The Alpha’s Hidden Marriage, Public Obsession - Chapter 28

Xia Ran wanted to offer some words of comfort, but then she reconsidered, Jiang Xue’s status now was different from before. Back when they were classmates, saying something special would have been normal, but now Jiang Xue was the young madam of the Lin family, the wife of her best friend. No matter what, it just didn’t feel appropriate.

Besides, she didn’t even know what exactly had happened or who was at fault. If she spoke carelessly, she’d only end up making things worse for herself.

“Are you… okay?” Xia Ran pulled a pack of tissues from the car’s compartment and handed them over. “Your eyes are pretty red from crying. You should wipe them.”

Jiang Xue looked up and took them, murmuring, “Thank you.”

The atmosphere was awkward. Back in their school days, even when Lin Yulan was around, the two of them had never been close. Whenever the three of them went out to eat together, Xia Ran would exchange a few greetings with Jiang Xue before running out of things to say.

It wasn’t that she looked down on Jiang Xue or disliked her, it was just that they had nothing in common to talk about. And with Lin Yulan between them, as her best friend, Xia Ran had to maintain a certain distance.

On top of that, Jiang Xue had never been much of a talker back then, spending most of her time studying. Xia Ran hadn’t been sure before, but now she was certain if not for Lin Yulan, Jiang Xue probably wouldn’t have agreed to go out for meals in college, let alone become familiar with her.

“Earlier, on the way here, Yulan seemed worried something might happen to you, so she asked me to help look up your home address. I thought she’d come with you…” Xia Ran hesitated, then added, since the two were married now and shouldn’t be living like enemies, “Did… something unpleasant happen between you two?”

Xia Ran was already prepared for Jiang Xue to refuse to answer. Given their current situation, the best outcome was probably living separately, each going their own way. That way, there’d be no arguments, no growing to resent each other, in a sense, an unconventional kind of peaceful coexistence.

But to her surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Xue looked up.

Instead of answering, however, Jiang Xue asked a question of her own: “Back then, did Lin Yulan help me… because my face resembles Qu Mengxin’s?”

This question had been weighing on Jiang Xue’s heart for years. There had been times she desperately wanted to confront Lin Yulan about it, but she’d always held back, afraid that asking would destroy any chance of them remaining friends. So she’d deceived herself, insisting that Lin Yulan had helped her out of simple kindness after all, Lin Yulan treated other Omegas the same way. There couldn’t have been any other reason.

Jiang Xue had even told herself that, given enough time, she’d forget about the question entirely. But in reality, no matter how many years passed, she’d never been able to let it go.

For a moment, Xia Ran didn’t know how to respond. She’d been aware of the incident back when Lin Yulan had stood up for Jiang Xue, and that very night, she’d asked Lin Yulan about it:

“Since when have you been so keen on playing the hero? When those other Omegas were being bullied before, I never saw you act so decisively.”

Lin Yulan twisted open the cap of her Coca-Cola, took several big gulps, and then said bluntly, “What are you talking about? Being righteous has always been my traditional virtue, you know that. I can’t stand those people. Besides, I always thought school bullying only happened in high school, middle school, or elementary school. Who’d have thought they’d still pull this crap in college? It’s ridiculous.”

“It’s obvious they’re just not as good academically that’s an indisputable fact. Why can’t they just admit it openly instead of resorting to ruining someone’s reputation? Do they even realize how little they actually know? Do they really think pushing others down will magically make opportunities theirs?”

Xia Ran knew Lin Yulan was dodging the question, avoiding a direct answer. But she understood Lin Yulan too well and cut straight to the point: “Even if you want to play the hero, do you really have to stand guard for her every day? You’ve already warned them, it’s not like they don’t know your family’s influence. If I remember correctly, several of their parents work under yours. If they still don’t back off, they’ll probably be packing their bags sooner than expected. You don’t need to go this far. So, is it because she looks like Qu Mengxin?”

Lin Yulan froze for a few seconds, as if considering how to respond. After a long pause, she finally said, “Not entirely. Honestly, the resemblance is only superficial. If we’re being real, she’s nothing like Mengxin.”

“If that’s not it, then why are you putting in so much effort? Watch out, if I report this to Mengxin, you’ll be celebrating your one-year breakup anniversary next year.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

In the end, Lin Yulan backed down. Qu Mengxin was an Omega, and she was particularly sensitive about these things. If she found out Lin Yulan had been helping Jiang Xue, she’d definitely break up with her.

