I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 31

Qi Yunwei smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to you later. For now, let’s eat. The food won’t taste as good once it’s cold, and we can’t let Xiao Jiu’s cooking go to waste.”

Yan Zui drew in a deep breath, forcing herself not to be so impatient. Qi Yunwei was right in front of her—she wasn’t going anywhere. And even if she did, it would only be back home.

Qi Yunwei picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks and placed it in Yan Zui’s bowl. “Yesterday I only tried a dry run without real ingredients. Today is Xiao Jiu’s first time actually cooking. The recipes and techniques came from an exclusive hotel chef I found online. The flavors should be spot-on—try it and see.”

The two dishes and one soup Xiao Jiu had prepared looked mouthwatering at first glance. Yan Zui picked up the shrimp in her bowl.

Qi Yunwei watched her intently. The moment the shrimp entered Yan Zui’s mouth, her deep blue-black eyes flickered with surprise and confusion.

Biting off half the shrimp tail, Yan Zui raised the rest for inspection. It was just an ordinary prawn, the kind she’d eaten countless times since childhood—yet the flavor was extraordinary.

“Is it good?” Qi Yunwei asked.

Yan Zui licked the sweet-and-sour sauce from her red lips and answered earnestly, “Delicious. I’ve never had anything this good before.”

Qi Yunwei chuckled. “Even though the recipe came from a master chef, Xiao Jiu tweaked it to suit your taste. Looks like it worked. I’ll tell Xiao Jiu when I get home—it’ll be thrilled.”

“Xiao Jiu said its battery’s low. Remember to recharge it,” Yan Zui reminded casually. In just the span of eating a shrimp, she had already accepted Xiao Jiu’s presence as part of her life.

After all, since taking over the company, she had attended countless banquets and sampled cuisines everywhere—from hidden gems on the roadside to five-star chefs and even meals certified by professional gourmets. Those dishes were good, yes, but none matched Xiao Jiu’s ability to tailor flavors precisely to her palate. The result was astonishing.

When lunch ended, Qi Yunwei tidied up the lunchboxes. Yan Zui couldn’t wait to ask, “Xiao Jiu really is your invention?”

Qi Yunwei nodded. “Of course. The butler knew from the start, and later you happened to stumble upon it too.”

“You mean you’ve been pretending to be useless all this time?” Yan Zui looked at her as if she was some incomprehensible creature.

Qi Yunwei gave a helpless laugh. “Of course not. I really was clumsy before—I couldn’t do anything right.”

“But now, I don’t want to hide it from you anymore. I only started getting smarter after I marked you.”

Yan Zui: “…” Couldn’t she at least make up something more believable? She’d never heard of an Alpha becoming smarter after marking an Omega.

Qi Yunwei kept a straight face. “It’s true. I suspect that when I marked you, some of your genes entered my body.”

Yan Zui’s eyes turned frosty. She glared at her. “Leave. Listening to your nonsense is giving me a headache.”

Qi Yunwei only smiled good-naturedly. “Alright then, I’ll be going.”

Yan Zui said “Don’t forget”

“To recharge Xiao Jiu. I’ve got it,” Qi Yunwei finished for her.

She was certain: in Yan Zui’s heart, Xiao Jiu easily ranked among the top three priorities—far above herself.

Just as Qi Yunwei reached the door, Yan Zui suddenly asked, “Are you free this afternoon?”

Qi Yunwei turned back. “Why?”

She had planned to work on developing more features for Xiao Jiu, but if Yan Zui needed her, she would put her first without hesitation.

Pressing her lips together, Yan Zui said, “This afternoon, representatives from Xuanqian Group are coming to the company for a business meeting. The discussion involves research related to Xiao Jiu. If you have time, could you sit in and give me some guidance? I’m not very familiar with that field.”

“No problem. Two o’clock isn’t too late, right?” Qi Yunwei agreed almost instantly, as though afraid that if she hesitated, Yan Zui might withdraw the offer.

The moment the words left her lips, Yan Zui regretted it a little. She still had so many doubts about Qi Yunwei being the one who invented Xiao Jiu.

But Xiao Jiu’s existence was undeniable. Even if Qi Yunwei wasn’t its creator, she clearly understood it well, which would be helpful for the meeting.

“No, that’s fine,” Yan Zui said.

The first thing Qi Yunwei did when she got home was recharge Xiao Jiu.

