The Five Heartless Scumbag Alphas Turned Against Each Other Because Of Me - Chapter 42

“I think you might be misunderstanding things, President Lu,” Tan Hua began, trying her best to sound calm and composed.
“Wen Chuan is just a friend. Her parents have always had high hopes for me and treated me with great kindness. I wouldn’t dare let them down.”

“Zheng Jinyu is also a friend. We used to fight side by side. We may not be related by blood, but our bond is as close as real sisters.”

“And as for Sheng Yiheng—she’s my boss. She gives me a paycheck and improves my standard of living. In a way, she’s like a second parent to me. Our relationship is purely transactional—strictly financial. Other than that, there’s nothing between us. Clean and simple.”

“So, in summary,” Tan Hua concluded, “what you just said doesn’t hold up, President Lu.”

“And besides,” she added, “I was only trying to analyze what Cheng Yuan might be thinking—not explain my own feelings. So I hope you’ll look at this objectively.”

Don’t take your frustration out on me, Tan Hua thought quietly to herself.

Her nonsense, while completely made up, sounded perfectly logical.

Lu Huaixu chuckled lightly, and Tan Hua had no idea what she found amusing. So she sensibly put her phone down and sat up straight, like a well-behaved preschooler.

“So based on what you’re saying,” Lu Huaixu said, “I don’t have much hope. I should probably cut my losses while I can.”

No, no, no—I didn’t say that!
Tan Hua quickly denied it in her head, three times in a row.

“That’s not what I meant,” she said aloud, trying to draw a clear line. “I’m me, Cheng Yuan is Cheng Yuan. I can’t possibly know exactly what she’s thinking, let alone speak on her behalf.”

“In the end, it depends on her actual feelings.”

“Maybe she’s already liked you for a long time,” Tan Hua added, spinning a hopeful theory. “Maybe there were just too many obstacles and too much pressure before, so she didn’t have the courage to say anything. And now, that’s just built up over the years.”

“She’s coming back soon, isn’t she?”
Tan Hua smiled. “Once she’s here, just talk to her. I’m sure everything will be clear.”

Her analysis was logical, well-organized, and almost convincing.

But Lu Huaixu kept looking at her, a strange and subtle feeling lingering in her chest.
It was true that she had feelings for Cheng Yuan—real ones. But she wasn’t naive.

If this reasoning is so simple, she thought, then why hadn’t I figured it out myself all these years?

She wasn’t someone who clung to things easily—especially not to someone whose feelings for her were uncertain.
As a businesswoman, Lu Huaixu’s biggest trait had always been her instinct for risk and reward. She was known for making high-risk, high-reward investments.

But love was different.

With her current status and wealth, she no longer needed a wife from an influential family to help her rise. She had built more than enough power on her own.

So… was that it?

Her brows furrowed just slightly.

Do I really love Cheng Yuan that much?

Enough that all these years later, even after Cheng Yuan had gone abroad for further study, she still couldn’t forget her?
Still waiting, hoping, for her return?

Lu Huaixu found herself, for the first time, genuinely questioning her own heart.
Was I really… that deep in it?

Though her expression barely shifted, Tan Hua—sharp as always—sensed immediately that something was off.

She nudged the system. “What’s going on with Lu Huaixu?”

“Wait… is she suddenly starting to grow a brain?”
Tan Hua raised an eyebrow, half-joking.

The system shot her a deadpan look. If anyone needs to grow a brain, it’s you.

After thinking for a moment, the system said, “She might be… on the verge of self-awareness.”

“In most stories, characters are bound by the plot and the leads’ narratives. As side characters, they usually just follow the script like puppets on strings, living out fates that aren’t really their own. They go their whole lives without ever breaking free.”

“But in rare cases, someone like Lu Huaixu starts to question things. She starts wondering why she’s acting against her own nature—why she’s falling for someone she normally wouldn’t. Then she begins to reflect on everything that doesn’t quite make sense.”

“And if one day, she fully unpacks it all, breaks free of the script, and acts outside the story’s design… then she’ll stop being a character and start becoming a real person. Someone with independent thought.”

