Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 26

26

The pikachu hesitated, “Maybe we should just forget it. Do you need me for something? If not, I’ll deal with this first…”

Cheng Youqing reached out, gently pushing her aside without much effort, and walked straight into the shop.

The pikachu turned on a small light, and Cheng Youqing and her assistant clearly saw six male alphas lying on the floor—some unconscious, some groaning softly, some bleeding, some clutching their legs. Not a single one was uninjured.

The assistant didn’t dare breathe.

Cheng Youqing turned back and saw the pikachu under the light, her tall and slender figure even more striking—long legs, narrow waist, muscular arms leading to those beautifully defined hands. The image overlapped with the violent, bloodthirsty figure she’d glimpsed earlier in the shifting shadows, ready to take down anyone in her path.

Cheng Youqing’s gaze moved upward, and she reached out to lift the “pikachu” mask.

Luo Hetu’s innocent, clean face was revealed, her eyes slightly widened in surprise, looking like a naive college student.

The contrast was so stark that Cheng Youqing felt a momentary daze, her eyes drifting downward.

“There’s bl00d on you.” Cheng Youqing pointed out.

It wasn’t a casual gesture. With the mask removed, they stood close, and Cheng Youqing’s fingertip brushed just below Luo Hetu’s collarbone.

She tapped twice lightly.

Luo Hetu caught the scent of Cheng Youqing’s pheromones. Perhaps because she’d just fought a group of alphas, her body was brimming with restless energy. Those two light taps didn’t calm her; instead, they made her feel even more heated.

Luo Hetu’s throat bobbed as she managed to say, “Okay.”

Cheng Youqing looked up at her.

Luo Hetu’s face flushed under her gaze. She didn’t know why she was so embarrassingly flustered—maybe it was the adrenaline from the fight, or maybe it was because Cheng Youqing was, as always, strikingly beautiful.

Cheng Youqing withdrew her hand, paused for a moment, then said, “I’m leaving. Handle the cleanup properly.”

With that, she walked out in her high heels, assistant in tow, leaving Qianbao as cleanly as if she’d never been there.

The aftermath of the incident wasn’t much to talk about. Luo Hetu interrogated the group and uncovered the mastermind behind them. She had the ones who could still walk call for someone to pick them up. After the foul-smelling alphas were gone, Luo Hetu made do with a night’s sleep in the shop. The next day, she went to Shanhe Tuling at the entrance of No. 1 Middle School and easily found Sun Yinuo.

“You’re looking for Xu Ruyan?” Sun Yinuo eyed her warily. “What for?”

“It’s something important I need to talk to her about.”

“It’s not about romance, is it?”

Luo Hetu was stunned by Sun Yinuo’s train of thought. After a long pause, she said, “No, it’s serious business.”

Sun Yinuo gave her a skeptical look, making Luo Hetu think she must not have enough schoolwork to keep her busy, leaving her mind free to wander with wild ideas.

Xu Ruyan came to Shanhe Tuling after school at noon. Luo Hetu didn’t waste time catching up and got straight to the point: “I need your help with something.”

Xu Ruyan hadn’t seen her in just a week, but it felt like ages. Luo Hetu’s serious expression made her heart race for no reason, though she matched her gravity and said, “Tell me.”

As an admirer of Zhang Sheng in the novel, Xu Ruyan came from a decent background. Her father was the director of a local police branch, and because of his daughter, he had contributed significantly to Zhang Sheng’s meteoric rise.

Luo Hetu didn’t want to ask Xu Ruyan for help. Deep down, she felt that doing so was no different from Zhang Sheng exploiting those who liked him or Chun Yuyan. But with the chaotic state of law and order, and the varying capabilities of judicial institutions, Luo Hetu—lacking background or influence, only able to fight a little—had no choice but to use every connection she had to protect Ye Qingzhu and her crew, and to stop Zhang Sheng, who hated her to the bone, from succeeding.

In her calculations, she didn’t even consider asking Cheng Youqing, someone far wealthier and more powerful.

Perhaps it was the odd pride of an ordinary person, or perhaps those two light taps under the moonlight had already left her heart and mind content. She hadn’t thought to call Cheng Youqing, whether to ask for supplier contacts or to discuss trivial business matters.

Unsurprisingly, the alphas who had caused trouble at Qianbao and the mastermind who had Ye Qingzhu detained at the police station were all connected to Zhang Sheng.

He now held significant influence, not just in the lawless underworld. Xiao Wu had mentioned that the police response was unusually swift, which said a lot. If Luo Hetu hadn’t beaten those alphas to a pulp, they might have even burned Qianbao down. And thanks to Zhang Sheng’s protagonist halo, he might escape any punishment for his actions.

Luo Hetu explained the situation to Xu Ruyan concisely, without exaggerating any of Zhang Sheng’s illegal and despicable deeds. She handed Xu Ruyan a cassette tape containing the alphas’ confessions, playable on a portable cassette player.

Luo Hetu didn’t ask much of Xu Ruyan—just that her friends were still in custody, and she hoped Xu Ruyan could help. If they had broken the law, they should face punishment, but if the investigation showed no major issues, could they be released? Luo Hetu assured her that Qianbao was an honest business, paying taxes diligently and avoiding fights or malicious competition. But if someone had provoked them, caused trouble, or tried to burn the place down, she hoped the police would at least consider the evidence she had and either ensure justice for Qianbao or step aside so she could handle the grudges herself.

