The Alpha’s Hidden Marriage, Public Obsession (GL) - Chapter 13
“Uncle Zhao, you heard her, didn’t you? She admitted it herself that I wasn’t wrong. Next time you’re in front of my mom, remember to back me up.”
Butler Zhao looked a bit awkward. He glanced at Jiang Xue, hinting for her to say something to ease the situation.
Jiang Xue understood what he meant. That would indeed help Uncle Zhao out of a difficult position. So she calmly replied, “President Lin, do you have any proof?”
“What?”
“Police solve cases with evidence. Do you have any proof that I said that sentence?”
Lin Yulan widened her eyes in disbelief. “What do you mean? If you didn’t say it, then did I say it? Be honest, didn’t you just admit it with your own mouth?”
“I did admit it myself,” Jiang Xue said, her tone calm and composed. “But you still have no proof that I actually said it. If you do, where is it?”
Her meaning was clear. She wasn’t denying that she said it. She was even acknowledging it. But if Lin Yulan had no solid evidence to prove it, then it could not be officially attributed to her. Without proof, it became slander, defamation, a false accusation.
It’s often said that the Chinese language is deep and complex, and moments like this made it feel absolutely true. This woman was clearly digging a hole and waiting for Lin Yulan to fall into it. And she had done just that, completely unaware.
Today, Lin Yulan saw Jiang Xue in a new light. She had to admit defeat, and there was nothing she could say in return.
“Professor Jiang really is eloquent and well-versed. The art of speaking is truly something I cannot match.” Lin Yulan forced a smile. “I’ve learned something today.”
Jiang Xue picked at her food with her chopsticks and responded lightly, her tone teasing, “I wouldn’t dare claim that.”
Though her words were modest, Lin Yulan felt like a herd of wild horses was trampling through her heart. They had both graduated from H University. They both had strong language skills. Yet, she had been completely outplayed by Jiang Xue. Those four years of college felt like a waste.
Actually, it wasn’t just four years. She had gone on to graduate school too. That was more than six years of study, all apparently thrown away. If Xia Ran ever found out, she would probably hang a banner to mock her every day.
“Professor Jiang, you’re far too humble. No one could compare to you in this area. But of course, you’re a university instructor. You can guide students, while I gave all my knowledge back to my teachers the moment I graduated. Isn’t that right, Professor Jiang?”
Jiang Xue gave a faint smile, as if considering how to respond. After a pause, she said, “President Lin may be a little mistaken. This isn’t really about returning knowledge to teachers.”
Lin Yulan heard the subtle sarcasm in her voice. Her own smile began to stiffen. “Jiang Xue, don’t talk in riddles. Don’t think I can’t tell when you’re mocking me. I admit when I lose, and I’m not afraid to lose. Don’t use your petty thoughts to judge a person of honor.”
“I already told you, I didn’t mean it that way.”
Jiang Xue looked up at her. She found this kind of alpha strangely adorable. She almost wanted to burst out laughing. But she knew that would definitely hurt this proud alpha’s pride, so she held it in.
“Of course, if President Lin insists on interpreting it that way, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Then what do you actually mean?” Lin Yulan was clearly getting irritated. She hated when people talked in circles. It reminded her of her parents’ manipulative business partners.
“If you have something to say, just say it clearly.”
Butler Zhao stood by and couldn’t bear watching anymore. He considered leaning in to whisper a suggestion to Lin Yulan, but like Jiang Xue, he knew that pointing it out directly would wound his young lady’s pride.
That might damage her confidence, and that wouldn’t do.
After thinking it through, Butler Zhao decided to change the subject.
“Young Miss, are you going to finish your lunch?”
Lin Yulan snapped, “Uncle Zhao, what are you trying to say now? Are you mocking me too?”
Butler Zhao had served the Lin family for over twenty years and was exceptionally professional. He forced back his smile and replied with a straight face, “Young Miss, I simply meant that it’s unhealthy to stop eating in the middle of a meal. It’s bad for digestion.”
Lin Yulan wasn’t a fool. She could clearly tell there was a hidden meaning behind his words. But since he was giving her a way out, and Jiang Xue looked like she was just waiting to see her embarrassed, she refused to give anyone the satisfaction.
She was going to win this round.
“Uncle Zhao, you don’t understand. Eating also depends on one’s mood. When you’re sitting across from someone you like, and when you’re sitting across from someone you can’t stand, the mood is completely different.”
She sneered, “If Qu Mengxin were sitting across from me, I would’ve finished eating long ago. It wouldn’t have tasted so bland. But of course, Professor Jiang is different. She’s not picky. Any alpha will do, as long as they sit here. Oh, wait, I forgot. The alpha also needs to have money and status. Right, Professor Jiang? Am I wrong?”
