Transmigrated as a Scum Alpha: Now I Have a Wife via the Heartless Dao - Chapter 5

Seeing the strange look on Rong Shu’s face, and noticing that Yu Qianyan seemed completely oblivious, the shop owner thought for a moment and decided to offer a hint to his new friend.

“You should be more careful.”

“Careful about what?” Yu Qianyan asked, confused.

“That little Omega from the Rong family you brought with you,” the owner sighed, frustrated that she was as dense as a wooden block. “I was originally trying to praise you in front of her just now, but who knew that after I said it, it seemed to have the opposite effect?”

“Praise me? What did you praise me for?”

“For treating her well, of course. I told her that you had never brought any other Omega to my shop. I don’t know what I said wrong, but she seemed unhappy. You’d better go coax her.”

Yu Qianyan was puzzled. Most of the original owner’s daily clothing came from this shop, and considering she was such a profligate Alpha with a never-ending string of lovers, how had she never brought another Omega here?

“Forget about bringing people here, you hardly ever come yourself,” the owner added, sensing her confusion. “Whenever there were new arrivals, I’d just have them packaged according to your measurements and sent directly to your house. Have you forgotten?”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qianyan finally realized where the problem lay. The original owner was a show-off. If she wanted to please the Omega she was dating, she would naturally choose places with prestige and witnesses to throw her money around. She certainly wouldn’t bring them to an old, established brand that was highly private and lacked foot traffic.

This was a blind spot in her thinking. Yu Qianyan only knew that her own clothes came from here, so she never imagined that the original owner rarely stepped foot in the shop herself.

Since that was the case, perhaps Rong Shu was unhappy because she had realized this, mistakenly thinking that Yu Qianyan didn’t value her enough to take her anywhere other than a place with no outsiders.

Feeling a bit guilty, Yu Qianyan sidled over to stand next to Rong Shu and whispered an apology.

Rong Shu blinked, confused, and asked with her eyes what this was about.

Yu Qianyan rattled off a dry explanation, insisting that she didn’t mean to undervalue her, but that she simply felt the clothes here were comfortable, durable, and of excellent quality, and that it was the premier choice among the capital’s noble circles, which was why she had brought her here. She explained a whole lot of nonsense in one go.

Rong Shu was a bit bewildered at first, but she eventually grasped the intent behind the words. A strange sense of relief washed over her. It wasn’t that she was particularly satisfied with the content of Yu Qianyan’s explanation, she wouldn’t believe half a word coming from the mouth of that scum—but the fact that the other person was constantly monitoring her mood swings and was so eager to explain herself made her feel strangely gratified. It was as if a hidden, aching gap in her heart had been slightly filled, sparing her from the long-standing loneliness of not being cared for, and her suppressed frustration eased a little.

The doubts and suspicions that had arisen earlier did not disappear entirely, but for the moment, Rong Shu lost the urge to bicker over them.

“Let’s not think about these things for today,” she decided silently. “Since I’ve finally come out, I might as well enjoy the day, if only to celebrate my rebirth.”

Yu Qianyan, of course, was unaware of the turbulent thoughts in her fiancée’s mind. She only knew that Rong Shu seemed much happier, and she felt pleased as well.

Accompanied by a dry entourage of assistants and bodyguards, the two spent the rest of the day hitting several other stores.

The places they visited afterward were all for the items Yu Qishan had instructed them to purchase, from formal wear, shoes, and socks to jewelry, accessories, cosmetics, skincare, and nourishing tonics. Money flowed like water until late at night, under the bright moonlight, when Rong Shu finally felt she had finished shopping to her heart’s content.

Throughout the entire process, Yu Qianyan was incredibly patient, following Rong Shu from shop to shop. She offered opinions whenever she could say something sensible, and when she couldn’t understand the fashion, she simply smiled, nodded, and offered genuine compliments. Her attentiveness was so good that the bodyguards and assistants felt a sense of dread. They secretly sent several reports back to Yu Qishan, terrified that their young lady hadn’t turned over a new leaf, but had perhaps been bewitched.

