The Alpha’s Hidden Marriage, Public Obsession - Chapter 53

Lin Yulan knew Xia Ran wouldn’t believe it. This situation was no different from the saying, “Nothing tastes better than dumplings, and nothing is more fun than flirting with your sister-in-law.” The only distinction here was that the person enjoying the “dumplings” happened to be the other party’s own elder sister.

No one in their right mind would accept something like this.

“Xia Ran, do you really think I’d bring this up with you if I didn’t have proof?” Lin Yulan said. “I know this is hard for you to accept. You don’t believe your sister would ever interfere in someone else’s marriage. But my guess is she probably doesn’t know Jiang Xue and I are already married. So I can understand why she’d pursue Jiang Xue. I’m not telling you this to accuse your sister, I just want to ask if you could talk to her and convince her to give up on Jiang Xue?”

Xia Ran had never imagined she’d find herself in such a situation once a bystander enjoying the drama, now the subject of gossip herself.

And the fact that Lin Yulan had brought it up meant she wasn’t just being paranoid or randomly blaming others. She must have witnessed her own sister with Jiang Xue firsthand.

“Did you see my sister alone with Jiang Xue and assume she’s pursuing her?”

Although Lin Yulan’s last remark seemed to defend Xia Yin, Xia Ran knew her best friend too well. When it came to matters of the heart, Lin Yulan was more sensitive than anyone.

“Have you considered that my sister and Jiang Xue are just colleagues at the same university? It’s normal for them to know each other, and it’s even more normal for them to get along well. It’s no different from coworkers in the same company forming friendships outside work. You can’t just assume my sister is chasing her just because they were alone together, laughing and talking.”

Lin Yulan had anticipated this response. It didn’t surprise her after all, this was Xia Ran’s own sister. Meddling in someone else’s marriage wasn’t just disgraceful; it also risked damaging their friendship.

If handled poorly, no matter how strong their bond had been over the years, it could all unravel overnight. And Xia Ran’s defense of Xia Yin wasn’t solely about protecting her sister, it was also about preserving their friendship, ensuring it wouldn’t fracture over a possible misunderstanding.

Lin Yulan understood.

“Xia Ran, I actually met your sister a long time ago on the night my mom invited Jiang Xue over to discuss our engagement.”

“What?”

“Later, I had a fight with my mom and drove Ye Jing out to grab some late-night snacks. Your sister and Jiang Xue happened to be at the same restaurant.”

“And then?”

Instead of answering, Lin Yulan asked, “Do you know what your sister said when I ran into her at the counter?”

Xia Ran suppressed her impatience. “What did she say?”

Lin Yulan said, “Your sister thought I was Jiang Xue’s old classmate, and the kind who was preparing to pursue her. After testing me and confirming I wasn’t chasing Jiang Xue, she very seriously told me that Jiang Xue was her Omega and that I shouldn’t have any delusions about her. At the time, I didn’t know she was your sister, and back then, I hadn’t yet fallen for Jiang Xue, so I foolishly even encouraged your sister to go after Jiang Xue.”

“Xia Ran, I know that just my words alone might not convince you, so I need to tell you something else. Do you know why your sister, already a vice president, insists on keeping her affiliation with H University?”

The implication was clear Xia Yin stayed at H University for Jiang Xue.

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask your sister that last question yourself.” Lin Yulan spoke earnestly. “I’m telling you this with no ulterior motives. I just want you to persuade her to give up on Jiang Xue.”

Xia Ran visibly shook her head. “Yulan, even if what you say is true, and my sister really is pursuing Jiang Xue, haven’t you considered that Jiang Xue might already know about it?”

Of course, Lin Yulan had thought about it. But precisely because she had, she sought out Xia Ran to convince Xia Yin to let go.

“Seems like you’ve thought about it.” Xia Ran couldn’t help but ask, “Since you’ve already considered this, why not just ask Jiang Xue directly? You know she’s my sister, my own flesh and blood. How do you expect me to confront her with such a question? Should I say, ‘Oh, sis, do you like my best friend’s wife?’ Or, to be even blunter, ‘Sis, are you trying to be a homewrecker?’ Is that how you want me to ask her?”

“Yulan, this is your own marital issue. You can’t keep throwing the problem at me to solve. I could indeed try to persuade my sister to back off, but the real question is, if Jiang Xue knows my sister is pursuing her and hasn’t rejected it, or even told my sister she’s about to divorce you soon, then what’s the point of me saying anything?”

Hearing this, Lin Yulan stiffened as if she’d stepped on a snake, her entire body tensing up. “But I won’t divorce Jiang Xue!”

