After the Scumbag Alpha Heard her Inner Thoughts (GL) - Chapter 24

“If you hadn’t come to find me today, Xu Chengke would have notified you of the divorce in a few days,” Chu Muqing told her truthfully. “This marriage alliance was never what you truly wanted. It would be better to end it now…”

She had not completely severed business ties with the Su family; instead, she continued cooperation with them under a different identity, enough to prevent their bankruptcy.

As long as Su Pingwei could endure this temporary downfall, the Su family could return to its former glory within two years. Being mediocre for now might not necessarily be a bad thing.

“After the divorce, I will split half of the assets with you and deposit them with Cheng Zhuo. If you run into difficulties, you can go to him.”

“……”

She did not know when her feelings for Chu Muqing had changed. Just thinking about divorcing her made her heart ache, as if it were being crushed again and again—sour and bitter. She should have known better. How could someone like Chu Muqing ever truly fall for her?

“Alright,” Su Wanqing blinked, trying hard to hold back her tears, lowering her head slightly. “If there’s anything that requires my cooperation later, Xu’s assistant can contact me directly.”

“You… should take a shower,” Chu Muqing said, noticing the patches of filth still on her body. Combined with her expression, she looked utterly miserable.

“I understand,” Su Wanqing replied. She stood up without even glancing at Chu Muqing, grabbed her things, and went into the bathroom.

The bathroom had just been used, and it still carried the faint scent of her shower gel—the cool fragrance of camellia, the one she had recommended. During the busy days at work, she would occasionally stay here, and without realizing it, so many of her things had accumulated. Half of the cosmetics on the bathroom counter belonged to her.

Su Wanqing did not allow herself much time to wallow in sadness. She turned on the shower and began washing up. The lukewarm water eased the fatigue of a long day.

When it came to relationships, Su Wanqing had always been carefree. So what if they had kissed a few times and shared a few temporary marks? It was no big deal.

If nothing else, finding another Alpha wouldn’t be difficult, right? Her pheromones smelled so good, her ranking was so high—how could she possibly stay single?

She kept building herself up mentally. After showering for an hour, she came out to find Chu Muqing already gone. Not caring much, Su Wanqing gathered her things and headed to the guest bedroom.

After blow-drying her hair until it was half dry, her phone started ringing nonstop inside her bag—Lu Qinghe was calling.

Her phone had piled up with unread messages and missed calls after a busy afternoon; she had forgotten about it.

“Qinghe-jie, what’s wrong?” she answered.

“I’ve been a bit busy these past two days. I’m pregnant,” Lu Qinghe said. “I haven’t been feeling well and haven’t checked my phone. I didn’t realize so much had happened. But I believe you should trust her.”

“You’re pregnant?” Su Wanqing was stunned. “With Cheng Zhuo’s child?”

Lu Qinghe had not followed the original storyline. She had developed so quickly with Cheng Zhuo that she was already pregnant?

“Mm,” Lu Qinghe responded, her happiness practically radiating through the phone. “Just one month along.”

“As for my situation, don’t worry. Both she and I are fine,” Su Wanqing said.

She understood rationally that Chu Muqing surely had a backup plan. Perhaps divorcing first was part of the strategy. Logically, she understood—but emotionally, she could not get past it.

Hearing the tone of her voice, Lu Qinghe realized that Su Wanqing didn’t want to discuss it further, so she quickly changed the subject. They chatted about other things for more than half an hour.

“Qingqing, my wife needs to rest now. I’ll catch up with you another time,” Cheng Zhuo’s voice came from Lu Qinghe’s side.

“Alright, alright,” Su Wanqing replied.

At first, when Lu Qinghe got together with Cheng Zhuo, Su Wanqing hadn’t been too pleased. Lu Qinghe was so beautiful, while Cheng Zhuo looked every bit the playboy rich kid.

Cheng Zhuo hadn’t seemed worthy of her—yet he turned out to be so devoted.

Lying in bed, leaning against a pillow, Su Wanqing absentmindedly scrolled through online news. She didn’t know why, but after a full day, the scandal had only worsened. All sorts of rumors were flying around.

The insults hurled at Chu Muqing… Su Wanqing couldn’t even stand to read them anymore. Furious, she slammed her phone down. She was mad at the netizens, mad at Chu Muqing—and most of all, she had no outlet for her anger. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

She threw her phone onto the pillow and crossed her arms. The clock’s hands soon ticked to midnight, yet she still felt no trace of sleepiness.

