The Scumbag’s Redemption: Kept by Her - Chapter 67

When Ling Jiao said that, the smile at the corner of Shen Yuwei’s lips deepened. Over the years, she had become skilled in issuing commands. Her demeanor carried the calm and unreadable poise of someone in power.

“So, you agree?” she asked gently. Her voice sounded soft, but her tone was cold and unwavering.

“If you want to become the son-in-law of the Ling family, you’ll need to show real sincerity. Surely you don’t think I would casually choose someone with no real ability, who dreams too big and schemes too easily?”

There was no need to explain further.

Ling Jiao had just been given an opportunity to work with her. The question was whether she had what it took to outshine the other candidates and make this elegant woman see her differently.

Ling Jiao lowered her head slightly, her expression growing darker. Her throat moved with a swallow, and after a long pause, she said quietly, “I’ll make you choose me willingly, Madam.”

Shen Yuwei smiled faintly. “I’ll be waiting to see that.”

The Ling family’s search for a husband resembled something like a historical contest. Not only were looks judged, but also behavior and manner. The slightest misstep would result in rejection without mercy.

Although many privately criticized this process, no one dared to speak out.

After all, Shen Yuwei had both status and beauty. She was immensely wealthy, and her high standards were understandable. There were even rumors that her late husband had adored her to the point of offering her the stars if she asked.

Some even whispered that, at her lowest point, it was the Ling family heiress who had pulled her up from the darkness, step by step.

There was an old saying: once you’ve seen the ocean, no river can compare. And after you’ve climbed Mount Wu, no cloud is worth chasing.

That she had remained a widow for six years without a single scandal was already impressive. After all, she was an omega. Each year during her heat, she had to rely on suppressants. Sooner or later, her body would develop resistance, and by then, it might be too late.

That was why many people actually sympathized with her decision, and some even wished they could take her place.

As soon as the news spread, countless people signed up. Even if they couldn’t win her hand, catching a glimpse of her was already worth the effort.

The event took place at a grand estate, surrounded by elegant scenery and fully equipped with entertainment facilities. There was even a racetrack the size of several football fields.

Shen Yuwei sat on a high platform above the racetrack, sipping tea from a white jade cup and watching the spectacle below with mild amusement.

Horses galloped across the field in a powerful display. Dust rose around them, and drones broadcast the scene to large display screens around the estate.

Many people had signed up to compete in this part of the event.

Shen Yuwei glanced sideways at her steward.

He leaned in and whispered, “Miss Zhou is not participating.”

According to the information they had gathered, Zhou Zhi had excelled in combat training back in school. The horse riding event was the perfect opportunity for her to shine.

But she hadn’t shown up.

Shen Yuwei raised her eyebrows in mild surprise.

The steward explained, “Madam, she’s still recovering.”

In other words, she probably wasn’t ready for such physically demanding activities.

Shen Yuwei gave a faint smile, neither confirming nor denying anything. As the steward was about to help her stand, he received a message on his device. After reading it, his expression changed immediately.

“Madam… Young Master Su is on his way here. He says he wants to see you.”

Shen Yuwei’s expression shifted slightly. “Really? Why now?”

Two years ago, her adopted son Su Huanran had experienced his first awakening. He had started out as a beta who couldn’t sense pheromones but unexpectedly differentiated into an alpha with an extremely rare type of scent. Around the same time, someone in his dormitory awakened as an omega whose pheromones were so intense they drove other alphas wild.

But Su Huanran had remained calm and unaffected.

That incident caught the authorities’ attention, and he was recruited into the military for special training. Since then, he had disappeared from the public eye.

If not for his monthly check-ins, Shen Yuwei might have feared something had happened to him.

And it wasn’t even time for his next scheduled message.

The steward became more nervous. Perhaps Su Huanran had heard rumors and come to stop what he saw as nonsense.

“Madam, do you want to meet him?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Shen Yuwei replied with a smile.

Ling Jiao hadn’t signed up for any competitive events. In the lounge, people came and went. She spotted Lin Quan again, the same man she had encountered outside the Huajian Restaurant.

Lin Quan hadn’t expected to see her here. His face darkened immediately, and his eyes filled with contempt.

“Well, well,” he said mockingly. “So you really think you can marry into the Ling family? How bold.”

