After The Mission Failed, The Scumbag Alpha Ran Away - Chapter 44

44: Hide Jiang Youbai Away

Jiang Youbai was still staying at Chi Ruo’s residence, so Jiang Qingxian’s invitation first landed in Chi Ruo’s hands before being passed on to Jiang Youbai.

Holding the exquisitely handwritten invitation, Jiang Youbai examined it for a moment, then flicked the envelope, releasing a faint fragrance.

Every detail exuded the nobility and refinement of the royal family.

Jiang Youbai casually tossed the envelope onto the table: “When the Fourth Princess first arrived in the capital, she couldn’t even navigate the city streets properly. Now, she’s completely adapted to the aristocratic ways of the capital.”

Chi Ruo glanced at her and corrected, “She’s not the Fourth Princess anymore—she’s the Crown Princess.”

“The invitation mentions me and Lou Huaiche. Let’s inform Lou Huaiche,” Jiang Youbai tapped the table with her fingers. “I was just thinking of finding an excuse to approach Jiang Qingxian, but she beat me to it.”

Jiang Youbai had passed the lower house’s small meeting and was now looking for an opportunity to test Jiang Qingxian.

Both agreed that the best method was to cause trouble for Jiang Qingxian. Coincidentally, they had previously investigated two Alphas from Jiang Qingxian’s industrial department for embezzlement, so they decided to use this as a trigger to draw Jiang Qingxian out.

Soon after receiving the message, Lou Huaiche rushed to the Chi residence. Likely due to her busy schedule lately, she hadn’t had time to groom herself. Her hair was casually tied into a bun, and she wore a black short-sleeved shirt with jeans, completely bare-faced.

A far cry from the meticulously styled Lou Huaiche of the past.

Over the past two or three days, Lou Huaiche had also been leaving early and returning late, running around to gather clues and trying to contact Ning Yunze.

Staying at the Chi residence was inconvenient—everything had to be purchased, and coming and going was troublesome, as she feared attracting attention. So, she contacted her parents and moved back into the Lou family home.

Jiang Youbai vaguely remembered Chi Ruo mentioning that Lou Huaiche had quarreled with her parents, but she wasn’t clear on the details.

Both had been busy these past few days, and since they weren’t staying together, they hadn’t seen each other at all, nor had they privately contacted one another.

The passion and tenderness of that afternoon seemed like a shared dream, left behind in a corner, with neither of them bringing it up.

But not mentioning it didn’t mean either of them had forgotten.

On the contrary, both had tucked that memory deep in their hearts. Whenever they had a moment of free time these past few days, their minds would drift back to that afternoon—the faces, the petals scattered on the sofa and floor, and the person they had held in their arms.

Now, seeing each other again after three days, Jiang Youbai couldn’t help but avert her gaze, unable to meet Lou Huaiche’s eyes.

It wasn’t as if this was their first time being intimate or even their first marking, yet Jiang Youbai felt inexplicably awkward.

She couldn’t pinpoint why, only that the lake in her heart had been stirred by Lou Huaiche’s slender, pale fingers, leaving her restless and unable to look at Lou Huaiche.

Jiang Youbai turned her face away, forcing herself not to look at Lou Huaiche, and stared blankly at the wall as she pushed the envelope toward Lou Huaiche. “Jiang Qingxian’s letter—it’s addressed to both you and me. Take a look.”

Her gaze was fixed on the wall as if it held some profound mystery. Lou Huaiche, equally distracted, reached for the envelope Jiang Youbai had slid over.

Their fingertips accidentally brushed against each other.

Jiang Youbai recoiled as if burned, quickly withdrawing her hand, her thumb unconsciously rubbing the finger that had touched Lou Huaiche.

The sensation lingered on her fingertips. She coughed awkwardly, thinking, Lou Huaiche’s fingers feel a bit cold—has she been too busy lately?

She must have been—Lou Huaiche hadn’t even sent her a single message these past few days.

Jiang Youbai shifted her gaze to the ceiling, stealing glances at Lou Huaiche out of the corner of her eye.

The stunning Omega held the envelope, reading it carefully, completely oblivious to the turmoil she had just caused in Jiang Youbai’s heart.

Jiang Youbai felt a pang of disappointment. The feeling of being the only one flustered made her recall her earlier suspicions.

Lou Huaiche seemed to dislike her—or at the very least, didn’t like her.

Chi Ruo, sitting between them, observed their reactions with an impassive expression. She pressed a hand to her cheek, feeling her teeth ache from the sweetness overload.

She wanted to ask Jiang Youbai, You’ve already formally marked her—why are you getting flustered over accidentally touching her hand? And as for Lou Huaiche, the invitation was only three lines long, yet she’d been flipping it over for two or three minutes—had she suddenly forgotten how to read?

Chi Ruo was growing impatient. At this rate, it had been nearly a year since their first temporary marking, and they were only now at the stage of getting shy when they saw each other. By the time they got together, they might as well be buried side by side.

Chi Ruo thought of her precious, meticulously cared-for tulip—the one Jiang Youbai had plucked at its most beautiful just to cheer up her Omega.

And then it got crushed.

Chi Ruo pressed her lips together and suddenly decided to do and say nothing in the short term, content to watch Jiang Youbai squirm.

People must always pay the price for their moral failings.

