The Alpha’s Hidden Marriage, Public Obsession - Chapter 65

After realizing Jiang Xue wasn’t as resistant to her as before, Lin Yulan began driving to the gates of H University whenever she had free time, staying there for hours.

Of course, Jiang Xue was aware of this.

Lin Yulan parked her car directly opposite Jiang Xue’s Omega dormitory building. Whenever Jiang Xue stepped onto the balcony and glanced in that direction, she could easily spot Lin Yulan’s eye-catching red BMW.

After this happened repeatedly, it became obvious something was going on.

Chu Yuan, who shared the dorm with Jiang Xue, hadn’t thought much of it at first. Their university had a constant flow of visitors, and seeing the same car parked in the same spot wasn’t unusual. But gradually, Chu Yuan noticed that every time Jiang Xue went to the balcony, she would stare at that car for over half an hour, clearly suspicious.

By the fifth day, Chu Yuan could no longer suppress her burning curiosity. Seizing the moment when Jiang Xue wasn’t busy, she sidled up and asked, “Xue, do you happen to know the owner of that red BMW parked outside our school?”

Jiang Xue was typing up a schedule when Chu Yuan’s question caught her off guard, her fingers freezing mid-sentence.

“No, I don’t.”

“Re~ally~?”

Jiang Xue felt a pang of guilt but kept her expression calm. “I really don’t! More importantly, why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Chu Yuan dragged her chair over with her foot and plopped down beside Jiang Xue, grinning like a matchmaking aunt. “Xue, lying to your best friend is a sin. My heart aches when you do this.”

“If it hurts, go see a doctor,” Jiang Xue retorted. “If you wait too long, it might heal on its own.”

Seeing Jiang Xue’s obvious evasion, Chu Yuan grew even more certain that Jiang Xue knew the owner of that red BMW.

She grabbed Jiang Xue’s typing hand and pulled her around to face her. “Xue, look me in the eyes and answer again, do you or do you not know who owns that BMW?”

Jiang Xue stuck to her story. “I don’t know her.”

Unlike most people, Jiang Xue didn’t smile when lying instead, she became unusually serious. Many had been fooled by her stern expression before.

But this time, Chu Yuan wasn’t buying it. She released Jiang Xue and stood up, heading for the door.

A bad feeling instantly gripped Jiang Xue. “Where are you going?”

Chu Yuan deliberately called over her shoulder as she walked, “Well, if you don’t know her, I’ll just go ask her myself if she knows you. No harm in that, right? If she thinks I’m crazy, I’ll just say I got the wrong car.”

“Chu Yuan, get back here!”

“Why should I?”

Chu Yuan pretended to open the door, even slipping on her shoes as if she were about to march out and get answers.

Finally, Jiang Xue had no choice but to relent. “Fine, come back! I know her, okay?”

The moment she heard this, Chu Yuan tossed her shoes back into the shoe rack and zoomed back to Jiang Xue’s side. “You really know her? Who is she? Is she here to pursue you? How could you keep something like this from me, Xue? You’re seriously not treating me like a real friend!”

She wasn’t unwilling to speak, but at that time, Lin Yulan hadn’t accepted her at all. Even though the two of them had obtained their marriage certificate, the mutual dislike between them would only add unnecessary trouble if she spoke up.

Besides, Jiang Xue understood Chu Yuan quite well. Though she usually seemed carefree, she was actually very sensitive. If she found out how Lin Yulan treated Jiang Xue, she would definitely confront Lin Yulan for her sake.

“Hurry up and tell me! You’re driving me crazy!” Chu Yuan grabbed Jiang Xue’s hand excitedly. “Someone who can drive a luxury car like that must have an extraordinary background. Who is she really? When did you two start? Come on, tell me, tell me!”

Jiang Xue sighed and carefully replied, “She’s my college classmate.”

“So, you’re already married to her, right?” Chu Yuan looked as if she had uncovered some earth-shattering secret and exclaimed, “You two actually had a secret marriage!”

“I—!”

The process was wrong, but the conclusion was completely correct. Jiang Xue didn’t even know how to refute Chu Yuan’s words, so she simply didn’t respond, letting it be taken as tacit agreement.

Chu Yuan excitedly hugged Jiang Xue and didn’t let go for a long while. “So when are you two planning to have kids? From college until now, it’s been almost seven years, right? How come there’s been no movement at all? Could it be that she’s, incapable?!”

“Cough, cough!”

