After the Scumbag Alpha Heard her Inner Thoughts (GL) - Chapter 33
Ji Yu, still young and inexperienced, didn’t usually mingle with the business elite.
Naturally, she had no idea that the woman on the video call — this S-Class Alpha — was none other than Su Wanqing’s ex-wife, Chu Muqing.
Caught up in her excitement, Ji Yu blinked innocently at the two who remained silent, her eyes pure and unguarded.
“What’s wrong? Is she… expensive?”
A second ago, Su Wanqing had thought Ji Yu was adorable — but after hearing that comment, she froze.
Expensive?
Well… yes, Chu Muqing was definitely expensive.
But who would dare put a price tag on Chu Muqing and still live to tell the tale?
Chu Muqing, however, wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
She gave Su Wanqing a proud, almost smug look, raising an eyebrow.
“President Su, she’s asking you — are you going to let me model for you or not?”
Ji Yu, sensing there was hope, eagerly jumped in without thinking:
“Let her! Definitely let her!”
She even elbowed Su Wanqing, eyes gleaming with frantic signals.
“How much is President Su planning to pay me?” Chu Muqing asked seriously.
“Should I have Assistant Xu draft a contract?”
Hearing the word payment, Ji Yu finally sobered up.
With a face like Qiao Qiao’s, endorsements didn’t come cheap — a seven-figure contract at least.
And judging from the poised elegance of the woman on the screen, this one would probably cost even more.
Money? No problem.
Her life? Sure.
But that much money? Absolutely not!
The excitement drained from her face, replaced with a look of cautious hesitation as she turned to Su Wanqing, silently signaling:
Maybe we should think this through…
Seeing that Ji Yu was about to panic, Su Wanqing decided to stop teasing.
She shook her phone lightly and said, “This is Chu Muqing.”
Ji Yu’s eyes widened in shock — her pupils practically trembling.
What was happening?!
Wasn’t Chu Muqing supposed to be some cold, harsh, terrifying Alpha?
Why was she this beautiful?
“You go ahead,” Chu Muqing said casually, ending the call.
Only after Su Wanqing hung up did Ji Yu dare to speak.
“That… was really Chu Muqing?!”
“Wasn’t she supposed to be scary, with a nasty pheromone scent and a terrible temper, firing employees left and right? How is she so different from what people say?”
“Probably just rival companies spreading rumors,” Su Wanqing said calmly.
Ji Yu had at least heard about the Chu family’s downfall — though to her, it had always been “gods fighting” far above her level.
It had never seemed relevant to a small fry like her.
Whoever dared steal such a beautiful older sister’s company must be absolute trash, she thought.
“Why did you two get divorced then?” Ji Yu asked.
“She has… brain problems,” Su Wanqing said seriously, tapping her temple.
“The rumors aren’t completely wrong — sometimes she does lose her mind a little.”
She said it so convincingly that Ji Yu nodded solemnly after a moment’s pause.
What a pity, Ji Yu thought — such a stunning face, wasted.
“So… you two…” Ji Yu was just about to ask more when Su Wanqing immediately cut her off:
“We’re on work hours. Keep chatting and I’ll dock your pay.”
Ji Yu’s enthusiasm was hard to contain — if you didn’t stop her early, a simple question could lead to an endless gossip session.
And besides, things between Su Wanqing and Chu Muqing weren’t settled yet — anything could still change.
She didn’t want to talk too much and end up losing patience.
If she lost patience, she might just go straight to confront Chu Muqing.
Su Wanqing returned to her desk and opened the sales dashboard.
She had only been monitoring one store closely — and now, the numbers were climbing fast.
“The trending topic actually worked really well,” she noted.
Not just for that one dress — the entire collection’s stats were up.
“Yeah, I hired a few bots to boost it,” Ji Yu admitted.
That particular dress had been custom-designed by Ji Yu for Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi had a pear-shaped figure — not perfect by celebrity standards — but Ji Yu knew her body too well.
The design perfectly concealed her flaws and highlighted her strengths.
With a little lighting and a few filters, the photos were stunning — and so was the dress.
It stayed at the top of the trending list without budging, and the comments section was filled with praise and demands for links.
