How Could a Scumbag Alpha Possibly Love His Wife? - Chapter 18

As soon as Cheng Wan stepped into the office, she could sense something was off.

She instinctively checked the time—there were still ten minutes before official work hours began. So why was everyone already busy working?

Cheng Wan walked over and sat down at her desk, only to feel a nudge from Chang Le beside her. She pointed at her phone and mouthed, “WeChat.”

After logging into her computer, Cheng Wan opened her messages and saw several texts from Chang Le.

Chang Le:
Baby, you should’ve taken the whole day off. Director Yang blew up this morning and she’s still scolding Manager Zhou in her office.

Cheng Wan replied, confused:
Cheng Wan:
What happened?

Chang Le:
Heard something went wrong with the bid documents. Yang’s been in a bad mood all day. Manager Zhou took the heat for you, but she might not cover for you this afternoon. Better prepare yourself mentally.

Just as Cheng Wan finished reading the message, the door to the supervisor’s office burst open with a loud bang. Yang Zhiman stormed out with a sour face, ignoring the staff as she returned straight to her own office.

Everyone turned their attention toward the supervisor’s office. A moment later, Manager Zhou stepped out, spotted Cheng Wan, and called her over, “Cheng Wan, come to my office for a moment.”

Cheng Wan felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. She stood up, gave Chang Le a quick nod, and followed Zhou inside.

It was clear that Yang Zhiman had lost her temper earlier. The floor was scattered with printed documents. Cheng Wan saw Manager Zhou crouched down picking them up, so she knelt beside her to help.

She picked up one of the sheets and glanced at it. It was one of the bid proposals she had worked overtime on just a few days ago.

Papers were everywhere—clearly all related to the bid.

“Manager Zhou, what happened?” Cheng Wan asked, puzzled. “Is there something wrong with the proposal?”

Zhou gave a weary nod. “It’s not a major issue, just a few incorrect numbers.”

Because they’d been rushing to meet the deadline, Zhou had reused an older bid template and made a few adjustments, thinking it would be fine. But both she and Cheng Wan had missed a few calculation errors.

Fortunately, the errors were caught by headquarters after submission, and the proposal was returned for revision. Had they submitted it as-is, the company could’ve suffered serious losses.

So in the end, it was a close call—but that didn’t make Yang Zhiman any less furious.

She had proudly handed in the complete file first and had even been praised by Bai Juntang in front of everyone. Now that the bid had been rejected and returned for corrections, she felt utterly humiliated.

It was as if the failed proposal had slapped her in the face.

So that morning, she showed up early just to blow off steam. And since Cheng Wan had taken half a day off, she vented all her anger on Manager Zhou, nearly tearing the office apart.

“The corrected bid needs to be resubmitted by tomorrow,” Zhou said with a sigh. “So we’ll have to stay and work overtime again tonight. I know it’s tough, but try to let your family know you’ll be late. Director Yang doesn’t have the best temper.”

Cheng Wan didn’t mind. Since the error was partly hers, it was only right to stay and help fix it.

When Chang Le heard Cheng Wan had to work overtime again, she looked a little guilty. “Wanwan, I’m really sorry. I was supposed to be the one doing overtime that day. Now I’ve dragged you into this.”

Cheng Wan shook her head—she didn’t really blame Chang Le.

“I’ll stay and help you tonight,” Chang Le said, scooting over with a bright smile. “Otherwise my conscience won’t let me sleep.”

Three people working overtime was better than two, and Chang Le genuinely seemed eager to pitch in. Manager Zhou didn’t object, so the three of them got to work revising the bid documents together.

By the time regular working hours ended, Chang Le had already ordered takeout—burgers for everyone. They ate while continuing to work.

The smell of burgers made Cheng Wan feel slightly queasy. She watched Chang Le rip open a food wrapper and said, “I left my water bottle at my desk. I’ll go grab it.”

Still digging into her meal, Chang Le replied, “There’s Coke here—you sure you don’t want any? There are three cups.”

Cheng Wan shook her head. “I’d rather get my own water. You two go ahead and eat.”

She stepped out of the office and took a deep breath. Even in the hallway, the air still carried a faint, greasy smell of burgers—sweet and heavy.

Cheng Wan returned to her desk, took out the anti-nausea medication Dr. Huang had prescribed, unscrewed her water bottle, and quickly swallowed a pill.

Dr. Huang had warned her not to rely on the medication too often, but Cheng Wan still didn’t want anyone to know she was pregnant—not just yet.

Her lower belly was already beginning to show. If she wore anything too tight, it was starting to become noticeable.

She did a quick count—it was almost three months now.

With the weather getting warmer, she wouldn’t be able to keep wearing thick clothes much longer. Once her belly grew a bit more, there’d be no way to hide it.

Cheng Wan sighed quietly. She wasn’t sure when the right time would be to tell her boss.

As she was lost in thought, she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw a figure standing not far away—it was Yang Zhiman.

Yang Zhiman stood there, eyebrows slightly furrowed, watching her closely. Cheng Wan didn’t know how long she’d been standing there, and quickly stood up. “Good evening, Director Yang.”

“Mm.” Yang Zhiman responded coolly. She walked over, weaving around the other desks, and stopped in front of Cheng Wan.

“Still here? Working overtime?” she asked.

“Yes,” Cheng Wan answered. “There were some mistakes in the bid documents. Manager Zhou, Chang Le, and I are going over everything. We’ll make sure it’s finished by tomorrow.”

