How Can Two Scummy Alphas Fall in Love - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

During that scorching summer, a rumor swept through the capital: the Han family had been destroyed by a massive fire, and the head of the four great families had fallen from grace.

Han Fufu had also died.

Some speculated that Qin Qiao had orchestrated the fire, as she was the one who profited the most after the Han family’s collapse.

Twelve months after the incident, a person named Han Fufu no longer existed in this world. Instead, a girl named Fu Fu appeared.

Han Fufu had a few bank cards registered under other people’s names for contingency. She used that money for plastic surgery and for a period of recuperation abroad.

In the fire, Han Fufu’s right cheekbone to the bridge of her nose had been severely scarred. The collapsing bookshelf during the fire also broke her once-proud nasal bone.

To remove the scars and fix her nose, Han Fufu underwent cosmetic and reconstructive surgery abroad, completely transforming her appearance.

During this time, Yue Ying had been by Han Fufu’s side, accompanying her through hospital stays, cosmetic procedures, and setting up her new identity.

Most importantly, Yue Ying accompanied Han Fufu to relax and heal abroad.

Yue Ying sat by the river, holding a teacup, looking up at Han Fufu across from her.

The current Fu Fu looked slightly different from the former Han Fufu. Her reconstructed nose bridge was much more refined than before, though one could tell at a glance that the beauty was somewhat unnatural. However, a small black mole on her nose bridge made her entire facial structure appear much more harmonious.

Han Fufu’s eyes were nearly identical to her past self, yet her overall face did look different.

Coupled with the profound demeanor she now exuded, she was practically a different person.

“Fufu, are you… are you really going to change your gland again?” Yue Ying asked.

Han Fufu raised her light-colored eyes, slowly finished her tea, and then spoke: “Yes, of course I am.”

Her voice was much rougher than before, her vocal lines not as clear and delicate, giving her an older quality.

Yue Ying worried: “But, you can’t change this frequently. The doctor told you about that last time, didn’t he?”

“Mhm.” Han Fufu lowered her gaze, staring at the floating tea leaves in her cup. “My current condition genuinely isn’t suitable for a gland transplant.”

Yue Ying breathed a sigh of relief, realizing Han Fufu was aware of her limitations. “It’s best you know.”

“But I want to return to China, to the capital. I want to start over,” Han Fufu raised her eyes firmly. “I can have the gland removed first, and then undergo the transplant when my body can handle the surgery.”

“Are you insane?” Yue Ying was shocked. “Doing that will severely damage your body!”

“It’s fine. My body…” Han Fufu touched the scar where the gland had been transplanted on the back of her neck. “My body is no longer important.”

“How can you treat yourself like this? Just to go back for revenge? Just to make Qin Qiao suffer?” Yue Ying slammed her hand on the table. “I only said those things back then to make sure you’d survive. Isn’t our life together abroad right now good? Why don’t you forget Qin Qiao and just stay abroad with me?”

Han Fufu gave a bitter smile, shook her head, and said flatly: “I… can’t do that.”

“You still love her, don’t you?” Yue Ying had to admit it.

Han Fufu gripped her cup tightly, remaining silent.

Yue Ying gave a dry laugh. “Your silence is an admission.”

“No, I just hate her,” Han Fufu said with a dark expression.

Yue Ying denied it. “No, you love deeply, so you hate fiercely. Do you remember a few months ago when my subordinate told me that Qin Qiao’s intention to harm you might stem from the misunderstanding of her father’s death? She misunderstood, thinking your Han family caused her father’s death or refused to help. When you heard that news, your expression changed. You still want to find a reason for her betrayal, don’t you?”

“No!” Han Fufu clenched her fist and smashed it on the tabletop. “I still hate her! So what if she misunderstood me? Why didn’t she ask me back then? She didn’t ask anything, listened to others, and nearly killed my whole family. She…”

“Enough. You changed your gland for her before, and now you’re removing it—isn’t that still for her?” Yue Ying was almost consumed by jealousy of Qin Qiao. “I was the one by your side during your most painful, most difficult times! Can’t you… can’t you just see me?”

