"The Alpha Who Abandoned Love—And Got a Second Chance" - Chapter 14

Lin Xi didn’t want to argue any further and left the hospital room with Chu Muqing.
Outside, the rain was still falling. As she watched their backs disappear down the corridor, the young nurse bit her lower lip, a flicker of resentment flashing in her eyes.
A while later, footsteps echoed outside the door. A middle-aged man in a white lab coat pushed it open and walked in, smiling faintly as he looked at her.
The nurse walked over. Seeing no one else around, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Senior Han… are you here to see Dr. Xu?”
Her initiative clearly pleased the man. He chuckled and kissed her forehead, reminding her gently, “Sweetheart, your complaint rate is already very high.”
“Mm,” the nurse nodded, her cheek pressed to his chest. “I know.”
The man sighed helplessly and lightly tapped the tip of her nose. “As medical staff, our duty is to respect and serve patients—not to meddle in or judge their private affairs. If you keep this up, it’s going to put me in a tough spot.”
The nurse clutched his shoulders and asked anxiously, “So that Alpha really did file a complaint against me?”
“Yes, but I covered it up,” the man coaxed.
Anger flickered across the nurse’s face. “I was just trying to be kind, and she took it the wrong way. Serves her right for being deceived!”
“Kind?” The man’s expression darkened slightly. “Then why aren’t the rest of the hospital staff being so kind?”
The nurse’s eyes showed a hint of bitterness, and she muttered in frustration, “I’m just jealous of her Omega. Her wife has an incurable illness—she may never recover. So why is it that my sister, also an Omega with a terminal illness, was abandoned, while she gets an Alpha who dotes on her so tenderly?”
“Don’t bring your personal emotions into your work. A patient’s private life is not yours to question. And don’t pass judgment on things you don’t fully understand. That’s part of your professional ethics.”
He caressed her soft cheek, like a teacher scolding a wayward student. “It’s fortunate that Alpha had a good temper and only said a few words to you. Not every Alpha is like that. Have you already forgotten how you got slapped last time for speaking out of turn?”
“…I’m sorry,” the nurse mumbled.
The man kissed her lips and warned patiently, “Don’t let it happen again.”
“…Got it.”
“Let’s go to the hotel after your shift,” he said, eyes drifting down to her chest. “An Omega covered in bl00d came in downstairs just now. Looks like your dear Dr. Xu’s pulling another all-nighter.”
The nurse looked at him with hesitation, guilt flickering in her eyes—she felt sorry for Dr. Xu—but in the end, she nodded.
She couldn’t say no to a man who treated her so well.
—
Braving the rain to the hospital gate, Lin Xi raised her hand and hailed a taxi, ushering Chu Muqing inside with her.
Rain pattered on the car roof, sliding down the windows like tiny crawling caterpillars.
They were both soaked. Worried that Chu Muqing might catch a cold, Lin Xi borrowed some tissues from the driver and handed them to her. “Be careful, don’t catch another fever.”
Chu Muqing accepted them silently, avoiding her gaze. “Thanks,” she murmured.
“No need to thank me.” Lin Xi smiled gently. “Wipe your face off first. Take a hot shower when we get home. Your clothes are completely soaked—you really don’t want to fall sick again.”
Chu Muqing’s heart stirred. This person—who looked just as drenched and miserable—had been guiding her through the rain with such care. Lin Xi had kept walking despite not being able to open her eyes from the downpour, gripping her wrist tightly as if afraid she might slip.
In that moment, Chu Muqing once again felt a strange sense of contradiction.
It was this gentle, attentive Lin Xi who felt more like the real Lin Xi.
After drying her forehead and hair, Chu Muqing handed the rest of the tissues back to her.
Lin Xi blinked, clearly not expecting the gesture.
“Ah… no need,” Lin Xi chuckled, taking them anyway. “We Alphas are built rough. Tough skin, tough face. Just some rainwater—if I look ugly, so be it.”
Ugly?
Chu Muqing was taken aback.
Lin Xi wasn’t ugly at all, and certainly not rough. She just didn’t dress up.
Every time Chu Muqing saw her, Lin Xi wore simple outfits—T-shirts, white shirts, jeans, or sweatpants.
Her gaze drifted to Lin Xi’s delicate features: soft brows, round nose, pale lips, not a flaw on that refined face. Her eyes were especially striking—deep in color yet crystal clear, like those of a sheltered university girl untouched by the world.
With a face like this, it was hard to associate Lin Xi with the tales she’d told.
Lin Xi claimed she came from hardship. That she grew up looking after her siblings alone while her parents worked in the city—cooking, cleaning, chopping firewood, fetching water. She’d said she’d done it all.
