Dressed as the Scumbag Alpha Mom of the Tragic Female Lead (ABO, GL) - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Huh?

Looking at Zhuang Qi’s serious expression, Jiang Chuxie felt the same disorientation as when Zhuang Qi had guessed she was an Omega last time.

“Wait, why would you think that?”

Sure, she avoided Omegas like the plague, but she wasn’t exactly cozying up to Alphas either, right?

“Why else? An Alpha who’s not interested in Omegas is, nine times out of ten, into Alphas.”

What the heck!

Jiang Chuxie finally understood why Gu Lingjun’s words had sounded so odd. Turns out, she’d come out as gay in front of Gu Lingjun, and Gu Lingjun genuinely saw her as a “gay best friend”!

“You think I’d buy your ‘I’m just not into anyone’ excuse? Chuxie, I’m worried about you…” Zhuang Qi suddenly hugged herself, looking heartbroken. “And I’m worried about myself too.”

“You—why are you worried about yourself? I’m not interested in you at all!”

Even if she didn’t like Omegas, she wouldn’t like Alphas either, and definitely not Zhuang Qi.

But Zhuang Qi stared at Jiang Chuxie, a trace of embarrassed hesitation on her face. “It’s not like that. I… I thought you were an Omega before, so…”

What the heck!

This time, it was Jiang Chuxie’s turn to step back, even instinctively striking a defensive pose.

“Your reaction is way too hurtful!”

Jiang Chuxie didn’t care if she was hurt or not. All she knew was that she wasn’t just being eyed by Omegas—she was also being eyed by an Alpha.

“I don’t have any negative views on relationships between the same secondary gender, and I think love is a personal freedom. But I don’t like Alphas, and I have zero interest in you!”

“You really don’t like Alphas?”

If anything, a lot of Alphas had traits she absolutely despised.

“Absolutely, and if I had to compare, I… I’d probably like Omegas a bit more.”

Like, say, someone like Gu Lingjun.

“So, give up on that idea!”

“No, wait, listen to me!” Realizing she’d not only guessed wrong but also spectacularly exposed herself, Zhuang Qi panicked. “I like Omegas too! I love Omegas, really, really! I only thought that way before because I thought you were an Omega, so… after I found out you weren’t, I didn’t… didn’t…”

Her voice got quieter, and Jiang Chuxie’s expression grew more guarded.

“Can you swear to that? No, better yet, sign a contract.”

“Do we really have to go that far?”

“Because you’re dangerous, always overthinking things!”

Zhuang Qi got mad too. “If you don’t want me overthinking, then do something normal! If you’d just release your pheromones, I swear I wouldn’t have the slightest improper thought about you!”

Alphas weren’t so much like wild dogs as they were like male lions. Lions can’t stand another’s scent invading their space, so most Alphas instinctively feel competitive with each other—not enough to ruin friendships, but enough to generally dampen any sexual attraction.

“Fine, fine, I get it! I’ll try to use less suppressant around you.”

“Then go date an Omega already!”

Now that was crossing a line!

“Let’s drop that for now. I just want to know, can we still be normal roommates?”

Jiang Chuxie had long given up on interrogating Zhuang Qi. The priority now was resolving their roommate relationship crisis.

Zhuang Qi sighed. “Isn’t that obvious? I know you’re an Alpha… though sometimes I still get fooled by that face of yours. But I’m fully aware now that you’re an Alpha. Like I said, I like Omegas—sweet, soft Omegas. Who doesn’t?”

“Hm, fair point.”

Jiang Chuxie tentatively agreed with her view. Gu Lingjun did smell sweet and seem soft. Who wouldn’t like her?

“So, how’d it go?”

“How’d what go?”

“Gu Lingjun inviting you to be her dance partner! Did you agree or not?”

Jiang Chuxie was silent for a moment before finally nodding.

“Yeah, I’ll go with her.”

“Huh?” Zhuang Qi blinked, then burst out laughing. “What the heck, after all that talk, you agreed? And here I was wasting my breath.”

Jiang Chuxie felt a bit guilty and explained, “I’m just repaying a debt, nothing more. And Gu Lingjun… she doesn’t mean anything by it either.”

