Dressed as the Scumbag Alpha Mom of the Tragic Female Lead (ABO, GL) - Chapter 92

Chapter 92

“Good morning,” Jiang Chuxie greeted Gu Lingjun with a refreshing smile. “We meet again, Director Gu.”

Yesterday, Jiang Chuxie had only exchanged a few words with her, not even using a formal address. But hearing “Director Gu” from Jiang Chuxie today made Gu Lingjun feel it would have been better if she hadn’t called her anything at all.

Gu Lingjun wasn’t the CEO of Murray Pharmaceuticals but served as the executive director, a role with somewhat vague responsibilities. In terms of shares, she was undeniably the company’s largest shareholder.

“Hello… President Jiang.”

No matter how uncomfortable she felt, Gu Lingjun couldn’t show it. The fact that Jiang Chuxie was willing to approach and talk to her was already rare, and she couldn’t let her unease ruin the atmosphere.

“I watched yesterday’s press conference. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Jiang Chuxie replied with a polite smile. “If Director Gu needs one, please do buy and try our product. I’m confident it won’t disappoint you.”

“I will.”

Gu Lingjun acted as if she didn’t see the person beside Jiang Chuxie, avoiding any mention of her. But her silence didn’t mean Hu Yunxue or Jiang Chuxie wouldn’t bring it up. Hu Yunxue looked at her with curious eyes, her face showing just the right amount of interest and a polite smile.

Jiang Chuxie slightly raised her hand, gesturing toward Hu Yunxue. “Yunxue, this is Miss Gu Lingjun, also the executive director of Murray Pharmaceuticals. You met Zhuang Qi’s wife, Zhao Zi, yesterday, right? They’re good friends.”

Hu Yunxue’s face lit up with surprise and admiration, her tone carrying a hint of excitement as she extended her hand. “So you’re Miss Gu. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Jiang Chuxie then turned to Gu Lingjun. “This is Miss Hu Yunxue, the spokesperson for our Hardcore phone.”

The introduction carried a vague ambiguity, especially in this situation. The company president and the brand spokesperson leaving the hotel together early in the morning—however you looked at it, it seemed unusual.

Gu Lingjun didn’t shake Hu Yunxue’s hand, saying lightly, “Sorry, I’m holding my child. Nice to meet you, Miss Hu.”

Hu Yunxue didn’t seem to mind at all, withdrawing her hand while shifting her gaze to Jiang Weizao.

“Miss Gu, is this your child? She’s so cute.”

“…Yes.”

Jiang Weizao was always slow to wake up, her small body clinging to her mother, her face dazed with sleep. But after the adults exchanged a few words, she rubbed her eyes and fully woke up. As she became more alert, her round little face regained its usual cool and mature expression, clearly unhappy about being disturbed.

“Mommy,” she yawned softly, nuzzling Gu Lingjun’s slender neck. “It’s so noisy—”

Children are “innocent” and say whatever comes to mind, especially when half-asleep. Hu Yunxue smiled generously at her “rudeness.” “If Miss Gu is busy, we won’t keep you. Chuxie, could you please take me home?”

Jiang Chuxie nodded. “Then we’ll head out. Goodbye, Director Gu.”

“Okay…”

After saying goodbye, Jiang Chuxie and Hu Yunxue passed by Gu Lingjun to leave. Hu Yunxue, with a moderately curious tone, asked Jiang Chuxie, “Chuxie, how did you and Director Gu meet?”

“Well… we were college classmates,” Jiang Chuxie’s light words drifted into Gu Lingjun’s ears. “My company also received support from the Gu family when it was starting out…”

Gu Lingjun felt her limbs stiffen, probably from holding Weizao too long.

“Mommy,” Jiang Weizao, resting on Gu Lingjun’s shoulder, could see the two figures walking away. “Why do Wanwan’s two moms live together now, but we still can’t live with Mommy?”

Gu Lingjun’s heart ached at her daughter’s words, but she couldn’t give her an answer.

“Thank you, Chu… oh, sorry, President Jiang. I didn’t realize… I’ve been calling you by your name.”

Jiang Chuxie drove Hu Yunxue to her neighborhood’s entrance, and it was only when Hu Yunxue got out that she seemed to realize her mistake. Jiang Chuxie smiled and shook her head gently. “My friends all call me that. If you want to call me that, go ahead. But… that means you see me as a friend, right?”

