After Becoming the Scummy Alpha in a Substitute Romance (GL) - Chapter 4

Soft, warm light filtered through the doorway, casting a gentle glow on Jian Ya.

The moment she stepped in, she saw Shen Shuyi sitting quietly on the sofa.

After everything that had happened today, Shen Shuyi didn’t react with any visible anger when she saw Jian Ya. There were no outbursts or emotional scenes.

She sat there calmly, her posture composed, her entire presence giving off a cool, self-contained strength. But even so, Jian Ya noticed that her body was slightly tense.

Jian Ya smiled bitterly to herself. Shen Shuyi probably saw her now as some kind of threat, a beast barely held back.

All the explanations she had originally planned to give now felt completely inappropriate.

Still, some things had to be said, whether the timing was right or not.

“I’m sorry, Shen Shuyi,” Jian Ya said sincerely.

Shen Shuyi didn’t react. It was as if she hadn’t heard anything at all.

Jian Ya felt a wave of frustration. She realized it was going to be even harder than she expected to undo the damage caused by today’s events.

“I’ll go to my room. You… try to get some rest,” she muttered, her voice low, already turning to leave.

“Jian Ya, let’s get divorced.”

The words stopped her in her tracks. A chill ran down her spine.

Suddenly, a serious problem occurred to her.

In the book, the original Jian Ya didn’t divorce Shen Shuyi until her true fated Alpha appeared and forced it to happen.

But what if Shen Shuyi wanted a divorce now?

What if they separated early, and their paths never crossed again?

All the pain Jian Ya had caused would remain like scars—permanent reminders etched into Shen Shuyi’s heart.

Even if the wounds healed, the marks would still be there.

“No,” Jian Ya blurted out without thinking.

As soon as the word left her mouth, Shen Shuyi looked up at her.

Her gaze was calm, not surprised at all by Jian Ya’s reaction. But beneath that cold expression was an unshakable determination.

Under the weight of that look, Jian Ya’s confidence started to falter.

Her voice softened, almost pleading. “Shen Shuyi, please. Let’s not get divorced, alright? I promise, I won’t ever hurt you again. There are things I can’t explain yet, but I swear, I’m not the same person I used to be. Just give me another chance.”

Shen Shuyi’s face didn’t change. She looked at Jian Ya with quiet scorn.

“Jian Ya, you’ve already said things like this to me too many times. Do you really think I’ll still believe you?”

Jian Ya felt completely defeated.

In a situation where trust was below zero, anything she said felt like an excuse.

Shen Shuyi added, her tone colder now, “If what you’re saying is true, and you really won’t hurt me again, then agree to the divorce. From now on, we’ll have nothing to do with each other.”

“But what about the Shen family…” Jian Ya tried to resist one last time.

“I’ll explain everything to them,” Shen Shuyi replied calmly. “Since I’m the one asking for the divorce, I’ll take full responsibility. If needed, I’ll even help the Jian family manage appearances. And I won’t tell either family about what really happened between us, so you don’t have to worry about being punished.”

Her voice was steady, without a trace of emotion. But Jian Ya could hear the finality in it.

Shen Shuyi had already thought everything through. She had made her decision. There was no room left for discussion.

Jian Ya pressed her lips together.

Her mind drifted back to the original novel and the events that followed this exact moment.

In the book, when Shen Shuyi asked for a divorce, the original Jian Ya lost control. She had tied Shen Shuyi up in their home, wrapped a rope around her slender neck, and treated her like an animal. She had taken everything from her in a cruel, dehumanizing way.

Just thinking about how helpless and broken Shen Shuyi must have felt back then made Jian Ya tighten her fists.

She wasn’t that woman. She was no longer the top programmer from the 21st century. She was now Jian Ya—the one Shen Shuyi feared and hated.

Maybe agreeing to the divorce was the right thing to do. Maybe it would be the first thing she could do for Shen Shuyi in this world that wasn’t selfish or wrong.

Even if she didn’t want to let go, she lowered her eyes and quietly said, “Okay.”

Shen Shuyi paused, clearly surprised.

She had expected resistance. She had braced herself for a long, exhausting confrontation. But she hadn’t expected Jian Ya to agree so easily.

“But let’s not tell the elders yet,” Jian Ya added softly. “No need to embarrass either family.”

Of course, Jian Ya didn’t care about the so-called reputations of the Shen or Jian families. As someone who had only just arrived in this world, she had no emotional connection to either of them.

She made the suggestion for another reason.

In the book, once their divorce became public, both families were dragged into a media storm. The Jian family quickly pulled out of their alliance, leaving the Shen family exposed and vulnerable.

The company’s stock plummeted.

The Shen family’s other members, none of whom were capable of handling the pressure, blamed everything on Shen Shuyi. She became the scapegoat, the reason for their downfall. The burden nearly crushed her.

Jian Ya didn’t want that to happen again.

That was why she brought it up.

Shen Shuyi looked at her closely. What was Jian Ya thinking this time? What angle was she playing?

But keeping the divorce quiet would benefit her too. There was no reason to refuse.

“Alright.”

Jian Ya let out a small breath of relief. “Then… when should we go? I’ll go with you.”

“Tomorrow.”

Tomorrow?

Jian Ya felt how eager she was to get this over with and gave a small, bitter smile.

She really didn’t want to stay married a second longer.

But unlike her old world, this one didn’t have a mandatory cooling-off period for divorce. No time to delay, no chance to catch her breath.

She lowered her head, her lashes trembling slightly. Her voice came out soft and reluctant.

“Okay.”

Shen Shuyi watched her for a moment.

She was used to seeing Jian Ya act arrogant and unhinged. But now, for the first time, she looked sad. Defeated. Almost childishly disappointed.

With her bandaged hand and downcast eyes, she didn’t seem dangerous. For a fleeting second, Shen Shuyi even felt a tiny pang of guilt.

But it vanished as quickly as it came.

After everything Jian Ya had done, she had learned not to trust, and definitely not to pity.

“Get some sleep. See you tomorrow,” Shen Shuyi said in a much gentler tone.

Then she turned around and walked back to her room.

She locked the door behind her.