A sickly alpha with no family support or promising future had no chance of winning Shen Yuwei’s favor, and Lin Quan made no effort to hide his scorn.

Ling Jiao remained unbothered. She replied calmly, “If someone like you has the nerve to walk outside, why should I feel ashamed?”

“And besides, you’re not Madam Shen. How do you know she wouldn’t prefer someone like me?”

“You’re not a fish. How would you know what brings joy to one?”

“You’re hopeless,” Lin Quan muttered.

Being looked down on by someone who had once outshone him was maddening. Still, he remembered where they were and held himself back.

“Number Six, Zhou Zhi.”

A voice called from the inner room.

Ling Jiao gave Lin Quan a quick look, then straightened her collar and walked away without another word.

This entire process felt like a job interview. Candidates waited for their number to be called. When it was time, they went in for questioning.

Ling Jiao entered the room and discreetly looked around. Shen Yuwei wasn’t there. Perhaps she had been held up.

“Why are you here today?”

“What do you think of the Ling family?”

“What are your strengths?”

Ling Jiao rubbed her forehead.

After a brief pause, she casually took a seat, leaned back with confidence, and laced her fingers together.

“What if I told you I’m here because I admire Madam Shen?” she said with a half-smile.

There was a long pause. The interviewers exchanged glances, trying not to show their reactions.

Ling Jiao continued, “I don’t have many special skills, but I do know how to speak well.”

Confident, almost arrogantly so.

If not for the pale tone of her skin, one might have mistaken her for a flirtatious playboy strolling in to tease the panel.

“You can go ask the Madam,” Ling Jiao said bluntly. “She might be interested.”

“In the capital, there once lived a skilled vocal mimic. During a grand banquet for guests, a screen eight feet high was set up in the northeast corner of the hall. The performer sat behind it, with only a table, a chair, a fan, and a wooden clapper before him.”

After speaking, Ling Jiao pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and gracefully covered her mouth and nose.

The evaluators instinctively straightened their backs and widened their eyes, eager to see what surprise she had in store. Soon, a few clear bird calls rang through the room, as if orioles had flown in through the cracks of the window. Then, the sounds began to shift. There was a kitten’s gentle meowing, the strong chords of heavy metal rock on a guitar, the sharp screech of a sudden brake, and finally, the soft, sweet voice of a young girl.

“Is that sincere enough for you?” she asked.

Her voice imitation shifted through many different styles with impressive range and clarity.

One of the evaluators was stunned, as if he could not believe all the sounds he had just heard had come from the woman in front of him.

They were all lifelike and vivid.

Ling Jiao was clearly pleased with the expressions on their faces. She touched her throat, gave a small cough, and quickly returned to her natural voice.

“I will go report this,” someone said after taking a deep breath and then stood up to leave.

Six years had passed, and technology had advanced from the early use of mobile phones to the development of the photonic brain prototype.

She walked to the window, opened her palm, and a transparent screen appeared, visible only to her. She sent a message to the Madam.

Ten minutes before the message arrived, Shen Yuwei was speaking with Su Huanzhen.

Su Huanzhen had noticed her unusually elegant appearance and finally spoke, trying to stay calm. “Madam, I think you owe me an explanation.”

Shen Yuwei rested her chin on her hand and replied slowly, “I still prefer when you call me Mother.”

When had the title changed? When had she become “Madam,” just like everyone else in the Ling household called her?

Su Huanzhen looked at her coldly. Though his features were still youthful, he already showed the presence of a maturing Alpha. After years of intense military training, his brow carried the marks of steadiness and rationality.

To his teammates, he was a trustworthy partner who had faced life and death beside them. Everyone who knew him said he made people feel safe. Yet in front of Shen Yuwei, he always seemed more emotional. Perhaps in a few more years, he would face her with greater ease, and his methods would become more refined. But for now, he had come to question her.

“Have you forgotten who risked his life to save you?”

“Who was trusted with the entire Ling family?”

“How can you face her after everything?”

Shen Yuwei looked at Su Huanzhen, who was nearly an adult. After a moment, she smiled gently and replied calmly, “People always look forward, don’t they?”

“She died. Was I supposed to die for love because of that?”

Su Huanzhen was at a loss for words.

“You are still so naive.”

