I Woke Up and Became an Alpha (GL) - Chapter 12
Huo Qingzhi seemed to be a regular at this restaurant. As soon as she entered, she smoothly walked towards a window seat inside.
She found a booth and sat down, and Song Yuran followed suit, sitting opposite her.
Huo Qingzhi pushed the menu towards Song Yuran. “This meal’s on me. Order anything you like, as a thank you for your help last time.”
Song Yuran hadn’t felt particularly hungry until she entered the restaurant and smelled the enticing aromas wafting from other tables, which piqued her appetite. Hearing that Huo Qingzhi was treating, she unceremoniously began flipping through the menu.
Food is the first necessity of the people.
The first page of the menu featured new dishes. The seafood looked appetizing. She stared at the picture for a few seconds before turning the page.
Huo Qingzhi understood from her expression and said, “If you want to eat it, why don’t you order it?”
“Never mind,” Song Yuran shook her head. In the original novel, Huo Qingzhi had a severe seafood allergy. She didn’t want to cause a life-threatening incident, and eating it alone wouldn’t be fun anyway.
Huo Qingzhi didn’t try to persuade her further and directly told the waiter, “Add a seafood platter.”
“Hey, hey, hey, no!” Song Yuran quickly interrupted her, turning to the waiter and saying, “No seafood platter, she’s allergic to seafood.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Huo Qingzhi’s face showed a clear expression of confusion. She quickly said, “I’m not allergic.”
In the end, they still ordered a seafood platter. Song Yuran was still uneasy. After the waiter left, she confirmed with Huo Qingzhi again: “President Huo, are you really not allergic to seafood?”
Huo Qingzhi nodded. “I’ve never had any allergic symptoms.” She paused, then asked, “Who told you I’m allergic to seafood?”
This time, it was Song Yuran’s turn to be bewildered.
She clearly remembered that Huo Qingzhi in the original novel was allergic to seafood. There was even a plotline where she accidentally consumed seafood products and nearly went into shock. Yet now, the person in question was telling her she wasn’t allergic???
Could it be that she entered a fake world? Was Huo Qingzhi not the cold, fierce Alpha from the ABO novel after all? And was there a good chance she wouldn’t have to go to jail?
Or, did her entry into this world cause a butterfly effect, changing the settings, so that Huo Qingzhi, who was originally allergic to seafood, became non-allergic?
Song Yuran was absentmindedly thinking when the phone on the table suddenly rang. She turned her head; it wasn’t hers.
Huo Qingzhi across from her picked up her phone. Her movements paused for a moment after seeing the caller, then she quickly answered.
She started chatting directly with the person on the other end of the line at the dinner table, indicating it wasn’t anything private.
Song Yuran listened in. The person on the other end was a woman, crying to Huo Qingzhi about her boyfriend cheating on her, having just become single again.
How miserable. Song Yuran couldn’t help but sigh, feeling sympathy for the stranger.
“Bizhen, don’t rush, tell me slowly.”
It wasn’t until she heard Huo Qingzhi call the person’s name that the expression on Song Yuran’s face vanished completely.
Bizhen? Chi Bizhen? Wasn’t she one of the people who betrayed Huo Qingzhi the most tragically in the original novel?
Song Yuran remembered that Chi Bizhen was a typical story of the farmer and the snake, extremely envious. On the surface, she supported Huo Qingzhi, but secretly wished for her downfall.
After suffering emotional setbacks and being laid off from her company, she viewed Huo Qingzhi’s olive branch as nothing but sarcasm, transferring her hatred—from being broken up with, losing her job, and her Beta inferiority complex—onto Huo Qingzhi.
Later, she became almost obsessive, switching to Huo Yuandong’s camp and even helping him drug Huo Qingzhi and make her bond with an Omega she had originally had a slight liking for. After being forced into a relationship, the Omega gained Huo Qingzhi’s trust and, at Huo Yuandong’s instigation, swallowed up Huason.
While reading the novel, Song Yuran had wanted to jump into the book and tear that b1tch apart!
The dishes were served quickly, but even after all the food was on the table, Huo Qingzhi was still on the phone. Listening to Chi Bizhen’s incessant complaints, her face had turned slightly helpless. She gestured with her eyes for Song Yuran to eat first.
Song Yuran didn’t pick up her chopsticks. She cleared her throat and deliberately said loudly, “President Huo, everyone’s here, waiting for you to start the meeting.”
Chi Bizhen on the other end of the line clearly heard it. Already somewhat tired of complaining, she feigned concern, “Qingzhi, are you still busy? Then I won’t bother you.”
Only then did she finally hang up.
