I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 34

Qi Yunwei heard the sound and turned back. She said to Yan Zui, “After lunch today I cleared everything I’d temporarily put in your room. Don’t worry — I made sure there wasn’t a single extra thing left.”

Yan Zui: “…”

“Good night.” Qi Yunwei waved at Yan Zui with a smile and headed into the guest room.

Yan Zui stood where she was and watched the guest-room door close for a long moment, feeling oddly bereft. “Good night.” she murmured.

A month ago, sleeping apart was something she’d wanted with all her heart. So why did it feel so uncomfortable now?

Was it because Qi Yunwei had moved out so suddenly, without bothering to give her a reason in advance?

But Qi Yunwei should have moved yesterday.

Yan Zui pressed her lips together and went back to her bedroom.

The bed felt big — only one pillow and one blanket remained; the wardrobe was one-third empty; Qi Yunwei’s toiletries were all gone from the bathroom.

After she finished freshening up, Yan Zui lay down and glanced at the empty space beside her.

She closed her eyes, but her mind replayed everything that had happened over the past month. Sleep wouldn’t come. She didn’t want to believe the reason was simply that Qi Yunwei wasn’t lying next to her.

She switched on her phone and searched for “insomnia,” then thought better of it and added the premise “Omega marked by their Alpha sleeping alone.”

After all, even when she used to have nightmares, she could still fall asleep reasonably easily.

She hit search and a dozen answers popped up quickly.

She opened the first result.

Answer: Although an Alpha’s pheromones can have a calming emotional effect on the Omega they’ve marked, there’s no research showing Alpha pheromones help Omegas fall asleep.

Yan Zui breathed out lightly — so it had nothing to do with Qi Yunwei.

She tapped the second result.

Answer: This suggests the Omega is very attached and trusts their Alpha a lot. They’re used to sleeping to the Alpha’s scent; sudden separation causes withdrawal. Omegas usually suffer insomnia for a while — it’ll pass once they get used to it.

Yan Zui: How long is “a while”?

She didn’t trust that answer and moved to the third.

Answer: I think the second one makes sense.

Yan Zui felt speechless. The rest of the results were the same — either option one or option two.

She decided the answers from the search bar weren’t reliable at all.

She set her phone aside, turned off the light, and forced herself to close her eyes.

In the dark, Yan Zui fumbled for the phone on the bedside table. She glanced at the screen — it was already past two in the morning and she still hadn’t slept.

Her brow tightened. Tomorrow she’d have to deal with Xuan Mingzhu and Xuan Baiquan; drowsiness would dull her mind. She had to fall asleep immediately.

Yan Zui sat up, stared at the faint crescent moon outside the window, and thought. Then she climbed out of bed, turned on the flashlight on her phone, and followed the dim beam out of her room to the guest room where Qi Yunwei was now staying.

She hesitated for a moment, then used the excuse “to better coordinate with Qi Yunwei’s plan” to muster the courage and twist the doorknob.

Luckily, Qi Yunwei hadn’t locked the door.

The click of the latch sounded loud in the quiet night. Yan Zui’s nerves prickled as she peered at the guest-room bed.

Qi Yunwei was breathing slow and even, sleeping deeply. Maybe because she’d gotten used to sleeping on one side of Yan Zui’s bed, even on her own she still took up only one half.

Yan Zui stepped inside, closed the door, and slid into the other side of the bed.

The familiar scent was almost at arm’s length. Yan Zui felt the tension in her muscles slacken; the clutter in her mind gradually dissolved, and quiet settled over her with the night.

She grew drowsy — Qi Yunwei was like a sleeping draught.

Qi Yunwei opened her eyes, blinked in the sunlight, and glanced down to see Yan Zui curled in her arms. She lingered for a moment, admiring the sight, then carefully slipped out of bed to wash up.

While she brushed her teeth, Xiaoman suddenly spoke in her mind.

[Master, didn’t you notice something off when you woke up?] Xiaoman asked.

Qi Yunwei looked at her increasingly beautiful face in the mirror and replied, [What’s wrong?] The morning scene looked the same as always.

