The Scumbag’s Redemption: Kept by Her (GL) - Chapter 6

Shen Yuwei’s gaze shifted slightly.

Ling Jiao calmly turned around and saw an employee from the boutique rushing toward them, panting and holding a red bag.

The employee handed it to her and said politely, “Miss, you dropped something. Please keep it safe.”

Ling Jiao lowered her eyes and nodded.

Once the employee left, Shen Yuwei glanced at the bag in Ling Jiao’s hands but chose not to ask about it.

Luckily, it was wrapped up. If that thing had been out in the open, Shen Yuwei would have exploded on the spot, and all the favor Ling Jiao had just earned would have vanished instantly.

Ling Jiao’s hand trembled slightly, and she silently cursed the original body’s owner for having such a rotten brain.

Drugging someone wasn’t enough. She had even recorded a video for long-term blackmail. That was not just vile—it was downright idiotic.

Since Shen Yuwei didn’t ask about it, Ling Jiao could breathe for now. She planned to destroy the thing later herself. She couldn’t trust anyone else to handle it. For now, she needed to focus on the present.

Not knowing what kind of milk tea Shen Yuwei liked, Ling Jiao let her choose freely.

Shen Yuwei walked up to the counter and was about to pay when the card reader let out a loud, unpleasant beep. The cashier kindly informed her, “Sorry, this card has no balance.”

Shen Yuwei blinked in confusion. “That can’t be right.”

There should have been money left in the account.

The staff smiled patiently. “Would you like to try another card?”

Ling Jiao sat by the window, glancing over at the counter. She thought Shen Yuwei was just struggling to decide on a flavor. Since she herself wasn’t familiar with what was trending in milk tea right now, she didn’t want to pick something blindly.

Still, she stood up and walked over to check the menu. Her eyes moved up and down, but she couldn’t decide what she wanted.

Fortunately, the cashier was very thoughtful and offered a suggestion. “This one is a new release, very popular with Omega customers. The name is quite sweet too—it means ‘True Love Never Changes.’” She pointed at the lemon-taro-grass jelly blend. “Why don’t you two try it together?”

Ling Jiao nodded, then looked at Shen Yuwei again. That was when she finally noticed something wasn’t right.

Shen Yuwei wasn’t stuck on making a decision.

She was desperately searching her bag, pulling out one card after another and trying each one. But every card let out the same sharp error beep after being swiped.

The cashier grew quiet.

At last, Shen Yuwei pulled out her final card, this one given to her by her father when she had differentiated into an Omega at age sixteen.

Her mother, before she passed away, had saved up money in that account to be used as Shen Yuwei’s future dowry.

Over the years, her father had continued to deposit money into it.

By now, it should have held a small fortune.

Another loud beep.

The card still didn’t work.

Reality hit her like a punch to the gut. The dreams she had once clung to as a child crumbled in an instant.

She stood frozen, unable to move. Her eyes burned, and tears threatened to spill.

Without a word, Ling Jiao quickly stepped in, pulled out her own card, paid the bill, and gently led her to a seat nearby.

As soon as Shen Yuwei sat down, she received a call from her bank.

“Hello, Miss Shen. We noticed an attempt to use your card today, and we’d like to inform you that, as of noon today, all of your cards have been frozen. If you wish to lift the freeze, please contact Mr. Shen directly. Thank you for your time.”

There was no need to ask who “Mr. Shen” was.

It could only be her father, Shen Zhiwen, a powerful and sharp-minded Alpha.

He had personally ordered the freeze on every card she owned, including the one her late mother had set aside for her.

Shen Yuwei had once been the precious darling of the family. People used to anticipate her every wish. She didn’t even need to speak before others fulfilled her needs. Buying her a cup of milk tea or even buying out the entire shop just to make her smile had never been considered excessive.

But now, at seventeen, she was facing a blow so massive that her body responded before her mind could catch up.

Her tears poured out uncontrollably, like a broken dam. She didn’t make a sound, but her silent breakdown was even more heartbreaking.

