The Five Heartless Scumbag Alphas Turned Against Each Other Because Of Me - Chapter 56

To the system, this was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.

It opened its mouth anxiously, trying to persuade Tan Hua with emotion and logic:
“But Host, don’t you think that with your flirtatious nature, the female lead would get upset and heartbroken on the very first day? That would trigger the beginning of a classic tragic romance!”

“When she’s sad, you’ll have to comfort her. When she runs away, you’ll have to chase after her. The two of you will get entangled in the middle of a busy street—and then a truck will suddenly whoosh— slam into you. And just like that, you’re both sent flying. No one survives.”

“Isn’t this the classic melodramatic trope—car crash, amnesia, and all?”

“If you’re lucky, only the female lead loses her memory. If not, both of you get hit. Then when will you ever recover your memory and remember that you still have a mission to complete? The Year of the Monkey?”

“So,” the system advised earnestly, “let’s just keep things simple and get the mission done, alright?”

Tan Hua: “…” Is the rest of this novel really this ridiculous?

She didn’t buy it. So, she immediately made use of her newly acquired privilege—“view the original plot again”—and ordered the system to download the storyline directly into her mind.

After a wave of discomfort passed, Tan Hua opened her eyes, a complicated expression on her face.

Before the female lead returned to the country, things were fairly peaceful. Each of the scummy Alphas had their own roles and stayed in their lanes. At the time, they all seemed relatively normal—busy with work, and aside from being tangled up with the original Tan Hua, a self-proclaimed substitute offering herself on a silver platter, they were fairly restrained.

But the moment the female lead came back, it was like pouring cold water into hot oil—everything exploded.

The possessiveness of the Alphas surged to the surface, and one by one, they followed the script of “the domineering CEO falls in love with me.” They got jealous every time the female lead interacted with another woman, which led to one forced-confession scene after another—pure brute force and emotional turmoil, all wrapped up in clichés that were both blood-boiling and justice-provoking.

Tan Hua couldn’t help rubbing her temples. She sighed deeply and said,
“What kind of virtue or good deed did I do in my past life to deserve sharing this kind of excitement with the female lead?”

She eyed the system suspiciously.
“I’ll really get to experience the same intense plot developments as the female lead? You’re not lying?”

System: “?” Why is this Host so unpredictable?
Wasn’t she just mocking these dog-blood tropes a moment ago? And now she’s excited about them?

The system fell into deep thought. Then it tried to put itself in her shoes—
What if the ones forcing themselves on it were as gentle as Zheng Jinyu, as seductive and dangerous as Sheng Yiheng, or as cold and dominant as Lu Huaixu…

Maybe… it wouldn’t be that bad?

No, no, no!

The system shook its head vigorously, realizing it had almost been led astray by its Host’s way of thinking. It quickly collected itself and said,
“…Of course I’m not lying.” But its voice lacked conviction.
“Still, even if you do get to enjoy the same thrilling storyline, Host, you won’t be able to avoid the consequences.”

“When the female lead is drugged and nearly assaulted, you won’t be able to escape. When she’s publicly humiliated by other supporting female characters, you’ll be dragged into that too.”

“All the pain and suffering she experiences will be mirrored exactly onto you. So, Host, are you sure you’re still looking forward to this?”

“That’s… a valid concern.” Tan Hua frowned, falling into thought.
After all, this is a tragic romance, and Cheng Yuan—the female lead—goes through ninety-nine trials before finally winning over the Alphas… only to become their long-lost, tragically deceased first love.

A bit tricky, yes—but manageable.

Tan Hua shrugged nonchalantly.
“What’s there to worry about? I’ll just stick to the female lead like glue, twenty-four-seven. We’ll never be apart.”

System: “?” Do you even hear yourself right now?

Is that even possible?

If you try to follow her around all day and night, her parents will chase you out with a broom the moment they lay eyes on you.

The system figured its host was just talking big—it didn’t believe she would actually do what she said. So it chose to change the subject and asked proactively,
“Where are we now?”

It glanced around the somewhat familiar, yet slightly unfamiliar environment. After a while of digging through its memory, it finally came up with the answer:
“Zheng Jinyu’s house? Why are you here again?”

“She dragged me here by force,” Tan Hua shrugged, looking helpless.

“?” The system didn’t understand. “Why?”

“How should I know—” Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Tan Hua suddenly realized she’d been in the room for quite a while. She cleared her throat and said,
“Give me a minute. I’m not done yet.”

The knocking stopped right away. Tan Hua came back to her senses and hurriedly rummaged through the wardrobe, pulling out a clean set of pajamas before heading into the bathroom to freshen up.

Zheng Jinyu lowered her hand, no longer knocking. She didn’t press the Omega about what she’d been doing inside for so long. After all, she was already in her home and couldn’t run away. There was no need to pressure the bunny too hard.

She turned and went downstairs, checked on the dinner she had prepared earlier and kept warm in the warming drawer, laid out the utensils, and then sat down quietly to wait for Tan Hua.

After the system informed Tan Hua that Zheng Jinyu was waiting for her, she couldn’t help but speed up her washing routine. What normally took her a good two hours of dawdling, she rushed through in barely twenty minutes.

