The Alpha’s Hidden Marriage, Public Obsession (GL) - Chapter 3

Lin Yulan stayed in the hotel room above the bar until seven thirty in the evening. Only then did she reluctantly call her driver to take her back to the Lin family home.

At the same time, in the Lin household, Ming Zelan walked into the living room with a tray of freshly washed fruit. Her face glowed with warmth as she placed it in front of the omega seated on the sofa.

“Xiaoxue, thank you for making the trip again today. I hope it didn’t interfere with your work?”

Jiang Xue smiled softly.

“Aunt Ming, not at all.”

But of course, it had. Jiang Xue was a doctoral advisor at a university. Her schedule was packed every day. Between supervising student research projects and managing her own academic responsibilities, she barely had time to rest. Even during holidays, she often worked as a tutor. Free time was a luxury she rarely had. She had likely taken personal leave just to be here today, but she said otherwise to avoid making things awkward.

Ming Zelan understood this perfectly. That was exactly why she liked Jiang Xue so much. She was thoughtful, composed, and considerate. If she could, Ming Zelan would have happily married off her troublemaking alpha daughter to Jiang Xue right away. In her mind, whether they cared about traditional roles of marriage or not, what mattered was compatibility.

“If I had to guess, you probably had to take time off again, didn’t you?”

Jiang Xue remained quiet. She had not wanted to come at all, but she also didn’t want Ming Zelan to worry or argue with Lin Yulan again. Every time they fought, Lin Yulan would somehow blame Jiang Xue. She was tired of receiving frustrated phone calls and being caught in the middle.

“I knew it,” Ming Zelan said with a hint of guilt. “Next time, just tell me if you’re too busy. There’s no need to take time off for something like this. If Yulan doesn’t have time, I will make sure she finds time.”

Jiang Xue hesitated before speaking.

“Aunt Ming, about this matter…”

Ming Zelan raised her hand to interrupt.

“You’ve been hesitating all this time because you’re worried about Yulan’s feelings, right? I know you. You care too much about what she might think. But if she doesn’t marry you, she’ll just end up marrying someone else. Do you really want to watch her enter a political marriage with another omega?”

The honest answer was no.

Jiang Xue had fallen for Lin Yulan long ago. It had started when Lin Yulan stood up for her after she was wrongly accused of stealing by a dormmate. She admired her from that moment. But she had always known that Lin Yulan loved someone else. That person was Qu Mengxin, her first love and someone Jiang Xue also knew.

Even after all these years, Lin Yulan had not been with anyone else. Jiang Xue knew she was still waiting for Qu Mengxin to return.

That was why she had buried her feelings from the start. She thought that once she graduated, she would never have to see Lin Yulan again. Then she could forget about it and move on.

But the more she tried to avoid this situation, the more unavoidable it became.

“I…”

“There’s no need to explain,” Ming Zelan said firmly. “As long as you like my daughter, that’s enough. What she thinks doesn’t matter.”

She smiled and added, “Love can come after marriage. Once the two of you are together, your feelings will grow. Xiaoxue, you are a wonderful person. I refuse to believe my daughter won’t fall for you eventually.”

Jiang Xue did not feel comforted by those words. In fact, the more Ming Zelan cared about her, the worse she felt.

Lin Yulan didn’t like her. The more Ming Zelan favored her, the more Lin Yulan would push her away. Jiang Xue could already imagine their future together. If nothing changed, they would likely end up resenting each other.

Ming Zelan noticed her expression and grew nervous, worried that Jiang Xue might back out. She quickly added,

“Xiaoxue, please don’t overthink this. If Yulan dares treat you badly after marriage, I will personally deal with her. And we already made an agreement, didn’t we?”

“Aunt Ming.”

Ming Zelan looked at her with concern.

“What is it, Xiaoxue?”

Just then, the butler entered the room.

“Madam, Young Miss Lin has returned.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yulan walked in from outside. She acted as if she hadn’t seen anyone in the living room and headed straight for the stairs.

Ming Zelan’s anger surged the moment she saw her.

“Stop right there.”