Technically, Xiao Jiu could recharge itself, but she hadn’t yet finished building its portable charging dock, so for now it had to be done manually.

She thought about taking a nap, but then remembered she still hadn’t cleared out her things from the master bedroom.

The memory of last night surfaced, making her uneasy. She quickly pushed the image from her mind.

Gathering her clothes, pillow, and quilt from the master bedroom, she carried everything to the guest room instead.

After spreading out the bedding and preparing to sleep, her phone suddenly buzzed. The sender was Du Yifan.

Du Yifan: Boss, I don’t know if you’re busy right now. I didn’t want to disturb you, but this opportunity is too rare. After thinking it over, I decided I should tell you.

Qi Yunwei didn’t reply immediately, waiting for his next message.

Du Yifan: This morning, a long-time client contacted me. They’ve got an algorithm problem and want you to solve it. They offered 100,000 yuan. I told them you were busy with other matters and couldn’t take new orders. They immediately raised the price to 500,000.

Du Yifan: I was shocked. Last time, their task only paid 5,000. A hundredfold increase all of a sudden—it’s suspicious. So I checked their ID on the forum. Turns out they frequently post tasks and use the results to recruit people into their company. Rumor has it the company is a big name in China. Those who got recruited never revealed the name, but all said it was worth it—an absolute giant in the industry.

Du Yifan: I think if you take this job, Boss, they’ll probably try to recruit you as an executive. That’s why I’m asking first.

Qi Yunwei: I don’t plan on working for any company right now. Yifan, help me decline for now.

Du Yifan: Got it, Boss!

Qi Yunwei didn’t give it any more thought. Setting an alarm on her phone, she soon drifted off to sleep.

At exactly two o’clock in the afternoon, she arrived at the headquarters of Yan Corporation.

The receptionist’s face filled with surprise when she saw her. Qi Yunwei gave her a polite smile and headed straight for the top floor by elevator.

Qi Yunwei arrived at the CEO’s office. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. Pushing it open, she found the office empty.

Just then, Secretary Shen came by with a stack of documents in her arms. Spotting Qi Yunwei, she looked a little surprised.

“Miss Qi, what brings you here?”

“Yan Zui said I’d be joining her this afternoon for the negotiation with Xuanqian Group. Why isn’t she in her office?” Qi Yunwei asked.

This time, Secretary Shen couldn’t hide her shock.

Although she had never looked at Qi Yunwei through tinted lenses, it had simply never crossed her mind that Qi Yunwei would actually be involved in the company’s affairs.

After a brief pause, Secretary Shen recovered. “Oh, the Xuanqian Group representatives are about to arrive. President Yan is waiting for them downstairs in the conference room. I was just on my way to deliver these documents to her.

Why don’t we go together?”

“Thank you,” Qi Yunwei said with a smile.

On the way, Secretary Shen couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “Miss Qi, do you happen to know someone from Xuanqian Group?” Otherwise, she really couldn’t figure out what connection Qi Yunwei could possibly have with a high-level strategic meeting like this.

As for the negative rumors about Qi Yunwei, Secretary Shen had always reserved judgment—but one thing she had never doubted was that Qi Yunwei was, well, a good-for-nothing.

“No, I don’t know anyone there,” Qi Yunwei replied, still smiling.

Secretary Shen gave a slightly awkward laugh of her own. Luckily, they had arrived at the conference room. She stepped forward first, knocked, and entered.

“President Yan, here are the documents you requested.” She placed the folder in front of Yan Zui.

But Yan Zui didn’t so much as glance at those documents.

Sitting directly across from the door, she lifted her head and immediately saw Qi Yunwei. With a small wave, she beckoned her over. “Come sit beside me.”

Secretary Shen was inwardly stunned. To her shock, after saying that, President Yan even pulled out a chair for Qi Yunwei herself.

Who was the Alpha here, and who was the Omega?

The way President Yan was doting on Qi Yunwei—it felt exactly like a domineering Omega pampering a useless Alpha in some over-the-top novel.

Qi Yunwei only smiled as she walked over to sit down, fully aware that Yan Zui was only treating her this way because she needed her help.

“Secretary Shen, tell Assistant Peng to print out another copy of the meeting agenda and bring it here,” Yan Zui instructed.

“Yes, President Yan,” Secretary Shen replied, utterly floored. When President Yan spoiled someone, she really went all out. Was she truly planning to let Qi Yunwei participate fully?

