Transmigrated Into a Scumbag Alpha In a Melodramatic Novel and Been Targeted by My Love Rival - Chapter 24

Xia Wu seemed to have heard something amusing. She shook her head, removed her glasses, and turned to pick up the glass of wine Shen Ruofei had poured for her. She brought it to her nose and took a delicate sniff. “Whether you truly prefer Alphas or this is just a facade is something only Miss Shen knows.”

“How strange. Others would avoid me like the plague when they find out about this, yet you, President Xia, seem almost… disappointed?”

Xia Wu sank back onto the sofa, her head tilted back. The room’s brilliant lights reflected in her eyes, revealing a fleeting vulnerability. She drained the red wine in a single gulp and sighed softly. “I’m tired.”

In other words, she had no intention of continuing this game with Shen Ruofei.

Shen Ruofei snorted and placed her hand where Xia Wu had gripped her neck moments before. “All bark and no bite. President Xia, you’ve truly dashed my expectations.”

She continued to provoke, seemingly oblivious to the danger.

Xia Wu’s chest rose and fell slightly as she suddenly flashed Shen Ruofei a meaningful smile. “Don’t worry, Miss Shen. Since you enjoy it so much, I’ll save it all up and repay you in full later.”

With that, she closed her eyes as if falling asleep.

Shen Ruofei: “?”

Xia Wu still held her stemware glass. Her sleeping expression was serene and gentle, devoid of her usual hidden sharpness, giving her an almost endearing look.

Shen Ruofei poured herself another glass.

She sat beside Xia Wu, gazing intently at her, occasionally taking sips from her drink.

The aroma of wine filled the air around them.

Shen Ruofei took the stemware glass from Xia Wu’s hand and placed it on the table. Xia Wu’s breathing was even; she seemed genuinely asleep.

Shen Ruofei leaned in close and whispered softly into Xia Wu’s ear, “Seriously, Xia Wu, I really think you’re adorable.”

Perhaps finding the words amusing even to herself, Shen Ruofei collapsed onto the sofa beside Xia Wu, letting out a long sigh.

*****

The System chimed in, indicating that the mission progress had reached 87%.

[Rejecting one member of the harem only advances the progress by 2%?]

Shen Ruofei was genuinely perplexed.

Why was the progress bar advancing so slowly?

She had done everything she could; now it all depended on the Heroine’s comprehension.

But with her personality…

“Ah, these days, everything is just so difficult!”

In a blind spot Shen Ruofei couldn’t see, Xia Wu’s index finger trembled slightly.

*****

The next day.

The sun shone brightly, and crystalline dewdrops slid from the leaves, leaving damp patches on the ground.

When Shen Hong came to find Xia Wu, she wasn’t in the study.

Even Shen Ruofei, who usually never woke up on time, wasn’t resting in her bedroom.

Shen Hong asked the servant if they had gone out, but the servant shook their head. “Last night, the Family Head and Miss Xia went to the wine cellar and haven’t come out since.”

“The wine cellar? Aren’t they worried about suffocating?!”

When Shen Hong led a group to the wine cellar, she found the two women sound asleep, piled on the sofa.

Xia Wu lay there, her brow furrowed, her sleep seeming restless. Shen Ruofei, using Xia Wu as a human pillow, leaned against her chest, sleeping peacefully.

Shen Hong’s pupils widened in shock.

Is this even possible?

She sniffed the air and realized there was no trace of an Alpha’s pheromones in the wine cellar.

Relieved, Shen Hong turned to the servants who had followed her. “All of you, get out.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Pressing a hand to her forehead, Shen Hong took a moment to steady herself before storming over and pinching Shen Ruofei’s cheek.

Shen Ruofei winced in pain, her eyes fluttering open. She stared at the scene before her, clearly bewildered. “Ugh… How did I end up here? My neck hurts so much.”

Shen Hong took a deep breath to suppress her anger. “Did you really have to act so impatient and make your move now?!”

“Huh? Make my move?”

Shen Ruofei felt something soft pressed against her cheek. She tilted her head back and saw Xia Wu’s furrowed brow and uneasy sleeping face.

Oh.

She remembered now.

She must have been too tired last night and fallen asleep.

Shen Ruofei carefully disentangled herself from Xia Wu, then rubbed her neck and muttered, “I drank too much.”

She yawned, rubbed her temples, and looked utterly exhausted.

Shen Hong stared at her, clearly brimming with questions she didn’t know how to ask.

Seeing Shen Hong’s exasperated expression, Shen Ruofei couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ll take her to the bedroom first. She just got dumped yesterday and needed some wine to drown her sorrows. I stayed to keep her company.”

“Huh?”

Even Shen Hong, with her worldly experience, was left utterly bewildered by Shen Ruofei’s words.

What on earth is going on here?

Xia Wu, who clearly knew Shen Ruofei’s preference for Alphas, had still come over. Now Shen Ruofei was claiming Xia Wu had just gone through a breakup.

What are these young women up to?

Shen Ruofei stretched lazily, then stood up and carried Xia Wu horizontally out of the wine cellar.

Though others viewed her as a useless Alpha, her Shen family bloodline meant she was stronger than most assumed.

Xia Wu was even lighter than Shen Ruofei had imagined, making it effortless to lift her.

Passing servants, witnessing Shen Ruofei carrying Xia Wu in a princess carry, widened their eyes in astonishment before quickly averting their gazes.

Such intimacy between two Alphas was exceedingly rare.

Shen Ruofei’s preference for Alphas was no secret. Could it be that Xia Wu’s visit to the Shen family was actually…

Xia Wu’s room in the Shen household was conveniently located right next to Shen Ruofei’s bedroom.

