The Five Heartless Scumbag Alphas Turned Against Each Other Because Of Me - Chapter 40

After bumping lightly into Tang Yanrou, Tan Hua quickly bounced out of her arms. On the surface, she appeared flustered and nervous, standing beside Tang Yanrou as if she had just made a terrible mistake.

“My body’s fine,” Tan Hua tested the waters before whispering to the system, “She looks so slim and delicate, but who would’ve thought she’s actually quite strong.”

“I charged at her with all my strength just now, and she didn’t even flinch.” Tan Hua was quite impressed, even a little smitten—already itching to try again.

The system fell silent: “…With your tiny bit of strength? I guess that really is nothing to an Alpha.”

Tang Yanrou had just been nudged by the Omega, as lightly as a kitten brushing against her chest. Before she could even react, the “kitten” had already darted away with such speed that it felt like a spark flashing by. In an instant, her arms were empty again.

She couldn’t help but glance over.

The Omega looked anxious and slightly uneasy. Her hands were neatly folded in front of her, her head slightly lowered, long lashes hanging down to hide the eyes that had briefly stunned Tang Yanrou with their brilliance.

“It’s alright,” Tang Yanrou said instinctively. She wasn’t angry at all—in fact, she was more concerned about Tan Hua. “Did you hurt yourself just now? Are you in pain?”

Though her tone wasn’t overly emotional, for someone they had just met, her words were more than kind.

Tan Hua was briefly stunned by her response. She slowly lifted her eyes and, after a pause, replied, “No, I’m fine.”

She denied it with her words, but her hand instinctively reached up to touch her arm.

Tang Yanrou noticed the small gesture. She looked around, then waved discreetly in a certain direction. Soon, a Beta with the calm and composed demeanor of a family doctor walked over.

Tang Yanrou instructed, “Please take this young lady aside to rest for a moment. I’ll come by shortly.”

“There’s no need.” Before the Beta could respond, Tan Hua quickly refused. What a joke—how could she just follow a stranger away like that? She offered a polite excuse, “My boss is waiting for me nearby, so I’ll just—”

“Secretary Tan.”

Before Tan Hua could finish, Sheng Yiheng’s voice suddenly cut in. With a feigned surprise, as if she had just now spotted her, she said, “What are you doing here?”

Tan Hua turned her head at the sound. Not only was Sheng Yiheng there—Dai Yueqing and Cheng Shulan were also with her.

The whole formation looked exactly like— The system paused, then found the right analogy: like a group of overprotective mothers catching a villain trying to abduct their precious daughter. They marched over in unison.

Tan Hua was mildly irritated by Sheng Yiheng’s lack of tact. She shot her several glares from behind Tang Yanrou’s back, mouthing: What are you doing here? Can’t you see I’m trying to flirt?

You were the one who introduced me to Tang Yanrou, and now you’re the one ruining it—what is wrong with you?

Sheng Yiheng, unjustly scolded, felt a vein in her temple throb. She grabbed Tan Hua’s wrist coldly and said, “Come with me.”

Tan Hua immediately tried to shake off her hand, but with the difference in strength between Alphas and Omegas, she couldn’t break free.

She glared at Sheng Yiheng with frustration, but the Alpha completely ignored her. Instead, Sheng Yiheng turned to Tang Yanrou and said, “Apologies. She’s still young and a bit immature. She can be impulsive sometimes. If she has offended you, I hope you’ll forgive her.”

Naturally, Tang Yanrou wasn’t going to hold anything against a young Omega. She smiled and replied, “It’s alright. She just seemed a little unwell earlier, so I was about to call someone to examine her…”

Before Tan Hua could finish her sentence, Dai Yueqing immediately interrupted, “Where exactly do you feel unwell? Let me take a look.”

Just as she was about to step forward, Cheng Shulan shot her a sharp glare. The intensity of the Beta’s stare made Dai Yueqing freeze for a moment. She turned her head in disbelief—jealous again? Seriously?

Tan Hua is an Omega, not an Alpha.