[Don’t you realize I didn’t talk to you for a long time last night? We usually communicate constantly — do you know why?] Xiaoman hinted frantically.

Qi Yunwei thought for a moment and answered, [Because I was busy last night and you didn’t want to disturb me?]

[Because you were supposed to sleep apart from Yan Zui last night, Master! I didn’t dare use energy to talk; I went into hibernation to conserve power. Then in the middle of the night I suddenly received more energy than I could use. Can you understand how I feel?] Xiaoman practically shouted.

Qi Yunwei froze. The woman in the mirror’s eyes widened in surprise; the lingering sleep fog snapped away in an instant. [Yan Zui was in my room?]

[Wait! This is the guest room I’m staying in, right?]

Qi Yunwei’s heart raced as she checked the items on the sink — her own toothbrush, her rinsing cup — and let out a shallow sigh of relief.

[Xiaoman, how did Yan Zui end up in my room?] Qi Yunwei asked.

Xiaoman answered: [I don’t know either. Last night I forced myself into hibernation to save energy. At midnight I suddenly received a rush of energy and returned to normal — by then Yan Zui was already asleep in your arms.]

Could it be that Yan Zui sleepwalks?

Qi Yunwei found herself in a bit of a bind.

When awake, Yan Zui would never want to share a bed with her—that much Qi Yunwei was certain of. But once she woke up, how was she supposed to explain this? What if Yan Zui thought she had secretly pulled her into her arms in the middle of the night?

Qi Yunwei’s expression grew grave. This was a mistake. She should have left the watch hanging in the room to prove her innocence.

As she washed up, she kept turning over in her mind how she would answer Yan Zui’s inevitable questions. Finished with her routine, she walked out with heavy steps.

The moment she stepped out of the bathroom, she looked up to see Yan Zui already awake, sitting on the bed, staring right at her.

Their gazes met—Yan Zui’s deep black eyes tinged with ocean blue locked with hers. Qi Yunwei blurted out instinctively, “It wasn’t me who carried you over!”

Yan Zui thought she was spouting nonsense. Her face stayed cold as she said, “Of course I know. I walked over myself.” If she was capable of falling asleep on her own, she would never have voluntarily entered this room.

Qi Yunwei let out a sigh of relief. “So you do know you sleepwalk.”

She walked closer, concern written all over her face. “Have you ever tried getting treatment? This time you came to my room and nothing happened, but what if you wander somewhere dangerous next time?”

Yan Zui gave her a strange look. “It wasn’t sleepwalking. I couldn’t fall asleep last night. I looked it up—apparently Alpha pheromones have a calming effect on Omegas and can help them sleep. So I came to find you.” She pieced the explanation together herself.

“I saw you sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t bring myself to disturb you. I’ll give you a card later, consider it compensation.”

“No need.” Qi Yunwei’s brows knitted slightly when she noticed the faint dark circles beneath Yan Zui’s eyes. “Do you know why you couldn’t sleep?”

Yan Zui’s lashes lowered gently, shadowing her gaze. “Maybe I was too worried about the partnership with Xuanqian Group.”

Qi Yunwei thought for a moment, then suggested, “If that’s the case, why not compromise a little? Stay with me for another stretch—half a month at most. Once we deal with Xuan Mingzhu and Xuan Baiquan, I’ll move back. How does that sound?”

Yan Zui lifted her gaze. Her wavy curls brushed against the pale skin of her neck, her face fair as snow, her eyes shimmering with a deep ocean blue like the night sea. Her straight nose and faintly pursed red lips added to the picture.

Slowly, she nodded, her voice slightly hoarse: “Alright.”

“Then I’ll move my things back for now,” Qi Yunwei said.

Outwardly calm, she couldn’t suppress the quiet thrill bubbling inside.

Yan Zui slid off the bathroom and leaned lazily to the side, watching as Qi Yunwei tidied up. Only after confirming that everything had been moved back did she nod with satisfaction. “That’ll do.”

