Transmigrated into a Classic Dog-Blood Drama as the Scummy Alpha - Chapter 13

The three of them returned home. Shen Xian made a call to Fang Jinglan before starting on dinner for the three of them. After dinner, Lin Qinghan sat at the coffee table drawing with Shen Tian, while Shen Xian prepared a large, colorful fruit platter for them.

“Alright, time for my two little artists to have some fruit before continuing,” Shen Xian said with a smile.

“Ooh, mangosteen! Tiantian wants some!” Shen Tian exclaimed, happily pointing to the crescent-shaped fruit on the plate.

Lin Qinghan chuckled. “Okay, Tiantian, go ahead.”

Shen Xian, still smiling at her daughter, handed Lin Qinghan a fork. “You too, Qinghan. You’ve had a long day at work—you deserve a break.”

Lin Qinghan gave her a flat look. She deserved a break? Shen Xian knew she worked hard? But where was Shen Xian when she’d been struggling all alone? When the debt collectors were banging on their door?

And now she had the nerve to talk like everything was fine? Shen Xian really had no shame.

Sensing the chill in Lin Qinghan’s expression, Shen Xian gave an awkward smile and quietly picked up a piece of apple for herself to ease the tension. Shen Tian, unaware of the emotional undercurrents between the adults, simply beamed with happiness. With two little pigtails bouncing, she squeezed herself between the two of them, looked from one to the other, and grinned, her dimples showing.

Shen Xian ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Why are you smiling so big, sweetheart? Tell Mommy too.” She gently pinched the little girl’s chubby cheeks.

“Tiantian just likes this. Having Mama and Mommy with me,” she said, her short legs swinging joyfully.

Lin Qinghan watched the interaction between mother and daughter, and a flicker of warmth crossed her eyes. If only life could always be this peaceful.

Just then, Lin Qinghan’s phone rang. When she saw the caller ID, her brows furrowed slightly. The phone rang for a while before she finally answered and walked out to the balcony.

Even before she left the room, Shen Xian could already hear the yelling on the other end of the line. Shen Tian also noticed and her little mouth drooped. “It’s probably Grandma again. Every time Grandma calls Mama, Mama gets sad. Tiantian doesn’t like Grandma.”

Shen Xian reached over to comfort her. “It’s okay, Tiantian. You just focus on growing up happy and carefree. Mama and Mommy will take care of the rest. Go play for a bit—Mommy’s going to check on Mama.”

“Okay. But Mommy, if Mama starts crying, remember to hug her, okay?” Tiantian advised in her serious little voice.

Shen Xian nodded, touched by her daughter’s thoughtfulness—but also thinking to herself, If I really hugged Lin Qinghan right now, I might not live to see tomorrow.

She walked quickly to the balcony and found Lin Qinghan standing there with red-rimmed eyes, arguing with someone on the phone.

As Shen Xian approached, she heard Lin Qinghan’s voice trembling with frustration. “Lin Zhixin—do you or Mom even care about me? Sure, I’m his sister, but I’m not his ATM! Just because I work hard doesn’t mean it’s my duty to fund his reckless lifestyle!”

Shen Xian stepped closer, but Lin Qinghan was too focused on the call to notice. From the phone, Jiang Fang’s angry voice blared: “Reckless? Helping your little brother is your duty! How can you be so unfilial? I raised you, didn’t I? It’s just 30,000 yuan! Do you know what’s going to happen if we don’t give him the money? They’re going to cut off his hand! My god, what did I do in my past life to deserve such an ungrateful daughter—you’re breaking your poor mother’s heart!”

Lin Qinghan’s hand was trembling. She had known this would happen, but hearing it still broke her. Every month she sent money home, while her brother did nothing but demand more. And yet, their parents never blamed him—only her. Her compromises were met not with understanding, but more greed. The yelling continued, but Lin Qinghan couldn’t take in another word.

Shen Xian, now furious, reached over and yanked the phone from her hand, startling Lin Qinghan, who nearly stumbled. Shen Xian caught her with one arm and barked into the phone, her voice cold: “Have you lost your mind? The Qing Dynasty has been gone for over a century and you’re still living in that outdated patriarchy? What kind of brother drinks, gambles, and parties all day, then demands money from his sister? Qinghan can support you, sure—but she has no obligation to support Lin Zhixin.”

“Shen Xian? Is that you? I haven’t even dealt with you hitting Zhixin the other day! Lin Qinghan, you’ve really got no shame—divorced and still tangled up with her…”

“Watch your mouth,” Shen Xian snapped. “You know what kind of person I am. Send your son to harass Qinghan again, and I’ll break his legs. With a mother like you, no wonder the kid turned out that way.” And with that, she hung up.