Shen Yuwei rubbed her brow and continued, “Alright, alright. Since you are home now, stay for a few more days. I will speak to the others about it.”

With just a few words, she ended the conversation.

Su Huanzhen turned and walked away, his sleeve brushing sharply through the air.

The butler stepped forward and gently massaged her temples. “Madam, Huanzhen is still young.”

Sunlight poured over Shen Yuwei’s delicate and beautiful face, revealing a trace of hidden fatigue beneath her calm expression. She smiled faintly and said nothing more.

At that moment, a message arrived on the photonic screen. Shen Yuwei opened it, and the smile on her lips faded slightly. Her expression shifted between calm and thoughtful.

“She does have some skill,” she said quietly.

The butler did not understand what she meant.

**

Ling Jiao never got to see the person she had hoped for. She was politely asked to leave. When she inquired, the only answer she received was, “Please wait for further notice.”

Ling Jiao fell silent.

It was such a textbook case of red tape.

Ignoring the mocking sneer Lin Quan threw her way, Ling Jiao walked out of the reception hall without the slightest change in expression.

One relatively humane rule of the Ling family was that as long as the guests remained within the estate grounds, they could eat and drink freely. The food was even better than many high-end restaurants. Ling Jiao had a meal at the small dining hall. Perhaps because of her particular background, or simply out of pride, most of the guests who considered themselves respectable did not choose to dine there.

She was not alone in the small dining hall. There were several other betas, both men and women, with refined features and calm demeanors.

They were chatting quietly about the earlier meeting.

“What a pity. I really wanted to see the Madam in person.”

“I heard she appeared at the racetrack this morning. People say she looked stunning.”

“I wonder who the lucky one will be, the person she chooses.”

“It definitely won’t be you. Why would the Madam pick a beta? An Alpha-Omega match is the ideal path.”

Ling Jiao twitched at the corner of her mouth.

If it’s true love, how could anyone give it up just because it doesn’t follow the mainstream?

She listened to their gossip for a while, casually picked up some fruit and desserts to nibble on, then left the dining hall and exited the estate.

Since she didn’t bring back any good news, the chubby Milo tried to comfort her. “If she doesn’t see your worth, that’s her loss. Besides, there hasn’t been any word about who the Madam picked. Maybe she’s treating everyone equally.”

“Once you get your health back, you’ll have plenty of beautiful Omega women lining up to like you.”

Back when the Zhou family hadn’t gone bankrupt, Zhou Zhi had helped Milo a great deal. That’s why he now tried so hard to comfort her, pulling out every word he could think of.

Ling Jiao sipped from her straw and rolled her eyes at him.

“I like taking on impossible challenges,” she said.

After speaking, she let out a soft sigh. There was a breath stuck in her chest that she couldn’t quite release. That was why she didn’t directly tell Shen Yuwei about the soul transfer. Coming back from the dead sounded completely ridiculous. Anyone who didn’t know the truth would think she was insane. She might even end up being sent to a mental hospital.

What Ling Jiao really wanted to know was why Shen Yuwei had done this, and whether she still had any feelings for her at all.

At first, Ling Jiao had clung to her for all sorts of reasons. But later, she had truly fallen in love. If Shen Yuwei no longer had any affection for her, and there was no outside pressure forcing them together, then Ling Jiao felt she could let go and move on without resentment.

If there is no love, there is no need to force anything.

Still, Ling Jiao asked herself quietly.

Are you really willing to give up?

No one would willingly hand over the one they love to someone else, helping another person take their place.

Seeing that her expression had become unsettled, Milo didn’t know how to comfort her. He simply gave her a pat on the shoulder and said, “No matter what you decide, I’ll support you.”

Ling Jiao smiled faintly and raised her cup to him.

She had assumed that the so-called notification would be like one of those interviews that never followed up, vague and hopeless. But to her surprise, the very next day after leaving the estate, she received an invitation letter.

She had been invited to attend the Ling family’s banquet that evening.

At the banquet, Shen Yuwei would officially announce to all the invited guests who the chosen one would be, the lucky person who would become the Ling family’s son-in-law, in front of everyone.

Milo rubbed his chin and asked her, “So, are you going?”

Ling Jiao ground her back teeth and answered, “Of course I’m going!”

She needed to see for herself who was trying to put a green hat on her head.

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