Xu Ruyan was furious after hearing it: “How can someone be so vile!”

Luo Hetu felt relieved—at least Xu Ruyan wouldn’t fall for Zhang Sheng this time.

“I’ll talk to my dad about it.” Xu Ruyan said after a pause. Then she asked, “How did you know who my dad is?”

Luo Hetu replied, “I heard about it.”

She thought Xu Ruyan might press her further, but instead, Xu Ruyan said, “So you don’t want to be with me because you’re afraid of my dad?”

Luo Hetu: “…That’s not what I meant.”

Xu Ruyan, having gone through some complex mental gymnastics, looked at her with exasperation. “You’d know my dad is an upright cop. He dotes on me and supports my decisions unconditionally. Whoever I like, he’d definitely like too.”

Luo Hetu wanted to say she knew that.

But this had nothing to do with that.

Xu Ruyan didn’t say much more and left in a hurry. Luo Hetu stood there for a while, wondering if she’d caused another misunderstanding.

But the words were already spoken, and she had no one else to turn to.

Luo Hetu returned to Qianbao. Until Ye Qingzhu was released, she stayed at the shop every day, setting up a comfortable chair by the entrance. She worked on tasks for Xiao Tong while waiting—whether for troublemakers or good news, she was ready.

Perhaps Xu Ruyan’s influence worked, or perhaps the investigation into Qianbao was complete. A day later, Ye Qingzhu and the staff were released.

Xiao Wu was ecstatic, chattering to Ye Qingzhu about how badass Luo Hetu had been, staying at Qianbao’s entrance day and night. Zhang Sheng’s people had come by, but they left empty-handed every time, unable to gain any advantage.

Ye Qingzhu, after days in custody, looked tired and a bit disheveled. She smiled and reached out to Luo Hetu, who had clearly been camped out in that chair for days. “Come on, let’s go shower!”

Luo Hetu: …

Fine, let’s go!

Jiang City had only a few public bathhouses, mostly frequented by older people and not always clean. Most preferred to bathe at home. Ye Qingzhu sent the staff home to rest and clean up, planning a team dinner later. She dragged Luo Hetu to the city’s most luxurious five-star hotel, booking a suite and indulging in a thorough scrub in the lavish bathroom.

Luo Hetu, originally from the north, had always wanted a good back scrub but rarely got the chance. Seizing the moment, she cheekily asked, “Can you scrub my back?”

Ye Qingzhu: “…How? With what?”

“I brought a scrub towel.” Luo Hetu pulled out a yellow cloth like it was magic. “I’m itching like crazy. Just go easy, but not too easy.”

Ye Qingzhu silently took the towel.

Thankfully, they were both alphas, so Luo Hetu felt perfectly justified enjoying Ye Qingzhu’s slightly clumsy back-scrubbing service. After finally relieving the itch, she eagerly offered to scrub Ye Qingzhu’s back in return, only for Ye Qingzhu to flee in a panic.

“No way, I can’t handle it. Your scent is too much for me.”

Alphas’ scents naturally repelled each other. Though Luo Hetu’s was faint, being an alpha herself, it was still there. In the bathroom, with no clothes to dampen it, her pheromones were overwhelming, nearly suffocating Ye Qingzhu.

Luo Hetu quickly apologized.

“It’s not your fault,” Ye Qingzhu said, patting her head with a stifled laugh. “Nice development, by the way.”

Luo Hetu’s face reddened. Did being fellow alphas give Ye Qingzhu the right to tease her like that? She was annoyed!

After a thorough wash, hair dried, and sprawled on the big bed, Ye Qingzhu shared the key details of her time in custody, and Luo Hetu filled her in on everything that had happened.

“Zhang Sheng is such a despicable guy—sneaky and vicious. I should’ve hit him harder back then. We’ve got to take him down. We should thank Xu Ruyan too—let’s invite her to dinner tonight, though I’m not sure if she’ll want to join us.”

Luo Hetu had a slightly different perspective. “Leave Zhang Sheng to me. You focus on running the business. He’s got a lot of luck on his side, and going head-to-head with him won’t do us any good. The best way is to avoid crossing paths with him and outpace him completely.”

She didn’t want to become a key figure in the protagonist’s storyline, fearing it would turn them all into stepping stones for his success.

Ye Qingzhu disagreed. “You’re just going to let it go?”

“Of course not. I’ll find ways to get back at him, but petty revenge is only temporary. What I want is to crush him completely in the long run, so that pest can’t crawl back up.”

Ye Qingzhu was quiet for a moment before saying, “I used to think that even though I wasn’t rich or some big boss, I had some sway in the south side of the city. I thought I was living freely enough. But now I realize my abilities are nothing special—they’re fragile, useless in times like this.”

“What are you talking about? Without you and the crew, Qianbao’s business wouldn’t be doing so well.”

Ye Qingzhu shook her head. “I like reading random books, so I get the logic. If you’re content, you stay content. But once you have a goal, it takes root and grows in your heart.”

Luo Hetu didn’t know where she was going with this.

Ye Qingzhu continued, “That goal’s taken root in me now. I don’t want to just be some small-time thug boss anymore. I want to climb higher, so people like Zhang Sheng can’t toy with us so easily, and so I won’t have to hear a younger, loyal alpha tell me to step back while she handles things.”

“I want to join the military, Xiao Luo.”