Ling Jiao quietly handed her a tissue.

After a long while, Shen Yuwei finally calmed down enough to take it and wipe her face.

Her eyes were swollen and red, like a rabbit’s.

Ling Jiao tightened her grip on the bag she was holding and recalled what Wan Qing had said earlier.

Shen Yuwei had fought with her family, run away from home, and during that time, someone took the chance to drug her.

At another table nearby, two customers sipped milk tea and whispered gossip to each other.

“Hey, did you hear what’s going on with the Shen family? The drama is wild.”

“They raised a daughter for over a decade, only to find out she’s not even theirs. What a waste of such a pretty face. The real daughter’s name is Jing Xiaoxiao. Wait, no, she goes by Shen Xiaoxiao now. Can’t call her by the wrong name anymore.”

The second person’s eyes lit up with recognition. “I think I saw her once. Right here, in this milk tea shop. She was working part-time. I wondered why an Omega from a rich family would need a job just to pay tuition.”

“Should’ve asked for her autograph. What a missed opportunity.”

“Someone exposed her adoptive relatives for stealing her orphan compensation money. That’s why she had to take part-time jobs to survive. Poor thing. I saw in the news that the Shen family is holding a press conference tomorrow to officially add her to the household registry. She’ll finally be acknowledged as the true Shen heiress.”

“Talk about a Cinderella story. She really went through a lot.”

The two continued chatting as they drank.

Ling Jiao clenched her teeth. They had somehow stumbled into the exact milk tea shop where the real Shen daughter had worked.

She glanced at Shen Yuwei.

“You think this is funny?” Shen Yuwei’s voice trembled, her eyes still red and raw.

She forced a smile, one that didn’t reach her eyes. Her expression was full of pain, but she tried her best to remain composed.

“You’re enjoying watching me suffer, watching how I lived someone else’s life, enjoyed someone else’s place.”

“I didn’t even do anything. I didn’t get a chance to.”

She lowered her voice. “I just woke up one day and everything had changed.”

Ling Jiao understood. What Shen Yuwei needed now wasn’t comfort or pity. She needed someone who could simply sit beside her and listen in silence.

In the original story, the author had only briefly described this moment. Early on, Shen Yuwei had been bright and admired by many. When that light was shattered by the truth, the emotional fallout was intense and far-reaching.

Before Ling Jiao entered the book, her relationship with Shen Yuwei had been strained. For Shen Yuwei to speak these few words to her now, even if they were laced with quiet blame, was already a sign of trust.

After that, Shen Yuwei fell into silence again.

At a nearby table, the gossip had already moved on from the Shen family scandal to the upcoming end-of-month school exams.

A server approached their table with a friendly smile. “Here is your order. Please enjoy.”

Just as the server turned to leave, Shen Yuwei stopped her. “Excuse me.”

She hesitated briefly, then lowered her voice and asked, “Are you still hiring?”

The server looked surprised.

It was obvious at a glance that the girl in front of her was an elegant and delicate Omega. Her outfit was simple but tasteful, in a rare design that clearly cost a lot. She looked like someone who had never needed to work a day in her life.

Alphas were often broad-shouldered and muscular. They walked with a powerful stride and carried themselves with an intimidating presence, like they were ready to start a fight at any moment. They rarely cared about their appearance and often made fun of Omegas who dressed up, saying things like, “I’m not one of those weak little Omegas who can’t even carry a bucket of water.”

The server glanced at Shen Yuwei’s hands. Her fingers were long and slender, and her skin was soft and pale. She didn’t seem like the kind of person who should be handling ingredients or doing manual labor. Still, they had once hired an Omega who turned out to be quite capable. Remembering that, the server smiled warmly. “Yes, we are still hiring.”

The last Omega who worked there was named Jing Xiaoxiao. After she was taken back by a prominent family, the store’s reputation had soared. The owner had even started looking into opening new branches.

And new branches meant more staff.

