How Could a Scumbag Alpha Possibly Love His Wife? (GL, ABO) - Chapter 9

“I’m sorry…”

Cheng Wan looked embarrassed as she sat there holding her utensils.
“I don’t eat Western food very often. I really didn’t mean to be so loud.”

Bai Juntang was quiet for a moment before looking at her and asking,
“Do you always have to say ‘I’m sorry’ with everything you say?”

Cheng Wan looked up at her, her light-colored eyes full of confusion. She didn’t understand what she had said wrong this time.

“Ever since I met you, you’ve been constantly apologizing. Do I really seem that scary to you?” Bai Juntang sat back in her chair and continued,
“And I was just asking a question. There was no deeper meaning. You didn’t need to apologize.”

“I—”

Cheng Wan was about to apologize again, but she stopped herself.

It seemed clear Bai Juntang didn’t like hearing her say “sorry” all the time. She’d have to remember that.

Seeing Cheng Wan fall silent, Bai Juntang said in a more relaxed tone,
“If you’re not used to Western food, we can go somewhere else next time.”

Cheng Wan quickly shook her head.
“Thank you, Miss Bai. The food is fine. I just haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”

“Is that so?” Bai Juntang looked at her and tilted her head.
“It’s not because I’m here, is it?”

Cheng Wan immediately shook her head again, as if she were truly afraid that Bai Juntang might think she was avoiding her.

Bai Juntang gave her a helpless look, then got up and walked over to sit next to her. She took Cheng Wan’s plate, picked up a fresh set of utensils, and began cutting the steak for her.

Being this close, Cheng Wan couldn’t help but glance at Bai Juntang’s face.

She was honestly very beautiful. Her skin was smooth and fair, and her long black hair hung neatly down her back, soft and shiny like something out of a commercial. It was obvious she took good care of it.

Cheng Wan’s eyes lingered on hers. Bai Juntang’s eyes were dark and deep, with a quiet intensity that felt like they could pull a person in with just one look.

How could someone so beautiful have such a cold temper?

As Bai Juntang cut the steak in silence, Cheng Wan found herself wondering what made her so harsh. Maybe it really was just because she hated her.

“All done.”

Bai Juntang finished slicing the steak and placed the neatly cut pieces back in front of her.

At that moment, a faint scent of fir drifted over from where she sat.

The scent hit Cheng Wan all at once, and her whole body tensed. Her hands started to tremble.

That smell brought her right back to that night—when Bai Juntang had pinned her down and bitten through the gland at her neck with sharp teeth.

It had been two months, but whenever she thought about that night, the fear would come rushing back.

The strength of an Alpha out of control was terrifying. Cheng Wan had never encountered a rampaging Alpha before, and Bai Juntang had been the scariest person she had ever faced.

Bai Juntang noticed right away that something was wrong.

She looked into Cheng Wan’s eyes and saw the fear there. The way her long lashes trembled reminded Bai Juntang of dandelion fluff being blown by the wind—fragile and on the verge of scattering.

Cheng Wan trembled slightly, unable to hide her fear.

Bai Juntang still couldn’t understand why Cheng Wan was so afraid of her. The whole meal had passed in silence after that moment. Neither of them spoke another word.

The two-hour lunch break wasn’t very long to begin with, and the awkward atmosphere during their meal made it feel even shorter. When Cheng Wan returned to the office, she still seemed uneasy.

Ding-ding—

Her phone lit up on her desk. It was a message from Bai Juntang.

[That’s all for today. I hope you’ll remember the doctor’s advice and eat more tonight. I’ll be waiting at the usual time tomorrow morning.]

Cheng Wan stared at the message for a long time before replying with just one word:

[Okay.]

When Bai Juntang saw the simple reply, her expression darkened. She threw her phone onto the passenger seat in frustration.

The faint scent of white peach still lingered inside the car, left behind by Cheng Wan. It stirred up even more irritation in her heart.

Every time she thought about how distant Cheng Wan was toward her, Bai Juntang felt ready to explode.

She ran her fingers through her long hair and reached for her phone again. She had originally wanted to call Mu Ruchu to invite her out for dinner, but then remembered that Ruchu was likely still at home resting and wouldn’t be able to come out.

That only made her mood worse.

Instead, she dialed Li Chen.

“Tell all senior management,” she said. “Meeting. Headquarters. Now.”

Li Chen, who had finally gotten a relaxing afternoon, was holding a bubble tea in one hand and his phone in the other. Hearing those words, his soul nearly left his body.

That afternoon, Cheng Wan finished processing a few documents, and soon it was time to get off work.

Her company wasn’t very large, but it was a subsidiary of a major corporation, so the benefits were great. They rarely required overtime for no reason.

Chang Le, it seemed, had a date tonight. There were still a few minutes before the end of the workday, but she had already slung her bag over her shoulder and was just waiting for the clock to hit the hour so she could shut down and clock out.

“Wanwan, Wanwan!” Chang Le leaned over and tugged gently on Cheng Wan’s sleeve, whispering excitedly, “It’s almost time! Why aren’t you packing up?”

Cheng Wan glanced at her and smiled.
“I’m getting to it.”

Just as she began tidying her desk, the company’s general manager walked in from outside.

