After Disabled A was Reborn, She Got Scummed Again - Chapter 20.1

She had only caught a faint glimpse of a silhouette when Qin Xiao’s black sedan made a turn and disappeared from sight. She didn’t spot Cheng Mianxi anywhere nearby.

Cheng Mianxi, having also noticed, quietly withdrew her gaze.

Standing in front of Chu Qiyan was Chu Qian, wearing a soft, graceful smile. Then she nodded at the alpha beside her, a subtle gesture of greeting.

Qiyan felt something was off but didn’t dwell on it. Chu Qian had always been obsessed with her reputation. She had just been rumored to be involved with Qin Xiao, and now she was seen with another alpha.

“Mianxi, this is my sister, Chu Qiyan,” Chu Qian said as they walked into the house.

“She’s your sister, huh…” Cheng Mianxi looked over at Qiyan’s retreating figure with a thoughtful expression.

“Yes…” Chu Qian smiled sweetly, but her molars were clenched tight beneath that innocent exterior.

The alpha she liked was looking at another Omega—her so-called rival, Chu Qiyan.

Admittedly, even she had to acknowledge that Chu Qiyan was beautiful—elegant and fresh-faced, intelligent and gentle. It wasn’t surprising she had earned the title of “white moonlight” at Jingyan University.

She hadn’t invited Chu Qiyan to dinner tonight precisely to avoid her running into Cheng Mianxi. She even tried to persuade her brother, Chu Bing, not to call Qiyan, though he did anyway. Thankfully, Qiyan didn’t come home.

“Mianxi, it’s been so long! Now we’ll be seeing each other all the time,” Chu Qian said with a soft smile, her eyes shimmering with a touch of shyness.

“Yes, now that we’re both in the capital, we’ll be able to look out for each other again,” Cheng Mianxi replied with a gentle grin.

“Sis must’ve been sent back by the head of the Qin family, right? So lucky…” Chu Qian added softly, “If you had arrived in the capital just a few days earlier, you would’ve witnessed her engagement to Qin Xiao…” Her tone was light, but her words were deliberate. Her weak smile didn’t waver for a second—she wanted to make sure Cheng Mianxi knew that Chu Qiyan was already engaged and off the market.

She wasn’t about to let Cheng Mianxi fall for Qiyan’s pretty face.

Now that Qiyan was engaged to Qin Xiao, she needed to find another powerful alpha to lean on.

Cheng Mianxi had grown up in Haicheng just like her. They’d always had a good relationship. Back when Chu Qian’s true identity was revealed and she moved to the capital, it was Cheng Mianxi who had escorted her here. What she hadn’t expected was that Cheng Mianxi was actually from the prestigious Cheng family—a family with no alpha heirs. The younger Omegas were unimpressive, which meant the Cheng family would one day be inherited by Cheng Mianxi.

Chu Qian saw this as her opportunity. They got along well—why not nurture that relationship? Marrying into the Cheng family would be a solid move. Cheng Mianxi was good-looking and, while her status wasn’t as high as Qin Xiao’s, at least she wasn’t disabled like Qin Xiao.

That’s how she calculated it in her head.

“Is that so? What a shame then,” Cheng Mianxi smiled easily, her expression as mild as ever.

“Well then, let’s catch up another day,” she said before getting into her car, the two of them chatting until the very end.

*****

Back inside, Chu Qiyan made her way to the living room with a warm smile and greeted everyone. Her father and mother were both present.

“I heard you were with Qin Xiao today,” her father, Chu Peng, said—not so much a question as a statement.

“Yes, Father,” Qiyan replied gently, her tone proper and her smile composed.

“Good. You should spend more time with her and build up your relationship. Try to find out why she wants that plot of land in the west side of the city.”

“…Alright, Father. But hasn’t that land already been given to her?” Qiyan asked smoothly.

“Has it? I thought that hadn’t been finalized yet.” Chu Peng gave a knowing smile, as if everything was still under his control.

