The Five Heartless Scumbag Alphas Turned Against Each Other Because Of Me - Chapter 35

Tan Hua: “Huh?”

‘Like’ means ‘like’, and ‘don’t like’ means ‘don’t like’. What do you mean by ‘seems like I might like you’?

Are you trying to feed me vague promises like Sheng Yiheng did too?

She frowned. Wen Chuan’s heart immediately sank with a thump. Flustered, she rushed to explain:

“Don’t misunderstand! I mean—you’re great. Even though you’re money-minded, full of nonsense, and completely unreliable… overall, you’re actually a good person.”

Tan Hua: “…”

The system nearly crashed from laughter. So the tables have finally turned—who would’ve thought the host would one day be on the receiving end of a “you’re a good person” card? Truly rare.

Tan Hua was speechless. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Wen Chuan, expressionless.

“So after all that talk… are you just trying to break our agreement and end our partnership early?”

What a sly little fox. To achieve her goal of breaking the contract, she didn’t even hesitate to weaponize her lonely, unloved childhood to stir up guilt and soften her up into agreeing.

Wen Chuan had no idea her heartfelt confession had been interpreted this way. But realizing the misunderstanding, she knew she had to clear it up quickly—or the consequences would be dire.

“No, that’s not it! You’ve got it all wrong—I don’t want that.”

“I don’t want to end what we have.”

“What I meant was… I think I might like you.” Wen Chuan stumbled over her words, desperate to clarify.
“Not because I’m craving some kind of motherly affection, but because I like you—the real you.”

Silence.

For a moment, the air between them turned completely still.

After a long pause, Tan Hua blinked and asked, totally baffled,
“Wait… are you trying to use me to get Cheng Yuan’s attention?”

Because honestly, that was the only logical explanation Tan Hua could come up with for Wen Chuan’s sudden personality change.

She’d barely been working on Wen Chuan for a few days, and already the girl had gone from hatred to affection?
Yeah, right.

Tan Hua wasn’t buying it.

She clearly remembered how much Wen Chuan had disliked “her” before. There was no mistaking the coldness in her eyes. That’s exactly why this so-called heartfelt confession felt absurd and laughable.

Tan Hua crossed her arms and said firmly,
“That kind of thing comes at an extra charge.”

She thought for a moment.
“But since your words just now were mildly touching, I’ll give you a 2% discount.”

2%? What’s the difference from the original price?!

Wen Chuan’s brow furrowed deeply.
Why—why was she still unwilling to believe her?

Wen Chuan couldn’t figure it out. But Tan Hua didn’t give her time to.

“Anyway, if you have similar emotional outbursts in the future,” she added,
“can you at least give me a heads-up first?”

“It’s kinda scary.”

Sure, it was totally normal for someone as stunningly beautiful as her to easily enchant a teenage girl. But Tan Hua seriously doubted that Wen Chuan—this walking disaster of an Alpha—was one of those girls.

Wen Chuan was still young and immature now, just a fledgling heartbreaker. But if she ever grew into her full potential… in the original plotline, she was one of the greatest heartbreakers to ever exist. Even people like Zheng Jinyu and Lu Huaixu had to take a back seat to her.

Tan Hua looked at her seriously and said with painstaking patience,
“Besides, your main priority right now should be studying. As for all this love and romance, my advice is—don’t touch it.”

Wen Chuan had a million things she wanted to say, but after opening her mouth, only one sentence came out:

“Then in your opinion… what level of academic success would count as ‘good enough’?”

Tan Hua gave the question some real thought. After a long pause, she finally replied, serious and solemn:

“Short term? At the very least, you need to become the top scorer in the college entrance exam.”

Wen Chuan: “…”

If you want me dead, just say it directly.

No need to beat around the bush.

Tan Hua had only said it casually, but once the words were out, she suddenly realized—it might actually work. As long as Wen Chuan became obsessed with studying, she wouldn’t spiral into self-destruction after the heroine returned to China. She wouldn’t drown her sorrows in bars, obsessively search for lookalikes, or recklessly knock someone up and spawn a bunch of illegitimate children.

And she certainly wouldn’t come pestering her again, disrupting her well-laid plans and lifestyle.

This way, not only would she be freeing herself, she’d also be saving the tragic life of a scumbag Alpha. It was truly a win-win.
Tan Hua’s eyes lit up with excitement at the thought.

She couldn’t help but encourage Wen Chuan again.
“With your intelligence, becoming the top scorer in the college entrance exam should be a walk in the park, right?”

Wen Chuan fell into silence.
“…”

Do I look like someone who can be a top scorer on the national exam?

