After Becoming a Scummy Alpha, I Became a Slave to My Beloved Wife (GL) - Chapter 9

Jiang Nian approached from the distance, still dragging her suitcase. She was dressed in a long black evening gown, her hair pinned up with a silver clasp—she looked as if she’d just stepped off the red carpet, an international superstar radiating presence.

“President Jiang? You’re here already?”
The director hurried to greet her, motioning for the film crew to pause the shoot.

After all, Jiang Nian was one of the show’s “mystery guests”—she couldn’t just show up unannounced. Her entrance was supposed to follow the script, with a carefully staged time and place.

Jiang Nian gave the director a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her phoenix-shaped eyes were sharp, cold.
“Director Wang, is this how you shoot a variety show? Does President Jiang Fenyun know what’s going on here?”

The moment their eyes met, the director felt the crushing pressure of a top-tier alpha’s pheromones—like being shackled in place. Unless he told the truth, it felt like he would be crushed under her aura.

“President Jiang… I—it was just a favor, a personal one—”

“A favor?”
Jiang Nian echoed the word, her voice as cold as a blade. She didn’t need to raise it—just a glance, and the director trembled like a leaf.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“If I’ve done something wrong, just say the word. I’ll fix it. I swear.”

Everyone nearby stood frozen. They couldn’t hear what was being said, only that the air had turned icy and no one dared step in.

Jiang Nian glanced over at Qiao Wenyu in the distance. Her expression softened slightly.
“Someone’s slacking off during the fire-starting task—and you’re feeding people who didn’t do any of the work. What kind of logic is that?”

The director instantly caught on.
“Yes, yes, I’ll take care of it. No more food for them.”

Them? Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow.
God, are you stupid?

“There’s only one person slacking,” she added with clear implication. “The other one in that team… is someone I’m here to protect. You’d better figure it out.”

Now fully understanding, the director’s eyes flicked toward Ye Lan and Qiao Wenyu.
“I’ll handle it.”

“Good.” Jiang Nian’s voice eased. “I have another meeting tomorrow, so I’m just here to drop off my luggage. My assistant is settling in. I only came… to take a quick look at the filming site.”

Every time she spoke, her eyes naturally drifted back toward Qiao Wenyu. And each time their gazes met, her cold demeanor melted into something gentle.

The director bowed deeply.
“Your presence is an honor for the entire crew. Please, if you could put in a kind word to President Jiang Fenyun for us…”

“Well, that depends on how you behave,” Jiang Nian said, her eyes narrowing. Gone was the goofy husky energy—replaced by the sharp, alert poise of a cat ready to pounce.

The director nodded frantically.

After Jiang Nian’s arrival, the production team rushed to wrap up the day’s shoot.

Group Three had failed to make fire—not because of their lack of effort, but because their materials were faulty. The dry grass they were given had absorbed moisture. No matter how hard they tried, it was impossible to create a flame.

Qiao Wenyu had looked up possible reasons online and found one note: damp materials would prevent ignition. When the crew checked the kit, they confirmed it—the materials were unusable.

The production team had no choice but to apologize publicly and offer Group Three the same dinner as Group One. But Ye Lan, ever concerned about her figure, refused the grilled food and returned to her room to eat her own prepped meal.

When Qiao Wenyu went to the food station to collect their share, the staff claimed nothing was left from Group One’s batch. Once again, Qiao Wenyu was left without dinner.

The director watched it happen and said nothing. He had just spoken with Jiang Nian and had mistakenly assumed that the powerful figure backing Ye Lan was her. He couldn’t believe a rookie like Qiao Wenyu—new, unknown, without buzz—could possibly have Jiang Nian’s support. Naturally, he believed Ye Lan was the one Jiang had come to protect.

Same-gender pairings in elite circles weren’t unusual, and the director’s assumptions only reinforced his bias.

While all this was happening, Jiang Nian was upstairs with her assistant, unpacking. From her travel bag, she pulled out a bottle of alpha-grade nutrient solution.

