The Scumbag Who Bowed for Money - Chapter 34
“I often wonder what I would do if I really had to face Le Shi’s admirers. I talked to Dr. Li today. She said my condition is improving.”
Xie Yuanwei put down her phone and ignored the stream of messages from Yan Yu. She lay in bed, feeling the weight shift as someone climbed in beside her. Just as she closed her eyes, thinking she could finally sleep, she heard Le Shi’s quiet voice beside her.
“What did you send to Yan Yu?”
Xie Yuanwei didn’t respond.
Seriously? She went and told on her?
Without a word, the alpha opened her phone and scrolled quickly through Yan Yu’s messages. The general meaning was clear. They were friends now, and nothing gave Yan Yu more joy than causing a little harmless chaos.
Xie Yuanwei gritted her teeth and replied with one simple message.
“Read. Blocked.”
Then she turned over and smiled.
“My hand just moved on its own.”
Le Shi let out a cold chuckle.
“Don’t be mad,” Xie Yuanwei said softly.
Le Shi turned her back to her and replied with a flat tone.
“Don’t worry. I won’t wear it again.”
Xie Yuanwei fell silent.
The next morning, Le Shi woke up much earlier than Xie Yuanwei. When she looked at the date, she suddenly remembered she had a follow-up appointment. She sat on the bed for a moment, then turned to glance at the still-sleeping Xie Yuanwei, unsure what to do.
She couldn’t quite figure her out. Xie Yuanwei, as an alpha, was always the one giving in. But she also never let Le Shi get too close. That kind of distance made the omega uneasy.
After a few moments of hesitation, she pulled a pillow from behind her and threw it directly at Xie Yuanwei’s face. Her tone was calm.
“Xie Yuanwei, get up.”
“If you keep pretending to sleep, I’ll throw you out of bed.”
She had just realized Xie Yuanwei was faking it. She had to admit, the alpha’s acting was pretty convincing.
Xie Yuanwei let out a sheepish laugh and placed the pillow back behind Le Shi.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have a follow-up today. Are you coming?”
Xie Yuanwei opened her eyes, looked to the side, and answered.
“Of course. I’ll get up now.”
She got out of bed, and they both quickly got ready. They left the house early. Dr. Li had clearly expected them and came in early just for the appointment.
Just like before, Xie Yuanwei sat on a bench in the hospital hallway, pulling her cap low to avoid attention.
Le Shi didn’t deliberately attract attention, but without any effort to hide her presence, she easily drew people’s eyes. The moment they walked in together, people started looking their way. The looks weren’t openly hostile, but they definitely weren’t friendly either.
Xie Yuanwei hadn’t felt this kind of attention in a long time. Some of those glances carried envy. Others were filled with admiration.
She figured the envy was directed at her. The admiration was clearly for Le Shi.
With nothing better to do, she idly played with her phone and sent a good morning message to Yan Yu. That felt like a big step. Hopefully, Yan Yu would notice and appreciate it.
“Miss Xie, you can come in.”
Dr. Li opened the door and called her name. Xie Yuanwei stood up and walked in. Le Shi was dabbing her neck with a tissue and looked genuinely happy when she saw her.
“Xie Yuanwei,” she said with a bright smile. “My condition has improved. Soon, my pheromones will function normally again.”
Xie Yuanwei paused, surprised, then felt truly happy for her. She pulled out a chair and sat beside her, then leaned in slightly.
“Congratulations, President Le.”
Le Shi glanced at her and looked away, clearly satisfied.
“There are a few things I still need to explain,” Dr. Li said as she handed them a report. “President Le is showing clear signs of improvement. The medication made from the last dose of pheromones has significantly reduced her symptoms. That means issues like rashes, mood swings, and other reactions should stop soon.”
She took a sip of water before continuing.
“Miss Xie, you probably understand this part. As President Le’s condition improves, the compatibility between your pheromones might decrease.”
Both of them froze. They looked at each other but said nothing.
Dr. Li seemed to expect their reaction.
“It’s not guaranteed, but there is a strong possibility. When her glands were damaged, your pheromone compatibility was high. But the attraction between you wasn’t that intense.”
“If the treatment works and the compatibility drops, you might meet someone with a higher match. That kind of attraction will be much stronger and harder to resist.”
She looked at them seriously.
“Of course, all of this depends on how deep your relationship is.”
If you’re truly in love, it will not matter. But if you’re not, this could become a serious obstacle.
Just as Le Shi opened her mouth to speak, Dr. Li interrupted her.
“There’s one more thing I must say. During treatment, if an alpha marks an omega, whether it’s temporary or permanent, the bond will be deeper than usual.”
“In other words, if Miss Xie marks President Le during this time, it cannot be removed.”
With that, Dr. Li stood up, clearly exhausted and ready to end the appointment.
Xie Yuanwei and Le Shi didn’t linger either. But just before they left, Dr. Li stopped Le Shi and whispered something in her ear. Then she closed the office door behind them.
Outside the room, Le Shi’s face had turned completely red.
Xie Yuanwei’s curiosity was obvious, but she didn’t dare to ask. Even in the car, she kept hesitating and looking over, making it impossible for Le Shi to ignore her any longer.
Le Shi turned and asked seriously.