Dai Yueqing glared back viciously. Cheng Shulan immediately shrank like a scolded golden retriever, ears drooping along with her entire demeanor.

Tan Hua waved her hand and said, “I’m fine.” She turned to Tang Yanrou and added, “I hope I didn’t bump into you just now…”

Before her voice had fully trailed off, Sheng Yiheng had already pulled her away. Seeing this, Dai Yueqing and Cheng Shulan quickly said a few polite words to Tang Yanrou and rushed to follow them.

Tan Hua didn’t want to leave. She thought Sheng Yiheng was acting absolutely ridiculous—like she’d gone mad.

She finally clung to a nearby pillar and forced Sheng Yiheng to stop. “Do you even realize,” she said indignantly, “you just ruined my perfect match? Do you know the saying ‘Better to destroy ten temples than ruin one good marriage’? What you just did brought serious karmic consequences!”

“?” Sheng Yiheng, unable to drag her any farther, had no choice but to stop. She let out a cold laugh. “You’re not even at the stage of exchanging birth charts. What ‘marriage’ did I ruin?”

Still gripping Tan Hua’s wrist, she continued, “We’re still on work hours. Tell me what exactly you think you were doing during work time—right in front of me.”

Tan Hua frowned deeply—this was peak unreasonable boomer on the subway behavior.

You are absolutely impossible! First you encouraged me to approach her, now you’re taking it back and blaming me?

Shameless!

Furious, Tan Hua yanked her arm away with all her strength. “Let go!” she snapped. Just being touched by Sheng Yiheng made her feel increasingly irritated and uncomfortable.

Surprisingly, the Omega’s strength surged. Caught off guard, Sheng Yiheng was shaken off.

For a moment, a shadow flickered across Sheng Yiheng’s eyes. The clear irritation on Tan Hua’s face felt like a sharp jab to her heart. She stood silent, suppressing the sudden wave of restlessness rising within her. After a moment, she said, “Come with me.”

“No.” Tan Hua didn’t even pause to consider. She yanked a chair over and sat down heavily, her voice defiant and unyielding. “I’m not going.”

Sheng Yiheng was so angered by her obstinacy that the veins on her forehead throbbed visibly. “Are you coming or not?”

“I’m not,” Tan Hua replied without hesitation.

The two of them were suddenly locked in a stalemate, neither willing to back down.

Dai Yueqing, unable to resist the curiosity, nudged Cheng Shulan. “They’re acting really strange.”

“Are they?” Cheng Shulan blinked, pulling her gaze back.

“Of course they are,” Dai Yueqing said. After a thoughtful pause, she added, “I don’t think they’re just boss and secretary. It feels more like…”

She didn’t finish the sentence—but she was certain Cheng Shulan got the message.

Cheng Shulan chuckled when she heard that. Her long lashes lowered as she said, “Some people have feelings for others without even realizing it.”
Then she abruptly changed the topic. “Once Yuanyuan returns to the country, we absolutely cannot let her get entangled with Sheng Yiheng.”

Dai Yueqing frowned in disagreement. “What feelings? Maybe Sheng Yiheng was just sincerely concerned for her employee’s safety.”

Now you’ve twisted it into something else entirely.

Cheng Shulan went quiet for a moment as she looked at her wife, then asked a soul-piercing question:
“Would you ever act all clingy with your secretary in public? Even argue and bicker like that?”

Dai Yueqing fell silent for a second—then replied with a counter-question: “Would I even get that chance?”

Cheng Shulan paused, caught off guard. “…What?”

“So what you’re saying is—if you had the chance, you would?” Dai Yueqing’s tone suddenly sharpened as if she’d been emotionally ambushed. “Unbelievable! After twenty years of marriage, I never thought you were such a restless, unfaithful woman! Still thinking about flirting with young, pretty girls?”

“Shut up!” Dai Yueqing finally snapped. But instead of stopping, Cheng Shulan only escalated further.