It had been a while since she’d released soothing pheromones for Qiao Wenyu. To ensure she could offer comfort later that evening, she had been drinking these supplements recently—enhancing her pheromone output in preparation.

Once everything was set, Jiang Nian called Qiao Wenyu’s manager and asked her to relay a message: Have Qiao Wenyu meet me in the garden outside the villa.

After the call, Jiang Nian changed into something more casual. As night fell and the garden lights turned on, she made her way outside.

The temperature had begun to rise. Though it was spring, the air was filled with the soft sounds of summer crickets.

Jiang Nian sat on a bench beneath the garden lights, waiting. She looked up at the stars and, out of sheer boredom, began counting them. When she reached the 236th star, another figure finally appeared in the garden.

“Xiao Nian… What are you doing here?” Qiao Wenyu stood beside the flowerbeds, visibly tense.

Jiang Nian pulled her by the wrist, guiding her gently to sit on the bench. Then she released her red-wine-scented pheromones.

“You…”
The smell hit Qiao Wenyu instantly. Her pale face flushed.
“It’s… strong.”

Jiang Nian tilted her chin proudly.
“I’ve been drinking nutrient solution. Don’t worry—I won’t faint this time.”

“You still shouldn’t do that…”
Qiao Wenyu’s long lashes fluttered, a blush coloring the corners of her eyes.

“Sis, I have something to confess—please don’t get mad, okay?”
Jiang Nian’s tone shifted back to playful, puppy-like innocence, her eyes full of mock guilt.

“Go on. I won’t be mad.”

“I wanted you to be the face of my new fashion line. But your popularity wasn’t high enough, so I thought this dating show would help boost your profile.” Jiang Nian lowered her head. “Can I promote you, sis? Please?”

Qiao Wenyu gently refused.
“I don’t want to be famous. I’m okay staying under the radar. In this industry, only a few who hit it big survive.”

Jiang Nian shook her head.
“Sis, I will make you famous. I came on this show because I was afraid someone might expose our relationship. I had to be here—just in case.”

Qiao Wenyu’s expression shifted slightly.
“You don’t plan to go public… do you?”

“Of course not. I’d never let that happen. But there’s always a chance something could leak. Just in case… I wanted to be near you. I’m just a normal guest, that’s all.”

Qiao Wenyu said nothing, her gaze fixed on the surrounding greenery. She seemed to be thinking deeply.

Jiang Nian glanced at the time.
“Sis, it’s getting late. I have to catch a flight—there’s a meeting I can’t miss tomorrow. But I’ll be back for the show tomorrow afternoon. Wait for me.”

Qiao Wenyu snapped out of her thoughts.
“Okay.”

“Goodnight, Sis.”

“Goodnight.”

As morning dawned, the first official episode of the dating show began in earnest.

The new task location was set in an ocean theme park.

To reinforce the dating concept of the show, the production team had temporarily rearranged the cast into “couple” pairings. The two omega singers were paired with Tong Yunyao and the male actor, respectively. Qiao Wenyu, unfortunately, drew the short end of the stick—once again teamed with the arrogant, condescending Ye Lan.

“Today’s mission,” the director announced, “is for each pair to find five clue cards throughout the park. Piece them together to form a complete sentence, and shout it clearly into the camera. If correct, you’ll receive a hint about tomorrow’s task and get a head start.”

“We’re handing out the first clue now,” he continued. “Follow the instructions on it to find the next one.”

Just as Qiao Wenyu stepped forward to take their clue, Ye Lan snatched it up first.

“The code phrase is: ‘How’s the weather today?’” Ye Lan read aloud to the camera. “We’re supposed to find someone who answers with: ‘Even better tomorrow.’ Looks like we’ll be approaching random people to ask.”

Ye Lan stood squarely in front of the lens, blocking Qiao Wenyu from view. Only half of her made it into the frame.

Since each couple had a dedicated cameraman following them today, Ye Lan was especially eager to take the lead, frequently speaking into the camera for added exposure.
“Where could this mysterious contact be?”

