The Scumbag’s Redemption: Kept by Her (GL) - Chapter 2

Wan Qing was the name of Ling Jiao’s assistant. In the original novel, she also died a terrible death.

She walked into the room.

What she saw shocked her. The Omega had the Alpha pinned to the wall in a wild, aggressive embrace. Ling Jiao was sweating as she gritted her teeth and tried to hold her ground, resisting with all her strength.

Wan Qing stared in disbelief.

She didn’t understand what was happening, but she was definitely shaken.

The air was thick with sweet, overwhelming mint-scented pheromones. Ling Jiao was struggling. One part of her wanted to give in to her instincts and mark the Omega in front of her. The other part kept replaying the brutal death that awaited her in the book, along with the promise she had made to Shen Yuwei.

Her body burned while her mind froze. She was caught between fire and ice.

Through her sweat-soaked lashes, Ling Jiao spotted her assistant.

Her voice came out hoarse.

“Hurry. Give her an inhibitor.”

Wan Qing looked confused.

“Inhibitors are prescription drugs. I only have patches.”

Previously, Ling Jiao had nearly embarrassed herself in front of Shen Yuwei during her heat, so she had prepared two inhibitor patches just in case.

“Then give me the patch. Now.”

Ling Jiao stretched her neck, giving the order through clenched teeth.

At this point, never mind an inhibitor. If she had a bucket of ice water, she would have dumped it all over Shen Yuwei.

The patches were not as effective as injectable inhibitors, but in a moment like this, anything was better than nothing. Expecting a miracle would just be wishful thinking.

The patch came wrapped in a protective film, similar to a phone screen protector. Ling Jiao took it, bit it open with her teeth, and tore it free.

Even just the scent of the patch helped her mind clear.

If it worked this well through smell alone, then putting it directly on Shen Yuwei would be even better.

She braced herself, shifted her weight, and managed to flip their positions. With one hand, she pinned Shen Yuwei’s slim wrist to the wall. With the other, she pressed the patch to the back of her neck.

The first patch stuck.

Shen Yuwei continued to struggle.

Ling Jiao didn’t dare let go. She tore open the second patch with her teeth and slapped it on as well.

Finally, Shen Yuwei’s body calmed down.

As soon as Ling Jiao released her grip, Shen Yuwei’s knees buckled. Ling Jiao caught her in time, hesitated for a moment, then picked her up in her arms and carried her to the sofa.

The girl in her arms felt soft and light, like a sleepy kitten.

Ling Jiao looked down.

Shen Yuwei had closed her eyes. The furrow between her brows had relaxed. Warm yellow light fell over her face, casting a soft, crescent-shaped shadow from her lashes. Her cheeks were still flushed. Her nose twitched slightly, as if she had smelled something sweet in a dream. She looked completely at peace, resting comfortably in Ling Jiao’s arms.

When awake, Shen Yuwei was like a thorn-covered rose, and had even threatened her with a knife.

Now asleep, she looked innocent and gentle.

Ling Jiao laid her carefully on the sofa and covered her with a thin blanket.

Wan Qing still looked confused.

“Boss, you…”

“Shhh.” Ling Jiao placed a finger to her lips.

“She’s asleep. Don’t wake her.”

Wan Qing had many questions, but Ling Jiao turned away, walked to the other side of the room, and stared quietly at her.

In a low voice, she asked, “I woke up and saw her already here. What exactly happened?”

Two days ago, Ling Jiao had only just arrived in this world. At the time, she had no idea she was in a novel. She simply took a quick look around, got the basics, and started coasting through life.

She had no idea what had happened to Shen Yuwei.

Being stared at by an Alpha felt like being watched by a predator. Wan Qing rubbed her ears under the pressure and replied in a small voice.

“The Shen family recently brought their real daughter home. You said it was the perfect opportunity. Then today, Shen Yuwei had a fight with her adoptive parents. She ran off in a daze, and our people took the chance to catch her…”

Wan Qing’s voice grew softer under Ling Jiao’s stunned expression.

“They brought her here and got her to drink some spiked wine.”