Secretary Shen slipped outside to make the call.

“Yan Zui,” Qi Yunwei teased with a smile, “you pulling out my chair just now really caught me off guard.”

Yan Zui’s tone was cool. “If you’re so flattered, then make sure you pull your weight in the meeting later.”

“No problem. I’ll guard your flank for sure, President Yan.”

After three or four minutes, Secretary Shen returned with the printed agenda and handed it to Qi Yunwei.

Qi Yunwei skimmed through it. On the surface, the topics seemed sophisticated, but in truth, most of it was hollow. Put simply—it was nothing but pie in the sky. A big, beautiful pie, but still just a drawing.

“Doesn’t a corporation this large have any real specialists?” Qi Yunwei asked.

“If we had our own top-tier talent, Xuanqian Group wouldn’t have been able to wedge themselves in,” Yan Zui said evenly.

Qi Yunwei instantly understood. So it was Xuanqian who’d drawn up this empty “pie.”

At two-thirty, the representatives from Xuanqian Group finally arrived, fashionably late.

Four or five people entered, surrounding a man and a woman at the front. As they walked in, Qi Yunwei rose with Yan Zui to greet them.

The woman in the lead had healthy, sun-kissed skin, sharp ear-length hair, and large gold earrings. She was striking, stylish, and brimming with confidence.

The moment she saw Yan Zui, her eyes lit up. Without hiding her interest in the slightest, she stepped forward with her hand extended.

“President Yan, it’s been far too long.”

Yan Zui gave her a brief handshake. “President Xuan.” Her expression remained cool despite the woman’s enthusiasm, but the precision of her movements conveyed a subtle respect.

The man beside her spoke next. “The last time I saw President Yan was six months ago. I just returned from studying abroad and heard our company was collaborating with Yan Corporation, so I begged my father to let me come along with my sister.”

Yan Zui gave him a similarly restrained handshake.

“Please, have a seat.”

The representatives from both companies took their seats on either side. Catching the flicker of uncertainty in Qi Yunwei’s dark eyes, Yan Zui leaned closer and murmured, “I forgot to mention—this time it’s Xuanqian Group’s eldest daughter, Xuan Mingzhu, and her twin brother, Xuan Baiquan.

Qi Yunwei froze for an instant, her gaze snapping toward them like lightning. So it was them!

Both Xuan Mingzhu and Xuan Baiquan were Yan Zui’s lovers. In the novel, Xuan Mingzhu had used this very collaboration to entrap Yan Zui, causing Yan Corporation’s stock price to plummet. Yan Zhao, furious, nearly stripped Yan Zui of her shares. Seizing the chance, Xuan Mingzhu invited Yan Zui to a “private talk,” and slipped something into her drink.

Xuan Baiquan, who had always harbored feelings for Yan Zui, discovered what his sister had done. Rather than stopping her, he used it to threaten her into joining forces. Xuan Mingzhu agreed.

Later, when they realized Yan Zui had other Alphas, they lost all sympathy for her. They filmed and photographed her, using the evidence to blackmail her into compliance—threatening to release everything otherwise. In a world where an

Omega could only belong to one Alpha, Yan Zui had no choice but to give in.

It was Xuan Mingzhu and Xuan Baiquan who had dragged her deeper into the abyss.

Qi Yunwei’s eyes instantly darkened.

The novel had only ever skimmed over the business conflicts, never even mentioning Xuanqian Group by name. That was why, when Yan Zui had spoken of them before, Qi Yunwei hadn’t paid much attention.

Sensing the sudden shift in Qi Yunwei’s mood, Yan Zui turned her head slightly. “Are you alright?”

Qi Yunwei steadied herself. Right now, dealing with Xuan Mingzhu and Xuan Baiquan’s schemes was the priority. She let out a slow breath, then gave Yan Zui her usual smile. “I’m fine. Just a little nervous—this is my first time in such an important meeting.”

Across the table, Xuan Mingzhu had already noticed how close the two seemed. Yan Zui was notoriously cold and never initiated closeness with anyone, yet just now she’d leaned in to speak to Qi Yunwei twice, their faces less than ten centimeters apart.

“President Yan,” Xuan Mingzhu said, forcing a smile, “this lady looks unfamiliar. I don’t think we’ve met before. Is she your new assistant?”

“No,” Yan Zui replied, “this is our company’s technical consultant, Qi Yunwei.”

Secretary Shen: “?”

Did she just hear that right?