“Do you really want to know?”
Xie Yuanwei immediately straightened up and nodded.
“I do.”
“Alright, come closer.”
Le Shi hooked her finger and pulled Xie Yuanwei toward her. She wrapped an arm around her neck and leaned in close to whisper softly into her ear, her breath warm against her skin.
“Dr. Li said that if we do it without protection, there’s a high chance I’ll get pregnant.”
Xie Yuanwei froze.
Her ears turned bright red in an instant. She sat upright and stared straight ahead, completely unable to look at Le Shi again.
Le Shi turned toward the window, trying to stay composed.
“You’re driving me to the office today. Pick me up after work.”
Xie Yuanwei nodded. She tried to calm the heat rising in her face and then drove Le Shi to her company. On the way, the omega casually mentioned what she wanted to eat for lunch and dinner.
Naturally, Xie Yuanwei agreed to everything without hesitation.
After dropping Le Shi off at work, she went straight to the pet store. Only when the kitten was safely in her arms did she feel at ease. She brought it home right away.
The kitten was still very young and a bit afraid of the unfamiliar environment. It wouldn’t stop meowing but was extremely clingy, following Xie Yuanwei everywhere she went.
Fortunately, the pet store had already trained the kitten to use the litter box, which made things easier. Over the past few days, Xie Yuanwei had been watching pet care videos and reading posts from pet bloggers. She had done her homework well.
While she was cooking, the kitten eventually tired itself out and curled up in its little bed for a nap.
Just before heading to the office, Xie Yuanwei poured out some cat food, rubbed the kitten’s little head, and said her goodbye.
“I’m heading out now. I’ll be back soon.”
The kitten meowed loudly in response.
“Bye-bye.”
Xie Yuanwei closed the door behind her. As she walked down the small path, she looked up at the villa and felt a strange sense of detachment. All of this still felt unreal. She had suddenly moved into such a nice home and was even living a bit comfortably.
She sighed deeply and pushed the thoughts aside, then drove to the company.
As soon as she entered the building, she overheard someone talking.
“Did you see her? That female alpha who just walked in. So handsome. And she looked like she had something going on with our President Le.”
“I know, right? You don’t see alphas like that very often. And she looked so good next to President Le.”
“Exactly. That was Xie… what’s her name again?”
Xie Yuanwei quickened her pace and managed to catch the elevator just in time. As she stepped out and walked toward Le Shi’s office, she bumped into the assistant who was on her way out with a cup of coffee.
The assistant froze for a second when she saw her. Her eyes dropped to the food container in Xie Yuanwei’s hand. She let out a surprised sound before speaking.
“You don’t need to bring lunch today. President Le already has plans with someone else. You can head back.”
Xie Yuanwei stood still for a moment and replied calmly.
“But Le Shi didn’t message me.”
“She’s been too busy. You know about the Zhu family, right? And Zhu He? He came with a major contract. President Le has been in meetings all morning. It’s normal that she didn’t have time to text you.”
The alpha hesitated but still reached for her phone.
“I should ask her myself.”
The assistant’s smile faded. She stared at Xie Yuanwei for a long moment. When she saw the alpha finally put her phone away, she smiled again and gestured toward the office.
“If you don’t believe me, come take a look.”
She walked ahead quickly and pushed open the door just wide enough for Xie Yuanwei to see inside.
Le Shi was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, chatting with Zhu He. They seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation. From the looks of it, she really didn’t have time.
“Maybe she just forgot.”
Xie Yuanwei let out a slow, silent breath. She carried the lunchbox back down the elevator, returned to her car, and opened the container. She began eating by herself.
Le Shi had said she wanted sweet and sour ribs and glass noodles.
Xie Yuanwei held the container in her lap. Halfway through eating, she stopped. Her hands paused midair. Her lips parted slightly, but she had nothing to say.
In the end, she finished her meal in silence.
She whispered to herself.
“Time to go home. The flowers need watering.”
Back in the office, Le Shi stood up with a calm smile and politely declined Zhu He’s invitation.
“Let’s skip the meal this time. Maybe next time. My partner is bringing me lunch.”
Zhu He hesitated, unwilling to give up.
“President Le, are you really not going to consider giving me a chance?”
Le Shi smiled, just as calm.
“No, thank you. But I promise, I’ll treat you to a proper meal another time.”
She turned to her assistant.
“Take Mr. Zhu downstairs and book a restaurant.”
The assistant hesitated. After a few seconds, she finally answered.
“Xie Yuanwei already left. I told her you had other plans. President Le, please forgive me for taking matters into my own hands. Mr. Zhu came all this way and I just…”
Zhu He quickly added, trying to smooth things over.
“It’s alright.”
Le Shi turned to look at the assistant. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“You told Xie Yuanwei I had plans with someone else?”
“I’ve taken care of you for years. Is your brain getting worse instead of better?”
Her voice dropped. Her expression turned cold as she stared her assistant down.
“I’ll deal with you when I get back.”
Xie Yuanwei: So mad, still eating.
Also wants to cry, but takes another bite.
Le Shi: Get me a new assistant.
No need to keep someone around just to be a tool.
Damn, I forgot what else I wanted to say.
Oh, right. We are not doing the baby plot.