“I just really like being around top scorers,” Tan Hua added, seeing that Wen Chuan remained unmoved. She suddenly put on a stern face.
“Wen Chuan, didn’t you just say you liked me? What—was that all a lie?”

Wen Chuan responded reflexively,
“It wasn’t!”

“Then prove it—ace the exam,” Tan Hua declared, her gaze locked onto the Alpha, filled with an unmistakable sense of pressure.

Wen Chuan had no choice but to agree.
“…Fine.”

But for some reason, the moment she said that word, fine, her whole world seemed to darken.

Just imagining the days ahead—endless vocabulary drills, practice tests, memorizing exam points—she felt suffocated. She probably wouldn’t even be able to sleep tonight.

“Then it’s settled,” Tan Hua said as she stood up. She glanced at the clean stack of textbooks on the floor—completely untouched by notes—and smiled slightly.
“It’s getting late. I won’t disturb your studying any further.”

Wen Chuan immediately looked up warily.
“You’re leaving?”

“What else?” Tan Hua replied, confused.
“I need to go home and sleep. I have work in the morning.”

Not bothering to ask for Wen Chuan’s opinion, Tan Hua casually grabbed her shoulder bag.
“No need to walk me out. I’ll be fine on my own. Oh, and I’ll be super busy with work soon, but I’ll still make time every day to check your homework.”

The Omega raised a fist in mock threat.
“If you slack off, I’ll remember it.”

“Also, from now on, I want you to report to me where you’re going and what you’re doing. Got it?”

Faced with Tan Hua’s fierce insistence, Wen Chuan’s brain buzzed as she dazedly nodded in agreement.

Only after Tan Hua had walked far away did Wen Chuan start to frown, sensing something was off.

Does she want to know my whereabouts just so she can prevent me from showing up and ruining her big moments?

Given Tan Hua’s personality, Wen Chuan thought that guess was very plausible.

But it was too late to argue now. With no one left in the room, Wen Chuan looked down at the floor covered in textbooks and almost laughed from frustration.

Top scorer?
Only someone like her could say something that crazy with a straight face.

Still… it wasn’t entirely impossible. Wen Chuan stood quietly, thinking.

If I did become the top scorer… then wouldn’t she pay more attention to me too?

Tan Hua had arrived reluctantly but left cheerful and triumphant—successfully resolving a troublesome situation far more easily than expected.

She rolled her eyes thoughtfully and muttered to herself,
“The heroine’s returning soon. Time is tight. So… which lucky soul should I start with next?”

The system shivered all over, suddenly feeling like it had wandered into a horror game.

Tan Hua couldn’t make up her mind by bedtime, so she simply stopped thinking about it. She’d handle things as they came—whoever ran into her first, she’d deal with them first.

She slept like a baby.

But someone else spent the whole night tossing and turning.

Lying alone on her narrow 1.5-meter bed, Wen Chuan curled up tightly, unable to sleep. Her dark eyes glimmered faintly in the pitch-black room.

What exactly is this feeling I have toward Tan Hua?

It was a question she’d been thinking about—all night long.

At first, she didn’t like Tan Hua.

In her eyes, Cheng Yuan was pure and perfect—noble, untouchable—not someone who could be replaced by just any random Omega. Because of that, she looked down on Tan Hua in every way, even harboring a bit of contempt for her.

But as they interacted more frequently, Wen Chuan realized, to her surprise, that Tan Hua wasn’t at all like the timid, submissive Omega she’d initially believed her to be.

She was impatient, short-tempered, and often left Wen Chuan hanging without a care. She made no effort to coddle or please her in the slightest.

This both irritated Wen Chuan and stirred a strange, indescribable feeling deep within her.

She was surrounded by people who constantly flattered her, bowed to her status, and catered to her every whim. But then came Tan Hua—someone who was indifferent, dismissive, and didn’t treat her with any special regard—and Wen Chuan, oddly enough, began to feel intrigued.

Even though, in her eyes, Tan Hua was nothing more than a first-class scam artist.

It reminded her of how most couples were in the early stages of dating. When they just got together, unfamiliar with one another, they’d act gentle, considerate, and refined—eager to show off their best side to charm the other.

But once they grew close and caught their prey, their true nature would come out—fierce and unfiltered.

Wen Chuan couldn’t help but laugh at her own comparison. It was ridiculous, of course—they weren’t even in a relationship. But still, she had to admit that Tan Hua’s shift in attitude was exactly like that of those so-called “girlfriends” she had known.

She could only blame herself for being fooled by Tan Hua’s flawless act in the beginning and failing to see her true colors sooner.

Wen Chuan stared into the dark, unfocused and silent.

None of that was the worst part, though.

