After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Became a Slave to My Beloved Wife - Chapter 1

The warm chandelier lights flickered softly, casting colorful glows across the room, which was filled with the rich scent of roses. Jiang Nian couldn’t tell if the fragrance was from a scented candle or from the person in front of her. All she knew was—her body was burning with heat.

The sheer curtains in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows were only half drawn, and the glass reflected two entangled figures inside the room.

A glimpse of bare, snow-white shoulders. Lips slightly parted. A woman’s shirt slid open and dropped silently onto the expensive wool carpet.

Jiang Nian clutched the front of her shirt tightly with one hand and gripped the bedsheet with the other. Her eyes were glazed over with a hazy glow of desire. She tilted her head back, panting, trying to cool her thoughts and regain control.

“Jiang Nian, please… don’t…”

The woman sitting on Jiang Nian seemed even more overwhelmed. The rose-scented pheromones poured from her neck, thick and almost dizzyingly sweet.

Qiao Wenyu’s body had gone soft in her arms like flowing spring water. Her brows were furrowed, and her hands trembled as she tried to push Jiang Nian away. But no Omega, under the effect of a pheromone catalyst, could resist the pull of a strong Alpha like this.

The aroma of aged red wine mixed with the sweetness of roses. Even if their hearts were miles apart, their bodies were irresistibly drawn to each other. Their breaths intertwined, tangled and inseparable.

Someone called her name gently. Jiang Nian looked up and reached out. As she brushed away the strands of hair covering the woman’s face, she met a pair of clear, glass-like eyes.

That beautiful face shattered the last bit of restraint Jiang Nian had. Her pheromones surged uncontrollably, like red wine flooding past a broken dam.

Qiao Wenyu’s wide eyes were full of fear. She used all her strength to push Jiang Nian away, but it was useless. She tried to speak, to stop her, but all that came out was a soft, trembling gasp.

“Don’t cry… Please don’t cry, okay?” Jiang Nian whispered, gently wiping away the tears at the corner of Qiao Wenyu’s eyes. Her fingers brushed across the pale, delicate skin of her neck. “I’ll bite softly, I promise… Don’t be afraid…”

Even in a dream, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but be gentle—patiently comforting the beauty in her arms.

“Do you… do you know who I am?” Qiao Wenyu finally managed to ask, her voice weak.

Jiang Nian was so intoxicated by the scent that she couldn’t think straight. All she wanted was to hold the woman tighter, to leave her own mark behind.

“I’m Qiao Wenyu…”

But Jiang Nian didn’t hear another word. Her heart pounded in her chest. As she took a closer look at the woman’s face, her hand froze in mid-air.

Wait a minute—had she been mocking that web novel character with the same name as hers too much lately? How did even the male lead end up in her dreams?

Suddenly, everything went black. Voices echoed in her ears.

“President Jiang… President Jiang?”

Jiang Nian slowly opened her heavy eyes. After rubbing them a bit, her vision began to clear.

A man in glasses was standing in front of her desk. Jiang Nian couldn’t smell his pheromones—he must be a Beta.

Seeing she was awake, he immediately handed her a file. “President Jiang, these are the latest designs for the quarter.”

Jiang Nian stared blankly at the design sketches in the file. She had no idea what was happening. Why was she in an office? And why was someone calling her “President Jiang”?

“…I think you’ve got the wrong person. I’m just a college student,” she mumbled. Her major was business administration—she didn’t know the first thing about fashion design.

The Beta took a step closer and gave a polite smile. “President Jiang, you must be joking.”

Her gaze shifted to the name badge pinned on his chest.

Lu Renbing.

When read aloud, it sounded just like “background character C.”

Jiang Nian’s eyes went wide. She leaned back in her chair, heart racing, as realization struck like lightning.

She knew this setup.