Shen Yuwei asked about the salary and working hours.

The server shrugged and answered honestly. “Jobs like this won’t make you rich. It’s just enough to get by. Part-time pays two thousand star coins a month for six hours a day. Full-time pays five thousand, from nine in the morning to eight at night.”

Shen Yuwei was stunned.

Her monthly allowance used to be two hundred thousand star coins. She never imagined that people worked so hard for so little.

No wonder Jing Xiao had resented her.

The author of the book hadn’t created a brand-new economic system, instead borrowing from reality and changing the names slightly to avoid unnecessary complications.

Ling Jiao noticed the shift in her expression and asked, “Are you alright?”

Shen Yuwei didn’t reply. She was thinking about how the argument earlier that day had started. Jing Xiaoxiao had asked her to move out of the room she had lived in for more than ten years. Shen Yuwei refused. Then Jing Xiaoxiao had burst into tears, accusing her of being heartless and selfish, even refusing to let her have a room.

There were plenty of other rooms in the house, and she could have decorated one however she liked.

Why did she have to take that particular room?

When Shen Yuwei raised this question, her father had scolded her. It was the first time he had ever shouted at her. His eyes had been so cold, as if she were a stranger. Heartbroken, she had run away without thinking.

She never expected that her first act of rebellion would not only anger her father but also lead him to freeze every card under her name.

Ling Jiao quietly sipped her milk tea, giving her space to gather her thoughts.

After a while, when her cup was nearly empty, she asked again, “Where are you planning to go?”

“Are you heading back to school, or going home?”

Shen Yuwei had been all sharp edges and defiance earlier. Now, after everything, her face was pale and her eyes looked lost. “I don’t know,” she whispered.

Her accounts were frozen. Her allowance was gone.

Even the money she had promised to repay might not be possible now.

“I might not be able to pay you back.”

Ling Jiao glanced sideways at her and replied, “Money doesn’t matter.”

Just then, her loyal sidekick came running in, gasping for air and resting her hands on her knees. “Boss, it’s done!”

Once she caught her breath, she walked over proudly, as if she had completed an important mission. She handed over two cards, one to Ling Jiao and one to Shen Yuwei.

It was the agreed-upon fifty-fifty split from earlier.

Ling Jiao noticed the perfect timing and smiled in amusement. Her little sidekick really knew how to show up at just the right moment. She smiled meaningfully and said, “This card is under my name. Your father can’t freeze it. He wouldn’t even have access.”

Then she changed her tone slightly.

“If you really don’t want any connection to me, that’s fine. Let’s do it like this. You can pay me back for the clothes and shoes. Just write an IOU. Whenever you have the money, pay me back.”

Shen Yuwei immediately responded, “Give me the card. We’re even.”

Ling Jiao raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

“Your father froze all your cards. You can’t even buy milk tea on your own. Are you sure you want to live like that, constantly asking others for help?”

“You’re a smart person.” Ling Jiao’s voice was soft but firm. “You know how hard it is to start from nothing. Trying to repay debt without any money is nearly impossible. You need money to make money. I’m not charging interest, and you can choose when to pay me back.”

The offer was generous, and hard to ignore.

And she wasn’t wrong.

Shen Yuwei thought about it for a moment, then nodded with determination.

Ling Jiao had paid for the milk tea, but Shen Yuwei still hadn’t touched hers. Her mind was too full. Her mood was heavy and dark.

Ling Jiao let out a dramatic sigh and said with disappointment, “Frugality is a virtue, but I bought this drink for you. You could at least take a sip.”

After hearing that, Shen Yuwei had no choice. She lifted the cup and bit the straw, taking a small sip.

The milk tea was a little cold now. The ice had melted into it.

But it was surprisingly sweet and fragrant. It tasted even better than the ones the housemaids used to make.

Ling Jiao’s eyes sparkled with a smile. Her voice turned playful and affectionate.

“So, is the drink sweet, or am I sweeter?”