After Transmigrating into a Scumbag Alpha, I Had a Happy Ending with the Heroine - Chapter 38

The woman in the photo was that same minor actress who once splashed a cup of water on Jiang Qing in a café.

It was hard for Jiang Qing to connect this new version of her with the sharp and dramatic figure who had walked away without a word.

The change was dramatic.

She no longer had the confident, seductive charm from before. Instead, after undergoing double eyelid surgery and eye corner incisions, she had transformed into a delicate, soft-spoken “innocent beauty” type.

Unfortunately, the plastic surgery was so obvious that she now looked like a fake flower blooming in a decadent banquet hall—beautiful, but cheap.

“Should I use your account to post a clarification?” He Shu asked.

“Sure. Just explain clearly that we used to date. That’s all.”

“So you didn’t cheat on her, right?” He Shu confirmed.

“No, I didn’t.”

Even the old Jiang Qing would not have stooped that low.

He Shu wrote and posted the official statement in her usual professional tone. The clarification post shot up the trending list, and within minutes, it showed signs of going viral.

Speaking up right away gave fans the confidence to fight back. They worked hard to control the narrative and began denouncing the minor actress without holding back.

The woman had never expected Jiang Qing to respond so swiftly. Watching the small boost in popularity she had just gained vanish, as her follower count dropped and her messages flooded with accusations, her face darkened.

She cursed Jiang Qing in her heart for being petty. After all, they had dated. Couldn’t she at least let her ride the wave of attention a little?

But infamy was still a form of fame, and clinging to that thought, the minor actress stayed quiet.

Until her agency called.

The backlash had become severe, and her scheduled appearances were all being canceled. That was when she truly began to panic and realized just how untouchable Jiang Qing had become.

Still hoping to stay in the industry, she had no choice but to post a formal apology under mounting pressure.

Once that was settled, He Shu began going over Jiang Qing’s schedule.

“The next big focus is the Golden Blossom Awards. Whether or not you get nominated, the organizers have already confirmed your invitation. So for the next few days, work on your figure and posture. Make sure you steal the show on the red carpet.”

Jiang Qing gave her an OK gesture.
“Mission accepted.”

She reached for her water and took a sip. The moment the taste hit her tongue, she paused.

Citrusy and sweet, but with a strange undertone like dish soap.

She coughed suddenly.

The liquid tasted like sweet fruit juice laced with detergent. She had already swallowed it.

Jiang Qing looked bitterly at the cup she had used.

The cup was pearly white with a gold sheen, the surface uneven like rippling silver lakes. Beautiful, but not meant for drinking.

He Shu came over and gently patted her back, then sat down again.
“What happened?”

“I accidentally drank from the new cup I bought for brushing my teeth. Pretty sure I just swallowed some mouthwash.”

Still trying to laugh about it, Jiang Qing muttered,
“Not bad. Kinda sweet.”

He Shu stared blankly.

The mouthwash was yellow. How could she have mixed that up?

She thought back to everything Jiang Qing had done today. She had opened the door this morning with her slippers on the wrong feet. She had mistaken salt for sugar and poured it all over her sandwich. Her mind had clearly been somewhere else.

“Did you have a fight with your Omega?”

What did she mean, “your Omega”?

Song Qin Ning was not her Omega.

The moment she tried to deny it, Jiang Qing felt a strange emptiness inside.

She tried to suppress the discomfort rising in her chest.

Still, there was one thing He Shu wasn’t wrong about.

Her mind really had been occupied with things related to Song Qin Ning. Seeing He Shu’s serious tone instead of her usual teasing, Jiang Qing chose to ignore her phrasing and asked,
“How did you know?”

Did she even need to ask?

On the surface, Jiang Qing was always busy, her days packed with work and appearances. But that version of her seemed robotic, as if all emotion had been wiped clean. She moved through each day as if she were just living for the sake of it.

He Shu had never seen anything that stirred strong emotion in Jiang Qing.

Except when they talked about that Omega.

He Shu often joked about the two of them, but deep down, she truly believed something was different whenever Jiang Qing mentioned Song Qin Ning.

This kind of difference was subtle, hard to notice, even for the person feeling it. But over time, it could quietly grow, and by the time Jiang Qing realized it, it might already have taken root like a towering tree.

Seeing He Shu go quiet, Jiang Qing curled up into the sofa.

She whispered,
“We’re just friends.”

As if trying to convince He Shu.

But her voice was so soft, it sounded like she was speaking only to herself.

At the same time, with a small carton of milk in hand, she kept wondering if things between her and Song Qin Ning had really become that obvious.

“That’s enough. Don’t go out these next few days. Let your assistant handle anything that comes up.”

On the other end of the phone, the voice was cold and impatient. A few clipped words, then only the sound of the call ending.

Xiao Yu had just witnessed a tense argument and now stood quietly, not daring to breathe too loudly. She glanced nervously at Song Qin Ning.
“The company is doing this for your own good.”