“Originally, the plan was for you to show up like a hero, save her, and make her grateful. She’d be moved and feel like she owed you everything. And if she resisted… well, the plan was to force a mark on her, get her pregnant, and use that as leverage to bring her back from the Shen family.”

Even though Omegas were precious, one with a bad reputation, who had lost her innocence before marriage, would be hard-pressed to find an Alpha willing to take her.

The original Ling Jiao had planned everything so the Shen family couldn’t object. Once Shen Yuwei was marked, she would be removed from the family, and no longer their concern.

Ling Jiao took a sharp breath.

“That’s… evil. Pure evil.”

No wonder Shen Yuwei lost her mind. Anyone would go insane if treated like that. Being starved and having your eyes cut out would almost be merciful compared to this.

If she hadn’t transmigrated into this cannon-fodder Alpha, she would have punched the original in the face.

The original Ling Jiao had been a complete scumbag. Wan Qing, having followed her for so long, had grown to be just as ruthless. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. But now, under Ling Jiao’s gaze, she scratched her head in embarrassment.

“Boss, why did you suddenly change your mind?”

Why didn’t you touch her?

Why did you use an inhibitor patch instead?

This was the perfect chance. If Shen Yuwei went back and told anyone, the Shen family might turn against them.

Ling Jiao thought for a moment before answering.

“Today, I realized something important.”

“Forced love never ends well.” She pretended to look wise. “Things in bed should always be mutual.”

Wan Qing looked thoughtful.

“I get it now. You want Shen Yuwei to fall in love with you first. Then once she’s completely obsessed with you, you’ll dump her hard. Right?”

She looked so proud of her understanding.

Ling Jiao kicked her.

“You get nothing. Stop talking.”

In the bathroom.

Ling Jiao was sitting naked in a tub of cold water, shivering.

She didn’t understand. Shen Yuwei had already calmed down, so why was her body still burning? Why was her heart pounding like something was about to go horribly wrong?

Were leftover pheromones really this powerful?

She had no choice but to call Wan Qing to bring in cold water for a soak.

Thankfully, the cold worked. The waves of heat finally began to subside, and the inappropriate thoughts in her mind were pushed away.

Only then did she have the energy to think about what to do next.

She had barely managed to avoid disaster this time.

But the original Ling Jiao had caused too much damage. One act of restraint was not enough to earn Shen Yuwei’s trust. Not even close. She needed Shen Yuwei to believe, without a doubt, that she meant no harm. More than that, she needed Shen Yuwei to believe that she could be an ally.

Only then would she have a chance of changing the story’s ending.

Ling Jiao thought of the girl asleep on the sofa outside and let out a long sigh.

Before transmigrating, when she read this book, she had naturally sided with the real daughter that the Shen family brought home. She had looked down on the fake daughter, Shen Yuwei. She believed she deserved everything that happened to her, for stealing someone else’s life for so many years, and for scheming behind the scenes.

She had felt no sympathy when Shen Yuwei’s engagement was broken off, when she was used and abused.

But at the end of the story, the author revealed the truth behind all the earlier clues.

And Ling Jiao had realized just how terribly, completely wrong she had been.

And how angry she had become because of it.

Shen Yuwei was the true victim.

Back then, it was Madam Shen who had taken the initiative to switch someone else’s child. At the time, the Shen couple were an average, modest family without much money. Hoping to give their daughter a better life, Madam Shen secretly exchanged her with the daughter of a much more powerful and wealthy couple at the hospital.

That child was Shen Yuwei.

Later on, the Shen family invested everything they had into business. Their venture was wildly successful. They became industry leaders and were eventually welcomed back into the core of the Shen family clan.

Under normal circumstances, once they had money and influence, they would have chosen to tell the truth and reclaim their biological daughter. But tragedy struck. In the second year of their rising success, Madam Shen fell ill and passed away.

So the secret was kept hidden for over a decade.

As for the other family, their fortunes crumbled after they supported the wrong political faction. They lost everything. The couple died in a car accident, leaving behind a daughter who had no one to rely on. To make matters worse, she was constantly harassed by her greedy, selfish relatives.

