How Could a Scumbag Alpha Possibly Love His Wife? - Chapter 103

Cheng Wan almost didn’t react in time. The man’s shouting sounded so close it could have been downstairs, but as she listened more carefully, it seemed to come from either the hallway or the apartment next door.

The man’s furious yelling and the woman’s desperate cries seemed to come from all directions.

“Tell me, who was that at the door today? How many times have I told you? When I’m not home, you are not to open the door for strangers! Why can’t you listen?”

“I didn’t… I didn’t… He knocked on the wrong door. I just pointed him in the right direction. I didn’t say anything else…”

“You were that friendly just giving directions? You think I’m blind? You think I don’t know what’s going on in my own house with cameras installed?!”

Then came a series of loud thuds and crashes.

Cheng Wan couldn’t tell which unit it was. She sat curled up in the corner of her bed, covering her ears. Even with the lights on, the room didn’t feel safe. She thought she heard the man pick something up, followed by the sound of someone running and knocking over dishes. The shattering of ceramic echoed down the hallway.

The woman’s screams grew louder, and Cheng Wan could now hear the dull, harsh sound of a whip striking flesh.

She had heard before that some alphas abused their Omegas, believing that instilling fear was the best way to control them. To them, beating an Omega into submission was a sign of dominance. Make her afraid, and she’ll give you children obediently.

But Cheng Wan had never seen it happen in real life. She never imagined her first experience renting a place would involve hearing domestic violence right next door.

The woman’s cries made her whole body ache as if those whips were striking her instead. She couldn’t take it anymore. Grabbing her coat, she cautiously opened the door.

The hallway lights flicked on automatically, illuminating everything like it was broad daylight.

When the door was closed, the sounds had seemed far away. But now, they were so close and clear it felt like the shouting was right in her ear. Cheng Wan’s skin prickled.

There were seven apartments on this floor. As soon as she stepped into the hallway, she saw the door next to hers was ajar. That’s where the noise was coming from.

She was just about to walk over when a loud bang came from inside. Something had slammed into the door, making Cheng Wan jump in fright.

Another neighbor quietly cracked their door open. Cheng Wan turned to look and saw a woman holding a young child, about three or four years old. The woman looked nervous. When she saw Cheng Wan looking back at her, she quickly shut the door again without saying a word.

Cheng Wan turned her attention back toward the noise and was about to knock on the door when it suddenly swung open from the inside. A tall man stood in the doorway, holding a broken piece of leather belt in his hand.

He paused for a moment, staring at her. His brow furrowed. “Who the hell are you?”

Cheng Wan looked up at him. He was well over six feet tall, built solid with muscle, and the broken belt in his hand made him look even more threatening.

“I… I live next door,” Cheng Wan said, forcing herself to stay calm. “Can you please stop hitting her? It’s the middle of the night and people are trying to rest. And hitting someone like that… it’s illegal.”

The man let out a cold laugh. “So you’re one of those nosy types, huh?”

His glare was sharp, and Cheng Wan’s heart started pounding. As an Omega, she already felt at a physical disadvantage in front of an alpha like him, especially one this aggressive. The pressure in the air was suffocating.

Behind him, she could see the woman lying on the floor. The place was a mess—furniture knocked over, shattered dishes scattered on the ground. The woman’s body was covered in bruises and she didn’t seem to be conscious.

Cheng Wan tried to get a better look, but the man stepped in front of her.

“What are you staring at?” he growled. His eyes were wild and fierce. He shoved her shoulder. “I’ll deal with my Omega however I want. If you try meddling again, I’ll beat you too.”

His shove was strong. Cheng Wan hadn’t been feeling well to begin with, and the force made her stumble backward. She fell to the floor, her head hitting the hallway wall with a sickening thud.

For a moment, her vision blurred. Her ears rang so loudly she couldn’t hear anything.

The man kept saying something, cursing at her, but Cheng Wan couldn’t make out a word. Then, with one final curse, he slammed the door shut and disappeared back into the apartment, leaving her alone in the hallway.

She sat there, dazed, shaking her head to try to stop the dizziness. Slowly, her hearing returned.

Just then, the door across the hall creaked open again. The same woman who had looked out earlier stepped into the hallway and rushed over. She knelt down next to Cheng Wan, worry written all over her face.

“Are you alright? I saw you hit your head. Do you want to come inside and rest for a bit?”

Before Cheng Wan could respond, the woman gently helped her up and led her into her apartment.

She sat Cheng Wan down on the couch and pulled a first aid kit from under the TV stand. Sitting beside her, she carefully checked the injury.

“It broke the skin a little. I’ll disinfect it and put on a bandage. It’s not serious, but it’s starting to swell. If it’s still swollen in the morning, you should visit that small clinic down the alley.”

