Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 50

As soon as Ye Shuyi stepped out of the company, the glaring sunlight made it hard for her to open her eyes. She hadn’t adjusted yet, and a wave of dizziness hit her, causing her to stagger slightly.

She raised a hand to shield her eyes while the other pinched the bridge of her nose.

Only when the dizziness completely faded did she walk to where her car was parked and drive away from the company.

The white car sped down the road and soon came to a stop in front of her home.

Pushing the door open, she found the living room dim, the heavy curtains drawn tightly shut. The only light came from the glow of the television, where Song Kechi sat lazily on the sofa, reclining comfortably as she watched.

Hearing the sound at the door, Song Kechi turned her head with a smile. Perhaps the movie was amusing, as her voice carried obvious mirth when she casually remarked, “You’re back so early today?”

Ye Shuyi responded with a faint “Mm.”

Noticing the unusual tone in her voice, Song Kechi’s smile vanished instantly. Her brows furrowed slightly as she scrutinized the disheartened figure at the entrance. She stood and walked over. “What’s wrong?”

Ye Shuyi shook her head faintly, moving toward her like a soulless husk. The bag on her shoulder slid down her arm, pausing at her wrist before swaying limply in the air. Its owner made no effort to “save” it, and eventually, it fell to the floor.

Ye Shuyi walked straight up to Song Kechi, placing her hands on her waist and resting her forehead against her shoulder, leaning into her silently.

Song Kechi froze for a moment before reacting, gently stroking her back.

She didn’t say anything, simply staying quietly by her side.

On the TV screen, the play of light and shadows shifted continuously. The movie occasionally erupted with lighthearted laughter, echoing through the silent living room. Amid the laughter were also mocking snickers, as if ridiculing the person currently lost in sorrow.

It was impossible to tell how many scenes had played out or how many bursts of laughter and derision had sounded from the movie. The person who had turned it on paid no attention, what concerned her was the growing dampness on her shoulder and the slight tremors beginning to wrack the body in her arms.

Song Kechi’s frown deepened. Unable to hold back any longer, she asked in a cool tone, “Did she say something particularly awful to you again?”

Ye Shuyi shook her head slightly.

Song Kechi patted her back, her tone instantly softening. “Then what’s wrong? Tell me. Maybe I can help, hm?”

The single syllable at the end was uttered gently, carrying both tenderness and infinite patience.

Ye Shuyi remained silent for a long time, but Song Kechi could feel the trembling in her arms growing more pronounced. The tears falling onto her shoulder became increasingly torrential, the scalding drops seeping through the thin fabric of her shirt and burning against her skin.

But she paid no mind to that, nor did she rush her. She simply stayed with her, quietly.

After what felt like an eternity, Ye Shuyi sniffled, her voice choked with sobs. “Kechi,  do you think I shouldn’t have come back?”

Song Kechi stroked the back of her head softly. “Why would you think that?”

“She…” Ye Shuyi choked back a sob before continuing, “She doesn’t seem to need me anymore. My return seems to have only caused her deeper pain. And I…” She raised a hand to clutch at her chest, her voice strained with suppressed emotion, “It hurts so much here too.”

Song Kechi grasped the hand pressed against her heart and sighed silently. “Silly girl, if she truly didn’t need you, how could you possibly hurt her again? Don’t overthink things, okay? Be good.” She reached up to gently stroke Ye Shuyi’s hair.

“But…” Ye Shuyi paused, her tongue lightly touching the spot she’d bitten earlier. Waves of pain radiated through her body, spreading from her heart to every limb until she could no longer hold back her sobs. “Today she told me not to bother her anymore, said I shouldn’t even trouble her when I leave. Does that mean, she doesn’t want to see me again?”

Song Kechi frowned thoughtfully before hesitantly offering, “If I’m not mistaken, what she actually meant was that you don’t need to say goodbye when you leave, right?”

Ye Shuyi gave a slight nod.

