How Could a Scumbag Alpha Possibly Love His Wife? - Chapter 51

The next day, Director Wei from the Legal Department arrived with his team. As soon as they stepped off the plane, they ran into Bai Juntang and her assistant.

Bai Juntang walked straight up to them and said, “Assistant Li will brief you on the situation here in Nanhai. Thank you for making the trip, Director Wei. I’d like to have a proposal ready by tonight.”

Director Wei understood all too well that time is money. He had already heard a bit about the situation from Assistant Li the night before—it sounded extremely complicated—so he was taking it very seriously.

“Rest assured, President Bai,” Director Wei said solemnly, shaking Bai Juntang’s hand. “My team and I will deliver a solution you’ll be satisfied with.”

“Good.” Bai Juntang appreciated people who didn’t waste words. She released his hand and said, “My flight is about to depart. Call me if anything comes up.”

With that, Director Wei and his team watched as Bai Juntang and her young secretary disappeared into the departure hall, vanishing into the crowd. Director Wei turned awkwardly to Li Chen and asked, “So… President Bai didn’t come specifically to greet me?”

Li Chen gave an awkward laugh and tried to reassure him, “Director Wei, you misunderstood. President Bai just has other matters to attend to. She trusts you completely with this case. Come on, the car’s here. Let’s get back to the hotel—there’s a lot I need to go over with you.”

The two men exchanged a knowing look and chuckled dryly. No further explanation was needed.

There were only two direct flights from Nanhai to Fancheng—one at noon and one in the afternoon. Bai Juntang didn’t have time to wait, so she booked a connecting flight in order to get back sooner.

Cheng Wan spent the entire day in her office, working. A magazine layout from a few days ago had run into formatting issues, and she was asked to revise it.

It was the company’s first time collaborating with an external publication, and the interview featured a prominent figure. Since Cheng Wan had previously worked with the advertising department, this task had been delegated to her.

The office air conditioning was set to 24°C, yet Cheng Wan still felt unbearably hot, as if she were a little furnace. Beside her, Chang Le had already put on a jacket, while Cheng Wan was still wearing a long dress.

She borrowed a small desktop fan from someone else. The palm-sized device buzzed as it blew cool air at her, giving her some relief from the heat.

There was still half a document left unedited on her computer, but there were only ten minutes left until the end of the workday. Someone in the office turned off the air conditioner in preparation for clocking out and heading home.

The moment the cool air stopped, Cheng Wan felt hot all over again. She gave up trying to focus, saved her work, and decided to finish it tomorrow.

Ten minutes passed quickly. The office still retained a trace of coolness, but the moment they stepped outside, the heat hit them like a wall, and sweat started pouring down.

Chang Le accompanied Cheng Wan as they waited for the elevator. Each time it arrived on their floor, it was already full.

Back when things were easier, they would’ve just taken the stairs—but with Cheng Wan’s pregnancy, it wasn’t convenient anymore. So they waited patiently.

“Wanwan,” Chang Le said, eyeing the mask Cheng Wan still wore. “It’s been days. Is your cold still not better?”

Cheng Wan gave a slight nod. “Maybe it’s the heat. Just a summer cold.”

“Then you really shouldn’t be using a fan. The air con’s already so low, and you’re blowing a fan on top of that. What if your cold gets worse?”

“It’s fine. I feel like I’m getting better,” Cheng Wan replied.

The elevator finally arrived, and Chang Le reminded her, “Still, you need to take care of yourself. I’ve heard Omegas have poor recovery—if you don’t take care of your health, Miss Bai will definitely worry.”

The two of them entered the crowded elevator. People turned to glance at Cheng Wan’s baby bump. Like a protective corgi, Chang Le shielded her, guiding her to a corner and guarding her body and stomach.

It was stuffy and sweaty in the elevator, and the body odor was overpowering. Cheng Wan felt nauseated, but thankfully her mask dulled the smell.

They exited on the ground floor, while others continued on to the underground parking lot. Cheng Wan and Chang Le had to squeeze their way out through the crowd.

All that pushing and shoving left them drenched in sweat.

“So hot—I’m dying! Summer workdays are pure torture.” Chang Le fanned herself desperately with her hand and popped open her pink parasol, shielding them both from the harsh sun.

It was past 5 PM, and the sun had yet to set. The recent spike in temperature had ushered in full-blown summer. Mornings were bearable, but afternoons were a test of willpower just to get home.

As the two of them linked arms and headed toward the subway entrance, Chang Le’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse of a Maybach parked by the roadside.

She blinked and nudged Cheng Wan. “Wanwan, isn’t that Miss Bai’s car? I don’t remember the license plate, but I’m pretty sure she always parks right there.”

And really—how many people can afford a car that expensive?

Cheng Wan turned to look, and sure enough, it was the same car Bai Juntang usually drove. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Wasn’t Bai Juntang supposed to be away on a business trip?

Just this morning, Aunt Pei had said there were issues with the project in Hainan and that she’d be staying a few more days. There’s no way she could be back this early.

Chang Le poked her playfully. “What’s wrong? Staring like that just because you saw your Miss Bai?”

Cheng Wan blushed and quickly explained, “No, it’s just… Aunt Pei told me she hadn’t come back yet. So, I figured it couldn’t be her.”

