How Could a Scumbag Alpha Possibly Love His Wife? - Chapter 54

Early the next morning, Cheng Jiajian arrived at Dry Valley with two associates. They even brought a draft contract with them.

When Bai Juntang saw the group, she first put on a show of hesitation, then let out a thoughtful sigh. “President Cheng, you’re getting quite the bargain. I invested billions in the early stages of this project. But from what I understand, your current liquid assets might be a little tight.”

“No need to worry about that,” Cheng Jiajian replied confidently. “I’ve done my homework on your project. My assets are just enough to cover the investment—there won’t be any issues.”

Bai Juntang eyed the smug old fox sitting across from her. With one leg crossed over the other, she asked casually, “You didn’t go so far as to mortgage your house and car, did you?”

Cheng Jiajian didn’t answer directly. Not only had he done that—he’d even pawned off family jewelry. The funds he scraped together were just enough for the investment. Things would be tight for a while, but once the returns started coming in, he’d be swimming in profit.

Of course, he said none of that. Instead, he smiled and said, “We had an agreement last night, didn’t we? You wouldn’t go back on your word, would you, Miss Bai?”

“Of course not.” Bai Juntang accepted the draft contract, skimmed through it, and said, “Leave the contract here. I’ll have the legal team review it. You’ll have my answer by next Monday.”

Cheng Jiajian, feeling pleased but wary of delays, suggested, “How about Friday instead?”

“Sure,” Bai Juntang replied easily. She folded her hands together and smiled. “If there are no issues, we’ll sign it on Friday. That sound good to you, President Cheng?”

Naturally, it sounded very good to him. With Dry Valley shouldering the risk and groundwork, all he had to do was put in some capital and wait to profit. He could hardly believe his luck.

He left that day feeling thrilled and full of anticipation for Friday.

Afterward, Bai Juntang photographed the contract draft and sent it to Director Wei, who was still in Nanhai. As soon as he saw it, he knew exactly what was going on. Bai Juntang told them there was no need to stay in Nanhai and booked them the earliest return flight.

On Friday, the contract was signed without a hitch.

Everything went even smoother than expected. All Bai Juntang had to do now was wait. As Cheng Jiajian was about to leave, she smiled politely and reminded him, “President Cheng, in business, it’s always wise to keep your eyes open.”

But Cheng Jiajian was too caught up in his excitement to catch her meaning. He quickly brushed it off.

Cheng Wan knew none of this.

She never asked about Bai Juntang’s work. Her life was a steady routine: going to work and coming home on time.

By now it was July—peak summer. The office air conditioners ran non-stop, but the moment you stepped outside, it felt like walking into a sauna.

Everyone was hot, but for Cheng Wan—six months pregnant—it was unbearable.

Now she finally understood the difficulty of the late stages of pregnancy. Even after a whole day in air-conditioning, she felt like her body was burning up, as if she were carrying a furnace instead of a baby.

Chang Le walked into the office carrying two iced milk teas. She had long since given up going out for lunch—now it was all delivery, plus a chilled drink every afternoon.

Supervisor Zhou watched her and shook his head. “At this rate, you’re spending your whole paycheck on food deliveries.”

Chang Le slurped her drink, did a quick mental calculation, and nodded seriously. “Pretty much. I spend over a thousand just on milk tea each month. Add lunch, dinner with friends—easily three or four thousand gone.”

Cheng Wan turned to look at her. “You really eat that much in a month?”

“Young people eat all sorts of things,” Zhou said with a chuckle. Then he looked at the iced milk tea in Cheng Wan’s hands. “Wanwan, this is your second cup today, isn’t it? All this cold stuff—doesn’t it make you feel sick?”

Only then did Cheng Wan realize she might’ve been going overboard with the cold drinks lately.

But even in an air-conditioned room, she still felt overheated. Something didn’t feel quite right.

That afternoon, when Bai Juntang came to pick her up, Cheng Wan mentioned it.

“You feel hot?” Bai Juntang reached out and touched her cheek. It felt soft and slightly warm, but nothing too alarming.

There weren’t any strong physical signs, but Bai Juntang still looked concerned. She gently stroked Cheng Wan’s face and said, “Do you feel uncomfortable? If so, let’s go to the hospital just to be safe.”

Cheng Wan thought for a moment. She didn’t feel bad exactly, but the heat was getting to her. “Let’s go get it checked. I’m worried something might be wrong.”

Bai Juntang left a message for Aunt Pei and then drove Cheng Wan to the hospital.

After a thorough exam and reviewing her earlier records, the doctor asked kindly, “Do you feel any discomfort after eating cold foods?”

Cheng Wan shook her head. “Nope, I actually feel better. I could honestly drink two iced teas a day.”

“Well then, there’s no need to worry,” the doctor said with a smile. “You’re around six months along, right? As you approach the later stages, it’s normal to feel overheated—especially in the summer. As long as your body tolerates it, eating some cold food to cool down is perfectly fine.”

He added reassuringly, “Don’t stress. Having a good appetite and staying hydrated is a blessing. Just get plenty of rest.”

Cheng Wan nodded. As they were getting ready to leave, the doctor subtly gestured for Bai Juntang to stay behind.