Unfortunately, many of the items bought today required custom work and couldn’t be taken home immediately. This was especially true for the engagement gown Rong Shu was looking forward to most.

Perhaps influenced by Yu Qianyan’s constant muttering about “buying a sword,” Rong Shu had spent some time searching and guessed that the “sword” Yu Qianyan kept talking about was likely a traditional Eastern ancient sword. Following the related recommendations in the search engine, she had also seen traditional Eastern wedding robes and was immediately captivated by their unique luxury and elegance.

After asking Yu Qianyan and learning that, while the engagement party would be publicly announced, it would be much smaller in scale and guest count than the wedding, and that she would have more freedom, she immediately decided to use a traditional Eastern wedding robe as her engagement gown.

This went against Imperial custom, and in the capital, it was an unheard-of move.

When Rong Shu tentatively brought up her idea to Yu Qianyan, expecting a stern refusal, she found that Yu Qianyan seemed delighted and agreed without a moment’s hesitation. After that, she spent quite a while discussing with the designer what style, patterns, and colors Rong Shu’s robe should have, leaving no room for Rong Shu to interject, until Rong Shu found herself bewildered as she watched Yu Qianyan pay the deposit and confirm the style.

However, the design draft alone was breathtaking enough to make Rong Shu look forward to this insincere engagement. Of course, this was regarding Rong Shu’s set. Yu Qianyan hadn’t put much thought into her own robe, simply telling the designer to follow the style of Rong Shu’s.

Rong Shu didn’t understand. Would Yu Qishan really not mind such a rebellious decision? Was this Yu Qianyan indulging her, or was it… pandering, or fear?

“Will the Duke really agree to us dressing like this?”

Over the following hours, Rong Shu asked this question over and over, her tone growing more timid each time.

“It’s fine, she’ll agree.” Yu Qianyan answered tirelessly and with absolute certainty, as if she were perfectly willing to arrange everything perfectly for Rong Shu so that she wouldn’t have to suffer any criticism or blame.

On the way back, it was still just Rong Shu and Yu Qianyan in the cabin. One of the assistants, highly perceptive, began playing classical music for the two of them. The melodic tunes lingered in the quiet space like faint smoke, blowing away the exhaustion of the day.

The false sense of liveliness created by the long day of shopping gradually dissipated. The gloom hidden beneath the harmony surged up once more like an undercurrent at the bottom of a river. The smile faded from Rong Shu’s beautiful face, and it returned to its mask-like coldness.

From their first meeting at the banquet in this life to their interactions today, Rong Shu dug up every single suspicious detail and scrutinized them one by one.

While Rong Shu was lost in thought, Yu Qianyan saw nothing wrong with the long silence. She assumed the other girl was tired and quite contentedly enjoyed the peaceful moment, trying to appreciate the unique Imperial flavor in the music, which was entirely different from the music of the cultivation world.

After a long while, Rong Shu finally organized her chaotic conjectures. Her gaze flickered, and she raised her head gracefully, examining Yu Qianyan in detail. The person sitting across from her looked exactly like the one she had hated most in her past life, yet her current behavior contradicted her memories at every turn.

She didn’t know if Yu Qianyan was just as dense as ever, or if she was simply too confident. There were countless anomalies, and it seemed as if she had no intention of hiding anything from the very beginning, as if she were practically begging Rong Shu to investigate her secrets.

Her past life had taught Rong Shu the importance of taking the initiative. Since this was an unavoidable problem, she had to clarify it early and seize the upper hand. If it was truly as she suspected… that would be even better. She wouldn’t feel any fear; she would only savor the sweetness of a second victory in revenge even more thoroughly.

Having made her decision, Rong Shu took the initiative. She curved her lips into a slightly shy arc and chuckled with a flicker of affection in her eyes, “You are very different from what I imagined.”

“Is that so?” Yu Qianyan’s heart skipped a beat, but upon a second thought, she immediately set aside her concerns. There is no such thing as soul-snatching in this world, I don’t have to worry.

Rong Shu stared intensely at Yu Qianyan’s reaction, not letting a single emotional fluctuation slip by. Yet, Yu Qianyan was as steady as an old dog, refusing to let her see anything amiss.

