After the Scumbag Alpha Heard her Inner Thoughts (GL) - Chapter 29

The two of them continued talking right there in the hospital room, without even trying to avoid Chu Muqing.
Naturally, she heard every word.

Chu Muqing: Thank you—she absolutely didn’t want to hear any of it. Why hadn’t she passed out yet?

Maybe it was because Su Wanqing was here and she was overly stimulated, or maybe it was just that she’d been lying down for too long—
Either way, tonight, she wasn’t sleepy at all.
She was disturbingly alert.

Although her gland was fragile, it had become extremely sensitive.
Even though Su Wanqing had withdrawn her pheromones some time ago, Chu Muqing could still sense the lingering traces of that atami flower scent around her.

It made her feel unbearably itchy inside.
Even her own rose pheromones began to stir faintly—
Something that almost never happened, as Chu Muqing had always maintained extremely tight control over her pheromones.

After finishing their conversation, Su Wanqing narrowed her eyes slightly and said,
“I think I can smell her pheromones now. Didn’t the doctor say, once her gland can release pheromones, it means she’s close to recovery?”

Xu Chengke nodded silently.
She’d only been here a day, but already knew more about Boss’s condition than he did.

Chu Muqing: “……”

Can someone please care about whether I live or die?!

Since coming of age and preparing to take over the Chu family, Chu Muqing had never once felt helpless.
Tonight was officially a first.

Xu Chengke pointed toward the table.
“Madam, why don’t you eat something first? I’ll discuss some work matters with Boss.”

Dragging a chair over, Xu Chengke respectfully sat by the bedside.

Chu Muqing’s condition was indeed much better than before.
She managed to shift herself slightly to lie sideways, resting her head against the pillow, quietly watching him.

“Boss,” Xu Chengke said, “Allen is using your absence as an excuse to cut another five percent.”

The moment work was mentioned, Chu Muqing’s entire demeanor shifted, even from her hospital bed.
Her sharp eyes locked onto Xu Chengke, and hearing that news, she sneered.

She and Allen had started collaborating half a year ago.
Back then, Allen’s situation here was very similar to hers in Beicheng—except Chu Muqing had been in a much stronger position, still wielding significant influence in Beicheng.

In her power struggle with the Gu family, if she hadn’t voluntarily let go, even Gu Heng wouldn’t have been able to seize the Chu family within three more years.

Allen, however, had been completely suppressed by his family.
Aside from a small inheritance left by his mother, he had nothing to his name.

Chu Muqing had resources. Allen had money.
They had teamed up.

She had helped Allen seize control of his family’s business.
Now, he was turning on her—short-sighted to the extreme.
Chu Muqing couldn’t tell whether it was because Allen had underestimated her abilities or if he was simply an idiot.

But none of that really mattered anymore.

“Let him have it for now,” Chu Muqing said, her lips pressing into a tight line.
A five percent cut—at worst, it just meant earning a little less.

She hadn’t expected her surgery to be this serious, and it had delayed her negotiations with Allen.

Her rush to work again was because she wanted to amass enough money quickly, to be able to return home.
But now that the opportunity had passed, there was no need to force it.

“As for Allen… we’ll take it one step at a time,” Chu Muqing said, calm and composed as ever.
“Send an email to Emma. Let’s see what she says.”

Hearing that name, Xu Chengke hesitated.

Emma—Allen’s elder sister—was an Alpha, Grade A.

During the siblings’ internal power struggle, Emma had supported Allen, which led to her losing her chance at inheritance.
Now Chu Muqing wanted to reach out to her for a new alliance…
He wasn’t sure Emma would even be willing to listen.

Half a year ago, after investigating the gland-switching scandal, Chu Muqing had concluded that the Gu family would never let her off the hook.

They would either use it to blackmail her outright— or as leverage to completely annex the Chu family.

After that, Chu Muqing began searching for partners overseas.
Xu Chengke had helped gather information, and between Allen and Amy, she eventually chose Allen.

At the time, Chu Muqing actually thought Amy was the better choice.
But Amy didn’t trust her.
Because they were from different countries, and because Chu Muqing had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Amy always felt she had hidden motives.