Hu Yunxue’s eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn’t expected Jiang Chuxie to say that. But she quickly adjusted her expression, saying happily, “It’s my honor to be your friend.”

Jiang Chuxie watched Hu Yunxue get out and walk into the neighborhood but didn’t leave right away. The early morning streets were quiet, and Hu Yunxue’s neighborhood, a bit far from the city center, had a serene environment.

Jiang Chuxie opened the glove compartment, took out a pack of cigarettes, and while looking for a lighter, found two boxes of condoms—Zhuang Qi had stuffed them in her car, but they’d never been used.

Shaking her head, Jiang Chuxie tossed them back into the glove compartment. Good thing she rarely had passengers, or it would’ve been embarrassing if someone saw them.

The cigarette pack was about half empty. She didn’t smoke often, usually only lighting one after a late night of work to stay alert. But for some reason, this morning, she really wanted to light one up.

Holding the slim lady’s cigarette between her long, defined fingers, Jiang Chuxie didn’t take many puffs. In the swirling smoke, she couldn’t help but think of Gu Lingjun’s face.

Shock, embarrassment, disappointment, sadness—she saw emotions on Gu Lingjun’s face that she’d never seen before. Though introducing the two was just a casual act, Jiang Chuxie couldn’t deny it brought her a bit of comfort.

That comfort wasn’t purely joy or happiness; it was mixed with bitterness and pain. Yet somehow, these emotions together made her feel strangely satisfied.

“Tch—”

Her body stirred with excitement from the uncontrollable thoughts, and Jiang Chuxie quickly stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, pushing away the inappropriate fantasies and starting the car.

She’d taken care of herself last night after a long time, so why did she still feel like a restless teenager?

Zhuang Qi didn’t show up at the company until the afternoon, and as soon as she arrived, she complained to Jiang Chuxie about the unfair treatment she’d received. Then she eagerly unleashed her gossiping spirit, asking Jiang Chuxie how last night went.

“It was wonderful,” Jiang Chuxie said, feeling a rare stir of emotion. “The press conference was a success, everyone enjoyed the celebration, and today’s pre-orders have far exceeded expectations. I think we can start preparing to expand into overseas markets.”

“Tch, who’s asking about that?” Zhuang Qi could tell Jiang Chuxie was dodging the topic and pressed eagerly, “I’m asking about you and Miss Hu. Did you two spend the night together?”

A faint smile played on Jiang Chuxie’s lips. “Miss Hu and I are completely innocent. Don’t say things that could cause misunderstandings.”

“Come on, Chuxie, I know you. Those glances you kept giving Miss Hu—other than Gu… ahem, I’ve never seen you pay that much attention to any Omega. And you’re in such a good mood today. I don’t believe it’s just because of the press conference or the product’s success.”

Zhuang Qi knew that while Jiang Chuxie would be happy about her hard work paying off, she wouldn’t show this kind of ambiguous joy over work success.

This subtle, unintentional good mood had to be from the nourishment of love!

“What else could it be? Didn’t you say this is a groundbreaking product?”

For the past six years, Jiang Chuxie had been immersed in high-intensity work. Thanks to this world’s slightly faster technological advancements compared to her previous life, the Hardcore phone was released earlier than expected.

Unfortunately, 3G networks weren’t widely available yet, so the first-generation Hardcore phone supported both network modes. Limited by 2G networks, many of the phone’s features couldn’t fully shine.

“And as Hardcore phones become more popular, I believe Feiyue’s product users will grow rapidly too.”

As their own phone, Feiyue naturally developed a client compatible with the Hardcore phone system first. This first-mover advantage would lead to a surge in their product’s user base for quite some time.

Hardcore phones weren’t cheap, and those who could afford them were generally high-quality customers. This wasn’t just a case of one plus one being greater than two—it was an exponential effect.

“Fine, if you say it’s about work, it’s about work,” Zhuang Qi said, assuming Jiang Chuxie was just shy and dropping the teasing. “Are we going to the production line today to check things out and rally the team? With this many pre-orders, I bet we’ll need 24-hour shifts to keep up.”

“No need to rush on our end. Just follow the plan we set. The priority is ensuring the upstream supply chain doesn’t have issues. At this rate, our inventory definitely won’t be enough.”

Though confident in Hardcore, unexpected issues could always arise. The more innovative something was, the harder it might be for the public to accept, so Jiang Chuxie had been conservative with inventory.

