The Cold And Straight Alpha Is Always Being Flirted With By The Goddess Aunt - Chapter 35

Sometimes life is just like that, whatever you fear most is exactly what comes your way.

Yan Manxing’s car sped away, disappearing into the distance on the road to G City. She hadn’t expected that her brief stop at the Jiangbin Hotel to visit Xi Zhaowan’s room would be captured by the media and reported with such fanfare:

• “Explosive! Yan Group CEO, Single for Years and Rejecting Thousands of Alphas, Is Actually into O-O Romance!”
• “Chairman Yan Embroiled in Incestuous Scandal; Object of Affection is the Rose of H City. Foster Sister Xi Zhaowan!”
• “Scientist Xi Zhaowan Fought Over by Alpha and Omega; Who Will Pluck This High-Altitude Flower?”

There were even more sensationalist headlines: “H City’s Number One Beauty’s Messy Private Life: Alpha and Omega Enter Her Bedroom in the Dead of Night!”

Wei Weizhi stared at the enlarged headlines from several media outlets. Aside from photos of several people taken in the hotel corridor, the pages were filled with various fabricated rumors.

Though she felt something was fishy, Wei Weizhi who was used to having her private life picked apart, didn’t care much about the media reports. To the press, her pursuit of Xi Zhaowan was merely another chapter in the Wei family heir’s history of romantic escapades.

Compared to the rumors swirling around Xi Zhaowan, Wei Weizhi found Yan Manxing’s attitude toward her much more intriguing, ambiguous enough, yet sufficiently secretive.

As a natural-born investigator, she couldn’t help but instruct Xiao Zhang to look into the true relationship between Yan Manxing and Xi Zhaowan from a different angle, as well as Xi Zhaowan’s personal preferences.

When one is like fine jade, many will try to peer into its depths.

Xi Zhaowan was unaware that behind the arrows being shot from the shadows by the Zhao family, her pursuer was also conducting a secret investigation under the guise of curiosity.

Wei Weizhi knew this report was clearly targeted at the Yan family, and specifically at Xi Zhaowan. Just as she was about to knock on Xi Zhaowan’s door, the latter had already organized the materials from the past two days of meetings and was stepping out with an elegant posture.

In a non-formal setting, she had traded her business suit for a white bodycon dress that accentuated her graceful curves. Teardrop emerald earrings shimmered with a ghostly green light under the white lamps.

Her expression was cold and calm, her spine straight and composed. She looked like a swan floating leisurely on the water, neck held high as she walked toward Wei Weizhi.

Wei Weizhi’s breath hitched. Initially, she had been moved by Xi Zhaowan’s beauty, but as they spent more time together, she found herself captivated by her sheer presence.

Looking at the woman’s expression, Wei Weizhi knew Xi Zhaowan had long since seen the news, yet it hadn’t affected her in the slightest.

In truth, before Wei Weizhi had even seen the reports, Xi Zhaowan had already ordered her team members at the conference to investigate the backgrounds of those media companies. Coincidentally, they were all emerging startups.

She had begun to guess who was pulling the strings, but she was puzzled by their choice of method. After attempting to suppress the reports, she decided to wait and see.

Consequently, the second day of the collaborative research exchange between the two teams proceeded as scheduled. This time, Xi Zhaowan did not voice her own opinions, letting her research sub-groups handle the reports.

During this meeting, Wei Weizhi noticed that Xi Zhaowan was particularly quiet. She didn’t seem to be listening, her brow furrowing occasionally as she was lost in thought.

Wei Weizhi wondered: Was Xi Zhaowan’s mood actually affected by the reports after all?

Not exactly. Xi Zhaowan asked herself, a bitter smile rising in her heart. At this moment, she was actually wondering: How much of the reporting has been suppressed? Will Qing’er see those messy rumors? Will she believe they are true?

Will she trust me?

“These are all rumors! Qinghe, you absolutely mustn’t believe them.”

“Does nobody understand what kind of person Senior Xi is?”

Zhang Siyu was indignant, wishing she could poke through her phone screen. On the glowing display was the school forum, which had already reposted the entertainment news. Gossiping students were discussing it relentlessly, flooding the threads.

“Yeah, Qinghe, don’t be so gloomy. I know it’s upsetting when someone smears your family,” Su Fang said, coming over to comfort her after class.

“As an Omega who is a top-tier talent in both scientific research and business, how could Senior Xi have time to be ‘running through thousands of Alphas’?”

