After The Mission Failed, The Scumbag Alpha Ran Away - Chapter 1

1: Miss Lou, What’s the Matter?

“Have you heard? That actress from our school, Lou Huaiche, recently came back to attend classes.”

“Huh? Isn’t she tangled up in scandals right now? Shouldn’t she be lying low for a while to avoid the backlash?”

On a small path at Pandora University in the imperial capital, Jiang Youbai sat on a bench under a tree, wearing sunglasses, listening half-heartedly to two Omegas gossiping not far away.

The “scandal-ridden” Lou Huaiche they were talking about was none other than the primary antagonist of this novel’s world.

And also Jiang Youbai’s mission target.

Half a month ago, Jiang Youbai entered her differentiation period. Just as she had finished differentiating into an Alpha and was utterly exhausted, a flat, mechanical voice suddenly rang in her mind:

[Judgment complete. Correction Plan System successfully bound to cannon-fodder character Jiang Youbai.]

From the system, Jiang Youbai learned the truth of her fate.

The world she had lived in for twenty years was a novel—a lengthy political intrigue story featuring a female Alpha and male Omega. Jiang Youbai had no connection to the novel’s tumultuous plot. She was merely part of the background story, the catalyst for the final boss Lou Huaiche’s descent into darkness.

Years ago, Jiang Youbai had fallen in love with Lou Huaiche at first sight. As a high-ranking and powerful Alpha, she had relentlessly pursued Lou Huaiche, using her career as leverage to force an engagement. Later, for the sake of personal gain, she callously broke off the engagement.

To prevent the exposure of their past engagement, Jiang Youbai repeatedly used her influence to suppress Lou Huaiche, destroying her career and reputation. Given Jiang Youbai’s noble status, sycophants eager to curry favor with her joined in the persecution.

Lou Huaiche suffered immensely, but she was resourceful and ruthless. After biding her time for years, she re-emerged as the wife of a powerful imperial minister. Every wrong Jiang Youbai had inflicted upon her was repaid in kind.

In the end, Jiang Youbai met a gruesome fate—her limbs broken, dying miserably in prison.

Originally, this background plot should have already reached the stage where Jiang Youbai abandoned Lou Huaiche. However, due to an unknown bug in this world, Jiang Youbai and Lou Huaiche remained complete strangers, let alone entangled in any grievances and grudges.

The system told Jiang Youbai: “The antagonist is a crucial character in the novel. As the catalyst for her descent into darkness, your sole purpose is to serve as the trigger for this backstory and drive the plot forward. Before the official plot begins, you must complete the mission of making the antagonist turn dark.”

At first, Jiang Youbai was skeptical and unwilling to comply with the system’s demands.

The moment she refused, an excruciating pain tore through her body. Still weak from her recent differentiation, Jiang Youbai couldn’t withstand the agony and passed out.

When she woke up, she had no choice but to accept the mission.

To quickly get close to Lou Huaiche, Jiang Youbai had been staking out this spot punctually for three days straight.

The two Omegas gossiping nearby suddenly fell silent, as if their throats had been squeezed shut.

The system, silent for days, abruptly spoke up: “She’s here.”

Jiang Youbai lowered her sunglasses slightly and followed the two silenced individuals’ gazes. Sure enough, she saw a graceful young woman walking past them, carrying two books with an air of effortless elegance.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground with gold and spilling over the girl’s shoulders, illuminating her delicate features. Her beauty was like that of a blooming peach blossom—radiant and enchanting.

In that fleeting glimpse, Jiang Youbai only caught the faint aloofness in the girl’s eyes.

As Lou Huaiche walked away, the two gossiping Omegas exchanged glances and scurried off with their heads down.

The system sounded displeased: “If the host had stepped in just now to stop those two, it would have left a good impression on the antagonist.”

Jiang Youbai said nothing.

The system urged her: “Time is tight. The host must complete the mission as soon as possible.”

Jiang Youbai lowered her eyes, casting a small shadow over her face. The corners of her lips curled into a gentle smile: “I imagine Lou Huaiche is no stranger to people standing up for her. Leaving just a ‘good impression’ would make me no different from the rest.”

The system was puzzled: “Then what does the host plan to do?”

Jiang Youbai removed her sunglasses, revealing a strikingly beautiful face. With slender, jade-white fingers, she flicked the temple of her glasses and replied coolly: “Naturally, I’ll do what I’m meant to do.”

After seeing the antagonist Lou Huaiche in person, a translucent blue screen appeared before her eyes, meticulously displaying Lou Huaiche’s real-time mood, darkness level, and the three people she currently held the highest favorability toward.

Jiang Youbai skimmed the screen and noticed that all of Lou Huaiche’s metrics were below 10—including her top three favorability ratings.

“Is there a possibility of a bug in the metrics, or could they be heavily influenced by her current mood?”

The system replied: “There is no possibility of a bug. Aside from mood, which is recorded in real-time, all other metrics are calculated based on a three-day average.”

After sitting on the bench for ten minutes, Jiang Youbai got up and headed toward the academic building.

She deliberately took a secluded path, avoiding people along the way. By the time she reached the classroom, the lecture had already been underway for over ten minutes.

In the imperial capital, the legal age of adulthood was 20, and the education system accordingly added two years of university preparatory classes. Though nominally a university, it was practically indistinguishable from high school.

Each class had thirty students. Standing at the doorway, Jiang Youbai scanned the room. Before she could spot Lou Huaiche, she locked eyes with the professor, who glared at her.

Jiang Youbai said, “Reporting in.”

The professor flipped through his book: “Who are you?”

