I Was Just a Scumbag Extra, But She Loved Me Anyway [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 3

Scumbag Alpha Zhong Li arrived shortly after, still carrying a cloying scent of Omega pheromones.

An Alpha reeking of pheromones that strong had clearly gotten very physically close to an Omega. Su Chenli had no interest in knowing what Zhong Li and Ruan Shengsheng had been up to during that time. She took a few quiet steps back to distance herself and asked dryly, “So… you two made up?”

Zhong Li shrugged. “Isn’t Ruan Shengsheng always easy to coax?”

Su Chenli was speechless.

Who was it again that got all worked up when the delicate Omega left with the beautiful professor? No wonder she ended up as the classic “begging-for-forgiveness” scumbag Alpha straight out of an old-school romance novel. Alphas who don’t watch their mouths? Deserve to stay single.

Oh well. As long as the scumbag Alpha and the delicate Omega get their happy ending, Su Chenli’s mission will be complete.

Zhong Li patted Su Chenli’s arm. “By the way, I’m planning to take Ruan Shengsheng on a trip. Jiang Youning will definitely try to stop us when she finds out. I’ll leave her to you.”

Su Chenli: “?” Why is it always me?

Even though she didn’t mind, something about this felt off.

The beautiful “姐姐” seemed certain they would meet again. Zhong Li also thought of her first when it came to stalling Jiang Youning… Was there some crucial detail she had missed?

After parting ways with Zhong Li, Su Chenli returned to the original body’s apartment and dove into reading the system-provided source novel carefully. But in the entire story, both her character and Jiang Youning barely showed up. Su Chenli practically wore out the scroll function combing through hundreds of thousands of words, yet still couldn’t find any meaningful connection between herself and the beautiful second lead.

“System, take a look,” Su Chenli said, highlighting every mention of herself and Jiang Youning in her mind. “In this whole damn novel, our scenes together don’t even add up to fifty thousand words—and half of those are just my poor beautiful 姐姐 being emotionally tormented because of Zhong Li and the little white flower. How is this fair? What did she ever do wrong?”

【Well… that’s just how it is for background characters and tragic second female leads, Host. But look on the bright side! Less screen time means more freedom. You’re not tied down by the source material—you can do whatever you want!】

Su Chenli considered this. “So, if something isn’t explicitly described in the original story, and doesn’t contradict its internal logic, I can do as I please?”

【Exactly!】

…If that’s the case, doesn’t that open up a lot of opportunities?

Su Chenli reopened the original novel in her mind.

Anything not specified as “canon plot” didn’t have to happen. So why did Jiang Youning have to become a heartbroken tragic figure? Zhong Li and Ruan Shengsheng could fall in love just fine without sacrificing someone else’s happiness.

That left just one question: How could a background character like her slip seamlessly into the plot?

Most of the story focused on Zhong Li and Ruan Shengsheng’s romance, and there wasn’t much useful information otherwise. Su Chenli combed through it for several days, coming up nearly empty—until Zhong Li sent her a message.

Zhong Li had said she was taking the little white flower on a trip, and sure enough, she wasted no time.

Zhong Li: I’m taking Ruan Shengsheng to Greece. Jiang Youning’s yours to deal with.

Su Chenli: “…?”

She suddenly had the feeling that her storyline was about to take off.

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, her phone rang. The person on the other end greeted her with, “President Su.”

Su Chenli blinked. “Huh? Who is this?”

【Host!! She’s talking to you! Don’t forget—you’re a rich second generation heiress in this world!】

Oh! Right. Su Chenli quickly pulled herself together. She’d been immersed in her “actor mode” for so long, bouncing between sets, that no one had called her anything like “President” in ages.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, regaining her composure.

“President Su, you’ve been on vacation for a week now. The Chairman has requested that you report to the R&D Department immediately.”

“The R&D Department?” Su Chenli echoed, confused. What did that have to do with her?