Not long ago, her best friend had recommended a web novel. In it, there was a side character named Jiang Nian—an Alpha CEO with a tragic end—and her loyal Beta secretary named Lu Renbing. That name had sounded so ridiculous, Jiang Nian had laughed about it for days.

And now? She was in the novel.

She remembered her friend joking, “Better memorize the whole story just in case you transmigrate.”

Ha. The joke came true.

But she hadn’t memorized the story. She hadn’t even read the full book—just skimmed the summary. And she had mocked the poor cannon-fodder character with her name… loudly.

The original novel was called Burning in the Flames. She remembered the summary clearly: the male lead, Qiao Wenyu, was a beautiful up-and-coming idol forced to marry the playboy Alpha, Jiang Nian, due to a family arrangement. After their marriage, Jiang Nian stayed the same—dating around, surrounding herself with stunning Omegas, and completely ignoring Qiao Wenyu.

But Qiao Wenyu was no pushover. She was the only daughter of a corporate tycoon—smart, stunning, and ruthless. Later in the story, after falling for the true male lead, she took revenge on Jiang Nian. She had her locked in a mental institution, crushed her glands, and left her paralyzed.

Thinking of the ending, Jiang Nian broke into a cold sweat and shivered violently.

The louder she had laughed before… the more she wanted to cry now.

“President Jiang, Director Jiang called earlier to remind you about tonight’s engagement party,” Lu Renbing confirmed the schedule while adjusting the time. “You still have two hours before the event. That gives you plenty of time to pick out a gift for Miss Qiao.”

“….” Jiang Nian was still spiraling over having transmigrated into a novel. Her mind was a total mess—how could she possibly focus on buying a gift?

“You take care of it,” she said weakly.

“Understood, President Jiang. I’ll prepare the gift according to tradition.” With that, the secretary bowed slightly and quietly left the office, giving her space to process everything.

Still trapped in the shock and grief of having entered a fictional world, Jiang Nian sat in the office the entire afternoon. She regretted not reading the full novel Burning in the Flames from start to finish.

“I’m just a college student. I haven’t even held an Omega’s hand in real life… How the hell did I end up as a playboy Alpha?” she groaned, ruffling her hair in frustration.

She leaned down and sniffed herself. Her pheromones had changed too—now matching the character’s in the novel.

The scent of red wine lingered faintly at the tip of her nose.

Most people who transmigrate into books get a system or some cheat advantage. But Jiang Nian? She didn’t even know the plot, and her pheromones weren’t her own anymore.

Before the engagement party, Jiang Nian spent one hour trying to calm down—and another hour walking to the supermarket across from the office to buy a pack of cigarettes. She then stood in the parking garage, learning how to smoke next to a luxury car worth tens of millions.

The original Jiang Nian in the book smoked. This version of Jiang Nian—a so-called “pure” university girl—didn’t.

The smoke was harsh. Every drag made her cough like crazy. By the time her secretary showed up in the garage, she had finally finished the cigarette in her hand.

“President Jiang, why are your eyes red?” Lu Renbing asked with concern.

Jiang Nian flicked the cigarette butt into the portable ashtray the original owner always carried. Her voice was raspy from the smoke. With a half-smile, she said, “I’m just… excited. I’m getting engaged, after all.”

“I see. But President Jiang, would you like to change your outfit before we go?”

She glanced down at her black, high-slit dress. “No need. Black suits my mood just fine.” Wearing it, she felt like she could almost hear the funeral bells of her freedom tolling in the distance.

The secretary gave an awkward laugh and got into the driver’s seat.

Jiang Nian had to admit—the power of a luxury car was no joke. She had barely warmed the seat when they arrived at the venue.

“President Jiang, we’ve arrived.” Lu Renbing opened the car door and stood respectfully to the side.

Jiang Nian stepped out slowly and walked toward the hotel.

She passed by a full-length mirror in the lobby and caught a glimpse of herself. Her appearance hadn’t changed much, but paired with the sexy outfit, she looked… magnetic.

