Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 2
The bar was packed and noisy, with lights flickering intermittently. Amid the deafening music, the restless crowd swayed their bodies to the rhythm. In a VIP booth tucked away in a corner, a girl in a pink dress with her hair tied up in a bun listened in shock to the person sitting across from her.
“What? You rejected her?” By the end of the story, the bun-haired girl was so stunned that she shot to her feet, her voice cutting through the clamor of the music. A few nearby patrons turned their heads curiously in their direction.
Yi Qian pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. “Fang Xin, why don’t you just grab a megaphone and announce it to the whole bar?”
The girl named Fang Xin scratched her head sheepishly and sat back down. She took a sip of her drink to calm herself before speaking again, her expression innocent. “It’s just that I’ve heard someone brag too much—saying things like, ‘If I see her again, I’ll drag her home and interrogate her, tie her to my side.’ And yet, when the moment came, you didn’t even have the guts to face her. How pathetic.”
Yi Qian irritably swept her hair back and downed the glass of wine in front of her.
Fang Xin poured her another drink. “You’ve been acting recklessly all this time just so she’d notice you and come back, right? And now that she’s actually here, you push her away. Aren’t you afraid she’ll really leave and never return?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Yi Qian’s phone, lying nearby, began to vibrate.
Yi Qian stiffened for a moment.
After three years, the custom ringtone she had once set for Ye Shuyi suddenly blared to life. She stared at the familiar contact name for a long while but made no move to answer. Instead, she leaned back against the sofa, swirling the red wine in her glass round and round as if savoring a beautiful melody. By the time she finished the drink, the ringing had abruptly stopped.
But soon, the phone rang again. Yi Qian ignored it once more, reaching for the wine bottle instead.
Fang Xin pressed a hand over hers, stopping her. “Not answering? So bold? Don’t come crying to me later if she really leaves this time.”
Yi Qian set the glass down on the table and lounged lazily against the sofa, still showing no intention of picking up.
Fang Xin called it boldness, but that wasn’t the case. Yi Qian simply found it unfair. Back when they broke up, she had called Ye Shuyi countless times, only to be ignored—until she was eventually blocked. Why should she answer now just because Ye Shuyi was calling? She refused.
The ringtone played out to its end once more, and soon after, a WeChat notification chimed.
[Ye Shuyi, the Yi Family’s Ruffian: Where are you? There’s a meeting tonight about your future career plans. Manager Zhang said he already informed you.]
Yi Qian glanced at the screen, then stood up. “Come on, let’s go dance.”
Fang Xin studied her for a moment before remarking thoughtfully, “How come I never noticed before? Were you always this childish?”
The accused merely walked away, tossing over her shoulder, “Sit here and figure it out yourself.”
Yi Qian was a regular at this bar, and most of its patrons were either wealthy or influential, many of whom had crossed paths with her. When they saw her step onto the dance floor, some immediately went over to join her.
After half an hour of wild dancing, Yi Qian returned to the booth and checked her phone. Ten minutes ago, Ye Shuyi had sent another message:
[Ye Shuyi, the Yi Family’s Ruffian: Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.]
Yi Qian kept typing and deleting words in the message box, carefully weighing her phrasing. At one point, a beautiful woman approached with two glasses of wine, offering one to Yi Qian. She glanced up at the drink in the woman’s hand and declined, “Not in the mood for this tonight.”
Fang Xin promptly escorted the awkwardly standing woman away.
After several rounds of edits and deletions, Yi Qian finally gave up and simply sent her location directly. She tossed her phone aside casually, pretending not to care whether she got a reply, yet stealing glances at the screen every few sips. By the time she finished the entire bottle, there was still no response.
“Tsk.” Fang Xin shook her head knowingly. “Might’ve really overplayed your hand this time.”
Ignoring her, Yi Qian got up and headed back to the dance floor alone.
Half an hour later, Yi Qian returned and immediately went for her phone. Fang Xin, who’d been playing Candy Crush in the booth the whole time, remarked without looking up, “No messages for you.”
When she finally raised her head to gauge Yi Qian’s reaction, she spotted an unfamiliar yet recognizable figure in the crowd.
Grabbing Yi Qian’s arm, Fang Xin gestured toward the commotion. There, Ye Shuyi was weaving through the crowd with difficulty, her eyes scanning the sea of faces as if searching for someone.
“Is that her?” Fang Xin shook Yi Qian’s arm excitedly. “Your precious Ye Shuyi?”
For a fleeting moment, Yi Qian’s eyes lit up at the sight, but she quickly schooled her expression and nonchalantly returned to the couch, pouring herself another drink.
Fang Xin stared incredulously at her seated friend. “No?”
Yi Qian replied flatly, “Yes.”
“Aren’t you going to get her?” Fang Xin sat down. “With her looks… there are plenty of wolves here, you know.”
No sooner had she spoken than a blond man grabbed Ye Shuyi’s arm in the distance, his hand roaming suggestively along her sleeve.
“Speak of the devil.” Fang Xin urgently nudged Yi Qian to look. “You’re really just going to watch this?”
The blond, encouraged by Ye Shuyi’s lack of resistance—she simply stood still watching him—grew bolder. His other hand slid onto her shoulder as he leaned in to whisper something in her ear.
Yi Qian slammed her glass down so hard it clattered against the table.
Before Fang Xin could say another word, Yi Qian was already storming through the crowd like a hurricane. She kneed the blond squarely in the stomach, sending him crumpling to the floor in pain. Not satisfied, Yi Qian pounced, yanking him up by the collar before delivering a punch. “You dare touch my wife? Got a death wish or something?”