But in her mind, it amounted to the same thing.

“Then…” Song Kechi still sounded uncertain, “is it possible she just didn’t want to relive the scene from when you broke up with her?”

Ye Shuyi stiffened, slowly raising her head: “But I never intended to leave her again. I was going to explain everything. Then I got called back to the company that day, and she was summoned to the set. One misunderstanding led to another until we ended up like this…”

“Exactly,  she doesn’t know what you were thinking,” Song Kechi said, wiping away the remaining tears at the corners of her eyes. “And you never got the chance to tell her.”

“But—”

“But,” Song Kechi interrupted, continuing to dry her cheeks as she voiced Ye Shuyi’s unspoken fear, “but what really scares you is that the underlying issue still isn’t resolved.”

Ye Shuyi nodded faintly.

“Then lay everything out. Share all your doubts with her.” Cupping Ye Shuyi’s face, Song Kechi looked straight into her eyes with solemn intensity. “You’re worried the hidden problems between you could explode at any moment like time bombs. But have you considered that as someone holding the other end of those bombs, she might have her own compelling reasons?”

A sudden realization dawned on Ye Shuyi, her pupils dilating briefly before her brows knitted again in hesitation. “But—”

“No buts.” Song Kechi cut her off once more, moving behind her to place hands on her shoulders and steer her toward the bedroom. “No more what-ifs. Today you have two tasks, rest properly, and think very, very carefully about whether you’ll go to her tomorrow and explain everything. To give her, and yourself, an answer.”

When they reached the bedroom door, Song Kechi opened it and gently pushed her inside, remaining at the threshold. “You can take a shower, listen to music, do anything that helps you think clearly. I’ll be in the living room if you need me to clean up any messes.”

Tilting her head toward her, Song Kechi then closed the door.

She didn’t leave immediately but stood outside for a moment, exhaling heavily before knocking on the door again, her tone more serious than ever: “Shuyi, you need to understand, if I see you like this again next time, I might really lose control and punch her. So, think carefully.”

With that, she walked away from the door and returned to the living room, sitting on the sofa. Instead of continuing the unfinished movie, she pulled out her phone and typed rapidly, sending Fang Xin a message:

[Xin, your bestie made mine cry again today.]

Fang Xin replied quickly:

[What? Feeling sorry for your bestie? You think I don’t ache when Yi Qian cries? Let’s just say we’re in the same boat.]

Song Kechi frowned and typed:

[Why is your bestie suddenly so ruthless? It’s been days not only has her anger not subsided, but it’s escalating. What’s she trying to do? Completely betray her own heart and kick away the wife she worked so hard to get?]

After reading the message, Fang Xin tossed her phone onto the carpet, flopped onto the bed, and let out a muffled scream, rolling around twice to vent her frustration. Then she abruptly sat up, grabbed her phone, and typed furiously:

[You think she’s ruthless because you don’t know how she lived these past years after the breakup.]

[The first year, she cried every single day, wandering around the house like a ghost who’d lost her soul. You might think that’s an exaggeration, but I was there, I saw it with my own eyes, day after day.]

[The first half of the second year, she still refused to go anywhere, shutting herself in, bursting into tears for no reason like she’d lost her mind. Then, one day in the latter half of the year, she suddenly pulled herself together, only to tell me she wanted to become a star, and not just any star, but a household name. At first, I thought she was joking, but she actually started taking on roles, shooting commercials working herself like a beast of burden.]

[I thought she was finally moving on, but in the third year, I found out she’d been secretly sending people to track Ye Shuyi’s whereabouts. Every time she got a lead, no matter how late she finished filming she’d drive there herself immediately. And every time hope was crushed, she’d lock herself in her room and drown in alcohol. Once, she drank so much that if I hadn’t found her in time,  she might’ve…]

Fang Xin wiped away the tears blurring her vision and continued typing:

[But she brushed it off, calling it an accident. After that, she threw herself even harder into work, asking me every day, “Am I famous yet? Famous enough? If I went to some remote town, would a random person recognize my face?” Every time I told her she was already more than famous, that achieving so much in such a short time was unprecedented, she’d immediately deny it, “No, not enough, not even close, clearly not enough.”]