Jiang Xue had just about finished the food on her plate. Her appetite was small to begin with, and it would have been wasteful not to finish the meal, so she forced herself to eat everything.
She slowly put down her chopsticks, picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, and replied calmly, “President Lin, in this world, only pigs aren’t picky eaters.”
She continued in a mild tone, “Second, I admit I am not as outstanding as Qu Mengxin, but I will work hard. Hopefully, I can meet your expectations someday.”
“And lastly, if your condition is true, then I would never put all my eggs in one basket. Smart people never leave themselves with only one option. Don’t you agree?”
What she said made perfect sense, and Lin Yulan found herself momentarily speechless.
Wait a minute.
She had come into this conversation intending to regain control, but somehow, this woman had twisted it around again.
“Not putting all your eggs in one basket only means the basket wasn’t big enough.”
Lin Yulan quickly recovered. “People are greedy by nature. There may be many reasons someone doesn’t like another person, but there’s usually only one reason they take the time to consider carefully. That reason is greed.”
“It’s like someone used to eating lavish meals suddenly being asked to enjoy plain home cooking or someone used to spend freely being expected to watch every penny. Professor Jiang, you look down on them, I assume because they are neither as rich nor as powerful as my family.”
“Can you honestly say that if someone else had more wealth and influence than us, you’d still be sitting here at this table with me?”
“Young Miss, please watch your—”
“What is there to watch? She’s not even embarrassed. Why should I be?”
Butler Zhao didn’t say anything more. In this situation, he couldn’t really interfere. What his young lady said wasn’t entirely wrong. Jiang Xue didn’t care about gossip, didn’t fear who overheard, and wasn’t worried about anyone twisting her words or using them against her.
If Jiang Xue herself didn’t mind, there was no reason for him to be concerned either.
“If that’s how President Lin chooses to see it, then I have nothing more to say.”
Jiang Xue knew that no matter how she explained, in Lin Yulan’s eyes, she would always be a scheming, deceitful woman who had stolen another Omega’s place.
People’s biases are like towering mountains. They only see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. No matter how clearly others explain, it all becomes meaningless.
“So, President Lin, are you going to keep eating? If you’re done, we can go get the marriage certificate now,” Jiang Xue said calmly. “I still have class this afternoon. I can’t be gone too long.”
Butler Zhao glanced at his watch. It was already half past one. If they left now, they would get to the Civil Affairs Bureau right as it reopened.
“Young Miss, do you still want to eat?”
Lin Yulan had already lost her appetite. In fact, she was practically full from how angry Jiang Xue’s words made her. She slammed her knife and fork down and replied with irritation, “No. Just seeing a certain someone has already ruined my appetite. Tell Aunt Wang to clear the table.”
Butler Zhao asked, “Shall I drive you and Xiaoxue over now, then?”
Lin Yulan replied coldly, “Jiang the professor is already our driver. Do we really need you, Uncle Zhao? Isn’t that right, Professor Jiang?”
Jiang Xue hadn’t expected Lin Yulan to insist she drive, but it made sense. Lin Yulan was clearly upset and didn’t want to let her off easily. Under normal circumstances, Lin Yulan was already skilled at imagining the worst in people.
“Are you sure about that, President Lin?”
“What’s there to be unsure about? You don’t know how to drive, Professor Jiang?” Lin Yulan couldn’t help but throw in another jab. “Wait, that’s not right. Back when Xiaojin fainted from a fever in the classroom, you were the one who drove her to the hospital yourself. Looks like you were already acting like the Lin family’s young madam before even stepping through the door.”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
“Since that’s the case, then just drive. Why all the questions?”
“I was only saying, President Lin trusts me so much. You’re not worried I might… drive you into a ditch?”
Lin Yulan fell silent.
That comment hit a nerve. Deep down, she knew she had no comeback. After all, she was the one who had said something like that in front of Jiang Xue before. Now the words had come back around like a boomerang.
It was just further proof that Jiang Xue didn’t like her. If she did, she wouldn’t hold onto grudges like this.
And the things Lin Yulan had said to hurt her, Jiang Xue remembered every word. The compliments she had offered in passing were forgotten, but every harsh remark was repeated back without a single mistake.
So much for saying she liked her. It was clearly a lie.
“Professor Jiang, your memory is really something.”
Jiang Xue smiled politely. “Based on what President Lin said earlier, if I had a bad memory, I wouldn’t be qualified to teach or supervise students, would I? Don’t you agree?”
Lin Yulan muttered a curse under her breath. She could not believe how sharp Jiang Xue was. How had she not noticed before that this woman held grudges so tightly? Not a single sentence slipped by her.
Had she dug up Jiang Xue’s ancestors in a past life or something? Otherwise, why did this woman have to throw every single word right back at her?