Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 45

Hearing the other call her name, one looked up while the other looked down their gazes met, and both curved their lips in unison.

“You go first.”

Again, they spoke the same words simultaneously, as if perfectly in sync.

Ye Shuyi reached out and poked her cheek, then lay back down with a laugh, turning the back of her head toward her. Her voice was light: “You go first. I’m listening.”

A brief silence settled between them, one contemplating how to begin, the other waiting patiently.

Yet even so, the tranquility of the moment made the unknown wait strangely enjoyable.

Yi Qian frowned slightly, hesitating before finally speaking: “Shuyi, when you’ve mentioned your mother before, you always made her sound inspiring, admirable. But after talking to her this morning, she didn’t seem quite like what I imagined.”

Ye Shuyi slowly opened her eyes at these words, though her pupils remained calm, unmoved. “So, what did she yell at me about this time?”

Though Yi Qian hadn’t explicitly said it, Shuyi could guess well enough. This wasn’t the first time she’d missed her mother’s messages or calls asking for money.

The last time, it hadn’t been intentional just work keeping her too busy to respond immediately.

But she would never forget how, when she finally called back, her mother had immediately launched into a furious tirade, leaving no room for explanation.

How long had the scolding lasted?

She didn’t know exactly. Only that it had felt unbearably long.

She had been stunned for a long time afterward not because of the berating, but because the woman on the other end of the line bore no resemblance to the mother she remembered.

Even long after the shouting stopped, she still hadn’t fully processed it.

Why had her hardworking, rational, and dignified mother suddenly turned into a shrew?

It had all felt so abrupt, leaving her unprepared.

But looking back later, she realized the signs had been there all along.

During her university years, her mother had quit her job. Not once had she sent Shuyi any living expenses instead, she had demanded money from her, arguing that many college students were already self-sufficient, starting businesses and earning their own income. After raising her for so many years, wasn’t it time for her to start enjoying life? The reasoning had been firm.

After graduation, her stepfather, “Uncle Lan,” had also quit his job. Every household expense had fallen on her shoulders, even the school fees for her half-brother, who had just started middle school.

As for her biological father, from the moment the court had granted custody to her mother, he had never looked back not even a single word of concern.

Once she started working, the demands for money had come frequently. Fortunately, her income had been enough to meet them. The unfortunate part was that it had delayed her realization of her mother’s true nature.

She had long become the family’s ATM, she just hadn’t noticed. Or perhaps she had chosen not to, unwilling to lose the mother she remembered.

But in any relationship, if only one side fights to maintain it, it will inevitably crumble, collapsing into ruins.

If it’s broken, then so be it. After all, she was the only one who cared about this so-called family bond, the other party had long discarded her like worthless trash.

Aside from her birth family, she considered herself quite fortunate. During her hardest times, Yi Qian had always been by her side. And after leaving Yi Qian, she met Song Kechi, who treated her like a younger sister, introducing her to all her friends and family. Not only did she help her career immensely, but she also “gifted” her a warm home.

Seeing no response from the person beneath her, Ye Shuyi lifted her head and noticed the furrowed brows. She could tell at a glance what was on the other’s mind. Reaching up, she pinched Yi Qian’s cheeks, forcing a smile at the corners of her lips. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

“She…” Yi Qian cupped her face, hesitating before continuing, “She said some really harsh things.”

Ye Shuyi nodded impassively. “And?”

“So I recorded everything she said. If you agree, I’ll hand the recording to the lawyer. At the very least, she’ll spend three years behind bars.”

Ye Shuyi simply lay back down, absentmindedly toying with Yi Qian’s fingertips, as if deep in thought.

After a long pause, still lying there without looking up, she finally made up her mind. “A-Qian, I want to give her one more chance.”

Consider it repayment for not abandoning her to the traffickers back then.

“Three strikes and you’re out,” Ye Shuyi murmured, shifting closer to rest her head against Yi Qian’s shoulder. “If there’s a next time, I won’t stop you.”

Three strikes?

If there’s a next time?

So this wasn’t the first?

Just as Yi Qian was about to speak, the sudden vibration of a phone interrupted her.

Yi Qian reached over for Ye Shuyi’s phone, glanced at the caller ID, and scoffed. “She sure knows how to time her calls.”

Waving the phone lightly, she added flatly, “If she starts spouting nonsense again this time, that makes it the third strike, doesn’t it?”

Ye Shuyi nodded.

Yi Qian handed her the phone. “Answer it. Put it on speaker. Let’s hear what pearls of wisdom she has this time.”

Ye Shuyi studied her for a moment before nodding. She took the phone, turned on speaker mode, and answered.

Once again, the other party spoke first but instead of the usual aggressive vulgarities, the voice was cautious, almost tentative. “Shu-Shu? Is that you?”

Ye Shuyi lifted her gaze, meeting Yi Qian’s eyes, where a single eyebrow arched in amusement.

“Yes, it’s me,” she replied evenly.

A relieved sigh came through the line, though the tone remained ingratiating. “Shu-Shu, um, did Yi Qian mention that I called you this morning?”

Calling herself “Mom” again!

Ye Shuyi glanced at Yi Qian, who merely shrugged nonchalantly, a silent permission to handle it as she saw fit.

