"The Alpha Who Abandoned Love—And Got a Second Chance" - Chapter 8

As soon as she entered the door, Chu Muqing carried her daughter straight into the master bedroom.
She walked to the bedside and gently supported the little one by the waist and under the arms, carefully laying her on the big bed.
The little girl had already fallen fast asleep. The dim, warm light cast a soft glow on her smooth, cherubic face, making her delicate features appear even more fair and tender. She seemed to be having a sweet dream—her chubby lips smacked softly a few times.
Chu Muqing’s gaze softened. She took off her daughter’s pink boots and tucked the quilt snugly around her.
After entering the house, Lin Xi placed the takeout hamburgers in the fridge, then picked up the trash bag near the wall and went downstairs. When she came back, she headed straight into the bathroom.
Chu Muqing could hear the sound of running water from inside. Nearly twenty minutes passed before she finally heard the bathroom door open again.
Even though Lin Xi had deliberately turned down the water pressure and handled the door gently, in the quiet stillness of the old residential neighborhood at night, Chu Muqing could still clearly pick out each of her movements from the sounds alone.
Tonight, Lin Xi’s behavior was impeccable.
Everything she did suggested she was thoughtful and considerate, with good manners.
It was a stark contrast to the Lin Xi from the previous night—drunk and disorderly, speaking flirtatiously and getting handsy, trying to undress her like a madwoman wanting to mark her. And when Chu Muqing refused, she had erupted into a fit of rage, hurling insults and smashing things in the living room.
Can someone really change so drastically overnight?
Work at the magazine had piled up over the last few days. She had been working overtime nonstop, and weekends off had become a luxury. The accumulated exhaustion was already overwhelming, and tonight’s overtime was suddenly interrupted when Lin Xi showed up and took Chengcheng away without notice.
Thinking about having to get up early tomorrow for a visit to the civil affairs bureau, Chu Muqing changed into slippers, got up, and walked to the bathroom.
There were lingering traces of Lin Xi in the air. The floor had been cleaned of water, and the scent of gardenia—fresh and pleasant—filled the room.
But Chu Muqing had never bought any gardenia-scented toiletries.
Her gaze swept across the corner by the wall, where she spotted discarded packets of disposable shampoo and body wash in the trash. A new towel hung neatly on the rack. Meanwhile, the toiletries she had originally placed on the shelf remained untouched, arranged perfectly in their usual spot.
Her eyes flickered thoughtfully.
On the way back from McDonald’s, Chengcheng had said she was thirsty, and Lin Xi had offered to buy her bottled water from a nearby convenience store.
Did she buy the toiletries then too?
Chu Muqing gently tapped her fingers and massaged her throbbing forehead. Compared to the fatigue from work, Lin Xi’s recent behavior was even more perplexing.
Even if she didn’t particularly like Lin Xi, she wouldn’t be so stingy as to deny her the use of basic toiletries.
But Lin Xi’s overly cautious actions made it seem as though she felt guilty about something.
Chu Muqing closed her eyes briefly to dispel her swirling thoughts, then turned on the shower.
Just then, her phone rang. It was Su Rui.
“Hello? Muqing? Did you find Chengcheng?” Su Rui’s anxious voice came through. “I’ve called you several times—you didn’t answer. Are you okay?”
“Sorry,” Chu Muqing replied, “I’ve been dealing with Shen Mingxin’s situation all night. You probably saw it too—what she did was so bad it couldn’t even be kept off the trending list.”
Su Rui was an agent. Though her artists were always in the public eye, each came with their own share of trouble.
Chu Muqing turned off the shower. “I found her—Lin Xi took her.”
“Lin Xi? Why the hell would she take Chengcheng? What’s that psycho up to now? Is she trying to threaten you using Chengcheng? That monster!”
“Calm down,” Chu Muqing tried to explain. “She didn’t hurt her. She just took her to Shizhou Plaza.”
“Is she insane?” Su Rui fumed. “She took your child without even telling you? This feels like a warning to me!”
Chu Muqing’s eyes darkened. What Su Rui said wasn’t without merit. She herself had suspected Lin Xi of trying to send her a message.
But…
“I’ve seen so many cases like this. If she refuses to divorce and you bring this to court, she won’t stand a chance. Any sign of mistreating a child—if it goes public, people will drown her in criticism before a judge even gets the chance.”
“She took Chengcheng to have ice cream at Shizhou Plaza. There was no abuse,” Chu Muqing said softly, holding her phone close.
“What’s wrong with your voice?” Su Rui noticed something off. She didn’t even continue scolding Lin Xi. “Is it from your Alpha stress response again? Is your throat inflamed? Are you okay? Did you faint?”
Chu Muqing didn’t want her to worry. “No, don’t overthink. It rained tonight, and I caught a chill, that’s all.”
“Make sure to take medicine.”
“Mm.”
Su Rui hesitated, then circled back to Lin Xi. “Muqing, you and she were in a fake marriage from the start. Besides her looks, what does she even have going for her? I had someone look into the design company where she supposedly worked. She was fired three days ago. The HR manager confirmed it. She only worked there for a month—around when she met you. Her coworkers said she was temperamental and constantly argued with people. I doubt she’s ever had a real job. She’s been lying to you from the beginning.”