Lin Qinghan’s eyes were still red. Shen Xian gently patted her shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. If he shows up again, I’ll beat him again. Lin Zhixin is a black hole—no matter how much you give him, it won’t be enough.

If you want to keep sending money to your parents, set up a separate account and deposit it there monthly. When they finally come to their senses, you can give it to them. Right now, everything you send just ends up with him.”

Lin Qinghan’s lips tightened, and she clenched her phone so hard her fingers turned red. Still, she held back her tears.

“If it’s alright with you, can I move in for a while?” Shen Xian said sincerely. “Don’t worry, I mean it—I’ll keep the suppression patches on and won’t release any pheromones. I just don’t want Lin Zhixin showing up again and scaring Tiantian.”

Lin Qinghan hesitated, but then nodded. The mist in her eyes hadn’t cleared, but she still managed a quiet, “Okay.” She didn’t know why she agreed. Maybe it was something in Shen Xian’s eyes that made her want to trust her, just a little.

Shen Xian smiled. “Great. I’ll pack up tomorrow and move in. And next time your mom or Lin Zhixin calls, just hand the phone to me. We’re always trying to save face—that’s why they keep walking all over us.”

“Mm.” Lin Qinghan gave a low hum in response and walked toward the bathroom.

Shen Xian glanced up at the numbers above Lin Qinghan’s head—her favorability rating had risen from -90 to -70. Not much, but progress. She wasn’t warm to her yet, but at least her efforts weren’t going unnoticed. And Tiantian’s affection had already hit a solid +30. Kids really are easier to win over, Shen Xian thought fondly.

In the bathroom, Lin Qinghan locked the door and leaned against it. The tears she had been holding back finally spilled freely. She was only human—how could she not feel hurt after hearing those words from her own mother? For a moment, she even wanted to collapse into Shen Xian’s arms and sob. But she held back. Who knew if Shen Xian had really changed, or if it was all an act? She couldn’t trust anyone anymore.

She still had Tiantian to raise—she had to stay strong.

She let herself cry until she could cry no more. Then, finally, she splashed cold water on her face and rinsed away the evidence. When her eyes were no longer swollen, she took a deep breath and stepped outside.

As soon as she emerged, Shen Tian ran up and hugged her leg. “Mama, don’t be sad! Tiantian and Mommy will make you smile again~”

Hearing her daughter’s sweet little voice, Lin Qinghan finally smiled. “Seeing you already makes Mama happy. Tiantian is the best.” She picked her daughter up in her arms.

Tiantian snuggled into her neck and added cheerfully, “Mommy’s really good too, Mama—you should praise Mommy too!”

Lin Qinghan looked at Shen Xian awkwardly, then at her daughter’s expectant face, and sighed. “Alright. Mommy is good too.”

Tiantian, unaware of the tension between the adults, beamed with pride. “Mommy! Mama praised you!”

The unspoken message in her eyes: See, Mommy? Wasn’t I awesome?

Shen Xian glanced at Lin Qinghan, who stared back expressionlessly. She gave a sheepish smile, then turned to Tiantian with a grin. After all, who could be upset when their daughter was this adorable?

“Yes, Tiantian, you’re amazing,” Shen Xian said, making Tiantian kick her legs happily in the air.

Even Lin Qinghan couldn’t help laughing at her daughter’s adorable antics.

Later that night, as Shen Xian brushed her teeth, her gums nearly bled from the cheap disposable toothbrush. I really need to replace all of these, she thought. But she wasn’t too worried. She was confident she could double that ten million yuan within a month. And with the airheaded rich girl already transferring her 100,000 yuan upfront, her cash flow situation wasn’t so dire anymore.

Then, Shen Xian called out to the system in her mind. “System, is there anything you can do to help my dad recover from his illness?”

“There is,” the system replied coldly. “But the treatment will cost one million yuan, to be paid by the host. A medicinal capsule is available to facilitate recovery.”

For some reason, even though the voice was robotic, Shen Xian felt like the system was smugly pleased.

Back in her prime, a million yuan would’ve been nothing. But now, it would take some time. And this system—what a sneaky thing. She had to work her ass off for mission rewards, but now it was about to pocket a fortune from her. Shen Xian sighed and resolved to finalize the investment plan and sign the contract with Jiang Xi the next day—only then would she have the funds to make things move.