How Could a Scumbag Alpha Possibly Love His Wife? - Chapter 108

The apartment was already small, and even though it was a loft-style unit, there simply wasn’t enough space for two beds.

Since Bai Juntang hadn’t brought a change of clothes, Cheng Wan lent her a set of pajamas. When Bai Juntang came out of the bathroom, she saw that a pillow and blanket had been placed neatly on the sofa.

“I was thinking maybe tonight…”

“You’ll sleep on the sofa,” Cheng Wan said politely.

She looked at Bai Juntang and added, “The hair dryer is in the cabinet under the TV. I’ll get it for you in a bit. The blanket was just sun-dried recently, but it’s a bit thin. If you get cold tonight…”

Bai Juntang looked at her with sparkling eyes and asked, “What if I do get cold?”

Cheng Wan replied, “Then I’ll lend you my down jacket to cover up with.”

Bai Juntang thought to herself that a down jacket wasn’t nearly as warm as a real blanket, but she knew Cheng Wan was being cautious around her. The fact that she was even allowed to stay in the living room was already a big step forward. She didn’t want to push her luck.

“No need. One blanket is enough. It’s not that cold at night now,” Bai Juntang said as she looked at Cheng Wan. “Go take your shower. I’ll find the hair dryer myself.”

Seeing that Bai Juntang didn’t object, Cheng Wan didn’t say much more. She watched as Bai Juntang crouched by the TV cabinet, looking for the dryer.

In the shower, Cheng Wan could still smell the faint scent of fir wood—Bai Juntang’s pheromones. She lightly patted her flushed cheeks and thought she should go to the pharmacy tomorrow to buy some suppressants. It had been a long time since she stopped using them. At the time, she thought it didn’t matter, but now it felt like a good idea to avoid any unnecessary tension.

After her shower, Cheng Wan stepped out of the bathroom while drying her hair and saw Bai Juntang already sitting on the sofa, hair dry and wrapped in a blanket, watching TV.

The volume on the TV was low, but in the small apartment, it was still quite audible.

The scent of pheromones in the room also became clearer after the shower.

“Done?” Bai Juntang turned to her, eyes soft with a gentle smile. She picked up the hair dryer next to her and said, “Come here. I’ll dry your hair.”

Cheng Wan held the towel awkwardly and shook her head. “It’s okay. I can do it myself.”

“It’s already past two. Are you planning to sleep with wet hair until morning?”

Cheng Wan looked uncomfortable but couldn’t deny she had a point. Still, she felt it was better to dry her own hair. She didn’t want Bai Juntang getting too close.

“Just give me the hair dryer. I’ll do it myself.” She reached out her hand.

Seeing her plan fail, Bai Juntang felt a little disappointed. She had imagined Cheng Wan sitting in front of her while they chatted and dried hair together. Even if they didn’t talk, she had hoped for a chance to be close.

“Alright,” Bai Juntang said, reluctantly handing over the dryer. Her dark eyes still looked at Cheng Wan with a touch of pleading. “Are you sure you don’t need help?”

Cheng Wan blushed even more. She took the dryer and turned away without answering, quickly heading upstairs.

Now sitting alone on the sofa, Bai Juntang looked genuinely disappointed. She stared longingly as Cheng Wan disappeared upstairs and called out, “If you need help, just let me know. I’ll be downstairs.”

Cheng Wan replied with a soft “Mm,” and soon the sound of the hair dryer could be heard from upstairs.

Bai Juntang didn’t want to come off as desperate or inappropriate. Once she heard the dryer stop, she turned off the living room lights. The only light left in the apartment was the small lamp in Cheng Wan’s bedroom.

That night, Cheng Wan didn’t sleep well.

She kept thinking about Bai Juntang downstairs, about the comforting scent of her pheromones lingering in the air. Cheng Wan tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep until dawn began to break.

She ended up sleeping for a long time. When she finally opened her eyes, it was already past noon.

Cheng Wan sat up and instinctively sniffed the air. The scent had faded quite a bit.

Had Bai Juntang already left?

She got up, threw on some clothes, and went downstairs. Bai Juntang was nowhere to be seen. The blanket and pillow were neatly folded on the sofa. She walked over and saw there wasn’t even a note left behind.

Cheng Wan sat on the sofa, suddenly feeling a wave of sadness she couldn’t explain.

She had thought…

Clutching the blanket in her hands, she looked down without speaking. If Bai Juntang had left, that was fine too. She didn’t owe her anything. It’s not like Cheng Wan had welcomed her in the first place.

Just then, she heard raised voices coming from the doorway.

“It’s you?”

“Why can’t it be me?”

Bai Juntang stood at Cheng Wan’s door, frowning as she looked at the woman in front of her, who also held a bag of takeout.

“What, Miss Wu? Does your company not serve lunch? You had to come all this way?”

Wu Qingwen looked at Bai Juntang, a woman she had only met once before, and then down at the food in her hands. It looked like Bai Juntang had ordered takeout too.

“I came to have lunch with Cheng Wan and take her out to look at apartments this afternoon,” Wu Qingwen said politely.

“Looking at apartments?” Bai Juntang quickly understood what this was about and smirked slightly. “You’re too late. I already took care of it.”

While Wu Qingwen was still confused, Bai Juntang walked over and entered the code on the lock. With a soft click, the door opened.

Wu Qingwen stared at her in shock. “How do you know the passcode?”

