After the Scummy Alpha Marked the Crazy Beautiful Heroine (GL) - Chapter 23.1

Pei Jiuyao had somehow fallen asleep on the sofa again.

When she woke up, her mind was dazed. She had no idea where she was, or what she was supposed to be doing.

It had been a long time since she’d felt this kind of aimless anxiety and frustration.

Only when she saw the dress in her arms did she remember—she was at Chi Yang’s place.

She checked her phone. It was already 2 a.m. She hadn’t eaten all day.

Strictly speaking, it had been a day and a half.

But she still didn’t feel hungry.

She buried her nose in the dress. The scent had already faded.

Suddenly, Pei Jiuyao’s eyes turned red, bl00d vessels spreading like cracks. A tidal wave of helplessness and despair surged up, threatening to tear her apart.

She shut her eyes. Her lashes trembled.

Then, she bolted into the bedroom and buried herself under the covers.

Still not enough. Her body felt like it had been hollowed out, no matter what she did—it couldn’t be filled.

She suddenly remembered what Chi Yang had said: You could take an inhibitor.

An inhibitor.

Pei Jiuyao recalled that Chi Yang had some here. She had even picked them up from the hospital for her once.

Struggling to her feet, she dug out a suitcase from the closet and opened it. Inside were some disposable syringes and medication vials.

After thinking for a moment, she closed it again.

…She didn’t know how to inject it.

Pei Jiuyao randomly grabbed a few pills, swallowed them dry according to the instructions, then lay down again—only to feel even worse.

Finally, with tears in her eyes, she had no choice but to call Wen Li.

“Wen Li…”

Her voice was already thick with sobs.

“What’s wrong now, my little ancestor? Who bullied you this time in the middle of the night?”

“I… I’m going into my heat,” Pei Jiuyao burst into tears. “I can’t hold it back…”

Wen Li’s voice was lazy and a bit annoyed: “Then find an Omega. What do you want me to do about it? I’m a Beta—you planning to sleep with me or something?”

“She… she left me. She blocked me…” Pei Jiuyao’s voice broke, her crying uncontrollable.

Wen Li was silent for half a minute. “What did you do to her? Don’t tell me you picked up one of Chu Si’s bad habits?”

Pei Jiuyao said nothing.

Wen Li tried again: “Should I find you another Omega?”

“I don’t want anyone else!”

“Oh, now you wanna play the devoted lover?” Wen Li sighed. “Do you have any meds on hand?”

“No… I don’t even know what to take…”

“You’re something else. What’s next, you gonna tell me you don’t know how to eat?” Wen Li’s footsteps and the sound of a door opening and closing echoed through the line. “Where are you? I’ll bring the meds over.”

Pei Jiuyao sent her location and told her the apartment number.

“…This is Chi Yang’s place?” Wen Li was so shocked she nearly cursed.

Pei Jiuyao didn’t answer and hung up.

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang.

Pei Jiuyao struggled to get out of Chi Yang’s bed, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.

She leaned against the wall, forcing herself to stay upright, and turned on the monitor—it was Wen Li.

She opened the door with a soft click.

Wen Li stepped in, carrying a sleek silver medical case, her expression alternating between disbelief and concern.

“What are you doing at Chi Yang’s place?”

“Don’t ask. Just come in,” Pei Jiuyao murmured weakly, her lashes still wet with tears.

Wen Li changed into house slippers and watched as Pei Jiuyao collapsed onto the sofa like a wilted flower.

“You seriously got yourself sugar-mommy’d by Chi Yang?” Wen Li opened the case, revealing disposable syringes and vials.

Pei Jiuyao’s head rested against the back of the sofa. She tilted her face slightly. “What do you think?”

“I always thought something was off when I heard Chi Yang helped you get rid of Producer Chen. You two never got along—why would she help you like that?”

Wen Li broke open a glass vial. “And you’re tone-deaf. I thought she was messing with you. But who would’ve guessed…”

Even now, she was still shocked.