Allen, however, was much easier to control.
He was impulsive, short-sighted, and willing to do anything for power.

Chu Muqing didn’t have the luxury of time to hesitate.
After weighing the pros and cons, she chose Allen.

If she had the ability to lift Allen up, she had the ability to tear him down.
It was his fault for celebrating too early.

While eating quietly at the side, Su Wanqing listened to their conversation.
Just as she had suspected, Chu Muqing really had been working while she was overseas.

By the time the work discussion ended, Su Wanqing had finished her meal too.
Xu Chengke reminded her of a few things, then left to take care of other tasks.

Su Wanqing moved closer to Chu Muqing’s bedside.
After talking for half an hour, Chu Muqing was exhausted and starting to feel drowsy, but she stubbornly fought against the sleepiness.

“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Chu Muqing staring at her without blinking, Su Wanqing felt a chill down her back.
“Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

Chu Muqing blinked and stayed quiet.
Some things were better left unsaid for now.
In the end, all the words she wanted to say were swallowed back down.
“I’m going to sleep.”

Even before the surgery, Chu Muqing had already been vaguely aware of her feelings.
But because of all the uncertainty, she chose to stay silent.

But when she opened her eyes earlier and saw Su Wanqing standing there, she was sure.

She liked her.
She wanted to see her.
She loved the faint atami flower scent on Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing gently pulled the blanket up to cover her.
“Go ahead and sleep. I’ll stay right here. Just call me if you need anything.”

The room fell silent for a few seconds.
Su Wanqing watched as Chu Muqing’s breathing evened out, and her tense body finally relaxed.

Then suddenly, a hand reached out from under the blanket and grabbed her wrist.

Su Wanqing froze.

She lowered her head to look at the hand around her wrist, then shifted her gaze to Chu Muqing’s face—
She was clearly pretending to be asleep.

Seriously? She’s even pretending now?

Su Wanqing couldn’t help but laugh quietly.
She gently adjusted her position to make it more comfortable for both of them and sat there silently.

After a while, Chu Muqing truly fell asleep.
Su Wanqing held her hand for a little longer, reluctant to let go.
Then she carefully tucked Chu Muqing’s hand back under the blanket.

She tiptoed to the side and pulled out her phone to check work messages.

Ji Yu, hot-tempered as always, had been scared out of her mind after being thrown into responsibility last-minute.
She bombarded Su Wanqing with frantic messages saying she couldn’t do it.

In the end, Ji Yu was pushed onto the stage and managed to carry out the summer fashion show—
but the results were disappointing.

Most of the invited guests had been lured away by Sun Xiaoxiao, and even the online promotional videos they had prepared were taken down.

Months of hard work, and barely anyone even noticed their launch event.

Meanwhile, Sun Xiaoxiao released her summer collection on the exact same day.
Online, everything was praising her brand, and thanks to aggressive marketing, they briefly caught up with some of the top brands.

Ji Yu nervously asked Su Wanqing:
What should we do?

Su Wanqing calmly replied:
【Let it be. 】

Thankfully, she had saved some of the bonus profits from the spring season.
As long as they didn’t suffer huge losses this summer, Lanqing would still have room to recover.

Because of the time difference, there was always a delay in Su Wanqing’s replies.
Ji Yu had quickly figured this out, and every time Su Wanqing responded, Ji Yu would unleash a flood of new messages.

After a week, Su Wanqing was completely at her wit’s end.

【I booked a flight for next week. Get the financial report from the accounting department.】
【The autumn season’s design drafts.】
【Check with the factories, make sure the production lines are running smoothly.】
【See if there’s a chance to pull in some investment.】

In one go, Su Wanqing listed several important tasks.
Now that Ji Yu had work to do, she finally stopped bombarding her.

At last, Su Wanqing’s world was quiet again.

With her return date set, time seemed to pass even faster.
In the blink of an eye, there were only three days left.

Chu Muqing’s awake time was getting longer, up to seven hours a day.
After speaking with the doctors, she was allowed to get out of bed and walk a little.
Having been bedridden for so long, she needed to retrain her muscles.