[Later, when she confirmed she had gained enough fame, she started acting out again. As people online said, she was constantly making a spectacle of herself, changing partners like clothes, never repeating the same style, becoming the most notorious playboy Alpha in history. But in all those caught-on-camera incidents, it was always women hitting on her. Her occasional responses were only because those women shared some traits resembling her. In truth, she never crossed the line.]

[I didn’t understand why she worked so hard to become famous only to ruin her own reputation. It wasn’t until later that I realized, she wanted someone to see it, to provoke them into coming back to her.]

[It’s really childish and stupid, isn’t it? But what else could she do? She had searched for her like finding a needle in a haystack for three years, using every connection she had, yet couldn’t even find a single strand of Ye Shuyi’s hair. What choice did she have but to resort to such an utterly foolish method?]

[Before, I only heard stories on TV about people searching for someone for years without success. Back then, I thought it was exaggerated, how big could the world be? How could anyone stay unfound? But a real-life example right beside me proved it’s true. When someone wants to hide from you, they really can’t be found. Even if you set up an inescapable net, it’s useless.]

[You ask why she suddenly became so heartless? Maybe it’s because she couldn’t bear returning to those three nightmare years. The first time already cost her half her life tell me, how could she endure that pain a second time? Knowing that losing what was regained would only multiply the agony, while being powerless to change the inevitable outcome in that situation, most would choose not to reclaim it at all.]

[What you see is her being cruel to Ye Shuyi, but isn’t she also torturing herself?]

After sending these messages, Fang Xin collapsed onto the bed like a deflated balloon, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Meanwhile.

The movie on the TV had long ended, and the constant ding-dong notifications from her phone finally subsided, plunging the living room into silence.

After reading all of Fang Xin’s messages, Song Kechi let her hand fall limp on the couch, her phone slipping from her grasp. She leaned back against the sofa, pinching the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath. As if making a monumental decision, she suddenly sat upright, picked up her phone, and forwarded Fang Xin’s screenshot to Ye Shuyi.

Then she typed rapidly: [Yi Qian’s situation is truly heartbreaking, but I need to tell you, I only met Shuyi this past January. At least Yi Qian had you by her side. But her? As far as I know, she had no one. Just herself.]

No one knew how Ye Shuyi had endured those nearly three endless years alone.

[You might think she deserved it since she was the one who initiated the breakup. I won’t deny that. But she had her reasons, her choice to leave was understandable. Yet from what I know, and as I believe you’ve sensed too, she never stopped loving her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have returned. It’s just that now…]

The clouds had yet to part for the moon, and now another dark cloud seemed to drift before it, further dimming its already faint glow.

–

In the noisy, endless corridor, Ye Shuyi stood at the center, watching the crowd pass by, supporting each other as they left. The sounds of various music spilled from the private rooms.

Her brow gradually furrowed.

Where was this?

She remained still, yet the scene around her seemed to spin endlessly. Just as she was about to succumb to dizziness and flee, the spinning suddenly stopped.

She found herself standing before Room 322.

Peering through the small window in the door, she saw Yi Qian surrounded by a group of people, sharing a ceremonial toast with a provocatively dressed beauty.

Soon after, the two raised their heads, looking at each other as they tipped their glasses upside down not a drop left.

The beauty then reached out, tilting Yi Qian’s chin up. In response, Yi Qian grabbed her wrist, pulling her close until their noses touched, their lips drawing nearer and nearer.

Ye Shuyi’s pupils trembled violently. Without hesitation, she pushed the door open.

The moment she entered, the noisy room fell silent. All eyes turned to her.

