How Could a Scumbag Alpha Possibly Love His Wife? (GL, ABO) - Chapter 10
When Yang Zhiman asked the question, Cheng Wan didn’t know how to respond.
She was indeed pregnant now, and Yang Zhiman had probably heard the noise she made earlier. Cheng Wan stood still, momentarily unsure of what the other woman meant.
Fortunately, Yang Zhiman had only asked casually. As she wiped her hands, she said to Cheng Wan, “If you’re sick, take a leave. Don’t delay your work. Isn’t it your supervisor Zhou’s turn to work overtime today?”
Cheng Wan nodded.
Yang Zhiman glanced at her and said, “Then stop wasting time here and get to work.”
With that, she gathered her things and left the restroom. Only then did Cheng Wan step up to the sink to wash her hands.
Cheng Wan felt so unwell during dinner that she couldn’t eat a single bite. The two of them worked overtime until past 1 a.m. before they finally finished everything.
Supervisor Zhou’s husband came to pick her up and offered Cheng Wan a ride home as well.
It was late, and there were hardly any cars on the road, though a few shops were still open.
When they found out that Cheng Wan lived in a villa district, Supervisor Zhou and her husband were quite surprised. Both of them were Betas, from humble backgrounds with no great influence. After parking in front of the Cheng family home, Supervisor Zhou said to her, “Thanks for your hard work today. No need to clock in tomorrow. It’s okay to come in a bit later—just get some rest tonight.”
Cheng Wan gratefully thanked her. She waited until their car drove off before unlocking the door and stepping inside.
It was nearly 2 a.m. Most of the household was already asleep, and the entire house felt empty and quiet.
Cheng Wan was a little afraid of the dark. She fumbled to switch on the floor lights—bright enough to see her way, but dim enough not to disturb anyone.
After quickly washing up, she returned to her room. Remembering that Bai Juntang had said she would come to pick her up for work in the morning, Cheng Wan hesitated for a moment before setting her alarm for early morning.
She wasn’t good at saying no—especially not to Bai Juntang.
Even though she had already messaged Bai Juntang saying it wasn’t necessary to come tomorrow, she still didn’t leave a clear message, instead forcing herself to wake up early.
That night, Cheng Wan slept poorly. Whether it was from not eating properly or from lack of sleep, she wasn’t sure.
When loud shouting from the living room reached her ears, Cheng Wan groggily sat up in bed.
Her head felt heavy, as if she were hungover. Her whole body ached, and her eyes were sore and swollen.
“Where’s my dress?! I told my classmates I’d wear that dress to school today. Where did you put it?!”
It was Cheng Qiaoqing, yelling outside the door. From the sound of it, the commotion was about a dress.
The housemaid paused for a moment before replying, “I think I might have put it in Wanwan’s room by mistake while tidying up.”
Cheng Qiaoqing shouted, “Then go get it! I need to wear it!”
The housemaid looked a little awkward. Her room was downstairs, and she had vaguely heard Cheng Wan come home late last night. It was only a little past six now—she hesitated, unsure whether she should knock on the door.
At that moment, Cheng Wan opened the door. Seeing the housemaid and Cheng Qiaoqing standing in the living room, she quietly said, “Come in and look for it. Just keep your voices down.”
Cheng Qiaoqing grunted in dissatisfaction while the maid hurried over. Seeing Cheng Wan looking so pale, she asked with concern, “You came home very late yesterday, didn’t you? You look terrible—didn’t sleep well?”
Before Cheng Wan could respond, Cheng Qiaoqing loudly interrupted, “Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and find it! I’m going to be late!”
With no choice, the maid stopped talking to Cheng Wan and began rummaging through the clothes she had just put away the night before.
Watching Cheng Qiaoqing’s spoiled behavior, Cheng Wan said to her, “The maid is your elder. Don’t shout like that. It’s just a dress.”
“What’s it to you?” Cheng Qiaoqing shot back, annoyed. “She put my dress in your room, and I’m not even mad at her. Why are you scolding me? Did I do something wrong?!”
“Alright, alright,” the maid said awkwardly, quickly stepping out with the dress in her hands. “I found the dress. Qiaoqing, go change now.”
Cheng Qiaoqing grabbed the dress and threw it on the floor, lifting her chin defiantly as she glared at Cheng Wan. “I don’t want it anymore.”
After saying that, Qiaoqing didn’t bother looking at Wan’s face and turned to head upstairs.
The housemaid picked up the dress and called after her, “Hurry and get changed! I made your favorite soup dumplings!”
But the only reply was a loud slam of a door shutting.
The maid looked embarrassed. Holding the dress in her hands, she glanced at Wan and asked gently, “Wanwan, do you want to lie down for a bit more?”
Wan shook her head. Looking at the dress in the maid’s hands, she said, “If she doesn’t want it, you can give it to your granddaughter. It’d be a shame to throw it away.”
The maid sighed and replied, “It was my fault—I must’ve put it in the wrong place by accident.”