“No,” Ye Shuyi said coolly. “I just woke up. She’s probably making breakfast. Why?”

There was a pause on the other end before the voice continued, “Nothing serious, really. It’s just that Mom called you so many times last night, and you ignored every one. It broke my heart. So this morning when you finally answered, I might have spoken a bit harshly out of frustration. Then that Yi Qian said she’d recorded it and threatened to sue me. Sweetheart, could you talk to her? For old times’ sake for your sake, could you ask her to let this go?”

“I was just so angry this morning that I lost my temper. I’m sorry for what I said, to both you and Yi Qian. I know I was wrong, and it won’t happen again. Just, forgive me this once, okay?”

The woman kept emphasizing “Mom” with every sentence, this same person who’d threatened to lace all the food with mushrooms just yesterday.

Ye Shuyi’s brows knitted together in frustration. Taking a deep breath, she had no desire to drag this out.

“Fine, I’ll talk to her later. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up now.” Just as she was about to end the call, the voice hurriedly stopped her.

“Wait, wait! Sweetheart, there’s one more thing, the message I sent you yesterday. Not sure if you saw it, but your brother needs some money for study materials. Things are a bit tight for me right now, so could you transfer around a hundred thousand or so?”

Yi Qian watched Ye Shuyi’s expressionless face and gently stroked her hair, as if lending her the strength to say what needed to be said.

Ye Shuyi exhaled silently, her voice calm and measured. “Since we’re on the topic, let me make this clear once and for all. You need to understand, my money doesn’t grow on trees. I’m not a cash machine, and I can’t keep funding you without limits. Starting next month, I’ll fulfill my legal obligation by providing the bare minimum: five thousand for basic support. Not a cent more.”

She let out a slow breath, as if a weight had finally lifted from her shoulders.

Truthfully, she did feel lighter. She’d always imagined this moment would come with screaming and tears, but instead, she’d said it with perfect composure.

Either way, it felt good.

“Five thousand?!” The woman’s shrill shriek blasted through the speaker, echoing painfully around the room. Yi Qian winced and covered Ye Shuyi’s ears protectively.

Ye Shuyi gently pulled her hands away, shaking her head with a small smile to reassure her.

“That, that’s way too little! Shushu, you know how much the household expenses are!”

“No, I don’t. You’ve never once justified the amounts you demanded. From now on, whether you have enough or not isn’t my concern. Whatever expensive materials your son needs also not my problem. No matter what, every month, you’ll get five. Thousand. Yuan. That’s final.”

With that, Ye Shuyi hung up, tossed her phone onto the bed, and collapsed back into Yi Qian’s arms.

Yi Qian gently stroked the top of her head over and over, silently comforting her. She actually wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to begin. She only knew that for Ye Shuyi to act so decisively, the other person must have done many things to hurt her.

If she asked directly, given Ye Shuyi’s personality, she definitely wouldn’t tell her.

Since that was the case, she chose not to ask. Ye Shuyi had decided to let go, so there was no need to bring it up again. Let time bury it all.

“By the way,” Yi Qian suddenly remembered something after who knows how long, “what did you want to say to me earlier?”

Hearing this, Ye Shuyi grasped her hand and held it in her palm, but remained silent for a long time, as if carefully considering how to phrase it.

Yi Qian let her hold her hand, waiting quietly.

“I…”

Growl!

Before she could even finish the word “I,” Ye Shuyi’s stomach growled twice, cutting her off.

Yi Qian chuckled softly, cupping her face and giving it a playful squeeze, teasing in a drawn-out tone, “You hungry?”

Ye Shuyi’s lips were slightly puckered from the squeezing, unable to shake her head, so she could only blink in response.

Yi Qian found her unbearably adorable and leaned down to peck her pouted lips. “A belated morning kiss.”

Ye Shuyi froze for a moment, then mumbled indistinctly after recovering, “That wasn’t what I wanted to say.”

Yi Qian released her, adopting a serious expression. “Then what did you want to say?”

“I wanted to say…”

Growl…

Ye Shuyi opened her mouth, then sighed helplessly and rubbed her stomach.

Yi Qian covered her hand with her own, rubbing it too, and smiled. “Seems like she won’t let you finish until you fill her up.” With that, she got out of bed and stood by the edge, bending down to kiss her forehead. “I’ll go make you breakfast first. We can talk while eating later.”

Ye Shuyi frowned slightly but nodded.

Yi Qian patted her head soothingly. “Be good. It won’t take long.”

No matter what it was, everything would soon get better faster and faster.

But as the saying goes, plans never keep up with changes. Just as Ye Shuyi was about to speak during breakfast, her words were interrupted yet again this time by a phone call.

Yi Qian shot a resentful glance at the phone beside Ye Shuyi’s arm.

Ye Shuyi chuckled and lightly patted her arm before picking up the call.

It was Manager Zhang, saying there was an urgent matter that required her immediate return to the company.

No sooner had she hung up than Yi Qian’s phone vibrated, Director Zhang insisted she rush to the set right away for some last-minute reshoots of scenes needed immediately.

And so, one was summoned back to the filming set, while the other was called back to the company.

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