Jiang Xue nearly choked on those words. She looked at Chu Yuan awkwardly and said, “If you love kids so much, why haven’t you had one with your own partner?”

Chu Yuan replied, “I’m just not ready yet! Besides, having your own kid isn’t as fun as watching someone else have one!”

Jiang Xue: “…” Goodbye, friendship over.

Somehow, Jiang Xue felt it was a bit strange to be discussing this topic with Chu Yuan. Her situation with Lin Yulan was so complicated, there was no way they could have a child so quickly.

At least not within the next six months.

Just as she was about to say something, her phone suddenly rang.

Chu Yuan: “Quick, check if it’s her calling you.”

Jiang Xue thought to herself that bastard Alpha had long been blocked by her, so there was no way she could call.

Still, Jiang Xue picked up her phone to check. It was Xia Yin calling.

“Is it your dear wife calling?!”

Jiang Xue shook her head. “No. Yuan Yuan, wait for me a moment, I need to take this call.”

Chu Yuan, finding the wait too boring, went to the balcony to see if the Mercedes BMW was still there. She also wanted to greet the driver as the future godmother of their child. But when she reached the balcony, she realized the red Mercedes BMW had already left at some point.

Chu Yuan: “…”

At the same time.

In a private room at a hotel.

Lin Yulan watched as Qu Mengxin poured her a drink, feeling an odd sense of a weasel giving New Year’s greetings to a chicken.

Originally, she had promised Jiang Xue she wouldn’t meet Qu Mengxin again. But Qu Mengxin had sounded so sincere on the phone that, for the sake of their past relationship, Lin Yulan decided to give her one last chance.

“What exactly did you want to talk to me about?”

After pouring the wine, Qu Mengxin raised her own glass and downed it in one go before speaking. “I thought you wouldn’t agree to meet me.”

“So, why did you ask me here?”

“What if I said I just wanted to drink with you? Would you believe me?”

Lin Yulan replied without hesitation, “Based on what I know of you now, you didn’t just call me here for a drink.”

Qu Mengxin poured herself another glass and downed it in one go.

Lin Yulan didn’t stop her, nor did she touch the drink on the table. In her memory, Qu Mengxin never drank she had even once said she hated the taste of alcohol.

Indeed, times had changed.

“What if I said I really just called you here for a drink?”

Lin Yulan had no interest in pointless arguments. “If you don’t want to talk, then I will. There’s something I need to ask you was that Hermès Mini Pop H enamel necklace really given to you by another Alpha?”

At those words, Qu Mengxin’s expression shifted instantly.

To mask the guilt in her eyes, she poured herself a third glass.

“Y-yes, some clueless Alpha sent it.”

“You’re lying!”

Before Qu Mengxin could even finish, Lin Yulan cut her off with absolute certainty. “Even now, you still plan to keep deceiving me?”

“Deceive you?” Qu Mengxin burst into laughter. “Why would I lie about something like this? Lin Yulan, we were together for almost a year. Now that you’re married to her, you’ll believe anything Jiang Xue says, won’t you?”

Ignoring her words, Lin Yulan pressed on. “That Hermès Mini Pop H necklace cost Jiang Xue nearly three months of her part-time wages. She bought it to thank me, and it came with a note but you threw it away.”

Qu Mengxin forced a weak smile. “So, you never really trusted me.”

“Let me finish.”

Lin Yulan continued, “Do you think I’d bring this up without proof? I recently met up with my college roommates. One of them told me she ran into Jiang Xue that day, carrying a Hermès box. She thought Jiang Xue was bringing it to me, but then you claimed it was a gift from another Alpha to you.”

Qu Mengxin’s face darkened bit by bit until she could no longer deny it.

“Fine, that necklace was meant for you. I lied about it being from another Alpha. But have you ever stopped to think why I did it?!” Her gaze turned icy. “She looks just like me, but she’s the top student. Everyone pretends to talk about her, but really, they’re whispering behind my back about how I don’t measure up to Jiang Xue, how she’s the one who truly belongs with you! You say she spent three months’ wages to thank you? Who buys a necklace as a thank-you gift? If she didn’t have feelings for you back then, why would she give you jewelry?! Lin Yulan, you can tell yourself whatever you want, but don’t expect the rest of us to be fools least of all me!”

Lin Yulan didn’t know whether to laugh or pity Qu Mengxin’s fragile pride. “If it bothered you so much, why didn’t you just tell me clearly back then? Qu Mengxin, the one deceiving herself is you, not me.”