“Jiang Youbai.”

Hearing the name, the professor paused mid-flip. A wave of murmurs erupted from the students below, accompanied by curious glances directed at Jiang Youbai.

“Isn’t that the princess who just differentiated into an Alpha recently?”

“I heard she was unanimously approved by the cabinet as an heir. Shouldn’t she be busy with that right now?”

“Royal family members hardly ever attend classes. What’s a newly appointed heir doing here?”

The professor clapped his hands to quiet the room. The chatter gradually died down. Jiang Youbai, under the weight of countless curious stares, walked through the neatly arranged desks with a book in hand, searching for an empty seat.

Tall and slender, she wore a silk white blouse, her lips curved in a perfectly poised, gentle smile. Her posture was elegant, like a swaying bamboo grove.

As a member of the royal family, Jiang Youbai carried an air of dignified grace, yet lacked the usual sharpness of those in power. Her every movement effortlessly drew everyone’s attention.

A refined and noble young Alpha was enough to captivate anyone.

Jiang Youbai took a seat by the window. The seat beside her was also empty. Many in the classroom withdrew their gazes in disappointment.

Of course, she was a royal princess. Even if she’d miraculously come to class, she wouldn’t casually give anyone the chance to get close.

The professor at the podium cleared his throat and resumed the lecture.

The classroom was filled with energetic, restless youths, and now that an alluring Alpha had joined them, hardly anyone was paying attention. After finishing the current topic, the professor simply let the students study on their own.

The system grumbled: “Why didn’t you sit next to Lou Huaiche? The seat beside her was empty too.”

Jiang Youbai replied: “Too conspicuous.”

Having lived in the royal family for years, she never acted without thorough preparation.

Without fully understanding Lou Huaiche’s personality, Jiang Youbai wasn’t willing to rush into the mission.

Subtly, she shifted her gaze to Lou Huaiche, who was sitting diagonally in front of her.

From this angle, she could only see Lou Huaiche’s straight back and a sliver of her profile. Even that partial view was enough to leave one breathless and spellbound.

Jiang Youbai picked up a pen and wrote “Lou Huaiche” on the last page of her notebook.

Plan before you act—this was her long-standing principle for survival.

Thus, in the short term, she had no intention of actively approaching Lou Huaiche.

Suddenly, a cartoonish holographic projection popped up on the podium, cheerfully announcing: “Class dismissed! Class dismissed! Break time is 30 minutes. Next class is math.”

The professor grabbed his book and briskly left the room.

The students of Pandora University weren’t necessarily all nobles or the wealthy, but most came from well-off families. Besides, they weren’t adolescents anymore, so after class, they merely stole glances at Jiang Youbai before going about their business.

Jiang Youbai closed her notebook. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her.

She instinctively looked up and met Lou Huaiche’s eyes.

Jiang Youbai raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing her mind.

According to the system’s data, Lou Huaiche was a cold and distant person. Her favorability ratings for her top three people hadn’t even reached 10. Logically, she shouldn’t have taken the initiative to approach Jiang Youbai.

Jiang Youbai smiled: “Classmate, what’s the matter?”

Lou Huaiche stared intently at her. Only now did Jiang Youbai get a full view of Lou Huaiche’s face.

Slender eyebrows, peach-blossom eyes, a tiny teardrop mole at the outer corner—when she lowered her gaze slightly, her eyes seemed to carry a teasing, smiling allure.

Lou Huaiche’s eyes were a light amber, reflecting a mesmerizing golden hue under the sunlight. She studied Jiang Youbai with a serious expression: “You’re the princess?”

Jiang Youbai nodded: “Yes.”

“An Alpha?”

“Yes.”

Lou Huaiche’s expression faltered slightly, as if she’d suddenly spaced out.

She murmured, “Jiang Youbai.”

In her eyes, Jiang Youbai detected a complex emotion—something like surprise, or perhaps delight.

But more than that, it was a strange excitement. Jiang Youbai narrowed her eyes, tapped the desk with her fingers, and deepened her smile: “Classmate, what’s wrong?”

Lou Huaiche gave Jiang Youbai a long, profound look.

This was her seventh rebirth, but the first time she’d met Jiang Youbai.

By now, Lou Huaiche was all too familiar with the concept of rebirth.

In her first life, she had been abandoned by all and executed, only to wake up in the past. Back then, she’d been ecstatic, thinking it was a second chance from the heavens. She’d clawed her way up at any cost.

What awaited her was a second miserable death.

Then came the third, the fourth.

With each rebirth, Lou Huaiche made different choices, trying to alter her fate, but death always found her in the end.

By now, she’d figured out the rules of rebirth: after her 24th birthday, death was inevitable. The point of rebirth was always the day her first movie broke box office records.

In six lifetimes, her choices and experiences had led to subtle variations, but the outcomes and broad strokes of everyone’s lives remained unchanged.

But Jiang Youbai had appeared out of nowhere.

There had never been a newly adult Alpha princess in the royal family before.

A bizarre thrill surged in her chest. Lou Huaiche lightly licked her lower lip and said in a clear, melodious voice: “Your Highness, my name is Lou Huaiche.”

As if remembering something, she suddenly smiled, radiating a thousand charms: “I’ve just differentiated into an Omega, Your Highness. My pheromones carry a very fresh woody scent. May I ask what Your Highness’s pheromones smell like?”

Jiang Youbai instinctively glanced at Lou Huaiche’s stats panel and saw her own name glaringly ranked first, followed by a bold “10.”

She smirked, amused: “Miss Lou, are you flirting with me?”