Hmph, quite good at pretending.

However, before Rong Shu could probe further, Yu Qianyan took her initiative to speak as a sign that she was well-rested and began a new topic.

“The engagement party is in three days. It’s a bit rushed, so I’ve wronged you. If there are any omissions in the preparations, or if there is anything you want, just tell me, and I’ll find a way.”

Rong Shu was slightly stunned. These words actually sounded quite sincere; she just didn’t know if there was even a shred of truth in them.

“My mother’s intention is… she wants to invite you to move into my house after the engagement. Please, don’t misunderstand. You will be given your own room, and there is absolutely no intention of disrespecting you. It’s mainly because the wedding is only two months after the engagement, and the Emperor will be attending. My mother wants to invite palace etiquette instructors to come to the house to coach you, and it would be more convenient if you lived at our place. I don’t know if you’re willing?”

After she finished speaking, Yu Qianyan, fearing that mentioning Yu Qishan and the Emperor might make Rong Shu misinterpret her as making a threat, quickly added: “If you feel this is inconvenient and you still want to stay at your own home, I will go back and discuss it with my mother, and have the etiquette instructors go to the Rong residence instead, it’s all the same…”

“I am willing.”

The answer was so resolute that Yu Qianyan let out an “ah” before she realized Rong Shu had agreed. This, in turn, made Yu Qianyan hesitate. An unmarried Omega moving in with an Alpha, even one who was engaged, would inevitably invite controversy.

Yu Qianyan frowned and advised her: “Do you want to reconsider? This is no joking matter.”

She could ignore gossip, but she couldn’t guarantee Rong Shu wouldn’t be saddened by people wagging their tongues. Yu Qishan’s intention for this idea was good, but she was an Alpha, and the daughter she raised was also an Alpha. Having spent so many years in the military, how could she know the difficulties of an Omega marrying “up” into a higher social class?

In the original book, because the original owner was constantly arguing with Yu Qishan over the marriage, Yu Qishan had been exhausted from dealing with public opinion and the original owner’s bratty behavior, having no energy left to ponder other things, and naturally didn’t think of Rong Shu.

And, just as Yu Qishan had expected, Rong Shu had indeed made a fool of herself on the day of the wedding because the Rong family hadn’t arranged etiquette instructors for her, becoming the laughing stock of the capital’s noble circles for a long time.

Yu Qianyan naturally didn’t want Rong Shu to be ridiculed, but she also didn’t want her to be a target of criticism. The best method was to have the instructors go to the Rong residence. She hadn’t been able to react when Yu Qishan first brought it up, and by the time she came to her senses, she had already been kicked out of the study, so she hadn’t had a chance to object. She had planned to bring it up with Rong Shu first, and then talk to Yu Qishan when she got home.

Rong Shu, however, didn’t think that way and once again considerately expressed that she was very willing to listen to Yu Qishan’s arrangements. If she really had the palace etiquette instructors go to the Rong residence, wouldn’t that just be benefiting Rong Xin and the others?

Furthermore, moving to the Yu residence would be convenient for her to further observe and plan. It might not sound good, but conversely, she would also be able to better leverage the influence of the Yu family. The worst-case scenario was just listening to a few sour remarks later. She had been mocked enough in her past life; how could she possibly care about this?

Besides, just thinking about how ugly the faces of Rong Xin and her disgusting biological father would be when they learned she was about to move to the Yu residence and slip out of their control, Rong Shu felt a wave of satisfaction.

It was just that she didn’t know what kind of mindset Yu Qianyan had when she tried to persuade her to stay at the Rong residence. It certainly couldn’t be out of genuine concern for her; perhaps Yu Qianyan had some unspeakable secrets at the Yu residence.

Considering that Yu Qianyan had indirectly helped her, Rong Shu decided not to expose her full-of-holes performance for now and let her survive a few more good days.

“I really am generous,” Rong Shu thought, “It’s a bargain for you.”

“She is really simple,” Yu Qianyan thought, “It’s a bargain for me.”

“Such a beautiful and kind good girl… too bad I practice the Heartless Dao, otherwise I’d be charmed to death by her.”

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