I Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha and Stole the Heroine from Her Tragic Romance - Chapter 40

Yu Litian’s expression changed immediately. He had clearly not expected Yu Peirong to be serious enough to bring up marriage.

Yu Shang, sitting beside him, was furious.

“You…”

But Yu Peirong had already anticipated their reaction. Her expression dropped slightly, and instead of facing them head-on, she softened her tone and put on a hurt expression. She raised her voice slightly and said with a touch of grievance,

“Dad, just look at Ah Shang. He said he wouldn’t treat me like that anymore, but now he’s already turning hostile again. This is how he acts even in front of you. Do you know how he talks to me in private?”

As she spoke, a few tears welled up in her eyes. Her expression changed faster than turning a page, leaving Yu Shang completely stunned.

“I’ve already made up my mind. Yaoyao is my girlfriend, and I won’t change that easily.” Her face grew serious, and her tone now sounded just like the original version of the character she was pretending to be. Acting like this came naturally to her. “If you all think we’re not a good match, we can move out right now. We don’t want to stay here and make anyone uncomfortable.”

Yu Litian hurried to smooth things over.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. Yaoyao is wonderful. Please, sit down.”

The original Yu Peirong had always been timid in front of her father. Even if she felt upset, she never dared to express it openly. But what the original had been too afraid to do, Yu Peirong did confidently. Her boldness left Yu Litian completely helpless.

The mood at dinner was completely ruined. The stepmother sat coldly at the table, watching them in silence. From beginning to end, she said nothing, but the look in her eyes as she stared at Yu Peirong was filled with hostility.

Yu Litian began to worry that Yu Peirong might still be holding a grudge against Yu Shang. What scared him even more was the possibility that she would really kick Yu Shang out of the company.

Although Yu Shang had previously been an executive, he had recently confessed that Yu Peirong suddenly seemed capable of replacing his responsibilities. If she truly could take over his work, then he would become irrelevant to Yishui Entertainment.

If she also managed to manage or even expand his network of contacts, Yu Shang would completely lose his grasp on the company and the inheritance left by Yu Peirong’s mother.

This was something Yu Litian absolutely did not want to see happen. Since he knew Yu Peirong had a strong personality, he had always encouraged Yu Shang to go along with her and keep the peace. But Yu Shang had grown up spoiled and had walked directly into a high-ranking position. He was not the kind of person who could swallow his pride or bow his head to others.

Since Yu Shang refused to compromise, Yu Litian had no choice but to take Yu Peirong aside and speak with her alone. After all, she had finally returned and was willing to talk, which meant there was still hope to reach her. He tried to portray everything as a misunderstanding, saying that she had only acted out because she felt he had favored Yu Shang too much.

Yu Litian spent nearly two hours trying to win her over. He spoke until his mouth was dry, treating her like a treasured guest. He even promised to use his personal connections to help Qi Xiyao secure a major luxury brand endorsement.

When Yu Peirong walked out of the study, she looked satisfied. If it hadn’t been for the wrong timing, she might have whistled with delight.

Back in her room, she gave Qi Xiyao a brief summary of what had happened. Qi Xiyao looked a bit uneasy and hesitated before asking, “Is this really okay?”

But Yu Peirong dismissed her concern without hesitation.

“They’ve taken so much from me already. Getting Yu Litian to lose a little face and help us secure an endorsement is the least he can do.”

In reality, all she had done was move something from the original story forward a little earlier.

In the book, Qi Xiyao had suffered from long-term emotional manipulation. She constantly doubted herself and thought she was less talented than others. She often fell into spirals of self-blame and low self-esteem.

But by chance, she met a designer who had come to discuss a project with Yu Shang, who at the time was already successful. The moment the designer saw Qi Xiyao, with her soft features and quiet sorrow, he immediately saw her as his muse.

That designer happened to be working on a necklace design. He needed a melancholic but graceful beauty as inspiration. When he saw Qi Xiyao, he approached her and asked to collaborate.

Now, Yu Peirong was giving this opportunity directly to her. She believed that Qi Xiyao would be more than capable of seizing it.

As for Yu Shang and his connection to Qi Xiyao’s mother’s doctor, it was just a matter of money. If it could be settled financially, Yu Peirong was willing to help ease things. Once she severed that final connection, Yu Shang would no longer have anything he could use to manipulate or threaten Qi Xiyao.

However, when Yu Peirong explained her plan, Qi Xiyao fell silent. She sat on the edge of the bed, clearly torn by conflicting thoughts. After a long moment, she looked up, took a deep breath, and her eyes began to fill with tears.

“They tried to take revealing photos of my mother too.”

Yu Peirong froze.

No wonder Qi Xiyao had reacted so strongly to what happened earlier. Her mother had experienced something similar to Xu Xiaoqi. But at least her mother had an Alpha by her side, someone to comfort her, and a loving daughter. Xu Xiaoqi had no one.

