I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 27

Taking Yan Zui’s card didn’t mean Qi Yunwei would spend recklessly.

Her part-time commissions were fetching increasingly higher prices, and requests for her work on the forum were still pouring in. As 123123 put it, she was “raking in cash like crazy.”

In just one week, Qi Yunwei had earned enough to purchase the remaining parts she needed.

She ordered the standard components online and sent the 3D renderings of the specialized parts to a manufacturer for costly custom production. Once the parts arrived, she would need to devote herself fully to assembly. That meant stepping away from the internet for a while, and naturally, she wouldn’t be able to take on new jobs.

Since 123123 was her partner, Qi Yunwei felt it necessary to give him a heads-up.

Weilan: 123, I’ll be tied up with something important for a while and won’t have time to take on orders.

123123 took a 10% commission from her jobs, and in just one week he had made half a year’s salary. When he saw her message, disappointment washed over him. Just as he felt he was about to strike it rich, the chance slipped through his fingers before he could even try to hold on.

Still, he reminded himself that all this money had been a lucky windfall. Even if it ended here, he had nothing to complain about. His mood gradually steadied.

123123: It’s alright, boss. Your personal matters come first. If you ever need me, just send me a WeChat. I’ll always be here!

Weilan: Since we’ve worked so well together, let’s exchange names. I’m Qi Yunwei, from Guangnan City. If you ever need help with anything during this time, just call me. If I can help, I will.

Holding his phone, 123123’s fingers trembled slightly. The boss actually called him a partner! And even exchanged names with him!

He realized at once that the greatest opportunity of his life might be right before him.

123123: Boss, my name is Du Yifan. It sounds close to “Du Yisan,” that’s why I use 123123 as my handle.

123123: I work in Changyuan City, right next to yours. You can just call me Yifan from now on!

Qi Yunwei: Alright, Yifan. Let’s stay in touch if anything comes up. [smile]

Du Yifan: Goodbye, boss. [obedient]

Du Yifan slammed his laptop shut, dashed into his bedroom, and flung himself onto the bed, rolling around in excitement.

He had really struck gold this time!

Meanwhile, Yan Zui was hardly idle. Beyond her routine work, she had quickly registered a security company, placing the three men Huang Wang had recommended under its name. This way, if Qin Lifeng lost and decided to retaliate, the fallout wouldn’t touch her other businesses.

After the company was set up, Yan Zui booked a venue at Pushan Pavilion and had HR inform Qin Lifeng of the time and place.

Qi Yunwei also kept her Sunday free to go with Yan Zui to the pavilion.

Since Yan Zui didn’t work on Sundays, she scheduled the bidding competition for the morning.

There were three companies in total. Besides Qin Lifeng’s security firm and the temporary one she had established, Yan Zui invited another company—well-known for its advertising and marketing but whose bodyguards weren’t particularly strong—to participate.

The compensation Yan Zui offered was extremely generous. That company eagerly agreed to join the bidding and even held an internal contest to decide which three of their bodyguards would compete.

The bidding was set to start at nine. Pushan Pavilion was just two blocks from Yan Zui’s apartment, less than a ten-minute drive.

That morning, the two of them worked out together for half an hour, showered, changed into formal attire, and went to the dining room for breakfast.

Seeing them dressed to the nines, the butler’s eyes lit up. “Miss, are you and Miss Yunwei heading out on a date?”

If going somewhere together to strengthen their bond counted as a date, then by that definition, she and Yan Zui were indeed going on one.

“Yes, Uncle Jiang,” Qi Yunwei replied, taking her seat.

Yan Zui sat beside her, making no effort to deny it.

The butler beamed. “That’s wonderful. I’d been worried the two of you weren’t spending enough time together, and that it might affect your relationship. Knowing you’re going out on a date to nurture your bond, Master and Madam will be so pleased.”

His eyes curved into delighted crescents. “Who knows, maybe by this time next year, we’ll have a little miss or young master in the house.”

“Cough!” Qi Yunwei had been sipping her porridge and nearly choked at those words.

Yan Zui patted her back and said evenly, “It’s not like you’re the one who’d have to give birth. Why get so worked up?”

