The Scumbag Who Bowed for Money (GL , ABO) - Chapter 13

The moment they landed, the cold hit them just as Xie Yuanwei had predicted. The wind and chill seemed to rush straight at them. The Omega’s cheeks flushed from the cold, and as she stepped off the plane, she instinctively shrank her shoulders. She had barely taken two steps when a coat was gently placed around her shoulders.

Le Shi turned her head. Xie Yuanwei was looking quite pleased with herself. She let out a small laugh and said, “Good thing I did my research.”

Le Shi had slept for a long time and felt weak and sluggish. Her spirits were low. Seeing how pale she looked, Xie Yuanwei reached out to touch her forehead and frowned slightly.

“You have a slight fever. The local coordinator is waiting just outside. Do you think you can manage?”

Le Shi nodded. She wore a face mask, and her voice was hoarse and muffled. It sounded heavy and dull.

“Let’s go. This project is important. We have to win it.”

Xie Yuanwei had expected this answer and didn’t say more. She simply told her to stay close. As they walked out of the airport, the Alpha moved a few steps ahead of Le Shi to shield her from the sharp wind. Her coat fluttered softly as she tried to protect Le Shi as best she could.

Le Shi lowered her gaze. Her eyes fell on the ground where Xie Yuanwei’s shadow completely surrounded her. Her mind was sluggish, and her fingers quietly gripped the edge of her coat.

“Director Le, thank you for waiting.”

After a short while, their contact finally arrived. He was a male Alpha named Qian Youcheng. He had a pleasant appearance and polite manner.

“Apologies, there was an accident on the road and we were stuck in traffic for quite some time.”

Xie Yuanwei stepped back slightly, letting Le Shi take the lead.

“It’s alright. Let’s go,” Le Shi replied weakly. She rotated her wrist a little, said no more, and quietly got into the car.

No one spoke on the way. Xie Yuanwei sat in the front passenger seat, while Le Shi sat in the back, looking drained. Her eyes were lowered and her breathing had become noticeably heavier.

“Director Le,” Xie Yuanwei called suddenly. She reached into her bag and took out the medicine she had prepared in advance. Speaking softly, she said, “The medicine is ready. Drink it. It’ll help.”

Le Shi didn’t resist. Her body felt uncomfortably hot. As her fingers brushed against Xie Yuanwei’s hand, her eyelashes trembled slightly. She took the cup.

Xie Yuanwei could feel how unwell she was. She remained quiet, watching Le Shi drink it all. Only after taking the cup back did she look away.

The subtle interaction between them caught Qian Youcheng’s attention. Trying to make conversation, he said, “You look really familiar.”

Xie Yuanwei’s expression turned calm. She glanced at him and replied coolly, “I’m Xie Yuanwei, eldest daughter of the Xie family. But I’m currently Director Le’s assistant.”

The word “assistant” felt loaded, leaving room for assumptions.

Yet Xie Yuanwei’s face remained composed, her presence distant, and the sense of formality even stronger than before.

She seemed quite different from how she was the last time they met.

“Who would’ve thought,” Qian Youcheng continued casually, “The last time I saw both of you was at the Bai family banquet. I even spoke with Miss Xie. I almost didn’t recognize you just now.”

He tried to keep the conversation relevant, but before Xie Yuanwei could respond, unsure of what had actually happened at that banquet, Le Shi spoke up from the back seat.

“That was also when I met Miss Xie.”

Her words came out of nowhere. Her voice was rough and emotionless, like she was stating a simple fact. But it reminded Xie Yuanwei that the original Xie Yuanwei had gotten engaged to Le Shi at that very banquet and had also established connections with the host family.

That must have been the Bai family.

Xie Yuanwei couldn’t hide the faint smile that appeared on her lips. She cautiously turned her head to glance at Le Shi, and just at that moment, the Omega happened to meet her gaze. Le Shi quickly looked away and turned her eyes to the window.

