The Villainous Scum Alpha Was Reborn (GL) - Chapter 18

When Nan Ke woke up on the sofa, it was already the middle of the night. Somehow, the blanket that had been on the other side of the couch was now covering her.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, noticing a brown invitation card on the coffee table. In the lower right corner of the cover was a small river emblem. She understood immediately.

Jiang Ying must have stopped by. She was certain Jiang Ying had left the card.

Nan Ke opened the invitation. Inside was a handwritten note from Jiang Ying, written with a fountain pen, inviting her to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with the Jiang family.

It was just a holiday. Back when they were in university in another city, they never had time off and only celebrated casually on campus.

Now that she had cut ties with the Wei family and had no plans to return, she figured she could spend the evening alone. Eat a mooncake, look at the moon, and that would be enough.

She had already made peace with the idea of spending the holiday by herself. Still, when she saw the invitation, she felt a quiet sense of warmth in her chest.

It was not because of the holiday itself, but because of Jiang Ying’s thoughtfulness.

If Jiang Ying had invited her in person or over text, Nan Ke might not have accepted. But using the Jiang family’s official invitation card made things different.

It was not only about the sense of ceremony. What mattered more was that the card showed the invitation had been agreed upon by the whole Jiang family. All three of them knew about it. If Nan Ke refused now, it would come across as ungrateful.

Feeling thankful, Nan Ke stood up and took a hot shower. After changing into her loungewear, she went into the study and stayed there for several hours.

By the time she came out, it was almost noon.

Jiang Ying called around then to ask what she wanted for dinner. The family had prepared hairy crabs and the molten mooncakes she liked.

Nan Ke had planned to go for dinner anyway. She felt grateful just knowing there would be food and did not dare ask for anything more.

That afternoon, she went shopping with Jiang Ying. They bought two bottles of wine that Jiang Ying’s father, Jiang Tairan, liked. Then they went to a boutique where Nan Ke picked out a new silk scarf for Su Hongying.

When Jiang Ying saw the price of the scarf, she rushed to pay. But Nan Ke glared at her.

“If you try to pay again, I’m not going tonight.”

Jiang Ying had no choice but to put her card away. Still, she looked a little upset.

“I just wanted you to come and have a good time. I didn’t want you to spend money.”

Nan Ke raised an eyebrow.

“I cut ties with them, but that doesn’t mean I’m broke. Jiang Ying, I haven’t taken a cent from them since I graduated. I only paid back thirty million. That’s not bankruptcy. Stop underestimating me.”

Jiang Ying looked embarrassed.

“Alright. I didn’t think it through.”

After loading the gifts into the car trunk, Nan Ke took Jiang Ying to the store where Lan Zifan worked. Unfortunately, Lan Zifan was off that day and not at work.

Nan Ke did not want to leave without buying anything, so out of courtesy, she purchased a pair of autumn-themed earrings that the sales assistant recommended. As soon as they left the store, she asked Jiang Ying to call their contact at the hospital. She wanted them to keep a close eye on anyone visiting Bai Ruoya.

She was almost certain Lan Zifan would go see her. If luck was on their side, they might catch something important.

Once everything was arranged, Jiang Ying finally had time to tease her.

“I meant to ask earlier. Those are earrings, right? But you don’t even have your ears pierced. Why did you buy them?”

“That’s none of your business.” Nan Ke turned her head away and refused to answer.

Jiang Ying was not about to give up. She placed an arm around Nan Ke’s shoulder and walked backward, smiling.

“You’ve been acting strange lately. Be honest. Did you fall for someone?”

Nan Ke stayed quiet.

Jiang Ying narrowed her eyes and was about to start guessing when she felt a sudden pain in her shoulder.

Nan Ke had already seen Tian Wanwan walking toward them. Since she noticed Tian Wanwan making a subtle gesture, she played along and said nothing.

Jiang Ying winced and turned toward Nan Ke. She was about to curse but held it in. She forced herself to stay calm as she turned around.

“Wanwan, can you please greet people in a gentler way next time?”

“You’re not an omega. Why are you being so dramatic?” Tian Wanwan laughed and pulled back her new pink helmet, clearly amused by Jiang Ying’s reaction.

Nan Ke glanced at the helmet. Tian Wanwan noticed and explained with a smile.

“I started dating someone recently. Yesterday she said she wanted a pink helmet, so I came by today to pick one up for her.”

“Congratulations.” Nan Ke smiled warmly.

Jiang Ying was shocked.

“Another relationship? Seriously? That’s ridiculous.”

Tian Wanwan tilted her chin up and gave her a smug look.

“Not ridiculous. Just lucky.”

Seeing her so pleased made Jiang Ying even more annoyed. She waved her hand coldly.

“Out of my way. I’m not in the mood to catch up with you.”

“I don’t have time to waste either. My girlfriend’s waiting for me. Bye now.” Tian Wanwan held her pink helmet and walked right between Nan Ke and Jiang Ying without hesitation.

Nan Ke kept walking without reacting. Jiang Ying, on the other hand, glared at Tian Wanwan’s back and muttered angrily.

“She’s a beta. She can’t even smell pheromones. How is she always in a relationship? I’m an alpha and still single. What does she have that I don’t? This is so unfair.”

“When the day comes that she bumps into you with her helmet and it doesn’t hurt, maybe then you’ll finally be in a relationship.” Nan Ke touched the square box in her pocket and smiled as she got into the car.

