Acting as the Powerful Background Character in a Scummy Alpha Novel - Chapter 16

Only Xiao He and Xiao Linchu remained in the main building. One was sitting, the other standing. It was so quiet that a needle hitting the floor would have sounded like a thunderclap; the atmosphere was heavy and suffocating.

“Why did you turn in a blank paper?” Xiao He spoke first.

Linchu stood her ground. She looked up to meet Xiao He’s eyes, then quickly lowered her gaze, but she answered the question: “My mind has been in a mess these past two days.”

“What happened? You can tell me.”

Xiao He was patient. She had been waiting for a moment where Linchu would truly open up to her.

Silence returned. Linchu seemed to waver internally, but in the end, she said nothing, remaining mute.

Dealing with such a child was exhausting, but since Linchu didn’t want to talk, Xiao He didn’t force the issue. She simply told her not to do it again and mentioned that if she ever wanted to talk, she could come to her at any time. Then, she dismissed her.

Linchu walked toward the door, then turned back. She looked at Xiao He, who was coughing softly with a pale face—clearly suffering from a cold. A bitter feeling rose in Linchu’s heart; after all, Xiao He had caught this cold because of her.

“President Xiao, can I… trust you forever?”

The question was sudden and lacked context, but Xiao He felt instinctively that it was important to her. Without hesitation, she replied, “Of course.”

“I understand.”

With that response, Linchu finally left.

Left alone, Xiao He picked up her tea to soothe her throat. Thinking of these five children, she couldn’t help but rub her temples. She had dominated the business world for years and nothing had ever stumped her, yet she hadn’t expected a few “human cubs” to be so difficult to handle. It was quite the headache.

If a physical reprimand would solve the problem, she would have done it without hesitation. Unfortunately, these kids were resistant to both the carrot and the stick, leaving her with no clear starting point.

“I told you to worry less. Does your head hurt again?” Guan Shanyue had stepped out earlier, returning only after the others had left the main building. Her mission was to stay by Xiao He’s side, but she had a sense of boundary; she would never overstep her bounds into the Xiao family’s private affairs, at most advising Xiao He to rest.

“I’m just wondering… how exactly are children supposed to be raised these days?”

Xiao He had never raised a child, and now she had been handed five of the most troublesome adolescents possible. Except for Jing Shen, who was a sweet and sensible girl, the other four each had their own way of causing trouble.

“You’re asking the wrong person. I don’t have kids; I really wouldn’t know,” Guan Shanyue said with a smile and a shrug.

The matter was brushed aside for the moment. However, when Xie Qingyu found out that Linchu had turned in a blank paper and hadn’t been punished, he was green with envy.

At school, Jing Shen also heard about the blank paper incident. She realized that was why Xiao He had been upset. From this, it was clear that Xiao He did indeed treat Linchu differently.

Life returned to its routine for a short while. Then, after school one day, Linchu suddenly sought out Jing Shen again.

“It’s not time for a soothing session yet. Tell me, what is it this time?”

Jing Shen had been busy studying and thought things had finally settled down. But looking at the girl before her, she felt that the brief peace was about to end.

Sure enough, Linchu made a request that made Jing Shen think she had gone mad.

“I want you to help me lose control.”

Jing Shen thought she had misheard until Linchu repeated it. She still couldn’t understand. “Is losing control a pleasant feeling? What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Don’t ask questions. Just help me. You can name any price.”

If it were just a matter of losing control, Linchu wouldn’t need to trouble Jing Shen. But she wanted a controlled loss of control, and only Jing Shen’s pheromones, which had a profound influence on her, could achieve that.

“I’m more interested in what you are actually up to,” Jing Shen said, frowning as she tried to piece it together. Secrets from Xiao He, resentment toward her, and now a voluntary loss of control. There were too many missing pieces.

“Don’t ask. It has nothing to do with you; it’s my business,” Linchu said, leaning against the wall and looking down at Jing Shen. “Name your conditions. This must remain a secret.”

Jing Shen knew she wouldn’t get an answer. Looking at the determined girl, she realized she had no choice but to help.

“I haven’t thought of a condition yet; just consider it a favor you owe me. But I need to be sure of one thing,” Jing Shen paused. “You aren’t using this loss of control to hurt someone or do something illegal, are you?”

Linchu was silent for a moment. “Is that the kind of person I am in your eyes?”

“Ahem, I just want to be sure. It’s better to confirm.” Jing Shen felt she might have been a bit harsh, but she was genuinely worried.

“Absolutely not. Are we done?”

“Fine.”

Since Jing Shen’s pheromones could soothe Linchu, they could naturally influence her in other ways as long as Jing Shen controlled them properly.

Back at the house, the group went to their lessons as usual. Xie Qingyu was in a separate room, still studying third-grade material, which he actually found quite easy. He had moved from resistance to gradual acceptance; other than not being able to go to school, everything was fine.

As Jing Shen was about to sit down, Linchu stopped her. Her eyes were already reddening—a sign she was on the edge, holding on purely through willpower.

“Didn’t you have something to ask President Xiao after we got back? Go now.”

Jing Shen knew Linchu was just trying to get rid of her. She gave her a worried look, and only after confirming Linchu wouldn’t do anything reckless did she leave.

