The Five Heartless Scumbag Alphas Turned Against Each Other Because Of Me - Chapter 116

While the system trembled in dread, Tan Hua had already arrived at Lu Huaixu’s doorstep.

Just as she lifted her hand to knock, the door opened on its own. Lu Huaixu stood there, calm and composed.
“Come in,” she said evenly. “How did you sleep last night?”

“Great,” Tan Hua replied after a brief pause.

Honestly, it might’ve been the best night’s sleep she’d had in a long time. No overtime, no blaring alarm to yank her out of bed. She woke up naturally, well-rested, with a rare sense of peace—as if even the air had turned sweeter.

Lu Huaixu glanced at her, noting the healthy flush on her face. “I can tell.”

Under that scrutinizing gaze, Tan Hua instinctively reached up and touched her cheek. Compared to a month ago, she did seem a bit thinner…

As she pondered that, her eyes drifted toward the dining table—where a delicious spread was already laid out, warm and fragrant.

Her stomach let out an untimely growl.

Under Lu Huaixu’s knowing look, Tan Hua let out an awkward laugh and thickened her skin. “I’m hungry.”

Lu Huaixu didn’t seem to mind. She quickly scooped a portion of rice and placed it in front of her. “Go ahead, eat.”

Tan Hua accepted it, then cautiously asked, “Aside from the prenatal checkup today… there’s nothing else on the schedule, right?”

“What kind of schedule were you hoping for?” Lu Huaixu answered with a question of her own.

Tan Hua bit down on her chopsticks. “No schedule. I just want to stay home and rest,” she said bluntly. “I’ve been worn out from working overtime this past month. I don’t feel like going anywhere.”

“Then we won’t go anywhere,” Lu Huaixu said calmly. “We’ll come straight home after the checkup.”

She ladled out a bowl of soup—her movements still a bit clumsy—and placed it in front of Tan Hua. “We can watch a movie later… or do something else you’re interested in.”

Do something else I’m interested in? Tan Hua accepted the soup, sipping it slowly with a spoon, and couldn’t help but whisper mentally to the system, Is she trying to hint at something?

“Nope,” the system replied instantly. “And even if she was, you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”

…Fair point.

Tan Hua suddenly felt a surge of resentment—not toward herself, but toward the original host’s poor life choices. Of all the times to get pregnant, why now? Why at this very critical, emotionally charged moment?

If that unexpected fetus hadn’t shown up, she might’ve already pulled off the classic “feelings develop over time” arc with Lu Huaixu… completed her mission, and made a clean getaway.

Tan Hua let out a dramatic sigh, her whole face clouded with regret.

Lu Huaixu couldn’t help but glance over at her—more than once.

Lu Huaixu had a vague sense that the Omega was troubled by something, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. So she tested the waters with a gentle question,
“Are you upset because of Cheng Yuan?”

Aside from that situation, Lu Huaixu couldn’t think of anyone else who might weigh this heavily on Tan Hua’s mind.

Her guess was off—but Tan Hua went along with it anyway.
“Mm,” she nodded softly.

She set down her chopsticks and said, “Everyone knows I’m just her stand-in. So if she keeps getting into accidents, do you think people will start assuming it’s because I’m jealous of her? That I can’t stand to see her doing well, so I’m trying to drive her away?”

“If more ‘accidents’ happen in the future… won’t people start thinking I’m deliberately trying to hurt her? That I want her gone, no matter what?”

“No,” Lu Huaixu cut her off before she could spiral further.
“The police will handle it.”

“We live in a lawful society,” she said firmly, meeting Tan Hua’s gaze. “And even if law enforcement fails—and someone tries to use their influence to protect the real culprit—what, do you think we’re just going to stand by and let that happen?”

“Forget about me and Jinyu for a second—even Sheng Yiheng, who’s not exactly the brightest Alpha out there, comes from a family with serious power behind her. So tell me: is there anyone in this country who can actually outplay all of us?”

“No wonder…” Tan Hua muttered under her breath.

No wonder Cheng Yuan had been so brutally crushed by these Alphas in the original storyline—every one of them was backed by untouchable power. The female lead’s background was solid too, sure, but even the proudest bones and highest pride couldn’t hold up against a unified front of ruthless elites.