A few of the women quickly recovered, whispering among themselves about who this newcomer was.

Ye Shuyi took a quiet, deep breath, her expression calm but laced with a single question: “Yi Qian?”

That simple name carried a storm of emotions and countless unspoken questions.

What are you doing here?

Who are these people?

Do you really not need me anymore?

Though the music had stopped, the lights still flashed, casting a chaotic glow that made it hard to discern anyone’s true expression.

Of course, such an environment was also the perfect place to hide one’s emotions at least, no one would notice her reddened eyes.

Annoyed by the interruption, the provocatively dressed beauty shot her a disdainful glance before draping her black lace-gloved arm over Yi Qian’s shoulder, clinging to her like a seductive shadow. “Yi Qian, she’s calling you,” she purred. “Do you know her?”

Yi Qian glanced at Ye Shuyi, lips curling slightly as she casually wrapped an arm around the beauty’s slender waist and settled onto the sofa. “Oh, her? Yeah, my ex.”

The beauty crossed her fishnet-clad legs, pressing closer to Yi Qian with a coquettish laugh. “An ex causing trouble? Tsk, your charm really knows no bounds, Yi Qian.”

A girl with twin high ponytails sneered at Ye Shuyi before eagerly offering, “Yi Qian, want me to deal with her? I’ll make sure she never bothers you again.”

Yi Qian shrugged. “We’re nothing to each other now. Do whatever you want.”

The twin-tailed girl smirked, her expression twisting into something sinister as she turned back to Ye Shuyi.

She casually picked up an ice bucket nearby, rising slowly as she approached. Her half-smile, illuminated by the erratic lights, took on a disturbingly cruel edge.

Ye Shuyi glanced over at Yi Qian’s position, only to see the other person completely oblivious to her situation, whispering something to the voluptuous beauty in their arms and occasionally bursting into laughter.

At that moment, the girl with high twin-tails had already approached her, raising a bucket of ice from a distance, ready to hurl it at her.

Instinctively, Ye Shuyi raised her hands to shield her face.

“No!”

With a scream, Ye Shuyi abruptly sat up in bed, gasping for air.

Clutching her chest, she scanned her surroundings. Seeing everything as familiar as ever, she swallowed hard, her breathing gradually steadying slightly.

She turned her head to look out the floor-to-ceiling window. The weather was still beautiful today, with golden sunlight streaming through the patterned curtains, casting gray floral shadows on the floor.

She stared blankly at the floral patterns on the floor. Perhaps the reflected light was too harsh, as she frowned slightly but didn’t look away.

A breeze drifted in, gently swaying the sheer curtains and causing the patterns on the floor to shift. Ye Shuyi snapped out of her daze and immediately grabbed her phone to message Yi Qian: [I’ll pick you up for tonight’s rehearsal.]

Just as the message was sent, there was a knock at the door.

Ye Shuyi looked up to see Song Kechi pushing the door open with a tray in hand, smiling affectionately as she raised it. “Breakfast with love.”

Ye Shuyi smiled faintly, glanced at her silent phone, then placed it on the bedside table before getting out of bed. “Leave it there for now. I’ll wash up first.”

Song Kechi set the tray on the nearby table and walked over, pressing a hand to Ye Shuyi’s forehead with concern. “What’s wrong? You look so pale.”

Ye Shuyi removed her hand and shook her head slightly. “I’m fine. Just had a nightmare. I’ll go freshen up.”

With that, she headed to the bathroom. Song Kechi watched her retreating figure before sitting on the sofa, scrolling through her phone but frequently glancing worriedly toward the bathroom.

Ding-dong~

Suddenly, Ye Shuyi’s phone on the bedside table chimed with a new message.

Song Kechi glanced at it, then toward the bathroom door, her pupils dilating slightly in surprise. Ye Shuyi was peeking out from the doorframe, mouth still foamy with toothpaste, mumbling, “Was that my phone?”