Ocean Park was divided into multiple zones. Qiao Wenyu trailed behind as Ye Lan marched them around the park twice, stopping to ask passersby, “How’s the weather today?” But no one responded with the correct phrase.

“Ms. Ye, maybe we should ask the staff for help,” Qiao Wenyu suggested.

Ye Lan’s patience wore thin quickly. She ignored the suggestion and plopped down on a nearby bench, clearly unwilling to keep moving.

The cameraman hesitated. “Ms. Ye, we’re still filming…”

“Can’t you tell I’m resting? I’m exhausted,” Ye Lan snapped unreasonably.

The film crew had been warned not to provoke Ye Lan—Director Wang had specifically asked them to tread lightly around her. So no one pushed further. They simply stood back and waited for her to be “ready.”

Ten minutes passed. With no usable footage recorded, the cameraman finally approached her again.
“Ms. Ye, this is a dating show. It might help if there’s more… chemistry between you and Miss Qiao.”

Chemistry? Ye Lan sneered internally. With Qiao Wenyu?

Sure, she’s good-looking—but in this industry, looks are a dime a dozen. Ye Lan only aimed for partners who were rich, powerful, and influential. Someone like Qiao Wenyu? Not worth her time.

Suddenly, she had an idea.

She tapped Qiao Wenyu’s shoulder with one manicured finger.
“I’m thirsty. Be a dear and get me a bottle of water, would you, sweetheart?”

“Alright.”
Qiao Wenyu couldn’t refuse. Unfortunately, they were in the innermost part of the park, and the nearest shop was quite far.

By the time she returned, water bottle in hand, Ye Lan was gone.

Nowhere to be seen.

Qiao looked everywhere, but Ye Lan had vanished.

“Miss Qiao, do you have her number? Try calling her,” the cameraman suggested.

Qiao Wenyu shook her head.
“She didn’t bring her phone. She even said earlier it was a hassle not having it.”

“So what now?”

“Try calling one of your colleagues. Most of the other camera crews are following her, right? Maybe they’ll know where she went.”

The cameraman scratched his head.
“We’re not allowed to carry phones during work. It’s a company policy—to prevent leaks. All personal electronics are confiscated during shoots.”

“Then I’ll keep looking during the task,” Qiao Wenyu sighed. With no other option, she continued the mission on her own.

Evening arrived, and she had neither found Ye Lan nor completed the challenge. She returned to the villa with the cameraman, heart heavy with worry. Not only had she failed the mission, but she had barely appeared on camera at all.

At the front door of the villa, she ran into Director Wang.

He looked exhausted—and the moment he saw her, his frustration boiled over.
“You! Yesterday you didn’t finish the task with Ye Lan. And today? Ye Lan worked so hard while you completely disappeared! We couldn’t reach you at all!”

Tong Yunyao stepped forward to smooth things over.
“Director Wang, please, we’re both new to this. Can you give Wenyu-jie another chance?”

“Another chance?” Ye Lan sneered, stepping in. “Director, this isn’t just about chances. What Qiao Wenyu did could be considered a breach of contract. A replacement would be more appropriate.”

Director Wang hesitated, then gave in to Ye Lan’s pressure.
“Honestly, Miss Qiao, you don’t seem to be a good fit for the show.”

He immediately sent a breach notice to Qiao Wenyu’s agent, clearly stating she was to leave the filming location that night.

Qiao Wenyu returned to her room in silence and began to pack.

Before she could start, a staff member burst in, breathless.

“Miss Qiao—sorry! There’s been a change. The production team brought in a new director. You don’t have to leave. As for Ye Lan… she’s been asked to withdraw from the show due to some issues.”

The staffer glanced around cautiously, then leaned in to whisper.
“I’m actually here on behalf of President Jiang. She knows what happened today and told me to let you know: don’t worry. She’ll be here tomorrow.”

Qiao Wenyu stood frozen, unable to respond. She didn’t even realize when the staffer left.

Her phone buzzed.

A voice message from Jiang Nian popped up on the screen.

Almost automatically, she pressed play.

Jiang Nian’s warm voice came through: “Sis, wait for me to come back.”