Qi Yunwei hadn’t choked on the porridge, but on her own saliva, face burning red. “Cough, cough.”

By the time she finally caught her breath, Yan Zui had already finished eating and gone to fetch the car keys.

Qi Yunwei’s gaze drifted, almost unconsciously, toward Yan Zui’s stomach. Could Yan Zui really get pregnant?

Even though Xiaoman had explained it before, Qi Yunwei still found it hard to believe.

She didn’t eat much more—just peeled a boiled egg—when Yan Zui came back with the keys.

Again, her eyes fell on Yan Zui’s belly.

Yan Zui: “…”

Once they were on the road, Yan Zui suddenly asked, “You kept staring at my stomach during breakfast. What exactly were you thinking? Want me to give you a child?”

Qi Yunwei froze, cheeks flushing as she hurried to deny it. “I see you as a friend. I’d never mean something like that!”

Yan Zui’s voice was cool. “You and I are not friends. I’m your patron.”

“I never forget that,” Qi Yunwei said quickly, agreeing to smooth things over.

But Yan Zui’s expression remained unchanged, her brows only seeming colder.

At Pushan Pavilion, the nine security candidates from the three companies had already arrived.

Qin Lifeng was chatting casually with three burly men at his side, all four of them looking relaxed, not sparing a glance for the six others nearby.

Just from appearances, it was obvious those six stood no chance. This would be a competition solely between his three men.

When Qi Yunwei and Yan Zui walked in side by side, Qin Lifeng’s smile at the sight of Yan Zui instantly vanished the moment his eyes landed on Qi Yunwei.

“Brother Feng, is that the woman who stole my future sister-in-law? Want me to rough her up a bit?” one of the men asked.

Qin Lifeng’s gaze darkened. “No need. I’ll handle it myself when the time comes.”

In the novel’s original plot, it was Qin Lifeng who broke Qi Yunwei’s legs.

Since Yan Zui still hadn’t acknowledged him, Qin Lifeng took the initiative and stepped forward. “President Yan.”

His three lackeys immediately echoed in unison: “President Yan.”

Yan Zui gave a small nod, ignored Qin Lifeng, and addressed the three instead: “How’s your preparation?”

The first lackey, flustered by the beauty of the legendary femme fatale, stammered excitedly, “Preparation’s not needed—I’m confident I can beat anyone here!”

Yan Zui’s lips curved slightly. “Good. Do your best.”

Younger Brother A’s face flushed bright red. “Th-thank you, President Yan!”

A murky jealousy gnawed at Qin Lifeng’s heart. He realized he could no longer stand seeing Yan Zui smile at anyone.

He turned back and shot Younger Brother A a warning glare. The man’s boiling excitement instantly plunged into an icy pit, his body shivering with cold.

The feverish rush in his head cleared. Realizing his mistake, Younger Brother A’s face drained of color. His brawny, muscle-bound frame trembled as though about to collapse, his eyes filled with terror as if he might faint at any moment.

By then, Yan Zui had already gone with Qi Yunwei to greet another company.

Qin Lifeng lowered his voice and said to Younger Brother A, “Go back. You won’t be competing.”

After he slunk away, pale as death, the two remaining underlings stayed frozen like quails, heads bowed, not daring to so much as glance at Yan Zui. They were terrified that if they let slip even a hint of infatuation, they would end up with the same fate as Younger Brother A.

No one dared challenge Yan Zui’s allure.

Once the brief socializing ended, the referee arranged by Pushan Pavilion appeared. Yan Zui and Qi Yunwei settled on the sofa to watch the matches.

There was no seat beside Yan Zui, so Qin Lifeng had no choice but to swallow his disgust and sit next to Qi Yunwei.

A small glass coffee table separated them, but the potted plant on it did nothing to block Qin Lifeng’s vicious glare.

The first match pitted Qin Lifeng’s Younger Brother B against one of the stand-in company’s fighters in close combat.

The three so-called “elites” from the other side were half the size of Qin Lifeng’s men. Even before stepping onto the floor, it was obvious who would win.

Sure enough, Qin Lifeng’s man easily took the first match.

