Transmigrated into a Classic Dog-Blood Drama as the Scummy Alpha - Chapter 58

Shen Xian didn’t give Yu Qingwan any room to ease the tension. That very day, she sent the surveillance footage from the company entrance straight to her lawyer. She wanted Yu Qingwan to finally understand—she was no longer the lovesick fool she used to be.

Ever since Tiantian had learned about spicy crayfish, she’d been dropping hints to Shen Xian nonstop.

“Mommy, when are we going to eat that red, red shrimp again?” she’d ask sweetly.

Shen Xian couldn’t help but laugh. “Didn’t I tell you? That one’s really spicy. Sweetie can’t eat spicy food.”

Tiantian sat in her lap, blinking her big eyes pitifully. “But Tiantian dreamed about shrimp last night~” Clearly, she wasn’t giving up.

Shen Xian sighed and tried a different tactic. “How about Mommy makes you another kind of shrimp? It’s super tasty—better than the red spicy kind.”

“Huh? Tiantian hasn’t had that one before?” Tiantian’s curiosity was piqued.

Shen Xian nodded. Seeing that she had her daughter’s attention, she continued, “It’s called salt-baked shrimp. Mommy makes it really well. Want to try it?”

“Okay! Tiantian wants to eat it!” Tiantian agreed immediately, bright-eyed.

When Lin Qinghan came out of the shower, she saw Shen Xian and Tiantian huddled together, whispering conspiratorially over the phone. Amused, she walked over and peeked at the screen. “What are you two plotting again?”

“Mommy is going to make me salt-baked shrimp! She’s ordering them now!” Tiantian beamed.

Lin Qinghan gently scratched her daughter’s chin and chuckled. “Fine, we’ll buy it. Your Mommy spoils you too much—gives you whatever you want.”

Tiantian cuddled closer into Shen Xian’s arms, her little dimples showing. “Tiantian loves Mama and Mommy~”

Shen Xian gave her a playful pinch on the cheek. “You just love yummy food, don’t you, my little glutton? The shrimp’s already ordered. I’ll make it for you soon, okay?”

“Mhm!” Tiantian nodded enthusiastically, still nestled in Shen Xian’s arms.

Watching the heartwarming exchange, Lin Qinghan’s eyes filled with a quiet smile. A few months ago, she never would’ve imagined a moment like this.

Soon after, the delivery guy brought the mantis shrimp and sea salt Shen Xian had ordered.

She first stir-fried the sea salt with a few spices—Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. Then she cleaned and dried the shrimp thoroughly, spread half the seasoned salt in the pan, layered the shrimp on top, and covered them with the remaining salt. After a few minutes of baking, the aroma began wafting through the apartment.

Tiantian, enticed by the scent, had already scooted to the kitchen entrance, but Shen Xian quickly had her sit on a stool outside to avoid accidents.

Seeing that the shrimp were nearly done, Lin Qinghan began stir-frying vegetables. Before long, they had a full spread of dishes on the table.

Since mantis shrimp were tricky to peel, Shen Xian scooped out the meat into a bowl for Tiantian to eat with rice. Her tiny cheeks puffed up adorably as she munched.

While her hands were still messy, Shen Xian peeled a few more shrimp and passed the meat to Lin Qinghan. “Here, try my cooking.”

Lin Qinghan smiled. “Thanks. You eat more of the food I made too.”

After dinner, Shen Xian was worried Tiantian had eaten too much, so she played with her in the living room to help her digest. The two ran around laughing, with Shen Xian teasing her like a playful cat.

Lin Qinghan watched them, shaking her head with a smile. She couldn’t picture Shen Xian as a company CEO when she was acting like such a big kid at home.

Later, after putting Tiantian to bed, Lin Qinghan sat in the living room watching TV, while Shen Xian browsed real estate listings on her laptop. Although it might still take a month or two to repay the 10 million yuan owed to Shen Wenkang, she already had enough saved to buy a home. Housing prices in Linhai weren’t outrageous—around 7,000 yuan per square meter—so she wanted to choose a better residential complex, ideally with more space so Tiantian could play freely. Renting forever wasn’t a solution.

After browsing for a while, Shen Xian went to the kitchen to warm up some milk. Lin Qinghan, scrolling on her phone, happened to glance at Shen Xian’s laptop—and froze.

The screen clearly displayed a property website.

Curious, she quietly moved closer, only to find that several open tabs were also housing listings.