Lin Yulan stopped but didn’t turn around.

“You told me to come home tonight. I’m here now. What else do you want? If there’s nothing, I’m tired and would like to go to my room.”

“Tired?” Ming Zelan scoffed. “Normally, you’d still be out partying at this hour. You have no problem staying up all night with your friends, but now that Xiaoxue is here, you’re suddenly tired? Are you choosing when to be tired depending on who’s around? Come over here right now.”

Lin Yulan didn’t move. Her feet felt glued to the floor, and she pretended not to hear a thing.

“What are you standing there for? Do you think you’re striking a pose for a magazine?”

Jiang Xue thought about stepping in to ease the situation. If Lin Yulan didn’t want to see her, that was fine. They would have plenty of time together after marriage. There was no need to force it right now.

But then she reconsidered. Watching this dramatic interaction between mother and daughter was rare. It was oddly entertaining. She decided to stay quiet and simply observe.

“You stubborn girl, are you coming or not?”

Lin Yulan still refused to move.

“Mom, if you have something to say, just say it. If you don’t, why should I walk over? I really am tired. If it’s not urgent, I’m going to rest.”

That was the last straw. Ming Zelan stood up from the sofa, walked straight over, and grabbed her daughter by the ear.

“Ow, ow, ow. That hurts.”

Lin Yulan couldn’t believe her mother was doing this in front of Jiang Xue. She had never been more embarrassed.

What kind of spell had that woman cast on her mother?

“Now you say it hurts?” Ming Zelan snapped. “Just a minute ago you were pretending you couldn’t hear. Funny how your hearing comes back when your ear gets pulled. Move.”

She dragged Lin Yulan all the way back to the sofa. Lin Yulan yelped the entire way. When they reached the couch, Ming Zelan let go and gave her a light symbolic kick. She sat back down, thinking to herself that maybe she should have just given birth to a different child.

“Say hello.”

Even now, Lin Yulan refused to look at Jiang Xue. She turned her head away and went completely silent again.

Ming Zelan was beyond angry. She pinched Lin Yulan’s waist hard and hissed,

“Are you pretending to be blind now? Say hello.”

There was no way she would do that. Never.

Lin Yulan could feel her mother’s hand ready to strike again. She thought to herself that if she couldn’t win, maybe she could at least run. She started sliding little by little to the edge of the couch.

As she moved, Ming Zelan followed. The sofa was only so wide. Before long, Lin Yulan had nowhere left to go. After a few more painful pinches, she finally gave in. She turned her head toward Jiang Xue.

The omega was wearing a pale moon-white dress. Her long black hair was braided neatly over her right shoulder, tied with a light green ribbon. Under the warm lighting, her fair skin and calm demeanor gave her a quiet elegance.

Lin Yulan froze for a moment. Her gaze lingered on that face. It looked so much like Qu Mengxin’s. Even when she was furious, she couldn’t summon her full anger. She felt bitter and annoyed. She knew Jiang Xue was only kind to her because of someone else who looked the same. Yet she still came close, still pretended to be innocent. It was unbearable.

Jiang Xue noticed the change in her expression and knew exactly what Lin Yulan was thinking. This alpha had always been easy to read. One look and Jiang Xue could tell what was on her mind.

But she acted like she didn’t notice. Her eyes stayed soft and calm as she looked back at Lin Yulan, playing innocent as perfectly as ever.

“What are you still looking at? Hurry up and greet her.”

As she spoke, Ming Zelan gave Lin Yulan another sharp poke from behind.

Caught off guard, Lin Yulan winced from the pain and almost cried out on the spot.

“Mom!”

Ming Zelan scolded her with a glare. “I told you to greet Xiaoxue, not to shout at me. What are you staring at? Say hello.”

Lin Yulan realized there was no way to win and finally lowered her head under the pressure.

“Hello, Professor Jiang.”

Her tone was so unwilling it almost sounded like a deliberate provocation. Ming Zelan was genuinely tempted to shove her daughter back into her stomach and start over, but since that was clearly impossible, she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. This was still her daughter after all. She couldn’t give up on her just because of a few rebellious moments. If she had to scold her, she could wait until the doors were shut. She didn’t want the neighbors hearing this mess and making it even more embarrassing.