Pei Jiuyao’s singing had gone viral and had been trending for three days straight. It hadn’t dropped off yet.

As Pei Jiuyao’s manager for years, Wen Li never expected that one day, she would blow up for her singing of all things.

They’d received more music show invitations and album offers than they could count.

“Actually, when I saw you get in her car to go to Nanhai, I figured it couldn’t be revenge.” Wen Li tapped the syringe to push out air bubbles; the liquid formed into little beads.

“But still… Pei Jiuyao, Chi Yang being your sugar mommy? That’s just too hard to believe.”

Pei Jiuyao slowly brushed her hair aside to expose the gland at the back of her neck.

When Wen Li injected her, Pei Jiuyao let out a muffled cry.

“It’s a little swollen, so it’ll hurt. Just hang in there.”

Pei Jiuyao groaned softly and buried her head in the sofa. The cool liquid dripped slowly into her system, spreading through her bloodstream to her heart.

After removing the needle, Wen Li asked, “So what did you do to your sugar mommy? She didn’t even go home—just up and left like that?”

Wen Li paused, then seemed to have a sudden epiphany. “Two Alphas together must be pretty damn uncomfortable. You probably flooded the place with your pheromones during your heat and scared her off, huh?

I always thought you might like Alphas more. Just didn’t expect it to be Chi Yang…”

“Enough. My head hurts,” Pei Jiuyao groaned and rubbed her temples.

“Fine, fine. I come out here in the middle of the night just to deliver meds, and I don’t even get to talk.” Wen Li started packing up the medical kit.

Pei Jiuyao slumped into the couch, one hand pressed over her lower belly. A loud gurgle came from under her palm.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?” Wen Li raised an eyebrow.

“No appetite,” Pei Jiuyao replied in a low voice.

Wen Li snorted. “Alright then. Let me cook you something.”

She walked into the kitchen and put on an apron. Just then, her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen—“Ying Ning.”

She stared at it for a moment, then finally picked up.

“Weren’t you supposed to be home tonight?” Ying Ning’s voice was dull and slightly sulky.

Wen Li often thought Ying Ning was a bit slow and dazed.

Not at home meant… not at home. Why ask?

“Had something to take care of,” she said while opening the fridge.

“In the middle of the night?”

I said I had something to do—what do you care if it’s midnight?

Wen Li rummaged through the fridge, clearly annoyed. “Out here playing mom for someone else. You got a problem with that?”

“…Huh? For who?”

Ying Ning’s voice genuinely sounded shocked.

Wen Li let out a laugh. Seriously, what kind of child is this?

Oh right—one she practically raised herself.

“…Dr. Ying, just got off your night shift?”

On the other end, Ying Ning’s voice sounded tired.

“I came home and saw you weren’t there. I asked Mom, and she said you’d gone out.”

There was a pause—Ying Ning must’ve heard something—and she asked softly,

“Are you cooking?”

“Didn’t I just tell you I’m playing mom for someone else?”

What kind of brain does this woman has? Top student from Haida Medical School, and she still has to repeat herself eight hundred times.

Ying Ning sounded a little aggrieved.

“I haven’t eaten yet.”

“Then go dig around in the fridge. What, you want me to feed you too? Should I buy you a baby bowl while I’m at it?”

Wen Li gave a snort.

“You Alphas are such a pain in the ass.”

“You Alphas? Who else are you including?”

Tsk. Who else? That pampered canary your good friend Chi Yang brought home~

“What’s wrong, kitty? Afraid I might actually sleep with her?”

Wen Li fished out the cooked wontons and laughed softly.

“Haven’t I told you I don’t like Alphas? Way too much trouble.”

“Oh…”

Ying Ning was quiet for a long time. Who knows what she was thinking.

Eventually, she just said,

“Then come home early.”

Before Wen Li could respond, the line went dead.

She tossed her phone aside and snorted.

“It’s the middle of the damn night. Come home for what? Just so you can drag me to dinner again? You Alphas really are exhausting.”

With a dramatic sigh, she reluctantly brought the wontons to the table—fifteen for herself, ten for Pei Jiuyao.