For a moment, the three of them sat in silence, the room utterly still.

After a while, Chi Ruo couldn’t take it anymore. Irritated, she kicked the leg of the table and coughed. “Ahem, cough. Jiang Qingxian’s invitation is for tomorrow afternoon, and she wants both of you there. You should prepare accordingly.”

Jiang Youbai snapped out of her daze. “What does she mean by this?”

Lou Huaiche also turned her head, both of them staring at Chi Ruo in unison. “Why did she invite me too?”

Chi Ruo looked left at Her Highness the Princess, then right at the leader of the military corps, and very nearly facepalmed. “Do you two even hear yourselves?”

Jiang Youbai and Lou Huaiche finally realized they’d just said something incredibly foolish.

Seeing them about to lapse into awkwardness again, Chi Ruo hastily rapped the table to refocus their attention. “Right now, it seems it’s not just us who are eager to find Jiang Qingxian—she’s also eager to find us.”

Jiang Youbai said, “You could call it a mutual pursuit.”

Chi Ruo shot her a sidelong glance, thinking disdainfully, What’s the use of mutual pursuit with your rival? You tremble at the slightest touch from the person you actually like—how pathetic!

Lou Huaiche asked, “She must be in a hurry too?”

Chi Ruo mentally rolled her eyes at her. What’s the use of knowing Jiang Qingxian is in a hurry? Why aren’t you in a hurry yourself? You drank yourself into a stupor every day when Jiang Youbai was presumed dead, and now that she’s alive, you’ve become even more withdrawn.

Disgraceful!

Chi Ruo cursed them both inwardly but maintained a gentle, winter-sunshine smile on her face. “You’re both right. Prepare today and brace yourselves for tomorrow.”

Fortunately, the two hadn’t completely lost their minds.

Jiang Youbai still avoided looking at Lou Huaiche, keeping her eyes lowered on her fingertips. “In that case, it’s highly likely the system has bound itself to Jiang Qingxian. Photos of me as ‘Bai Mu’ have already spread across the internet—there’s no way Jiang Qingxian hasn’t seen them.”

It was something Jiang Youbai hadn’t anticipated—being accidentally filmed reciting poetry and having her image go viral within two days.

Before her fake death, as a princess, no one dared to take her photo, let alone post it online for mass circulation.

But now, as a Beta from the lower city, she no longer had that privilege.

While buying water for Chi Ruo, Jiang Youbai had been inadvertently filmed by a passerby recording a video. In the clip, only half her face was visible as she stood in the store, eyes downcast. Near the end, she suddenly turned, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful face.

The person recording seemed stunned, gasping audibly before exclaiming, “Damn—new husband material!”

Thus, Jiang Youbai ascended to the top of the internet’s fantasy lover rankings under the title “New Husband.”

Her looks were truly exceptional, her demeanor elegant. Many netizens edited her less-than-thirty-second clip alongside footage of celebrities, only to find that this makeup-free female Beta outshone the entire entertainment industry, her presence surpassing even that of many Alphas.

When news broke that Jiang Youbai had cracked two embezzlement cases within two days of taking office, the frenzy only intensified.

Jiang Qingxian must have long since obtained her photos and resume.

Chi Ruo said to Jiang Youbai, “But since she’s invited both you and Miss Lou, it’s also possible she doesn’t yet know who the true ‘Child of Destiny’ is.”

Jiang Youbai replied, “We’ll find out tomorrow. Anything’s possible.”

Meanwhile, Lou Huaiche frowned slightly as she listened. She opened her personal terminal and checked a social platform, where a trending post immediately caught her eye:

[My Stunningly Gorgeous Legislator Lover, Bai Mu]

Lou Huaiche expressionlessly read the post and clicked into it.

As a former A-list actress, she was well-versed in the trending mechanisms of major platforms and could easily distinguish between bot comments and genuine ones.

Clearly, Jiang Youbai’s videos and photos had gone viral organically.

Countless Omegas had left comments like:

“Gah! Bai Mu’s aura is insane—so Alpha! One glance from her and my legs went weak—I’d go into heat right then and there. Sob, big sis, bite my neck—I’ve washed it clean!”

“Hey, girl above—put some pants on! Stop coveting someone else’s fiancée!”

Lou Huaiche read for a moment before reporting both comments. She badly wanted to reply, “Sorry, but I’m the official partner.”

But as a still-popular acting powerhouse in the entertainment industry, her personal account had too many followers for such a bold statement.

Lou Huaiche glanced at Jiang Youbai, who was obliviously chatting with Chi Ruo, and her heart sank further. Besides, she didn’t even have the right to say such things.

She lowered her eyes, a shadow flickering in her amber gaze.

Jiang Youbai was so outstanding, so alluring—irresistible to anyone.

No doubt countless people would see her in the future, flocking to her like moths to a flame, sparing no effort to earn so much as a glance or a moment of her attention.

And compared to them, Lou Huaiche was no different.

Lou Huaiche gripped the edge of the table, suddenly overcome by the urge to hide Jiang Youbai away—where only she could see her, and Jiang Youbai could see no one else.

Jiang Youbai finished speaking with Chi Ruo and stood. “It’s getting late. I’m going out for dinner. Chi Ruo, want to join?”

Lou Huaiche looked at her, lips pressing together slightly.

Why didn’t Jiang Youbai invite me too?