Qiyan kept up her composed and gentle demeanor, obedient as ever.

“Now then… Your mother and I were just talking about the internship project at Jingyan University. What are your thoughts on that?” he asked.

“Chu Peng, didn’t we say she’s still young? It’s not quite appropriate for her to enter the company just yet…” her mother quickly interjected, trying to shut down the idea.

“Didn’t Chu Bing already say he’d be there to help? Isn’t this the perfect time for her to get involved?” Chu Peng retorted, clearly intending for Qiyan to work in their company.

“…But Qiyan is still so young. There’s no rush. Isn’t Chu Qian also about to start her internship? I doubt Bing will have time for both…” her mother tried again to reason.

“I said, we’re still considering it,” Chu Peng said, his voice tightening with authority.

That shut her mother up completely. Deep down, she was scheming too—she wanted Chu Qian in the company to ensure the shares would ultimately go to her biological daughter.

Qiyan understood all too well. Not that she cared about those things, but their manipulation was still deeply unpleasant.

“Father, Mother, is there anything else?” she asked softly, eager to escape the conversation.

“Can you try to get into Qin Xiao’s company? Talk to her about it. If she’s willing, working at Qinlang Group would be ideal,” Chu Peng added, his eyes gleaming with calculation.

“Yes, Father,” she agreed dutifully. His intentions were all too obvious.

Her mother shot her a look—one laced with vague disdain.

Seeing there was nothing more, Qiyan went upstairs to her room.

Unexpectedly, she ran into Chu Bing at the third-floor landing.

“Chu Qiyan, you’re getting more out of line lately, aren’t you?” he said, glaring at her, his voice heavy with disapproval.

“Brother, no… I’ve just been busy lately…” she replied softly, her tone gentle, a faint smile still on her lips.

“Busy? Don’t lie to me, Qiyan!” His brows furrowed. “You’ve been on leave, haven’t you? Busy doing what? Bullying Qian in secret? You think just because you’re engaged to Qin Xiao, you can do whatever you want? That you’re above everyone else now!?”

“Brother, I really didn’t…” Her smile froze, panic creeping into her voice.

“Don’t think you can push Qian around just because she’s good-natured. I’m truly disappointed in you. What happened to the kind, well-mannered girl you used to be?” His words were cutting, thick with contempt and scorn.

“I didn’t… I swear I didn’t…” Qiyan murmured, eyes downcast. But it was clear he had no intention of listening.

“You’d better watch yourself. Just because you’re engaged to Qin Xiao doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about you.” With that threat, he turned and left.

“…Brother…” Before she could say more, he had vanished down the stairs.

Qiyan stood there in silence, exhaustion crashing over her like a wave. The roles in her family had completely reversed. Everyone who used to care about her had now been swayed by Chu Qian.

Of course—they were all part of the Chu family. She was the outsider. Everything that seemed to be hers had never belonged to her in the first place.

So what did her complicated, tangled twenty-some years even mean?

Where had her peaceful, ordinary life gone? What did she have now?

Nothing.

Neither her legal family nor her bl00d family were truly hers. They all belonged to Chu Qian.

All she had left was a wrecked, muddy mess.

She closed the door to her room and leaned back against it, body finally relaxing. The bitterness in her chest leaked out with every breath. The room was dim, but the light outside filtered in through the cracks, casting faint glimmers on the floor.

Looking at the glowing city beyond, her chest tightened with grief. She was tired—tired of it all. Everything felt absurd, like a cruel joke.

And somehow, her mind drifted to Qin Xiao.

The coldest person she knew… was the only one who truly understood her, who offered help and gave her choices.

In that moment, a ridiculous thought floated through her mind—maybe marrying Qin Xiao wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe living quietly by her side would bring some peace.

Qin Xiao might be aloof and reserved, but she had always treated her well. Qiyan didn’t ask for much—just a simple life.