Later, while working part-time at a milk tea shop, someone noticed how much she resembled Mr. Shen. A DNA test was done, and the results confirmed her identity. Only then did the truth about the switched daughters finally come to light.

But by that time, Madam Shen had already passed away. No one alive truly knew what had happened behind the scenes.

Shen Yuwei, after experiencing betrayal and heartbreak in her twisted romance with the scumbag Alpha, eventually returned as a cold and dangerous Omega. She had learned the truth about her origins and began seeking revenge on everyone who had wronged her.

Just when the truth was revealed, just when the real daughter tearfully apologized and her former fiancée begged for forgiveness, Shen Yuwei was suddenly shot and killed by a sniper who had been hiding in the shadows all along.

When Ling Jiao read that scene, her heart nearly stopped.

How could anyone handle something like that?

She was furious.

After everything, this was the ending?

She had cursed the author while reading.

Give Shen Yuwei back to me!

She left one-star reviews nonstop. At the time, nothing unusual happened. She returned to her regular life and focused on her job.

She never expected that one day, she would actually transmigrate.

It wasn’t until today that she realized she had entered the world of that very book.

Thinking of everything Shen Yuwei had gone through, Ling Jiao wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. Even if she wasn’t afraid of dying from revenge, she couldn’t stand the idea of Shen Yuwei going through that same tragic ending again.

At the very least, she had to find evidence and bring the truth to light.

She couldn’t let Shen Yuwei wither away under everyone’s misunderstanding.

With that in mind, Ling Jiao dunked her head into the cold bathwater to clear her thoughts.

Yes, she had made up her mind. She would protect Shen Yuwei. She would uncover the truth about what Madam Shen did all those years ago and prove that Shen Yuwei was completely innocent.

Even if none of that had happened, Shen Yuwei was still blameless.

She had never known the truth. She had loved her parents, cared for her classmates, and respected her teachers. She wouldn’t even harm an ant if she could help it. Why should she be punished for something that was never her fault?

Suddenly, a loud banging came from the bathroom door.

Wan Qing’s panicked voice came through clearly.

“Boss! Boss!”

“Shen Yuwei just coughed up bl00d!”

The sound echoed through the water, hitting Ling Jiao’s ears like a shockwave. She shot up from the bathtub, water splashing everywhere. Her legs gave out and she almost hit her head against the edge.

She had been in the cold water too long. Her body was numb.

Ling Jiao rubbed her cramping calf, quickly threw on clean clothes, and rushed to the sofa.

Just as Wan Qing had said, Shen Yuwei had vomited bl00d.

It was splattered on the floor.

A drop of bright red bl00d was sliding from the corner of her lips.

Her face was flushed an unnatural red, as if she was burning up. Ling Jiao reached out to check her temperature.

Shen Yuwei opened her eyes in a daze. The moment she saw Ling Jiao’s face so close, she remembered being drugged. The flood of emotions exploded in her chest, old pain mixing with fresh hatred.

Without warning, she bit down hard on Ling Jiao’s wrist.

She used all her strength.

Even though the coldness of Ling Jiao’s skin made her shiver, she refused to let go.

Ling Jiao sucked in a breath, her face twisting in pain.

“It hurts. It really hurts.”

Wan Qing shouted from the side, furious.

“Shen Yuwei, don’t you know when to stop?”

That only made Shen Yuwei bite down harder.

Ling Jiao didn’t speak.

She looked down at the dark hair tangled around her arm and said through gritted teeth, “I promised I wouldn’t touch you. I kept my word. You should know that better than anyone.”

Shen Yuwei was delirious from the fever. It was unclear if she heard anything at all.

But after a while, her body cooled slightly from the contact. Her mind cleared a little.

Finally, she let go.

Ling Jiao touched her burning forehead and immediately said, “You have a high fever. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

Shen Yuwei looked up. It took a moment for her vision to focus.

“I can walk by myself.”

“Are you sure you can even stand?”

Shen Yuwei stayed silent.