Yang Zhiman didn’t reply right away. She had been furious earlier—such a small mistake had made her look bad. Normally, she would’ve pulled Cheng Wan aside to scold her. But right now, something else caught her attention.

Her eyes fell on Cheng Wan’s desk, stopping at the bottle of pills. “Are you feeling unwell? Why are you taking medicine?”

Caught off guard, Cheng Wan instinctively picked up the bottle and forced a small smile. “I’ve been a little uncomfortable lately, so I took something for digestion.”

“Is that so?” Yang Zhiman stared at her for a moment, then finally said, “Alright. I just came back to get my car keys. Keep working. Make sure the bid is ready for me tomorrow.”

She glanced down at Cheng Wan’s stomach, then said with a pointed tone, “You seem like you’ve put on some weight recently. Summer’s coming—don’t forget to watch your figure.”

“Thank you for your concern, Director Yang,” Cheng Wan replied quietly, lowering her head without meeting her gaze.

Only after Yang Zhiman left did Cheng Wan return to the office.

“What happened?” Chang Le whispered between bites of her burger. “I thought I heard Director Yang’s voice. Did she come back?”

“Yeah,” Cheng Wan said, closing the door behind her. “She came to get her car keys. Told us to finish the bid tonight and hand it in tomorrow.”

Manager Zhou let out a quiet sigh of relief. “Good thing she didn’t start anything. Let’s finish this before she finds something else to be upset about.”

And it turned out, three people really did work faster than two. Since most of the bid had already been completed earlier, they only had to revise and correct a few parts.

Even so, they worked until well past 9 p.m.

Manager Zhou had to leave early—she had a child waiting at home. Soon, only Cheng Wan and Chang Le were left in the office.

Around 10 p.m., Chang Le got a phone call. After hanging up, she turned to Cheng Wan, looking a little apologetic. “Wanwan, my parents came to pick me up. Do you mind if I ask them to come upstairs?”

Cheng Wan was momentarily stunned before responding gently, “It’s okay. Everything’s done; I just need to print it out. You should go home—don’t keep your parents waiting.”

A young girl just out of college working late into the night—of course her parents would worry. That’s why, even at this hour, they came to pick her up.

Whether it was Manager Zhou’s husband or Chang Le’s parents, Cheng Wan noticed that they all had someone who cared about them.

Only she seemed to be the exception. No one ever asked if she was scared walking home alone at night.

Chang Le looked at her, a little embarrassed. “I… I can stay and help you print. We could chat while we finish up.”

Cheng Wan smiled and shook her head. “Go on home. Your parents came all the way here because they were worried. Don’t keep them waiting any longer.”

“…Alright, then.” Truthfully, Chang Le was also a bit tired and wanted to go home. While packing up her things, she asked, “How are you getting back tonight? Taking a cab? Or is someone from your family picking you up?”

“I… my family’s coming to get me,” Cheng Wan answered quietly, eyes lowered. “They’ll call me when they get here. Go get some rest.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, then!”

“Mm. See you tomorrow.”

Cheng Wan watched as Chang Le left in the elevator. Soon, the entire office building was quiet, and she was the only one left.

The office lights cast a bright glow, but couldn’t reach the dark corners of the room.

She printed the final documents, listening to the soft hum of the printer in the silence.

Maybe it was the quiet, or maybe she was just too tired after days of poor sleep—Cheng Wan eventually rested her head on her arms and unknowingly drifted off at her desk.

At the same time, Bai Juntang had just finished attending a party hosted by the racing club. It was a celebration before the points qualifier, marking the last bit of fun before the intense prep for the World Championship next month.

She’d had two drinks. She wasn’t drunk, but felt a little lightheaded. Thinking it over, she asked Mu Ruchu—who hadn’t been drinking—to drive her home.

Sitting in the back seat, Bai Juntang rolled down the window and let the night breeze rush in, cooling the inside of the car.

“Ruchu,” she said, eyes fixed on the neon lights flashing outside, “you have to win this time. Dry Valley Racing Club is counting on you.”

She added with a smile, “You’ll be the first Omega to take the World Championship title!”

Mu Ruchu’s expression, however, darkened slightly. She kept her eyes on the road. “But this year’s race rules haven’t been released yet. It’s already almost a month late. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off…”

“If they haven’t released the rules yet, it probably just means there’s no real issue. Don’t stress too much,” Bai Juntang said, feeling more alert from the wind. “Take me to the office first. After that, you can take my car and head home.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s only a twenty-minute walk from the office to home. Just drive safe.”

“…Alright.”

After getting out of the car and watching Mu Ruchu drive off, Bai Juntang turned to head toward the building. But as she looked up, she noticed that the lights in the industrial complex ahead were still on.

Curious, she took out her phone and sent a text to Cheng Wan.

“Are you home yet? I’ll come pick you up tomorrow. Don’t stay up too late.”

That was the message Bai Juntang sent.

But by the time she came back downstairs, there was still no reply from Cheng Wan. She couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled.

Asleep by ten o’clock?

That didn’t sound like Cheng Wan. Wasn’t this the time most people were just getting into their evening routine?

Holding her phone, Bai Juntang hesitated for a moment. Then she decided to head toward the industrial park.

She figured, well, I’ve got nothing else to do.

Might as well go take a look.

Support