"The Alpha Who Abandoned Love—And Got a Second Chance" - Chapter 9

Bathed in her daughter’s radiant smile, Chu Muqing walked toward the dining table.
“Mama,” the little one pointed at the wooden table, “Mama Lin left us a sticky note.”
Chu Muqing’s brows furrowed slightly. The house was quiet—Lin Xi was gone.
Her frown deepened. Was breakfast… prepared by Lin Xi?
She looked up at the pink sticky note next to the soy milk. Picking it up, she scanned the content, and her expression froze.
The handwriting was neat and elegant, with a subtle flow from one character to the next. Lin Xi, surprisingly, had beautiful penmanship.
But the content…
She had even crossed out the line “A lovingly prepared breakfast just for you.” Did Lin Xi think that if she crossed it out, it wouldn’t be seen?
There was a hint of intimacy—though it seemed more like something scribbled offhand.
“Mama, what did Mama Lin write?” The little one looked slightly embarrassed. “There are a few words I don’t recognize.”
For some reason, Chu Muqing felt a pang of guilt. She replied vaguely, “She said we should heat it up before eating.”
“Okay! Then I’ll take it to the kitchen!”
There was a microwave in the kitchen. Before Chu Muqing could stop her, the little girl had already darted off with the bag of steamed buns and fried dough sticks, her footsteps light and quick.
She climbed up to the shelf and carefully took down two bear-shaped plates, then gently separated the buns and fried sticks onto them, waiting for Chu Muqing to join her.
Chu Muqing brought the soy milk and placed the food into the microwave. After setting the time, she turned on the gas stove to boil water. Once it was warm enough, she turned off the flame and put the soy milk in to heat gently.
When the mother and daughter sat down to eat, Chu Muqing asked casually, “Is it good?”
“Mhm!” The little one stuffed her cheeks with meat buns, chewing eagerly. “Way better than the ones the cafeteria uncle makes!”
Chu Muqing chuckled and shook her head. “Slow down. You’ll burn yourself.”
“Mhm.” The little girl mumbled with her mouth full, then looked up. “Mama, why aren’t you eating?”
Chu Muqing hesitated, momentarily speechless.
She recalled what Su Rui had said over the phone last night.
She had planned to drop Chengcheng off at school and then go to the civil affairs office with Lin Xi to finalize the divorce. But Lin Xi had simply vanished.
After a pause, Chu Muqing’s eyes looked slightly weary. She finally murmured, “I’m not hungry.”
“Oh…”
The little one lowered her head, then mumbled, “Mama… do you not want Mama Lin anymore?”
Chu Muqing stiffened slightly and frowned. So, she knew everything.
After a moment’s hesitation, she finally said, “You’re still young. There are a lot of things you don’t understand yet.”
“I’m not that little! After my birthday, I’ll be seven. That’s a big kid already!” the girl insisted, trying to argue with age.
Chu Muqing didn’t know how to continue this topic. She glanced at her watch and reminded, “If you don’t hurry, you’ll be late.”
Hearing that, the little one immediately gulped down a few mouthfuls of soy milk.
A moment later, she patted her belly—
“Mama, I’m done!”
“Mhm.”
Chu Muqing walked over to her and tied up her hair into a cute little bun. Then she got up to fetch her bag.
By the time she returned, the little one had already strapped on her backpack and was obediently waiting by the door.
The morning was bright. Their black car cruised smoothly down the street, gradually merging into the busy and orderly morning traffic.
Twenty minutes later, Chu Muqing parked in front of the kindergarten.
Several uniformed security guards maintained order at the entrance. The assistant teachers from each class waited at the gate to greet the children.
Chu Muqing got out and walked her daughter over to her class.
The little one seemed to have a natural fear of teachers. As soon as she saw her assistant teacher, she dropped her head and said nothing.
The teacher was an older woman with a slightly plump figure, wearing a floral dress.
“Chu Zhi’s here?” She smiled kindly, eyes crinkling.
But the little girl shrank back and tried to hide behind her mother.
Chu Muqing greeted her politely, “Good morning, Ms. Chen. Sorry for the delay—traffic was a bit heavy.”
“No worries at all,” Ms. Chen quickly replied. “There’s still five minutes before the bell. And some other kids aren’t here yet either.”
Chu Muqing nodded. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Ms. Chu, I feel the need to clarify something,” the teacher continued with a smile. “Yesterday, Chu Zhi said herself that Ms. Lin was her mother. That’s why we let her go. If she hadn’t said that, we would never have handed her over to a stranger. You can rest assured—we take safety very seriously here.”