Then she walked over and gave Pei Jiuyao’s calf a light kick.

“Get up. Eat.”

Pei Jiuyao blinked blearily, completely lost, before slowly dragging herself from the sofa to the table.

Wen Li sneered mercilessly.

“Can’t even feed yourself anymore now that you’ve got a sugar mommy? Since when did you get so lovesick? Or is it that Chi Yang won’t let you sleep with other Omegas?”

“No… I just don’t like anyone else. And I won’t again.”

Pei Jiuyao scooped up a wonton and popped it into her mouth. It was hot, and comforting.

As it went down, it burned her stomach.

Still, it was the only comfort she had all day.

She couldn’t help but ask the question that had been circling in her head.

“Wen-jie, why do you take care of me like this?”

“Why do you ask?” Wen Li glanced at her and tapped her spoon against her bowl.

“You’re my artist. Isn’t it my job to take care of you? Besides, it’s rare for you to think of me this late at night.”

There was something about “this late at night” that felt… pointed.

Pei Jiuyao could hear the subtle grudge beneath Wen Li’s words.

“I was just… really out of it earlier. Couldn’t think straight. I only remembered that Jiang Tian had given me an inhibitor once, but she’s an Omega—I couldn’t exactly ask her to come over, so I…”

Wen Li finished for her, voice cool:

“So you came to mess with me instead.”

Yep. Definitely a grudge.

“Thank you, Wen-jie.”

Pei Jiuyao didn’t know what else to say but that.

Wen Li always had this free-spirited, laid-back air about her.

It was hard to imagine someone like her going head-to-head with Producer Chen for Pei Jiuyao’s sake—or, like now, showing up in the middle of the night just to take care of her.

But when she saw Wen Li moving around in the kitchen, Pei Jiuyao couldn’t help but think—If only it was Chi Yang.

That was horribly disrespectful.

Guilt surged up instantly.

Wen Li interrupted her self-pity before it could spiral.

“You’re only saying it’s ‘the middle of the night’ now. When we’re working, don’t even mention time—pulling all-nighters on set with you? Been there, done that. I’m used to it. And let’s be real—I get paid to look after you. I’m not gonna let anything happen to my paycheck.”

“…Someone like me is worth that?” Pei Jiuyao couldn’t help but ask.

Wen Li actually chuckled.

“We’re both in the same boat. And with your market value? You’ve got more agents fighting over you than you know. If anything, I’m the one profiting.”

She drained the last of her soup, wiped her mouth, and cast a lazy glance at Pei Jiuyao, the corner of her lips curving into a wry smile.

“But honestly, you’ve changed. Back then, I probably wouldn’t have come to cook for you.”

She raised an eyebrow, suddenly looking playful.

“Pei Jiuyao, did you swap souls or something?”

“…No.”

A flicker of panic crossed Pei Jiuyao’s eyes—but she quickly suppressed it.

She hadn’t expected Wen Li to be the first to suspect anything.

Turns out that laid-back, casual attitude was just a surface act. This woman noticed far more than she let on—far more than Pei Jiuyao had given her credit for.

“I just… finally woke up. I don’t want to be that kind of person anymore.”

“So you’re trying to grow now?” Wen Li leaned against the coffee table with a soft smile.

“Then let me help water you a little.”

She opened her phone and placed it in front of Pei Jiuyao.

Her reputation had turned around shockingly fast. There were still plenty of rumors and haters online, with fanwars breaking out daily—but public opinion was shifting. The heat was real.

“The company wants to release an album while the buzz is strong. I’ve also got a few variety show offers.”

Pei Jiuyao nodded seriously.

“I’ll think it over carefully.”

Wen Li chuckled.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Pei Jiuyao blinked.

“What?”

“Mo Tian won’t let you think.” Wen Li tapped the screen.

“She says you’re a traffic-star by nature. No need to do too many music shows—what matters now is landing an S+ reality show and capturing the market.”

Mo Tian was the CEO of Tianji Entertainment.