“Now that you mention it, what a coincidence,” Qian Youcheng added.

Still, no matter how he tried to continue the conversation, nothing seemed to ease the unusual atmosphere between the two women.

After they arrived at the hotel, they headed straight to the restaurant. Le Shi changed into slightly thicker clothes and freshened up her makeup. Her fever had gone down, and she looked much more refreshed.

Xie Yuanwei stood quietly behind her, lips pressed together, acting like the perfect assistant. She didn’t say a single unnecessary word during the meal and took every drink on Le Shi’s behalf.

By the end of the meal, Xie Yuanwei could barely stand. The lunch had lasted two to three hours, and everyone had had quite a bit to drink. As they were leaving, no one paid much attention to her. They simply told Le Shi that there would be a site inspection at the mountain estate that afternoon and that a car would come to pick them up.

Le Shi responded with a simple “Alright,” ending the lunch meeting.

Once everyone had left, Xie Yuanwei collapsed into her chair. Since Le Shi was ill and couldn’t drink, the Alpha had taken on the entire burden. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were dazed.

She sat there holding the cup of hot water that Le Shi had poured for her. She didn’t drink it. She just stared down into the cup in silence.

“Did you drink too much? Is your stomach uncomfortable?”

Le Shi stood in front of her. Seeing Xie Yuanwei staying quiet, she assumed she was feeling unwell. She gently cupped the Alpha’s face and lightly kneaded her cheeks.

“Do you feel sick?”

Xie Yuanwei looked up at her, lips slightly pouting. She was actually doing alright. Her tolerance for alcohol was pretty good, but this time had still been a lot. She reached out and wrapped her arms around the Omega, resting her head against Le Shi’s chest and mumbling, “Are you still feeling unwell? Let me check if you still have a fever.”

She reached up to feel Le Shi’s forehead, but before her hand made contact, her wrist was gently caught. Xie Yuanwei was well-behaved. Knowing it was Le Shi, she didn’t resist and simply let herself be held.

“What’s wrong?”

Xie Yuanwei looked up at her, eyes full of confusion.

“Did I do something wrong? But you still need to take your medicine when we get back.”

She spoke slowly and haltingly. The alcohol made Le Shi’s face appear a little blurry, but she could still recognize her clearly.

“I think pheromones are really amazing.”

Le Shi gently twirled a strand of her hair. Lowering her head, she replied softly, “Why do you say that?”

Xie Yuanwei gave a silly chuckle, then smiled tenderly.

“You smell like peaches. But I’m sure other people do too. Still, it’s not the same. You’re not the same.”

“Your pheromones feel like a mark that belongs only to you.”

Her eyes half closed as she murmured, “Isn’t that incredible? Don’t you think so?”

Le Shi lowered her head and laughed quietly. She nodded.

“I think so too. Come on, let’s go back to the hotel and get some rest. We still have more to do this afternoon.”

“Okay.”

Xie Yuanwei obediently stood up. Though she was still a little unsteady on her feet, she firmly refused Le Shi’s help.

“You’re still sick,” she said softly. “I can manage on my own.”

She walked toward the hotel entrance step by step. A car was already waiting for them outside. Someone helped Xie Yuanwei into the vehicle, and before getting in, she didn’t forget to say, “Please take care of Director Le. She needs to go back and rest. She’s not feeling well.”

Le Shi followed behind her and finally couldn’t hold back her laughter.

The Omega slowly lifted her hand. A ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, ending the days of gloomy rain. Even the breeze now carried a touch of warmth.

Back at the hotel, Le Shi didn’t let anyone else follow them in. Qian Youcheng had arranged two rooms for them, conveniently located across from each other. Le Shi couldn’t find Xie Yuanwei’s key card, so she opened her own room first and brought her inside.

She placed Xie Yuanwei gently onto the bed. It didn’t take long before the Alpha fell into a deep sleep. Her face was flushed red, and she didn’t seem very comfortable.