If it wasn’t her, then who was it?

Cheng Wan couldn’t help but glance over again. That was indeed Bai Juntang’s car, parked in the usual spot. If it wasn’t her, could it have been Assistant Li?

But before she could figure it out, the answer revealed itself.

The car door opened, and Bai Juntang appeared as if out of thin air. Her long black hair was neatly styled, and she casually removed her sunglasses, hooking them onto the button of her blouse, revealing her fair skin.

Chang Le’s eyes lit up. She smiled at Cheng Wan and said, “See? Told you—it really is your Miss Bai.”

Cheng Wan was caught off guard. Even as Bai Juntang approached them, she was still in a daze.

Bai Juntang greeted them naturally. “It’s so hot—why are you two standing out here? Come on, get in.”

Chang Le was delighted. Sure, the subway wasn’t too bad, but how could it compare to riding in a Maybach? She didn’t hesitate at all and got into the car with Cheng Wan.

Bai Juntang didn’t mention when she had returned—she simply set the GPS to Chang Le’s home to drop her off first.

Chang Le lived with her parents in an older residential complex downtown. Since it was hard to get the car in and out, she got off at the entrance, and then Bai Juntang drove Cheng Wan home.

The ride was quiet. Without Chang Le to keep the conversation going, Cheng Wan didn’t know what to say. She sat in silence, unsure how to break it.

“You’re not going to ask why I came back early?” Bai Juntang asked calmly, eyes on the road.

Cheng Wan glanced at her and replied in a soft voice, “Aunt Pei told me the project in Nanhai had issues. She said you might need to stay a few more days.”

“There were issues,” Bai Juntang acknowledged. “It’s complicated. I’ve sent Legal to investigate. They’ll have a solution ready tonight.”

“Then why…”

“There’s nothing more I need to do over there,” Bai Juntang said. “So I came back.”

She pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to look at Cheng Wan. “It’s scorching outside, and you’re still wearing a mask? Doesn’t it feel stifling?”

Cheng Wan instinctively touched her face. Though several days had passed since that incident, perhaps due to the pregnancy, the bruising on her face still hadn’t fully faded.

She had originally claimed she’d accidentally bumped into something, thinking the marks would be gone within a week. But now they were still clearly visible. A lie like that, so easily exposed, felt too deliberate.

She twisted the hem of her dress in her hands, unsure what to say. She didn’t want to lie to Bai Juntang.

Bai Juntang noticed the way strands of Cheng Wan’s hair fell over the edge of her mask, partly covering her face. But her sharp eyes still caught the swelling on one side of Cheng Wan’s cheek.

Remembering what Mu Ruchu had told her, Bai Juntang quickly pieced together an unpleasant truth.

She reached out gently, brushing the stray strands behind Cheng Wan’s ear, revealing the flushed, swollen skin underneath. Her voice was soft. “Take it off. Are you still afraid of me seeing?”

Cheng Wan looked up at her and finally, obediently, removed the mask she had worn all day.

The disposable medical mask, though thin, still left her skin marked after prolonged use. A red indentation ran across the bridge of her normally fair, delicate nose.

But the most startling thing was the swelling—her cheek had puffed out by nearly a centimeter, red and inflamed, even under daylight.

Bai Juntang couldn’t imagine how bad it must have looked when it first appeared. She didn’t want to think about how hard the person must’ve hit her to leave marks this lasting.

Cheng Wan could sense Bai Juntang’s growing anger—the oppressive weight in her gaze, dark and intense, was frightening.

“It… it doesn’t actually hurt,” Cheng Wan said, trying to ease the tension. She pushed her hair back and added, “It just looks bad. It’s already much better.”

“Much better?” Bai Juntang gave a cold laugh. She reached out and lightly touched the bruise. Cheng Wan instinctively flinched and turned her head away.

Panicking a bit at her own reaction, Cheng Wan looked back at her and repeated in a low voice, “It really is better…”

It was, objectively, an improvement compared to that day.

But Omegas were naturally more fragile—especially during pregnancy. Without medication, recovery was slow.

“I said something wrong that day,” Cheng Wan explained. “I saw a doctor—they said I can’t use medicine, so it just has to heal on its own. It looks worse than it is. It doesn’t affect anything else.”

Bai Juntang still looked upset. Cheng Wan thought she was angry because she hadn’t taken better care of herself and might’ve scared the baby. She lowered her head, gently touching her belly.

“The baby’s fine too… it’s been active these past few days,” she added softly.

She didn’t know why, but her heart suddenly welled up with sorrow. Her eyes turned red, and the tears that followed were uncontrollable.

She rubbed the corners of her eyes, hoping to calm herself, but Bai Juntang still hadn’t said anything. The silence only deepened her sense of helplessness.

Tears spilled down, one after another, falling onto the back of her hand.

Bai Juntang sat beside her, watching quietly as this girl cried without a sound. For once, she didn’t know what to say.

She reached out, cupping the uninjured side of Cheng Wan’s face, gently lifting it until their eyes met.

Cheng Wan’s cheeks were stained with tears. The sight made Bai Juntang’s heart ache—an angry, helpless tightness rising in her chest.

“Don’t cry,” she said softly, leaning in and gently brushing her lips against Cheng Wan’s. “I’m here now, aren’t I?”

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