I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 8

Yan Zui’s frown finally eased.

Yan Zui: No need. I have an apartment downtown, close to work. You can stay there with me.

Seeing the message, Qi Yunwei let out a breath of relief.

Qi Yunwei: That’s good then. [relieved sigh]

She went through the bedroom, packing what little she had into a suitcase.

When everything was ready, she glanced around the room she’d only lived in for two short days and left without the slightest reluctance.

Dragging her suitcase downstairs, she caught Luo Yi turning from the TV at the sound of her steps. Rising to her feet, she asked with obvious delight, “The Yan family agreed to let you stay with them?”

Luo Yi had never liked Qi Yunwei, always thinking she was a disgrace to the family. To her, Yunwei was malicious enough to drug an Omega and force a mark. Just imagining her presence at home made Luo Yi’s skin crawl. Now that Yunwei was leaving, she couldn’t hide her joy.

Qi Yunwei didn’t care if Luo Yi was laughing or crying. She only nodded. “Yes. I’m leaving.”

After dropping out of university, the original Yunwei had tried a few jobs, but never lasted more than a couple of days before quitting and complaining. Neither Qi Jiuyuan nor Luo Yi bothered with her. For the past two years, her allowance had come entirely from Qi Jiusi—ten thousand a month, adding up to well over a hundred thousand.

Qi Yunwei felt embarrassed to keep taking her aunt’s money. Yesterday, while fumbling with her phone, she accidentally opened the e-wallet and discovered—she actually had a hundred thousand saved.

So that explained it. Hardly any clothes, nothing valuable in her room, she hadn’t wasted it after all, just quietly stashed it away.

Not squandering money was perhaps the only virtue Qi Yunwei could find in the original.

Her immediate priority now was to find a job and pay Qi Jiusi back.

And also to guard against Qi Fanghuai’s mischief.

She took a cab to the Qi family estate, sending Yan Zui the license plate number along the way. The ride was smooth, and soon they pulled up at the villa gate.

Qi Yunwei stepped out as the butler retrieved her suitcase from the trunk. With a smile, he said, “Miss Yunwei, Master has been expecting you. Please, come inside.”

So refined, she thought, smiling back. “Thank you.”

In the living room, the butler poured her tea and explained that Yan Zhao was upstairs in his study with work, while He Ran had gone to the beauty salon and would return shortly.

“It’s fine,” Qi Yunwei said lightly. “I’ll just wait here in the living room.”

Once the butler left, she pulled out her phone to ask Yan Zui what time she got off work and when she’d be home.

Yan Zui: You’re at my house?

Qi Yunwei: As expected of President Yan—you guessed it without me saying a word.

Yan Zui: I’ll be home in ten minutes.

Qi Yunwei: Okay okay, I’ll be waiting for you.

In the back seat of her car, Yan Zui frowned at the screen.

She had no idea where Qi Yunwei had picked up the habit, but the woman kept acting cutesy with her every day—utterly un-Alpha-like.

From the driver’s seat, Qin Lifeng caught a glimpse of his boss’s unusually animated expression in the rearview mirror, and his chest tightened.

In the past, aside from her best friend Huang Momo, Yan Zui never texted anyone. Even then, she kept a blank face while chatting. But just now? Totally different.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

He had only returned to duty an hour ago. In the few days he’d been on leave, what on earth had happened to cause such a change in her?

As the car neared the Yan family’s hillside villa, Qin Lifeng finally broke the silence. “President Yan seems unsettled. Did something happen? Maybe I can help.”

Without lifting her gaze from the phone—where she was scrolling through Qi Yunwei’s ridiculous screenshots—Yan Zui replied coolly, “No problem at all. I’m fine.”

“Forgive me. I overstepped,” Qin Lifeng said at once.

Only then did Yan Zui glance at him. Dark hair curled softly at her temples, her fair skin luminous, her red lips pressed into a flat line.

The glacial clarity of her blue-black eyes froze him in place. Qin Lifeng felt his bl00d shiver, his body instinctively stiffening.

He carefully steadied his breathing and turned his attention back to driving.

Meanwhile, Qi Yunwei, who only recognized one contact in her phone—Yan Zui—was bored enough to spam her with jokes she’d found on Weibo.

Qi Yunwei: [laughing emoji] Hahahahaha I can’t breathe—look at this haircut! It’s like a kite, I swear the guy could actually fly away hahahahaha.

Yan Zui: !

Encouraged, Qi Yunwei sent ten more in a row. Each time, Yan Zui answered with nothing more than a single punctuation mark.

Qi Yunwei: Isn’t it hilarious? My face hurts from laughing. [starry-eyed emoji] Do you know any funny stories?

For a moment, Yan Zui thought of all the gossip Huang Momo had once shared with her. But the instant she saw Qi Yunwei’s name, her expression cooled.

Yan Zui: No.

Qi Yunwei’s eyes lit up. Words! At last. She’d been worried Yan Zui might only ever respond with punctuation from now on.

Qi Yunwei: That’s fine. If you don’t, I do. I’ll share fun things with you every day.

Yan Zui stared at the screen for a long moment, then chose not to reply.

By then, Qin Lifeng had already pulled up to the villa.

He got out, walked around, and opened the door. “President Yan.”

Yan Zui stepped down and entered the house with him at her side.

Inside, Qi Yunwei had just set her teacup down when she heard the door open, followed by the crisp click of heels.

Though she hadn’t heard it often, she immediately recognized Yan Zui’s footsteps.

Excited, she stood up. When she saw Yan Zui emerge from the entryway, her eyes sparkled. “Yan Zui!”

“Mm.” Yan Zui hadn’t intended to answer, but facing those bright eyes, the word slipped out.

Qi Yunwei beamed—until her gaze shifted and caught sight of the tall man behind her. His suit stretched over defined muscle, his features sharp and unsmiling, his eyes locked squarely on her. The pressure of his presence weighed heavily, like a warning from one Alpha to another.

This man clearly didn’t like her.

Qi Yunwei naturally shifted her focus back to Yan Zui, asking with curiosity, “Yan Zui, who’s this?”

At her casual use of the name, Qin Lifeng’s frown deepened.

He’d been at Yan Zui’s side for a year and had never once seen this woman. He’d only taken a short leave, and suddenly here was an Alpha—coming and going from the Yan estate, calling her name outright.

His gaze cooled.

“This is my bodyguard, Qin Lifeng,” Yan Zui said evenly.

“May I have the lady’s name?” Qin Lifeng asked, his deep voice calm.

But Yan Zui answered first. “Qi Yunwei. My newlywed Alpha.”

Qin Lifeng froze. His bl00d went cold as he turned toward Qi Yunwei in disbelief. “President Yan, I’ve never once heard of Miss Qi before. How did this suddenly.”

Annoyed, Yan Zui cut him off. If he hadn’t taken leave, Qi Yunwei wouldn’t have found this opening in the first place. She had no patience to explain further. “We’ve always communicated through phone.”

Qi Yunwei jumped in without missing a beat. “Exactly. We had an online romance. Met up just the other day, and since we’re both at the right age, we went ahead and got our license. Amazing, right?”

Then it clicked—why Qin Lifeng’s name had sounded so familiar.

He was one of Yan Zui’s love interests in the novel!