"After Becoming the Protagonist's Scumbag Alpha Ex-Wife" (ABO) - Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

It was the Winter Solstice, and a heavy snowfall had just blanketed everything in a stark, cold white.

Around nine in the morning, inside a garden villa in Shallow Bay, Shangjing City, the master bedroom door on the second floor remained tightly shut.

“General Qin was out entertaining last night and came back late. None of you go up to the second floor and disturb her rest. Miss Su will be coming for lunch today, and she’ll wake General Qin up then.”

The villa’s live-in housekeeper, a short, plump middle-aged woman, was giving instructions to two new maids.

The younger maids’ expressions softened slightly. Though they hadn’t been there long, they were already a little afraid of their madam, General Qin. She had an incredibly volatile temper, especially after a night of entertaining and drinking.

Only Miss Su, with her beautiful and gentle demeanor, seemed to be able to soothe General Qin. If she was coming, they figured their day would be relatively easier.

“It’s the Winter Solstice today. Look at the menu and don’t mess up the dishes,” the housekeeper reminded them again.

“Don’t worry, ma’am, I’m watching it. No mistakes,” one of the maids, who had an ordinary appearance, replied with a smile.

“Amei, keep an eye on the one in the sunroom. Check on her from time to time. Don’t let her have an episode and run out. If you hear anything, just knock on the door and warn her like before. Absolutely do not let Miss Su hear anything upsetting when she arrives. Got it? “The housekeeper frowned, looking at Amei, another maid, at her side.

The maids here had all been personally selected by General Qin after interviews. Amei was particularly striking in appearance, and Miss Su had previously mentioned to the housekeeper that she wanted Amei to somehow make a mistake and get fired by General Qin. Because of this, the housekeeper always gave her thankless tasks.

“Got it,” Amei mumbled, her fists slightly clenched. Her tone wasn’t very enthusiastic, and her expression wasn’t good. This housekeeper had always disliked her and enjoyed making things difficult, so Amei also harbored some resentment towards her.

“Alright, all of you go get busy.” The housekeeper snorted softly, a proud, smug smile on her face, then turned her plump body and waddled away.

“She really thinks she’s the head butler. A dog lording it over others because of its master! Isn’t she just related to that vixen Su Yuecha?!” Amei muttered under her breath, watching the housekeeper walk away.

Su Yuecha was the “Miss Su” the housekeeper had just mentioned.

“Amei, don’t say that. Miss Su is an A-grade Omega, and General Qin really likes her. I hear General Qin is going to marry Miss Su after the divorce. Miss Su will be the madam of this house then,” the other maid whispered to Amei.

In modern society, there are specialized medical examination institutions that classify Omegas and Alphas by pheromone strength, from strongest to weakest, into S, A, B, C, and D grades. Most people are B or C grade; A-grade is very rare, and S-grade is incredibly scarce. Betas make up eighty percent of the population and aren’t graded; they’re like worker ants spread across service industries. The housekeeper and the two maids were all Betas.

“General Qin isn’t even divorced yet, and Su Yuecha already fancies herself the madam, bringing her relatives in as housekeepers and raising her daughter here! This is the Wen family’s home; General Qin married into it. The one in the sunroom is the real master of the Wen family, yet she’s treated like a prisoner.”

“To think the Wen family was once a prominent family in Linhai City. It’s just a pity that Old Master Wen only had Miss Wen. Even though she’s an S-grade Omega, she’s dazed and muddled, her pheromones are disordered, and she somehow got pregnant out of wedlock. But even so, many people still wanted to marry into the Wen family back then.”

“I heard General Qin used to just be a small intern at the Wen family’s company, a B-grade Alpha from an ordinary background. How did Miss Wen like her? Miss Wen has a mental illness; how could her judgment be accurate? And Old Master Wen actually indulged her. Now look, the old master is paralyzed from a stroke, Miss Wen has episodes from time to time, living in the sunroom in the dead of winter, and the young miss isn’t even as well off as the mistress’s child. This family is going to change its surname to Qin…”

Amei had a mouthful of grievances, spitting them out like a machine gun, her tone a mix of sympathy and indignation.

Amei was about to say something more when her sleeve was tugged by the maid beside her. Amei turned her head, and her heart suddenly went cold. The housekeeper had returned.

“General Qin, you’re up! You must be hungry. Breakfast is ready. Amei was speaking out of turn; please don’t be angry. Such a person isn’t worth it. Just tell me how you’d like to deal with her, and I’ll take care of it.”

The housekeeper wasn’t looking at Amei but at the staircase. She spoke what she thought were appropriate and pleasing words, a flash of schadenfreude in her eyes. It hadn’t even escalated yet, and Amei had already gotten herself into trouble by speaking carelessly. General Qin was most particular about these things. No doubt, General Qin would absolutely not let Amei off the hook.

Previously, several servants who had spoken out of turn and offended General Qin had been sued for defamation. Once they had such a record, wealthy families in the vicinity wouldn’t hire them. The status gap between Alphas and Betas was vast, and the law had many clauses protecting the interests of Alphas and Omegas.

Amei heard the housekeeper’s words and stiffly turned her head, following her gaze. She saw a woman standing barefoot on the grand carpeted spiral staircase, her hand resting on the golden carved railing and staring at them. She had long, curly hair flowing down her back and was wearing a rose-purple silk robe.

The woman was slender and tall, with pale, bloodless skin that looked unhealthy. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her lips were slightly darkened, a sign of late nights and hangovers. Her long, upturned eyebrows were furrowed, and her dark eyes, when looking down at people, held a chilling indifference.