【Wow, Goddess Qiao’s dress is gorgeous! Which brand released this? I can’t find it! 】
【That necklace is perfect too! Link, please! 】
【Please post the link to that dress — it’s ideal for pear-shaped figures! 】
【Give Goddess Qiao’s stylist a raise! 】
【I want all the information on this dress within one minute.】
【A lifetime of needing a link — Chinese women unite.】
【Useless netizens these days. It’s been five minutes and no one’s found the shop yet!】
Ji Yu had been glued to Weibo.
For a long time, there hadn’t been much buzz, but when they started climbing the trending list, she immediately arranged for a wave of bots to promote their brand within about twenty minutes.
“Don’t let your guard down,” Su Wanqing warned. “If we’re hanging on the trending list for this long, we can’t afford for anything to go wrong.”
“Tomorrow, go personally to the factory manager.”
“It’s okay if production is slower — but we absolutely cannot sacrifice quality.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll head there first thing tomorrow morning!” Ji Yu said, hugging her materials and darting out of the office.
Su Wanqing also opened the trending page.
The number of comments had doubled again.
She switched back to the store’s backend — the sales numbers were still climbing rapidly.
At this rate, the summer collection wouldn’t just break even — they’d make a solid profit.
She had thought they would need to survive two more quarters before seeing results.
She hadn’t expected success to come so quickly.
The tightness she’d carried for months finally relaxed.
Su Wanqing let out a long breath.
She had done it!
Although she was still far from competing with the big-name alphabet brands, it was a step forward — and that progress fueled her drive to keep moving ahead.
Feeling a little excited, Su Wanqing picked up her phone and sent a message to Chu Muqing:
【Are you asleep?】
Chu Muqing was still a bit physically weak, and Su Wanqing wasn’t sure if she would still be awake at this hour.
She clutched her phone, waiting for a reply.
【Not yet.】
At that moment, Chu Muqing was sitting in front of her computer, handling emails and various work issues.
The U.S. wasn’t like North City.
Certain tasks that could normally be delegated to subordinates could only be handed off to Xu Chengke — but he already had his hands full with other odds and ends.
In the end, most of the work fell back to her.
After replying to the final email, Chu Muqing was just about to log off when she saw Su Wanqing’s message.
The exhaustion she had felt instantly evaporated.
The corners of her lips lifted uncontrollably.
Today, it wasn’t her who had initiated the conversation — it was Su Wanqing!
And not just at any random time — this was after they had already said goodnight to each other!
This had to mean something.
It had to mean Su Wanqing was thinking about her.
Chu Muqing took a deep breath to calm herself and quickly typed a two-character reply.
Sure enough, Su Wanqing immediately called.
Chu Muqing was secretly thrilled — she had been right!
“What’s up?” Chu Muqing asked, picking up.
“Our company made money!” Su Wanqing announced, her excitement so strong it practically burst through the phone.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Su Wanqing tugged at the sheer curtains as she spoke.
“How much?” Chu Muqing asked with a smile.
Su Wanqing did a rough calculation.
“At least one small target!”
“That amazing?”
“Of course it’s amazing!”
A former billionaire CEO, the once-wealthiest person in North City, the heir to the Chu family — and now, Chu Muqing was right there with her, sharing this tiny moment of triumph.
Su Wanqing could hardly contain her glee.
“Since you’re making money now, President Su,” Chu Muqing teased, “how much do you plan to pay to hire me?”
Chu Muqing didn’t belittle her efforts, nor did she mock the fact that she was so happy over what would seem like a small amount to others.
Instead, she celebrated with her.
“Shouldn’t you appear for me as a favor?” Su Wanqing retorted playfully.
Unconsciously, she had become a little spoiled — but she wasn’t even aware of it herself.
“Spending money is simple — a fair trade. But if you want me to show up out of friendship…”
Chu Muqing paused, then said calmly, “Well, if you’re asking for a favor that big, it’s not a small one.”
Her voice was incredibly attractive — low and slightly husky, the kind of commanding, mature tone that wasn’t forceful but unmistakably magnetic.
Listening through the phone, Su Wanqing felt herself being drawn in.