“What do you mean, ‘Professor Jiang’? Speak properly.”

Lin Yulan frowned. “Mom, you told me to greet her, and I did. She’s a teacher, so what’s wrong with calling her that?”

“You stubborn girl.”

Ming Zelan turned to Jiang Xue, a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Xiaoxue. I’ve clearly spoiled her too much. Please be patient with her. I’ll make sure she learns her manners in the future.”

Jiang Xue almost laughed at the situation, but it would have been impolite to show it. She simply shook her head gently.

“It’s fine, Aunt Ming. Yulan isn’t wrong to call me that. My classmates and friends usually call me Professor Jiang too.”

Lin Yulan smirked coldly.

“Mom, you heard her. She doesn’t even care what I call her. So why are you so worried about it?”

Ming Zelan nearly lost her temper. She knew her daughter was doing this on purpose, trying to embarrass Jiang Xue right in front of her. The worst part was how shameless she was about it. Even if she gave her a good scolding today, it probably wouldn’t change anything.

“Watch your mouth and speak properly.” Ming Zelan turned to Jiang Xue again with a smile. “Xiaoxue, don’t mind her. She just doesn’t know how to talk. I’ll make sure she behaves.”

Before she could finish, a buzzing noise filled the room. Someone was calling.

Ming Zelan pulled out her phone, glanced at the screen, then stood up and walked toward the hallway with an apologetic expression.

Just as she reached the door, she paused and came back to pinch Lin Yulan’s ear again.

“I’m going to answer this call. You’d better behave while I’m gone. If I hear you made things difficult for Xiaoxue, don’t blame me for what happens when I get back.”

With that, she answered the call and walked out quickly in her high heels, still speaking to the person on the other end.

Now the living room was quiet. Only Lin Yulan, Jiang Xue, and the butler remained. The atmosphere felt heavy and lifeless, like a fish tank with no oxygen. Not even a bubble stirred.

Jiang Xue didn’t know what to say. If it were up to Lin Yulan, she probably would have preferred Jiang Xue to never speak again in her presence. But the silence was too uncomfortable for Jiang Xue. It made her uneasy, as if the air around her had turned cold.

She pushed the fruit tray gently toward Lin Yulan.

“Would you like some fruit first? It might help you calm down.”

She only meant to be kind. She had heard that too much stress could cause wrinkles, and she thought this might help Lin Yulan cool off. But to Lin Yulan, those words were like a slap to the face. It felt like Jiang Xue was mocking the way she had been humiliated by her own mother. Her anger flared visibly.

“What is this? My mother leaves the room and you drop the act already?” Lin Yulan leaned back in the chair and looked at Jiang Xue coldly. “You’re not even going to pretend a little longer? Shouldn’t you at least wait until you leave the Lin family before showing your true colors? Aren’t you worried my mom might walk back in and ruin your little plan to marry into a wealthy family?”

Jiang Xue was already used to Lin Yulan’s sarcasm and cold remarks. Her face didn’t show any reaction. She knew that even if she tried to explain, Lin Yulan would never believe her.

Her silence only made Lin Yulan feel more justified in her accusations. It gave her fuel.

“You’re not saying anything. Does that mean everything I just said is true?”

Suddenly, Jiang Xue saw Lin Yulan laugh. It wasn’t clear if she was laughing at herself for being naive or regretting something she had done in the past. But that laugh pierced straight through Jiang Xue’s heart like a needle.

She wanted to explain. She had never intended to get involved with the Lin family. If it hadn’t been for that day when Lin Yujin collapsed with a high fever at school during her class, she would never have met Lin Yulan again. She had called emergency services and contacted the student’s family. She had no idea that Lin Yujin was Lin Yulan’s niece.

If not for that incident, she never would have known that the girl was part of the Lin family, and she never would have been caught up in this situation. They belonged to completely different worlds. Jiang Xue had always understood that and she knew her place.