This woman was General Qin, the B-grade Alpha Qin Ran, whom the two had been talking about, who had married into the Wen family.

“Gen-General Qin, I…” Amei’s heart sank to rock bottom. She wanted to say something, but facing Qin Ran’s extremely grim expression, she stammered, unable to speak. She hadn’t expected General Qin to be awake. She walked without making a sound, even without shoes. Amei didn’t know how much of her conversation had been overheard, cold sweat trickling down her back, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. She regretted not holding her tongue earlier. Getting scolded by General Qin and losing her job would be minor; having a stain on her resume for life would be truly awful.

As Amei shivered, Qin Ran, standing on the stairs, remained silent. Her brow furrowed even tighter, and her face was terrible. What Amei didn’t know was that Qin Ran was feeling even more panicked and furious than Amei was.

Hearing Amei’s conversation, Qin Ran confirmed the facts she had just learned. Just an hour ago, Qin Ran had been very happy because she had finally completed her mission. She had survived for five years in a dangerous alternate world, returned to her own world, and re-entered her own body!

However, just as Qin Ran was eager to find her parents, family, and her beloved “white moonlight,” the system that sent her back told her something absurd, then dumped a pile of memories on her and disappeared. Qin Ran, her head still reeling from the shock, finally began to understand after a while.

Her native world was actually the setting of a melodramatic ABO novel. Due to some anomaly, during the five years she was gone, a transmigrator had taken over her body and played out the role of the protagonist’s live-in, scumbag Alpha ex-wife!

As Amei had said, the transmigrator, using Qin Ran’s identity, had married into the Wen family, tying the knot with Wen Qingyun, the Wen family’s only daughter, who was over five months pregnant. After Old Master Wen suffered a stroke and became paralyzed, the transmigrator took over the Wen Group. What Amei didn’t mention was that the transmigrator had begun scheming to seize the Wen family’s assets long ago. Ever since Old Master Wen fell into a coma, using Wen Qingyun’s “madness” as an excuse, the transmigrator separated Wen Qingyun from her daughter, preventing them from seeing each other, and threatened Wen Qingyun with her daughter’s safety to force her to leave with nothing.

Qin Ran had transmigrated back at a point where the transmigrator had already committed most of the terrible deeds. According to this plot, Wen Qingyun would soon turn dark and vengeful. Not only would she reclaim all her family assets, leaving “Qin Ran” with nothing and out on the streets, but she would also inflict a strange illness upon “Qin Ran,” causing her skin to slowly rot, her hair to fall out prematurely, and her teeth to decay…

Finally, Qin Ran would have her oxygen tube pulled by her little “crazy” “bonus” daughter, dying a miserable death. Qin Ran’s precious life, which she had fought so hard to keep, was about to be gone!

No, she didn’t want rotting skin and falling hair. She hadn’t lived enough; she could still keep surviving! The most serious things hadn’t happened yet. Surely, it could still be salvaged, right?!

“Stinky Fatty, this piggy bank is mine, and the money inside is mine too! This is my home; everything here is mine! Let go now, or else I’ll tell Auntie Qin to hit you!”

Just as a sliver of hope rose in Qin Ran’s heart, she heard a crisp, tender little girl’s voice. The content of her words illuminated the plot in Qin Ran’s mind. Qin Ran felt instantly choked, her breathing becoming difficult.

Ignoring her weak, hungover body, Qin Ran hurried downstairs.

Amei, who had been anxiously waiting for her verdict, thought Qin Ran was furious and about to strike her. But to her surprise, Qin Ran simply walked past her, moving quickly.

The housekeeper was also astonished that Qin Ran hadn’t exploded in anger. How could Qin Ran let Amei off?! The housekeeper turned and saw Qin Ran heading towards the center of the living room.

On the rug there, two four- or five-year-old girls were fighting over a Peppa Pig piggy bank. The little girl who had just spoken was wearing a well-made pink doll dress, with twin buns and a pretty crystal hair clip. She looked sweet and fair-skinned, very adorable.

The housekeeper revealed a knowing smile, glared at Amei, then twisted her plump body and followed along.

“Mine… mine…” The little girl called “Rou Rou” (Fatty), opposite the girl who had just spoken, said timidly, a little stutteringly and incoherently.

Little Rou Rou was slightly chubby and dressed in bulky clothes. Her round face was plump, and her short, curly bob had no adornments. She looked plump but didn’t have much strength. Grabbing the piggy bank’s snout, her face turned red, and she gasped for breath, still unable to win against the other girl. The piggy bank was easily snatched away.

Rou Rou’s eyes fixated on the piggy bank in the other girl’s hand, reaching out to try and grab it, but the taller girl simply raised her hand higher.

“You can’t even speak clearly, so don’t bother talking. This isn’t your home. Your surname is Wen, not Qin. You and your mommy will be driven out. From now on, I’ll be the little mistress here, and everything here is mine. You have nothing. Auntie Qin, isn’t that right?”

The little girl, who had successfully snatched the piggy bank, spoke triumphantly, her words clear and her voice crisp and pleasant. Her expression was innocent and charming. Seeing Qin Ran approached, her eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly. “Qin Ran” usually doted on her the most and always disliked Rou Rou.

At this moment, Qin Ran’s face was awful. Seeing the little chubby girl’s dark, grape-like eyes flash with gloom, and her eyes instantly losing their sparkle, Qin Ran’s heart sank, feeling like her oxygen tube was about to be pulled out.