Lost in thought, she caught a glimpse of Chu Muqing standing at the doorway from the corner of her eye. Fueled by her simmering anger with no outlet, Su Wanqing showed Chu Muqing no mercy and shouted directly, “Get out!”

Chu Muqing had just finished dealing with work and was preparing to go to bed when images of Su Wanqing kept flashing in her mind. She didn’t know why, but thinking of Su Wanqing crying made her inexplicably uncomfortable.

Hearing Su Wanqing’s command, Chu Muqing didn’t leave. Instead, she walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, right beside her.

Su Wanqing glared at her, gripping the corner of the blanket tightly. “Did you not hear me? I told you to get out.”

Right now, she didn’t want to see Chu Muqing, nor did she want to talk to her.

Chu Muqing remained unmoving on the bed. Normally, Su Wanqing had always been obedient toward her—except for that first time during a temporary mark when she had shown some resistance. Apart from that, Su Wanqing had always complied. It was the first time Chu Muqing had seen her this agitated and defiant.

Seeing that Chu Muqing wouldn’t move, Su Wanqing had no choice but to turn her back to her, pulling the blanket over herself to avoid looking at her.

Yet Chu Muqing started speaking, undeterred.

“The Chu family’s affairs, no matter the reasons, have nothing to do with you,” Chu Muqing said calmly. “Using you for several months as a living treatment—calling you whenever I needed and dismissing you just as easily—was inconsiderate.”

“Su Wanqing, this marriage was a mistake from the beginning. As for the future…” Chu Muqing paused, choosing her words carefully, “My temper isn’t good. I’m not suited for you.”

“What are you trying to say?” Su Wanqing felt something was off. She turned around, craning her neck awkwardly to look at Chu Muqing, and finally just sat up. “If I’m hearing this right—are you saying you don’t dislike me?”

“I’m not,” Chu Muqing replied. “I’m telling you all this because I want you to understand—I never treated you like a tool.”

Su Wanqing was actually quite easy to appease. Chu Muqing’s softened attitude and the sincerity in her words were enough for her to accept it. Considering Chu Muqing’s usual cold demeanor, saying these things was already surprising.

“I understand,” Su Wanqing said. “Let’s put our matters aside for now. You focus on dealing with the Chu family. I’ll handle things with Lan Qing myself.”

“Alright.”

“You… still aren’t leaving?”

Su Wanqing lay back down, then sat up again. Her hair tumbled loosely over her shoulders, and her pajamas hung carelessly off her frame—so much so that a portion of her gland was exposed by accident.

For some reason, despite being far from her next heat cycle and her pheromone levels remaining stable, Chu Muqing still had a strong urge to bite her.

She swallowed unconsciously and said hoarsely, “Go to sleep early. I’ll leave now.”

Chu Muqing took one last look at her from the doorway, gently closed the door, and returned to the master bedroom.

These were words she couldn’t easily bring herself to say. Earlier, when Lu Qinghe had called Su Wanqing, Cheng Zhuo had called Chu Muqing.

As a doctor who had researched glands for five years, Cheng Zhuo had studied countless documents on gland compatibility.

Aside from the bond created by pheromones, he was certain—if it weren’t for that alone, Chu Muqing would still inevitably fall for Su Wanqing.

But knowing Chu Muqing’s personality, by the time she realized she had fallen for Su Wanqing, the poor girl might have already been driven crazy by her. Wanting to do some good, Cheng Zhuo decided to kindly guide Chu Muqing, step by step.

Thanks to that, Chu Muqing finally showed a bit of emotional awareness—and had tonight’s conversation.

The next morning, Xu Chengke arrived to pick up Chu Muqing to visit the Chu family’s old residence and meet the elder patriarch.

After watching them leave, Su Wanqing started packing her things. Though it didn’t look like much, by the time she was done, she had filled an entire suitcase.

After packing, she thoroughly cleaned the guest bedroom, making sure not a single trace of her life remained behind. Then, pulling her suitcase behind her, she left without looking back.

In the car, Chu Muqing felt a growing restlessness, though she couldn’t explain why.

She didn’t know that their conversation last night had made no difference at all.

Having worked as Chu Muqing’s assistant for many years, Xu Chengke could easily tell she was in a bad mood. From the look of it, last night’s conversation hadn’t gone very well.

“Boss, how did it go?”

“Alright,” Xu Chengke said with a hint of regret. He had actually been quite satisfied with this lady.