“You’ve changed,” she accused, her expression as heartbroken as if she’d been stabbed. “You never used to yell at me. You used to be gentle… caring. But now? Now it’s all about chasing after new flings and ignoring your old wife’s tears.”

Before she could finish, the Beta was seized by her collar and dragged off to a quieter corner by a very angry Dai Yueqing.

Tan Hua, watching from the side, glanced at Cheng Shulan’s satisfied face and silently thought, …These two are really something else.

If this is what the female lead’s parents are like… could she really have grown up in this environment without ending up a little twisted?
Tan Hua found herself genuinely questioning it.

Meanwhile, Sheng Yiheng was almost at her breaking point trying to keep a straight face in the face of Tan Hua’s antics. Her brow furrowed tightly as she demanded, “If you’re not coming with me, what exactly do you plan to do here?”

She couldn’t help but remind her, “You promised earlier that you’d behave. No causing trouble.” Her tone grew more serious. “Tan Hua, I brought you here for work.”

Tan Hua raised an eyebrow and shot her a sidelong glance before slowly getting up. “Oh, you want me to make money? You should’ve just said so.”

Sheng Yiheng was stunned into silence. So all the effort I put in to persuade her meant nothing, but the mention of money does the trick?

In her eyes, am I worth less than a handful of lousy coins?

Frustrated as she was, Sheng Yiheng forced herself to let it go—Tan Hua had finally agreed to cooperate, after all. “When we go talk business in a moment, you—”

“I know.” Tan Hua interrupted before she could finish, brushing past her without a second glance, clearly not planning to wait for her.

Sheng Yiheng stood there for a long moment, rubbing her temples in frustration. This isn’t a stand-in… this is a walking disaster.

Tang Yanrou hadn’t followed them. Sheng Yiheng turned back to glance at her—and for some reason, felt a small wave of relief wash over her.

Tan Hua and Tang Yanrou didn’t really suit each other, she thought privately. Just one glance and it was obvious—they were on completely different wavelengths. There was no need to rush into solving Tan Hua’s personal matters.
Just like with Cheng Yuan—it would take time.

As Sheng Yiheng suddenly pulled the Omega away, Tang Yanrou watched their retreating figures—one tall, one short—with a rare flicker of confusion in her usually calm gaze.

A friend standing nearby teased her immediately:
“Didn’t think even you would one day be reduced to a tool in a couple’s little lover’s spat.”

Tang Yanrou snapped out of her thoughts and asked reflexively, “Are they a couple?”

“What else?” her friend replied. “At an event like this, pulling and tugging at each other in front of everyone with no regard for appearances—if that doesn’t say it, what does?”

“But that Omega isn’t marked by the Alpha,” Tang Yanrou noted. “Not even a trace.”

Her friend didn’t understand why she cared so much. “Maybe they just got together recently and haven’t had time yet. Or maybe the Alpha plans to wait until marriage before marking her. That kind of arrangement is perfectly normal.”

“Marking an Omega before marriage? That would be disgraceful.”

Clearly uninterested in the details of other people’s relationships, her friend quickly brought the conversation back to the original topic.

Tang Yanrou lifted her wine glass thoughtfully. That was true. Most Omegas didn’t get marked until after marriage, either by their husband or wife. She was definitely overthinking it.

No wonder the Omega’s earlier attempt to get her attention had seemed so clumsy. For a moment, Tang Yanrou had almost felt like she’d fallen into the plot of some trashy CEO romance novel—about to be swept up in a melodramatic love story with a pitiful, pure-hearted heroine from a tragic background.

But Sheng Yiheng had, in fact, come here to work today. She barely had a moment to rest, going from one meeting to the next. After helping her secure several business deals, Tan Hua was completely drained, her head spinning.

“I really envy Alphas and their physical stamina,” Tan Hua sighed. “If I had an Alpha’s excellent, healthy body, maybe I’d have completed my mission a long time ago.”

The system: “…” Highly doubtful.

If the host had Sheng Yiheng’s Alpha-level constitution, the system mused darkly, who knows what chaos she’d wreak in this world? She’d probably expand her destructive streak from Alphas to Omegas and Betas alike.