Qi Yunwei had already told Xiao Jiu the night before what to prepare for breakfast and when they would be eating. By the time Yan Zui finished washing up and changing clothes, the meal was ready—Qi Yunwei only had to set it on the table.

After breakfast, the two of them left together for work.

Zhou Xiao was already waiting outside. When he saw them, he greeted with barely contained delight: “President Yan, Boss’s Wife! Good morning!”

Qi Yunwei chuckled. “I really envy you—you’re brimming with energy all day long.”

Zhou Xiao grinned sheepishly and ushered them into the car.

On the way to the company, while waiting at a red light, Zhou Xiao glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed the faint shadows beneath Yan Zui’s eyes. He blinked in surprise and looked toward Qi Yunwei—only to find her looking refreshed, her complexion much brighter.

Zhou Xiao clicked his tongue inwardly. No wonder she’s the boss’s wife. She leaves President Yan with sleepless nights and dark circles, while she herself is radiant.

At nine o’clock sharp, Xuan Mingzhu and Xuan Baiquan arrived at the meeting room, accompanied by three experts and the AI core their company had developed.

Sitting across from them, Qi Yunwei immediately noticed the strained looks on the twins’ faces. Both seemed to be suppressing anger toward each other.

So, they must have quarreled after returning yesterday.

The three experts, however, were unaffected, their heads held high with arrogance. One female expert lifted a hand, pulling away the red cloth draped over the AI, revealing its form.

The AI looked like a large sphere, about twice the size of Xiao Jiu. Two bulb-like eyes were fixed on the surface, and where a mouth should have been was instead a small display screen.

“This is the AI we’ve developed— Zhi Niao,” said one of the male experts with pride. “I’ll now present on behalf of our team leader.”

The woman sat down as he stood, taking over seamlessly.

Qi Yunwei didn’t need to listen to know Zhi Niao’s functions—after all, she had provided seventy percent of the technical support. This rather impractical AI was, in truth, still her research achievement.

The expert began confidently with the design: “In our culture, roundness symbolizes completeness. Zhi Niao will be our most complete work yet.”

Qi Yunwei suddenly interrupted: “Excuse me, but, can Zhi Niao walk?”

“Walk?!” The expert looked as if she had just asked something outrageous. “Zhi Niao is an intelligent core! A brain!”

“Then, can it roll?” Qi Yunwei pressed.

The expert’s face turned stormy.

Xuan Mingzhu and Xuan Baiquan frowned at once and looked toward Yan Zui—only to find her watching Qi Yunwei with open admiration, as though she had just asked a brilliant question.

Xuan Mingzhu’s displeasure flared. A major collaboration between two companies had been reduced to nothing more than Yan Zui indulging her lover.

Claiming celibacy and disdain for marriage in public, yet secretly keeping a mistress in the company. She sneered inwardly. How could she ever have thought Yan Zui was some pure goddess? She was just another tainted Omega, nothing more.

What a pity. She had once looked forward to the satisfaction of pushing a goddess from her pedestal. But now—hah! There was no goddess to topple.

Her thoughts grew more malicious: perhaps she wouldn’t even need to scheme. If she so much as hinted, Yan Zui might take the initiative herself.

Beside her, Xuan Baiquan stared fixedly at Yan Zui.

He had risked angering his twin sister just to join the company for her sake. But even now, all of Yan Zui’s attention was still fixed on Qi Yunwei.

Abruptly, he stood up and snapped coldly: “If Miss Qi doesn’t understand, she should listen carefully. Don’t waste everyone’s time with irrelevant questions.”

Catching Yan Zui’s gaze on him, excitement flared in his chest, and he pressed harder: “The three experts from Xuanqian are all graduates of top overseas universities. May I ask what Miss Qi’s academic qualifications are? Would you care to share them with us?”

Qi Yunwei’s scandalous past was already widespread within Yan Corporation. On their way back yesterday, both Xuan Mingzhu and Xuan Baiquan had ordered her background investigated.

A dropout, a failure—did she really think that clinging to Yan Zui gave her the right to act arrogantly?

Keep dreaming!