After The Mission Failed, The Scumbag Alpha Ran Away - Chapter 8

8: Host, the Villain Likes the Protagonist

After half a month, hearing Lou Huaiche’s voice again, Jiang Youbai felt as if a lifetime had passed.

Spending every day wandering around on imperial orders, Jiang Youbai dreamed of Jiang Qingxian’s face every time she closed her eyes. If this continued, she was going to suspect the old emperor was trying to set her up with Jiang Qingxian.

She raised her head and looked in the direction of the voice, spotting Lou Huaiche and Ning Yunze behind her.

Having been tormented for half a month, Jiang Youbai felt an inexplicable fondness upon seeing Lou Huaiche. Just as she was about to exchange a few pleasantries, the system, which had been silent for half a month, suddenly appeared: “Warning, the protagonist and the villain have met.”

There were four people in total: Lou Huaiche was the villain, Jiang Youbai was the cannon fodder, and Ning Yunze had already appeared before.

The protagonist was Jiang Qingxian.

Jiang Youbai bit her tongue hard and subtly turned her head, scrutinizing Jiang Qingxian seriously for the first time in half a month.

After binding with the system, Jiang Youbai had once wondered who the protagonist of this world was. But with unexpected events piling up, she had pushed the question aside and never thought about it again.

Now, looking at Jiang Qingxian again, she felt an untimely sense of shock.

This person was too bland—whether in appearance, personality, or ability—as dull as stagnant water.

Her excellence was just enough to be unremarkable. In a crowd, she wouldn’t be overlooked at first glance, but she wouldn’t stand out either.

Yet she was the core of this world. Everything and every plot revolved around her. Whether it was Jiang Youbai or Lou Huaiche, they were merely supporting characters for her.

Jiang Youbai averted her gaze. The system continued, “In the original story, Lou Huaiche had a strong fondness for Jiang Qingxian. Her world-destroying actions in the later stages were due to unrequited love for Jiang Qingxian.”

Jiang Youbai’s pupils contracted slightly.

Of the two pieces of news, the latter impacted her more.

It was hard for her to equate Lou Huaiche with the image of someone who went mad and insane because of unrequited love. Lou Huaiche was like a madwoman locked in an attic—murderous, arsonous, cold, and venomous—laughing hysterically amidst shattered glass, yet never losing her rationality over love.

This madwoman was born to captivate thousands. She was a poisonous flower blooming on a cliff, not easily plucked by anyone.

Romance was just the icing on the cake—whether it existed or not, it was never the focus of her life.

Jiang Youbai let out a disbelieving laugh.

Her astonished expression was too obvious. Jiang Qingxian had to remind her, “Cousin.”

Jiang Youbai finally snapped back to reality. In an instant, she concealed all her exposed emotions, replacing them with her usual warm smile.

“Miss Lou, Mr. Ning.” Jiang Youbai introduced Jiang Qingxian to the two. “This is the Fourth Princess, who has just returned to the capital.”

As she spoke, Jiang Youbai observed Lou Huaiche’s expression. Lou Huaiche showed no special reaction upon hearing this, merely nodding politely, distant and indifferent.

Jiang Youbai glanced at her panel. The name [Jiang Qingxian] had suddenly surpassed hers to take the top spot in the favorability ranking, followed by a number: 30.

Lou Huaiche was emotionally detached. In her eyes, Jiang Youbai, ranked second, had zero favorability, while Jiang Qingxian, whom she had just met minutes ago, had 30.

The system didn’t miss the chance to provoke Jiang Youbai: “Host, if you don’t actively complete the mission soon, you might not be able to finish it.”

And then you’ll never have to finish it again.

Jiang Youbai felt a dull ache in her temples. A thousand curses rose to the tip of her tongue, only to be swallowed back down.

“System,” Jiang Youbai suddenly said.

“What?”

“I was wondering why everything tastes bitter lately. Turns out it’s not the food—it’s my life that’s bitter.”

System: “Hang in there.”

The group crossed paths—two Omegas and two Alphas, none particularly sociable. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they went their separate ways.

Jiang Youbai continued shopping with Jiang Qingxian. As they turned a corner, she instinctively glanced back.

Lou Huaiche and Ning Yunze were still standing there. Ning Yunze was speaking to Lou Huaiche in a low voice, while Lou Huaiche listened with a smile, gazing at the distant figures of Jiang Qingxian and Jiang Youbai.

Jiang Youbai met her eyes. Lou Huaiche paused, then waved at her.

The lights shone down on the gleaming marble floor, casting a stark white glow.

Jiang Youbai looked away and joked with Jiang Qingxian, “Your Highness might not know, but this mall isn’t the most luxurious in the capital. However, it has many fashion brands and is a favorite spot for Omegas in the city.”

Jiang Qingxian smiled. “You know so much—you must come here often.”

Only after turning the corner did Jiang Youbai feel the gaze on her back disappear.