Honestly, being an Omega is probably for the best. The system felt a small sense of relief. At least right now, her physical limits keep her like a eunuch wandering through a brothel—frustrated but harmless.

Tan Hua had no idea the system was secretly calling her a eunuch behind her back. At that moment, she was smiling politely as she followed Sheng Yiheng, helping her clinch yet another successful deal.

“How much did I make today?” Tan Hua asked the system. “Quick—do the math.”

The system: “?” Do I look like a calculator to you?

Grumbling internally, it still ran the numbers for her—reluctantly—and came up with a rather astonishing figure.

Tan Hua’s eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful news. If my mission had been to make a certain amount of money instead of winning over a few lousy Alpha hearts, I could’ve left this place ages ago!”

The system didn’t know how to argue with that. All it could say was:
“Well, since you’re already here, wouldn’t it be a shame to leave so soon? You haven’t even experienced all four seasons of this world yet.”

Tan Hua’s eyelid twitched involuntarily. Seriously? Listen to yourself—do you even hear how ridiculous that sounds?

While Tan Hua was bickering with the system, Sheng Yiheng watched her business partner leave, then turned her gaze toward Tan Hua with a complex expression. After spending a few days together, Sheng Yiheng had come to realize that Tan Hua was far from the airheaded beauty she had initially assumed.

In fact, she was remarkably capable—more competent than any of the secretaries in the office.

That realization made Sheng Yiheng silently question something:
Why would someone as capable as Tan Hua volunteer to be Cheng Yuan’s stand-in?

Being a stand-in was one of the lowest, most thankless jobs imaginable. At any moment, she could be disliked or discarded. Rich people were notoriously fickle, their moods more changeable than the summer sky—so why would Tan Hua willingly take on something like this?

Could it be—Sheng Yiheng wondered—that the salary from a proper job, even one obtained through formal interviews, wasn’t as lucrative as being someone’s stand-in?

As Cheng Yuan’s substitute—a role requiring no real skill or ability—Tan Hua’s job was to eat, drink, and flatter her boss. But if, at some crucial moment, she revealed her actual strength, she could shock everyone around her, Sheng Yiheng included.

And that kind of impact—was undeniably powerful.

After arriving at this conclusion, Sheng Yiheng looked at Tan Hua with newfound respect.

She really is an impressive Omega—capable and clever.

Tan Hua snapped out of her thoughts just in time to catch Sheng Yiheng staring at her strangely. She blinked, then waved a hand in front of her face. “What are you doing?”

“I know I’m charming and irresistible,” she said with a smirk. Her eyes glinted with a teasing mix of aloofness, sarcasm, and playful arrogance. “But you’d better not fall for me.”

Sheng Yiheng: “…”

“You’re overthinking it.” The Alpha replied flatly, face expressionless. “I have zero interest in you.”

“Oh?” Tan Hua raised an eyebrow, eyeing her from head to toe with a sly smile. “How bold of you. You’re the first Alpha who’s dared to reject me.”

She leaned in slightly, lips still curled. “Woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention.”

Sheng Yiheng: “?” What kind of nonsense is this?

Her face darkened. She’d had enough. “Act normal,” she warned coldly, “or I’ll dock your pay.”

Tan Hua immediately wanted to roll her eyes but wisely shifted the topic instead. “Since I’ve helped you close several deals just now, President Sheng, may I take a break now?”

Sheng Yiheng frowned slightly at that. “Already? We’ve barely gotten started.” Then she gave Tan Hua a suspicious once-over. “You’re worn out this quickly? Your body’s that weak?”

“…?” What kind of savage line was that?
Tan Hua felt utterly insulted.

Tan Hua couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m in heat right now, President Sheng. Not only are you refusing to let me go home and rest, but you’re making me do such exhausting work. Careful, or I’ll report you for overworking your employees.”

Before she could finish, Sheng Yiheng was already waving her off in frustration.
“Go, go, go. Go rest already.”

