The Scumbag Who Bowed for Money - Chapter 30

This was their second time coming to the supermarket together. Xie Yuanwei pushed the cart while following behind Le Shi. She watched as the omega tossed all kinds of snacks into it and slowly began to frown.

“We still have some at home,” Xie Yuanwei said.

Le Shi replied with a casual hum and turned to glance at her.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t buy more.”

Xie Yuanwei couldn’t help but say, “Eating too much isn’t good for you…”

The omega nodded and tossed a bag of chips and a pack of dried plums into the cart.

“Not listening.”

Xie Yuanwei was speechless.

Le Shi had a real addiction to snacks. Xie Yuanwei had seen her hiding stashes in the office, sneaking bites when no one was around. She’d even eat them alongside her lunch. Though the alpha had reminded her before, Le Shi would only act more rebellious, like mixing spicy strips directly into her rice.

“Xie Yuanwei,” Le Shi said, placing her hand on the cart. She turned slightly, her eyes filled with a teasing smile that nearly became tangible. “Have you thought of a name for the kitten?”

Xie Yuanwei shook her head.

“Not yet. I’ll think about it slowly.”

Le Shi had no objections. She led Xie Yuanwei toward the vegetable section. Their conversation sounded like an everyday exchange, almost casual.

“Why are you unhappy? Did I do something wrong today?”

“No,” Xie Yuanwei replied, lowering her head to pick vegetables.

Her hair, pressed down by the brim of her hat, hid the emotions flickering in her eyes. Her voice was calm, but Le Shi could still hear the sorrow behind it.

Le Shi didn’t push. She stood quietly beside her, watching her pick through the produce. From time to time, she asked, “Why?”

Xie Yuanwei answered her slowly, bit by bit. But eventually, her voice trailed off. She fell silent and realized she had said too much. It didn’t really match the image of who she was supposed to be.

“Why did you stop?” Le Shi asked, watching her carefully.

The omega stepped aside to make room for other shoppers. Her voice was muffled beneath her mask.

“If we don’t deal with this, we’ll grow distant.”

Xie Yuanwei responded quietly, “I know.”

Le Shi replied gently, “No, you don’t.”

“You’re a fool, Xie Yuanwei. Not everything can be handled alone. What’s between us isn’t something that can be fixed by one person declaring it will be fine.”

“If we run into problems, we work through them together. Alright?”

Xie Yuanwei didn’t respond. She opened her mouth, but closed it again. How could she explain that one phone call had made her feel scared and guilty? Even though she knew the issue would be resolved, she couldn’t stop blaming herself. It felt so irrational.

Just then, a voice came from someone’s phone nearby.

“Regarding today… Le Shi has confirmed that she and Xie Yuanwei are engaged, and are in a normal romantic relationship…”

Xie Yuanwei’s back went stiff.

She instinctively turned her head, but Le Shi stopped her. The omega grasped her hand tightly, firmly enough to wipe away even the smallest tremble.

Without saying a word, Le Shi pulled her out of the aisle and straight to checkout. She held the shopping bags in one hand, and with the other, she kept a steady grip on Xie Yuanwei. She did not let go, no matter how the alpha struggled.

On the walk back, Xie Yuanwei offered several times to carry the bags, but each time Le Shi cut her off with a sharp tone.

“Do I not have hands? If I can’t carry this little bit of stuff, I must be useless.”

After hearing that, Xie Yuanwei said nothing more.

Le Shi didn’t look angry, but Xie Yuanwei couldn’t quite figure out what emotion she was holding in.

Le Shi drove them back. She was clearly more familiar with the roads and took shortcuts to cut the time nearly in half. Before long, they had pulled smoothly into the garage.

Xie Yuanwei sat with her seatbelt still on, unmoving.

Then she heard the sound of the buckle clicking open. In the next second, her hat was removed, and her mask pulled down. Her face was gently but firmly cupped by the omega.

Le Shi’s hair was slightly tousled, her breathing a little unsteady.

“Are you afraid of being in the news?” she asked.

Xie Yuanwei wanted to say no. The original version of her had always been in the headlines. How could she possibly be afraid?

But Le Shi asked again, her tone more serious.

“I’m asking if you’re afraid of being in the news.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

Xie Yuanwei parted her lips and met her eyes. Slowly, she relaxed her body and leaned back slightly. The omega knelt on one knee beside her seat, a posture that could have felt intimidating, but to Xie Yuanwei, it didn’t feel oppressive at all.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I am afraid.”

Le Shi nodded, then let go of her face and said in a low voice, “I understand now. I didn’t think things through properly. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you in that position.”

Xie Yuanwei quietly reached out, trying to take her hand.

But instead, Le Shi took her hand first and held it tightly, not letting her speak.

Then she said softly, “At first, I really was angry this morning. But you have to believe me. I was only angry for a short time. What happened between us, we are both responsible for it.”

“I was the one who wanted to keep the engagement a secret. But now I regret that. I don’t want to hide it anymore.”

“But I really didn’t know you were afraid. I…”

Le Shi sighed, clearly frustrated with herself.

“This is my fault. Let’s talk things through little by little. Alright?”

Xie Yuanwei turned to look at her and finally let go of the breath she’d been holding.

She raised her hand to cover her face, then dropped it after a few seconds. Turning her head, she looked at Le Shi and spoke quietly.

“I called you this morning, but you didn’t answer. So I called Yan Yu and asked her a few things. You didn’t message me afterward either, and I thought you were mad at me.”