Song Kechi nodded dumbly.

Ye Shuyi quickly rinsed her mouth, not even bothering to wipe the foam from her lips before rushing out to snatch her phone from the bedside table.

Song Kechi’s gaze followed her closely. The moment Ye Shuyi’s eyes landed on the screen, they lit up only to dim again just as quickly after she tapped the screen and read the message.

Song Kechi frowned, guessing immediately, “From Yi Qian?”

Ye Shuyi’s jaw tensed as she nodded.

“You messaged her this early?” Song Kechi paused before adding, “Are you planning to talk things out with her?”

Ye Shuyi nodded, collapsing backward onto the bed, her eyes empty as they fixed on the ceiling. “Yes. I told her I’d pick her up for rehearsal this afternoon, but she said she doesn’t need me to.”

“Not that I won’t use it, but that I don’t need to.”

She repeated the words meticulously.

Song Kechi looked at her, crossing and uncrossing his legs leisurely. His tone was relaxed: “Giving up just like that? That doesn’t sound like the Ye Shuyi I know.”

“I’m not.”

As soon as Ye Shuyi finished speaking, she immediately picked up her phone and replied to the message: “I’m not asking for your opinion. I’m your manager. Picking you up for work falls under my responsibilities. Rehearsals start at six, and it takes an hour to get there from your place. I’ll be at yours around 4:30.”

The moment the message was sent, the green “Unread” text in the lower right corner quickly turned gray, changing to “Read.”

The status in the notes bar switched to “The other party is typing…”

Ye Shuyi unconsciously held her breath, waiting, but no new message appeared in the chat box.

Her gaze shifted upward, noticing the status had reverted to normal. She let out an unconscious sigh of relief.

Based on her understanding of Yi Qian, leaving a message on “Read” without replying in this state was a silent agreement.

She had long since categorized this behavior sometimes, an angry dog would act tsundere, needing to be coaxed.

Ye Shuyi looked at her phone, her lips curling slightly without realizing it.

Suddenly, a cold towel pressed against the corner of her mouth. The chill startled her, and her phone slipped from her hand. Before she could react, a hand swiftly caught it just before it could hit her face.

Only then did she exhale heavily in relief. Following the hand’s owner, she saw Song Kechi smirking at her. “What’s got you so happy? You even got scared by this.”

Ye Shuyi knew the other was mocking her for being startled by the towel, not the near-miss with the phone after all, anyone would be startled by the latter.

She quickly sat up, pretending to be angry as she raised her hand to swat at Song Kechi, who playfully retreated in mock fear, teasing, “Counting this, does that make it twice I’ve saved you?”

Her outstretched hand paused mid-air before she snatched her phone back and took the towel, wiping her face. A thought seemed to strike her, and the corners of her eyes lifted slightly as she smiled. “Actually, more than that.”

“Oh? Really? When else? I don’t remember!”

Before she could finish, Ye Shuyi’s phone buzzed urgently. Seeing the caller ID, she answered immediately, “Hello, Assistant Jin? What’s the matter?”

The voice on the other end sounded anxious. “Chairman Ye, there’s a major issue with a company project. We might need you to come back and handle it personally.”

Ye Shuyi frowned, checking the time on her phone. It was still early, she should be able to make it.

“See you at the company in half an hour.” She hung up without waiting for a response. The next second, Song Kechi’s phone rang.

Glancing at the caller ID, she answered bluntly, “I’ll go with Shuyi.”

The two rushed back to the company. Ye Shuyi had assumed the issue could be resolved quickly, but it turned out far more complicated than expected. From the moment they arrived, she was swamped, spinning like a top.

By the time everything was settled, it was already 5:30 PM.

Hurrying out of her office, she immediately dialed Yi Qian’s number, only for the call to be cut off instantly.

Her brow furrowed. She tried again, but this time, the call was rejected the moment the ringtone started.

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