The most infuriating thing was: while she and Tan Hua had already established this… special connection, Tan Hua had the audacity to keep entangling herself with other Alphas, getting all handsy and flirtatious. She didn’t even bother to hide it.

Worse still, Wen Chuan was clearly at the bottom of the list—less important than any of those other Alphas.

That thought made a wave of injustice wash over her again. And with it, came an even stronger desire to have Tan Hua’s attention, to be noticed by her.

Driven by this unwillingness to be overlooked, Wen Chuan didn’t realize how much more deeply she was starting to care. Her eyes lingered on Tan Hua longer, her thoughts more consumed by her.

That Omega shone so brilliantly, and Wen Chuan—helplessly, uncontrollably—found herself drawn to her. She wanted to memorize every expression Tan Hua had, learn every detail, and even… possess her.

Yes, maybe that was what it was: possessiveness.

As she lay on her side, she began comparing her feelings for Tan Hua to those she’d once had for Cheng Yuan. Similar, but not quite the same.

She furrowed her brow, trying to discern exactly what the difference was.

And so she compared—and analyzed—through the entire night. When the first faint rays of dawn peeked through the sky, Wen Chuan sat up with dark circles beneath her eyes and finally came to a realization:

Her feelings for Cheng Yuan had been more of a yearning for salvation—she had hoped to be pulled from her emotional swamp by someone as radiant and untouchable as Cheng Yuan.

It wasn’t quite love—it was more a desperate reliance. Cheng Yuan had appeared at just the right time, like a savior. Wen Chuan clung to her, hoping that someone who could save others might one day save her too.

But with Tan Hua… it was different.

It was just like with ordinary couples.

In the beginning—before they truly knew each other—both parties would act gentle and attentive, refined and courteous, eager to present only their best sides to captivate their prey.

But once they became familiar, once the prey had been caught, their true nature would come out—fierce and unfiltered.

Wen Chuan couldn’t help but laugh at her own comparison. It was ridiculous, sure, especially considering she and Tan Hua weren’t even in a relationship. But still, she had to admit: the way Tan Hua’s attitude had flipped perfectly mirrored all those so-called “girlfriends” she’d seen around her.

She hated that she’d been fooled by Tan Hua’s flawless act. She’d fallen for it, failed to see her true nature in time.

Wen Chuan stared into the darkness, eyes unfocused.

But even that wasn’t the worst part.

What really infuriated her was how, even after establishing this relationship with her, Tan Hua had the shameless audacity to flirt and entangle herself with other Alphas—messy, ambiguous, and utterly infuriating.

She hadn’t even ranked Wen Chuan first. No—she wasn’t even second. Compared to any one of those other Alphas, Wen Chuan was dead last.

That thought brought back a fresh wave of grievance. And that grievance only made her crave Tan Hua’s attention more—made her want to be noticed, to be prioritized.

In that swirl of frustrated emotions, Wen Chuan didn’t realize how deeply her concern for Tan Hua had already rooted itself. Her eyes lingered on Tan Hua more often, her thoughts more and more entangled with her.

That Omega shone so brilliantly. And Wen Chuan—helplessly—was drawn to her light. She wanted to memorize every side of her, learn her inside and out, and… control her.

Maybe it was possessiveness.

Lying on her side, Wen Chuan compared this feeling to how she once felt about Cheng Yuan. It was similar—but not quite the same.

She frowned, trying to pinpoint the difference.

And just like that, she compared all through the night.

When the first rays of morning light crept across the sky, Wen Chuan sat up with dark circles under her eyes—and finally understood.

What she felt for Cheng Yuan… was a yearning for salvation. She had wanted to be rescued, pulled from a cold emotional swamp by someone radiant.

It wasn’t love. Not truly. It was dependency. Cheng Yuan had appeared at just the right moment, like a savior. Wen Chuan had clung to her, hoping that a person capable of saving others might someday save her, too.

But with Tan Hua—it was different.

When she saw Tan Hua getting close to other Alphas, she felt jealousy. Real, burning jealousy. She wanted to possess her, to have her all to herself. She wanted to be the only one in her eyes—no Lu Huaixu, no Sheng Yiheng.

When it came to Tan Hua, she was greedy.

She wanted Tan Hua to belong to her alone. Forever.

She didn’t want to share even a single glance with another Alpha.

Wen Chuan’s tired eyes suddenly lit up, a brilliance flaring in her gaze.

She had finally figured it out—after an entire night of turmoil.

She liked Tan Hua.

Hopelessly, recklessly, like a moth to a flame.

Maybe it was in some moment when Tan Hua ignored her.

Maybe it would be the day Tan Hua abandoned her.