Chu Muqing replied softly, “I understand.”
“Glad to hear it.” Ms. Chen gave her a pointed look. “I heard you work in the media. We wouldn’t want to end up in the headlines over something like this.”
Chu Muqing detected the subtle sarcasm, but didn’t bother explaining. She merely nodded. “It won’t come to that.”
She gently patted her daughter on the back. “Go on now.”
But the little one flinched as if startled. She looked up at her mother, hesitated, then slowly walked over to Ms. Chen.
The teacher took her hand and prompted gently, “Chu Zhi, say goodbye to your mom.”
The little girl looked back at Chu Muqing, lips parted. “Bye, Mama…”
Chu Muqing noted her daughter’s reaction and the teacher’s seemingly kind demeanor, frowning slightly.
But she didn’t overthink it. Perhaps her daughter was just naturally timid around teachers. Turning around, she walked back toward the parking lot.
What she didn’t know was—just moments after she left—
That seemingly gentle Ms. Chen suddenly jerked the little girl by the wrist and yanked her forward.
The little one’s eyes widened in panic as she looked up.
“Ms—Ms. Chen…”
Ms. Chen sneered, “Why are you late?”
“B-Because of traffic…”
“Traffic?” Ms. Chen scoffed. “Then why didn’t you get up earlier? Oh, I see—you think just because your mom drives a fancy car, you can show up whenever you like? Other parents drive million-dollar cars and still get here on time. Only you are late?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Sorry? Does that warm me up after I stood outside waiting for you in the cold?” she snapped. “No lunch for you today.”
The little girl lowered her head, silent and sullen.
—
Chu Muqing drove home.
By 9:00 AM, she pulled out her phone and called Lin Xi.
It was turned off.
She called again.
Still no answer.
Chu Muqing frowned and sent a message:
—Where are you?
She waited nearly thirty minutes but received no reply.
—I only took half a day off from work. I don’t have much time. I’ll wait until eleven at the latest. Call me when you see this.
She glanced at the shattered TV—still broken from last night. Chu Muqing sighed, picked up her bag, and headed out again.
—
Meanwhile, Lin Xi stood at a cashier’s counter, facing the smiling attendant.
She looked a little awkward.
“Miss?” the cashier said cheerfully. “Your total is 726,426 yuan. We recommend signing up for a VIP card to earn points.”
As a striking Alpha who spared no expense on premium selections, Lin Xi had received the utmost attention and hospitality from the entire store.
She glanced down at her powered-off phone and managed a forced smile.
She’d come here intending to atone for her drunken behavior by replacing the damaged appliances and furniture.
But just as she was about to pay, her phone had died.
Shrugging, Lin Xi admitted, “Sorry—my phone’s dead. Do you have a charger I could borrow?”
The cashier looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, but last month a customer accused us of accessing his payment apps after borrowing a charger and threatened to sue us. Since then…”
Lin Xi sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Got it. I understand. Then—”
“You can use a bank card, Miss,” the cashier suggested.
She pulled out the original owner’s wallet. Inside, along with an ID and driver’s license, was a credit card.
But what if there’s no money on it…?
“Alright,” she said, handing over the card. “Let’s try it.”
The cashier swiped it. A few seconds later, the payment receipt printed out: Transaction successful.
Lin Xi exhaled in relief.
She signed up for the VIP card—every 100 yuan spent earned a point. With this much spending, her next visit could be heavily discounted.
Because she was a high-value customer, the store quickly arranged a delivery service for the furniture.
Once the truck was loaded, she gave them her address and said she’d return home shortly.
But just as she stepped off the elevator on the third floor, several women passed her by.
“Do you smell something?”
“Hmm? What?”
“A really strong Omega scent…”
“Yeah, I smell it too. It’s pretty nice. Cedarwood?”
“In public? This Omega’s really something—trying to get us Alphas worked up?”
“Haha! If only all public places had surprises like this.”
Lin Xi frowned. Why couldn’t she smell anything?
She was an Alpha too. She had just confirmed it on her ID—Alpha.
Then, a faint sound came from behind her.
She turned.
Down the hallway, at the far end near the emergency exit, a woman was being cornered by another.
The woman being pinned looked weak, her body slumped against the wall, curled up, her face pale.
No one seemed to notice, likely assuming it was just a couple getting cozy.
But when Lin Xi saw the woman’s face clearly—
Her heart clenched.
It was Chu Muqing.