She spent two hours a day handling work and used the rest of her time exercising.

Su Wanqing became her full-time walking stick—
Every morning, she helped Chu Muqing go downstairs for a stroll, then have breakfast, then walk laps around the hospital ward using the handrails.
Whenever Chu Muqing was awake, she barely took any breaks.

Su Wanqing had tried persuading her to rest, but it was no use.
This woman was truly ruthless with herself.

Chu Muqing’s temper hadn’t been the best these days.
But she couldn’t snap at Su Wanqing, who had been taking care of her nonstop,
and she couldn’t vent on Xu Chengke, who had been juggling hospital duties and working overtime.

So whenever she got frustrated, Chu Muqing would just quietly storm around the bed in circles.

Somehow, Su Wanqing found her even more adorable like this.

Hearing a soft chuckle beside her, Chu Muqing immediately stopped walking.
She turned her head and glared, her gaze sharp as a blade.
“What are you laughing at?”

She looked thoroughly annoyed.

“Nothing.”
Su Wanqing smiled innocently.

Chu Muqing didn’t bother arguing.
She supported herself on the bed and slowly sat down.

Thanks to her intense exercise routine, Chu Muqing was recovering fast.
She could now walk without assistance.

Other than sleeping longer than normal, she was almost back to a healthy state.
Su Wanqing glanced at the clock.
One more day until her flight.

That evening, Xu Chengke brought in their dinner and also came to report on work progress.
Su Wanqing took the opportunity to head back to the hotel to pack her luggage.

Xu Chengke pulled over a table and unpacked the takeout—two portions.
Chu Muqing asked casually,
“Why didn’t you get one for her?”

“Madam said she was eating out.”

“Oh. How’s it going?” she asked, referring to the negotiations.

“Amy agreed to meet, but didn’t promise to cooperate.”

“Schedule the meeting for the day after tomorrow,” Chu Muqing said.

“You sure?” Xu Chengke hesitated.
“Isn’t it a bit rushed? And you’re still not discharged yet.”

“I’ll get discharged tomorrow,” Chu Muqing replied without hesitation.

Xu Chengke didn’t argue further.
When Chu Muqing spoke in that tone, there was no point trying to convince her otherwise.
He made a mental note to ask the doctor for some precautions later.

Chu Muqing ate slowly, the room quiet except for the occasional clink of utensils.
When her phone vibrated on the table, the buzzing sounded unusually loud.

Chu Muqing raised her brow.
“Yours?”

“No,” Xu Chengke replied.
He always kept his phone on silent while working.

Following the sound, Chu Muqing found the phone under the table.
It was a light purple phone case.

“It’s Madam’s,” Xu Chengke said.

Chu Muqing placed it back beside the table leg and continued eating.
“How’s Lanqing doing?”

“About the same. No losses.”

No matter the industry, the beginning was always hard.
Considering they hadn’t lost money even after being absent from Beicheng for two quarters, Chu Muqing was actually pleasantly surprised.

While they were chatting, the phone buzzed again, lighting up with two new messages:

【You’re finally coming back! Flies rubbing hands together.】
【Qing-jie, what time are you landing tomorrow? I’ll pick you up.】

Chu Muqing wasn’t in the habit of snooping, but the notification floated across the screen so obviously that she couldn’t help catching a glimpse.

She’s going back?

She had stayed here for quite a while already.
Chu Muqing had almost forgotten that Su Wanqing had her own life to return to.

Tomorrow’s flight?
Why hadn’t she said anything?

Chu Muqing grabbed a napkin and dabbed her lips, her mind a tangled mess.

Originally, she had planned to get discharged tomorrow, secure the business deal, and then have a proper talk with Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing had come all this way, taken care of her day and night, and hadn’t even rested properly.
They hadn’t even had a real, honest conversation yet.

Chu Muqing looked at Xu Chengke and said,
“Cancel my discharge for tomorrow. Push the meeting with Amy to the day after.
Tomorrow, focus on sending Madam to the airport—her flight’s tomorrow.”

Xu Chengke made a small noise of surprise.
He was a bit stunned.

“Madam didn’t mention anything about it…”