“Yes. The new lead on our latest project starts today. The Chairman would like you to shadow them and learn the ropes.”

Su Chenli pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. What kind of split timeline is this? Zhong Li’s side got a romantic drama, and she got career development?

Su Chenli didn’t want to go.

She was just here to complete a few missions—not actually work a real job.

She started coming up with excuses to get out of it—at least a dozen—but before she could try one out, another call came through. This time, it was from her father.

He didn’t even say hello. “I told you to get to the company and start learning—are you on your way yet?”

“…” Su Chenli tried dodging. “Can I… not go?”

“Of course not!” Father Su barked. “The company has invested a massive sum into this new project, and the lead researcher we hired is one of the top in the country. This isn’t some small innovation project—it’s the real deal. I’ve let you do whatever you wanted since you returned from abroad, but this time is different. If you don’t show up, I’ll freeze your accounts and suspend your position. Let’s see how you survive out there then!”

…Harsh.

He continued, “This new professor is worth far more than you. They trained at a top international institution and brought back an entire elite team when they returned to the country. They’ve got firsthand access to leading-edge lab data and results. Do you know how hard it was to get them on board? With this professor, our market advantage goes up by at least twenty percent. So get over there and keep them happy. If they leave, you’re out of the house too!”

Su Chenli: “…”

She quietly asked the system, “If he freezes my cards and kicks me out, do I have any backup income?”

【If that happens, you’d need to find your own funding sources, Host…】

So, she would have to work anyway. Might as well take the easier route and slack off in her dad’s company.

If she remembered right, the original character’s degree was in a STEM field from a foreign university…

Su Chenli, a properly trained actor, checked her identity details: “Playboy background character from the scumbag Alpha crew, labeled as an idle, spoiled rich second gen.”

Nice. If the original character was already a disaster, no one would expect her to be competent anyway, right?

Still a little nervous, Su Chenli followed the system’s route and drove to the largest research center under Su Corporation. From the start of this project, the company had set aside a share for the original character. In terms of title, she was technically part of the management team for the new project.

Swiping her card to enter the R&D building, Su Chenli was escorted by a receptionist all the way up to the ninth floor. From the moment they entered, every elevator ride and corridor required an ID scan.

Watching this, Su Chenli couldn’t help but think, This project must be really serious. She had assumed that a melodramatic novel like this wouldn’t take its workplace settings seriously, but apparently even supporting characters in a drama-fueled romance novel were expected to do real work…

Is it only the main couple—the Alpha and Omega—who get to slack off?

While she pondered this, the elevator stopped silently on the ninth floor. As the doors opened, Su Chenli noticed a few researchers rushing by. One stood out—an intern in a white lab coat staring off blankly in the corridor.

“Waiting for someone?” Su Chenli asked casually as she passed by.

The intern looked up unguardedly, accidentally locking eyes with Su Chenli’s clear gaze—like starlight dancing across a night sky. He froze.

Su Chenli paused, a bit puzzled. “What is it?”

Snapping out of it at the sound of her voice, the intern quickly looked away, flustered. “I-I’m waiting for someone… It’s part of a task from the lab.”

Su Chenli thought for a moment. This couldn’t just be coincidence.

The receptionist had already gone back downstairs—her access only went as far as the elevator—and now, right as she got off, she ran into an intern waiting for someone…

“You wouldn’t happen to be waiting for Su Chenli, would you?” she asked.

The intern’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

Just as I thought.

“Oh, no need to wait anymore,” she replied with a slight smile. “I’m Su Chenli.”

The intern blinked, and his face turned red instantly.

Wait—wasn’t Su Chenli supposed to be an arrogant, useless, rich second-gen brat? Why did she seem… nice?

“Aren’t you coming?” Su Chenli had already walked a fair distance toward the lab entrance, but when she noticed the intern hadn’t followed, she turned and asked.

