After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Became a Slave to My Beloved Wife (GL) - Chapter 13

The kitchen wasn’t very large, and the scent of rose-sweet pheromones filled the space, nearly overwhelming Jiang Nian. If she stayed with Qiao Wenyu any longer, she honestly didn’t know what she might do.

With their pheromone bond and high compatibility, there was a real chance they’d end up… entangled.

“I need a suppressant… give me a suppressant,” Qiao Wenyu gasped. A thin sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead, her brows tightly knitted, and her hand on the floor slowly clenched into a fist.

Jiang Nian nodded frantically and stood up, quickly turning around to shut the kitchen door. If they weren’t careful, Qiao Wenyu’s overflowing pheromones could attract the wrong kind of alpha.

The production crew saw Jiang Nian rushing out from the kitchen and thought something had gone wrong.

“A suppressant—get me a dose of suppressant, now!” Jiang Nian leaned against the wall, slightly breathless. She’d inhaled some of Qiao Wenyu’s pheromones earlier, and now her heart rate was spiking.

The new director reacted quickly, immediately signaling someone to retrieve the suppressant.

By the time the medicine arrived, Jiang Nian had calmed down. But after thinking it over, she decided it would be better for someone else to deliver it—preferably a beta who wouldn’t be affected by pheromones.

“I’ll go. I’ll take Wenyu-jie back to her room,” Tong Yunyao volunteered.

Jiang Nian didn’t have a great impression of Tong Yunyao—not necessarily because of how close she was to Qiao Wenyu, but because there was always something in her eyes that Jiang Nian couldn’t read.

Still, with the situation being urgent, Jiang Nian had no time to be picky. She shoved the suppressant into Tong Yunyao’s hands.
“Alright, go.”

She reminded herself that it was Tong Yunyao who had first noticed Qiao Wenyu’s condition. Being a beta, she couldn’t smell pheromones anyway. That thought gave Jiang Nian some peace of mind.

As she watched Tong Yunyao head off, a strange feeling tugged at her chest.

Something didn’t feel right…

A vague sense of unease lingered.

That night, Jiang Nian trudged upstairs to the floor where Jiang Fenyun lived.

The top floor was quiet. Jiang Nian clutched a pillow and blanket as she entered Jiang Fenyun’s room. Given their close relationship in the original story, sharing a bed was nothing strange.

“Well, well, our dear Miss Jiang has arrived.”
Jiang Fenyun patted the empty space beside her.
“Come on, baby, I already warmed up your side of the bed. Tonight, this big sister will spoil you.”

“Cut it out. I’m not feeling great.”

Jiang Fenyun dropped her teasing act.
“What’s wrong? Are you sick again? Feeling weak?”

“Stop it. I just… I don’t know. My chest feels tight. I’ve been anxious all evening.” Jiang Nian clutched at her chest, her brows deeply furrowed.

Jiang Fenyun stepped down and slung her arm around Jiang Nian’s shoulder.
“Wenyu’s being looked after by Tong Yunyao, right? I don’t really like that girl either, but she’s a beta. It’s good someone’s with her.”

“Whatever. Let’s just sleep.” Jiang Nian knew she was being overly sensitive. She quickly climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over her head.

The villa cut power at the scheduled time. In the pitch darkness, Jiang Fenyun’s voice drifted softly from behind her.
“Hey… what if Tong Yunyao’s actually an alpha?”

Jiang Nian’s eyes snapped open, her pupils glowing faintly in the dark.

She couldn’t sleep. Her mind filled with wild, unsettling thoughts.

All because of that one offhand comment from Jiang Fenyun, Jiang Nian barely slept a wink that night.

The next morning, Jiang Nian went straight to check on Qiao Wenyu.

After a full night of rest and a suppressant, an omega like Qiao Wenyu—especially one as physically healthy and well-bred as she was—should have recovered quickly.

Jiang Nian went down one floor and stood in front of Qiao Wenyu’s door. She raised her hand to knock, hesitated, lowered it… then raised it again… and hesitated once more.

“Xiao Nian? What are you doing here?”
Qiao Wenyu’s voice came from the staircase behind her.

Jiang Nian turned at once. Her anxious expression softened the moment she saw her.
“Sis, you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” Qiao Wenyu looked pale but composed. She leaned on the railing as she walked over.

“That’s good. If you’re still not feeling well, maybe you should rest today,” Jiang Nian offered gently.

But Qiao Wenyu was always professional.
“No need. I’m fine. Go on down and have breakfast—I’ll just change and be right there.”

Jiang Nian wanted to ask more, but Qiao Wenyu seemed like she was avoiding the conversation. She quickly disappeared back into her room.

After breakfast, the production crew arrived with the day’s new task.