The GM was an Alpha woman. She swept a glance across the office, tapped the door frame with a folder, and said,
“There’s a bid document that needs to be done tonight. I need two people to stay and work overtime. The rest of you can leave when the time comes.”

Supervisor Zhou, who had just finished packing up to leave, came out of her office when she heard the announcement.
“Director Yang, what kind of bid is it? Do you really need two people to stay?”

Yang Zhiman nodded.
“Yes. It’s urgent. The document has to be submitted by tomorrow. Make sure it’s done tonight, no matter what.”

After that, she turned and left the office.

Supervisor Zhou glanced around at the group of employees, all staring back at her with hopeful eyes, silently praying not to be chosen.

She sighed.
“Hold on, everyone. Don’t leave just yet. Let me check what kind of bid this is and who we need to keep.”

Everyone slumped back into their chairs like deflated balloons.

Chang Le looked unhappy.
“What do I do now? I promised my friends I’d go out tonight—it’s my birthday, and they’re already waiting for me.”

Cheng Wan turned to look at her.
“Today’s your birthday?”

Chang Le nodded, looking troubled.
“I have a feeling Supervisor Zhou’s going to pick me. You all have families to go home to, but I’m just the single one.”

A colleague from the desk across the aisle stood up and smiled.
“Lele, happy birthday! You should’ve told us earlier. We didn’t get you a gift.”

Chang Le waved her hand and said,
“I don’t want any gifts. I just want to get off work on time.”

“Should be fine,” someone said. “Director Yang only asked for two people to stay. You’ve got a good chance, right?”

“I know, but I just have a feeling Supervisor Zhou’s going to pick me…”

A few more minutes passed. Then, Supervisor Zhou came out of Yang Zhiman’s office. She looked around, thought for a moment, and said,
“Chang Le, you’ll stay with me. The rest of you can go home.”

Chang Le slumped in her chair like the air had been let out of her. She looked like she might cry.

One of the coworkers nearby spoke up,
“It’s Lele’s birthday today. She made plans and everyone’s waiting for her to show up.”

Chang Le quickly put her hands together in a pleading gesture.
“Please, Supervisor Zhou. I really have something going on tonight. It’s my birthday and my friends are all waiting. I can’t just not show up.”

Supervisor Zhou looked caught off guard.
“Ah… well…”

“I’ll stay,” Cheng Wan said gently. “I don’t have anything going on at home. I can help with the bid.”

Chang Le turned to her, surprised.
“Really?”

Cheng Wan nodded.
“Go enjoy your night. I’ll stay and work with Supervisor Zhou.”

Everyone looked to Supervisor Zhou after that, waiting for her decision.

She looked at Cheng Wan, puzzled.
“Don’t you need to go home and rest?”

“I’m fine,” Cheng Wan said with a calm smile. “Working late once in a while isn’t a big deal.”

Since Cheng Wan had already spoken, Supervisor Zhou didn’t argue. Once the rest of the office cleared out, she came over and spoke in a low voice.
“Are you really okay? If Chang Le couldn’t stay, I could’ve asked someone else. Your health is the most important thing right now.”

Cheng Wan wasn’t someone who loved to work overtime. But lately, ever since the situation with Bai Juntang started, her family had been acting strangely around her.

If before they ignored her, now it felt like they were calculating her worth—as if she were something to be sold at a high price.

Neither attitude felt good to her. So staying late at the office didn’t seem like such a bad option.

“I’m okay,” Cheng Wan said with a soft laugh. “Didn’t Director Yang say it was urgent? Let’s get started.”

Supervisor Zhou nodded and brought over all the materials they needed. She asked Cheng Wan to join her in the office and even ordered takeout for the two of them.

As the sun began to set, the food arrived. Zhou picked it up at the door—two dishes and a soup. They began unpacking everything together.

The smell of the food was strong and oily, and just looking at it made Cheng Wan feel a wave of nausea.

Zhou took a sniff and smiled.
“We order from this place a lot. I wonder if the delivery tastes different from dining in.”

She ladled a bowl of egg drop soup and placed it in front of Cheng Wan.
“Their egg drop soup is actually really good. You should try it.”

Cheng Wan picked up the bowl. The soup was bright and golden, with a shiny layer of oil on top. The rich sesame aroma was overwhelming. She tried to hold it in, but her stomach twisted.

Setting the bowl down quickly, she covered her mouth and rushed out of the office.

Zhou, startled, paused with her chopsticks in hand and muttered to herself,
“That was a pretty strong reaction…”

Cheng Wan barely made it to the restroom. She shoved open a stall door and threw up everything she had eaten with Bai Juntang at lunch. The entire stall was filled with the unpleasant smell, and her throat burned. She struggled to flush the toilet, her mouth and throat stinging with pain.

After a long while, she finally began to feel a little better.

She had just said earlier today that the baby was being “well-behaved.” Now she felt like she’d jinxed herself.

Wiping her mouth, she stepped out of the stall with unsteady feet—only to find Yang Zhiman at the sink, washing her hands.

“Director Yang…”

Cheng Wan hadn’t expected to see her there and greeted her softly, almost nervously.

Yang Zhiman turned and looked her over calmly. It was clear she had been in the restroom the whole time.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “Stomach trouble?”