She was around 1.76 meters tall. In heels, she nearly hit 1.80. Her long legs peeked through the slit of the black dress—straight and pale. Her phoenix-shaped eyes tilted slightly upward, and when she squinted, she looked like a lazy cat. Her hair was loosely clipped up, with a few wisps falling out and framing her face, giving her a mature, sensual charm.

She really did look like the dream Alpha.

“This way, President Jiang.” A hotel staff member greeted her warmly, knowing she was one of the hotel’s investors. She was also very aware that Jiang Nian usually had an entourage of admirers, and so she was especially attentive.

Jiang Nian caught the faint scent of the staff member’s pheromones—sweet, like strawberry milk. A classic Omega. She was pretty too, with a cute smile and crescent-moon eyes.

“Hey—don’t forget your suppressant,” Jiang Nian said, rubbing her nose. She had sinus issues in her real life, and apparently that had carried over. That obvious release of pheromones was giving her a headache.

The staff’s smile froze. She quickly suppressed her scent and said awkwardly, “Right away, President Jiang. This way, please.”

Following the staff into the private dining room, Jiang Nian saw a group of unfamiliar faces.

“Hello,” she greeted with a forced smile.

Which one is Qiao Wenyu?

“President Jiang.” The women in the room all bowed politely.

The woman at the front was dressed in a suit and had no detectable pheromones. Her appearance was rather plain—probably a Beta.

She stepped forward and said, “President Jiang, I’m Miss Qiao’s agent. I’m afraid Miss Qiao isn’t feeling well tonight and won’t be able to attend.”

“I see.” Jiang Nian kept her expression calm, but inside she was cheering. As long as she could stay far away from the novel’s male lead, her glands would be safe and intact.

The agent misread her silence and quickly added, “Miss Qiao said this table is on her tonight—as an apology.”

“She can’t even show up to her own engagement party. Can we just call the whole thing off?” Jiang Nian said, pretending to be annoyed. In reality, she was thrilled.

If she could break off the engagement with Qiao Wenyu, even better. They could go their separate ways and live peacefully. Plus, she still had a decent job and didn’t have to worry about job hunting—maybe transmigrating wasn’t so bad after all.

Just as she was lost in her happy thoughts, the door to the private room opened.

A girl in athletic wear stepped in. Her long, wavy hair was tied back, and her clear glassy eyes shone brightly, though her face was pale. She walked slowly along the wall, looking weak, until she reached Jiang Nian’s side.

Jiang Nian froze.

This girl… looked exactly like the beautiful woman from her dream.

That dream—long buried—came rushing back. Jiang Nian avoided Qiao Wenyu’s eyes, not daring to meet her gaze.

Her secretary, ever the quick thinker, stepped forward and presented the neatly wrapped gift box. “Miss Qiao, our President Jiang has been thinking about you all day. She personally chose this gift for you.”

Qiao Wenyu saw the label—Red Wine Noir Eau de Parfum—and instantly remembered the rich red wine scent from that Alpha in her dream.

That same scent now floated faintly in the air. Even though it was subtle, the back of her neck—protected by a barrier patch—still tingled from the familiarity.

Earlier, she had felt unwell, but once she caught Jiang Nian’s pheromones, most of that discomfort faded.

After that night, Qiao Wenyu had fallen ill. The doctor diagnosed her with a rare condition: pheromone deficiency syndrome. She would only recover if she bonded with an Alpha whose pheromones matched hers perfectly.

Knowing there was no way to escape her family’s arrangements, Qiao Wenyu accepted her fate. “I’ll marry you,” she said quietly.

“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to—” Jiang Nian began, but Qiao Wenyu cut her off.

“You already marked me. What am I supposed to do now?” Her eyes were red as she looked up, clearly trying to hold back tears.

Jiang Nian froze.

So… that dream really wasn’t just a dream.

It was the start of this entire story—and it had already happened.