After hearing Gu Lingjun’s words today, Jiang Chuxie couldn’t bring herself to overthink anymore. After all, there was precedent like Liu Wen. If she kept assuming things just because Gu Lingjun was supposed to be her wife, that’d be way too self-absorbed and presumptuous!

“Really? You sure? From what I know, Gu Lingjun’s a super shy Omega. Her being so forward with you, and there’s really nothing more to it?”

Zhuang Qi’s gossiping face annoyed Jiang Chuxie. “That’s the truth. Stop asking. I’m just helping her this one time.”

“Fine, let’s talk about something else.” Zhuang Qi waved the dress in her hand. “This is your first time at a school event, right? Do you have an outfit?”

“I don’t want to stand out, so I’ll just wear my usual clothes.”

Zhuang Qi tsked and shook her head. “You really don’t get it. Wearing your usual clothes at a mixer like this will make you stand out! Ever heard of hiding in plain sight?”

“What do you mean?”

Zhuang Qi smirked proudly. “Let big sis teach you. Beauties are meant for the strong. If you act too low-key, you’ll just draw more attention. Think about it: a gorgeous, gentle Omega like Gu Lingjun with a plain-looking Beta by her side. Won’t all the single Alphas there be green with envy? Alphas starting fights over Omegas isn’t rare. The best way to avoid that is to intimidate them before they even try.”

She had a point, Jiang Chuxie had to admit. Like that Alpha today—before Gu Lingjun spoke up, he hadn’t even considered her a threat.

But… not to toot her own horn, if she didn’t tone things down, her radiance would be impossible to hide, and she’d attract attention in ways she didn’t want!

“I don’t want to be too flashy.”

“Huh? Are you kidding? The moment you agreed to Gu Lingjun’s invitation, you should’ve known her dance partner can’t avoid standing out.”

Jiang Chuxie frowned. “Is Gu Lingjun that popular?”

“Isn’t that obvious? From her first day at school, who knows how many people have had their eyes on her. But before, the student council president of the biology department—Zhao Gang, I think—chased her hard, so others could only bide their time. Now that Zhao Gang’s dropped out, it’s gonna be a bloodbath.”

Thinking of Gu Lingjun, Jiang Chuxie couldn’t doubt Zhuang Qi’s slightly exaggerated claims. Her wealthy background was just icing on the cake. Even without knowing her family, plenty of people would still pursue her.

Plus, from Gu Lingjun’s daily style and behavior, it was clear she came from a well-bred family. She was practically the dream partner for any Alpha.

“Hmph, you’re worried?” Zhuang Qi teased, seeing Jiang Chuxie’s silence. “Listen to your big sis. If you can’t just leave her be and want to be a proper knight in shining armor, stop hiding.”

Jiang Chuxie was indeed worried about Gu Lingjun. If the incidents she’d faced before had only dragged others in, Gu Lingjun, as the female lead’s mother, might just be a trouble magnet herself. In other words, keeping her distance wouldn’t guarantee Gu Lingjun would avoid trouble in the future.

Worrying so much about someone she’d resolved to stay away from was contradictory, but who could blame her when she had such a troublesome personality?

Otherwise, in her past life, she wouldn’t have died from overwork after pulling a 28-hour shift to help a colleague.

“I don’t have anything suitable to wear to the party.”

Seeing her soften, Zhuang Qi eagerly said, “What’s the problem? Big sis has tons of clothes, lots I’ve never worn. Pick whatever you want! We’re about the same height and build. Anything you like, it’s yours.”

Jiang Chuxie thought for a moment and said, “I’d like… something that makes me look completely different from usual, so no one would connect it to me.”

“Ugh, you’re still thinking…” Zhuang Qi shook her head but then added, “Fine, I’ll help you. But I’ve gotta warn you, this half-baked approach won’t work forever.”

“No worries, it’s just this once.”

She didn’t interact with many people normally and spent most of her time in the dorm coding. Even if someone noticed her, they’d have a hard time tracking her down. Plus, she was already a junior. Classes weren’t hectic, and she’d run into people even less.

If she could get through this year, she’d barely come back to school during her senior year internship. Then she’d have nothing to fear.

This time, she’d just treat it as repaying the Gu family’s five million and… giving a tiny bit of humanitarian help to Gu Lingjun, who was supposed to be her wife!