“Mhm, Aunt Wan is very excellent. So, Fangfang, do you think there’s something fishy going on?” Ji Qianqian looked at the pale faced Yan Qinghe, her eyes searching her best friend Su Fang for deeper meaning.

“Exactly. The Senior is too excellent, a god-tier existence that makes even Alphas feel inferior. That’s why people are jealous,” Su Fang analyzed logically, sounding quite convincing.

The group gathered around Yan Qinghe, chattering away. Only Ji Qianqian stood with her arms crossed, leaning against Yan Qinghe’s desk, watching her reaction closely.

“I know,” Yan Qinghe said with a forced smile. She knew this was a media smear campaign and that Xi Zhaowan was certainly not that kind of person. However, she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that for the past few days, Xi Zhaowan had been with Wei Weizhi.

On the forum, the large photos showed the two of them in the hotel corridor drinking and talking intimately. Wei Weizhi was even wearing a bathrobe, leaning against Xi Zhaowan’s door.

Yan Manxing was also in the mix, having entered Xi Zhaowan’s room, but Yan Qinghe didn’t think much of that. It was Wei Weizhi who was a complete eyesore. Yan Qinghe leaned back against the desk behind her, her posture stiff.

“Alright, class is about to start. Everyone go back to your seats.”

“Qinghe, come out shopping with me tonight?” Ji Qianqian shook Yan Qinghe’s shoulder as she left, her tone playful and coquettish.

“No.”

“Do you have plans?” Ji Qianqian’s voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction. Since being marked by Yan Qinghe, she had become extremely dependent on her.

“Yes, an appointment. Not with you.” Yan Qinghe remained expressionless. She flipped her phone over, covering Wei Weizhi’s face on the desk.

Ji Qianqian left indignantly. She thought to herself that Yan Qinghe was almost 18. When that day came, she would officially confess and pursue her. Once she won her over, she would definitely get revenge for these repeated rejections.

She also needed to accelerate her pace in stabilizing her position as the Ji family heir. The kidnapping incident had deepened the elders’ suspicions toward her stepmother. Ji Qianqian smiled slightly, she couldn’t wait to graduate and take the reins of the Ji family.

Ji Qianqian naturally didn’t want to admit that her obsession with the heir position was because, as an illegitimate daughter, she wanted to stand on equal footing with Yan Qinghe, the young master of the Yan family.

Yan Qinghe gripped her phone. As soon as the school bell rang, she grabbed her bag and, without waiting for Zhang Siyu to ask to walk together, she strode out of the classroom with her long legs.

She was so fast that Zhang Siyu only felt a gust of wind as Yan Qinghe vanished.

She couldn’t understand with such amazing footwork, how did Qinghe end up coming in last at the previous sports meet?

Yan Qinghe utilized a tenth of her Golden Light Stage speed and returned to the Yan residence in no time. She changed into formal attire, acted with great solemnity, and called for a driver. She was desperate to see Xi Zhaowan as soon as possible.

Consequently, long before 8:00 PM, she was already waiting outside Xi’s villa. Based on her “familiar face” status from last time, the electronic butler let her into the compound.

With eager anticipation, Yan Qinghe had to admit she truly missed Xi Zhaowan.

Missing someone was a strange, distant emotion. Ever since the period of grief following the deaths of her mother and sister years ago, she hadn’t felt this sense of yearning for another person in a long time.

She waited from daylight until the twilight faded, and from the twilight until the moon rose. For the first time, she felt that waiting for someone was a wondrous feeling unlike any other.

She stood straight as a pine, gazing up at Xi Zhaowan’s window. Even though she knew the woman was out and the house was empty, she looked forward to the moment she would appear before her at eight o’clock.

For Xi Zhaowan, the second day of meetings was largely the same as the first, aside from opening up some new perspectives on the R7 reagent research, which didn’t provide much further help.

The meeting ended at 7:30 PM. Wei Weizhi offered to drive her home. “Zhaowan, let me take you back. Going to the Yan Group right now definitely won’t be peaceful.”

Xi Zhaowan had a habit of working overtime, but at 7:30 PM, there would likely be reporters lurking outside the company, waiting to corner her for firsthand information.

Xi Zhaowan initially wanted to refuse. The location of her residence was quite private, not only reporters but many business partners were unaware of it. However, after a momentary thought, she changed her mind and accepted Wei Weizhi’s invitation.

“Wan-jie, I’ll be waiting for you downstairs at your house at eight o’clock.”

This message from Yan Qing had left Xi Zhaowan feeling restless throughout the entire day’s meetings. She didn’t know how to face her, and Yan Manxing’s arrival had been the final straw, shattering her ability to handle the situation with her usual composure.