A shadow fell over Yu Peirong’s heart. She reached out and hugged Qi Xiyao tightly, letting her know that she was not alone.

Qi Xiyao’s mother had been photographed inappropriately. The images were not as explicit as Xu Xiaoqi’s, but they were still enough to leave anyone disgusted.

Back then, a young Qi Xiyao had reacted with fierce anger. She had grabbed the camera from those men and smashed it on the spot. The camera shattered beyond repair. Even though she was beaten for it, no further damage had been done.

As Qi Xiyao calmly described what had happened, Yu Peirong’s anger flared inside her.

At first, she had only wanted justice. With enough evidence, those responsible could be charged with assault, and Alpha offenders could even face the death penalty. But now, even that seemed too merciful for them.

After sharing her story, Qi Xiyao looked emotionally drained. She leaned her head gently on Yu Peirong’s shoulder and rested there for a while. Eventually, feeling embarrassed for becoming so clingy, she slowly stood up.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

Yu Peirong nodded. Because she didn’t trust this household at all, she checked the room before Qi Xiyao went into the bathroom to make sure there were no hidden cameras. As a public figure, she was especially sensitive to privacy and surveillance.

Fortunately, Yu Litian hadn’t sunk low enough to plant a camera in his own daughter’s room. Once she was sure, Yu Peirong relaxed a little. She suddenly remembered something important. After locking the door for Qi Xiyao, she quietly headed downstairs.

Moving cautiously through the camera’s blind spots, Yu Peirong walked while replaying her earlier conversation with Yu Litian in her mind.

It was obvious that he had been testing her boundaries. Most likely, he had started to panic seeing her rise in power and was hoping to let Yu Shang take over the company her mother left behind.

The original host had been molded by Yu Litian into a naive and ruthless heiress, but Yu Peirong was not that person.

Yu Litian’s motives had always been clear. It was obvious why he had married the original host’s mother. Otherwise, why would he cheat on a woman so beautiful and gentle? Based on the timeline, the original host’s mother had probably known the truth. But by then, her illness had reached a terminal stage, and she no longer had the strength to confront him.

Yu Peirong believed the original host’s mother had been a smart woman.

She had even once suspected that Yu Litian might have deliberately hastened her death, but later investigations confirmed that the woman had simply been born frail. She had lost her parents early and had very few relatives or friends. What she did have was a significant amount of personal wealth.

As someone from her original world might say, Yu Litian had the look of a man trying to “devour an heiress’s fortune.” Fortunately, the original host’s mother had made a will before passing, leaving all her assets to her daughter.

When Yu Litian had tried to win Yu Peirong over recently, he pulled every emotional string he could think of. He even brought up some rare warm memories between father and daughter. Yu Peirong had acted confused, and when he saw that, he quietly relaxed and became more casual in the way he spoke to her.

But after leaving the room, Yu Peirong suddenly recalled fragments of a memory.

If the original host’s memory was accurate, she once had a diary. It had probably gone missing when her belongings were packed up.

Yu Peirong also remembered something described in the original novel. The original host had a strange habit of never throwing things away. No matter how dirty, broken, or useless an item was, like an old notebook or a broken toy, she refused to part with it.

If the diary had not been thrown away, it might still be in the storage room. The Yu family had a massive storage space, carefully organized by category. Yu Peirong had even found it oddly impressive when reading about it in the book.

What made the detail so unforgettable, though, was the disturbing fact that the original host had developed twisted desires and had brought Omegas there for humiliation.

Following her memory, Yu Peirong entered a code into the door panel. As the door creaked open, a strong and unpleasant odor hit her immediately.

The storage room was in terrible shape. It was practically a dump. No one had come here in a long time. The cleaning staff probably just did a quick sweep near the entrance and ignored the rest.

Although items were technically organized by category, many things had been left in piles in the corners. The place had clearly not been cleaned in ages.

She turned on the flashlight mode on her phone. After confirming that there were no hidden cameras, she felt safe enough to start her search.

She had not done this kind of physical work in a long time, and her arms were sore by the time she found what she was looking for among a pile of old, discarded junk.

Yu Peirong held her breath. Her heart was pounding. She quickly slipped the small diary into her pocket. Just as she was about to leave, her foot caught on something on the floor.

She bent down slowly. Her slender fingers brushed against a photo album so dusty that a protruding nail scratched her hand. She didn’t even notice the pain. In the dim light, she saw a photograph on the cover.

The woman in the photo was young and beautiful, with features that looked somewhat similar to Yu Shang’s mother.

It was a family portrait. The printed date at the top of the photo was June 20, 2033.

Yu Peirong’s mother had died on July 12, 2034. So, in June 2033, she must have already been seriously ill. There was no way she could have kept an eye on her husband at that point.

Yu Peirong’s heart dropped.

This could very well be proof of Yu Litian’s affair.

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