I Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha and Stole the Heroine from Her Tragic Romance - Chapter 71

Just like the black-market industries that were explicitly banned in the previous world but continued to thrive due to the massive profits they brought, the pheromone extraction trade here followed a similar pattern.

Surrogacy was usually something sought by heterosexual couples who didn’t want to give birth themselves, or by same-sex couples who wanted a child related to them by blood but could not conceive naturally. They would pay another woman to use her womb, exchanging money for her to endure the pain of pregnancy and childbirth. After ten months, they would receive a child of their own bloodline. On the surface, it seemed like a fair trade.

But in truth, situations where both parties truly consented were extremely rare. Even if consent was given, it still inflicted tremendous harm on the surrogate mother’s body.

What made it worse was how easily this could give rise to underground industries, where women who were considered suitable for childbirth were turned into mere reproductive tools. In the end, they were left with only meager wages, sometimes not even enough to support themselves.

Yu Peirong had once read a report about a male employer who had assaulted a surrogate mother. The woman had been carefully monitored throughout her pregnancy. She could neither escape nor end her life. She was forced to live through that dark and hopeless existence.

Yu Peirong felt deeply disgusted by surrogacy. In her eyes, pheromone extraction was no different. It was essentially the same act, stripping away a part of someone for profit, often through cruel and destructive methods.

Looking at everything now, it became clear that some things were never just coincidences.

Shortly after leaving, Yu Peirong received a call from the police station.

Qi Xiyao went with her. After they finished giving their statements, Qi Xiyao leaned in close and whispered into Yu Peirong’s ear that since Yu Peirong’s arrival, the two of them had truly become regulars at the police station.

Yu Peirong gave a bitter smile and quietly wrapped her arm around Qi Xiyao’s shoulder.

In a little while, Qi Xiyao would become busy again. She needed to prepare for the mid-year film festival’s featured projects. The festival had a unique evaluation system. The year was divided into two halves. There were small awards in the middle of the year and a larger, prestigious ceremony at the end of the year.

In the past, Qi Xiyao had only ever attended the festival as a spectator. But this year was different. She had a film of her own participating. Although she played a supporting role, even that role had a strong chance of winning an award.

Before the busy period started, Yu Peirong suggested they could go and get their marriage certificate.

At the time, Qi Xiyao was sitting on the couch, resting. Recently, she had developed a rather childish taste and was happily watching Tom and Jerry. She laughed out loud as she watched the cat being teased and chased around by the clever little mouse.

“Marriage certificate?”

The woman on the couch sat up and rested her chin on her hand, looking toward Yu Peirong. She was wearing a simple loungewear outfit, standing under the light with a relaxed expression. It was such a normal sight, yet somehow still beautiful.

Yu Peirong was tall and slender, with a straight posture. Her proportions were just right, with broad shoulders and a slim waist. She had the typical physique of an Alpha.

When she crossed into this world, she had come in her original body. Coincidentally, the description of the character in this book closely matched her appearance.

Yu Peirong had always felt there was something special connecting her to this story. Since her arrival, many truths that had never been explained began to slowly surface.

She walked over to Qi Xiyao, not standing over her with dominance but instead sitting gently beside her. She peeled a small mandarin orange and handed it to her.

“Here, eat.”

The sweet juice spread in Qi Xiyao’s mouth. It was her favorite type of mandarin. The taste was sweet but not overwhelming. Each one was small enough to finish in a single bite. It was the perfect kind used to make canned fruit.

Qi Xiyao didn’t like peeling oranges, so Yu Peirong always did it for her. When they dined out, she even peeled her shrimp.

Even though Qi Xiyao never believed that an Alpha was obligated to take care of an Omega in every little way, Yu Peirong always offered her thoughtful care at just the right moments.

“By the way, I read the judgment this morning. Yu Shang is scheduled to be executed next month.”

Yu Peirong gently ran her fingers through Qi Xiyao’s hair as she spoke softly, as if she were talking about something unimportant. Qi Xiyao looked up at her but didn’t react as strongly as she might have in the past. She pulled her lips into a faint smile, then lay quietly in Yu Peirong’s arms without saying another word.

Yu Shang’s life would come to an end next month. Before that day arrived, Yu Peirong felt it was time to see her brother one last time.

Some things were better said in person.

When Yu Shang was brought out of the small room, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

He had not seen his reflection in a long time. He knew he had changed completely, but he had not expected to look like this.

In the past, he had stood tall and proud. He looked down on the Omegas in the industry with barely concealed contempt. To him, Omegas were tools for making money. They were useful for gaining favor with Alphas, but they were never seen as complete individuals.