It’s time to let Qing’er give up, she thought. Qing’er must have seen the reports by now. She decided she would use Wei Weizhi’s ride home to let the misunderstanding persist, to let the mistake take its course.

As Wei Weizhi’s car sped toward her home, the bright flickers of light and shadow filtered through the window. The full moon was gradually waning, transitioning from a perfect circle into a curved hook.

The full moon reminded her of Yan Qing’s lonely face on the terrace that day, looking as though she were gripped by homesickness. But that crescent hook now seemed to be snagging at her heart, making her feel a surge of reluctance toward her next move.

What if her feelings for me are sincere? she wondered. How cruel would this be to Qing’er?

This flicker of compassion collapsed the moment she saw the message she received at 7:50 PM:

“I don’t believe today’s reports. I only believe in you.”

Every word of Yan Qing’s message throbbed against the woman’s heart. She leaned her head back against the seat, repeatedly murmuring the name like a dream: “Qing’er, Qing’er…”

However, she could not betray Yan Qing’s mother. Yan Manxing, whom she regarded as an elder sister, nor could she summon enough courage to let herself go. Furthermore, she could not bring herself to engage in a battle over an Alpha with a junior like Ji Qianqian.

She was no longer in the bloom of youth like a delicate flower, whereas Yan Qing was in the prime of her young life. To Xi Zhaowan, Yan Qing was an existence she viewed almost like a daughter, another hope in her journey of chasing dreams.

Looking back at the sudden shift in her emotions over the past few months, the turning points during their healing sessions, even at thirty-three years old, she felt as though Yan Qing had cast a spell on her.

Otherwise, why would she have acted so provocatively during the third healing session? Now, she had “ridden the tiger” and found it impossible to get off.

Actually, “riding the tiger” would have been fine, but the little one was the type of person who dared to act wantonly even during tutoring sessions. For instance, Yan Qing had dared to make her sit on her lap while helping her with her studies. How did she have the nerve? And how could Xi Zhaowan have possibly agreed to it?

On the surface, she had refused, yet at that moment, her heart had secretly harbored a hidden joy.

She had truly lost her mind. She couldn’t let this mistake continue. As Xi Zhaowan pondered, her cold, elegant face was quietly tinged with a blush as vivid as peach blossoms.

“Is this your home? What a unique villa,” Wei Weizhi praised.

“Drive me inside the villa compound,” Xi Zhaowan said with a complex expression, gazing deeply inside as if the young girl’s silhouette was already waiting before her eyes.

Wei Weizhi was delighted, viewing this as a signal of Xi Zhaowan’s favor, and quickly agreed. After parking, Wei Weizhi acting the perfect gentleman, stepped out first to open the door for Xi Zhaowan.

“I’m very much looking forward to our next collaboration. Now that this one is a success, I wonder if I might be graced with the opportunity to have dinner together?” Wei Weizhi asked with a smile.

Xi Zhaowan remained noncommittal, merely offering a smile without much of a response. She glanced sideways toward her house, seemingly unwilling to say more.

Wei Weizhi sighed softly and opened her arms. “Then give me a ‘goodnight’ goodbye hug as friends, as a good start for our next collaboration.”

She hadn’t expected a response, but to her surprise, the woman actually gave her a brief, light embrace. Even though they didn’t truly press close together, she still caught the scent of the faint gardenia fragrance on Xi Zhaowan.

Wei Weizhi took a deep breath, overjoyed. She suppressed her excitement and, to avoid losing control and acting rashly, she coolly hopped back into the driver’s seat and waved goodbye to the beauty.

This entire scene was witnessed clearly by Yan Qing. She was right there, standing by the green trees near the Xi residence.

One second ago, she had been resolutely convincing herself to trust Xi Zhaowan and had sent a text to declare that trust. The next second, right there on the path in front of the trees, her “Wan-jie” was putting on a show of a lingering farewell with a new flame.

To Yan Qing, that hug looked incredibly solid, a blow that stabbed directly into her heart.

This pain is also a foreign feeling, Yan Qing thought.

Had she been her former self, she might have turned and left long ago. Her pride as a former ruler and the arrogance and self-respect etched into her bones would not have allowed her to shamelessly linger.

But Xi Zhaowan had given her too many “first-time” emotions. She didn’t want to miss out on something this special. Moreover, she had said in her text that she would explain things to Xi Zhaowan properly.

I’ll finish the explanation first, whether she believes me or not, Yan Qing thought, feeling a mix of resentment and grievance.