"The Alpha Who Abandoned Love—And Got a Second Chance" - Chapter 3

CBD, Zhou Plaza.
[I’m here. Where are you?]
Lin Xi looked down at the message from Chu Muqing, feeling a vague sense of unease in her chest.
Chu Muqing seemed to harbor a deep hostility toward her—as if afraid she might hurt her daughter.
And honestly, the original Lin Xi probably would have. Chu Muqing’s wariness was understandable.
But she wasn’t that person…
Lin Xi gently tapped on her screen:
[Building A, second floor near the elevator—there’s an ice cream shop.]
She glanced at the little girl in her lap, happily eating her ice cream, then added:
[We’re both here. Take your time, no need to rush.]
Chu Muqing: [The name?]
Lin Xi lowered her gaze to the ice cream shop’s logo printed on the table. Under the cute emblem were three words:
Dear Baby.
She curled her lips in amusement and typed deliberately:
[Dear Baby.]
As expected, Chu Muqing replied with a string of question marks: [???]
[Don’t get the wrong idea. That’s the name of the shop. It’s literally called “Dear Baby.”]
Chu Muqing didn’t respond again. She was probably already on her way.
Lin Xi set her phone down and spoke to the little girl sitting in her lap. “Your mom’s almost here.”
“Huh?”
The little girl was holding a pale pink plastic spoon, mid-bite. At the mention of her mom, the ice cream in her mouth suddenly lost its flavor.
“So soon?” She looked up from Lin Xi’s lap with a disappointed expression.
“Pfft!” Lin Xi couldn’t hold back a laugh.
The little one’s delicate face tensed slightly.
Seeing her worried little expression, Lin Xi teased, “What’s wrong? Are you scared?”
The child smacked her lips, hesitated, then nodded softly.
“Mommy doesn’t let me eat ice cream,” she whispered.
“But you’ve already eaten it.” Lin Xi pointed at the cream smudged on the girl’s lips.
The little girl drooped her head. “Oh… right.”
“It’s okay.” Lin Xi gently stroked the back of her head. “When your mom gets here, just say it was all me.”
The little girl blinked.
“What?” Lin Xi asked. “Not happy about that?”
The girl pouted.
“Come on, we had a deal,” Lin Xi reminded her with a smile. “You wouldn’t tell your mom I took you to a bar earlier, and I’d buy you one ice cream. A good kid always keeps their promises.”
The little girl leaned her soft cheek against Lin Xi’s chin and asked in a syrupy voice, “Only one?”
What? Ice cream?
Lin Xi pretended to be stern. “How many do you want?”
The girl slowly held up two tiny fingers.
Lin Xi sighed. “…Deal!”
“Yay!” the girl beamed.
Lin Xi smiled helplessly. “But you’ve already had one today, so the second one will have to wait until next time.”
The little girl nodded eagerly, her head bobbing like a drum.
Watching her bounce with joy, Lin Xi had a sudden realization.
Wait… was this little one tricking her?
Just as Lin Xi was about to say something, the girl turned her head to look at the phone on the table.
“Wanna play a game?” Lin Xi asked after a moment of thought.
The girl immediately nodded. Her excitement was so intense that when she nodded, the back of her head bumped right into Lin Xi’s chin.
Lin Xi’s first instinct was to rub her little head. “Are you okay? Did it hurt?”
The girl looked a bit guilty and shook her head. “Sorry…”
“It’s alright,” Lin Xi said with a warm smile.
Still seeing the girl a little upset from the bump, Lin Xi picked up her phone and said, “Let’s find a fun little game to download, okay?”
The girl’s eyes lit up. “Okay!”
Lin Xi called over the shop assistant for the Wi-Fi password and started browsing games.
To her surprise, the gaming industry in this world didn’t seem very developed yet. Most of the games were simple ones like Contra and Super Mario.
Having grown up in the 21st century—witnessing the rise of hyperrealistic VR games—Lin Xi had a sudden idea.
Eventually, she downloaded a dress-up game for girls. She remembered loving these as a child.
As expected, once it was installed, the little girl clung to the phone and wouldn’t let go.
Just then, the transparent glass door of the shop opened.
Chu Muqing walked in and saw exactly this scene.
At the small round table sat Lin Xi and Chengcheng, one big and one small, laughing together. Chengcheng was snuggled on Lin Xi’s lap, her head nestled against Lin Xi’s chin.
Chu Muqing stopped in her tracks.
On her way here, she had imagined countless scenarios.
Lin Xi had taken Chengcheng without informing her at all.
She should’ve been working late at the magazine office tonight, but three hours ago, she had called Su Rui to pick up Chengcheng.