In truth, ever since Yue Ying returned from her studies abroad, Han Fufu had felt that the way she looked at her was off.

After spending so much time healing abroad, it was clear that Yue Ying truly harbored feelings for her.

The person who saved Han Fufu from disaster was naturally someone who admired her.

But Han Fufu’s heart was broken. Even if it were pieced back together, she couldn’t give Yue Ying the complete love she desired.

Rather than hurt another person who genuinely cared for her, Han Fufu decided to refuse outright.

“A Ying, we are friends. As a friend, I cherish you, but I can’t give you what you want.” Han Fufu reached out and grabbed Yue Ying’s shoulders. “I’m no longer the carefree, top-tier Alpha I once was. I can’t give you the love you seek.”

“I don’t expect you to cherish me… Even if you’re an Omega, I’m willing to be with you,” Yue Ying counter-hugged Han Fufu, resting her face on Han Fufu’s shoulder. “As long as you can hold me, I feel safe. I only want you. I wish you would at least lie to me and say you love me.”

“A Ying, we can’t be this way.” Han Fufu raised her hand and reassuringly stroked Yue Ying’s smooth hair. “If I had never been swayed by Qin Qiao, perhaps I would have agreed to be with you.”

“You are truly… heartless.” Yue Ying knew that Han Fufu’s outright rejection was actually a good thing for her.

The former Han Fufu, who casually played with and retaliated against Omegas, would have definitely feigned interest and played along with a person who confessed their feelings, only to eventually dump them.

Han Fufu smiled and sighed. “I’ve thought about it carefully. Everything I’m going through now might be divine retribution for me playing with other people’s feelings back then.”

“You really…” Yue Ying thought it over and decided to take off the necklace from her own neck. The pendant on the necklace was a simple silver ring with small, subtly luxurious small diamonds.

Yue Ying took Han Fufu’s hand and slipped the ring directly onto her right hand.

“I originally wanted to put it on your left middle finger, but since we’re friends, I’ll put it on your right. I hope you will always cherish me as a friend,” Yue Ying squeezed Han Fufu’s hand. “Of course, if… if you ever decide to be with me, please wear this ring on your left hand. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Okay, I understand.” Han Fufu propped up her chin, looking at Yue Ying’s face. “Thank you so much. Maybe it was thanks to you that I survived the fire back then. This consecrated bracelet really worked.”

“Before I went abroad, didn’t you give me this string of Buddhist beads? It works just as well,” Yue Ying shook her wrist, showing the Buddhist beads she had been wearing all along.

The two exchanged a smile, spending another peaceful afternoon.

During her final few days in that country, Han Fufu also had her gland removed at the most authoritative hospital there.

The day she was discharged, all traces of pheromones on Han Fufu had completely vanished. She was now a Beta.

“You haven’t changed at all in my eyes. I can’t smell your pheromones. I’ve only ever cared about you,” Yue Ying said, walking beside Han Fufu.

Han Fufu smiled. “You’re truly good at sweet-talking. Your future partner will be very lucky. But… being a Beta feels great. The air just smells like pure air, with no confusing pheromones.”

“Then…” Yue Ying hesitated. “Are you going back to China with me tomorrow?”

“Yes, naturally. I really want to see my mother, even if it’s just from a distance.” Han Fufu heard from Yue Ying that her mother was now under Qin Qiao’s care, constantly staying in the hospital, and her health seemed to be deteriorating.

Yue Ying said remorsefully: “If I were stronger, I could have fought for Auntie’s custody from Qin Qiao. That way, you could at least be more at peace.”

“It’s alright. At least she hasn’t laid a hand on my mother. She probably feels guilty towards our family, fearing that my ‘deceased’ self will haunt her in her sleep,” Han Fufu paused. “When I go back, I think I can try to contact the other four… oh no, the three families.”

Like the Fu family.

It was said that the capital was now a three-way standoff, with the Qin, Gu, and Fu families constantly competing against each other.

When the Han family was still around, the four great families maintained at least a superficial harmony and would help each other in times of trouble. But ever since Qin Qiao swallowed the Han family and the Qin family’s power grew, the remaining three major families began their endless struggle.

