Not a Scummy Alpha, But a Sweet Puppy (Transmigration Into A Novel) - Chapter 32

Though not at the center of the hall, Jiang Zhenmian remained the focus of everyone’s attention. After being surrounded, even the whispers lowered in volume.

Seemingly unnoticed, everyone was actually eavesdropping.

The girl with beautiful honey-brown curls, under the incredulous gazes of her companions, involuntarily took a step back. A flicker of panic crossed her face before she forced herself to appear calm. “You all know me,” she said, her voice strained. “I only like guys. All my relationships have been with boyfriends. How could I possibly like Sister Miao?”

Her eyes darted left and right before suddenly fixing on Jiang Zhenmian. Raising her voice, she demanded, “I’m questioning her about why she’s asking this! Is Gu Zhibai framing us, trying to sabotage our friendship?”

Her tone was resolute, her expression grave. After a brief hesitation, the other two girls chose to believe their best friend. Forming a united front, the trio advanced menacingly, their faces twisted into fierce scowls. They looked like three thugs cornering the small, vulnerable Jiang Zhenmian, forcing her to retreat step by step.

“Hey System, stop adding your own commentary!” Jiang Zhenmian snapped. “What do you mean ‘weak and pitiful’? Explain yourself!”

The System, feigning artificial stupidity with its robotic voice, replied, “Please repeat your command. I do not understand your instructions.”

Jiang Zhenmian stared in disbelief.

The girl in the fishtail dress, the most aggressive of the group, spoke first. “Don’t try to change the subject. It won’t work. After tonight, you’ll be a stray dog, slinking out of here with your tail between your legs.”

The second girl, with honey-toned skin, chimed in with a mocking tone. “Ah, just thinking about that ordinary girl finally leaving our circle makes the air feel fresher already.”

The curly-haired girl regained her composure and launched a three-pronged attack of insults. “You finally managed to hook Gu Zhibai, but now your true colors are showing. Still, judging by your promiscuous behavior, you’re probably already eyeing your next sugar daddy, aren’t you?”

Jiang Zhenmian, her expression sincere, looked at the three beautiful girls with their noses in the air and said politely, yet with genuine confusion, “I understand everything you’re saying, but there’s one question. My relationship with Gu Zhibai, and maybe Song Qingmiao, is none of your damn business. So why are you all so worked up about it?”

“Are you guys street performers who do three-person crosstalk under the bridge? You’re so quick-witted! You must get a lot of tips. But no matter how much money you make, girls should treat themselves better. The living conditions under the bridge are terrible. Look, I have many virtues, but my greatest is that I’m beautiful and kind-hearted. I can’t stand seeing girls take the wrong path. Here’s my advice: audition for roles as cannon fodder sidekicks to villainous female leads in TV dramas. With your looks, charisma, and mastery of dialogue, you’re sure to land the part. I think the production crews even provide accommodation, which is definitely better than sleeping under a bridge.”

Before they could respond, Jiang Zhenmian raised her voice again. “What? You’re all in love with Song Qingmiao and competing to be her ultimate simp?”

“You’re talking nonsense!” the girl in the fishtail dress interrupted, her face twisted with anger.

“Oh, I misunderstood! Did Song Qingmiao hire you to cause trouble for me?” Jiang Zhenmian widened her eyes and shouted, “Good heavens! I never imagined Song Qingmiao could be such a person!”

Her voice was so loud that no one could pretend not to hear. Eyes darted around the room, conveying encrypted gossip.

“Don’t you dare slander Sister Miao! I’ll tear your mouth apart!” The curly-haired girl, who seemed the angriest, extended her long, manicured fingers to grab Jiang Zhenmian.

Jiang Zhenmian clicked her tongue. This speed and fighting ability? Not even as good as when I used to fight for food at the orphanage.

She seized the girl’s wrist and said calmly, “I’m a gentleman today. I don’t hit women.” Her tone shifted abruptly. “But idiots don’t count!”

Before the girl could react, Jiang Zhenmian swung her arm in a wide arc and slapped her hard.

The crisp smack echoed through the room. The curly-haired girl staggered and fell to the ground. Her two best friends rushed to help her up, glaring at Jiang Zhenmian. “How dare you lay a hand on her?!”

Jiang Zhenmian clasped her hands behind her back, her face impassive, though inwardly she cursed, Damn, my hand’s numb.