But just an hour ago, Su Rui called back—something had come up and she couldn’t make it.
Chu Muqing rushed from the office to the kindergarten, only to find it empty. The children had long gone home.
The assistant teacher told her that Lin Xi had already picked Chengcheng up.
Remembering what Lin Xi had said in the past few days made Chu Muqing feel like she had fallen into an ice pit.
Lin Xi had said she didn’t want to marry a lifeless Omega.
She had threatened that if she wasn’t allowed to touch her, she’d find a thousand other ways to make her suffer.
She’d said she hated Chengcheng—that the child was just a burden—and that she wanted her gone.
Lin Xi was insane.
The moment she heard Chengcheng had been taken by Lin Xi, panic and regret surged through her.
Why had she prioritized work? Why had she married such a hypocritical Alpha?
If she hadn’t married Lin Xi three days ago… maybe Chengcheng wouldn’t have…
The regret was crushing. She had barely been able to dial Lin Xi’s number with trembling fingers.
But when she arrived at the ice cream shop, what she saw stopped her cold.
The warm lighting, the pink decor—this place was cozy and inviting.
Chengcheng was curled up contentedly in Lin Xi’s lap, laughing out loud as she pointed at the screen.
She seemed to be complaining that the princess outfit wasn’t pretty enough.
There weren’t many customers—only one other table. But that made their cheerful chatter all the more noticeable.
Chu Muqing couldn’t remember the last time Chengcheng looked so relaxed.
“Huh?” Lin Xi turned slightly, having sensed someone watching.
She spotted the woman standing silently behind her.
Lin Xi’s eyes briefly flashed with surprise before she composed herself.
The woman was stunning. Lin Xi’s gaze was drawn to her face, illuminated by the soft chandelier light. Her features were flawless.
She walked over, heels clicking crisply against the floor. Lin Xi found herself unable to meet her eyes.
This was Chu Muqing.
The Omega female lead of the novel.
The original story described her as the most beautiful Omega that the Alpha female lead, Feng Zijin, had ever seen.
Her burgundy blazer added to her cool, distant aura, though her voice was even colder than her look.
She glanced at the little girl. “Chengcheng.”
At the sound of her mother’s voice, the girl immediately set the phone down.
She looked up and softly called, “Mommy.”
“Lin Xi, why did you take her without permission?” Chu Muqing’s eyes were sharp, and her voice held a biting chill.
Lin Xi stood instinctively, facing her head-on. “I happened to pass by the kindergarten and saw she hadn’t been picked up. So, I brought her with me.”
Chu Muqing shifted her gaze to the child. “Is that true?”
Chengcheng glanced between the two, then nodded quickly. “Yes, that’s right.”
Lin Xi breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Seeing Chengcheng unharmed, the tight knot in Chu Muqing’s chest finally loosened.
Lin Xi’s lips curled into a playful smile. “Told you not to worry—she’s had a blast with me.”
Their eyes met briefly, and Lin Xi saw the distrust still lingering in hers.
She turned to Chengcheng. “Right, sweetie? Did you have fun?”
Chengcheng gave a huge grin. “Yes!”
Lin Xi shrugged toward Chu Muqing as if to say, See? Even your daughter agrees.
But Chu Muqing wasn’t moved.
“I really didn’t do anything to her. If…” Lin Xi paused, softening her tone. “If I did anything wrong, then I admit it. I shouldn’t have brought her for ice cream. But it’s okay for kids to indulge once in a while, isn’t it?”
Chengcheng nodded furiously, but Chu Muqing silenced her with a single look.
The girl whimpered. “Mmm…”
Her eyes welled up but she didn’t dare cry.
Lin Xi sighed inwardly.
She understood Chu Muqing’s worry—especially given how the original Lin Xi had behaved.
But hadn’t she made it clear enough?
Why did Chu Muqing still look like she didn’t trust her at all?
She looked up again—only to meet Chu Muqing’s cold, unreadable gaze.
There was no warmth in those eyes. Only the stillness of a frozen lake.
Still… Lin Xi thought, At least she’s not as openly guarded now.
She had no idea what the original Lin Xi had done in the past three days, but clearly, it was something that shattered all trust.
“I… I really didn’t hurt her. If you don’t believe me, you can check—”
“That’s enough.” Chu Muqing cut her off coldly. “Lin Xi, I’ll take half a day off tomorrow. Let’s go file for divorce in the morning.”
Lin Xi frowned.
“Do you have time?” Chu Muqing added flatly.
Meeting her calm yet icy gaze, Lin Xi blurted out—
“I don’t agree.”