Her heart clenched. So… Shen Xian was planning to buy a house. Was she getting ready to move out?

What about her? What about Tiantian?

The thought that Shen Xian might leave made Lin Qinghan’s mind spiral. Everything had been going so well between them lately. Shen Xian was kind to her and doted on Tiantian. Living together as a family—wasn’t that a good thing? Why would she want to move out?

Or… had she fallen for someone else?

A moment later, Shen Xian returned with two cups of milk. Lin Qinghan forced herself to remain composed and avoided looking at her.

Shen Xian smiled as she passed over the cup. “Here, Qinghan, drink some milk before bed. It’s good for your health.”

But Lin Qinghan could hardly think about her health now. The question was right on the tip of her tongue—Why are you moving out?—but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. After all, her feelings were just a guess.

Shen Xian had never said anything romantic, and maybe all the tenderness she’d felt had been one-sided.

Her grip on the cup tightened, her fingers whitening around the rim, eyes beginning to mist.

Shen Xian noticed and was alarmed. That milk was freshly heated—it was still hot!

She hurried over and gently pried the cup from Lin Qinghan’s clenched hands. “Qinghan, what are you doing? It’s scalding hot! Let me see your hand.”

She carefully unfolded Qinghan’s fingers. Thankfully, it hadn’t been long—her palm was just slightly reddened.

Still concerned, Shen Xian helped her up. “Come on, let’s rinse it with cool water.”

Seeing how worried Shen Xian looked only made Lin Qinghan feel worse. If you care this much, why are you leaving?

In the bathroom, Shen Xian ran cool water over her hand, then gently dried it. After a thorough check, she finally relaxed. “It’s not too bad. You’re lucky you didn’t hold it for long. But what were you thinking? It was still hot—didn’t you feel it?”

“I just… didn’t hold it properly,” Lin Qinghan replied distractedly.

“Be more careful next time.”

Lin Qinghan looked at her and said softly, “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.” With that, she turned and walked away quickly.

Shen Xian watched her leave, completely puzzled. She looked down at the two untouched glasses of milk and sighed before downing them both.

Now full, she sat back down and continued browsing listings. Eventually, she found a 140-square-meter apartment in a nice neighborhood close to Linhai’s top elementary school—Linhai First Elementary. It was already fully renovated, move-in ready with only some appliances needed. She jotted down the contact info to schedule a visit soon. After checking out some furniture options as well, she finally felt less bloated and went to bed.

But Lin Qinghan hadn’t fallen asleep.

She’d heard Shen Xian return to the room, confirming what she already feared—that Shen Xian had been out there all this time looking at houses. So she really was planning to leave… to move out and be away from her and Tiantian.

She blinked back tears. Be strong, she told herself. You lived just fine before Shen Xian moved in. Even if she’s leaving now, she already done a lot—she paid Tiantian’s school fees and helped raise her. You’re divorced. Even if she loves Tiantian, if she doesn’t love you, how could you force her to stay?

She didn’t know when she fell asleep that night. Her thoughts kept circling—what would the house feel like without Shen Xian? She’d only lived with them for a few months, but during that time, she’d handled so much—cooking, cleaning, driving them around, caring for them during sickness and danger…

The next morning, Lin Qinghan looked pale as a sheet.

Shen Xian leaned over and touched her forehead, worry creeping into her voice. “Qinghan, you look awful. Are you feeling okay? You should stay home and rest today. Your health comes first.”

Lin Qinghan didn’t want to hear it. She pulled the blanket over her head and ignored her.

Shen Xian assumed that meant agreement and called the hospital to ask for a day off on her behalf.

Tiantian, seeing that Mama wasn’t feeling well, didn’t bother her. She obediently finished breakfast, and Shen Xian dropped her off at preschool. On the way home, Shen Xian called Fang Jinglan, asking her to pick up Tiantian later and let her stay the night—she needed all her energy to care for Qinghan.

After handling a few more work matters with her two assistants, Shen Xian rushed home.

The apartment was quiet, so she guessed Lin Qinghan was still in the bedroom. After taking off her shoes, she tiptoed inside and found her lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She sat by the bed, gently asking, “Qinghan, what’s wrong? You’ve seemed off since yesterday. Is something bothering you?”

Lin Qinghan looked at her, slowly propped herself up, and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, eyes rimmed red:

“Shen Xian, are you buying a house?”