A smile tugged at Qin Lifeng’s lips.

Qi Yunwei leaned on the glass table with her elbow, chin resting lightly in her palm, and murmured, “Hey, how come your company suddenly seems short one person?”

Then, as if realizing something, she turned to him with mock surprise. “Don’t tell me the missing one got scolded off just because Yan Zui smiled at him?”

Caught out, Qin Lifeng bristled in embarrassment and fury. “Shut up.”

“Okay, let’s drop it,” Qi Yunwei said breezily. “In that case, why don’t we talk about why you suddenly quit your job?”

Qin Lifeng ignored her.

But Qi Yunwei wasn’t about to let him off so easily. With a taunting lilt, she said, “Let me guess, was it because I said a bodyguard wasn’t worthy of Yan Zui? Did that finally knock some sense into you, so now you’ve decided to start all over and work hard? Tsk, tsk, tsk, hitting middle age and still starting from scratch—tragic, truly tragic.”

“You!” Qin Lifeng’s face darkened to iron.

He could crush Qi Yunwei with one hand. How dare this useless waste mock him?

“What are you two talking about?” Yan Zui frowned at them. “The match is almost over.”

Qi Yunwei smiled. “Oh, just chatting with Qin Lifeng—asking what it’s like being your bodyguard.”

Qin Lifeng felt sick with disgust at her words, his face grim and silent.

Yan Zui noticed his expression and said to Qi Yunwei, “If you want to know, you can just ask me. Following around someone who only knows how to work—what feeling could there be besides boredom?”

“It’s not boring,” Qin Lifeng said firmly.

When Yan Zui glanced at him, he added seriously, “The work of a bodyguard is supposed to be boring. But being by your side is different. You treat your people well.”

Yan Zui always remembered birthdays, arranging for Secretary Shen to prepare cakes and gifts. For someone like Qin Lifeng, who had grown up in bloodshed and violence, birthdays had never mattered.

The first time anyone celebrated his birthday, it had been Yan Zui. From that moment, Qin Lifeng swore he had to make her his.

[This is what you call biting the hand that feeds you.] When Qi Yunwei had heard this part of the story from Xiaoman before, she had been utterly speechless at Qin Lifeng’s warped logic.

Now, seeing him lost in nostalgic longing, Qi Yunwei felt nothing but disgust.

“Let’s just watch the match,” Yan Zui said, turning her gaze back to the arena.

By coincidence, the next bout was between one of Huang Wang’s friends and another of Qin Lifeng’s men.

True to his reputation as a retired special forces soldier, Huang Wang’s friend, though not as tall or muscular, struck with pinpoint precision and blistering speed. His opponent had no chance to dodge.

While the three of them talked, the match ended—Qin Lifeng’s man lost.

Qin Lifeng shot to his feet the moment the referee announced the result. “Impossible! There must have been something wrong with the match!”

The referee, annoyed at having his professionalism questioned, said sharply, “Protests from unrelated parties are invalid.”

Qin Lifeng was about to argue when Yan Zui cut in. “I watched the entire bout while you were chatting with Qi Yunwei. There was nothing wrong with the process. He lost fair and square.”

“Yan Zui, I think someone here just can’t handle losing,” Qi Yunwei said, exaggerating her expression for effect.

Qin Lifeng wanted to sew her mouth shut.

“Don’t joke around,” Yan Zui said calmly. “Lifeng isn’t that kind of person. He just didn’t see the match, and he’s very confident in his men, so he raised a reasonable doubt. Once I explain it to him, he’ll accept it.”

Her deep blue-black eyes lifted, steady and unyielding. “Isn’t that right, Lifeng?”

“Yes,” Qin Lifeng ground out.

Qi Yunwei barely managed to hold back her laughter.

[Yan Zui really is impressive—she had him pinned in just a few words.]

【But Master, you were brilliant too. The most important part was how perfectly you and Yan Zui worked in sync. That’s why he couldn’t fight back.】

Qin Lifeng didn’t argue again. Instead, he hauled the defeated younger brother out for a “chat”—whether with words or fists, no one knew.

But in the brief time he was gone, his second younger brother was already beaten by another of Huang Wang’s friends.