The Alpha’s Hidden Marriage, Public Obsession (GL) - Chapter 11
Early the next morning, Lin Yulan was woken up by the butler.
It was her scheduled day to report to the company.
Normally, with Lin He and Ming Zelan running things, whether Lin Yulan showed up or not didn’t really matter. But since both of them would eventually hand over control to her, she had to start learning. There was no way they could retire and still be dragging their aging bodies around to help her run the company.
“Uncle Zhao, let me sleep just a little longer, just a bit.”
The butler had watched Lin Yulan grow up. In many ways, he found it difficult to be strict with her. But before Ming Zelan left, she gave him very clear instructions. If Lin Yulan still showed no sense of urgency about becoming the future successor, then he was to take more direct action.
“Young Miss, these are Madam’s orders. She said if you’re late today, you’ll have to earn your own living expenses for the month.”
“What did you say?”
Lin Yulan threw open the door so fast she didn’t even put on her shoes.
“My mom is cutting off my allowance? And I’ll have to make money on my own? Uncle Zhao, is that really necessary? Has no one told my mom that forcing growth too quickly will only kill the plant?”
The butler paused and added, “Madam also said if you really don’t want to go to the company today, there’s another option. Today is Friday. The civil affairs office is still open. You can go with your future spouse to register the marriage instead. If you do that, you don’t need to go to work.”
Lin Yulan went silent.
So the whole point was to push her to go find Jiang Xue?
Why not just say it directly?
“Fine. I get it.”
Just as she was about to close the door, the butler added, “Madam also said that Miss Jiang probably won’t be free this morning, and she’s not sure about the afternoon. So you should ask ahead of time. Or better yet, try using a polite tone to ask if she could take half a day off from school. And whatever you do, don’t act superior. Madam said if she finds out you’re being arrogant again, your allowance for this month, next month, and the month after that might all be gone.”
Lin Yulan stood there, stunned.
So not only did she have to speak nicely to that Omega, she also had to lower herself and ask her to take a day off just to get married?
Why didn’t Ming Zelan just disown her and be done with it?
“What if Jiang Xue is busy all day?” Lin Yulan asked sarcastically. “Then my mom has no right to blame me.”
The butler held back a sigh but kept a professional expression.
“Madam said that if you don’t register the marriage with Miss Jiang today and also fail to go to the company, she will have all the smart locks in the villa replaced by tonight.”
Lin Yulan froze.
So if she didn’t marry Jiang Xue today, the Lin family would act like she didn’t even live there anymore?
“She really said that?”
The butler could tell what she was thinking and added, “Yes. And Madam said that if you try to run away, she’ll come back herself and personally take you to the registration office.”
Lin Yulan had no words.
This was clearly a trap, and her mother had closed off every possible exit.
Not that she planned to run away. She always stood by her words. But Ming Zelan’s clear favoritism toward Jiang Xue really bothered her deep down.
Since that was how things were going to be, then Jiang Xue shouldn’t expect things to be easy either.
“I understand.”
After closing the door, Lin Yulan went back to bed for a second round of sleep.
When she woke up again, it was almost ten o’clock.
She brushed her teeth, washed her face, went downstairs, and ate the breakfast the housekeeper had lovingly prepared. Then she sat alone on the couch, quietly scrolling through her phone.
At this time of day, Jiang Xue was probably in class. Calling her now would likely go unanswered. But Lin Yulan had a bit of a difficult personality when it came to things she was forced to do. If she couldn’t get out of it, she would do it in the most stubborn way possible.
So she called anyway, without hesitation.
To her surprise, Jiang Xue answered.
“Hello?”
Lin Yulan was caught off guard. She froze for a second. It wasn’t until Jiang Xue repeated herself that she snapped back to reality.
“It’s me.”
This time, it was Jiang Xue’s turn to be stunned. She hadn’t expected Lin Yulan to call her directly. She stood there for a moment, dazed, then quickly apologized to her students and stepped out of the classroom to take the call.
“I’m here.”
She held the phone tightly, unable to stop the small smile forming on her lips. It had been nearly five years since Lin Yulan had last called her. She remembered clearly that the last time was their senior year of university, right before graduation. After that, they never spoke again.
