Transmigrated into a Classic Dog-Blood Drama as the Scummy Alpha - Chapter 56

On Saturday, since Tiantian didn’t have school, Shen Xian brought her along to the office. While Tiantian played, Shen Xian busied herself reviewing the resumes that Li Xing had already screened. As she flipped through the stack, a familiar name caught her eye—Yu Qingwan. Shen Xian let out a cold chuckle. Still not giving up, huh? Without hesitation, she tossed Yu Qingwan’s resume aside. Join her company? Yu

Qingwan can keep dreaming.

Recently, Tiantian had developed a love for puzzles, so Shen Xian bought her a small cat-themed jigsaw puzzle. Tiantian was happily hunched over the table, fully immersed in the game. Shen Xian had also prepared a fruit platter and freshly squeezed juice for her. Tiantian would take a few bites, then piece together a few puzzle parts—entirely content in her little world.

While sifting through resumes, Shen Xian would occasionally glance over at Tiantian. Seeing her daughter so happy playing on her own, Shen Xian couldn’t help but smile.

At lunchtime, Shen Xian ordered shrimp dumplings and pumpkin porridge for Tiantian, and a bowl of rice with spicy crawfish for herself. After helping Tiantian get settled with her food, Tiantian picked up her kiddie chopsticks and started munching away with delighted little noises.

Just as Shen Xian opened her own takeout container, revealing a box of fiery red spicy crawfish, Tiantian’s attention was instantly captured. Her big eyes sparkled as she asked curiously, “Mommy, what’s that?”

Of course Shen Xian knew what Tiantian meant—she wanted to try it. But the crawfish was extra spicy, and with kids’ delicate stomachs, it was absolutely off-limits.

Smiling, Shen Xian explained gently, “This one’s really spicy, sweetie. It’ll make your tummy hurt, so kids can’t eat it.”

Tiantian pouted a little, stealing a few more glances at the crawfish before reluctantly turning back to her own dumplings. “Okay… then Tiantian will eat her own food.” But even as she said that, her gaze kept drifting toward Shen Xian’s lunch.

Trying to reassure her, Shen Xian said, “If you eat lots and grow up faster, you can eat spicy food too!”

Tiantian nodded obediently and took a big sip of pumpkin porridge, showing her determination to eat more and grow up soon.

Only then did Shen Xian sit down and start peeling the crawfish. But she had only just started when the rich aroma drew Tiantian back again.

“Mommy, is it yummy~?” Tiantian asked with wide, expectant eyes.

Shen Xian was amused but didn’t want to lie. “It’s okay. Just really spicy.”

Tiantian stared at the crawfish meat in Shen Xian’s hand. “So when I grow up, I can eat it too, right?”

“That’s right,” Shen Xian nodded. “Once you’re a little older, you can eat it. It won’t be long.”

Satisfied, Tiantian nodded and returned to her dumplings.

Shen Xian let out a breath of relief and made a mental note to avoid eating things Tiantian couldn’t have in front of her from now on. Being stared at while eating made her feel oddly guilty.

—

Meanwhile, gossip was spreading like wildfire in Lin Qinghan’s hospital, all centering around Lu Jianbai.

After lunch, Lin Qinghan and Han Rui were resting in the breakroom when a colleague leaned in conspiratorially and said, “Guess why Lu Jianbai took a leave of absence?”

Lin Qinghan immediately felt a wave of nausea at the mention of his name and didn’t respond.

Han Rui, on the other hand, was curious. “Why?”

“A doctor from City Hospital said it was a huge scandal. Apparently, the police had to send him to the ER, and rumor has it… he was assaulted from behind. But with no evidence, they’re saying he got drunk and hooked up with some random person. He can only sleep face-down now.”

“Serves him right,” another female doctor muttered. “People like him deserve it. Maybe now he’ll think twice before hurting others again.”

Hearing this, Lin Qinghan couldn’t help but think of Shen Xian. Between that and how Shen Xian had handled Zhao Qiang previously, a suspicion started to form in her mind. Could Shen Xian have had something to do with this too?

Han Rui gave Lin Qinghan a nudge. “Hey, what are you thinking? This is such satisfying news, but you look so serious.”

Lin Qinghan gave a faint smile. “He doesn’t matter to me anymore. No point wasting energy on irrelevant people.”

“True. Trash isn’t worth our time.”

Soon, the rumors about Lu Jianbai had spread throughout the entire hospital. Zhao Qing and Liu Wenwen were absolutely furious. Lu Jianbai had always been their ideal man—handsome, well-off, and popular.

Now that his reputation had been shattered, they wished they could silence every person gossiping about him.

“There’s no way Dr. Lu would do something like that! Someone must be jealous of him and made this up!” Zhao Qing exclaimed angrily.

“Exactly! They’re just jealous because he’s attractive and has a good family. Once he comes back, all those rumors will disappear,” Liu Wenwen agreed.

Meanwhile, Lu Jianbai, still recovering in the hospital, was fuming. Most of his injuries had healed over the past two weeks—except for those injuries. His lower half was still swollen, and he had been surviving on liquid food. He hadn’t even dared to tell his family, claiming he was on a business trip.

Grinding his teeth in humiliation, he tried to recall who might have targeted him—but no names came to mind. All he could do was endure.

—

Later that afternoon, Shen Xian picked up Lin Qinghan after work. Tiantian started tattling the moment she got into the car. “Mama! Mommy ate spicy, red crawfish at lunch and didn’t let Tiantian have any~!”