Or maybe it was simply when Tan Hua looked at her with indifference—as if she didn’t matter.

That was when Wen Chuan had fallen.

She had been helplessly drawn in and desperately longed to catch more of Tan Hua’s fleeting attention.

Wen Chuan’s breathing quickened. Her eyes shimmered, bright and resolute.

Tan Hua hadn’t slept well.

Maybe it was because the heroine had started appearing more and more frequently in her dreams. She woke with a dull headache, rubbing at her temples as she yawned.

“If I were the heroine,” Tan Hua muttered, “I wouldn’t sneak around doing secret tests.”

The system gave her a blank look.
“Then what would you do?”

Tan Hua smiled, lips curling wickedly.
“I’d come back without warning—no testing, no hints. I’d catch those cheating dogs red-handed, undeniable and inescapable.”

System: “…Excuse me? No need to drag me into this insult, thanks.”

“First, I’ll squeeze some guilt money out of a few Alphas while they’re still wallowing in remorse,” Tan Hua said as she squeezed toothpaste onto her brush, “then I’ll kick them to the curb and move on to flirt with other women.”
“At our age, who still clings like a fool to one or two measly Alphas?”

System: “…………”
My mother tongue is officially ‘speechless.’

The host’s mindset today was—once again—absolutely off the rails.

“Well, it can’t be helped,” the system said, already in despair.
“The plot dictates that Cheng Yuan can’t be as emotionally messy as you. Otherwise, how would we even move forward with the misunderstandings, car crashes, amnesia, and kidney-donation arcs?”

Tan Hua: “???”

What era are we in, and you’re still running with this kind of melodrama?

…Wait.

It suddenly dawned on her—this was a melodramatic soap-opera kind of story.

Out of nowhere, Tan Hua felt a flicker of sympathy for the heroine.

“I don’t really know her that well, so I have nothing to say to her,” Tan Hua muttered.
“I’ll just wish her good health and smooth sailing when she gets back.”

The system twitched.
That didn’t sound like a blessing. That sounded like a curse.

Since Tan Hua had to work in the morning, she scheduled the pickup for noon.

That morning, the moment Sheng Yiheng walked into the office, she kept staring at Tan Hua. It made Tan Hua feel strangely unsettled. She couldn’t help but whisper to the system:

“Did she get into a fight with the heroine and now plans to take it out on me for revenge?”

“Otherwise, I really don’t get why she’s suddenly got all this attention to spare for me. Is she not busy, or just bored out of her mind?”

System: …Those are literally the same thing.

“Or maybe,” the system added cautiously, “you promised her something and just… never followed through?”

Tan Hua actually took this seriously and thought about it for quite some time.
But after mentally flipping through everything that had happened over the past few days, she was certain—she hadn’t made Sheng Yiheng any kind of vague promises.

In the end, she couldn’t be bothered anymore. Lazily opening her laptop, she muttered,
“Let her look if she wants. It’s not like I’m losing anything.”

Then, just to be annoying, she turned and winked dramatically at Sheng Yiheng—hoping it would be irritating enough to drive her attention back to work.

Sheng Yiheng, however, looked puzzled.

Just yesterday, she’d seen Tan Hua order two brand-new designer bags. But as of this morning, Tan Hua hadn’t brought anything over to give her.

Could it be… that Tan Hua was waiting for after work, when there’d be fewer people around, to deliver the gift in private?
Or maybe—maybe she was intentionally delaying things to build suspense and create a more romantic surprise?

Sheng Yiheng hadn’t been sure before.

But when Tan Hua suddenly turned and gave her that sweet, deliberate smile—she was instantly convinced.

Her lips curved into a barely noticeable smirk as she looked away.
Let’s see what kind of ‘romantic surprise’ she’s planning.

Tan Hua assumed Sheng Yiheng had finally gotten annoyed and averted her gaze to avoid looking at her any longer.

Relieved to be free of that burning stare, Tan Hua relaxed completely and pulled out her phone. She sent the same message to both Lu Huaixu and Zheng Jinyu:
“Are you free at noon?”

Neither replied right away. It wasn’t until nearly lunchtime that the two of them finally responded, one after the other:
“Yes.”

“I have a gift I’d like to give you. I’ll meet you outside your office at noon.”
She didn’t bother checking their replies after that. Instead, her focus shifted entirely to the next most pressing issue—what to eat for lunch.

Sheng Yiheng had originally intended to invite Tan Hua to lunch, planning to create the perfect opportunity for the gift exchange she was anticipating.

But as soon as the clock struck noon, Tan Hua darted off faster than a rabbit—gone in the blink of an eye.