Always saying the most outrageous things, Sheng Yiheng thought, exasperated. Honestly, Tan Hua was wasted in her company. She belonged in showbiz, where people needed to be quick-witted and shameless—skills Tan Hua had in abundance.
With her looks and cleverness, she’d probably debut as a top star right out of the gate.

After Tan Hua walked off, Sheng Yiheng found her mood improving a bit—until she noticed the direction Tan Hua had wandered in.

She was heading toward Tang Yanrou.

Immediately, Sheng Yiheng’s good mood disappeared.
Don’t tell me she’s actually planning to flirt with Tang Yanrou, the hopeless romantic?

In truth, Tan Hua had no such plan. She was just aimlessly strolling and ended up in front of Tang Yanrou by accident. They locked eyes. After a brief pause, Tang Yanrou was the one to speak first.

“Did you two argue again?” she asked gently.

Huh? Tan Hua blinked. Was she talking about Sheng Yiheng?
She thought for a moment, then replied, “…Kind of.”

“It’s okay.” Tang Yanrou smiled, trying to reassure her. “A little bickering is normal. It can even be sweet sometimes—you’ll be fine before long.”

As Tan Hua listened, something felt increasingly off.
She wanted to explain the misunderstanding, but when she saw the knowing look on Tang Yanrou’s face—a face that practically screamed “I get it. You don’t need to explain”—she fell silent.

She’s not just a romantic… she’s a sweetheart with an overactive imagination.

Tan Hua let out a dry laugh, casually agreed with a few polite words, and sat down to rest and get some water.
To her surprise, Tang Yanrou sat down beside her and said meaningfully,
“An Alpha who marks an Omega before marriage isn’t a good Alpha.”

Tan Hua froze mid-sip and turned to look at her.

To be honest, Tang Yanrou was truly beautiful. She had a graceful, refined presence, flawless fair skin, and elegant features that made her look like a picture-perfect protagonist from a novel—someone blessed by fate, untouched by the harshness of the real world.

Tan Hua stared for a moment, then couldn’t help but clarify,
“You’ve got it wrong. She’s not what you think. She’s just my boss.”

“Your boss?” Tang Yanrou paused, then gave her a look that could only be described as… suggestive.
“Oh. I see.”

Though the words said “I understand,” her eyes clearly said “I don’t.”
Tan Hua rubbed her forehead, giving up. Think whatever you want, then.

After helping Sheng Yiheng close so many deals, Tan Hua was starving and parched. She drank her water too quickly and spilled a bit. Just as she reached for a napkin, a pale, delicate hand handed her one.

“Here.”

Tan Hua paused, finally taking a good look at Tang Yanrou.

The system, noticing the long stare, suddenly heard her say out loud:
“Miss Tang, are you seeing anyone?”

Tang Yanrou: “?”

System: “???”
What the hell?! You just met her for the second time and you’re already asking that? Can you be any more obvious?

The system was immediately on alert. Is the host seriously falling for Tang Yanrou already?
She hadn’t even managed to win over a single one of the five Alphas, and now she was about to switch targets?

Even though Tan Hua’s question seemed out of the blue, Tang Yanrou politely shook her head after a short pause.
“Not at the moment.”

“Do you have your eye on anyone right now?” Tan Hua asked again.

The system had a terrible feeling about this and tried to interrupt, but Tang Yanrou answered first.

“Not right now either.”

As soon as she said that, Tan Hua suddenly smiled—bright and radiant, like sunlight.
It was the kind of smile that could make someone lose focus just looking at it.

“Then… how about being friends?” Tan Hua asked cheerfully. She looked at Tang Yanrou with satisfaction. For once, Sheng Yiheng actually did something useful.

But before she could enjoy the moment, Tang Yanrou hesitated.
“Is that really, okay?” she asked. “If you’re just doing this to make her jealous… it’s not fair to either of you.”

Hopeless Romantic: That was close. I almost got a girlfriend.

Sister Tan: …

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