After Becoming the Scummy Alpha in a Substitute Romance (GL) - Chapter 3

“Hey, what are you staring at?” Xun Yiting called out when she noticed Jian Ya standing motionless.

She followed Jian Ya’s gaze and spotted Shen Shuyi’s figure in the distance.

With a scoff, she curled her lips in disdain. “Honestly, that heiress from the Shen family really walks around like she’s some untouchable princess. Who is she trying to impress? There are so many people in Ancheng who would love to marry you. And yet she acts like she’s above it all. Completely ungrateful.”

Jian Ya’s eyes immediately turned cold when she heard that.

“Xun Yiting.” Her voice was calm, but carried a weight that made it impossible to ignore. “Don’t talk about her like that.”

Xun Yiting froze. She had been ready to throw in a few more jabs, but when she met Jian Ya’s icy gaze, the words caught in her throat.

Her heartbeat skipped, and a strange, creeping fear slowly rose from deep inside her.

Was this the natural pressure Alphas exerted on others?

She wasn’t sure. But what she did know was that in this moment, Jian Ya felt like a completely different person.

Of all the Alphas she had met, none had ever made her feel this level of dread. The urge to step back, to escape, was real.

“I… I’m sorry,” Xun Yiting said, unable to stop herself from apologizing.

Jian Ya lowered her gaze. From the book’s plot, she knew that Xun Yiting had always considered her a true friend.

“Shen Shuyi is a good person,” Jian Ya said quietly, sighing inwardly. “It’s me who wronged her.”

She paused, then added, “And about Houzi and the others—if you see them, tell them for me. From now on, they better treat Shen Shuyi with some basic respect. If they act the way they used to, don’t blame me for cutting ties. I don’t care how long we’ve been friends.”

With that, Jian Ya turned and walked toward the emergency room without looking back.

Xun Yiting remained frozen in place, watching Jian Ya’s back.

For a moment, she felt like she didn’t recognize her childhood friend at all.

Meanwhile, in another car, Shen Shuyi sat silently, her body finally stable after emergency treatment.

The corners of her eyes still showed signs of exhaustion.

She stared out the window, her mind drifting far from the street outside.

“Shuyi, are you really not going to divorce her?” Ni Ruoyun’s voice was filled with frustration. “I don’t understand what you’re thinking anymore. If this goes on, that lunatic is going to kill you.”

Her tone was sharp, and the anger in her voice wasn’t just toward Jian Ya—it was also directed at Shen Shuyi herself.

As her best friend, Ni Ruoyun had seen everything Shen Shuyi had been through in recent years.

Old Master Shen had fallen seriously ill. The younger generation in the Shen family was either useless or incompetent.

The Shen Corporation had quickly spiraled into chaos.

Unable to watch the legacy he spent his whole life building collapse, Old Master Shen had turned to one final solution—arranged marriage.

Old Master Shen had originally planned for Shen Shuyi to marry into the Du family. Although she and the Alpha from the Du family had never met, word was that he was respectful and well-mannered. Marrying him wouldn’t have been a humiliation.

But Shen Shuyi had no desire to go through with it. She didn’t want to sacrifice her entire life by marrying a stranger.

At the same time, she also didn’t want to go against the wishes of her grandfather.

It was at that exact moment that Jian Ya appeared.

She had acted like a decent person, saying that her own family was also pressuring her into marriage. She claimed she didn’t want to marry either. A contract marriage would suit them both. They could each get what they needed and stay out of each other’s lives.

Shen Shuyi believed her.

But falling for that one lie had dragged her into a nightmare she could never escape from.

These past few years, Shen Shuyi had suffered countless humiliations at Jian Ya’s hands. Even as a bystander, Ni Ruoyun had felt horrified watching it all unfold.

She had advised Shen Shuyi more than once to get a divorce. If she kept going like this, she would eventually be destroyed.

But Shen Shuyi always gave the same answer.

If she divorced now, at such a crucial time, the Shen Group would collapse for sure.

This time, Ni Ruoyun had already braced herself to hear that same reply again.

“I will get a divorce,” Shen Shuyi said softly from the back seat, still looking out the window.

“You’re so stubborn, you know that? I keep telling you—” Ni Ruoyun started to lecture her out of habit, but then she froze.

The answer was different this time.

She blinked in surprise and stammered, “Right… you should have done it a long time ago. Getting divorced is the right call. Once she’s out of your life, things will be peaceful again. If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have ended up with…”

“Ni Ruoyun.”

Shen Shuyi cut her off. Her voice was quiet but firm.

“I’m fine.”

Ni Ruoyun fell silent.

Fine?

How could anyone be fine after being diagnosed with Pheromone Regulation Disorder?

Outside a villa surrounded by gardens, Jian Ya stood alone.

She had been pacing around the area for quite a while.

Through the windows, she could see the warm light glowing softly from the living room. She knew Shen Shuyi was home.

But after everything that had happened between them earlier, how was she supposed to face her now?

What could she even say?

Should she just tell her the truth? That she wasn’t the original Jian Ya anymore? That someone else was now inside this body?

It was absurd. Who would even believe something like that?

And more than that…

Jian Ya hadn’t forgotten what Shen Shuyi had said back at the club, her voice filled with scorn.

“Jian Ya, what game are you playing this time? Pretending to have amnesia? Another fake personality disorder? Or is this time you’ll claim someone switched souls with you?”

It didn’t take much thought to figure it out.

The original Jian Ya must have said anything and everything—truths, lies, reasonable promises, and complete nonsense—just to keep Shen Shuyi from leaving.

That was why things had become so tense and awkward now.

Shen Shuyi’s trust in her was completely gone. At this point, no matter what she said, Shen Shuyi probably wouldn’t believe her at all.

The thought made Jian Ya want to drag her past self out and give her a good beating.

After a while, she finally let out a long sigh.

What else could she do? She had to face it. One step at a time.

The good news was that, according to the story, she still had over a year before Shen Shuyi’s fated Alpha appeared and ended her life.

That meant there was still time. No need to rush. In that time, she would do her best to fulfill her role as Shen Shuyi’s Alpha and rebuild the trust that had been shattered.

Part of it was for self-preservation—so she wouldn’t end up dead like in the original story.

But the other part…

Jian Ya lowered her eyes slightly.

She hoped that by the time Shen Shuyi’s real Alpha came into her life, even if she couldn’t stay by her side as her wife, at least the two of them could remain friends.

Thinking about that, Jian Ya rubbed her hands together nervously.

Then, with a deep breath and a bit of hesitation, she pushed open the front door of the villa.