“It’s fine,” Wan said calmly. “She’s just being a bit spoiled. Don’t take it personally.” Then she glanced toward the second floor and added, “I won’t go back to bed. I need to head out soon.”
The maid didn’t ask any more questions. She just said she had made some soup and told Wan to drink a little before going out.
Qiaoqing didn’t stay for breakfast. She left with her backpack and her phone in hand. The maid didn’t say anything to stop her. She still blamed herself for the mix-up and felt deeply guilty.
At exactly 8 a.m., Wan’s phone rang.
Bai Juntang’s voice came through: “I’m outside.”
Wan was already ready. After saying a quick goodbye to the maid, she stepped out. As soon as she did, she saw Bai Juntang’s sports car parked right in front of the house.
She opened the door and gently slid into the passenger seat, lowering her head to fasten her seatbelt.
But maybe because she still wasn’t feeling well, she just couldn’t get it to buckle properly. She tried a few times but still couldn’t click it into place.
Bai waited patiently for a while, then turned to look at Wan and couldn’t help but smile. “How’d you manage to buckle it yesterday?”
Wan was just as confused. Yesterday it had worked in one go, but today it was like the buckle was deliberately refusing her.
Seeing that she was getting a little flustered, Bai unfastened her own seatbelt, leaned over the center console, and said, “Hold still. I’ll help you.”
Wan kept her head down and didn’t say a word. She could smell Bai’s clean, woodsy scent. In just a second, Bai had clicked the seatbelt into place. The small space echoed with a crisp click.
“Thank you,” Wan said quietly, sounding a little embarrassed.
Bai didn’t seem to mind at all. Sitting that close, she could clearly see how pale Wan looked.
Their eyes met for a moment. Wan instinctively tightened her grip on the seatbelt. Bai glanced down at her hand but didn’t say anything. She just leaned back into her seat.
As she started driving, Bai asked casually, “Did you sleep okay last night?”
Wan nodded and replied with a straight face, “I had two dishes, some soup, and a bowl of rice. Went to bed at ten.”
Ten?
Bai glanced at her again. If Wan had really gone to bed at ten, then she must’ve gotten up around two or three in the morning—there was no way she’d look like this otherwise.
Wan clearly wasn’t good at lying. The moment she said it, her nervousness was all over her face.
That was one of the advantages of a completed bond. Bai could sense Wan’s emotional state from her pheromones—and right now, she was definitely anxious.
The car didn’t feel as quiet as yesterday. Maybe because Bai had felt the silence was too heavy before, today she had turned on the stereo. A soft, calming melody flowed gently through the car.
Morning rush hour started just after 7 a.m., and by 8 o’clock, traffic was at its worst.
By the time Bai Juntang finally managed to pull into the underground parking garage, she turned and realized that at some point, Cheng Wan had fallen asleep.
A faint scent of white peach lingered in the car, light and sweet. It gave the space a refreshing, pleasant atmosphere that Bai Juntang found oddly comforting.
Wan hadn’t slept well the night before, and the long traffic jam had only made things worse. She couldn’t hold out and had dozed off in the passenger seat, leaning quietly against the chair.
Her breathing was slow and steady, chest gently rising and falling. The seatbelt pressed against her chest as she slept, her head tilted to one side, peaceful and silent. Dark circles under her eyes made it clear she hadn’t rested properly.
Bai Juntang’s eyes fell on Wan’s slender neck. Her skin was pale, her collarbones sharply defined, and her neck delicate—graceful, like that of a swan. If you looked closely, you could even see faint blue veins beneath the surface.
Too thin.
Bai couldn’t understand it. The Cheng family wasn’t poor by any means—so how had they raised a daughter so painfully thin?
If she hadn’t been so foggy that night, she might’ve actually tried measuring how small Wan’s waist really was.
By the time it passed 9 a.m.—well beyond the start of work—Wan was still sound asleep, showing no signs of waking. Li Chen had already called Bai Juntang several times, and finally gave up and switched to WeChat messages.
Li Chen: President Bai, where are you? Everyone’s here—we’re just waiting on you.
Bai Juntang: I’m out.
Li Chen: Then… when do you plan on coming back?
Bai glanced at Wan, who was still sleeping peacefully next to her, and thought for a moment before replying:
Bai Juntang: Have the deputy lead the meeting. Take detailed notes. I’ll go over everything once I’m back.
Seeing the reply, Li Chen understood—she wasn’t coming.
Forget it, he thought. She’s clearly busy spending quality time with her wife. I’m just the assistant; no need to play third wheel.
Wan’s nap was especially deep and restful. When she finally stirred and slowly woke up, she felt as though the calming scent of fir trees wrapped around her, soothing the exhaustion she’d been carrying from the night before.
As she shifted slightly, a blazer draped over her slid down to her waist. She glanced down at the silver jacket and, almost automatically, turned to look toward the driver’s seat.
Bai Juntang noticed she was awake, put her phone away, turned her head, and asked gently, “You’re up?”
“…Yeah.”
Wan clutched the jacket in her hands, sat up straighter, and glanced at the time—her eyes suddenly widened.
It was already past ten!