The system leaned in close beside Tan Hua and whispered, “I think she’s right on the edge of that transformation.”

“That deep?” Tan Hua blinked, surprised. Then she murmured with some admiration, “No wonder she makes money using her brain. She caught on so fast.”

A spark of curiosity lit in her eyes. “Do you think she’ll pull it off?”

“No idea,” the system answered honestly. “That depends on her fate… and her choices.”
Then it quickly added, “But, Host—if Lu Huaixu really does awaken self-awareness, that means your missions will get a whole lot trickier.”

Tan Hua’s expression froze. “What?!”

She immediately turned to look at Lu Huaixu and gave her a bright, fawning smile.
“President Lu, actually… I think Cheng Yuan really does have feelings for you.”

Lu Huaixu slowly returned to herself from that hazy, introspective state. She lifted her eyelids and looked directly at Tan Hua.
“How would you know that?” she asked. “You’ve never even met her.”

Tan Hua paused, caught off guard. Then she shamelessly said,
“Omega instinct.”

“You know… she and I are both Omegas, so we’re kind of the same. Sometimes we share a wavelength on certain things.”

She tried her best to smile with sincerity and conviction, but Lu Huaixu clearly wasn’t buying it.

The Alpha’s expression still held traces of deep thought. Before Tan Hua could say more, Lu Huaixu casually waved her off.
“Go entertain yourself somewhere else. I need to think.”

If she thinks any more, we’re doomed, Tan Hua thought in alarm.

She tried to speak again, but Lu Huaixu gave her a single look—just one calm, sharp glance—and she fell instantly silent.

Defeated, Tan Hua shuffled over to the piano bench and sat down obediently.
“…What happens if she does awaken?” she muttered.

“What else?” the system said with a shrug. “She just won’t be so obsessed with the heroine anymore.”

“In other words, her chances of falling for anyone else become just as high.”

“…So, she could still fall for the heroine again,” Tan Hua reasoned, “get completely smitten all over again, and willingly fall at her feet?”

The system sighed. “Yep. Pretty much.”

System: “?”
So… she’s becoming self-aware for nothing?

Lu Huaixu remained still, sitting quietly off to the side. She barely blinked.
Tan Hua stared at her for a while, quickly growing bored.

“I think I’m gonna leave,” she muttered.

Even messing with Zheng Jinyu sounds more entertaining than watching Lu Huaixu stare into space…
Then suddenly, Tan Hua paused mid-thought.
“Wait—Zheng Jinyu said yesterday she’d fire that scheming assistant of hers.”

She sprang to her feet.
“I need to go over to her office and check on that.”

System: … You just want to stir things up.

It couldn’t help but ask, “What if Zheng Jinyu didn’t follow through on what she promised?”

“Then I’ll…” Tan Hua thought for a moment, then said firmly, “I’ll turn her office upside down and make sure she can’t get a moment of peace.”

System: “…”
Yep. That tracks.
It had always known that Tan Hua never picked fights unless they were dramatic, chaotic, and unnecessarily intense.

Tan Hua tiptoed over to Lu Huaixu and said cautiously,
“President Lu, I just remembered I have something to do today…”

She rubbed her hands together awkwardly.
“So let’s just call it a day. I won’t charge you—think of it as a thank-you gift in return for the car.”

Lu Huaixu glanced at her but didn’t object. She nodded easily. “Alright.”

Before the word had even fully left her mouth, Tan Hua had already grabbed her car keys and dashed out of the room.

Lu Huaixu watched her disappear down the hall and found herself thinking again—
Why does this Tan Hua feel so different from the one before? Almost like they’re two different people.

And why is it that I like Cheng Yuan… but Tan Hua doesn’t?

If even I could fall for Cheng Yuan, then logically, someone like Tan Hua—an Omega—should feel the same way. But she doesn’t.

No, that wasn’t quite right.

If anything, based on the logic of inter-Omega rivalry, Tan Hua should have resented Cheng Yuan. Should have been jealous. But she wasn’t.
In fact, she occasionally even seemed… fond of her. Maybe even hopeful.