At that time, she had liked Qu Mengxin so much. If Qu Mengxin had been honest with her, she would have asked someone else to return that necklace to Jiang Xue.

She could brush off other things and not take them to heart, but when it came to love, Lin Yulan had wanted to give the other person a sense of security.

“I’m the one deceiving myself? Lin Yulan, have you ever truly understood me?” Qu Mengxin retorted. “Do you know what I wanted?”

Lin Yulan countered with another question instead of answering. “Then do you know what I wanted?”

When Qu Mengxin remained silent, Lin Yulan continued, “A relationship has always been about two people. If you only demand the other person to give and never offer anything in return, it means you never truly cared about them. Qu Mengxin, even though I’ve moved on and don’t want to dwell on the past, I still want to know one answer did you ever truly like me?”

Qu Mengxin froze.

The answer should have been effortless, something she could blurt out without hesitation. Yet, it felt as though something was lodged in her throat, making it impossible to utter the words, “I did.”

Lin Yulan already knew. But it didn’t affect her anymore because she had met an Omega who would be devoted to her wholeheartedly.

“Seems like there’s nothing left for us to say.” Lin Yulan stated, “I promised Jiang Xue I’d never see you again. The only reason I came today was to confirm what happened back then. Now that I have my answer, there’s no need for us to meet in the future. As for the project, I’ll arrange for someone to handle the handover. You should take care of yourself from now on.”

With that, Lin Yulan stood up to leave.

Just then, Qu Mengxin suddenly spoke up, “Do you really like her that much now?”

Lin Yulan was puzzled but still answered, “Yes.”

“What if she’s not as pure as you think? Would you still like her? Would you still accept her?”

The moment those words left Qu Mengxin’s mouth, Lin Yulan’s expression darkened.

She turned back and stepped right in front of Qu Mengxin. “What do you mean by that?!”

Qu Mengxin swirled her wine glass in front of Lin Yulan. “Nothing much. I just wanted to ask have you ever considered that you don’t really know Jiang Xue at all?”

A sense of foreboding surged in Lin Yulan’s chest. She snatched the glass from Qu Mengxin’s hand, set it down, then grabbed her collar in fury. “What the hell are you implying? Explain yourself!”

Qu Mengxin burst into laughter. “You know what? When I saw you holding Jiang Xue’s hand and declaring your ownership in front of me, I’ve never felt so resentful in my life. She only got attention because she looks like me. How dare so many people say I’m inferior to her? If it weren’t for that face of hers, no one would even glance her way. In the end, Jiang Xue should be grateful for resembling me! Without that face, she would never have stood by your side!”

Lin Yulan felt that Qu Mengxin was beyond redemption and didn’t waste any more time on her. After roughly shoving Qu Mengxin away by the collar, Lin Yulan grew increasingly panicked. She wanted to call Jiang Xue, but when she pulled out her phone, she realized she hadn’t added Jiang Xue’s contact back yet.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Yulan decided to call Xia Yin directly.

However, no one picked up on the other end.

It was then that Lin Yulan understood the meaning behind Qu Mengxin’s earlier words.

“Did Xia Yin go to find Jiang Xue?!”

Qu Mengxin smirked. “Guess, Miss Lin.”

Lin Yulan had never cursed in front of Qu Mengxin before, but this time, she chose the filthiest word she could think of. “Qu Mengxin, you make me fucking sick! If anything happens to Jiang Xue, I’ll make sure you all pay for it!”

But there was no time to waste arguing with Qu Mengxin. After her outburst, Lin Yulan bolted out of the private room, dialing Xia Ran’s number as she ran.

“Hello, Xia Ran? It’s me. Where did your sister go today?”

Xia Ran was confused at first but quickly picked up on the urgency in Lin Yulan’s tone. “My sister didn’t tell me where she was going today. What’s wrong?”

“Call Jiang Xue right now and ask where she is. Hurry!”

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Jiang Xue lay weakly on the table, the overwhelming Alpha pheromones in the room nearly suffocating her. She didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.

Xia Yin rose from her seat across the table and moved beside Jiang Xue, gently brushing away the tears that had formed from the physiological reaction to the Alpha pheromones.

“Xiao Xue, I really like you.”

Jiang Xue closed her eyes, avoiding Xia Yin’s touch, and remained silent.

Unfazed, Xia Yin continued, “I know what I’m doing is wrong, but I want to give us a chance. If Lin Yulan can find this place before you go into heat, I’ll admit defeat and step aside. But if she doesn’t make it in time even if it’s a crime, I’m willing to take that risk.”

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