Being suddenly labeled a homewrecker, and with Jiang Qing involved, most people online didn’t believe it. But with internet trolls stirring the pot, Song Qin Ning’s public image was still under fire.

Even after Jiang Qing’s team clarified things, the backlash had already caused a serious drop in the agency’s stock. That was enough to anger the higher-ups.

The result of their anger was the complete restriction of Song Qin Ning’s freedom.

She was banned from appearing in public and from using any online or network-connected devices for the foreseeable future.

“Leave me alone for a while,” she said.

Song Qin Ning was calm now. Gone was the fury from earlier when she argued with management. She had returned to her usual cool, distant self, like the quiet glow of moonlight.

Xiao Yu did not dare to stay longer and quietly left with the trash.
“I’ll order your favorite takeout for dinner.”

The door opened and shut behind her.

The room, now empty, fell into complete silence.

Song Qin Ning sat on the window seat, staring blankly outside. She watched as the setting sun slowly disappeared, swallowed by thick, heavy clouds.

The wind picked up. A storm was coming.

She stood and stretched her numb legs, then walked toward the attic.

At the far end, she opened a door to a room filled with canvases, large and small.

She pulled out a blank one, set it on the easel, sat down on the high stool, and squeezed out a tube of paint.

Focusing, she began to paint.

With just a few strokes, a soft and delicate beauty appeared on the empty canvas, drawn in light crimson.

In the days that followed, one question kept troubling Jiang Qing.

The question was simple:
Why hadn’t Song Qin Ning replied to her message?

Even though Jiang Qing had deliberately tried to lessen their conversations, the fact that Song Qin Ning had not contacted her at all these past few days made her heart twist unexpectedly.

This was supposed to be what she had wanted and expected. But the clean and complete silence on Song Qin Ning’s end had caught her off guard. It left her unsettled, even a little hurt.

This was the scene He Shu walked into.

Jiang Qing was sitting with a long-stemmed wine glass in her hand, filled just over a third with red wine. A fragrant, intoxicating aroma lingered in the air.

“Stop drinking. You’ll wake up with a swollen face tomorrow,” He Shu warned.

Jiang Qing looked up, confused.

“Don’t tell me you forgot. Tomorrow is the Golden Blossom Awards ceremony.”

Jiang Qing fell silent.

She hadn’t forgotten. It was just that her days and nights had blurred together lately. She had even started relying on alcohol to sleep. She simply hadn’t realized how quickly time had passed, and that the ceremony was already upon her.

Seeing how lost Jiang Qing looked, He Shu decided not to scold her after all.

“Look at you right now. What is going on with you?”

She took the wine glass from Jiang Qing and set it aside.
“I know you have a lot of concerns. Maybe it’s your status that keeps you from thinking about long-term commitment. Maybe it’s your personality that makes it hard to open up. But I don’t want those concerns to turn you into someone like this.”

Jiang Qing rubbed her forehead.
“I thought the choice I made before was the right one. But now I regret it.”

She missed Song Qin Ning. These past few days without her made it clear.

Even if they had slowly drifted apart, even if it had happened naturally, she still would have regretted it.

She would still miss her.

And that soft, lovely smile.

“If you regret it, then go fix it. The new decision might not be as perfect as getting it right the first time, but it’s still better than staying stuck like this.”

She was right.

It really was like He Shu said.

Jiang Qing could no longer deny that she regretted the choice she had made. If she had another chance, she would never have tried to ignore or brush away those feelings.

Right now, she missed Song Qin Ning so much it hurt.

“Will Song Qin Ning be at the Golden Blossom Awards?” she asked.

“Of course. Her company should be letting her attend by now.”

A flicker of light passed through Jiang Qing’s eyes, only to quickly fade.

She was afraid.

She didn’t know if, during the time it had taken her to understand and accept her own feelings, Song Qin Ning’s feelings had already faded.

But something else confused her.
“What do you mean her company ‘let her out’?”

“It was because of that last incident,” He Shu explained.
“She got caught up in the cheating rumors with you, so management put her on ice for a while.”

He Shu thought Jiang Qing just didn’t know why there had been no news about Song Qin Ning recently.

She had no idea her words would land like a bomb in Jiang Qing’s ears.

“The person who got dragged into the rumors as the third party was Song Qin Ning?!”

He Shu froze.
“You didn’t know?”

Jiang Qing really didn’t know.

But now that she had come to terms with her feelings for Song Qin Ning, hearing this made it impossible for her to sit still.

“I’m going out,” she said.

She tied up her hair and started pulling on a mask and hat.

“Wait, it’s late. Are you going to see Song Qin Ning right now? Won’t you see her tomorrow on the red carpet anyway?”

Jiang Qing gave her first genuine smile in days.
“I’m going to make the right choice. And thank you, He Shu, for the encouragement. Don’t wait up for me tonight!”

“Wait, hey, hold on—”

He Shu was completely confused.

Wasn’t she talking about that little Omega?
Why was Jiang Qing running off to see Song Qin Ning instead?

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