Transmigrated into a Classic Dog-Blood Drama as the Scummy Alpha - Chapter 2

When Zhao, the kindergarten teacher, heard that Shen Xian was Shen Tian’s mother, she finally allowed her to take the child.

Shen Xian carried Shen Tian and hurried toward the convenience store. Her top priorities right now were increasing her likability score and earning money. She wasn’t yet familiar with this world, and the original book’s descriptions weren’t enough to help her blend in quickly—she would need a few days to adjust.

As they entered the store, another tall woman was inside with her child, choosing snacks.

“Tiantian, who’s holding you?” the other child asked.

Shen Tian’s eyes lit up. It was Li Mengmeng, her best friend at kindergarten. Some of the other kids often teased her, calling her a motherless wild child. Only Mengmeng was willing to play with her. Shen Tian had never mentioned any of this to Lin Qinghan.

Now that her mommy was here in person, Shen Tian beamed and said proudly, “Mengmeng, this is my mommy. I do have a mommy.” As if to prove she wasn’t lying, she stood up straighter, puffing out her tiny chest.

“Uh-huh! Hi, Auntie. I believe you, Tiantian,” Li Mengmeng replied with a big smile.

Mengmeng’s mother, having just paid, gave Shen Xian a polite nod. “Tiantian’s mom, we’ll head off now. Mengmeng, say goodbye.”

Seeing Shen Tian being carried, Mengmeng reached up toward her own mom, then waved and said, “Bye-bye, Tiantian! Bye-bye, Auntie!”

“Bye-bye, Mengmeng! Bye-bye, Auntie!” Shen Tian responded sweetly.

Shen Xian gave her a smile and felt a quiet sigh of relief. She carried Shen Tian over to the counter and let her pick out her favorite snacks. But Shen Tian, fiddling with her tiny fingers, just looked and didn’t speak, too shy to ask for anything.

So Shen Xian picked a few snacks for her. None of them were expensive, and soon Shen Tian’s little backpack was stuffed full. There was still about sixty yuan left, and Shen Xian slipped a fifty-yuan bill into the inside pocket of her backpack.

Shen Tian looked up in confusion. “Is this for me?”

Shen Xian nodded. “Didn’t Mommy borrow ten yuan from you yesterday? This is me paying you back—and the rest is your pocket money.”

Shen Tian hesitated, biting her lip. “But Mama told me I can’t take things from other people…”

“I’m not ‘other people.’ It’s okay. Come on, let’s go back and wait for your mama,” Shen Xian said with a smile, patting Shen Tian’s pigtails—they really were pretty cute.

But just as they stepped outside the shop, they were blocked by a woman with red-rimmed eyes. The woman choked back tears as she snatched the child from Shen Xian’s arms.

“Shen Xian, what are you doing now?! I told you, I don’t have any more money to give you. I still have to save up for her school fees next semester. Can you just stop coming around already? What—are you planning to sell Tiantian too?”

The woman was slightly shorter than Shen Xian, her features soft and delicate. Loose, wavy hair fell across her shoulders, and her fair skin was made even more striking by the flush of red around her eyes. Shen Xian instantly realized who she was—her ex-wife.

Watching the number above Lin Qinghan’s head drop from -130 to -150, Shen Xian felt a chill in her heart. One more drop, and she’d be erased. She quickly explained, “I really didn’t mean any harm—I just brought Tiantian out for some snacks. We were about to head back to find you when you arrived.”

Lin Qinghan didn’t believe a word. She turned to Shen Tian instead, and Shen Tian nodded timidly. “Mommy’s telling the truth,” she said in a tiny voice, even opening her little backpack to show what was inside.

“Tiantian, do you remember what Mama told you? Never accept things from others. If I’m not around, you’re not to go anywhere with your other mommy. Do you understand?”

Her voice was stern. Shen Tian couldn’t help it—her tears began falling.

“Huu… Tiantian was wrong… Please don’t be mad, Mama…”

Seeing her daughter cry, Lin Qinghan sighed and comforted her, “Mama’s not angry, baby. I’m just worried about your safety, that’s all. Don’t cry. From now on, if you want something to eat, just tell Mama, okay?”