Chu Muqing’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”
“Would I lie to you? You know what I do—I’ve got connections. My contact works right next door to that company and is friends with their HR.”
“I always felt something was off about Lin Xi. She puts on a sweet face, but I bet she’s full of schemes. Muqing, she’s deceived you. You only married her to deal with your family anyway. Just end it sooner rather than later.”
“Mm.”
Su Rui chuckled. “Don’t worry. There are plenty of good Alphas out there. With your qualities, finding another one won’t be hard.”
Chu Muqing replied noncommittally, “We’ll see.”
Su Rui suddenly thought of something. “Muqing, do you think it’s possible that Lin Xi was planted by your second uncle?”
Chu Muqing froze.
“Anyway, just divorce her as soon as you can.” Su Rui paused. “Are you going to have time this weekend to visit your mom in the hospital?”
Chu Muqing lowered her gaze. “I have to work this weekend, but I’ll try to make time.”
“If you’re short on money, you better tell me. If you can sell your house, I can sell mine too.”
Chu Muqing smiled. “Alright, alright. Weren’t you swamped tonight? Go get some rest.”
“There you go again…” Su Rui sighed. “Muqing, we’re best friends. You don’t have to be so polite with me.”
Chu Muqing’s heart warmed. “I know. Don’t worry.”
She hung up. The shower turned back on.
As the bathroom filled with warm steam, Chu Muqing stood naked under the water. Yet despite the soothing rush of water, her thoughts remained tangled.
Su Rui’s words once again confirmed that Lin Xi’s actions today were nothing but an act.
If that was all fake… then her acting skills were truly top-notch. Better than many professional performers.
She had completely fooled her.
________________________________________
Early morning. The sky was still dim.
Lin Xi opened her eyes and sat up from the sofa, quietly slipping on her shoes and heading out the door.
The moment she stepped outside the building, she shivered and sneezed from the cold. She had slept in the living room last night, curled up on the sofa after waking from the chill midway through the night.
It was not yet six. As she left the complex, the security guard seemed to recognize her. Upon seeing her, he immediately ducked back into the guard booth as if he’d seen a ghost.
Lin Xi frowned. What the hell?
She approached the booth window. The older guard deliberately looked away, pretending to study the forms on the table.
Lin Xi gently tapped the window with a curled finger and smiled politely. “Uncle, is there a place nearby where I can buy breakfast?”
The guard finally looked at her, pointing to the right side of the main gate. “Ahead.”
His words were sparse and his tone heavy—clearly not interested in chatting.
Lin Xi smiled again. “Thanks.”
She turned to leave, but suddenly looked back and asked curiously, “Did I offend you somehow?”
The guard glanced at her disdainfully, his expression strange. “No.”
Lin Xi shrugged. “Oh.”
She nodded and walked off toward the street.
Just a few steps later, a younger guard arrived to change shifts.
“Am I seeing things? Wasn’t that Miss Chu’s new Alpha spouse?” the younger guard asked. “What did she say to you?”
“Asked where to buy breakfast,” the older guard muttered. “Then asked if she’d done something to offend me.”
“Heh,” the young guard scoffed. “She didn’t offend us, just smashed the glass window of the guard booth with a brick like a lunatic. If it weren’t for Miss Chu’s sake, the captain would’ve laid her out flat!”
Lin Xi: “…”
Original Lin Xi really did that?! What kind of beef did she have with property management?!
“Forget it,” the older guard said. “As useless as she is, she’s still an Alpha. These days, Alphas act like they’re royalty. She just got lucky being born one.”
The younger one sighed, jealousy in his voice. “Tell me about it. If I were an Alpha, I’d be even more arrogant than she is!”
“Shut up and switch shifts. I’m so tired I’m about to pass out!”
—
Lin Xi bought breakfast from a street stall—steamed buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and tea eggs—and brought it home.
It seemed Chu Muqing and the little one were still asleep.
She set the food on the table and thought for a moment, then found a sticky note.
“Prepared this breakfast with love just for you. Don’t forget to heat it up~”
— (#^.^#)
After sticking it on, she felt the phrase “prepared with love” was too much. She scratched it out before tiptoeing away again.
________________________________________
At 7:00 a.m., the alarm went off as scheduled. Chu Muqing had already set it the night before.
Little Chengcheng stirred in her arms, still groggy and confused.
“Mommy, I’m hungry…” she nuzzled into her mother, her stomach growling.
Chu Muqing smiled gently and brushed her bangs aside. “Then let’s wash up quickly and go to that breakfast shop near your school gate, okay?”
“Okay!”
Clearly starving, Chengcheng jumped out of bed barefoot and ran to the bathroom, stretching on tiptoes to turn on the faucet.
Chu Muqing followed and helped her onto the step stool—she was still too small to reach on her own.
Once they finished washing up and entered the living room—
Chengcheng caught a whiff of the food on the table and ran over, her eyes wide with curiosity. She turned and asked:
“Mommy, did Lin Mama make this breakfast for Chengcheng?”