How Could a Scumbag Alpha Possibly Love His Wife? - Chapter 50

In her three days in Hainan, Bai Juntang had been drinking nonstop—pushed into it by others every single day.

It was hard to say if people here were just that enthusiastic, or if there was something else going on. From morning to midnight, someone was always dragging her into another drinking session.

By the third day, Bai Juntang had seen through it. Not once had anyone brought up the construction site. Yet they still insisted on drinking together, and her expression had turned ice-cold.

A warm welcome was one thing—but drinking three days straight? That was suspicious, no matter how you looked at it.

If she hadn’t put her foot down that day, they probably would’ve tried to drag her into a fourth round.

Sitting in the car, she stared out the window as the surroundings grew increasingly desolate. Her brows furrowed tighter with each passing mile.

The five-star hotel project was supposed to be massive—built on a wide stretch of coastal land. Although it was still early in development, it shouldn’t have been this messy. When she stepped out of the car, she nearly couldn’t find a clean place to stand.

The shoreline was covered in ocean trash, the air thick with a rotting stench that made her stomach churn.

“What is this?” Bai Juntang stared at the beach ahead, her face dark as thunder. “Is this the reason you’ve been stalling me?”

President Wang, the man in charge of hosting them, was sweating profusely—not just from the heat, but out of sheer panic. He stammered as he tried to explain.

Apparently, the five-star hotel had been a joint investment by three companies. Everything had looked fine during initial checks. Everyone involved was wealthy and influential, and the city government had been supportive. They all wanted to create a landmark development.

But somewhere along the way, something had gone wrong.

Just when funds were secured and they were ready to break ground, an old debt dispute surfaced—one that dated back thirty or forty years. During China’s early years of reform, land ownership had been chaotic. This piece of land had once been used to settle a debt by the local government and had since changed hands multiple times, eventually ending up in the hands of a foreign investor.

That investor hadn’t been active in China for years, so no one raised objections at first. The issue didn’t come to light until the project was nearly underway.

Qiangu hadn’t been in charge of the site investigation and wasn’t aware of the issue. The other two partners had already poured in large sums of money and couldn’t pull out. So, they tried to quietly drag Bai Juntang in, hoping she’d sign the contract without knowing the truth. If all three companies were in it, the financial burden would be easier to bear.

That’s why President Wang had been stalling—trying every way to delay her visit, hoping she’d sign without ever seeing the site.

Bai Juntang’s expression turned even darker.

Her team members were fuming. It was obvious now: the other two companies had set up a trap and hoped Qiangu would fall into it. Thankfully, Bai Juntang had insisted on seeing the site herself. If she hadn’t, they might’ve blindly signed a contract and taken on billions in debt.

When they got back to the hotel, Bai Juntang didn’t speak a word during the ride. Before getting out, she told her team, “Everyone needs to visit the local city offices tomorrow. We need a full report on this land.”

Li Chen, the driver, remained silent. The general manager in the front passenger seat asked, “If the land really has legal issues, then our early investment is already a loss, isn’t it?”

Bai Juntang replied, “Yes, but that’s still better than signing the contract and walking away with nothing but debt.”

The car fell silent. Everyone knew—if the issue couldn’t be resolved, cutting their losses now was the only option.

Still, the betrayal stung. These companies had worked together for so long, and now they’d tried to throw Qiangu under the bus. It was infuriating.

The rest of the day, the entire Qiangu team ran around gathering information. That night, they met again to compare findings—and it was confirmed: everything Wang had said was true. The land was caught up in a legal dispute, and all of their early investment was likely gone.

Bai Juntang called the other two partners, but none of them picked up. One claimed to be out of town, the rest simply didn’t answer. It was obvious—they were avoiding her.

Her blood pressure was nearly boiling.

“President Bai,” the finance manager said cautiously, “I think this is beyond our scope. We should call someone from Qiangu’s legal department to come here and figure out how to handle the lawsuit.”

“Yeah, we can’t count on those guys suddenly growing a conscience. Our only option now is legal action.”

As everyone spoke up, Bai Juntang stayed quiet for a long moment. Finally, she said, “It’s late. Everyone, take a break. Li Chen, call Director Wei from Legal and get him on the earliest flight here tomorrow.”

Li Chen nodded and stepped out to make the call, leaving the rest of the group exchanging looks.

“Everyone’s done well today,” Bai Juntang added, rubbing her temples. “Get some rest. We’ll talk about tomorrow’s plan in the morning.”

After everyone left, Bai Juntang stood from the sofa and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside was the hotel’s garden square, a narrow coastal road, and then the sea—black as a curtain. She realized that although she’d been here several days, she’d only ever seen the ocean at night. She hadn’t once stood quietly to admire the coastline in daylight.

Just then, there was a knock. Li Chen came in and said, “President Bai, Director Wei confirmed he’ll be on the earliest flight.”

“Alright,” Bai Juntang nodded. “Thank you.”