Still sobbing, Shen Tian stammered, “I-I don’t want snacks anymore. I don’t want Mama to work so hard…”

“Mama’s not tired. You don’t need to worry about that. That’s grown-up stuff. I was just a bit too harsh earlier, that’s all.” Lin Qinghan coaxed her for a while, until the little girl finally stopped crying. Then, reluctantly, Shen Tian handed her backpack back to Shen Xian. Mama didn’t want her to accept it, so she wouldn’t. She didn’t want to upset her mama again.

But Lin Qinghan gave the bag back to Shen Tian and asked her to go wait with Teacher Zhao. Then she turned to Shen Xian. “I told you already—I really don’t have any more money to give you. You saw how careful and anxious Tiantian is now. How many kids her age worry about money like that? Shen Xian, if you have even a shred of conscience left, I’m begging you—please, leave us alone.”

As she spoke, Lin Qinghan wiped her tears and pulled out her phone. It took her several moments just to open WeChat—the phone was clearly old and sluggish. Then she tapped into her chat with Shen Xian and said, “We still need a little money to live on this month… but here. I’ll send you two hundred. Please, just stop coming around. She’s just a child.”

Shen Xian let out a long sigh. The original Shen Xian really was absolute scum. No one would believe her now, no matter what she said. This was a true death-route opening. She’d just have to take it slow.

“You really don’t have to give me anything. I didn’t come to ask for money. I just missed Tiantian and wanted to see her. I swear—next time, if I want to take her anywhere, I’ll ask for your permission first. I’m sorry for scaring you earlier.”

But Lin Qinghan didn’t care what she said. She sent the 200 yuan and went to fetch Shen Tian. Shen Xian looked at the red envelope notification on her phone and sighed before heading off.

She had nowhere to go. No matter how capable she was in her past life, she was now a woman with no money and a terrible reputation. Two of her four main targets had already appeared—and both of them hated her.

She figured she might as well go home and see the original’s parents. This whole mess was a disaster.

Pulling up the relevant parts of the book, Shen Xian reviewed just how badly the original had hurt her family. It started in middle school, when she teamed up with classmates to scam her parents. Then she began stealing from relatives. Later, she used the money she swindled to treat others to dinner and show off. Eventually, she became addicted to gambling and burned through money like water.

At one point, she racked up nearly a million yuan in debt. When the loan sharks came knocking, her father—who had been an upright, dignified man all his life—suffered a stroke from the stress. Now he couldn’t even walk on his own. Her mother, after selling their house to pay off the debt, attempted suicide. If not for an aunt and uncle arriving in time, she might not have survived.

Shen Xian was furious. How could someone waste the love of their parents like that? In her past life, she had often dreamed of having a family. If she had, she would have cherished them with all her heart.

She sighed. Since fate had dropped her into this body, she would take responsibility for the original’s parents from now on. But she still didn’t know how to face them. Two thousand yuan might’ve meant nothing to her before—but to ordinary people, that was months of hard work.

She would take it one step at a time. As she walked home, she tried to come up with a plan. Soon, she arrived at the door and took a deep breath before lightly pressing the doorbell. Just as she expected to be turned away, the security door opened.

It was a middle-aged woman, around fifty, looking tired and worn. She didn’t say a word upon seeing Shen Xian—just turned and walked back inside, leaving the door open.

Shen Xian felt a pang in her chest. After everything the original had done, they still hadn’t locked her out. She felt ashamed on the original’s behalf.

She stepped inside and changed into slippers. Her father sat on the couch watching TV, a walker by his side. Shen Xian walked over, opened her mouth, and after a moment’s hesitation, called out, “Dad.”

It was the first time in her life she’d ever said that word. The man sitting before her looked so much older than his age. Above his head floated a translucent number—50.

Her throat tightened. After everything the original had done to him, he still had this much affection left.

She turned to look at her mother, busy in the kitchen. A number floated above her head as well—40. The original really had been blessed and never knew it.

It was clear Fang Jinglan didn’t want to talk to her. Just then, the system voice spoke in Shen Xian’s mind:
“Task: Clean and mop the entire floor. Reward: 200 yuan.”

This was nothing to Shen Xian. She hadn’t had to do housework in years, but the habits she’d built growing up hadn’t left her. She immediately found a broom and dustpan and got to work.

The place wasn’t exactly clean. Her father could barely walk—of course he couldn’t do chores. The original certainly hadn’t lifted a finger. She only remembered her family when she was broke. All the housework and worry had fallen solely on the mother’s shoulders.

Shen Xian’s heart ached as she swept.