The Alpha’s Hidden Marriage, Public Obsession - Chapter 55.1

Jiang Xue left the classroom and headed straight downstairs, vigorously wiping the spot where Xia Yin had kissed her as she walked. Only when a faint sting spread across her lips did she finally stop.

She hadn’t expected Xia Yin to be so aggressive. She had thought that even if Xia Yin found out, she might express regret, and they could still interact as friends.

But she had been wrong.

Xia Yin was clearly very obsessive something that had been evident from the previous times Jiang Xue had rejected her. Still, Jiang Xue had believed Xia Yin wouldn’t go this far.

Alphas really were all the same no exceptions! And the one who had parked her car outside the school was the worst of them all!

Jiang Xue glared at the shoes in her hand, eyeing the trash bin nearby as she fought the urge to toss them in.

But on second thought, she couldn’t give that bastard any excuse to harass her again. This was the first and last time. Even if her feet were ruined, she would never wear that damned Alpha’s shoes again!

Jiang Xue stood in front of the trash bin for a long time before finally deciding to carry the shoes out of the school while there were few students around.

Lin Yulan’s car was parked in an open area some distance from the school gate likely chosen to avoid drawing attention when picking her up. But Jiang Xue was convinced the bastard Alpha was just putting on a show for her, a superficial gesture.

It was just past six, and Lin Yulan had told Jiang Xue to arrive at the Lin family villa by seven-thirty. Bored from waiting, Lin Yulan had been scrolling through her phone in the car, completely unaware of Jiang Xue’s approach. By the time she looked up, Jiang Xue was already standing beside the car, pounding on the door.

Lin Yulan was startled. She stared at Jiang Xue in disbelief she hadn’t mentioned coming to pick her up on WeChat. And since Jiang Xue had blocked her, there was no other way for her to know Lin Yulan would be here.

She wasn’t sure whether to feel surprised or terrified.

Slowly pushing the car door open, Lin Yulan stepped out, her gaze immediately drawn to the bag in Jiang Xue’s hand. If she wasn’t mistaken, it contained the shoes from last night.

“H-how did you know I was here?”

Jiang Xue ignored the question and threw the bag at her. “Take your things.”

Lin Yulan opened it and confirmed it was indeed the pair of shoes. “You… didn’t have to return them…”

“Not return them? So you could keep using that as an excuse to cling to me shamelessly?” Jiang Xue subconsciously rubbed her already raw lips, the frustration welling up inside her. If it weren’t for Lin Yulan, she wouldn’t have had to endure any of this.

Why were all Alphas like this?

None of them understood human decency.

“Lin Yulan, have you had someone draft the divorce papers yet?”

Lin Yulan froze, her grip on the bag tightening as she looked up at Jiang Xue with a stiff expression. “I told you, I’m not divorcing you. Xue, I—”

“Do you know why I agreed to Aunt Ming’s invitation to dinner at their villa tonight?” Jiang Xue interrupted her, speaking earnestly. “Aunt Ming has been very kind to me, and I know she genuinely cares. That’s why I want to explain things to her face-to-face. A clean break is best for everyone.”

Lin Yulan shook her head vehemently, unable to hold back a loud cry, “This is between you and me, it has nothing to do with my mom! Xiaoxue, I know I was a real jerk before, but I swear I’m changing, I really am trying to be better!”

She kicked off her shoes and grabbed Jiang Xue’s hands. “Xiaoxue, give me one more chance, okay? I’m really working on it! If you’re upset, go ahead hit me right here, slap me as hard as you want, as many times as you want. I won’t complain at all!”

But Jiang Xue’s expression remained unmoved. She slowly withdrew her hands from Lin Yulan’s grasp and turned to open the car’s back door. “Let’s go, Manager Lin. Don’t waste each other’s time. This isn’t solving anything.”

Lin Yulan stood outside the car for a long time, so long she felt as if all the oxygen had drained from her body. Finally, she picked up the bag she had thrown on the ground and got back into the car.

