The Heartless Alpha Just Wants to Follow the Plot - Chapter 32

Qiu Fu recognized her, but if this was already Su Mo’s former assistant, why was she showing up in Su Mo’s apartment with a stranger?

Her gaze skimmed past Jiang Xi and landed on Tan Ya. “Hmm and this is.”

“She’s Su—”

Before Jiang Xi could finish, Tan Ya spoke first. “I was saved by Su-jie. She let me stay here so it would be convenient for her to check on me later.”

Qiu Fu: “…”

So, this was Su Mo’s little “harem” hub?

“I see.”

Qiu Fu forced a smile but didn’t pursue the topic further.

“You just moved in, right? You probably haven’t eaten. I just—”

Tan Ya interrupted with a polite smile. “No, it’s fine. Su-jie said she couldn’t leave me alone and hired a housekeeper to take care of me.”

Qiu Fu’s smile froze completely. “I see.”

Jiang Xi scratched her head, puzzled. Something felt off, but what Tan Ya said was technically true.

“She treats you well, then.”

Qiu Fu’s comment finally snapped Jiang Xi out of her daze. She realized Tan Ya might be misunderstanding, but she wasn’t obligated to explain anything to Qiu Fu.

Jiang Xi gave a dry laugh. “Qiu-jie, do you live here too?”

She wanted to ask if Qiu Fu was close to Su Mo, otherwise, how could she come over so naturally? But seeing Qiu Fu’s slightly cold expression, she quickly held her tongue.

“Mm, I live next door.”

They’d be neighbors from now on, so there was no harm in saying it.

Qiu Fu forced a smile. “Since that’s settled, I’ll leave first.”

Jiang Xi hurriedly saw her out. “Take care, Qiu-jie.”

Meanwhile, Tan Ya sat on the couch, watching Qiu Fu leave, her mind quietly turning over.

She sensed the same energy in Qiu Fu as in Pu Ying—they both seemed focused on Su Mo.

“Interesting.”

She rubbed her thumb against her middle finger, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at her lips.

So, these two shared the same goal as her. Looks like she had plenty of rivals.

“Hmph, one protective umbrella won’t block two people. Looks like I’ll have to kick out both of them.”

“Tan Ya, what are you talking about?”

Returning, Jiang Xi caught a fragment of Tan Ya’s muttering and asked confusedly, “Are you hungry? I can order some takeout for you. The housekeeper only comes in the evening, she usually just cooks and cleans, but doesn’t live here.”

She walked over and tapped her holographic computer to browse options. “Since you’re the only one living here, your door has surveillance and a video intercom.

If it’s someone you don’t recognize, don’t open the door. Call the police—the alarm is in the box next to the door switch. Don’t press the wrong button.”

“If you press the wrong one, cancel it on the holographic computer. You have thirty seconds to cancel the alarm.”

She turned to Tan Ya and asked patiently, “Did you get all that?”

“Of course.”

Your holographic computer can contact me directly. If there’s a problem, press the emergency contact button. Once I receive it, I’ll come right away.”

Tan Ya’s expression twisted slightly at the thought of Jiang Xi being her emergency contact. But she understood that someone like Su Mo wouldn’t designate her as such. She suppressed the feeling and nodded with a small, polite smile. “I understand. Thank you, Xi-jie.”

Jiang Xi: “You’re welcome. It’s my duty.”

“Pick whatever you want to eat.”

Tan Ya’s face brightened as she looked at the food, but her eyes remained unmoved. She wasn’t interested in the food, only in the people she ate with.

She blinked, looking innocently at Jiang Xi. Her soft, hesitant voice asked, “I haven’t eaten much. Can I just have plain rice soaked in water?”

“Plain rice soaked in water?”

Jiang Xi paused, surprised by the request.

“But, plain rice soaked in water has no nutrition. You’re injured, you need proper nourishment.”

“My uncle said, for someone like me, just having rice is enough.”

Tan Ya lowered her head, her voice barely audible. “I haven’t eaten clean food in so long.”

Jiang Xi’s hands froze. She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and hugged Tan Ya tightly. Her voice trembled with restrained fury: “What he said is wrong. You can eat well. You can wear clean clothes and be a happy, cute child.

You shouldn’t have lived like that.”

“Don’t be afraid. From now on, you’ll never have to live that way again.”

Nestled in Jiang Xi’s embrace, Tan Ya slowly lifted the corners of her mouth and softly whispered, “Mm.”

She wouldn’t have to.

She would use her own hands to reclaim everything she had lost.

Back at her apartment, Qiu Fu didn’t know how to react. Her mind went blank.

Who was that child?

Was she Su Mo’s new target?

Had Su Mo started playing the “raising game” again?

“Calm down, Qiu Fu. Stay calm.”

