I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 20

After Qin Lifeng left, the office was quiet, leaving only Qi Yunwei and Yan Zui.

“Are we still going to the restaurant for lunch today?” Qi Yunwei asked.

Given how much the company staff despised her right now, if they went to a crowded restaurant, she half-worried someone might lose control and take a swing at her right in front of Yan Zui.

“No need,” Yan Zui replied.

She didn’t like being stared at by a crowd while eating, especially when enjoying her favorite dishes.

Qi Yunwei let out a breath of relief.

Bringing food to her was one thing—bringing herself into the lion’s den was quite another.

Yan Zui sat on the sofa, set the lunchbox on the coffee table, and opened it to reveal the meal Qi Yunwei had brought.

Qi Yunwei noticed that when Yan Zui’s deep, blue-tinged eyes landed on the golden, crispy, and sweet-sour Guobaorou (crispy fried pork in sauce), a subtle light flickered in them.

Yan Zui ate quietly, focused on the meal. The two of them finished in silence. Then Yan Zui packed up the empty boxes and suddenly asked:

“Qi Yunwei, what was that outside the door just now? Do you and Qin Lifeng have some kind of problem?”

Qi Yunwei froze for a moment, then chose honesty. “We do. He doesn’t like me, and I dislike him just as much.”

So that explained why he had suggested replacing her as bodyguard.

“You knew each other before?” Yan Zui asked.

“No,” Qi Yunwei shook her head.

“Then what do you hate about him?” Yan Zui glanced at her.

Qin Lifeng was capable, and barring accidents, he’d likely be her bodyguard for a long while. Since she and Qi Yunwei would often need to “act” close for appearances in front of the elders, running into Qin Lifeng would be inevitable.

Qi Yunwei frowned. “Don’t you think Qin Lifeng is too tall, too bulky?”

“That’s your reason? You resent him for being tall and strong? You’re jealous?” Yan Zui looked at her in disbelief.

“No, you’re missing the point.” Qi Yunwei leaned closer. “I’m worried about you. These past two days I’ve been browsing forums online. I came across posts about Alpha pheromone suppressants—oral drugs taken monthly that mask

Alpha scent and let them pass as Betas to get close to Omegas. I suspect Qin Lifeng’s gender isn’t what it seems.”

Yan Zui had expected something serious, but this? “Pheromone suppressants are contraband—prohibitively expensive, with no ordinary channels to buy them. Qin Lifeng is just a bodyguard. It’d take him thirty years of wages to afford one vial. He’s been with me seventeen months; that’s five hundred and ten years’ worth.”

【Yan Zui doesn’t know Qin Lifeng’s true identity, so she won’t believe it. Master, hurry and keep persuading her!】 Xiaoman was even more anxious than Qi Yunwei.

Qi Yunwei slid onto the sofa beside Yan Zui. “Of course I know all that. But there are too many suspicious things about him. For one, he hates me. On paper, I’m his employer’s Alpha. Even if he doesn’t respect me, basic courtesy should apply. Yet I’ve seen him look at me with hostility, like I’m his rival in love.”

Yan Zui said flatly, “Yesterday at lunch, other Betas were looking at you the same way.”

“What if he’s not just a bodyguard? What if he’s wealthy, powerful even? Yan Zui, do you really not realize your allure to top Alphas?” Qi Yunwei pressed.

Yan Zui ended the topic with a sharp retort: “I’m well aware of my appeal to useless Alphas. Stay here spacing out, or leave. Your choice.”

She stood and returned to her desk, opening her computer to resume work.

Qi Yunwei, stung but persistent, followed. “This morning Qin Lifeng leaked dirt on me in the company chat. That’s why everyone suddenly despises me.”

Yan Zui lifted her gaze. “And how do you know it was him? You’d never met before. Where would he even get such dirt?”

“Which is exactly why his real identity can’t be simple. Yesterday he requested leave—what if it was to dig up my past?”

Yan Zui’s deep eyes fixed on her, but she said nothing.

Realizing she was being dismissed, Qi Yunwei backed down. “Fine, fine. I’ll choose to sit here spacing out or better yet, could you give me a computer to play on quietly?”

“Of course,” Yan Zui replied—anything as long as she stayed out of the way.

She called Secretary Shen to bring over a laptop.

A few minutes later, Shen entered with it. Yan Zui pointed to the sofa where Qi Yunwei sat. “Give it to her.”

Shen handed it over, ready to leave, but Qi Yunwei stopped her.

“Secretary Shen, could you tell me where exactly that dirt about me was posted?”

Shen glanced at Yan Zui.