Of course, many suppliers had prior business dealings with Hardcore and had long-term contracts, so restocking wouldn’t be too difficult—unless someone deliberately sabotaged Hardcore’s rapid growth.

“One million units is definitely too few, but don’t worry. I’ve lined up backup suppliers. We have at least three options for each component, so we’re not relying on a single source.”

Coming from Kuai Xun, Zhuang Qi was well-versed in these matters and had never dropped the ball. Jiang Chuxie was just giving a slight reminder.

The two worked seamlessly, one handling internal affairs, the other external. In terms of shares, Zhuang Qi held slightly more in Hardcore than Jiang Chuxie, but only a small portion in Feiyue. After Jiang Chuxie helped Hardcore carve out its success, Zhuang Qi consciously reduced her influence over Feiyue. In her view, her achievements were all thanks to Jiang Chuxie, and she had no intention of competing with her.

Jiang Chuxie’s strategic vision often amazed her, while Zhuang Qi handled the tactical side.

“I trust you to handle it.”

Jiang Chuxie gave Zhuang Qi a sincere smile. After Gu Lingjun left, it was thanks to Zhuang Qi and Liu Wen staying by her side that she got through the tough times. She still clearly remembered her lowest point, when Zhuang Qi, seemingly oblivious to the mood, dragged Liu Wen’s family to her rundown place, livening it up for days.

But with this friend, Jiang Chuxie still had one lingering worry.

In the original story, Zhuang Qi and Zhao Zi didn’t explicitly appear as characters. Jiang Chuxie initially thought they were unrelated to the main plot. Even after learning Zhao Zi’s nephew was the male lead Zhao Xian and Zhuang Qi’s nephew was Gao Yuanxun, she thought they were just loosely connected.

But when Zhuang Qi’s eldest daughter was born and named, Jiang Chuxie realized everything was fated.

Zhuang Shiwan—in the original story, she was Zhao Shiwan, the adopted sister of Zhao Xian, two years younger than the female lead, Jiang Weizao. Jiang Weizao caught Zhao Xian’s attention because of this sister. Though Zhao Xian adopted Zhao Shiwan, he wasn’t kind to her. Jiang Weizao, her senior at school, was a struggling but overly compassionate female lead who helped Zhao Shiwan a few times by chance, drawing Zhao Xian’s notice.

However, Zhao Shiwan was set up as a rival for Jiang Weizao. Despite Zhao Xian’s poor treatment, she developed a pathological obsession with him, likely due to Stockholm syndrome, and saw Jiang Weizao as a threat, constantly trying to drive her out of the family.

Zhao Shiwan was so unpopular with readers that after being criticized, the author barely featured her, focusing instead on spicier content and leaving her fate unresolved by the end.

Now, not only was Zhuang Shiwan completely different from the obsessive Zhao Shiwan in the novel, but Jiang Weizao’s appearance and personality also diverged greatly from the original character.

Seeing her daughter, Jiang Chuxie felt relieved. Another reason she dreaded facing Jiang Weizao was that, as someone who knew the original story, it was hard to confront her.

But now, she couldn’t find a trace of the original female lead in Jiang Weizao, so she wasn’t as concerned.

As for Zhuang Shiwan, she’d grown into a sweet girl who adored her “Big Sister Zaozao,” making the original story’s dramatic conflicts impossible.

Still, Jiang Chuxie couldn’t let her guard down. She still hadn’t figured out how Zhuang Qi and Zhao Zi died in the original story or whether it was an accident or a conspiracy.

She could only warn them to stay away from the Zhao family, especially Zhao Xian, and to be extra careful.

“By the way, Zhao Zi’s nephew… that Zhao Xian guy got into B University and is coming to B City this summer. Grandpa Zhao’s been unwell lately, and my parents don’t dare go against his wishes, so they asked me to host him. It’s such a hassle.” Zhuang Qi recalled the past few days, her joy from the press conference fading. “Grandpa Zhao was always biased. Sure, Zhao Zi’s parents chose to give up their share, but he really didn’t give Zhao Zi a cent. Now that I’m doing well, he wants his precious great-grandson to cozy up to me. It pisses me off!”

Zhuang Qi was just annoyed about Grandpa Zhao’s favoritism, but Jiang Chuxie felt an overwhelming sense of crisis hearing this.