So reluctant to part.

Distracted, Jiang Youbai maintained her composure and continued shopping with Jiang Qingxian as usual, occasionally explaining the preferences and habits of the capital’s nobility.

Jiang Qingxian listened attentively, occasionally responding with, “I see.”

Her voice was calm and gentle, her tone the kind everyone used when dealing with superiors or bosses—earnestly respectful yet perfunctory. She wasn’t a living person but a corpse forced out of the morgue to work.

Jiang Youbai: “…”

She acted the same way when being the old emperor, except Jiang Qingxian had an added layer of social avoidance.

Having spent half a month with Jiang Qingxian, Jiang Youbai had come to see her as someone who preferred solitude and quiet. The old emperor forcing Jiang Youbai to tutor her in interpersonal relationships was practically torture for her. It was hard to imagine this person as the protagonist of a thrilling political novel, manipulating the world like pieces on a chessboard.

Jiang Youbai said, “Your Highness, let’s find a place to have some tea and read a book?”

Jiang Qingxian visibly relaxed. “Good idea. I’m tired too.”

Jiang Youbai: “We’ve only been out for half an hour. Of course you’re tired.”

Jiang Qingxian smiled awkwardly.

The two quickly agreed on the “read a book so we don’t have to make awkward small talk” plan and soon found a drink shop in the mall, settling into a corner.

Jiang Qingxian dutifully picked a book from the shop’s shelf, only to turn around and find Jiang Youbai opening her personal terminal to watch a movie.

Jiang Qingxian held the book, feeling like she’d been too naive.

With advanced technology, holographic privacy features were now a reality. With invisible earphones and privacy settings, one could watch a movie in public without being noticed.

Seeing Jiang Youbai engrossed in her movie with privacy settings on, Jiang Qingxian assumed she didn’t want to be disturbed and quietly sat aside to read.

Jiang Youbai was watching a movie starring Lou Huaiche.

Her breakout film was a serious drama. Despite her young age, Lou Huaiche’s performance on the big screen was on par with any seasoned actor. The morally ambiguous princess she portrayed was vivid and compelling, as if the character lived within her, defining her entire being.

Lou Huaiche’s acting was exceptional, full of spirituality.

No wonder her favorability had skyrocketed to 30 while her face remained impassive.

Jiang Youbai fast-forwarded through the movie and searched for topics related to Lou Huaiche.

Netizens’ opinions of Lou Huaiche were mixed. The current trend favored soft, pure Omega celebrities, with endless marketing and promotions featuring delicate, sweet Omegas whose looks were uniformly pretty and fussy, posing in the same pitiful delicate manner.

A strikingly beautiful, enigmatic Omega like Lou Huaiche was deeply unpopular among netizens.

【No Alpha would like an Omega who acts like an Alpha. If an Omega can’t even do their most basic duties, what’s the point of a career?】

【Hey, I heard she has some shady dealings with a CEO from her own company… doesn’t seem like a good Omega.】

【Male Omegas are one thing, but she’s female! What’s the use of good acting?】

Jiang Youbai skimmed through the comments and found that the rumors about Lou Huaiche’s scandals lacked even a basic timeline. A quick search revealed that Lou Huaiche wasn’t even signed to a film company.

Almost no one bothered to verify the truth, which was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

Netizens just wanted to criticize a rebellious, sharp Omega, not caring whether she’d actually done anything wrong.

Lou Huaiche bore the double bind of being both female and an Omega.

Centuries ago, due to resource depletion, humans were forced to leave Earth and migrate to planets in the Pandora galaxy.

During the interstellar journey, an unknown factor caused the entire human population to undergo a rapid evolution of secondary genders.

Many sociologists predicted that the impact of secondary genders on society and individuals would surpass that of primary genders. Before secondary genders, the influence of primary genders would easily dissipate, becoming insignificant.

Yet, within just a few centuries, gender issues worsened.

Humanity’s collective conservatism in the face of sudden societal upheaval was shocking even to themselves.

ABO dynamics didn’t erase the significance of primary genders. Instead, because secondary genders only manifested and completed differentiation around age twenty, people paid more attention to primary gender characteristics, identifying more strongly with their primary gender.

Due to historical legacy issues, debates and conflicts over primary genders persisted.

With the addition of three secondary genders, social structures and advanced civilization toward greater complexity, accompanied by increasingly acute contradictions and disputes.

Initially, male Omegas faced discrimination, as society struggled to accept that men could be marked, possessed, or even bear children. Soon after, Alphas’ gender advantages became prominent. Despite no authoritative data proving Alphas had innate intellectual or physical superiority, people still believed the gender capable of marking others and not bearing children was inherently advantageous.

The first females to evolve into Alphas were initially seen as freaks, tomboys, and worse than male Omegas.

These early evolutionary mindsets exacerbated primary gender conflicts.

To this day, these issues persist in society.

Female Omegas became the superposition of all discrimination.