“Characters like you wouldn’t survive three chapters in a novel. You’re intellectually challenged and brain-dead. I’m genuinely curious: who gave you the courage to come here and act so high and mighty? Did you listen to too much Liang Jingru?”

“The main character hasn’t even said a word, yet you’re all getting yourselves worked up, rushing to be her pawns. If this Song Qingmiao is truly so exceptional, why would she be crawling back to her ex? Didn’t I hear the Song family’s fortunes have declined, nothing like their former glory?”

“No way, no way, could someone really be using the excuse of rekindling old flames to climb the social ladder and latch onto a wealthy patron?” Jiang Zhenmian scoffed. “Playing the whore while pretending to be virtuous. Truly befitting a socialite. Her shamelessness is beyond anything a commoner like me could ever match.”

“Regardless, Gu Zhibai and I are in a legitimate relationship now. Don’t think you can barge in under the guise of being an ‘ex’ and not be considered a mistress. If she truly loved Gu Zhibai, why didn’t she come back sooner? She only remembered her when the Song family ran into trouble.”

Jiang Zhenmian’s expression turned mocking as she mimicked a haughty tone. “Oh, look at me, I have a successful ex too! He used to be so madly in love with me, and I heard he even found a girlfriend who looks just like me. Clearly, he can’t let me go. Now that I’m back, he’ll come crawling back to be my sugar daddy and ATM, won’t he?”

Almost everyone present had suspected this when Song Qingmiao made her dramatic entrance. But not everyone was Song Qingmiao’s friend; more than half had come specifically to watch the spectacle.

Yet no one dared voice the truth openly, even resorting to vague euphemisms when gossiping.

No one had expected Gu Zhibai, the so-called “stand-in girlfriend,” to be so bold, publicly exposing Song Qingmiao without a shred of dignity.

The three girls froze, trembling with rage, but under the crowd’s gaze, they couldn’t muster a coherent rebuttal. They could only repeat, “That’s not true!” and “You’re lying!”

Everyone could see their lack of conviction.

Jiang Zhenmian curled her lip. “If I had to guess, Song Qingmiao is probably upstairs, clinging to Gu Zhibai and feigning deep affection.”

The girls’ faces paled, and they fell silent.
Against such a formidable opponent, they were utterly outmatched. Huashan Young Master Jiang, who had effortlessly swept the room, felt a pang of loneliness, as if he had conquered the world and found no worthy adversary.

Jiang Zhenmian strode past the girls and headed upstairs, the crowd parting to clear a path for her.

“See that?” she said. “That’s Conqueror’s Haki.”

The System remained silent.

Upstairs, the situation unfolded almost exactly as Jiang Zhenmian had predicted.

Liu Ze genuinely wanted to discuss business, but even as a child, it was clear his mind wasn’t particularly sharp.

He no longer cared for Song Qingmiao; his sole focus now was securing the position of Family Head.

Yet he remained prone to believing one-sided accounts, accepting rumors as truth. He was fully aware of Song Qingmiao’s motives and even believed he was doing a good deed by helping the two women rekindle their past. Gu Zhibai should be grateful to him, he thought, and thank him for this.

After finalizing the deal, Liu Ze chuckled meaningfully. “CEO Gu, your wish is about to come true. Congratulations.”

“What do you mean by that?” Gu Zhibai asked.

Liu Ze waved his hand dismissively, strode to the door, and opened it with a flourish. “The terrace is to your left. Someone’s waiting for you.”

Gu Zhibai glanced at him, suddenly tempted to withdraw from the newly agreed partnership.

The person on the terrace was obvious. Gu Zhibai knew she had to confront Song Qingmiao and settle things once and for all.

As expected, Song Qingmiao was waiting there.

After years apart, she looked more mature, though her height hadn’t changed much. She still stood several inches shorter than Gu Zhibai.

Dressed in a flamboyant crimson gown, her long, wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her fiery red lips stood out like flames. Standing under the moonlight, she resembled a blooming rose, dazzlingly radiant.

She had always favored such dramatic attire, reveling in its provocative allure.

Song Qingmiao and Jiang Zhenmian shared a striking resemblance, their features nearly identical. Yet their demeanor and style were worlds apart, making it impossible to mistake one for the other.

More than their similarities, it was their differences that defined them.

“Long time no see,” Song Qingmiao said wistfully. “How have you been these past few years?”

“Fine,” Gu Zhibai replied.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Song Qingmiao’s composure began to falter.

Fine? And that’s it? Shouldn’t you ask how I’ve been?