Her body was weak from hunger and dehydration. She had no strength left. But she didn’t want any physical contact with Ling Jiao.

Wan Qing scoffed.

“Stop being so stubborn.”

“My boss soaked in an ice-cold bath for hours because of you.”

So that was why her skin felt so cold.

Shen Yuwei thought blankly.

This time, Ling Jiao really hadn’t lied.

Even when surrounded by overwhelming pheromones, she held back. That kind of restraint was almost impossible. In a situation like this, almost no Alpha in the Federation could have resisted.

Ling Jiao noticed Shen Yuwei zoning out. She spoke more firmly, emphasizing each word.

“If you don’t see a doctor, this fever could seriously mess up your brain.”

Wan Qing suddenly added, “Boss, I already called the family doctor. She’s on her way.”

Ling Jiao nodded in approval. At least someone was using their head.

With that, Shen Yuwei’s condition should be under control soon.

Speak of the devil.

There was a knock on the door just a few moments later.

Wan Qing rushed to open it.

The family doctor walked in. She was a Beta. The moment she stepped inside, her eyes took in the entire scene. Beer bottles were shattered across the floor, red stains were smeared here and there, and the air still held traces of overwhelming pheromones. Anyone could tell that something intense and chaotic had just happened.

She had seen worse. It wasn’t unusual for rich kids to throw wild parties that ended in accidents.

Calm and collected, the doctor approached Shen Yuwei to begin the examination. Then, for a brief second, she looked up at Ling Jiao with a strange expression.

Ling Jiao’s heart skipped a beat. She thought something had gone wrong.

“She coughed up bl00d just now. Is it serious?”

The doctor shook her head and gave Shen Yuwei a fever-reducing shot.

“Inhibitor patches are not as effective as injections,” she explained. “She vomited bl00d because the energy from her heat cycle was suppressed too harshly. Her pheromones couldn’t release properly, so the built-up pressure caused her to cough up old bl00d. That’s what triggered the fever. I’ll prescribe some medication. Once she takes it, she should be fine.”

With the Omega stabilized, the doctor turned back to Ling Jiao and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not going to take care of that bite on your arm?”

Ling Jiao glanced down.

There was no bleeding. It didn’t seem worth treating.

Beside her, Shen Yuwei hesitated. Even in her feverish daze, she remembered biting Ling Jiao hard. She pursed her lips. She had always been raised with good manners. It didn’t feel right to hurt someone and say nothing afterward.

Her lips parted. She wanted to apologize.

But before she could say anything, Ling Jiao waved it off with a light, casual tone.

“It’s nothing. It doesn’t hurt. No need to thank me. Just think of me as a walking charity case, out here doing good deeds.”

The family doctor packed up her medical kit and stood up, ready to leave.

Shen Yuwei seemed to remember something. Her voice was hoarse.

“Wait.”

She looked down, avoiding eye contact.

“Can you check the back of Ling Jiao’s neck?”

She vaguely remembered cutting her with the fruit knife earlier.

Ling Jiao instinctively touched the back of her neck.

She couldn’t feel anything anymore.

Still, the doctor opened her kit again, ready to examine the area. She asked Ling Jiao to lean forward so she could take a closer look.

When she saw the wound, her expression turned flat.

“Another minute and it would have healed on its own.”

Shen Yuwei remained quiet.

The doctor closed the kit once more, picked it up, and walked out of the room.

Now that everything had settled, Ling Jiao let out a long breath. She rubbed her temples. The emotional rollercoaster she had just gone through was too much. Her heart felt like it had been squeezed dry.

Only then did she notice Wan Qing desperately signaling her with her eyes.

Ling Jiao followed her gaze and saw that Shen Yuwei was staring at something with a strange expression.

Next to the sofa, in the center of the room, there was a dark-colored tea table. Just underneath one of the legs, a small red light blinked faintly.

It looked very much like a poorly hidden miniature recording device.

Shen Yuwei’s expression turned cold.

“Care to explain this?”

Ling Jiao froze.

“Would you believe me if I said it’s a smoke detector?”