She gave her damp hair a quick squeeze with a dry towel, threw on her pajamas, patted a bit of essence on her face, and made her way toward the dining room in haste.

Zheng Jinyu was still in her neat, professional attire, sitting upright at the table. Under the soft glow of the warm lights, her calm face appeared gentle and serene. In that moment, she seemed impossibly tender—like the ripples on spring water: graceful, quiet, and elegant.

“President Zheng.” Tan Hua’s voice broke the peaceful silence. She tightened the coat around her and stepped quickly down the stairs to Zheng Jinyu’s side, casually pushing back her half-damp hair.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Zheng Jinyu looked up. Her eyes immediately landed on Tan Hua’s still-wet shoulders.
“Why did you come down without drying your hair?” she said, frowning slightly in disapproval. She stood up to fetch a hairdryer.
“You’ll catch a cold.”

Her tone was soft—tender and caring.

The system was immediately smitten, dizzy from how enamored it was. It sighed in admiration:
“What a perfect Alpha—gentle, beautiful, considerate, and attentive.”
After a full round of praise, it concluded:
“Host, meeting her is truly a blessing from the karma of your past life.”

Tan Hua ignored the system. Zheng Jinyu soon returned with the hairdryer, plugged it in smoothly, and gently twirled the damp ends of Tan Hua’s hair with her fingers.
“You’re still the same as before—always making people worry.”

The system nodded in agreement. Exactly.
The host was the type to be wild and carefree, unruly and headstrong. If someone as reliable as Zheng Jinyu could keep her in line and help her become a bit more grounded—that would be an excellent outcome indeed.

The system couldn’t help casting a hopeful, trusting gaze at Zheng Jinyu. Among all the scummy Alphas, she was clearly the fastest to act—far ahead of the others—so she seemed the most likely to succeed.

And when the system glanced at Tan Hua, who neither resisted nor looked uncomfortable, its belief in Zheng Jinyu’s chances only grew stronger.

In reality, Tan Hua was only letting the woman’s fingers run through her hair because she was too lazy to do it herself. Zheng Jinyu’s fingers were warm and slender, and her movements were incredibly gentle.

Tan Hua wasn’t close with Zheng Jinyu. They had never shared anything remotely romantic before, especially not something as intimate as drying hair. And while Zheng Jinyu’s actions were proper and respectful—without any trace of impropriety—the sensations that traveled from the roots of her hair to her nerves still made Tan Hua feel tingly and fluttery.

She let out a soft sigh of satisfaction in her heart and generously praised her to the system:
“No wonder she’s a married woman—her hands are skilled enough to make someone addicted.”

System: “!” I advise you to watch your words.

After sharing her moment of bliss with the system, Tan Hua finally addressed Zheng Jinyu:
“I really was unreasonable and immature in the past.” She chuckled lightly.
“I should thank you for setting me straight back then.”

Zheng Jinyu’s fingers, which had been idly combing through her long hair, suddenly paused. Several seconds passed before she resumed, but it was clear she was avoiding the topic. Instead, she said:
“It’s been a long time since we got along this peacefully, Hua Hua.”

“I really wish time could stop right here, so we could always stay like this—with no outsiders getting in the way.”

Her words carried a hidden meaning. Tan Hua couldn’t help turning back to her.
“President Zheng, what are you trying to say?”

“Nothing,” Zheng Jinyu replied, still calmly drying her hair. But after denying it, she suddenly changed course, sounding almost casual as she asked,
“Did you tell anyone about us?”

The question came out of nowhere. Tan Hua was momentarily caught off guard.
“About what?”

“Is there some secret between us that shouldn’t be shared—”
Ah. She’s talking about the divorce.
Tan Hua suddenly understood. Was it Lu Huaixu who told her? Or perhaps Sheng Yiheng?

But that didn’t really matter. A faint, teasing smile curled at her lips as she played dumb:
“If people found out that you and I were once married, would it cause you a lot of trouble?”

“It probably would,” she continued, “since you’re still maintaining a single, unattached public persona. If word got out that you’d already quietly married and registered with a ‘lowly, insignificant Omega’… your company would take quite the hit, wouldn’t it?”

“But since the news hasn’t fully spread yet, maybe you could still pay off a few reporters and suppress it in time.”
Tan Hua offered the suggestion with genuine sincerity.

But Zheng Jinyu only replied,
“You know that’s not what I meant.”

I really don’t, Tan Hua said inwardly.

Her dewy eyes stared steadily at Zheng Jinyu.
“Then what are you trying to say?”

“You’ve chosen to selectively share the details of our past with others,” Zheng Jinyu said, her smile deepening as it reflected in Tan Hua’s eyes.
“Are you doing it to provoke jealousy in them? To make them fall even more madly in love with you, obsess over you, never forget you…”

“Or are you trying to provoke me?”

Her pale, beautiful hand slowly moved downward, gently caressing Tan Hua’s cheek. The smile on her face no longer reached her eyes, and her voice seemed to frost over in an instant.
“Hua Hua, do you still doubt my love for you—even now?”

“What will it take for you to finally believe me?”

“How about I mark you? Would that convince you?”

System: She’s desperate now.

Pulled a muscle in my back earlier today, so this is all for now (covering face)

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