After tucking Xia Wu in with a light blanket, Shen Ruofei quietly left and joined Shen Hong in the study.

“What do you need to say? I’m going back to sleep after this.”

Shen Hong watched Shen Ruofei sprawled lazily in the soft executive chair, yawning, her breath reeking of alcohol and her demeanor exhausted.

She sighed softly. “We’ve identified the mastermind behind the car accident: Shen Qiyan.”

“Mm, not surprising. But the lackeys she sent on Fang Yu’s birthday were rather incompetent. Do you know what’s going on, Aunt Hong?”

“She has someone guiding her. She personally arranged the rear-end collision on Fang Yu’s birthday. As for the meticulously planned accident that nearly sent you to the afterlife, do you still not remember what happened that day?”

Shen Hong had asked Shen Ruofei about the events leading up to the accident the first time she regained consciousness in the hospital.

Although her bodyguards claimed Shen Ruofei had been in the bar the entire time, no one knew who she had met there or what she had done.

After leaving the bar, Shen Ruofei was in a daze. When her bodyguards offered to drive her home, she told them to get lost, climbed into the driver’s seat, and sped away.

At this point, Shen Ruofei sighed deeply. “I might remember eventually, I suppose.”

Shen Hong seemed to be both amused and exasperated. “I have no objection if you can’t remember now, but what do you mean by ‘eventually’?”

“It’s probably… the psychologist you hired will hypnotize me. Once my headache is gone, I should be able to remember everything.”

Shen Ruofei would never reveal the System’s existence to anyone.

Though she’d guessed that all her lost memories would return after helping the Heroine and Official Couple get together, the current rate of task point accumulation meant she had no idea when this mission would end.

The feeling of having her fate controlled by others was undeniably unpleasant, but even so, Shen Ruofei had to rely on her own efforts to uncover clues.

Shen Ruofei’s explanation clearly satisfied Shen Hong, who nodded, expressing her hope that it was true.

The investigation into the car accident had temporarily stalled. Though Shen Qiyan was the mastermind, the person behind her remained hidden, and they couldn’t afford to alert the enemy prematurely.

However, they could still make something of the rear-end collision that occurred on Fang Yu’s birthday.

As the two women discussed how to make Shen Qiyan reveal her own tracks, the study door suddenly slammed open.

Xia Wu was dressed in a light blue suit skirt today, its draping fabric swaying with her movements, giving her an unexpectedly alluring air.

Her long hair wasn’t fully dry, still carrying a damp sheen, and the corners of her eyes remained red.

Shen Ruofei noticed that Xia Wu had switched to a pair of transparent-framed glasses, which softened her usual assertive demeanor.

“Aunt Hong, my apologies. I overslept.”

“Hmm? It’s fine. The Family Head told me, ‘out with the old, in with the new.’ What type of Omega do you prefer? I’ll help you find one.”

Xia Wu shot Shen Ruofei a quick glance.

Shen Ruofei felt as if a frigid wind had swept past her, carrying an icy chill. Smiling nonchalantly at Xia Wu, she stood up and addressed Shen Hong. “Let’s leave it at that for now. I have a slight headache at the back of my head, probably from not sleeping well. I’m going to catch up on sleep.”

Shen Hong sighed. “When will you ever pay more attention to the Shen Family?”

“When my headache goes away.”

Shen Ruofei tapped her temple and vanished from the study in a puff of smoke.

Xia Wu met Shen Hong’s gaze and smiled. “The Family Head stayed up late last night to comfort me. Is her headache really not due to any physical condition?”

Shen Hong shook her head. “She’s undergone numerous medical examinations at the hospital. Consulting a psychologist seems to be the last resort the Family Head could think of.”

“You’re still investigating the car accident, right? If you need help, I can assist.”

Before returning to China, Xia Wu had thrived abroad. Although some of her connections remained inaccessible domestically, she still commanded considerable influence.

Shen Hong was momentarily surprised, but remembering Shen Ruofei’s recent instructions, she readily agreed. “Yes, some matters would indeed be more complicated for the Shen Family to handle.”

They had planned to meet at 8 a.m. to inspect the Shen Family’s enterprises. However, Xia Wu had drunk too much the previous night. Though she appeared alert, the lingering redness at the corners of her eyes betrayed her.

Shen Hong suggested rescheduling, but Xia Wu shook her head. “No need to delay the plan for me. I can keep up.”

Having been a workaholic for so many years, Xia Wu would never let such a minor inconvenience stop her.

After getting into the car, Shen Hong asked Xia Wu if Shen Ruofei had been making any progress with her studies lately. When she showed Shen Ruofei the account books, the girl’s efforts were inconsistent, like catching fish three days and drying nets two, leaving Shen Hong at her wits’ end.

Xia Wu smiled. “The Family Head learns quickly. She might not seem particularly diligent, but she’s sharper than anyone. It’s as if she’s grown accustomed to hiding her true capabilities and concealing her sharp edges. Her answers may be brief, but they’re always crucial.”

Shen Hong sighed. “Who knows why? When she was fifteen, she had a severe fever, and ever since then, her temperament has changed drastically. She can’t seem to focus on anything. It wasn’t until after her recent car accident that she started showing some semblance of normalcy.”

“It will only get better from here,” Xia Wu said reassuringly, sensing that Shen Hong didn’t want to discuss Shen Ruofei further.

Shen Hong nodded, looking relieved. “It’s clear you have a good relationship with the Family Head. I’ll be relying on you to look after the Shen family in the future.”

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