The Scumbag Alpha's Plan to Save the Female Lead - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Zhi Qiu didn’t know how to evaluate Ren Yi.

On one hand, he seemed worldly and far-sighted, yet he went empty-handed to steal his bride at a wedding. On the other hand, she couldn’t call him a blockhead or a useless scholar, as he was capable of running circles around the forces of the Yuan and Song families and took Yuan Menglu abroad.

When she learned the truth in her past life, she was both angry and relieved. She was angry that he initially only treated Yuan Menglu as a junior, causing her friend years of agonizing unrequited love, which nearly led her to accept a marriage arrangement. But she was also relieved that he was indeed a reliable person. The Song family had threatened to kill him, yet they ultimately failed to touch him as he flourished overseas.

The only pair whose ending could be considered complete before her death was probably this couple wandering the world together.

Ren Yi saw Zhi Qiu looking at him coldly and scratched his head in confusion, not knowing how he had offended the Zhi family’s young miss. Just as he couldn’t bear Zhi Qiu’s silent scrutiny and was about to leave, Zhi Qiu broke the silence.

“I need you to take all the credit for saving Ruan Ye today, as well as the blame for Fu Jinyan’s injury. You handle the negotiations with Ruan Ye, and the Zhi family will deal with Fu Jinyan.”

The first words out of her mouth were to make him take the fall. Ren Yi squinted the eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses and adopted a formal posture: “Student Zhi, I am not a teacher at Norrington. If you want me to do something for you, you need to provide a reason.”

“You injected Fu Jinyan with three times the inhibitor dose. The Fu family will unconditionally suppress your company.”

Nonsense. He clearly just misjudged the dosage.

Ren Yi raised an eyebrow, only to see Zhi Qiu pick up the inhibitor and forcefully inject a needle into her own scent gland. The cedar-scented pheromones in the air abruptly ceased.

Zhi Qiu let out a long breath and slowly laid out her final card: “The Zhi family is willing to give CODE an opportunity.”

Ren Yi’s upturned smile began to stiffen and vanished completely.

The Zhi family was booming in City A, but the high-tech electronics sector was currently dominated by the Song family, followed by the Yuan family, leaving the Zhi family in third place. However, for Ren Yi now, the Zhi family was undoubtedly the most cost-effective choice, but…

This unexpected gift not only landed on him but was also fed into his mouth, making him unwilling to believe it.

He didn’t refuse outright: “I don’t know where you learned all this, and although you are an only daughter, the company’s power still rests with your father. I can agree to take full responsibility for today, but the condition is that I want to know your reason for helping me.”

Thinking of the wedding that never happened in the original story, Zhi Qiu’s eyes darkened.

She had drowned in the sea. Ren Yi and Yuan Menglu’s wedding was scheduled for the next day. Given her best friend’s personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if she canceled the wedding and insisted on returning home for Zhi Qiu’s funeral. It would have left Ren Yi in a difficult position, caught between the Yuan and Song families upon his return.

Outside the changing room window, a flock of migratory birds flew by. Zhi Qiu watched them, reminiscing about the past.

Ren Yi felt a sense of surprise. This young Alpha seemed to hide many secrets. A thought crossed his mind—a deeply illogical guess—but he quickly dismissed it. Zhi Qiu’s reputation at Norrington was well-known.

“The Zhi family also intends to further develop in the high-tech sector, and a cooperation with CODE is…” Zhi Qiu began to lie with a steady face, not noticing the black earring in her left ear faintly growing hot.

Before she could finish her remaining words, Zhi Qiu suddenly changed the topic, speaking with indignation: “If Yuan Menglu didn’t like you, do you think my Zhi family would care about CODE, which has been developing abroad, far from the central power? A strong dragon can’t beat a local snake! I don’t know how an idiot like you, who can’t even manage his own feelings, developed CODE in the first place. If I had known your true nature, I should have strangled Yuan Menglu’s feelings for you in the cradle! The foolish girl gave up wealth and status for you, leaving her home, yet you couldn’t even give her a proper wedding, you useless good-for-nothing!”

Ren Yi’s eyes widened, but the Truth System wasn’t done yet, continuing to broadcast Zhi Qiu’s innermost thoughts.

“I don’t know which eye of Yuan Menglu’s was blind to give up such a bright future for you, an Alpha who can’t even give her a wedding, to wander the world. Do you understand why I’m helping you now? I refuse to see her future self fighting with her family for your sake!”

Ren Yi’s face was dark. He gritted his teeth and said, “I don’t know where you heard people spreading these rumors. How could I be with a little girl I watched grow up? The Zhi family doesn’t need to worry about CODE.”

After making his harsh statement, Ren Yi scooped Fu Jinyan from the floor and slammed the door as he left.

Zhi Qiu covered her mouth.

How did she blurt out her true thoughts?

Thinking of the only variable in the room, Zhi Qiu’s eyes darkened. She waved her hand and tossed the earring out the window.

The earring was thrown from the fifth floor. Just as it was about to hit the ground, it suddenly transformed into a bird, flying vertically back up the way it came, only to bump its nose on the glass.

An angry Zhi Qiu closed the window.

The rejected Truth System: QAQ

Upon hearing that Ruan Ye wanted to ask about Zhi Qiu, Yuan Menglu sneered and spoke dismissively: “Talk? What is there to talk about between us? We are not even in the same world. Zhi Qiu only helped you once. So many O’s have been helped by her. Don’t flatter yourself and think that her showing you a bit of goodwill means she likes you.”

Yuan Menglu was in a bad mood and instinctively resorted to sarcasm.

Under normal circumstances, Ruan Ye would have wisely walked away. But this time, she precisely extracted a crucial piece of information from Yuan Menglu’s short sentence.

Did Zhi Qiu have a good impression of her?

Thinking of the Alpha who had been kneeling on the floor moments ago, struggling against her physiological instincts, Ruan Ye felt a severe flush of heat. The scent of cedarwood had carved out a safe space for her in the cramped changing room. Although there had clearly been three Alphas present, she only registered the clear, pure scent of cedar.

“Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?” Yuan Menglu looked confused, unaware that her casual remark had caused a revolutionary shift in the plot.

“No, I’m fine.” Ruan Ye waved her hand, her face still flushed. The sunlight shining on her, free from the cabinet’s shadow, made her look exceptionally bright, as if she had found the cornerstone of her life.

To be safe, Yuan Menglu still made a call to Ren Yi, who was rushing back.

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