A Disguised Scum Alpha Marked Her Aloof Ex-Wife - Chapter 4

The 18th-tier Chaotic Star System.

Meteors streaked across the sky, followed by a rhythmic series of booms. Helan, who was busy sweeping the floor, had long grown used to the sight. She wiped her hands on her apron, leisurely hopped onto her small cart with a snakeskin bag in hand, and drove toward the crash site.

This place sat on the sprawling border between the Empire and the Federation. It was resource-poor, heavily polluted, and so impoverished that both nations couldn’t be bothered to govern it. It was a “No Man’s Land” in the Chaotic Zone, lacking even an official name.

By the time Helan arrived, several scavengers had already gathered, hoping to find a windfall. They often recycled broken parts from fallen debris; with a bit of luck, they could sell them for a decent price.

But today, something was off. Helan scanned the area and saw only two dead bodies.

One was curled up tightly around a silver-haired woman, cleverly protecting her head and heart. A massive parachute lay scattered nearby.

Unfortunately, survival from such a height was impossible.

In this world, dead bodies were the least valuable thing—they had no salvage value. The crowd dispersed, cursing the fact that no “meat pies” had truly fallen from the sky today.

Helan circled the area, equally disinterested. But since she was already there, she decided to cut away the parachute silk. She drew her dagger and, in the process, chased away a few looters who were trying to strip the clothes off the corpses.

As she drew closer, the younger “corpse” suddenly twitched, startling her into leaping back several steps.

“Help…” The voice was faint, dissolving into the wind.

A final surge of consciousness before death, probably, Helan thought. She didn’t care to respond and began briskly cutting the cords. However, as she finally severed one, she caught a glimpse of the black-haired girl propping herself up, trying to kiss the woman lying on the ground.

The girl leaned in cautiously and kissed her several times—like a chick pecking for grain—then crossed her hands for CPR. Finally, her strength gave out. She stared at her hands in disbelief, pounded the ground weakly, and collapsed.

She looks mentally unstable.

Helan prudently decided to keep her distance. Who knew if these people falling from the sky were carrying some kind of virus?

The girl was still struggling, her voice thin and tiny: “Someone… please save her. She’s alive, and I’m alive too.”

“We’ll be useful… please save us…”

Helan took another look. Two girls with thin arms and legs—how could they be useful? The Chaotic Zone didn’t support idle mouths, and she wasn’t anyone’s savior. Helan sighed softly, dragging the folded parachute silk as she turned to leave.

The girl’s voice faded, becoming a muddle of sleep-talk.

“Mama…”

Helan’s footsteps faltered. She irritably scraped the mud off her shoes. Behind her, the girl was still clumsily uttering those two simplest syllables.

The girl feebly lifted a fingertip toward her: “Ma…!”

Too noisy. So annoying.

She already had one at home who screamed like that every day. Helan frowned and, despite herself, walked over to inspect their injuries.

Sensing someone’s approach, the girl squinted her dark, clear eyes. After meeting Helan’s gaze for a few seconds, her pestering calls suddenly turned soft:

“Ma, I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt at all…”

“I want to eat.”

Still thinking about eating in this state? A hungry ghost reborn, Helan thought. She suppressed the tremor in her heart, took a deep breath, and marched away.

A moment later, Helan returned with her small cart. She checked their breathing, and after confirming both were alive, she grimly spread out the parachute cloth and hauled them onto it.

A young girl waiting obediently at a doorway saw the cart from a distance, along with the large bundle in the back. she jumped up in a pleasant surprise: “Whoa, Ma—!”

Helan waved: “Stop ‘whoa-ing’ and help me. I picked up two people.”

When Zhu Yu woke up, she was greeted by a face zoomed in close. The girl was propping up her chin with a jubilant expression. “Whoa—!”

Her tone was like she was examining a small animal. Zhu Yu instinctively felt her hands and body; everything was still there. She looked like a normal human.

The little girl asked, “Are you a pilot? You fell from the sky and didn’t die!”

Is that how people use the word ‘pilot’…?

Falling from the sky… Memories slowly flooded back. Zhu Yu scrambled up and looked at Bai Shuzhou lying beside her.

The little girl craned her neck to follow her gaze. The woman was pale, her long silver hair spilling across her neck, her slender brows slightly furrowed. Even covered in grime, she possessed a translucent, fragile beauty, like fine crystal.

“Whoa—Ma! Is she an elf turned from a meteor?”

Zhu Yu found it a bit funny. Why was she just a “pilot” while Bai Shuzhou was an “elf”? Even the art style seemed to change for her.

Her memory was fragmented. They were currently lying on a living room floor. Nearby were several plastic bottles filled with colorful pills.

Zhu Yu took the water the child handed her and drank it in one go. The dryness in her throat eased. She whispered, “Did you save us? Thank you.”

“No need for thanks,” a woman wearing a white smock and a black apron walked over. Her silhouette was tall and sturdy against the light, making one feel safe.

For a split second, Zhu Yu thought she saw her own mother. However, her mother always smelled of disinfectant, whereas this woman carried the scent of home cooking and kitchen smoke.

Zhu Yu’s nose suddenly felt prickly.

The woman said, “Just remember to pay. This medicine isn’t cheap.”

“Oh, oh, okay. Thank you so much.”

Zhu Yu reached out to check Bai Shuzhou’s breathing and forehead. Her temperature had returned to normal. The wounds on her legs had been basic-treated and were loosely wrapped in gauze.

Zhu Yu picked up a bottle to look at it. There was no safety certification. The label was even hand-written in a messy scrawl: Fever-Reducing-Pain-Relieving-Anti-Inflammatory-Sleeping-Pill.

It certainly does a lot.

“Are you a pilot?” the little girl asked again, her eyes sparkling with persistent curiosity.