Realizing she had let her imagination run wild, Qiu Fu slapped her own face and rubbed it firmly, trying to stop herself from overthinking. Even if Su Mo loved her little “games,” she would never cross moral or legal boundaries.

There had to be some misunderstanding. She needed to trust Su Mo more.

She pulled up Su Mo’s holographic ID to make a video call, but then hesitated, her current status didn’t allow her to contact Su Mo directly.

Since this was something Su Mo had arranged, she must have her reasons. Qiu Fu was overthinking.

After a moment of hesitation, before she could even dial, Su Mo’s call came in.

Qiu Fu took a deep breath, steadying her thoughts, and accepted the video call.

“What’s wrong? Do you need me for something?”

She tried to keep her voice calm, but the urgency in her tone gave her away.

Su Mo: “?”

“You look a little flushed. Are you feeling unwell?”

Su Mo noticed how Qiu Fu’s earlier rubbing had been a little too firm, turning her normally fair complexion slightly pinker than usual. “Is it an allergy?”

After all, Qiu Fu was about to start filming soon. If it really was an allergy, it could affect her performance.

Qiu Fu quickly shook her head to change the subject. “No, it’s nothing. I just did a bit of exercise, feeling a little warm.”

She definitely didn’t want Su Mo to know her face was flushed from overthinking.

“Did you want to see me for something?”

Hearing Qiu Fu ask a second time, Su Mo blinked. “Mm, yes, a little.”

Qiu Fu: “Tell me. If I can help, I’ll do it.”

Su Mo looked a little embarrassed. “Well, it’s like this. When I saved you before, I borrowed an Omega suppressant from Si Yu. But since I’m not an Omega, I’m not married, and there aren’t any Omegas in my family who need it, I can’t buy it myself.”

She had promised to return one to Si Yu but had forgotten. Now, when she went online to buy it, she discovered that purchasing was restricted and as someone with no Omega family members, she wasn’t eligible to buy it at all.

This was frustrating.

She couldn’t exactly say nothing after bringing it up, could she?

And if she just transferred money, would Qiu Fu think it was insulting?

It had been a while, surely Qiu Fu wouldn’t assume she was trying to shirk the debt.

Omega suppressants were slightly cheaper than Alpha sedatives, allowing many Omegas to buy them with their own earnings and choose the Alpha they wanted.

To protect Omegas, the Federation imposed numerous regulations to prevent abuse, so that Alphas couldn’t hoard or resell suppressants, forcing Omegas to endure humiliation.

Qiu Fu: “…”

“Then why didn’t you tell me before?”

Qiu Fu hurried online to place an order. When ordering, she also had to release her pheromones so the AI could verify her Omega identity.

Su Mo scratched her cheek, slightly embarrassed. She wasn’t from this world and hadn’t known about these rules. By the time she found out, it was already too late.

Among the people she knew, only Qiu Fu was an Omega, she had no one else to turn to. Otherwise, she would have to just send money and let Si Yu buy it herself. That felt somewhat disrespectful, though.

After placing the order, Qiu Fu tentatively said, “I can return it myself. After all, you only borrowed it for me.”

Su Mo thought for a moment and shook her head. “Forget it. I’ll get it from you later. I have publicity work with her anyway, so I’ll return it directly. She doesn’t know it’s you yet.”

“Our current public personas are still arch-enemies. For your safety, it’s better to keep it that way.”

Qiu Fu pressed her lips together, suddenly regretting agreeing to Pu Ying’s plan so quickly. Now it was too late to change her mind.

And Su Mo, did she really not understand what buying a suppressant for an Omega represented? Even if it was a return

“By the way, I’ve placed a child next door. If you have time, could you keep an eye on her for me?”

Su Mo seemed a bit troubled as she mentioned Tan Ya, which puzzled Qiu Fu. “Tan Ya?”

Su Mo froze. “You’ve met her?”

“Mm. Just met her.”

Qiu Fu didn’t hide it; after all, Jiang Xi would have told her.

Since Qiu Fu had already seen her, there was no need to hide anything from Su Mo. They were on the same side now, and some things could be shared.

Su Mo briefly explained Tan Ya’s background, including how her team had tracked the movements of Tan Ya’s uncle Tan Xing’s people near the hospital.

Qiu Fu hadn’t realized Tan Ya’s life had been so tragic. It reminded her of her own hardships in the orphanage but even then, it wasn’t this bad. She felt frustrated and ashamed at her earlier assumptions.

How could she have imagined Su Mo and Tan Ya having that kind of relationship? She had betrayed Su Mo’s trust.

“You need to be careful with that child.”

Qiu Fu, annoyed, tried to apologize. “I really—”

“Mm?”

“You just said what?”

She hadn’t quite caught it. Did Su Mo just say she needed to be careful with Tan Ya?

Why would she need to be careful around a child with such a tragic past?

Qiu Fu didn’t understand. Was there something about this child that Su Mo hadn’t mentioned?