She didn’t ask, but the conversation couldn’t simply end there. Song Qingmiao sighed heavily, her voice somber as she said, “My time abroad… it’s hard to put into words.”

“Then you don’t have to,” Gu Zhibai said.

Song Qingmiao stared at her, dumbfounded.

What’s with her? Why is she being so cutting now?

Realizing her attempt at playing the victim had failed, Song Qingmiao’s expression shifted, now tinged with bitterness and longing. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said slowly. “These past years, I’ve dreamed of you constantly, of that day. The dark clouds were low, the wind was fierce, and your expression… I’ll never forget it.”

“Perhaps even the weather is foreshadowing our fate. I thought I was choosing unfettered freedom, a wider world, and that sacrificing love for it would be worth it.” She tugged at the corner of her mouth, mocking herself. “But the truth is, I was just a fool, a fool who threw away the most precious treasure to chase after worthless rubble.”

“The more I’ve seen, the more I’ve realized how precious true affection is. Only now do I understand how terribly wrong I was.”

Song Qingmiao gazed into Gu Zhibai’s eyes and said softly, “I think I owe you an apology. Will you forgive me?”
Setting aside her ulterior motives, these words did stir something in Gu Zhibai’s heart.

Not for their shared past, but for the stubborn, naive young woman she once was. Looking back now, seeing how things had changed, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss. She too had once lived a reckless, simple youth.

But Gu Zhibai was no longer that person. She wouldn’t be swayed by a few heartfelt words.

Her tone remained gentle, as always, but her eyes held no warmth. Without acknowledging Song Qingmiao’s words, she said bluntly, “Whether I forgive you or not doesn’t matter. I have a girlfriend now, and it’s not appropriate for me to have too much contact with my ex. She’d get jealous.”

“Miss Song, please don’t contact me again. There’s no need for us to stay in touch. What happened in the past should stay in the past.”

Song Qingmiao didn’t believe a word of it. Confident in her own charm, she was convinced Gu Zhibai was just playing hard to get, overreacting out of excitement and saying the opposite of what she meant.

“I know about your girlfriend,” Song Qingmiao said with a knowing smile. “She looks a lot like me, doesn’t she? I know you can’t forget the past, and neither can I. Zhibai, let’s get back together.”

She stepped forward, reaching for Gu Zhibai’s hand.

Gu Zhibai swiftly dodged, frowning. “Don’t misunderstand. I have no feelings for you anymore. Miss Song, please respect yourself.”

“Respect myself?” Song Qingmiao laughed. “What do you mean by that? Finding a replacement and then pretending it’s just a coincidence?”

Her gaze was intense, her tone sharp. “That Jiang Zhenmian is only with you for your money. Remember back in school? Everyone had their own cliques, but I was the one who reached out to you first. I was the one who brought you into our group. I was the only one who truly cared about you.”

“Admit it, Gu Zhibai, you can’t live without me.”

Gu Zhibai’s expression turned icy. “I have nothing to say to someone who lives in a fantasy.”

She turned to leave, but Song Qingmiao grabbed her arm. Gu Zhibai glanced back. “Let go.”

Song Qingmiao’s face twisted. “Are you serious?”
A wave of irritation washed over Gu Zhibai. “Does it look like I’m joking? Let go.”

“What joke?” Song Qingmiao hissed through clenched teeth, her composure crumbling. “What’s so great about that toy? I’m the one who’s perfect for you!”

Gu Zhibai stared at her for a moment, then smiled faintly. “She calls me Master. Would you?”

Song Qingmiao froze, giving Gu Zhibai the chance to break free. She rubbed her wrist and strode toward the exit.

Just as she reached the hallway, Song Qingmiao caught up and yanked her hand. Gu Zhibai stumbled, her high heels twisting, and she nearly fell sideways. Song Qingmiao caught her in a full embrace, a scene witnessed by Jiang Zhenmian, who was just coming up the stairs.

If this were a melodramatic drama, the next scene would undoubtedly be: “Let me explain!” “I won’t listen! I won’t listen! I saw you two hugging with my own eyes!” Jiang Zhenmian would then run off in tears, only to be caught in the rain by Gu Zhibai, who would pull her into a passionate kiss.

But Jiang Zhenmian wasn’t one for cliché dramas. She charged forward, kicking Song Qingmiao aside with a single blow. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

She immediately knelt down to examine Gu Zhibai’s ankle. It was still pale and unswollen. She gently touched it. “Does it hurt, Sister?”