Lu Huaixu felt her head start to ache.

She closed her eyes and said into her phone,
“Call Dr. Park.”

Meanwhile, Tan Hua had already slipped into her sports car and sped out of the villa.

Winding through the forest roads, her Bluetooth played Zheng Jinyu’s call ringtone. After a long wait, the line finally connected.

A gentle, composed voice came through the speaker:
“Sorry—I was in a meeting and didn’t feel the phone vibrate. What’s up?”

“I want to see you,” Tan Hua said bluntly.
“I’m already on the way, should be there in about half an hour.”

“Do you have time?”

The question sounded casual, but both knew it was more of a statement than a real question.

Zheng Jinyu went silent for a moment. Whether she had time or not didn’t seem to matter now—she’d have to make time.

She gave a soft laugh.
“I do. Just tell the front desk when you arrive and come straight to my office.”

“Great!” Tan Hua replied cheerfully. “Wait for me—I’ll be there soon!”

The call ended. Zheng Jinyu stared at her phone, a smile unconsciously forming on her lips.

A knock on her office door interrupted her thoughts. She quickly adjusted her expression, lowering her voice.
“Come in.”

Her assistant pushed the door open, wearing a conflicted expression.
“President Zheng… about Secretary Yan…”

She paused, then continued, “She still refuses to leave. She insists on seeing you and wants an explanation face to face.”

Zheng Jinyu looked up.

“Tell her I already made things clear this morning,” she said coolly.

“There’s nothing more to say between us.”

“I’ve already done everything I should. She got all the compensation, all the reassurance. I didn’t leave out a single thing.”

The assistant hesitated at the door, clearly not moving. Zheng Jinyu lifted her chin slightly, offering a calm but pointed smile.

“Why are you still standing there? Do you want to leave with her too?”

Alphas rarely lost their temper—but that didn’t mean anyone dared to take Zheng Jinyu lightly.
She might appear gentle and considerate on the surface, but her identity and position meant she wasn’t someone people could just talk back to.

In the company, few ever dared to challenge her authority.

Her assistant stiffened slightly and quickly lowered his head.
“I’ll relay your message to Secretary Yan right away.”

He turned to leave, but Zheng Jinyu called out again.

“And also, tell her to pack up and leave as soon as possible. Let’s part on good terms.”

Her tone was still soft, but the assistant didn’t dare underestimate the weight of her words.
If Zheng Jinyu was saying this, it meant her patience and tolerance for Yan Yan had already reached their limit.

Not wanting to push his luck, the assistant nodded immediately.
“Understood. I’ll take care of it.”

The office returned to silence.

Zheng Jinyu looked at the glowing screen of her computer and couldn’t help but think:
Yan Yan was indeed highly capable—attentive, efficient, and a great help to her.
But perhaps she and the company weren’t that dependent on her after all.

Had she really been that close to Yan Yan in the past?
Close enough that Tan Hua had gotten jealous over and over, misunderstanding the nature of their relationship?

A flicker of doubt crossed Zheng Jinyu’s eyes.

She wondered—if she had drawn the line more clearly with Yan Yan earlier, would things between her and Tan Hua have turned out differently?
Maybe, without Yan Yan, Tan Hua would still be that gentle, thoughtful little wife who knew her place and cared deeply.

A pang of regret passed through her chest. But fortunately… it wasn’t too late.

Zheng Jinyu still had a chance to win Tan Hua back—as long as she wasn’t already interested in someone else.

That thought triggered a sudden wave of anxiety.
Tan Hua and Lu Huaixu seemed to be getting along well. Not to mention, she also worked for Sheng Yiheng. And as the saying goes: “proximity breeds opportunity.”

Zheng Jinyu couldn’t help but worry—what if Sheng Yiheng made a move?

After all, most Alphas in this world weren’t exactly trustworthy.

Their strength, social power, and status often gave them a sense of entitlement. They did whatever they wanted, without regard for morals or boundaries.