“C-coming!” the intern stammered, quickly catching up. He began reflecting on how just a few days ago, he had silently grumbled about upper management forcing someone like Su Chenli into the project group.

Not that he was judging based on looks or anything, but… if she wasn’t the bossy type and was easy to get along with, maybe having her around wouldn’t be so bad. She could just be the lab mascot or something… The intern tried to justify it to himself.

The Su Group’s R&D building was impressively spacious. With Father Su openly backing this new project, nearly half the entire ninth floor had been allocated to it. Su Chenli, ID card in hand, made her way toward the designated work zone. Hanging above the automatic access door was a sleek blue-and-white plaque:

“Lab 3 – Senyi Research Center”

She pulled out her access card, ready to scan it, when the intern suddenly spoke up.

“Um…” He looked hesitant. “My mentor—the project’s lead researcher—hasn’t been in the best mood lately. Just… be careful when you meet her, okay?”

Bad mood?

“She doesn’t take it out on you guys, does she?” Su Chenli asked.

The intern shook his head quickly. “Of course not. She’s not that kind of person. It’s just… she’s always held high standards for experimental work…”

He trailed off with a vague look on his face.

Su Chenli glanced at him, and then it clicked.

That warning was clearly meant for her. The intern was subtly telling her to stay quiet, be careful, and not stir up trouble—otherwise, she might find herself in a very awkward position.

What a thoughtful little intern, she thought.

“I’m not going to interfere with the team,” she reassured him. “But… why’s your mentor in such a bad mood?”

The intern hesitated but didn’t reply immediately.

Sensing his reluctance, Su Chenli offered a soft smile. “I just want to understand the situation, so I can avoid making things worse.”

The intern relaxed slightly. Glancing at Su Chenli’s lovely profile, he finally leaned in and lowered his voice. “Well… it’s kind of an internal issue from our university. Not a big deal, really. Originally, a senior student was supposed to intern here—she’d promised the mentor she would. But last minute, she bailed and went on vacation with her girlfriend instead. That’s why my mentor’s been upset lately.”

She gave up an internship at the top domestic research center to go on a romantic trip?? And ghosted her professor after promising to show up?

A subtle look of disdain appeared on Su Chenli’s face. “That senior sounds incredibly unreliable.”

Exactly like Zhong Li and her delicate little Omega.

Lab 3 was much more than its name suggested. It wasn’t just a lab—it had complete, state-of-the-art facilities, from full-scale labs to office zones and even temporary rest areas. It wouldn’t be out of place to rename it “Research Zone 3.”

After undergoing a sanitation process and changing into a lab coat, Su Chenli followed the intern into the work area. It was mostly empty—just a few technicians taking notes—no one who looked like a lead scientist.

The intern glanced around. “Ah, the mentor’s not here… She’s probably running an experiment. I’ll message a senior and have her give the mentor a heads-up. She’s actually really easy to get along with, President Su. No need to be nervous.”

Since Su Chenli looked about the same age as the graduate students—perhaps even younger than the PhDs—the intern had dropped a lot of formalities when speaking to her.

Hearing the title “President Su,” one of the technicians turned in surprise to look at her.

Su Chenli wasn’t here to throw her weight around; she just wanted to coast through quietly. Feeling the attention on her, she smiled at the technician and started making small talk to shift the focus.

Just as the conversation was starting to flow naturally, she suddenly heard steady, measured footsteps echoing from the hallway.

As an actor, Su Chenli could instantly visualize the person behind the sound: poised, graceful, composed… There was a certain chilliness to the rhythm, the kind that belonged in a film score.

Curious, she turned slightly.

Then, the rumored “hard-to-please” technical lead pushed the door open—and time seemed to slow.

Cool, striking features. Eyes filled with a fragile beauty. A few strands of hair fell softly over her shoulder.

If that wasn’t Jiang Youning, who else could it be?!

Su Chenli was so shocked, she instinctively took a step back.

How the hell did she end up running into Jiang Youning here?!