Jiang Ying was speechless.

Later that evening, Nan Ke and Jiang Ying were sitting at the round dining table in the Jiang family villa, enjoying dinner.

Jiang Ying usually never checked her phone during meals. But for some reason, when she heard the message notification, she flipped her phone over and tapped to open it.

What appeared was a photo of Lan Zifan and Bai Ruoya kissing, their lips pressed together.

She had seen the paternity report and knew that the child Bai Ruoya was carrying was not Wei Huan’s. But actually seeing that woman kissing someone else still left her stunned.

And when Jiang Ying got shocked, she tended to act without thinking. Her mind went blank for a moment, and she instinctively nudged Nan Ke with her elbow, completely forgetting that Nan Ke was in the middle of clinking glasses with her father.

Caught off guard, Nan Ke choked on her liquor.

The cheerful conversation between Jiang Ying’s parents stopped instantly. Nan Ke didn’t even have time to excuse herself. She covered her mouth and nose and rushed into the bathroom, coughing violently. When she finally caught her breath, she began rinsing her mouth over and over. The liquor had burned so badly it made her eyes water uncontrollably.

Even plain water going down the wrong pipe was enough to make her uncomfortable, but this time it was liquor. It felt like she had nearly lost her life.

Honestly, with how unpredictable Jiang Ying was, it was no surprise she was still single.

Jiang Tairan and Su Hongying didn’t know exactly what had happened between the two girls, but hearing Nan Ke’s painful coughing made them glare at their daughter in disapproval.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Jiang Ying lowered her head and quietly followed to check on Nan Ke.

That evening was truly exhausting for Nan Ke, though only on a physical level.

She didn’t leave after dinner. Since she had been drinking, she decided to stay overnight at the Jiang house. The villa was large, and there was no shortage of guest rooms for her to use.

After lying in bed for a while, she opened WeChat and sent a message to Liang Qingqing: “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.” Unfortunately, she received no reply. It wasn’t until the next morning that she saw a belated message from her: “Same to you.”

Jiang Ying’s bedroom was just across the hall. Nan Ke wasn’t used to sleeping in a new bed, so even though she slept soundly, she woke up earlier than usual.

Seeing Liang Qingqing’s late reply, Nan Ke didn’t know how to feel. She thought about knocking on Jiang Ying’s door, but didn’t want to disturb her sleep. After hesitating, she walked quietly toward the stairs.

When she reached the first floor, she saw Aunt Su sitting on the sofa reading a magazine, while Uncle Jiang was watching the morning news. She couldn’t help but wonder how such studious and diligent people had a daughter like Jiang Ying, who was such a heavy sleeper.

Could it be that opposites really do cancel each other out? That didn’t seem quite right either.

Nan Ke shook her head at the thought.

Su Hongying was already used to her daughter’s sleeping habits. She assumed most young people were like that these days. When she saw Nan Ke coming downstairs, she greeted her kindly, then after a moment of thought, got up and went to drag Jiang Ying out of bed.

At breakfast, Jiang Ying sat at the table with her eyes half closed, clearly still drowsy after being forced out of bed.

Nan Ke smiled sweetly at her and took a sip of porridge.

Jiang Ying stared at Nan Ke, full of energy and looking radiant, and gritted her teeth in frustration. All she had wanted was for Nan Ke to join them for some holiday cheer. Now that she was here, the cheer was very real, but Jiang Ying hadn’t even slept properly.

After breakfast, Jiang Ying slumped on the sofa and dozed off again. She didn’t fully wake up until around ten o’clock.

Nan Ke sat beside her, leaning back while using an anonymous email account to send a few photos to Wei Huan. The images were enough to confirm Bai Ruoya’s betrayal.

She had thought it would take more time and effort to gather evidence, but Bai Ruoya and Lan Zifan were unexpectedly cooperative. They had kissed passionately right on the hospital bed, making things incredibly easy.

Wei Huan was in the middle of a company meeting when she received the email notification. There were faint dark circles under her eyes.

She had dinner with her parents the night before, but didn’t stay long. Afterward, she went straight to the hospital to stay with Bai Ruoya. Worried, she spent the night on the sofa in the hospital room and only returned home at dawn to quickly freshen up before heading to work.

Back-to-back meetings had drained her. She felt dizzy and exhausted, and finally couldn’t take it anymore. She waved the team off and ended the meeting early.

She leaned back in her chair and rested for a while before returning to her office.

Nan Ke had deliberately used Wei Huan’s work email to ensure she would see it.

Wei Huan turned on her work computer out of habit. Seeing the unread notification, she clicked on it without much thought. What she saw next made her so angry that she slammed her mouse down.

The office had excellent soundproofing. The sound of the wireless mouse hitting the wall went unnoticed outside, but her sudden outburst was seen by her assistant, who was seated just outside her office.

Wei Huan quickly closed the window and locked eyes with her assistant, Wen Hai. Annoyed, she motioned for him to come in.

Wen Hai had been working with Wei Huan since she took her current position. He had seen her angry many times, but this was the first time she had actually thrown something. He walked in carefully, head slightly bowed, afraid of getting caught in the storm.

Wei Huan calmed herself down and finally spoke.

“Tell the driver to get ready. I’m going to the hospital.”