Zhu Yu noticed the woman’s gaze drift over as well, carrying a hint of wariness. The woman feigned nonchalance as she asked, “Who are you people? How did you end up so badly hurt?”

“We…” Zhu Yu coughed a few times.

Those crazy nobles actually dared to attack them. They likely wouldn’t give up easily. Furthermore, the original owner’s secret base was very hidden; in her few memories, the “scum Alpha” and the nobles weren’t close enough to share such a secret.

They had been after Bai Shuzhou from the start.

Is it safe here?

Zhu Yu glanced at the little girl and the faded certificates on the wall. She attempted to spin a lie. “We are sisters. My sister was taking me to school, but we ran into space pirates on the way. The ship exploded…”

“Sisters?” Helan’s expression turned slightly odd. She still remembered Zhu Yu leaning over to kiss Bai Shuzhou. But seeing the girl’s firm expression, she naturally convinced herself: Probably just mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!

Zhu Yu had a very clean face and clear eyes. She smiled shyly when she spoke, and paired with her tattered white shirt, she looked quite academic. She passed for a student without a single flaw.

“A university student, huh,” Helan mused. She asked, “Which school?”

It seemed the “standard questions” hadn’t changed since ancient times. Zhu Yu answered vaguely, “Quantum Technology University.”

There were too many “Tech Universities”—both the Empire and the Federation had several. It was a safe answer.

Helan nodded, seemingly satisfied with the prestige. “A good school! It’s impressive for a Beta to get into that one.”

It sounded a bit strange, but if one replaced “Beta” with “ordinary person,” it was easy to understand.

The original owner also came from a remote system and a slum family. She understood the massive resource disparity between regions. The Imperial Royal Military Academy was like heaven to them. It was like a koi jumping through the Dragon Gate—an instant ascension.

However, everyone seemed to believe she got into the Royal Military Academy because she was an Alpha, even if she was just an “inferior” one.

Zhu Yu gave a bashful smile.

In truth, without releasing pheromones, she couldn’t tell the difference between Alphas, Betas, and Omegas at all. They all had one nose and two eyes.

Just like now—Helan assumed they were Betas who had tried to save money by taking an illegal budget flight and got hit by pirates. Even if such a flight exploded, there would be no official report.

Being at the border of two nations, Helan had seen too many adventurers and illegal immigrants die miserable deaths. Zhu Yu and Bai Shuzhou were considered lucky; at least they weren’t missing any parts.

Through the child, Zhu Yu quickly mapped out the local situation. It was chaotic enough to be relatively safe, with no regular troops stationed here and incomplete network coverage.

Fortunately, news traveled slowly. Zhu Yu didn’t yet know she was a wanted criminal, charged with kidnapping the Imperial Princess.

She was still relieved, thinking those perverted traitor nobles wouldn’t find them anytime soon.

The talkative little girl was named He Ming, and she was Helan’s daughter. A single-parent household.

In this world, only Omegas could conceive naturally. Everyone else relied on the “Life Tree System” to reproduce, and the application requirements were extremely strict.

Helan ran a small restaurant in the street. She was one of the few conscientious owners who still insisted on handmade food. It was pricey, so she didn’t have many regulars. Occasionally, she went out to scavenge or hunt to supplement their income, determined to put He Ming through school.

Combining the local context, Zhu Yu quickly fabricated a whole story: a sick mother, her own schooling, her older sister working to support them—a broken home…

To pay for her tuition, her sister had dropped out of school early. She was originally a gifted dancer, but now she had tragically injured her legs. Saying this, Zhu Yu lowered her head.

Hearing this, Helan’s attitude softened considerably. She waved her hand, gifting them the medicine for free, and even offered to rent them the small yard next door for just sixty yuan a day.

Zhu Yu was moved to tears—until she pushed open the door to the “small yard.”

It was a miniature junkyard.

A loose screw creaked as it turned. The yard was piled high with scraps of electrical appliances, and a small shack made of sheet metal and bricks sat in the middle. Helan said generously, “If you need anything, just rummage through the yard yourselves. No extra charge.”

Zhu Yu couldn’t find a single cent on her person. If this were her old self, she would have been so embarrassed she’d want to dig a hole and hide. But the current Zhu Yu was different!

She had grown. Standing before you now was the Scum Alpha Version of Zhu Yu!

It was like wearing a fuzzy mascot costume—using a disguise to replace her shackles. She could be as thick-skinned as she wanted; she had no face to lose.

She rubbed her hands together awkwardly: “Sister… beautiful sister…”

Helan’s smile vanished instantly. She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t start that. It won’t work even if you call me ‘Ma.’ This is already cheap; I won’t lower the price by a single cent!”

Zhu Yu: “Beautiful Mama, actually… I’m from a single-parent family, too.”

Helan: “…”

Zhu Yu said sincerely, “The moment I saw you, I felt a special connection. My mom is just like you—heroic and spirited, holding up an entire home by herself. She’s truly amazing.”

Zhu Yu wasn’t lying this time. she really was from a single-parent family. Her mother was a doctor who often wore a white coat; when she walked, the hem would fly behind her, and she never looked back. Her ponytail would sway as she went. As a child, Zhu Yu always thought she was incredibly cool.

Though, it would have been nice if she looked back at her once in a while.

Bai Shuzhou woke up on the wooden board bed, vaguely hearing Zhu Yu’s voice.

She remembered the girl’s sharp movements as she maneuvered the ship through the jump before the explosion, and how she had pulled her tightly into her arms during the crash. The thoughts in her pale blue eyes became very complex.

Then, she heard the girl’s voice outside—clear, articulate, and very sweet:

“Beautiful Mama!”

Bai Shuzhou: “…”

She closed her eyes again.