Qi Yunwei hadn’t bothered lowering her voice; Yan Zui clearly heard but gave no reaction.

“Of course,” Shen replied quickly.

She showed Qi Yunwei her phone. “Miss Qi, it was in this group. Earlier today an anonymous account dropped a document—it contained all that information about you.”

Qi Yunwei smiled. “Would you mind letting me use your phone for a bit?”

“No problem.” Employees’ phones were company-issued and contained no private data.

Qi Yunwei fiddled with it for about ten minutes, clicking through screens, before handing it back. “Thank you, Secretary Shen.”

“You’re welcome. If you need help again, just ask.”

If President Yan could remain unfazed even after seeing Qi Yunwei’s scandals, then her feelings for Qi Yunwei must be real. Treating Qi Yunwei well would surely win her favor.

Once Shen left, the office grew quiet again, the only sound the tapping of Yan Zui’s keyboard.

Qi Yunwei spent half an hour tracing the anonymous account’s basic info. It turned out to belong to a janitorial staff member.

She dug into the worker’s call and chat logs but found nothing further.

If Qin Lifeng had borrowed the phone in an unmonitored spot like the restroom, hard evidence would be impossible to pin down.

So she dialed the janitor. As soon as the line connected, she spoke crisply: “Hello, this is Secretary Shen from the President’s Office. Since President Yan arrived today, her bodyguard Qin Lifeng has been missing. Calls don’t go through.

Some said you once spoke with him. Could you tell me when and where that was?”

Hearing this, Yan Zui’s typing paused. She lifted her head to look at Qi Yunwei.

“Ah, around nine this morning, on the 27th floor, leftmost hallway corner? Thank you.” Qi Yunwei hung up, then glanced at Yan Zui—just in time to catch her gaze before she could look away.

Qi Yunwei shook her phone with a little smile. “President Yan, I’d like to request access to the surveillance footage.”

“Granted.” Yan Zui’s eyes glinted with curiosity. “But first, send me the dirt file about you. I want to see it.”

Qi Yunwei’s smile faltered. She widened her eyes in mock sincerity. “Honestly, it’s not worth your time. Just a waste to look at. Better to read a few work reports.”

“Work is endless,” Yan Zui countered firmly.

Earlier, Qi Yunwei had already downloaded the file and skimmed it. It listed over a hundred misdeeds, from childhood onward—painted in painstaking detail, as though tailored to fit her “vicious supporting role” persona.

But as she read, something felt off.

Bullying classmates had disciplinary notices attached. Talking back to teachers came with apology letters. Even stealing a neighbor’s pet rabbit had photographic evidence.

It was too comprehensive—almost suspiciously so.

Qi Yunwei frowned slightly.

Seeing her silence, Yan Zui thought for a moment, then decided not to press. “Forget it.”

“I’ll send it to you,” Qi Yunwei said at the same time.

She figured it didn’t matter. In Yan Zui’s eyes, she couldn’t possibly get any worse. Compared to drugging Yan Zui, her past “sins” were nothing.

“No need,” Yan Zui said.

“But I want to,” Qi Yunwei insisted, blinking innocently.

“Fine. Send it, then,” Yan Zui said, unwilling to quibble over something so trivial.

Qi Yunwei forwarded the document via WeChat. “Now, will you take me to check the surveillance?”

Yan Zui rose from her seat. “Come with me.”

The surveillance room was tucked away on the first floor, at the very end of the hallway. They took the elevator down and walked to the first door on the left.

The door was ajar. Inside, a guard sat eating lunch while half-heartedly watching the screens.

Hearing footsteps, he didn’t even turn around. “What is it? Lose something again? Reminder: anything under a hundred yuan isn’t worth bothering me for.”

“Not lost property.”

Yan Zui’s cool voice rang out. The guard shot upright, spinning around in shock. “President Yan! You’re here?!”

She gave a small nod. “I need some footage.”

His face flushed with excitement. “Of course! Which time and location?”

She told him. “Check if Qin Lifeng was there.”

“Yes, President Yan!” He nearly trembled as he pulled up the video.

Five minutes later, he cried out, “Found him! Qin Lifeng’s here!”

He zoomed in so Yan Zui could see clearly.

“Look—he went straight for the janitor,” Qi Yunwei pointed out.

Onscreen, the janitor exited the restroom. Qin Lifeng approached, said a few words, then accepted the phone handed to him.

He tapped rapidly for a while, then returned the phone with a smile.

“See? I told you it was Qin Lifeng.” Qi Yunwei glanced sidelong at Yan Zui, watching her reaction. “Now I finally have proof for my suspicions, don’t I?”