“Are you contacting others? Aren’t you afraid of your identity being exposed?” Yue Ying asked.

Han Fufu shrugged. “No. I’ll naturally exchange equivalent help for equivalent leverage. To put it plainly, the heirs of major families only care about benefits. Everything else is false.”

Hearing Han Fufu say this, Yue Ying felt that Han Fufu’s return was destined to bring about another storm.

The capital was about to become even more turbulent.

Three days later, at the capital airport.

The Beta named Fu Fu returned to China with Yue Ying. According to Yue Ying, Fu Fu was a close friend she met while studying abroad.

Fu Fu’s background was rather tragic. She was an orphan who ended up abroad alone. Now she wanted to return to China to develop her career, so she came back with Yue Ying.

This woman named Fu Fu was very capable and graduated from a prestigious foreign university. She was a talent.

Immediately upon her return, Fu Fu submitted her resume to the Qin Group.

The HR Manager of the Qin Group pointed at Fu Fu’s resume and explained the situation to Qin Qiao.

Qin Qiao looked at the photo on the resume—a woman who bore a seven to eight-tenths resemblance to Han Fufu. Her eyes instantly reddened. Her hand, resting on the paper, slowly clenched due to intense emotion, completely crumpling the resume.

“CEO Qin, what’s wrong?” It was the first time the manager had seen such sorrow on Qin Qiao’s face. He was too frightened to speak.

“This person…” Qin Qiao took several deep breaths, finally finding the courage to continue. “This person… I want her.”

“CEO Qin, actually, the manager of the media company thinks her face… would be easier to become a big star and earn more money,” the manager cautiously continued. “Perhaps… you could consider signing her directly as an artist under your company? And this face, it resembles the former CEO Han so much…”

As the manager spoke, he realized he had made a slip-up, mentioning someone from the Han family.

Qin Qiao’s expression instantly turned much colder, and her voice was filled with anger. “No resemblance! Where do you see a resemblance? Her face can’t compare to Fufu’s!”

“Then… then… should we not hire her?” The manager was confused. One moment the boss wanted her, the next she was angry. What was she trying to do?

Everyone in the company knew that ever since Han Fufu’s death, Qin Qiao’s temper had become increasingly unpredictable.

Everyone also knew that Han Fufu and everyone in the Han family were subjects that could not be mentioned in front of Qin Qiao.

“CEO Qin, what do you want her to do? Start in sales?” the manager asked, confused.

“Make her my assistant. I want to see why she has a face that looks so much… so much like hers.” As Qin Qiao said this, her mind kept flashing back to the charred body she saw after the fire a year ago…

Thinking of that made it difficult for Qin Qiao to breathe. Every breath she took carried a sharp pain, as if countless blades were slicing through her.

Recalling the moment she heard the news of Han Fufu’s death in the fire, Qin Qiao had been surprisingly calm, with no emotional turmoil, even personally overseeing the acquisition of everything the Han family owned.

But a year later, the Qin Qiao without Han Fufu was becoming increasingly hollow. She lived every day in yearning. Although she deliberately tried not to think, those memories endlessly clung to her.

Love or hate, Qin Qiao wasn’t sure. She only knew that she seemed incapable of moving on from Han Fufu.

The person who was truly incapable of moving on was her, Qin Qiao.

To the extent that now, Qin Qiao couldn’t bear to hear anyone mention Han Fufu’s name, nor would she allow anyone to mention the Han family. She even paid people to remove all of Han Fufu’s works from circulation until there was no trace of Han Fufu left in the public eye.

Yet, whenever Qin Qiao suffered from insomnia late at night, she would secretly play her private collection of Han Fufu’s movies. She would watch them all night long, resting on the sofa, her gaze sluggishly fixed on the face in the film.

The film only ended after Qin Qiao inadvertently shed tears and cried herself to sleep.

“Her face…” Qin Qiao snapped back to reality, looking at the face on the resume in her hand. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the photograph repeatedly. “Those eyes… why are they so similar…”

Fufu, I really miss you so much…