Sheng Yiheng had no choice but to take a deep breath and reassure herself:
No rush. It’s only halfway through the day.

And worst case, there would still be plenty of time after work.

Surely Tan Hua wouldn’t hold onto the gift forever. She had to hand it over eventually.

Suppressing her slight anticipation, Sheng Yiheng calmly ordered her lunch. But because the long-expected gift never arrived, the food tasted bland and flavorless.

Tan Hua, meanwhile, made sure to fill her stomach before picking up the gifts. After placing the two luxury handbags in the passenger seat, she drove off in high spirits toward Lu Huaixu’s company.

She didn’t go upstairs. Instead, she handed one of the bags to Lu Huaixu’s assistant.
“Please tell President Lu that I hope she’ll continue to look out for me at work.”

The assistant smiled politely.
“Of course, I will. Is there anything else you’d like me to pass on?”

Tan Hua initially intended to say no, but after a moment’s thought, she changed her mind.
“One more thing—please let President Lu know that I truly appreciate everything she’s done for me lately. I’ve been very happy.”

With her instructions given, Tan Hua watched as the assistant took the gift and headed upstairs. Then, she snapped a quick photo and sent it to Lu Huaixu with a message:
“Hope you like it.”

As soon as the message was sent, she put her phone facedown and sped off toward Zheng Jinyu’s company. Thankfully, it wasn’t far—saving her a lot of effort.

Zheng Jinyu was surprised when she received the message. Because of everything that had happened between them, her emotions were still tangled and unsettled.

So when Tan Hua made the first move to reach out, she immediately set aside what she was doing and went downstairs in person.
“Coffee?” she offered.

“No thanks.” Tan Hua shook her head and glanced at the time on her phone screen.
“I need to get back to work soon.”

She took the gift from the passenger seat and handed it to Zheng Jinyu directly.
“Even though there have been plenty of misunderstandings between us, I hope that moving forward, we can maintain a professional and rational working relationship.”

“I know this kind of gift probably doesn’t mean much to you,” Tan Hua said, “but it’s still a token of my sincerity. So I hope you’ll accept it.”

System: “…”
Wow. She really didn’t mention a single word about using Zheng Jinyu to rake in hundreds of millions, huh?

The host was, as always, cunning and conniving to the core.

Zheng Jinyu looked momentarily dazed. Her eyes dropped instinctively to the vivid packaging in her hands.
“I don’t really need things like this,” she said quietly.
“You don’t make that much money, there’s no need to spend it on me.”

“But I want to,” Tan Hua replied, her eyes burning with sincerity.
“I want to buy it for you.”

“Because I think it suits your temperament perfectly.”

Zheng Jinyu was momentarily stunned, unsure what to say. After a long pause, she finally took the gift and smiled softly.
“Alright.”

In that instant, the cold sharpness in her features melted into something gentle, tender—even affectionate. For a moment, she didn’t look like a powerful businesswoman at all, but rather someone warm and approachable.

“I really like it,” she said. “If it’s from you, I’ll like anything.”

No need for such blatant lies, Tan Hua thought internally. But on the surface, she remained completely composed.
“Well, now that I’ve delivered the gift, I should get back to work.”

She smiled and turned to leave—but was stopped by Zheng Jinyu’s voice behind her.

“Is this gift just for me?”

Tan Hua’s smile froze mid-step.

Zheng Jinyu’s face remained mild, her expression unchanged—but her words cut with precision.
“Or do the others have one too?”

Tan Hua was stunned into silence.

Seeing the Omega stay quiet, Zheng Jinyu spoke again:
“Did Sheng Yiheng get the same gift as me?”

“No.” Tan Hua immediately shook her head, denying it without hesitation.

Zheng Jinyu studied her quietly for a long while. Eventually, as if she were finally satisfied, she gently asked,
“What about Lu Huaixu?”
Given the closeness she’d observed between them before, it only made sense to ask.

“No,” Tan Hua answered, eyes wide open.

Strictly speaking, she wasn’t lying—Lu Huaixu hadn’t received the exact same item. Hers was a new release from the same luxury collection, but it wasn’t identical.

“I see,” Zheng Jinyu said softly. She still wore that same faint, pleasant smile—but what she said next sent a chill straight down Tan Hua’s spine.

“I have an appointment with Sheng Yiheng this afternoon. I’ll bring the new bag you gave me and carry it when I meet her.”

Sheng Yiheng?
Sure—go ahead and meet with her. It’s not like she knows I gave it to you…

Wait—wait a second.

Didn’t she remember that Sheng Yiheng had installed a surveillance camera in her office?

Sheng Yiheng: “And what exactly are you trying to show off?”