Puzzled, Bai Juntang asked Cheng Wan to wait outside, then sat down in front of the doctor.

“Doctor, is there something you needed to speak with me about privately?”

The doctor nodded and tapped on a number displayed on the computer screen. “Do you see this? It’s the pregnancy-related pheromone index. Her numbers are a bit elevated.”

Bai Juntang immediately tensed. “What does that mean? Is it dangerous?”

The doctor explained calmly, “It’s likely due to frequent use of suppressants and blocker patches before the pregnancy. Her pheromone levels are a bit unstable, which we’ve seen in earlier reports as well.”

Seeing Bai Juntang’s worry, he smiled gently. “No need to panic—it’s a common occurrence. I just wanted to take a moment to explain some things about late-stage pregnancy to you.”

“The late stage of an Omega’s pregnancy can trigger a nesting period,” the doctor explained to Bai Juntang. “She’ll become emotionally attached to her Alpha and may experience irregular heat cycles. These are things you need to be particularly mindful of.”

He pointed to the monitor. “Her pheromone levels are quite elevated right now. That likely means she’ll enter a heat cycle sometime soon. You need to stay attentive and take good care of your Omega.”

When Cheng Wan saw Bai Juntang step out of the consultation room, she immediately walked over.

“What happened?” she asked anxiously. “Is something wrong with me?”

Seeing how worried she looked, Bai Juntang actually blushed. She wasn’t sure how to explain—how could she tell Cheng Wan the doctor had called her in to talk about her upcoming heat cycle?

Bai Juntang’s eyes shifted to Cheng Wan’s rounded belly. At nearly six months pregnant, it looked like she was carrying a small watermelon—round and full, making Cheng Wan herself look even softer and more cuddly.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Bai Juntang said with a cough, rubbing her slightly warm ears. She reached for Cheng Wan’s hand and gently squeezed it. “Just… if you feel off at any time, please call me right away.”

Cheng Wan still didn’t understand. She had a nagging feeling something serious was being hidden from her. If it was nothing, why wouldn’t Bai Juntang just say it?

She looked at her nervously, almost afraid to ask, “Is there really something wrong with me?”

The moment she thought she might be seriously ill, her heart began to pound with fear. Her eyes turned red.

Seeing her tear up so quickly, Bai Juntang quickly pulled her aside. She gently wiped the corners of her eyes and soothed her, “No, no—nothing like that. The doctor just told me to keep a closer eye on you. These last few months are really important, and he said I should try to stay with you as much as possible.”

“Really?” Cheng Wan still seemed unsure. She clutched Bai Juntang’s sleeve tightly. “You’re not lying to me?”

Bai Juntang felt her heart flutter at that small, helpless gesture. But they were still at the hospital, so she kept her tone serious and reassuring. “Of course not. I’ll try not to go on any more business trips and stay home with you instead.”

She looked at Cheng Wan’s round belly with love in her eyes and asked softly, “Let’s not eat at home tonight. We haven’t had hot pot in a while. Want to go?”

Cheng Wan hesitated for a moment. But looking at Bai Juntang’s expression, she felt reassured and finally nodded. “Okay.”

Maybe she was still a little shaken from the doctor visit, but Cheng Wan seemed distracted during dinner—though she did drink a lot of iced water. She really was burning up inside.

Bai Juntang sipped on her sour plum juice and watched as Cheng Wan carefully dipped slices of meat into the broth. She noticed Cheng Wan loved hot pot—her sauce was always sweet and spicy, and she ate slowly, like a little cat.

Once they were done, they originally planned to go shopping. But as soon as they stepped outside, the heat was overwhelming. They were sweating within seconds. Cheng Wan couldn’t take it and obediently got in the car to go home.

When they arrived, Aunt Pei opened the door, sniffed the air, and immediately said, “Weren’t you two going to the hospital? Why do you smell like hot pot? On a day this hot, eating hot pot—what were you thinking?”

She glanced at Cheng Wan, whose hair was damp with sweat and forehead glistening. “You’re burning up. Go take a cool shower. I’ll turn on the air conditioner in your room. Do you want something to drink?”

Cheng Wan was already feeling sticky and miserable. She didn’t want to drink anything—just wanted a shower—so she went to wash up.

Aunt Pei turned to Bai Juntang and asked, “So, how was the check-up? Wanwan’s been acting strange lately—keeps saying she’s hot. Is her internal heat off balance?”

“It’s nothing serious,” Bai Juntang reassured her. “She’s carrying for two now. Feeling hot is completely normal.”

Aunt Pei sighed. “I’ll get her a glass of warm water. You go freshen up too—you smell like broth.”

In the bathroom, as Cheng Wan let the cool water run over her, Aunt Pei came in briefly to set down the water and switch on the air conditioner. “The water’s on the nightstand. Drink some after your shower, alright?”

“Okay,” Cheng Wan replied, adjusting the temperature slightly—it was a bit too warm.

As she stepped onto the bath mat, she glanced down instinctively—only to realize… she couldn’t see her feet.

Startled, she looked down at her belly and bent slightly, using the support bar to steady herself. Only then did she catch a glimpse of her ten toes.

Six months along, and already this big.

She stared at her reflection and thought with a sigh: If it’s already like this now, how am I going to make it through the next three months?

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