“I was afraid I had caused trouble for you. I thought if you needed pheromones, it wouldn’t be a problem. I could give them to you. But this time, I was the one who drank too much, and it made everything worse. I just felt really guilty. I…”

“I was just really scared.”

When she finished, she lowered her head again. She felt like she was being too dramatic. Her overthinking had even affected Le Shi.

Just as she began to lift her head, she felt herself being pulled into a warm embrace.

Le Shi was holding her.

She gently patted her on the back, comforting her the way Xie Yuanwei would comfort an omega.

“Not answering your call might have been because my phone was dying. It lit up once or twice, then shut down. I didn’t even have time to check it. After charging it, there were so many missed calls that I didn’t scroll through them all.”

Le Shi chuckled softly.

“Why would I ignore your calls on purpose? Do you really think I’m that petty?”

“Apologize.”

Xie Yuanwei opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, Le Shi covered her lips with her hand.

She leaned close and whispered near her ear.

“What I said to you in the office earlier was too harsh. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“Xie Yuanwei, it’s normal to have conflicts, but you have to talk about them. Otherwise, the only one who ends up suffering is you.”

“And you need to remember, ever since the moment I met you, I have never once regretted any decision I made about you.”

“Except for that one just now.”

Le Shi gently rocked Xie Yuanwei in her arms. The alpha took a deep breath and slowly returned the hug, softly replying, “Okay.”

“Don’t be afraid that you’ll be a burden to me. Le Shi isn’t someone who’s easily brought down. You have to trust me, and trust yourself too.”

Le Shi cupped her face, making her look up. Xie Yuanwei blinked as Le Shi asked, “Did you hear me?”

She responded quietly, her voice a little muffled, “I heard you.”

“Did you cry at home?”

“Yes,” Xie Yuanwei admitted honestly.

Le Shi’s eyes lit up with amusement.

“I thought you were a little ball of sunshine, but turns out you’re just a little crybaby.”

“Come on, let’s get out. I’m starving.”

Le Shi returned to her seat and got out of the car first, grabbing the shopping bags from the trunk.

Xie Yuanwei took a long breath, closed her eyes to gather herself, then followed.

The sky had dimmed, the clouds tinged with soft colors. They lingered gently above as the two of them walked back into the house together.

Xie Yuanwei slipped on her slippers and hesitated before asking, “When are we bringing the cat home?”

Le Shi was already curled up on the sofa, flipping through entertainment channels. She opened a pack of spicy strips and asked, “Are you going to work tomorrow?”

“… I don’t really want to.”

Le Shi flipped through the channels casually.

“Alright. I can afford to support you. If you don’t feel like working, don’t. Then you can go pick up the cat tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Xie Yuanwei turned to head into the kitchen to cook.

As she walked away, Le Shi called out, “Don’t eat too many snacks, or you won’t have room for dinner.”

“Oh well. Not listening.”

She turned around and shot Xie Yuanwei a playful grin, her eyes shining with laughter.

Xie Yuanwei gave a helpless nod and disappeared into the kitchen.

She wasn’t slow at cooking, so they finished dinner with plenty of time left in the evening. Le Shi didn’t feel like dealing with work and sat in place, deep in thought.

Xie Yuanwei asked, “What’s on your mind?”

“Want to watch a movie tonight?” Le Shi said, rubbing her chin.

“There’s a home theater upstairs.”

Xie Yuanwei froze for a second.

“Rich people are so unfair.”

The alpha bit her lip, a little excited despite herself.

“What kind of movie are we watching?”

Le Shi raised an eyebrow.

“I have a lot of rare horror films. Want to watch one?”

“… Sure,” Xie Yuanwei replied after a pause.

It was clear Le Shi really wanted to. She didn’t bother to hide her enthusiasm. She had a surprisingly high tolerance for these kinds of movies.

“Then I’m going to take a shower first.”

“Alright. I’ll cut up some fruit and bring it up later,” Xie Yuanwei said.

“You’re the best,” Le Shi replied with a satisfied smile.

Xie Yuanwei smiled in return.

“It’s nothing.”

And she really thought it would be nothing—until she walked into the theater room and saw Le Shi flinch the moment she stepped inside.

The alpha stared at her for a few seconds to make sure the movie hadn’t started yet. Then she walked in and spoke in a low voice.

“I brought some fruit.”

Le Shi didn’t look away from the screen. Her lips were pressed tight, and even from a distance, Xie Yuanwei could sense how tense she was.

She tilted her head and asked softly, “Are you scared?”

Le Shi glanced at her with a serious expression.

“No. I’m just a little cold.”

As if.

Xie Yuanwei didn’t believe it for a second.

“Then I’ll go get a blanket.”

“No, wait!”

Without turning her head, Le Shi reached out and grabbed her hand with pinpoint precision.

“Just sit here with me. I’m not cold. Really.”

Xie Yuanwei gave her a small smile. A strange sense of anticipation bloomed in her chest as she wondered what would happen once the movie actually began.

She had thought Le Shi might get scared. What she didn’t expect was just how terrified she would be.

As soon as the movie started building suspense, Le Shi drew in a sharp breath and edged closer.

Then, in a whisper, she said, “Come closer.”

“Cold?” Xie Yuanwei asked.

Le Shi gritted her teeth.

“Yes. I’m cold.”

Xie Yuanwei glanced at her. Le Shi had already half-closed her eyes.

She made a small sound and suddenly had an idea.

“Then I’ll go grab a blanket. Don’t be scared, President Le.”

Support The Scumbag Who Bowed for Money