“Everyone, today’s event will take place at the Ocean Tower. The mission is to enter an escape room full of traps and side quests. Whoever escapes first earns Heartbeat Points. These points accumulate each episode, and total scores will determine team rankings,” the director explained.
“As for yesterday’s mission results—first place goes to Jiang Fenyun’s team. Second place is…”

Jiang Nian didn’t catch who came in second or third. All she knew was that her poor acting had landed their team in dead last.

The production team played a few clips of international viewers’ reactions. One Western viewer commented that Jiang Nian and Qiao Wenyu felt completely forced—there was zero couple chemistry. In contrast, Jiang Fenyun and Qiao Wenyu had gained more shippers thanks to their dramatic love triangle.

“First place gets 1,000 Heartbeat Points and a clue for today’s escape room.”
The director handed the item over to Jiang Fenyun.

Soon after, the whole group moved to the day’s location: the escape room.

“Alright, everyone,” the director called out in front of four escape room entrances, “you’ll be competing in a staring contest to determine the order in which you choose a room.”

He walked from the far left door to the far right, gesturing as he explained.
“Although you’ll choose in order, the theme of each room is kept secret until you enter. So, what kind of room you get still depends on luck.”

“Ugh, a staring contest…” Jiang Nian closed her eyes in resignation.
“I’m terrible at those.”

Jiang Fenyun happened to overhear and smirked.
“Nian, an alpha should never say she’s terrible at anything.”

“Just stop. Don’t rile me up,” Jiang Nian sighed, exasperated.

The director held up a megaphone and a timer.
“Alright, each pair, face each other. Whoever blinks first gets eliminated. The pair that holds their stare the longest will pick their room first.”

“Ready… Three, two, one—start!”

Jiang Nian lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Qiao Wenyu. Qiao Wenyu didn’t flinch. Her focus was solely on completing the task, and though her eyes began to sting, she held her stare.

Jiang Nian, on the other hand, had her favorite face right in front of her—those beautiful, innocent eyes staring straight at her.

After just a dozen seconds, she found herself struggling not to look away.

In that moment, Jiang Nian felt she’d stumbled upon a universal truth—prolonged eye contact can spark unnecessary feelings.

Between the sting in her eyes and the emotional weight, Jiang Nian was the first to blink out of all eight contestants.

Jiang Fenyun followed right after. She had heard the broadcast announce Jiang Nian’s elimination and couldn’t wait to gloat—but ended up laughing herself right out of the game.

“Hahahaha, you really are hopeless, Nian!”
Jiang Fenyun clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she had to bend over.
“You’re just not built for this, hahahaha!”

Meanwhile, Qiao Wenyu gently rubbed her eyes. Her fingers brushed her red earlobes—and when her pale hand moved away, a faint bite mark behind her ear was revealed.

No one noticed.

In the end, the singer and doctor duo won the staring contest, earning first pick of the escape rooms.

Jiang Nian’s team, having lost, had no choice but to take the second door.

Each team stood in front of their assigned doors. LED displays above the entrances lit up, revealing the names of the rooms.

Jiang Nian looked up and read aloud,
“Phantom Thief: City of Mist?”

“This one sounds like it’s not a horror theme,” said Qiao Wenyu.

Non-horror themes usually meant a higher difficulty level—no monsters or ghosts to distract you, just brain-burning puzzles.

“That’s a relief. I scare easily,” Qiao Wenyu added with a breath of relief.

“But why this one… I’m terrible at puzzles,” Jiang Nian muttered, clearly distressed.

The production team announced:
“You have one hour in the room. Please enter now.”

Qiao Wenyu, genuinely curious about this non-horror escape room, entered first. Jiang Nian followed closely behind.

The lighting inside the first chamber was dim. Iron bars surrounded them like the inside of a prison cell.

“There’s a combination lock over there,” Qiao Wenyu pointed out.
“We’ll need to figure out a four-digit code.”

Two sides of the room were barred in. The other two were plastered with text and posters.

“There are a ton of numbers on the wall. Let’s try them one by one,” Jiang Nian said, already reaching for the lock.

An automated voice blared through the speakers:
“Incorrect password. After three failed attempts, the lock will be disabled for 30 seconds.”

In the dim lighting, Jiang Nian entered three wrong combinations in a row. All she could do now was stare at the countdown timer on the lock.

The room was well-sealed. Jiang Nian could smell Qiao Wenyu’s subtle pheromones in the air… along with a strange, crisp scent—like rain on leaves.

At first, Jiang Nian thought it was due to dampness in the room. But after checking carefully, she realized the escape room had clearly been recently renovated. There shouldn’t be any humidity or mold.

Qiao Wenyu was still busy scanning the posters for clues and didn’t notice Jiang Nian’s distracted state.

“Jie…” Jiang Nian murmured.

Qiao Wenyu was focused intently on the words in front of her when she was suddenly pulled into a warm embrace from behind.

Jiang Nian’s breath, hot and soft, brushed against her neck—it tickled, and it burned.