As Zheng Jinyu reflected quietly, Tan Hua had already arrived at the company in her sports car.
She parked, got out, and closed the door in one smooth motion. Pulling off her sunglasses, she looked up at the sleek glass building.

“Wow,” she muttered, genuinely impressed.
“This place just looks expensive.”

She sighed dreamily.
“When will I get to own a few buildings like this?”

“If I had even two or three of them, I could lie in bed all day for the rest of my life and still never run out of money.”

System: …Well, maybe if you tried seducing a few more of those scummy Alphas? Who knows—one of them might just lose their mind and hand you a deed or two.

“Even if they each gave you one,” it added, “you’d end up with five or six buildings.”

Tan Hua went quiet for a moment, clearly tempted.
“…That’s actually not a bad idea.”

But then she shook her head and changed tone.

“Except they’re rich, not stupid.”

“Who in their right mind would hand over something that expensive to an Omega who’s not even their girlfriend or wife?”

System: …What if? What if one of them is just that dumb?

Tan Hua rolled her eyes.
“I’d seriously have to question what went wrong in their brain at birth for them to be that generous and clueless.”

After a long internal debate with the system, Tan Hua finally made her way to the front desk.

She greeted the receptionist with a bright smile and a few compliments, casually explaining why she was there.

The receptionist, clearly charmed, smiled so wide her eyes curved into crescents. Her voice softened noticeably.
“Miss Tan, is it? President Zheng is waiting for you upstairs. You can take the elevator straight up.”

“Sixty-sixth floor. Once you step out, turn right.”

Tan Hua gave the Beta woman a dazzling smile. “Thank you.”

She was just about to walk away when the receptionist called after her in a soft tone.
“Miss Tan, just a heads-up—Secretary Yan hasn’t left yet. You might want to avoid her when you go up.”

She hinted gently, “Secretary Yan was dismissed by President Zheng earlier today… she’s in a very bad mood. There’s a chance she might take it out on you.”

“Oh?” Tan Hua arched a brow.
Looks like Zheng Jinyu’s not all talk after all—at least she follows through.

Her smile grew even wider.
“Thanks. I’ll treat you to coffee when I come back down.”

Receiving another bright smile in return, Tan Hua headed toward the elevator.

Just her luck—right as she approached, Yan Yan came storming out of it, heels clicking aggressively against the floor.
The moment Yan Yan saw Tan Hua’s face, she stopped dead in her tracks.

“You.”

The sharp click of her heels cut off abruptly. Her voice was laced with venom, her face twisting in fury.
“You dare show up here?!”

Tan Hua raised an eyebrow, looking completely unbothered.
“Why wouldn’t I?”

She lifted her chin slightly and took a good, thorough look at the woman in front of her—probably the most hated green tea character in the entire story aside from the original host.

And yet… credit where credit’s due: Yan Yan was undeniably beautiful.

She was tall, with perfect curves—her figure an exaggerated hourglass that could make blood pressure rise on sight.
Her skin was pale, and her features were bold and striking, full of dramatic contrast. She looked like a flamboyant peony in full bloom—rich, extravagant, impossible to ignore.

A woman like this—equal parts capable and stunning—was almost too perfect.

Tan Hua kept staring… and slowly, her expression shifted into something unreadable.

The system popped up nervously.
“Host, stay focused. She’s your rival, remember?”

“Nonsense,” Tan Hua said firmly, cutting it off.

“There are no permanent friends or enemies in this world. Look at her! How could you bear to stay hostile with someone who looks like that?”

System: …Don’t tell me you’re lusting after her now?!

Tan Hua cleared her throat and adopted a harmless, soft tone.
“It’s been a while, and you’ve gotten even more beautiful, Sister Yan.”

She beamed, showing off a full set of teeth, her eyes glimmering with open admiration and… something not entirely pure.

“Oh, right—who had the nerve to upset you like this? You look furious today.”

Yan Yan had no idea what kind of little game Tan Hua was playing, but she let out a cold laugh and said sharply,
“Don’t get too happy, Tan Hua. Don’t think that just because Zheng Jinyu kicked me out of the company today, you’ve won.”