Or rather, Lin Yulan had sensed how she felt and cut off all contact between them.
Jiang Xue had tried calling her after that. But every time she called, no one picked up. Eventually, Lin Yulan changed her number. After that, whenever she called, a stranger answered.
She hadn’t even left her a sliver of hope.
Jiang Xue had thought she was doing a good job of hiding her feelings. She believed no one could tell what was in her heart. But the truth always comes out. As the saying goes, there are three things in life that cannot be hidden: poverty, a cough, and love.
“Are you still there?”
“I’m here.”
Lin Yulan suddenly felt irritated. She didn’t know why, but ever since she found out that Jiang Xue had feelings for her, she had developed this strange sense of discomfort whenever she heard her voice. It made her want to lash out.
And she still didn’t understand where that feeling was coming from.
“So… is there a reason you called me?”
Lin Yulan’s tone immediately turned sharp.
“What, does that mean Teacher Jiang is too busy to talk? If you’re busy, I won’t waste your time. After all, your time must be very valuable, right?”
“No, I’m free right now.”
Jiang Xue lied without hesitation.
But then again, most of what she had said to Lin Yulan over the years hadn’t been completely honest anyway.
“Is that so?”
Lin Yulan smiled. Even her lies were this poorly crafted.
Last night, she had asked Lin Yujin for a copy of Jiang Xue’s class schedule. Today, Jiang Xue’s schedule was nearly full. Between her lectures and various school responsibilities, she barely had any free time. It was only a little after 10:40 a.m. According to their old university timetable, classes wouldn’t be over yet. So when Jiang Xue said she was free, it was clearly a lie.
She was lying over something as simple as this. Jiang Xue really was as calculating as she seemed.
“I just happened to have time right now,” Jiang Xue said.
She didn’t know why Lin Yulan was calling her. They hadn’t contacted each other in years. Not a single message or text. Even on social media, they weren’t connected. Lin Yulan had clearly cut her off. That meant this call had to be someone else’s idea.
It was probably Ming Zelan’s.
“Good, since you’re free to take a call, I assume you also have time to come out for a bit?” Lin Yulan asked.
Jiang Xue had expected this. “Can I ask what for?”
She quickly added, “I don’t mean to sound difficult. I just need to apply for leave if I step away during work hours. Disappearing without permission would leave a very bad impression at school.”
Lin Yulan let out a short, mocking laugh.
“I thought you would already know why I’m calling. I assumed you’d drop everything and come right away, without thinking twice.”
Maybe Jiang Xue was pretending not to understand. After all, they hadn’t spoken in years. Lin Yulan had blocked her completely. For her to suddenly call now, the reason should have been obvious. There was only one thing it could be about.
Marriage registration.
Still, even if she said it directly, Jiang Xue would not agree to meet so easily. Jiang Xue always had a way of making herself seem like the obedient, perfect woman. If she said yes too fast, that image might fall apart.
“Fine. Since your time is so valuable, I’ll make it simple,” Lin Yulan said, her tone clearly annoyed. “This call was my mother’s idea. I didn’t have your number. Or maybe I forgot it. It’s been years. She told me to contact you and ask when you’re free to go to the civil affairs office with me.”
“The civil affairs office?”
“Yes.”
There was a pause. Jiang Xue didn’t respond.
For some reason, Lin Yulan sensed hesitation. She expected Jiang Xue to be thrilled, but that wasn’t the case. Jiang Xue sounded even more reluctant than she did. She sounded disappointed.
This made no sense. Lin Yulan was the one being forced to marry. Why was Jiang Xue the one acting unhappy?
She was the one being pushed into this.
So why did Jiang Xue look like the one being wronged?
What reason did she have to be upset? Wasn’t this what she always wanted? Her wish was finally coming true, and now she was hesitating, pretending to be unsure.
Who was she trying to fool?
Lin Yulan told herself she would not fall for this again. Jiang Xue always looked sweet and helpless, but deep down she was nothing but calculated. She would not be fooled twice.
“In short, this is my mother’s request. She said it has to be done today. If you have a problem, take it up with her. It has nothing to do with me.”