After The Mission Failed, The Scumbag Alpha Ran Away - Chapter 16

16: Your Highness, There’s a Big Problem

The light in the room was so dim it was almost impossible to see anyone. After saying this, Chi Ruo felt a twinge of regret.

The average lifespan of modern people was over 98 years. Jiang Youbai was only in her twenties—at that age, most ordinary people hadn’t even started university yet. Their biggest worries were nothing more than whether their grades were good enough or if the person they liked returned their feelings. To stake everything as a bargaining chip on the table of power was far too cruel.

Then again, Chi Ruo realized she was only 22 herself, not much better off than Jiang Youbai.

They were both just tools, helplessly caught in the whirlpool of power.

In the dimly lit room, Jiang Youbai tapped her fingers on the coffee table, her voice low as she pondered: “The Prime Minister’s schemes are so obvious even my uncle in the palace could hear them from three miles away. He probably gets woken up in the middle of the night by the noise. If he marries Jiang Qingxian, Jiang Qingxian might be in serious trouble.”

She paused, then added, “Let’s wait and see. The Emperor’s intentions are too hard to guess right now. If it comes to it, a political marriage might be unavoidable…”

Chi Ruo nodded, hesitating for a moment before turning on a small nightlight. She studied Jiang Youbai’s expression and asked, “Do you like Lou Huaiche ?”

Jiang Youbai was slow to react, blinking sluggishly.

Chi Ruo and Jiang Youbai had grown up so close they might as well have shared the same pair of pants—even their hair ties were tied together. Seeing Jiang Youbai’s expression, Chi Ruo immediately understood: “Oh, so you don’t like her.”

Chi Ruo was a little annoyed: “If you don’t like her, what’s the point of all this drama? It’s been days.”

Jiang Youbai let out an impatient “Ah,” slumping back in her chair and pressing her fingers to her temples. She replied weakly, “I have my reasons. Trust me.”

It was as if every extra word cost her money.

Chi Ruo: “…” This brat only talked to her so dismissively. She couldn’t even be bothered to make up a proper excuse, just tossed out two words and called it a day.

Jiang Youbai silently called out to the system a few times: “System, are you there?”

No response.

After scanning the palace patrol map a few times, Jiang Youbai placed it facedown on the table and said to Chi Ruo, “I’m not in a great mood right now.”

Chi Ruo said, “When have you ever been in a good mood since the day you were born? I’m in a decent mood right now, so I’m clocking out to go drink. Don’t ruin it for me.”

Now it was Jiang Youbai’s turn to be speechless.

When Chi Ruo said she was going out for drinks, she meant it—she’d go bar-hopping all night. Jiang Youbai had once wanted to tag along, but Chi Ruo flatly refused: “Get this straight—you’re the kind of boss who’s always causing trouble, making employees work overtime, and paying them peanuts. Boss, don’t sully your poor employee’s precious personal time.”

Only when Chi Ruo said she was drinking after overtime did Jiang Youbai qualify as her friend and earn an invitation to the table.

Jiang Youbai asked, “Which bar are you going to?”

Chi Ruo glared at her, holding the nightlight under her chin to reveal a row of eerie teeth: “Don’t pry into your employee’s privacy!”

Jiang Youbai understood: “You’re not taking me with you again.”

Chi Ruo stood up and strode away: “I don’t mix well with Alphas!”

Left alone, Jiang Youbai silently began memorizing the palace patrol map. Once she was done, she destroyed the map with diluted corrosive fluid.

For some reason, Chi Ruo’s earlier words kept echoing in her mind.

Generally speaking, it was rare for Betas and Alphas to be friends. Though Betas made up over 50% of the population, they were often marginalized by societal norms.

Mediocre, ordinary—that was how society defined Betas. Compared to Omegas, Betas were even more desperate to break free from these stereotypes.

Humans could have their secondary gender predicted with over 92% accuracy about a week after birth, so nearly everyone was raised according to their expected secondary gender.