The car pulled up in front of the Chu family’s old residence—a row of red walls, dry leaves tinged with green, and a tall four-story white building with its doors wide open.

Two flower beds stood in the center; the soil inside had recently been turned over and looked loose and fresh.

At the end of the corridor was the old master’s room. Chu Muqing glanced ahead. “I’ll go in by myself.”

Xu Chengke leaned casually against the side of the car.

When Chu Muqing walked in, she found the old master sitting in a chair, resting on his cane, as if he had already anticipated her arrival.

“You’re here,” he said.

“I can’t hold the Chu family together anymore,” Chu Muqing stated calmly.

“All these years, it’s your grandfather who has failed you,” the old master sighed. “I just didn’t want to see the Chu family fall. It was so rare for us to have an Alpha born into the family. I…”

“Actually, about what happened back then,” he continued, “you were deceived. The nurse administered the wrong medicine to the child. That nurse was married to a doctor from the neighboring department, and together with others from the hospital, they colluded to give a false diagnosis.”

“If you hadn’t been greedy back then and had conducted a proper investigation, none of the later incidents would have happened.”

“At the very least,” he said, voice heavy, “the child would have died with clarity and dignity.”

The old master sighed deeply. “Did you think I didn’t want to save him? Back then, I was helping the military hospital with research on medication for Alpha susceptibility periods. I had connections with their doctors. I had him examined privately—he was already beyond saving.”

“What did Gu Heng come to you for?” Chu Muqing asked.

“He said that if I gave him shares, he would let you go.”

“And you believed him?”

The old master sighed again. With age catching up to him, there was little he could do. He simply wanted to do as much as he could for Chu Muqing before it was too late. Shares, money—these things were all just external possessions now.

“I’ll be going abroad next month,” he said. “I don’t know when—or if—I’ll be coming back.”

“Alright,” Chu Muqing responded.

The old master, who had spent most of his life standing firm, now had no strong attachments left. “If the Chu family falls, then so be it.”

In just a few short months, the old master had visibly aged. His eye sockets had sunken, and the white hairs at his temples had increased dramatically.

Chu Muqing gave him a final glance, then quietly exited the room.

Three days later, Gu Heng, as the newly dominant shareholder, convened a shareholders’ meeting to demand the replacement of the Chairman.

With the shares firmly in his grasp, no one opposed him.

Gu Heng sat at the head of the table, provocatively raising the documents in his hand toward Chu Muqing.

Chu Muqing remained composed. Rising from her seat, she offered a slight bow. “Congratulations, President Gu.”

Xu Chengke helped pack Chu Muqing’s luggage. Since they didn’t know how long she would be abroad this time, they only packed the essentials.

“Boss, are you sure you don’t want to tell Madam?”

“Don’t call her ‘Madam’ anymore,” Chu Muqing instructed.

It had been Chu Muqing who had initiated the divorce, yet it was Su Wanqing who had been even more decisive. After that day, the two of them had never seen each other again. Staring at the now-empty room, Chu Muqing felt a faint trace of regret.

Unable to bear the scene of farewell, Chu Muqing booked her flight a day earlier than scheduled, without telling anyone. The plane departed on time without any incident.

The next day, those who had planned to see Chu Muqing off were left standing around in confusion.

Lu Qinghe cursed under her breath, feeling that Chu Muqing must have lost her mind. Even Cheng Zhuo said she had gone too far this time.

But Su Wanqing remained calm and said nothing at all.

After venting for a while, Lu Qinghe noticed something off about Su Wanqing’s state. She grabbed her hand and asked, “Qingqing, are you alright?”

“What could be wrong with me?” Su Wanqing replied lightly. “How about I treat you guys to a meal?”

“I have a prenatal check-up this afternoon,” Lu Qinghe said.

“Then I’ll head back to the office,” Su Wanqing said.

Truth be told, she had been looking for an excuse to leave.

Sun Xiaoxiao had indeed been targeting Lanqing, but her petty tactics were harmless. Su Wanqing couldn’t even be bothered to respond. She focused solely on drafting her designs.

She was determined to develop Lanqing into a major brand, to make it a recognized name in the fashion world. If she could achieve that, she would have the strength to help Chu Muqing…

Damn it. Why was she thinking about her again?

Cheng Zhuo had said it was the effect of the temporary marking.

[Dr. Cheng, you mentioned last time that it’s possible to cleanse a marking?]