“It’s just a sprain,” Gu Zhibai replied, surprised and slightly amused by Song Qingmiao’s miserable state.

“What are you doing here?”

Jiang Zhenmian looked guilty. “I got into an argument downstairs…”

Gu Zhibai paused, then quickly understood. Someone had probably been rude and deliberately provoked her. She smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay. Let them argue.”

“Heh heh.” Jiang Zhenmian immediately regained her haughty demeanor, mimicking the trio’s arrogant posture as she addressed Song Qingmiao. “Hey, why aren’t you talking? Cat got your tongue? What’s with all the shoving? What do you think you’re doing?”

“So this is Song Qingmiao?” Jiang Zhenmian glanced her up and down, muttering loudly, “She’s not even that pretty…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Zhenmian realized they sounded like a roundabout insult. She’d used the same logic to torment Zhong Shangxing earlier.
Panicking, she quickly backtracked. “Of course, it’s not that Sister had bad taste before. It’s just… well, she’s evolved! Exactly! That’s why she found someone even better than her last partner, like me.”

Gu Zhibai shot her a sidelong glance, a smile playing on her lips.

Song Qingmiao was furious, her lungs about to burst. Even though Jiang Zhenmian was wearing flats, she hadn’t held back her kick. Song Qingmiao, a pampered heiress who’d never known hardship, considered even a minor scrape a catastrophe. To be kicked like this, especially while wearing heels, was humiliating. She crashed to the ground, her face contorted in pain, only to be further humiliated by Jiang Zhenmian’s condescending remarks.

“You…!”

“What ‘you’ are you talking about? You’re short on height but long on ego. I’m like an old lady getting a double eyelid surgery, truly an eye-opening experience.”

“I bet you never look in the mirror, otherwise you wouldn’t be so delusional about your looks. If you’d just glance at yourself twice, see what you really look like, you wouldn’t be so eager to harass other people’s girlfriends.”

Jiang Zhenmian rolled her eyes dramatically. “A toad on a scale, you really don’t know your own weight, do you?”

I’m the one having my eyes opened here, Gu Zhibai thought. Jiang Zhenmian had only mentioned she was good at insults, but this was the first time Gu Zhibai had heard her use idioms so fluently.

Jiang Zhenmian’s words came out fast and sharp. Song Qingmiao, sitting on the floor, couldn’t get a word in edgewise, her face turning purple with rage.

Gu Zhibai: Pfft.

It was easy to imagine the fate of anyone who argued with Jiang Zhenmian downstairs wouldn’t be much better.

“I’ll say this one last time: we’re over, and there’s no future for us. Stay away from both of us.” With that, Gu Zhibai took Jiang Zhenmian’s hand, and they walked downstairs together.

Song Qingmiao’s three friends had vanished from the hall. The remaining guests, though they hadn’t witnessed the scene, understood the outcome perfectly.

Song Qingmiao had failed.

She returned home, her face still deathly pale.

The Song family’s fortunes had been declining steadily. Though Song Qingmiao maintained a glamorous facade, she hadn’t purchased any new luxury items in ages. Since returning to China, she had declined numerous invitations, simply lacking the funds to indulge in extravagant outings.

The designer gown she wore that evening had been a gift from a relative on her mother’s side.

While C Province was a prosperous coastal province, it still lagged behind the capital. Song’s mother’s family hailed from the capital. The story of Song’s parents was simple: a wealthy heiress fell for a poor young man.

Her family, furious at her defiance, threatened to sever ties. It wasn’t until Song’s mother passed away from illness that representatives from the capital finally contacted the Song family.

Even after Song’s mother’s death, they remained cold toward Song’s father, but they showed some interest in Song Qingmiao.

Song Qingmiao often communicated with her cousin, Yu Wenhe, the son of her mother’s elder brother. Upon learning of her return to China, he asked what gift she wanted and then sent her a set of gifts and a set of jewelry.

Their relationship was quite good. Yu Wenhe was easy to talk to, and whenever Song Qingmiao complained about being broke, he would directly transfer money to her, urging her not to deprive herself.

This time, Song Qingmiao had suffered a major setback, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Given the Song family’s current influence, there was little they could do. Yet Song Qingmiao refused to swallow this humiliation. She now harbored no affection for Gu Zhibai, only a burning desire for revenge. She wanted Gu Zhibai to taste the consequences of rejecting her, and Jiang Zhenmian too. Neither of them would escape unscathed!

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