She moved quickly, cleaning the wound and applying a colorful bandage with a cartoon character on it.

“Sorry,” the woman said with an embarrassed smile. “All our band-aids are my son’s. It’s childish, but it works.”

Hearing that, the child nearby lifted his head and said, “If you wear an Ultraman band-aid, your wound heals faster!”

“Yes, yes, Ultraman helps,” the woman said gently, patting his head. “Now go back upstairs and get under your blanket. Mommy needs to talk with this big sister for a bit.”

The child nodded seriously, glanced at the bandage on Cheng Wan’s head, and said, “Tiga will protect you!”

Cheng Wan could barely follow what was happening, but she didn’t have the energy to think too much. Her head was still spinning.

The woman handed her a glass of warm water and sat back down beside her. “You must be new here. I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

Cheng Wan nodded. “I moved in today.”

“Moving in and running into something like this on your first night… that’s just bad luck.” The woman sighed. “That unit has a man and a woman living there. He’s supposed to be a fitness coach or something. Not sure if she’s his girlfriend or wife. But either way, he’s extremely controlling. Doesn’t let her talk to anyone but him. I once chatted with her briefly and he warned me not to talk to her again.”

Cheng Wan frowned. “But he can’t just beat her like that…”

The woman let out a long sigh. “Of course not. But it’s hard to interfere in other people’s family matters. They fight like this all the time. Tonight was just louder than usual. I don’t know how badly she got hurt.”

“No one called the police?”

“I did. The property management did too. But it’s no use. They say it’s a domestic matter and release him the same night. And when he comes back, he takes it out on us. Last time, he even kicked my door.”

She looked at Cheng Wan and added softly, “I’m a single mother raising a child. I can’t afford to get involved. Please don’t blame me for not stepping in to help earlier. I have my reasons too.”

Cheng Wan didn’t blame the neighbor. Honestly, if she hadn’t been confused about what was going on at first, she wouldn’t have dared to knock on someone else’s door either. Now that she’d been shoved and ended up with a head injury, she could only chalk it up to bad luck.

“I was just worried about that woman,” Cheng Wan said softly, feeling helpless. “She was lying on the floor, and I couldn’t tell if she was alive or not.”

The woman sighed and gently comforted her. “I’ll call the building manager and let them handle it. You’re an Omega, you shouldn’t be the one stepping in. Go back and rest.”

But Cheng Wan couldn’t sleep. Even after she returned to her own apartment, she kept listening for any sounds coming from the hallway.

The building manager did come up after a while. He knocked on the neighbor’s door and said something to the man inside. The man sounded annoyed, grumbling, “Yeah, yeah, I know. She’s not hurt. She’s not dead.”

The noise dragged on until around two or three in the morning, before everything finally went quiet.

Cheng Wan barely slept that night. On top of the headache from hitting the wall, her whole body felt sore.

She wasn’t sure if it was the mattress being too firm or something else, but it seemed like every time she moved, her bones ached. When she woke up, her throat felt dry and uncomfortable. After airing out the room, she finally started to feel a bit better.

Today’s weather was noticeably better than yesterday’s. Sunshine filled the room early in the morning, making it feel like a fresh start.

Cheng Wan made a simple breakfast with a few things she’d bought at the supermarket the day before. She fried an egg, toasted two slices of bread, added a little ketchup, and mixed a packet of soy milk. It was plain, but warm and filling.

After eating, she forced herself to get up and clean the second floor. Even though the apartment was move-in ready, there were still dusty corners. Her sore throat from yesterday was a clear sign that the room needed a deep cleaning.

She moved furniture around, wiped down cabinets, and mopped the floor. It took all morning, but by the time she finished, the upstairs felt fresh and clean. Her body, however, was completely exhausted.

Cheng Wan had never realized just how physically demanding housework could be. She used to watch Aunt Pei clean the house effortlessly and thought it looked easy. But now that she had to do it herself, every muscle in her body hurt.

Sitting on the sofa to rest, Cheng Wan rubbed her knees and back, unsure if it was really just fatigue.

Maybe something was wrong with her body? She had been eating and drinking well, nothing seemed obviously off. Had her health really declined this much?

Just as she started to spiral into worry, there was a knock at the door.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

She couldn’t help it. After everything the neighbor had said about that man last night, Cheng Wan was terrified that the muscular guy had come to cause trouble. If that was the case, there was no way she could defend herself.

She hesitated, considering whether to pretend she wasn’t home, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice call from outside the door.

“Miss Cheng, it’s me, Wu Qingwen. I brought some food and thought I’d check on you.”

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