When they were kids, if Chi Ruo was bullied by noble-born Alphas, she’d grit her teeth and say to Jiang Youbai: “What’s so great about Alphas? Why do they get to be superior? So many Alphas in the capital are useless good-for-nothings—why do they get to hog all the resources?”

Chi Ruo would cry and ask over and over: “Why?”

At times like these, Jiang Youbai would feel lost. She was an Alpha, and all the adults around her took it for granted that Alphas were inherently entitled to more. It was hard for her to truly grasp how much more she had compared to others.

So Jiang Youbai would clumsily comfort Chi Ruo and say, “Alphas aren’t really that much better, are they?”

As they grew older, Chi Ruo would start arguments with Jiang Youbai, hurling sharp, cutting words at her. The two had grown up relying on each other as partners in survival, and after hearing Chi Ruo’s rants enough times, Jiang Youbai began unconsciously observing everything Chi Ruo mentioned, slowly coming to understand her perspective.

But in the end, she was still an Alpha. She could never truly experience the struggles Chi Ruo faced.

On this matter, there would always be an insurmountable wall between them.

After sitting quietly for an hour, Jiang Youbai stood up, brushed off her clothes, and walked out with light steps.

The moment she stepped outside, her personal terminal buzzed with a summons from the Emperor.

Jiang Youbai: “?”

She sent Chi Ruo a message: “My uncle’s calling me to the palace again.”

Chi Ruo: “?”

Chi Ruo: “Damn it, I just took two sips and now this? Is your uncle ever going to stop?”

Jiang Youbai sent her a location pin: “Come pick me up. The Prince’s Residence driver isn’t convenient for palace trips.”

Within minutes, Chi Ruo pulled up in a hovercar beside Jiang Youbai. The moment Jiang Youbai opened the door, she was hit by the smell of sweet liquor and cigarettes. She frowned and got in.

Chi Ruo grumbled as she turned on the air purifier: “What’s up with your uncle? Does he have nothing better to do than mess with you all day? If he’s that bored, he should go find some trash cans to sort at the sanitation bureau…”

When they reached the palace gates, Jiang Youbai spotted the hovercars of Crown Prince Jiang Qingjia and Fourth Princess Jiang Qingxian parked nearby.

Jiang Youbai remarked, “This time, you’re wrong to blame my uncle. He’s not just messing with me—he’s messing with his own kids too.”

The palace entry rituals were tedious. They had to walk a long distance on foot, undergo a full-body search, wash up, and change into formal attire. The formal wear was usually ill-fitting, and to achieve an exquisitely vintage effect, it included corsets—for both men and women—that became suffocating within minutes.

Jiang Youbai followed the palace attendants inside, going through the motions before being led to the audience chamber as usual.

The palace corridors were long. Along the way, Jiang Youbai quietly asked an attendant, “What’s His Majesty’s purpose today?”

The attendant didn’t dare speak, offering only a pained smile.

Looks like today’s going to be rough. Jiang Youbai murmured to the attendant, “Thank you.”

After the search, she had nothing else on her, but she’d ask Chi Ruo to send this attendant some money later.

These attendants were willing to provide subtle hints and warnings only because she had always treated them kindly, speaking politely and cautiously even to the lowest-ranking servant.

All for the sake of a tiny scrap of information.

The Emperor preferred to receive guests in his study. By the time Jiang Youbai arrived, Crown Prince Jiang Qingjia and Jiang Qingxian were already there.

The moment she stepped inside, the Emperor hurled a ceramic flowerpot at her, striking her squarely on the shoulder.

The heavy impact sent waves of dull pain radiating from the spot. Jiang Youbai stifled a sound and remained rooted in place.

The flowerpot, soil and all, spilled over her. As it clattered to the ground and rolled away, Jiang Youbai caught a glimpse and thought coldly, An actual rose plant. The Emperor really spares no expense.

The Emperor, draped in a cloak, glared at her with venomous eyes: “Explain! How did my grandson die!”

Jiang Youbai’s heart skipped a beat.