To make her give up Jiang Xue now would be impossible unless she died.

“You said it yourself this is based on the premise that Jiang Xue could divorce me. But I will never divorce her, so your hypothetical is meaningless!” Lin Yulan stood up as well. “Xia Ran, I’m begging you, please make your sister let go, okay? She can name any condition, and as long as it’s within my power, I won’t refuse! This is my only request just have her give up on Jiang Xue.”

Now it was Xia Ran’s turn to feel utterly overwhelmed.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to persuade Xia Yin, but the problem didn’t lie solely with her sister, it also involved Jiang Xue.

Now, Jiang Xue’s heart has turned to ashes when it comes to Lin Yulan to put it more bluntly, Jiang Xue no longer harbors any thoughts of Lin Yulan. Under such circumstances, if Jiang Xue also knew that her sister had feelings for Lin Yulan, or if her sister confessed to Jiang Xue without knowing that Jiang Xue was already married to Lin Yulan, and Jiang Xue didn’t explicitly reject her, then the serious problem clearly lies with Jiang Xue.

And if that were truly the case, bringing this issue to Xia Yin given her sister’s temperament could lead to extreme actions if she found out Jiang Xue had a partner yet didn’t reject her confession.

The consequences of that, she truly didn’t dare to imagine.

“Yulan, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but you simply don’t understand what kind of person my sister is.” Xia Ran rubbed her temples. “She went abroad with my mom when she was in her teens, so her way of thinking is quite different from ours especially when it comes to relationships. Once she sets her mind on something, not even nine oxen could pull her back. She might even resort to extreme behavior for the sake of that love. Do you understand what I mean? Or do I need to spell it out even more clearly?”

Lin Yulan knew it her gut feeling about Xia Yin’s obsessive nature had been right all along.

“But you can’t just let her go after my wife like that! That’s my wife, we’ve legally registered our marriage, recognized by the law! Not some one-sided infatuation!”

Xia Ran nearly laughed at Lin Yulan’s outburst but still maintained her patience, speaking unhurriedly, “My dear Miss Lin, who exactly is to blame for this mess? If you had treated Jiang Xue with even half the kindness she deserved back then, would she be like this with you now? You dug this hole yourself shouldn’t you be figuring out how to win her back instead of trying to shift the blame onto me? Am I just your unlucky scapegoat of a best friend?”

Lin Yulan instantly fell silent, like a mute.

This was indeed her fault. If Xia Ran were like anyone else, she might have said something even harsher, “Isn’t this just what you deserve?”

But now, she was truly at a loss. Just as Xia Ran had said, Jiang Xue was also taking initiative in this matter it wasn’t just Xia Yin’s problem alone. Unless she went to Jiang Xue for a clear answer, this issue would remain unsolvable.

The problem was Jiang Xue refused to see her!

In this situation, if she went directly to Jiang Xue’s university to confront her, given Jiang Xue’s temper, she might just resign on the spot and vanish completely from Lin Yulan’s life.

Where would she even begin searching then?

“Jiang Xue doesn’t want to see me.”

“She doesn’t want to see you so you don’t have legs to go find her yourself?!”

Xia Ran was truly at a loss for words with her best friend. All this talking she might as well have spent the time chasing Jiang Xue back instead!

Lin Yulan slumped back onto the sofa, dejected. “Xia Ran, you don’t understand. If I go to her university directly, I might never find her again in this lifetime. Jiang Xue is that kind of person once she makes a decision, she never changes it.”

Xia Ran walked up to her, placing a hand on her arm, and said, “Listen, missy, I didn’t tell you to go straight to her school to find her. Are you planning to barge into everyone’s home every time you need to talk to them? If you can’t go to her, and she doesn’t want to see you, can’t you think of another way to get her to come out?”

Another way.

Lin Yulan caught on immediately, instantly understanding what Xia Ran meant.

She threw her arms around Xia Ran’s waist, moved to tears, and said, “Ran, my darling, you must be an angel sent from heaven to save me! I’m going to rank you as the number one best friend in all of China! No, that’s not enough. I’ll hire a professional to write a whole biography about you, the ultimate best friend!”

Xia Ran: “…” I don’t need that kind of thing. Just stop dumping your messes on me, and I’ll be grateful!

“Enough!” Xia Ran pushed her away, looking disgusted. “If you come to me with something like this again, we’re done, no negotiations!”

Lin Yulan, shameless as ever, retorted confidently, “Oh no, we can’t do that. If we ever break up as friends, I’ll send all your embarrassing old photos to every single employee at your company. Let them all admire the ‘glory’ of their dear little boss Xia back in the day.”

Xia Ran: “…”

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