Le Shi leaned down and sniffed. The strong smell of alcohol made her frown.

“She needs a shower,” she muttered. “The smell is too strong.”

The Omega set an alarm to wake her in an hour. Le Shi herself was exhausted. She sniffled and felt a bit lightheaded. Now that she had a moment to relax, she realized how unsteady she actually felt. Unable to resist, she curled up on the couch and fell asleep, placing her phone near her ear just in case she missed the alarm.

But when the alarm rang, it wasn’t Le Shi who turned it off. Xie Yuanwei had already woken up.

Alphas sober up quickly. After a short rest, Xie Yuanwei was feeling much better. She put on slippers and carefully got out of bed to turn off the alarm. After checking that Le Shi’s fever had gone down, she returned to her own room to take a shower.

While drying her hair, she received a message from Yan Yu.

Yan Yu: “Still working? Does Le Shi’s company give you a month of vacation?”

Xie Yuanwei typed with one hand while towel-drying her hair.

Xie Yuanwei: “I’m on a business trip with Le Shi. Let’s meet when I get back.”

Yan Yu: “Just the two of you?”

Xie Yuanwei: “Of course. You have to trust Assistant Xie’s professional skills. I haven’t made a single mistake.”

Yan Yu: “Oh my god. Heaven must really be watching. It took love to finally tame our wild little Xie Yuanwei.”

Yan Yu was very different from Xie Yuanwei, yet the two got along surprisingly well. Yan Yu often teased her for being a mess, but when it came to work, Yan Yu was flawless. She had spent a lot of time encouraging the original Xie Yuanwei to find a steady job, though it had never worked—until now.

“Alright, enough chatting. Assistant Xie has work to do.”

Xie Yuanwei sent a voice message. She had been thinking for a while and finally decided she couldn’t keep avoiding things. Although she was a little nervous about facing her close friends again, she had made up her mind to deal with it head-on.

After tidying up, she even sprayed a bit of perfume. Once she was sure she didn’t smell like alcohol, she went over to knock on Le Shi’s door.

There was no answer.

Xie Yuanwei checked the time. Le Shi should be awake by now. She called her phone, and before it even rang twice, the door opened.

Le Shi looked alert. Her eyes were clear. She had clearly been awake for a while.

For some reason, Xie Yuanwei suddenly felt uneasy. Le Shi’s expression was calm, and her tone hadn’t changed, but Xie Yuanwei still felt a little guilty for no reason.

“Director Le, I went back to my room to shower.”

She reported honestly, standing stiffly with her hands clasped in front of her, nervously watching for any reaction.

Le Shi sat on the sofa and took a sip of water. After a short pause, she beckoned with a finger and said coolly, “Come here.”

Xie Yuanwei walked over, but before she could take more than two steps, she was pulled down hard onto the sofa.

She stumbled and landed in a seated position before she even realized what had happened. In the next second, Le Shi straddled her waist.

The Omega’s eyes were slightly red at the corners. She tilted her head slightly, exposing the smooth curve of her neck. Her eyes looked a little lost. Her arms rested loosely at her sides, and her voice was hoarse and soft as she asked, “I was really angry earlier. I don’t even know why I couldn’t control my emotions.”

Xie Yuanwei quickly recovered from her surprise. Lying naturally against the sofa, she placed her hands gently around Le Shi’s lower back and pulled her down into an embrace.

She leaned in close to her ear and explained quietly, “The doctor said it’s normal. Your condition is worsening a little. She also told me what to do.”

As she spoke, her fingers moved to the back of Le Shi’s neck. She brought two fingers together and accurately found the Omega’s scent gland. She began to gently massage it, applying just the right amount of pressure. The room slowly filled with the faint scent of green tangerine.

Le Shi’s body gave a subtle shiver.

Xie Yuanwei lowered her voice and asked gently, “Do you feel a little better?”

There was no reply, only the sight of Le Shi’s ears turning a deep, uncontrollable red.