“You didn’t have lunch or dinner. Should I have the hotel send up a meal?”

“Yes, please. And a coffee too. Thanks.”

After Li Chen left, Bai Juntang pulled out her phone. It was past 10 p.m.

She looked at her chat with Cheng Wan. Their last message exchange was from the previous evening. She considered calling but decided not to—she didn’t want to disturb her.

Right now, Cheng Wan needed a calm, peaceful environment. So instead, Bai Juntang dialed Aunt Pei.

It was already bedtime for Aunt Pei, but she hadn’t fallen asleep yet. She was scrolling through short videos on her tablet while the little orange cat, Guazi, snored softly beside her.

Although Guazi had passed all its health checks, Aunt Pei still didn’t feel comfortable letting it sleep in Cheng Wan’s room. The kitten needed company though, so it curled up next to her pillow.

When she saw Bai Juntang’s name on the caller ID, she was a little surprised. After a pause, she answered the phone.

“Hello? Juntang?”

“Aunt Pei,” Bai Juntang said. “It’s so late—why haven’t you gone to bed yet?”

“It’s not that late,” Aunt Pei replied. “I just got into bed myself. Is something wrong? You called so suddenly.”

“No, it’s just…” Bai Juntang said with rare helplessness, “Has Wanwan gone to bed? I just finished work. I was afraid she might be asleep already, so I didn’t call her.”

Aunt Pei made a small sound of acknowledgment and said, “She went to her room around nine. She should be asleep by now. She’s been going to bed early these past few days.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Aunt Pei asked, “Juntang, when are you coming back? Didn’t you say you’d be away on business for a week? Will you be back this Saturday?”

“There’s been an issue with the project here. I might need to stay a bit longer,” Bai Juntang replied with a frown. “Why? Did something happen at home?”

“Ah, I… I don’t know how to say it…” Aunt Pei scratched her head in distress.

The swelling on Cheng Wan’s face had finally started to subside over the past two days. Since she was pregnant, she couldn’t use any medication, so Aunt Pei had been applying cold compresses after work. The rest was left to Wanwan’s own immune system to handle.

But Aunt Pei could feel it—every time she helped Cheng Wan with the compress, Wanwan looked heartbroken. She would sit silently on the couch, eyes lowered, saying nothing.

She still ate her meals and slept on schedule. She left for work on time and returned promptly in the evening. But to Aunt Pei, something just didn’t feel right.

Holding the phone, Aunt Pei said to Bai Juntang, “I promised Wanwan I wouldn’t tell you. And I know your work is important… but still, please finish up quickly and come home. Don’t delay—not even for a minute.”

Bai Juntang frowned slightly. She had a feeling Aunt Pei was holding something back. But when she tried to press for more, Aunt Pei wouldn’t say anything further. In the end, she had no choice but to hang up.

What had happened to Cheng Wan that even Aunt Pei couldn’t talk about it?

It clearly wasn’t something to do with the family—if it had been, Aunt Pei would’ve called her immediately rather than waiting for her to ask.

That could only mean something had happened directly to Cheng Wan.

Bai Juntang thought about Cheng Wan’s subdued personality—how she would quietly endure anything, never complaining. It was entirely possible she had suffered in silence, unwilling to let others know.

But just how serious must the situation be, for Aunt Pei to urge her to come back right away?

As Bai Juntang was deep in thought, her phone rang again. She glanced at the unfamiliar number. It was so late—surely it wasn’t a sales call?

Before the caller could hang up, Bai Juntang answered.

“It’s me,” came Mu Ruchu’s voice on the other end, accompanied by the sound of wind. It didn’t sound quite real.

Bai Juntang froze for a second, then rolled her eyes. “You still have the nerve to call me?”

Mu Ruchu chuckled softly and said, “Something came up, so I couldn’t get in touch earlier.”

“And now suddenly you remember to call me?”

“I actually meant to call you a few days ago, but things got in the way.”

Sitting on her motorcycle, Mu Ruchu said, “Speaking of which, I saw your Omega at work the other day.”

“Cheng Wan?” Bai Juntang wasn’t surprised that Mu Ruchu knew her, but she was curious about what she meant.

Mu Ruchu glanced at the speeding cars beyond the street, her gaze clouded, but her tone remained calm as she asked, “You’re not in Fancheng recently, are you?”

“No, I’m on a business trip. In Nanhai right now.”

“How long have you been away?”

“Three or four days, why?”

Mu Ruchu nodded knowingly. “Then it wasn’t you.”

Bai Juntang felt like she wasn’t following. Irritated, she asked, “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Mu Ruchu didn’t beat around the bush. Leaning against her motorcycle, she said, “If I’m not wrong, your Omega’s been beaten. The other day when she took off her mask, half her face was swollen.”

As the words landed, Bai Juntang’s pupils instantly contracted.

Gripping her phone tightly, she said, “Who did it? Who has the nerve?”

To dare lay a hand on Cheng Wan while she wasn’t around?!

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