Huo Qingzhi thought Song Yuran was impatient from waiting, which was why she made an excuse for her. As the host, she explained, “My friend just broke up, and she’s not in a good mood.”
“I can tell,” Song Yuran wanted to tell the other person not to pick friends from the trash can, but as a small cannon fodder, she didn’t seem to have the standing to say such a thing, so she swallowed her words.
This also indirectly indicated that the world’s development was still within the plot. As for the seafood allergy, it was probably a change in setting caused by her entering the world.
After they finished eating, Huo Qingzhi had the empty dishes cleared and some after-meal fruit served.
“Alright,” Huo Qingzhi placed her hands on the table, fingers interlaced, looking ready for a discussion. “What did you want to tell me?”
Song Yuran’s movements paused. She was incredibly glad they had eaten first, otherwise, she probably wouldn’t have had much appetite.
But thinking about the magazine issue, she felt a stomach ache. Her pretty features involuntarily scrunched up. “President Huo, perhaps… you know a magazine called Fashion Bazer?”
“I know it.” Mentioning the familiar name, Huo Qingzhi had a general idea of the upcoming topic.
“Well, the clothes I got from your office last time… um…” Song Yuran struggled to find the right words, only hoping President Huo would be lenient with her after hearing it. “I wore it… out…”
Huo Qingzhi hummed, signaling her to continue.
“And then… there was a photographer, from the magazine, mainly responsible for the street photography section… he wanted to photograph my outfit, and I agreed… Later, the photos were approved, and the latest issue of the magazine was published yesterday…”
Song Yuran’s hesitant demeanor amused Huo Qingzhi. Being chosen for street photography wasn’t embarrassing, and Song Yuran’s appearance was quite good, and her outfit was refreshing. It shouldn’t be that hard to talk about.
“Of course, the previous parts aren’t the main point…” Song Yuran felt her stomach ache worsen. “Today, the photographer told me that a brand approached the magazine to discuss a collaboration, and only then did I realize… because I didn’t specify the brand source, your design was copied by someone else.”
“…” Huo Qingzhi’s facial expression froze, slowly disappearing. The air fell into a deadly silence.
Song Yuran’s heart sank. It’s over.
Would she be sent to prison early for leaking company secrets?!
“I need to know the detailed contents of the incident,” Huo Qingzhi said calmly. She was only frowning, not the furious rage Song Yuran had imagined.
Song Yuran quickly opened Looden’s official website. Upon entering the page, the familiar new product image on the headline banner was glaringly conspicuous.
Even more ironic, sales had already surpassed a thousand.
Watching Huo Qingzhi remain silent, Song Yuran felt a sense of impending storm. She quickly admitted her mistake: “I’m sorry. At the time, I wasn’t sure if the magazine would approve the photos, so I thought if the reviews were good, I’d add the brand information later. I didn’t expect such a huge reaction, and for someone else to exploit the loophole.”
“I, I… forget it. I’ll go to the magazine now and find their editor-in-chief! If that doesn’t work, then…” Song Yuran stood up, anxious to leave, but Huo Qingzhi stopped her with a hand.
“Do you know the relationship between Looden and our company?” Huo Qingzhi asked.
Song Yuran blinked, looking bewildered. When she read the novel, she only cared about the protagonist; she couldn’t remember anything about this old scumbag’s background.
“Looden is one of our company’s shareholders.” Huo Qingzhi, having grasped the current situation, calmly stated, “The plagiarism is known, but we can’t provide evidence. Currently, besides Looden’s newly launched product, I can guarantee you won’t find a second identical one on the market. It’s safe to say they’re the only ones who have it. I think Looden knew this, which is why they rushed to launch before us.”
“Even if this matter blows up, because of the shareholder relationship, outsiders will only think it’s two related companies trying to hype things up, or that Jian Ai is trying to make trouble, which would damage our company’s reputation.”
“So, as victims of plagiarism, we can only accept our fate?” Song Yuran felt it was unfair to Huo Qingzhi and was very indignant. “Is there no justice!”
Huo Qingzhi, however, smiled, a cool smile. “Consumers only care if they’ve spent their money on clothes they like; they don’t care who designed the clothes.”
“…” Song Yuran sat back down. What Huo Qingzhi said was cruel, but it was the reality.
Of course, she didn’t know that Huason’s inability to directly confront Looden was not simply for these reasons.
“That old scumbag is shameless.” The more Song Yuran thought about it, the angrier she got, and she unconsciously blurted out her internal complaint.
Immediately after, she met Huo Qingzhi’s questioning gaze.
Huo Qingzhi asked, “What does ‘old scumbag’ mean?”