“…”
Su Wanqing found herself speechless.
What kind of favor was she asking for, exactly?
“Might as well offer yourself to me,” Chu Muqing answered for her, coolly.
Su Wanqing felt her cheeks heating up.
Once again, without meaning to, Chu Muqing had flirted with her so effortlessly.
This time, though, Su Wanqing didn’t want to lose so easily.
“Offering myself would be too much,” Su Wanqing said, trying to stay composed.
“President Chu, it’s not like you agreed to be our model forever.”
“How about just tonight?”
Su Wanqing knew Chu Muqing was still abroad and couldn’t possibly come back so quickly — so she threw the challenge half-jokingly.
“Alright,” Chu Muqing chuckled, low and genuine.
This little bunny was starting to get bold, even learning to tease her back.
“I won’t bother you anymore — you should get some sleep,” Su Wanqing said quickly, her face still burning.
No matter what Chu Muqing said now, she just couldn’t keep her cool — she hung up the call in a panic.
Putting her phone down, Su Wanqing stared out at the rows of glittering skyscrapers outside her window.
She patted her cheeks lightly.
Still have work to do. Focus, focus!
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she sat back at her computer, forcing her mind back into work mode.
Meanwhile, across the ocean, Chu Muqing ended the call, grabbed her suitcase, and booked the next available flight back home.
By her calculations, she would arrive just in time for the evening.
After working non-stop for over half a month, Xu Chengke was finally getting a good night’s sleep — until he received a call from Chu Muqing at 10 p.m.
Still lying down, he closed his eyes and listened intently to the next day’s work arrangements.
“I’m flying back home,” Chu Muqing said simply.
“I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Xu Chengke: “???”
Was he hallucinating from exhaustion?
He opened his eyes, stared at the caller ID, and asked weakly,
“Boss, say that again. Where are you going?”
“Home,” Chu Muqing repeated.
Xu Chengke closed his eyes again.
It’s just a dream. None of this is real.
Ten seconds later, a strangled screech tore from his throat.
“Boss! There aren’t any flights tonight! The earliest one is tomorrow morning! It’s a thirty-hour round trip! What about all the work?!”
“I’ll take a connecting flight. There’s one in two hours. I’ll make it back in time,” Chu Muqing said calmly.
“Connecting flights?! You’ll wreck your health! Didn’t the doctor say you shouldn’t pull all-nighters anymore?!”
How was anyone supposed to survive that kind of schedule?!
The call ended.
Xu Chengke: “…”
Just destroy the world already. Faster, please.
Where were they on the world destruction plan?
He was ready to join the team now. Seriously!
—
The next morning, Su Wanqing worked without much trouble — but by the afternoon, exhaustion hit hard, and her pace slowed.
Knowing overtime was inevitable, she simply stayed late for another two hours.
By the time she dragged herself home, it was already 10 p.m.
She was so tired that she didn’t even notice anything unusual.
She flipped on the soft light in the entryway, then staggered straight to the bathroom, quickly changed clothes, and took a hot shower.
The warm water washed over her, clearing her mind a little.
Pushing open the bathroom door, she took a few steps — and suddenly spotted a suitcase in the living room.
Su Wanqing: “??!!!”
Not far from the suitcase, Chu Muqing stood there like a ghost.
Su Wanqing nearly jumped out of her skin — she was about to launch herself into orbit.
“Why are you back?!” she blurted.
“Didn’t you say you’d keep me company tonight?”
Chu Muqing crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
“President Su, surely you’re not someone who breaks her promises?”
Wait. WHAT?!
This… doesn’t feel right!
This isn’t right at all!
Su Wanqing was still too shocked to process seeing Chu Muqing in person.
“You… what about everything over there?”
“Xu Chengke is handling it. It’s fine if I’m gone for a day or two.”
“…”
Su Wanqing opened her mouth to say something more — but her mind was a mess.
And Chu Muqing wasn’t in the mood to waste time explaining either.
Every second back home was precious.
She walked over to Su Wanqing, leaned down, and pulled her into a firm hug.
A faint sigh, tinged with exhaustion, brushed Su Wanqing’s ear.
“Just let me hold you for a while.”