Maybe they could make it work.

She was done with this thorn-filled life.

After a long pause, she let out a sigh, finally moving. She turned on the lights. The room was suddenly flooded with bright white light, so sharp she had to squint against it.

But just moments later, a knock came at the door. It was her mother.

“Qiyan, don’t go to the Chu company. No matter what your father says, you refuse. Understand?” Her mother’s face was cold—none of the fawning sweetness she usually wore around Chu Peng remained.

“…Mother?” Qiyan blinked, confused. The small smile on her lips slowly faded.

“Did you not hear what I said? All of this was supposed to be Qian’s. The engagement to Qin Xiao should’ve been hers too. But you took it all. Don’t get greedy and try to take everything.” Her eyes were full of bitterness, all affection gone.

“Yes, Mother,” Qiyan replied softly, head bowed. What else could she do? Her eyes began to mist.

“Hmph. At least you still know your place. I didn’t raise you all these years for nothing…” With that, her mother turned and left, satisfied.

The engagement with Qin Xiao should’ve gone to Chu Qian. That way, she could’ve shared in that elevated status. But now, because of this wrongly raised daughter, she’d become a laughingstock behind the scenes.

Qiyan slowly closed her door again. A single, clear tear slipped down the corner of her eye.

*****

Meanwhile, Qin Xiao had returned home. Nestled in the prime district of the capital, Yunshan Garden was where she usually stayed.

Standing in the empty villa, she found herself momentarily lost in thought. She was used to living alone.

If she invited Chu Qiyan to move in with her, it likely wouldn’t be a problem. Chu Qiyan had a quiet and gentle temperament—living together shouldn’t cause any conflict.

It would also give her a chance to test whether Chu Qiyan’s pheromones were truly unique—something she could actually sense. Though she knew the odds were slim, a sliver of hope still clung to her.

“Master Qin,” Aunt Liu called softly, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Just then, Assistant Liu received a phone call nearby.

“Master Qin, Cheng Mianyin just visited the Chu family…”

Qin Xiao looked at her in surprise. “She went to the Chu family?”

She paused for a moment, caught off guard. So Cheng Mianyin had already established ties with the Chu family this early?

“Yes, she paid them a visit. She’s close friends with Chu Qian.” Assistant Liu handed over the latest intel, detailing the time Cheng Mianyin and Chu Qian spent together in Haicheng.

“I see.” Qin Xiao’s mind was instantly drawn back to her previous life.

Back then, during her investigations, she’d learned the two were childhood friends and shared a close bond. But had Cheng Mianyin really connected with Chu Peng this early?

In her memory, it wasn’t until after she had taken over half of Cheng Corp’s business that she began collaborating with the Chu family.

So, they’d been in contact since this stage all along.

It looked like she needed to act fast on that piece of land in the west side of the city.

“Master Qin, Qin Sheming is requesting a meeting,” Assistant Liu continued reporting.

“What does he want now?” Qin Sheming was the president of one of the subsidiary companies, overseeing part of the group’s business. He was also an elder relative.

She had been the one to delegate power to him in the first place. But now, with his division running neither hot nor cold, perhaps it was time for some restructuring.

“His youngest son has just been transferred to the subsidiary…” Assistant Liu added truthfully.

“Ignore him,” Qin Xiao replied lightly.

With her grandmother, Qin Peng, still alive, some people were already starting to lose patience. But when it came to the company, she was still the one in charge.

After a moment of thought, Qin Xiao instructed, “Let’s go. To the Chu family.”

“Again? You just got back…” Aunt Liu looked surprised.

Soon, retracing her path, Qin Xiao and her assistant made their way to the Chu residence. She wanted to strike while the iron was hot. Some things had to be settled quickly—lest delays lead to unexpected complications. What if Cheng Mianyin managed to partner with the Chu family?

In her previous life, Cheng Mianyin had acquired that very plot of land, claiming fifty percent of it for herself.