The entire ride passed in silence.

The interior of the car was as still as stagnant water, as if the two of them were strangers Lin Yulan merely a driver, and Jiang Xue just a passenger along for the ride.

Eventually, Lin Yulan couldn’t take it anymore and blurted out the truth: “Tonight’s dinner at the Lin family villa wasn’t my mom’s idea.”

“I know.”

“My mom has no idea about this.”

Jiang Xue finally understood. “What do you mean?”

Lin Yulan admitted, “I used my mom’s phone to text you. The invitation to dinner came entirely from me. I’m sorry, I lied to you.”

Jiang Xue refused to see her, and she truly had no other options. If she waited for Jiang Xue to appear on her own, who knew how long that would take? So she resorted to a little trickery. Even if Jiang Xue later realized the deception, at least they could still meet.

“Whatever.”

“What?”

Jiang Xue kept her head down, ignoring Lin Yulan’s questioning gaze. At this point, whether she had been lied to or not didn’t matter. They were bound to reach this outcome eventually, and to her, it made no difference.

Through the rearview mirror, Lin Yulan saw Jiang Xue’s indifferent expression. Her hands clenched into fists on the steering wheel, the urge to slam them down in frustration almost overwhelming but she forced herself to hold back.

“So now, you just don’t care about any of this anymore?”

Jiang Xue turned her face toward the window. “Lin Yulan, what else do you expect? You know we’re incompatible in every way. This was always going to happen. So what difference does it make whether you lied or not? Or do you think, in this situation, I should say, ‘Oh, you jerk, you lied to me again, I hate you’? There’s no need, Lin Yulan. Let’s part on good terms. As the saying goes, ‘Leave room for reconciliation you never know when paths might cross again.’ You’re a businesswoman, Manager Lin. You should understand that.”

“But damn it, I don’t want to understand!”

The interior of the car was cramped and enclosed, so when Lin Yulan shouted, though her voice wasn’t particularly loud, in such a confined space, it was no different from blaring through a megaphone on the street.

Jiang Xue’s expression remained unchanged despite Lin Yulan’s voice teetering on the edge of a meltdown. To her, Lin Yulan was no different from a child right now unable to find a solution and only venting her emotions through anger.

But this would only make things worse, not change the outcome in the slightest.

Of course, if Lin Yulan wanted to keep venting, Jiang Xue wouldn’t stop her.

So for the rest of the ride, Jiang Xue kept her attention fixed outside the window. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking about, nor did she register whatever nonsense Lin Yulan was rambling about. All she knew was that this damn Alpha’s voice was grating, so loud it made her head throb, and she desperately wanted someone to sew her mouth shut.

Fortunately, the drive to the Lin family villa wasn’t long. From the school where she taught, it would take at most an hour less than forty minutes if there was no traffic.

A short while later.

At the entrance of the Lin family villa.

Seeing they had arrived, Jiang Xue reached for the door handle to get out, only to find it locked by Lin Yulan. She couldn’t open it.

“Lin Yulan!”

Lin Yulan’s voice was hoarse, likely from all the yelling earlier. “Xiaoxue, let’s talk this through properly, okay?”

Unable to open the door, Jiang Xue had no choice but to sit back down. “Lin Yulan, are you incapable of understanding human speech? There’s nothing left for us to talk about. No matter how much we discuss, the outcome will be the same.”

“How could it be the same?!” Lin Yulan’s voice finally broke through her restraint. “If we sit down and talk properly, there has to be a different outcome. Xiaoxue, you said that me just venting my emotions won’t solve anything, but does divorce solve anything either?!”

That question struck Jiang Xue speechless.

But what else could she do?

Forget everything that had happened before and pretend none of it ever existed?

She couldn’t do that.

She wouldn’t allow herself to.

Yes, Xia Yin was right she still hadn’t let go of Lin Yulan. After all, she had loved Lin Yulan for nearly seven years. It wasn’t something she could just move on from overnight.

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