She also said she loved children, so she didn’t mind that Chu Muqing had a daughter.
That had been the deciding factor in Chu Muqing’s decision to marry her—not because she expected Lin Xi to help raise the child, but because she hoped at least she wouldn’t reject her.
As that thought crossed her mind, her gaze fell on Lin Xi’s hand resting on her knee.
It was a fair, slender hand—soft and flawless. No signs of calluses from hard labor or years of household chores.
With such an elegant appearance, Lin Xi seemed more like someone raised in comfort than hardship.
Lin Xi noticed her gaze and nervously rubbed her face. “What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?”
Then, without waiting for an answer, she pulled the tissue from Chu Muqing’s hand and rubbed her own face haphazardly.
It was far from gentle—more like she was scrubbing a wall than caring for her own face.
Chu Muqing looked away and asked softly, “Didn’t you say your brother is doing his postgrad in Beijing?”
Lin Xi felt a headache coming on.
How many lies had the original “her” told Chu Muqing?
“Uh… yeah,” she replied vaguely. “I heard the cafeteria food’s good.”
Better to steer the topic toward something harmless—like food.
Chu Muqing paused slightly, her breathing deepening. Then she looked straight at her. “But you also said he’s getting married and urgently needs money. That he asked you to borrow from me.”
Some things don’t stand up to scrutiny. And the moment Chu Muqing began to look deeper, she realized many things Lin Xi had said didn’t add up.
“….”
Panic surged through Lin Xi.
What kind of character had the original version of her been? A compulsive liar obsessed with helping her brother?
Chu Muqing pressed on, “Lin Xi, tell me—of all the things you’ve said, which ones are actually true?”
“All of them!” Lin Xi insisted, meeting her skeptical gaze. She slapped her thigh with righteous fury. “Every single one! That deadbeat drives me crazy. Can’t he just focus on his studies? I bet he just wanted to scam you!”
“Oh?” Chu Muqing raised an eyebrow, then asked casually, “He’s an Alpha, right? And his fiancée is an Omega?”
“Doesn’t matter if they’re Omega, Beta, or doing an AA relationship,” Lin Xi snapped. “He’s a student—what’s he getting married for? Don’t worry about him, and don’t give him a single cent! I won’t either!”
Chu Muqing stared at her in silence. Lin Xi didn’t seem to be faking this anger.
“How many brothers do you have?” she asked.
Lin Xi thought for a second. “…Two.”
If she’s asking, there must be at least two, right?
Chu Muqing’s expression darkened.
Another lie.
She didn’t even remember that she’d once told Chu Muqing she had three brothers and one sister.
Chu Muqing was still weak from the suppressant injection. Her eyes showed traces of fatigue, but she didn’t expose her lie. “If he really wants to get married and needs money, I’m not without resources.”
Lin Xi had helped her today. She didn’t want to owe her a favor. If she wanted to use this as an excuse to ask for money, she’d give it to her—and call it even.
“Absolutely not!” Lin Xi rejected flatly. “If he wants to get married, that’s his business—but there’s no way he’s getting money from you!”
Chu Muqing lowered her eyes and gave a soft “Mm.”
Seeing that she’d stopped asking questions, Lin Xi finally let out a breath of relief—as if she’d just walked away from the edge of a cliff.
She couldn’t afford any more damage between her and Chu Muqing—not now.
Especially not over the original version’s lies.
—
By the time they arrived at the apartment complex, the rain had stopped.
Chu Muqing got out of the car. Lin Xi, having borrowed the driver’s phone earlier to pay (since her phone had died), followed.
As soon as she stepped out, Lin Xi’s phone rang.
She handed the medicine bag to Chu Muqing and smiled. “You go ahead—take a hot shower and change. I’ll just take this call.”
Her tone was casual, like a normal exchange between a married couple.
She gestured to Chu Muqing’s neck. “The wound on the back of your neck—make sure to disinfect it and put on new meds.”
Chu Muqing’s eyes softened slightly. She nodded and turned to leave.
Lin Xi picked up the call. A middle-aged man’s voice came through.
“Miss Lin,” he said in a low voice, “your order has arrived.”
Lin Xi’s expression shifted. “What order?”
“You said last time the Alpha extract you purchased wasn’t potent enough,” the man replied. “There’s a new batch in from the black market—refined from the pheromones of top foreign Alphas. Premium grade, very in demand among Betas.”
“…”
“As one of our VIP members, you’re the first we notified,” the man added.
Lin Xi gave a bitter laugh.
Looks like she didn’t need to tiptoe around Mrs. Lin anymore.
So, the original Lin Xi really was just a regular Beta, not an Alpha at all.