Even if she didn’t, there’d be an unspoken rift between them. Things would never be as carefree as before.

“Alright, alright, fine you win, okay?” Lin Yulan admitted. “The truth is, there’s no special reason for helping her. A small part of it is, like you said, because her face reminds me of Mengxin. When I see her being bullied, I can’t help but imagine it’s Mengxin. But the main reason is… I admire her.”

※

Xia Ran’s mind flooded with confusion. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said!”

“Even if you say it like that, I still don’t get it. An Alpha admiring an Omega and you expect me to take that at face value? Try saying that to any other Alpha and see if they believe you!”

Lin Yulan leaned back in her chair, stretching lazily like a cat before grinning. “Sweetheart, you just don’t get it. Jiang Xue is genuinely impressive. Her academic skills are undeniable, and she’s great at managing people. With the right training, she’d make an outstanding leader in the future.”

Xia Ran’s family owned a business, so she immediately understood Lin Yulan’s implication when she said those words. “You want to win over Jiang Xue?”

But the Lin Group couldn’t possibly lack talent. A large family-owned corporation with substantial capital could essentially acquire as much talent as needed it was merely a matter of money. And the Lin Group was never short on money.

“Surely your family doesn’t lack someone like Jiang Xue, does it?”

Lin Yulan shook her index finger in response. “True, we don’t. But people like Jiang Xue, if you treat them well, they’ll give you their unwavering loyalty. The so-called ‘talents’ in my parents’ company may appear loyal to the Lin Group on the surface, but in reality, they’d switch sides without hesitation if offered a higher price. Do you understand what I’m saying, Xia Ran?”

Of course she understood.

Lin Yulan’s meaning was clear: she wanted to groom Jiang Xue as her future confidante, someone who would serve her and the Lin Group.

Little did Lin Yulan know, however, that Jiang Xue had no interest in joining the company. When the Lin Group extended its invitation, an opportunity countless people scrambled for through connections, Jiang Xue promptly declined, choosing instead to pursue her master’s and doctoral degrees to become a university professor.

“You were her closest friend. Aside from Lin Yulan herself, you’re probably the only one who knows why she helped me back then.” Jiang Xue’s voice trembled slightly. “She’s not here now, so you don’t have to hold back. Don’t worry, even if I find out, I won’t confront her about it.”

Xia Ran hesitated. If she were to be honest, Lin Yulan had initially helped Jiang Xue partly because Jiang Xue resembled Qu Mengxin. Though Lin Yulan had claimed this was a minor factor, Xia Ran suspected otherwise.

Had Lin Yulan truly valued Jiang Xue’s abilities, she wouldn’t have mentioned it just once before dropping the subject entirely clearly, it hadn’t been a priority.

“How… do you want me to answer that?” Xia Ran said. “We both know Qu Mengxin holds a place in Yulan’s heart. So when you ask this, what kind of response are you looking for? If I say no, you probably wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

In the past, Jiang Xue might have been uncertain, but after all these years of wrestling with the question, she needed closure for her years of persistence.

“Just tell me the truth. I just want to confirm the answer.”

Xia Ran wished she weren’t so obliging then she wouldn’t be cornered into providing an answer that could potentially cause serious problems later. “How do I put this? Dwelling on this answer is pointless. You’re married now, even if you knew the truth, you couldn’t divorce her over it. Besides, you’re not really asking me because you want confirmation, are you?”

Jiang Xue insisted, “No, I truly want to know the answer.”

Xia Ran gazed into the rearview mirror for a long moment. Jiang Xue’s expression was now serious and resolute clearly not what she had imagined. “Alright then, since you’re so determined, I’ll be straight with you. It’s true that when Yu Lan helped you back then, part of the reason was your resemblance to Qu Mengxin. But she also told me at the time that aside from that, another important reason she helped you was because she genuinely admired you.”

Jiang Xue’s expression visibly faltered, reminding her of the time near graduation when Lin Yulan had asked if she wanted to intern at the Lin Group. But since her dream wasn’t to join a corporation, she had refused outright.

Yet this transparent attempt at covering up was obvious even to a fool.

“That last part must have been her excuse, right?”

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