He had witnessed Omegas breaking down after being toyed with, their desperate screams and wild behavior leaving no impression on him at all. On the outside, he remained the well-dressed and respectable “Young Master Yu.” As long as Yu Peirong stayed uninvolved, all company affairs stayed under his control. There was no one to uncover the truth.

He once believed he had done everything perfectly, even thinking he could fully inherit Yu Litian’s legacy.

But from the day Yu Peirong walked into the company, everything began to fall apart.

Yu Peirong was sitting in the visitation room when she saw Yu Shang.

He was still tall, wearing prison stripes, but his back was slightly hunched. He no longer carried the same confident energy he once had.

In just a short time, Yu Shang had lost a lot of weight. It was as if his body was still growing in awkward spurts, although he was already in his twenties. His once-black hair had begun to turn gray at the temples. His face, neck, and other exposed skin showed scars in varying shades and depths, clearly indicating that prison life had not treated him well.

Yu Peirong let out a cold laugh and took a sip of hot water.

As long as Yu Shang was suffering, she felt satisfied.

She was not someone who held grudges over every small offense. But a person like Yu Shang, so despicable, deserved far worse than any punishment the law could give. Her eyes were filled with open ridicule, and for Yu Shang, her gaze was like a sharp blade cutting into his heart. It stirred pain deep within his chest, leaving him bleeding from the inside.

He was still an Alpha and could smell the pheromones Yu Peirong had intentionally released.

He remembered once catching the scent on Qi Xiyao. Her pheromone had the fragrance of grapefruit green tea, clean and sweet. It was refreshing and inviting, enough to stir a strong, instinctive desire to chase after it.

But before he ever had the chance to taste it, that warm cup of grapefruit tea was already overwhelmed by the scent of gardenias.

Yu Shang could no longer tell whether it was Yu Peirong being with Qi Xiyao that angered him more, or whether it was his own downfall that left him utterly drained. All he knew was that pressure from every direction came crashing down on him, leaving him completely disoriented.

Yu Peirong had not come here to reminisce or exchange pleasantries. She went straight to the point.

“You should know about that gender transformation case from years ago. You also know how horrifying the profits behind that kind of operation can be. I won’t go into the details again. In Xu Xiaoqi’s case, your real goal was to destroy her, but Lu Zhiyao was also behind it. From then on, the two of you were tied together. I won’t say you lived or died as one, but it’s fair to say she treated you like her errand boy.”

As soon as Yu Peirong finished speaking, Yu Shang’s expression changed. He stared at her as if he were seeing something inhuman.

Her calm and steady tone successfully stirred his anxiety and slowly broke through his defenses.

It was true. She did not belong to this world.

Suddenly, he felt agitated. There were many things he wanted to ask Yu Peirong, but he didn’t know how to start.

Long ago, he had not disliked her. To be more precise, he had not disliked the old version of Yu Peirong. She had been mediocre and unambitious, perhaps even a tolerable companion, someone he could casually amuse himself with. She posed no threat to him at all.

But as she grew closer to Xu Xiaoqi, she began to change. He couldn’t stand how her personality shifted. So he used underhanded means to kill off her ambition and any signs that she might one day compete with him.

Yu Shang stared at Yu Peirong, as if trying to find the person she used to be beneath her face. But just as he looked deeper, she lifted her hand and placed her long, slender fingers in front of his gaze, blocking his rude and overly direct stare.

Yu Peirong had no interest in wasting time with a dying madman. Her expression was cold as she spoke.

“There’s no point in going against me anymore. I’m not the one who sent you here. It was Lu Zhiyao. If you can’t even figure out who your real opponent is, then there’s nothing more to talk about.”

Now that a clear lead had emerged, by organizing the timeline from the original plot, it would be easy to guess how the Yu Shang in the novel had managed to grab hold of Lu Zhiyao’s weakness and completely destroy her.

For something like smuggling, the Lu family had always kept things clean. They had also taken good care of the relevant departments, making it nearly impossible to bring them down that way. If Yu Shang had succeeded, then he must have started from another angle rather than charging at the front door.

Now that everything had been said, whether Yu Shang chose to cooperate in the end was up to him. It no longer had much to do with Yu Peirong. She had given her warning. Once she finished speaking, she turned and walked away without looking back.

It would still take time to uncover Lu Zhiyao’s involvement in those crimes, but it was not impossible. Now that this important clue had come to light, the smuggling accounts that had previously been glossed over might no longer be enough to cover the truth. Adding this offense to the investigation would force the authorities to take serious action. If that happened, Lu Zhiyao would never have the chance to make a comeback.

Yu Shang’s lips trembled. It looked like he wanted to ask her something, but just as he was about to speak, the words caught in his throat.

He watched her slender figure slowly walk away. A sense of helpless emptiness gradually filled his chest.

From that moment on, he never had another chance to hear from her or see her again.

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