Ye Shuyi, snapping out of her daze, quickly grabbed Yi Qian’s wrist. “That’s enough.”
Yi Qian slowly turned to look at her, then shook off her grip and strode away. She barely made it two steps before stumbling. Ye Shuyi rushed forward to steady her.
Fang Xin arrived just then, supporting Yi Qian’s other side. After exchanging a glance with Yi Qian, she immediately caught on and complained loudly, “I told you not to drink so much tonight. Can’t even stand straight now. Getting wasted is one thing, but leaving a mess for others to clean up?”
Ye Shuyi met her eyes. “You take her home. I’ll handle things here.”
“No, no, no,” Fang Xin quickly shook her head. “I know this place better than you. I’ll stay and handle things here. Could you please take this drunkard home? Thanks a lot.”
After saying this, Fang Xin gave Yi Qian a push toward Ye Shuyi’s direction, then swiftly let go and ran toward the blond man.
Yi Qian stumbled and leaned against Ye Shuyi’s shoulder, causing the latter to shift her attention away from Fang Xin.
“Are you okay?” Ye Shuyi steadied Yi Qian and asked.
“I’m fine, just a bit dizzy,” Yi Qian replied, rubbing her temples.
On the way to the garage, Yi Qian clung to Ye Shuyi as if she were boneless, nearly causing both of them to fall several times.
Finally reaching the car, Ye Shuyi opened the door and struggled to help Yi Qian inside. After fastening the seatbelt for her, Ye Shuyi was about to straighten up when Yi Qian suddenly wrapped her arms around her. The unexpected embrace caught Ye Shuyi off guard, and she lost her balance, tumbling into Yi Qian’s arms.
With her chin resting on Yi Qian’s shoulder, Ye Shuyi could feel the latter’s soft, even breaths against her ear as Yi Qian murmured dreamily, “Caught you this time.”
Ye Shuyi’s eyes widened slightly, and her long-dormant heart suddenly felt as if a deer had barged in, racing wildly without restraint.
She gently patted Yi Qian’s arm. “Are you awake?”
Receiving no response, she closed her eyes and lowered her head, pressing her nose against Yi Qian’s shoulder. Just like in every embrace before, she loved Yi Qian’s scent—it reminded her of pine trees in a snow-covered forest, bringing her both relaxation and peace.
After a moment, Ye Shuyi pulled away from Yi Qian’s embrace and took the driver’s seat.
While setting the car’s navigation route, Ye Shuyi glanced at the peacefully sleeping Yi Qian in the passenger seat and ultimately set the destination to her own home.
Outside, snow was still falling, and Ye Shuyi drove slowly, stretching what was usually a thirty-minute drive into an hour. Yi Qian remained motionless in the passenger seat, sleeping soundly.
By the time the car stopped in front of a modern, minimalist two-story villa, the snow had ceased.
From inside the car, Ye Shuyi noticed the lights were on in her house. Glancing at Yi Qian, who showed no signs of waking, she took out her phone and called the person waiting for her at home.
The call was answered quickly, and a slightly low voice came through. “Hello? Why are you calling when you’re already home?”
Ye Shuyi looked through the windshield to see a strikingly beautiful, tall woman standing by the floor-to-ceiling window. Noticing Ye Shuyi’s gaze, the woman tilted her head with a smile.
The corners of Ye Shuyi’s lips curved up, her voice laced with faint amusement. “Song, my beauty, could you come out and give me a hand?”
Song Chichi chuckled on the other end. “It would be my honor.”
Seeing her come out, Ye Shuyi stepped out of the car without noticing that Yi Qian in the passenger seat had already opened her eyes.
Outside, Ye Shuyi briefly explained the situation to Song Chichi before walking to the passenger side to open the door. However, as soon as she pulled it open slightly, the door was abruptly yanked shut from inside with a loud bang.
Behind her, Song Chichi crossed her arms and remarked pointedly, “Hah, woke up just in time, didn’t she?”
The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Yi Qian’s face. Her jawline was tense, and as the window fully descended, she turned to look at Song Kechi with a slight curl of her lips. “Thanks to the great beauty Song, even if I were lying in a coffin today, I should be able to jump right out.”
Song Kechi raised an eyebrow, replying nonchalantly, “Thank you for letting me know I have such power.”
Yi Qian ignored her and turned her head toward Ye Shuyi, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I don’t like staying overnight at other people’s homes. Please take me home, Manager Ye.” With that, she rolled the window back up.
Song Kechi looked at Ye Shuyi, a faint smile in her eyes. “Didn’t you say she absolutely refused to have you as her manager?” She emphasized the words “absolutely refused,” casting a glance at the closed car window with clear provocation, knowing full well there were eyes glaring back at her from behind it.
Ye Shuyi shrugged, patting Song Kechi’s shoulder with a grin. “Perhaps thanks to the great beauty Song, she changed her mind.”
Song Kechi regarded her with amusement. “So, you did it on purpose?”
Ye Shuyi smiled slightly. “Just a spur-of-the-moment idea.”
On the way back, Yi Qian didn’t sleep but kept playing with her phone. Neither spoke, and the atmosphere in the car was stifling and strange. A snowflake drifted onto the windshield, soon followed by a flurry of heavy snow.
“You have arrived at your destination. Navigation has ended.”
The car came to a slow stop in front of a European-style villa. The navigation voice broke the silence between them, followed by the click of the car door unlocking. Yet the person who should have gotten out remained motionless.
Ye Shuyi glanced over in confusion, only to see Yi Qian’s jaw clenched and her brows furrowed, as if deep in thought.
Just as she was about to speak, Yi Qian beat her to it, asking with feigned casualness, “You and that… Song whatever, what’s your relationship?”