Especially when her parents were businesspeople, constantly being suppressed and outmaneuvered by families like Lu Huaixu’s. If the heroine refused to bow her head, the first people to suffer would be Dai Yueqing and Cheng Shulan.

Tan Hua quietly praised herself: Still the best candidate. Dirt poor, no family, no baggage…

Even if those alcoholic, gambling “parents” of the original host were biologically hers, Lu Huaixu and the others could wipe them out without her feeling the slightest hint of guilt.

In fact, she’d probably applaud them—for doing society a favor.

With this sudden realization of her invincibility, Tan Hua’s mood lifted instantly. Getting physically and emotionally wrecked might be the heroine’s tragic arc—but it definitely wasn’t going to happen to her.

Even if her strategy failed, she could always just abandon the mission and take the punishment from the main system. A fine, maybe—minor consequences. But it wasn’t like she had anything to actually lose.

With that thought, she straightened up confidently.
“I believe in the law,” she declared.
Then, after a pause, she added with a flattering smile,
“And I believe in you too.”

Lu Huaixu glanced at her, a subtle smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. The look she gave made Tan Hua’s heart skip a beat—she quickly dropped her gaze and focused on her food.

Sure, it was good to have an escape route. But if she could avoid using it, she’d rather not go that far.

After all, dying for real (aka force-quitting the mission) really does hurt.

Lu Huaixu had already prepared everything needed for the prenatal checkup in advance, so Tan Hua only needed to bring herself. As expected, Xu Fengqi didn’t show up again, and the entire checkup process went smoothly. Tan Hua stayed calm the whole time.

In fact, while gently touching her belly during the exam, she felt a strange and subtle emotion rise inside her.

Still, she couldn’t help but think—if only this child belonged to Lu Huaixu, or some other Alpha, wouldn’t that be better? Of course, it was just a random thought.

After the checkup, the results came back normal. Just as Tan Hua was preparing to subtly test how much Lu Huaixu knew about the baby’s true origins, her phone rang. It was He Yi, the small-time gang leader she had casually tasked with tracking down her biological parents.

“Hey,” he said. “Found your real mom and dad.”

Tan Hua: “…What?”

“You serious?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“Of course I’m serious!” He Yi snapped. “You have no idea how much manpower and money I had to throw at this just to find your birth parents. Don’t forget about the rest of the payment we agreed on.”

“Or I swear, I’m coming after you.”

“Alright, alright…” Tan Hua mumbled, holding her phone in a daze. She had only said it as a half-hearted request—who would’ve thought he’d actually find them? Even someone like her, who was used to chaos, thought this was a bit too wild.

“…So who are they?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“I’ll send you the address. Come over now,” He Yi said. “I’m at their house right now. Just finished explaining everything to them.”

“They’re still skeptical. Said they want to do a paternity test and see the results with their own eyes before they’ll believe it.”

“Oh, and by the way,” he added in a lower voice, “they already have a daughter. If nothing went wrong, that girl is probably the one who was switched with you at birth—the fake heiress.”

“So just be prepared. Your real parents might actually be biased toward her.”

Tan Hua: “…” Thanks for the heads-up, I guess.

A fake heiress? This was going to be tricky. At first, Tan Hua didn’t really want to go, but He Yi had gotten himself detained by the family and couldn’t leave. She had no choice but to go over there to confirm the story herself—otherwise, they might actually turn him in to the police.

Rubbing her temples, Tan Hua felt a headache coming on.

She hadn’t made an effort to take the call in private, and Lu Huaixu had been standing right next to her the whole time. Naturally, she heard every word of the conversation.

As soon as Tan Hua put her phone down, Lu Huaixu said calmly, “I’ll go with you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Tan Hua replied. Since He Yi was being held there, she had no choice but to make the trip. And she figured, while she was at it, she might as well check out what kind of people her birth parents really were.

Who knows—maybe it would even help with the plot or her mission.

Tan Hua wasn’t overly anxious about this sudden turn of events. Lu Huaixu, on the other hand, silently took in her every reaction, her face calm and unreadable. Her dark eyes were deep and impossible to read.

The address He Yi gave was quite far. Lu Huaixu ended up driving nearly an hour and a half.