Bai Juntang wasn’t about to admit that she had memorized it the night before while standing behind Cheng Wan. Instead, she turned to Wu Qingwen and said, “Cheng Wan isn’t moving. It took her forever to find a place she liked. Why should she move out?”

Wu Qingwen frowned as Bai Juntang started to close the door. “But her neighbor…”

“You mean the guy who abuses his partner? I know,” Bai Juntang said calmly. “He came looking for trouble last night. I beat him up and handled it. He won’t be bothering Cheng Wan again.”

That morning, Bai Juntang had gone out of her way to investigate the man. She dug into everything, even down to his family background. She found out the apartment was rented. That made things easier. Cheng Wan wasn’t going anywhere, so the only one who would have to leave was him.

Wu Qingwen didn’t know any of this. But as she looked at Bai Juntang, she suddenly understood why Chang Le always seemed so wary whenever she mentioned Cheng Wan’s ex-wife.

Now it made sense.

Bai Juntang had no intention of letting Wu Qingwen inside. Wu Qingwen didn’t want to back down either. The two of them stood at the door, locked in a silent standoff.

“What’s in the past is in the past. Miss Bai, isn’t it time to let go?” Wu Qingwen said coldly.

“Even if it is in the past, that has nothing to do with you,” Bai Juntang said, clearly annoyed.

“If you had treated her better from the start, you wouldn’t have ended up like this,” Wu Qingwen replied sharply.

“Miss Wu, do you live by the sea?” Bai Juntang asked coldly. “Why are you so nosy?”

Cheng Wan stood in the living room, tilting her head as she watched the two women argue at the door. Their voices were rising, and things were getting more intense by the second. She couldn’t help but speak up.

“Why are both of you here?” Cheng Wan asked helplessly. “Can we talk inside? The apartment walls aren’t soundproof, and the neighbors can hear everything.”

Reluctantly, Bai Juntang let go of the door. Wu Qingwen immediately squeezed inside and even had the nerve to tell Bai Juntang, “Close the door.”

That made Bai Juntang even more annoyed.

The apartment was designed for a single resident. Even with the loft layout, the space was limited. The dining table could barely seat two people. With three, it was impossible, so Cheng Wan had to move the sofa around. All three ended up sitting on the carpet around the coffee table. It was cramped, but it worked.

Wu Qingwen had brought three dishes, but Bai Juntang had brought even more. The table was completely covered with food.

“You both bought food and didn’t even tell me?” Cheng Wan said, exasperated. “The fridge is small. I probably won’t be able to store all this.”

“It’s alright,” Wu Qingwen replied gently. “Eat what you can. In this weather, it won’t spoil sitting out for a few hours. You can finish it for dinner.”

Bai Juntang frowned. “It’s just one meal. There’s no need to save leftovers. Throw it out if it’s too much. Eating cold food too often isn’t good for your health.”

Wu Qingwen responded calmly, “If everyone wasted food like that, people in poor regions would have an even harder life.”

“If you care so much about charity, maybe you should go volunteer in the mountains,” Bai Juntang said with a tight smile.

“Whether I do or not is hardly up to you,” Wu Qingwen shot back.

Cheng Wan sighed, rubbing her temple. “I’ll serve the rice.”

As soon as she got up, Bai Juntang stood faster than Wu Qingwen and followed her into the kitchen.

In the small kitchen, Cheng Wan was rinsing three bowls. Seeing Bai Juntang come in, she asked, “Do you want to help? It’s okay. I think I can manage serving rice on my own.”

Bai Juntang quietly closed the kitchen door. The space was already tight, and closing the door made it feel even smaller.

“Why does she keep showing up here every few days?” Bai Juntang asked with clear irritation, glancing at the door. “You’re not actually into her, are you?”

Cheng Wan sighed in frustration. “Miss Wu is just a friend. She saw what happened and wanted to help me find a safer place to live. She probably came today to take me apartment hunting.”

Bai Juntang still wasn’t happy. “That man will be moving out in a few days. You don’t need to move. Besides, this wasn’t your fault. If anyone should be moving, it’s them. If you leave just like that, people will keep thinking you’re someone they can push around.”

Cheng Wan paused for a moment, looking a bit stunned, but said nothing. She turned to serve the rice.

Bai Juntang could tell Cheng Wan didn’t look too happy. She realized her tone had been too harsh, so she moved closer, holding one of the bowls while Cheng Wan served the rice.

“I didn’t mean to criticize you just now…”

Cheng Wan handed over one bowl and picked up another. Without looking at her, she said, “When I woke up earlier, I thought you had left.”

“I saw you were still asleep, so I didn’t want to wake you,” Bai Juntang explained. “There wasn’t much in your fridge, so I went out to buy some food. That’s when I ran into her.”

Seeing that Cheng Wan didn’t respond, Bai Juntang asked softly, “Are you upset?”

“No.” Cheng Wan shook her head and looked up. “But after lunch, have Assistant Li come pick you up. My place is small. It’s not convenient for you to stay here.”

Bai Juntang’s brows furrowed slightly. She glanced back at Wu Qingwen, who was still sitting in the living room. After a moment of silence, she said, “Alright. I’ll leave this afternoon. But if I go, then she goes too.”

Bai Juntang looked at Cheng Wan seriously. “Don’t think for a second the two of you can get together behind my back.”

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