “I like you.”

It was to answer the words Chi Yang once thought she would never live to hear.

In her previous life, Pei Jiuyao had only stopped Chi Yang from signing that contract because of the mission. Yet Chi Yang… had given up her life for it.

And Pei Jiuyao had to pay with her own life to finally understand her heart.

Fortunately, this was a higher-dimensional world. Fortunately, death was not the end, but a new beginning.

7023 hadn’t lied to her. This wasn’t pheromones talking.

It was because Pei Jiuyao had to give Chi Yang an answer.

So—how was she supposed to break free from this deadlock? Pei Jiuyao gripped the doorknob tightly.

The long-silent 7023 finally spoke: [In the original novel, Chi Yang broke free on her own.]

The implication was clear: perhaps you should leave.

Leave? Was that really the only way?

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from outside. Chi Yang had returned.

The moment she pushed the door open, she froze at the sight of Pei Jiuyao standing there as if half-crazed.

“You…”

“Chi Yang, let me go.” Pei Jiuyao stared at her, dazed.

Chi Yang’s expression turned cold in an instant. “Why do you insist on leaving?”

“Didn’t you say you liked me? Is your so-called ‘like’ that cheap? You won’t even stay with me?”

The same accusation Pei Jiuyao once hurled in their past life had now been spoken by Chi Yang.

And only now did Pei Jiuyao realize just how much those words hurt. It was as if they pierced straight through her chest, leaving an ache so sharp it was unbearable.

Clutching her heart, she lowered her voice, “Let me help you, please? Don’t leave me trapped here.”

“Don’t say that, Xiao Li. I know you don’t mean it.” Her voice softened, trembling. “Even if you drag me along, even if you keep me by your side, just don’t throw me away here, alright?”

Chi Yang’s fingers clenched, her gaze wavering for a moment. But she still made her decision, starting to close the door.

“You’ll only become my burden.”

Pei Jiuyao shoved the door back.

“Chi Yang, we’re lovers! Why can’t you trust me?”

Chi Yang didn’t know why—but she could feel it. If she kept chaining Pei Jiuyao to her side, she would lose her.

“Because you’re too fragile. One touch, and you’ll shatter.” Chi Yang forced herself to remain calm.

Pei Jiuyao bit her lip, then asked hoarsely, “And if I insist on leaving?”

Chi Yang’s fists clenched.

For a moment, she thought—maybe she should let Pei Jiuyao go.

Being with someone like her… could never bring happiness. And right now, she couldn’t even give Pei Jiuyao the stability of an ordinary life.

She might even drag her down into the abyss.

After a long inner struggle, Chi Yang’s voice turned cold:

“If you walk out that door, don’t ever come back.”

The words cut deep. Pei Jiuyao’s eyes immediately reddened.

“Xiao Li, Chi Yang—I don’t mean it like that. What I’m saying is…” She tried desperately to find another way out. “Let me stay with you, or after everything is over, I’ll come back to you, alright?”

“We don’t have to break up. There are so many ways—please, don’t let breaking up be the only one.”

But Chi Yang’s decision hardened.

It couldn’t go on like this. If it did, could she really keep Pei Jiuyao safe?

She could barely keep herself alive.

“Why should I play at false affection?” Chi Yang laughed lightly, her words cutting like glass. “Pretending to string Mo Tian along on the surface, while keeping some secret relationship with you—what’s the point? Pei Jiuyao, you don’t love me at all.”

“Chi Yang!” Pei Jiuyao’s voice cracked sharp with anguish. “Don’t say words you’ll regret!”

“I don’t need a lover. You know that better than anyone.” Chi Yang stepped forward until she was right before her. “What I need is a dog that obeys. Something that belongs entirely to me. You’ve always known that. But you can’t give it to me.”

Pei Jiuyao froze. Time itself seemed to stall, a hollow ringing filling her ears, while grief poured over her like acid rain.

Because this—this was the truth.

One hundred percent, cold and unvarnished truth.

Not a cruel ploy to drive her away.

“Chi Yang… how could you…”

“Either leave, or let me lock you in here. Two choices.”

Chi Yang’s face was calm.

But in that moment, her soul felt torn apart.

She had imagined letting Pei Jiuyao go countless times, but she had never thought it would end like this.

Still, perhaps it was for the best. Even if she failed—even if she died—at least Pei Jiuyao would not be dragged down with her.

That was best.

Pei Jiuyao’s hand trembled. She reached out, wanting to brush the corner of Chi Yang’s eye, but let her hand fall before it touched.

Chi Yang did nothing. Yet Pei Jiuyao couldn’t hold back—she began to cry first.

She had finally gotten what she wanted, had finally managed to walk away from the cage that bore her name.

So why did it hurt this much?

Why did it feel like her chest was hollowed out?

Taking a step forward, Pei Jiuyao left.

She was free from that prison. But instead of relief, all she felt was desolation.

The air outside smelled bitter, tasted suffocating.

She walked a few steps more, then turned back to look at Chi Yang’s thin figure. Tears clung to her lashes as she smiled.

“Chi Yang, there’s something I need to tell you.” She stared at that back she had embraced countless times. “I like you. The first time, it was because of pheromones. But now—I can control them, and I’d still say the same. I liked you before, I like you today. As for tomorrow, I don’t know.”

“But today, I have to leave. There will be no tomorrow. What should I do if you suddenly think of me one day…”

She sniffled, her voice breaking. “Just don’t say we broke up because of Minghe. Remember this—it’s because you said you needed a dog that obeys.”

When Chi Yang turned around, Pei Jiuyao instinctively stepped forward, wanting to hold her once more.

But Chi Yang stepped back.

“Be careful of Chi Yue. She might be the real culprit behind the kidnapping case.”

The light in Pei Jiuyao’s eyes dimmed. Finally, without another word, she turned and left.

Chi Yang leaned against the wall, sliding down slowly. A bitter laugh slipped out of her lips—until it broke into sobs.

The person she loved was right there before her.

And yet, she had taken a step back.

All she could hope for was that during her own desperate struggle for survival, Pei Jiuyao would live on—live brilliantly.

But Pei Jiuyao was gone. Like smoke. Like the wind. Without even a trace left behind.

Chi Yang slipped off her wristband, hugging herself tightly.

________________________________________

She didn’t know how long she walked. The wind cut like knives, and no matter how much she cried, the tears would not stop.

The emotions burying her alive inside left her face pale, nearly lifeless, as if drained of color.

How could Chi Yang say that? How could she speak the truth so bluntly—so cruelly?

When she lost all sense of direction, Pei Jiuyao finally stopped.

Not far ahead, someone was crouching, playing on a phone.

Seeing her, the figure stood up and smiled.

“You are…?” Pei Jiuyao’s eyes were swollen red from crying, her voice broken by sobs.

“I’m Shi Nian!” The girl jogged over, throwing an arm over her shoulder. “Old classmate, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me?”

“Classmate?” Pei Jiuyao frowned.

A friend of the original owner, perhaps?

“Come on, elementary school! Been ages, huh?”

…

Who in the world runs into their elementary school classmates at a time like this?!

Pei Jiuyao’s head throbbed. She had no patience for this and tried to walk away, but Shi Nian draped her arm around her again.

“Don’t go, old classmate—big star! I heard you broke off your contract with Tianji. So where are you headed now?”

Fresh off a breakup with her patron and without a place to land, Pei Jiuyao’s mood soured further. She almost wanted to beat this “old classmate” up.

“My boss is a huge fan of yours. She wants to sign you. Interested?”

“And your boss is?” Pei Jiuyao asked flatly.

Shi Nian’s smile turned mysterious. “Xingchong Entertainment.”