As they neared the location, Tan Hua looked out at the luxurious villa built into the side of a mountain and couldn’t help but sigh.

“So, it looks like my future of wealth and luxury really does have a place to land.”

The system’s metaphorical eyelid twitched, but before it could say anything, Lu Huaixu spoke up with a faint, teasing smile.

“Didn’t you already find your ‘landing spot’?”

Her tone was light, but there was a hint of ambiguity in her voice. Tan Hua instantly went quiet, not daring to say something careless. She went back to acting like her usual quiet, reserved self.

After a few more minutes of driving, the car came to a smooth stop in front of one of the villas. The housekeeper, already informed by the security guards at the entrance, had been waiting at the door.

When he saw Tan Hua and Lu Huaixu step out of the car, he hesitated for only a second before turning to Tan Hua.
“This way, miss.”

Tan Hua blinked, then glanced at Lu Huaixu in confusion.

…Seriously? Is the ‘broke energy’ on me that obvious?

The housekeeper led the way and stopped in front of a stylish convertible.
“Please, have a seat, miss.”

Tan Hua looked around in awe. As she climbed into the car with Lu Huaixu, she couldn’t resist leaning closer and whispering, “President Lu, between you and my birth parents—who’s richer?”

Without missing a beat, Lu Huaixu replied, “You really need to ask?”

She didn’t give a direct answer—instead, she gave Tan Hua a look that clearly said, What gave you the confidence to even ask that? The message was so obvious it left Tan Hua silently stewing.

So much for flipping the power dynamic. Her hopes dashed, Tan Hua reverted back to playing the obedient, harmless type.

The convertible drove for another few minutes before arriving at their destination. Tan Hua stared at the building in front of her. Though it looked understated on the outside, the interior shimmered with opulence and gold. She couldn’t help but smile.

The housekeeper didn’t comment on her expression. He simply did his job and led her inside.
“Madam and the young lady are waiting for you inside. Mr. Ning is in a meeting and will be home a little later.”

Tan Hua nodded and followed him as they walked through several turns and corridors—until she finally came face-to-face with her birth mother and…

“You?!” she and Ning Xi said in unison, both voices filled with shock.

They stared at each other, stunned into silence.

Madam Ning glanced at Ning Xi, then at Tan Hua, and hesitantly asked,
“Ningning… isn’t this your girlfriend?”

Upon hearing that, Lu Huaixu’s eyes narrowed. Her gaze swept coldly between Tan Hua and Ning Xi, sharp and dangerous.

Ning Xi, hit with an invisible wave of intimidation, quickly lowered her voice and explained, “No, Mom—that was just a joke. I was messing with Auntie Guo to get her off my back—”

Wait.

Suddenly, Ning Xi froze mid-sentence. She stood still for a full two seconds. Then, as the realization hit, her entire face lit up with joy.

Without warning, she rushed over, grabbed Tan Hua’s hand, and pulled her in a certain direction.

While dragging her along, she called out loudly, making sure someone in particular heard her clearly:
“Auntie Guo, did you hear that? Tan Hua is the real daughter of my mom!”

“I’m the fake one! I’m not the true heiress of the Ning family—I’m just the impostor!”

Ning Xi couldn’t have been more ecstatic.

She felt absolutely nothing about it. No sadness over her parents being taken away, no concern about losing her wealth, her identity, or her high status. She didn’t care that she’d no longer be the precious heiress of the Ning family, or that she’d be treated like trash once that identity was gone.

In that moment, only one thought filled her mind:

She was finally free from Guo Lanyi’s torment.

But just as she dragged Tan Hua in front of Guo Lanyi, beaming like she’d just been handed a new life, Guo Lanyi barely glanced at Tan Hua—then calmly turned her eyes back to Ning Xi.

“So?” she said coldly.

“You think just because she’s here, you’re off the hook?”

The joy instantly froze on Ning Xi’s face. “…”

Tan Hua: “???”

What does that mean?

Ning Xi: True heartbreak doesn’t come with yelling. It comes when you realize no matter what you do—it was never about love in the first place.

Auntie Guo (secretly thrilled): New toy unlocked.

Tan Hua (the actual victim): Maybe I don’t want this family after all. Flip the table.jpg

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