“You’re working at Shengyuan now, right?” she added with a sneer, slowly stepping closer to her.
“I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you run into me there.”

“You’re applying to Shengyuan?” Tan Hua blinked, holding up her phone in surprise.
“Did you send your résumé to Sheng Yiheng already? If not, I can call her for you—want me to ask?”

She smiled sweetly. “I’d be thrilled to have you as my colleague.”

Yan Yan: “?”

Something about today’s Tan Hua felt… off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
She frowned and narrowed her eyes, trying to rip off Tan Hua’s annoyingly fake and overly pleasant mask.

But before she could get a word in, Tan Hua’s phone had already connected.

Sheng Yiheng’s lazy voice came through the speaker:
“What?”

“Oh, it’s like this,” Tan Hua said brightly, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
“You remember Miss Yan Yan, right? Zheng Jinyu’s famously capable right-hand woman? Well, she’s thinking about joining our company now—to work alongside me.”

“…What?” Sheng Yiheng was instantly confused.

“I was wondering if you’d be open to chatting with her directly, maybe help fulfill this tiny little dream of hers?”

“…Excuse me?” Sheng Yiheng’s tone darkened.

Is this a joke?
Do I look like I run a shelter for laid-off employees?

Her face turned stone cold in a flash.

“She wants to work with you?” Sheng Yiheng’s voice turned icy. “Or is it that you’re planning something shady with her?”

Clenching her teeth, she forced herself to sound civil.
“Don’t even think about it.”

She was so angry she was about to hang up, but then paused, raised her phone again, and added—

“And stop dragging every random person you flirt with into my company just to satisfy your own personal whims!”

“If you do it again, I’ll dock your pay!”

Then she slammed the call shut.

Silence instantly descended.

Tan Hua blinked and shifted her gaze sideways—straight into Yan Yan’s blank, murderous stare, as if she wanted to skin her alive.

“…Sorry,” Tan Hua said awkwardly. “Negotiations fell through.”

Yan Yan’s temple twitched violently.
“What are you showing off for? That both Zheng Jinyu and Sheng Yiheng care about you?” she spat.
“I’d like to see if you’re still smiling once Cheng Yuan comes back.”

She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice to a near-whisper, laced with malicious glee.
“Don’t tell me you still don’t know… that you’re just a stand-in. A disposable stand-in for Cheng Yuan.”

Of course I know, Tan Hua thought.
But outwardly, she gave a perfect performance of stunned disbelief.

She raised her eyes slowly, dazed, as if the words had shaken her world.
“…What did you say?”

She blinked in confusion, her bright eyes full of disbelief and desperate hope, like she was trying to pull apart Yan Yan’s words and find some thread of untruth.

But Yan Yan’s expression was too certain.

Under her gaze, Tan Hua stumbled backward a few steps, lowered her head, and fell into silent despair.

Yan Yan, watching the apparent emotional collapse, felt immensely satisfied.
Her smile widened as she sneered,
“So you really didn’t know.”

She clicked her tongue with fake pity.
“Poor you. Zheng Jinyu really went all out to hide it from you.”

“But now that you know…” she raised her hand and patted Tan Hua’s cheek, smiling with smug superiority.
“It’s time to face the truth and back out gracefully.”

Tan Hua stared blankly at her, letting her gently pat her face.
But just as Yan Yan started to pull her hand back, Tan Hua suddenly reached up and grabbed it.

She clasped the soft, fair-skinned palm tightly and looked up at the stunning, elegant Omega with wide, sincere eyes.

“Then… can I just start liking you instead?”

Meanwhile, Zheng Jinyu—having gotten a call from the front desk and worried Tan Hua might be in trouble—was already rushing downstairs.

Zheng Jinyu: “?”

Yan Yan, yanking her hand back but failing, looking increasingly unhinged: “???”
What did you just say, you lunatic?!

Zheng Jinyu: And just like that… another unexpected romantic rival enters the ring.