Lin Qinghan looked amused at Tiantian’s grumbling and reached over to pinch her round little cheeks. “I see. But that’s too spicy for you, sweetie. You can try it once you grow up.”

Hearing that her tattling hadn’t worked, Tiantian pouted. “But… but… but…” After a long pause, she finally gave in. “Okay, I’ll eat it when I’m big.”

From the rearview mirror, Shen Xian watched this whole scene with a grin. “Hey now, little rascal. You went and ratted me out to your mom, huh?”

Tiantian pouted even more. “I did not! I’m not a rascal!”

“Alright, alright. You’re our little sweetheart, okay?”

That pleased Tiantian, who happily nodded and patted her little pigtail.

Lin Qinghan gave Shen Xian a mock scolding. “Honestly, with Tiantian there, how could you eat spicy food in front of her?”

Shen Xian admitted defeat without hesitation, grinning sheepishly. “You’re right. It was my bad. I promise I won’t do it again.”

Tiantian burst into giggles in her seat, and Lin Qinghan was soon laughing too.

Shen Xian couldn’t help but feel a little wronged. I’m almost a CEO now, yet at home, I’m at the bottom of the food chain…

—

Back at home, Shen Xian handled dinner like always. She figured the more housework she did, the less Lin Qinghan had to worry about. Soon, dinner was served.

After they ate, Lin Qinghan put on some cartoons for Tiantian and headed to the kitchen, where Shen Xian was doing the dishes.

Without looking up, Shen Xian said, “It’s just a couple of bowls, I’ve got it.”

Leaning against the counter, Lin Qinghan narrowed her eyes. “Don’t change the subject. Did you have something to do with what happened to Lu Jianbai?”

Still washing dishes, Shen Xian replied casually, “What happened to him?”

“He’s been on medical leave for over a month. Word is he got… assaulted at a bar.”

Shen Xian paused. She had asked Fu Binbin to “deal with” Lu Jianbai after the incident at the mountain, but hadn’t asked for the details. Now, hearing it from Lin Qinghan, she was starting to piece it together.

“He probably got drunk and messed with the wrong person,” she said, continuing to wash.

“Shen Xian, look at me and say it again. It really had nothing to do with you?”

Shen Xian set down the bowl, stood up, and looked at her. She hadn’t intended to worry Lin Qinghan, but remembering how the original Shen Xian had lied so many times, she knew she had to be honest.

She sighed. “Yes, I asked someone to teach Lu Jianbai a lesson. He tampered with the water during the hike, and we couldn’t even get solid proof. I couldn’t just let it go. So I asked someone to scare him a bit, make sure he learns his lesson. I didn’t know what exactly they did, I swear. I just didn’t want to see you hurt again.”

As she spoke, Shen Xian noticed Lin Qinghan’s eyes turning red and began to panic, speaking faster.

She was holding up her still-wet hands when Lin Qinghan suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Shen Xian’s waist. Afraid of getting her wet, Shen Xian kept her arms raised but let her hold her.

After a moment, Lin Qinghan looked up at her. “Are you stupid? What if Lu Jianbai finds out it was you? What would Tiantian and I do if something happened to you?”

Shen Xian wanted to hug her back but her hands were dripping. Instead, she spoke softly. “It’s okay. Fu Binbin has powerful connections—Lu Jianbai wouldn’t dare touch me. I couldn’t just stand by and watch you suffer.”

Leaning into Shen Xian’s chest, Lin Qinghan muttered, “I’m being serious. Don’t do anything like this again. It’s too risky. He’s not worth it.”

Shen Xian, touched by how worried she was, gently wrapped her arms around her. “Okay, I won’t do anything dangerous again. I won’t make you worry.”

She had assumed Lin Qinghan would be upset because her actions were too harsh. But in truth, Lin Qinghan was only worried about her. The thought warmed Shen Xian’s heart, and she couldn’t suppress the smile spreading across her face.

Seeing her grin, Lin Qinghan gave her a playful glare. Taking advantage of the fact that Shen Xian couldn’t move her arms, she pinched her cheek. “What are you smiling for? I’m scolding you!”

Shen Xian obediently let herself be pinched. “Not smiling anymore! I swear, no more reckless stuff!”

Only then did Lin Qinghan release her.

—

While they were talking, Tiantian noticed she was alone in the living room and wandered into the kitchen, only to see her mama holding her mommy.

She peeked her little head around the corner and asked, “Mommy? Mama? What are you doing?”

Startled, both women jumped. Lin Qinghan quickly let go and stepped back, cheeks flushed. Shen Xian, too, felt awkward. Hugging wasn’t anything inappropriate, but getting caught by Tiantian made her flustered.

Struggling to think of a response, Shen Xian stammered, “We were just… um… busy.”

Tiantian tilted her head in confusion. “But weren’t you hugging?”

“Ah, that…” Shen Xian scrambled to change the subject. “Right! Qinghan, I bought mangosteen, mango, and yogurt earlier. How about you make a fruit salad for Tiantian?”

Lin Qinghan awkwardly brushed back her hair and fanned herself. “Yes! Mama will make you a fruit salad, okay?”

Just as they hoped, the mention of snacks worked. Tiantian, a little foodie, instantly forgot about the earlier moment and happily tugged Lin Qinghan toward the fridge.

Once she was gone, Shen Xian breathed a sigh of relief—though she still couldn’t figure out why she had been so nervous in the first place.