As Jing Shen walked toward the main building, she felt a sense of unease. She shook off the stray thoughts; as long as Linchu wasn’t trying to hurt anyone, her motive would surely be revealed soon.

Jing Shen met with Xiao He and asked a few prepared questions before Xiao He noticed something was off.

“Jing Shen, what’s wrong today? You’re distracted.”

Xiao He found it strange. Usually, when she taught Jing Shen, the girl was focused, her eyes bright and responsive. Today, she had spaced out several times.

“No… it’s nothing…”

Jing Shen tried to focus. Unexpectedly, Xiao He received a call: Linchu’s pheromones had lost control again.

Xiao He rubbed her temples and stood up.

Jing Shen heard it too. She spoke up immediately: “Sister Xiao, I’ll go.”

Since the house lacked a professional isolation room, there was no other way. Xiao He nodded and accompanied Jing Shen.

The classroom in the side wing was in total chaos. Although Linchu had promised Jing Shen she wouldn’t hurt anyone, the eruption of pheromones had still affected the others. They were all fleeing with splitting headaches, and even the Beta teacher had been forced to leave.

The loss of control wasn’t as severe as last time, but the soothing still drained a lot of Jing Shen’s pheromones. Once Linchu stabilized and fell into a deep sleep, Jing Shen slumped to the floor in exhaustion.

Xiao He was completely unaffected by the pheromones. She went in and helped Jing Shen up. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Jing Shen looked up at Xiao He and stood up with her support.

Xiao He sent Jing Shen back to her room to rest and had Guan Shanyue take Linchu away. This time, there was no need for a hospital, but to prevent the pheromones from spreading, they placed her in Xiao He’s private medical room for temporary isolation.

Seeing that Linchu was stable, Xiao He was about to leave when Linchu grabbed her hand. Xiao He stopped and looked at her. “What is it?”

Linchu’s eyes were deep. “Nothing. I just feel unwell.”

Xiao He looked at Guan Shanyue. The doctor checked the glands on the back of Linchu’s neck. “It’s normal. The disordered pheromones will cause a phantom sensation of pain for a while. Once she stabilizes, it will pass. Hang in there, kid.”

Disordered pheromones don’t just attack others; they damage the host as well. Seeing Linchu’s silent, downcast state, Xiao He gripped her hand back and sat down. “Sleep for a bit. You’ll be better when you wake up.”

Linchu had never experienced such gentle comfort. Looking at Xiao He staying by her side, and perhaps because her mental defenses were lowered by her physical weakness, her eyes grew hot. She rested her head lightly on the back of Xiao He’s hand.

“Mom…”

The word made both of them stiffen; neither was used to it. But Xiao He recovered and gave a soft “mhm” in response, her other hand gently patting Linchu’s head.

“Mhm. Sleep now.”

Once Linchu was asleep, Xiao He, whose body felt stiff from sitting, gently withdrew her hand and left with Guan Shanyue.

As soon as they entered the next room, Guan Shanyue couldn’t help but remind her.

“To be honest, I really suggest you call the police. We need to find the source of the drugs in Linchu’s system. Maybe when she was a kid…”

Guan Shanyue stopped abruptly. She suddenly remembered that the Xiao family had adopted Linchu about ten years ago, and the illegal drugs in her system could be traced back over a decade…

The realization startled her. She looked at Xiao He’s back. It was true that many powerful families used special drugs on their children to ensure they differentiated into superior Alphas or Omegas.

Xiao He didn’t notice the change in Guan Shanyue’s tone. She thought of the truth she had uncovered at the old estate. She had no intention of exposing Linchu’s past. Sitting on the sofa, she tiredly rejected the suggestion. “There is no need for the police. I know what I’m doing.”

Seeing the rejection, Guan Shanyue didn’t dare think further. She nodded quickly. “Of course, this is a family matter. It was just a suggestion.”

“Mhm. Is Jing Shen alright?”

The subject was changed, and the matter ended there for now.

When Linchu woke up later, she was alone. But because of Xiao He’s earlier concern, she was in a good mood. She glanced toward Xiao He’s room but didn’t disturb her, returning to the side wing instead.

The others affected by the incident were resting in their rooms; it was unusually quiet. Linchu returned to her room and looked at the equipment she had set up—it was currently recording.

Her cheerful mood evaporated. Recalling her purpose, Linchu sat before the equipment, hesitating.

She wanted the truth, yet the warmth she had just received from Xiao He was something she craved and didn’t want to lose. Now that the truth was likely within reach, she didn’t know if she should listen.

After a long hesitation, she thought: What if the result is what I hope for? What if it’s the best of both worlds? That would be better than keeping a seed of doubt in my heart.

She reached out and pressed play.

It was a temporary listening patch she had secretly placed on Xiao He when the woman wasn’t looking. She wanted to verify her suspicions.

…

“To be honest, I really suggest you call the police. We need to find the source of the drugs in Linchu’s system. Maybe when she was a kid…”

“There is no need for the police. I know what I’m doing.”

…

There are few “best of both worlds” in this life. The reality felt like a heavy blow, leaving her body cold.