Acting as the Powerful Background Character in a Scummy Alpha Novel - Chapter 2
She didn’t plan to fully trust the contents of that novel; she preferred to rely on her own judgment, and that applied to these four as well.
As Xiao He was deep in thought, the group stood at attention and greeted her one by one.
Xiao He gave a casual hum of acknowledgment. “Mhm. How have you all been performing at school lately?”
This sudden display of concern left them even more bewildered, and more than a few felt a twinge of anxiety.
“Auntie, did someone say something to you?”
Xie Qingyu was the first to feel guilty. He observed Xiao He’s expression cautiously, his eyes darting around as he tried to figure out which specific mistake he should confess to.
“What should I have heard?” Xiao He countered, looking directly at him.
“Hehe,” Xie Qingyu chuckled nervously and shrank back. “Nothing, nothing at all.”
Xiao He took a sip of tea. She wasn’t actually very good at dealing with children. Seeing them all standing there like trembling quails, she wondered if her tone was too severe. She cleared her throat and spoke again: “Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to demand a confession today. You’re all seniors now and nearly adults; you should know what should and shouldn’t be done. Focus more on your studies. There’s a test in a few days, and I’ll be checking your grades.”
At those words, a “mask of pain” instantly appeared on Xie Qingyu’s face. The others breathed a subtle sigh of relief; if it was just grades, they wouldn’t have much of a problem.
Xiao He took in their expressions, then waved her hand to dismiss the others, leaving only her adopted daughter, Xiao Lincu.
In her memories, Xiao Lincu was the most sensible and quiet child—top grades, no trouble. However, in the original novel, a severe psychological disorder hid beneath her silent exterior, and her actions were ultimately the most excessive and delusional.
The girl standing alone before her was tall but thin. Her black clothes felt a bit gloomy for a girl her age, but she looked nothing like the “pervert” described in the book.
“Xiaocu, come here.”
Xiao He beckoned. She saw Xiao Lincu look up in surprise before quickly lowering her gaze and walking over to stand beside her.
“President Xiao.”
Her voice was muffled. Although Xiao Lincu was Xiao He’s adopted daughter in name, they had no legal bond. To be precise, she was a child Xiao He’s mother had adopted for her after confirming that Xiao He hadn’t differentiated and would never have children of her own. She had been raised by the old matriarch before being sent to Xiao He. The two weren’t close; since Xiao He never brought it up, Xiao Lincu never changed the way she addressed her.
The formal title actually made Xiao He feel a bit more comfortable, as she hadn’t quite processed the idea of suddenly having a child this old.
After a moment of preparation, Xiao He looked at her. “Have you been feeling unwell lately?”
Though puzzled by the question, Xiao Lincu didn’t say much, simply keeping her head down. “No.”
“Is that so?”
Xiao He looked at the girl’s long sleeves. She reached out, grasped her arm, and rolled the sleeve up, revealing a wound that hadn’t yet healed.
Xiao Lincu clearly hadn’t expected Xiao He to discover this. In a panic, she jerked her arm back.
The descriptions from the novel were being confirmed. Xiao He rubbed her brow. The book mentioned that Xiao Lincu’s severe psychological issues caused pheromone instability, leading to immense pain and bouts of self-harm. This was only the beginning.
“I’ll have a doctor come look at you. You can talk to me about anything. Just be a child; don’t walk around carrying the weight of the world every day.”
“President Xiao, I won’t do it again,” Xiao Lincu whispered, her hands trembling as she gripped her wrist. “No need for a doctor.”
Sensing her extreme reaction, Xiao He realized something was wrong, but the novel hadn’t explained the source of her trauma—it was all just guesswork.
She didn’t push the doctor issue for now; she would investigate it herself. For now, she stood up. “Then go get the first-aid kit. I’ll bandage it for you.”
Xiao Lincu breathed a sigh of relief and went to get the kit from Butler Lin. By the time she returned, Xiao He was sitting on the sofa.
Rolling up the sleeve again, Xiao He saw skin that was sickly pale from a lack of sunlight, crisscrossed with old and new scars. Her fingertips brushed against them lightly. “I noticed too late.”
Xiao Lincu bit her lip. Her gaze flickered toward Xiao He’s face, but the moment Xiao He looked up, she submissively lowered her eyes again, remaining silent.
Reflecting on the encounter, Xiao He realized the mental health of these “bratty” adolescents was a massive hurdle. It was far more complicated than managing a corporation.
This wouldn’t be fixed overnight. Xiao He instructed Butler Lin to tell the school to report any unusual behavior immediately. She also contacted the family doctor for a full check-up for herself—after all, if the System hadn’t brought her here, this house would currently be hosting a funeral.
Exhausted, Xiao He lay down on the sofa. Since arriving, she had processed a world’s worth of data, handled urgent company business, and dealt with the kids. As she stretched out, her back gave a series of loud cracks.
She closed her eyes, feeling a sense of unreality. Perhaps this was just a dream, and she was simply napping in her own study.
She was drifting off when the butler knocked, accompanied by the family doctor.
Xiao He sat up, looking a bit tired. The doctor followed the butler in—high heels clicking on the wooden floor. This doctor looked unfamiliar.
“Where is Dr. Guan?” Xiao He asked.
“President Xiao, Dr. Guan had an emergency. This is his daughter, a PhD from A-University. She’s filling in for him,” Butler Lin explained.
The young Dr. Guan stepped forward, radiating a clean, elegant aura. She extended a hand. “Hello, President Xiao. I am Guan Shanyue.”
“It’s just a check-up. If Dr. Guan was busy, I could have gone to the hospital. No need to trouble you to come all this way. Please, sit,” Xiao He said politely, giving her hand a brief shake.
“It’s no trouble.” Guan Shanyue sat beside her to perform the examination.
As her cool fingers rested on Xiao He’s wrist, Guan Shanyue’s gaze remained fixed on Xiao He’s face. It was hard to ignore.
“Dr. Guan, is there something wrong with me?”
“Nothing wrong. However, you need more rest. Don’t overwork yourself, and try not to overthink things. Excessive worrying has a significant impact on your health.”
Guan Shanyue withdrew her hand. Xiao He’s condition matched what her father had described, but the mysterious President Xiao herself was quite different from what she had imagined.
After the doctor left, Xiao Shuyuan and Xie Qingyu cornered Butler Lin at the door.
“Uncle Lin, what’s with Auntie today? My heart is still pounding. Did she find out we drove to school? Or that I skipped last week? Or the fight that landed us at the police station?” Xie Qingyu rambled, desperate for intel.
“If Master Qingyu is so afraid, perhaps he should stop doing those things. President Xiao knows everything now, and she has instructed the school to tighten their supervision,” Butler Lin replied with a smile, effectively crushing Xie Qingyu’s hopes.
As the butler went upstairs, Xiao Shuyuan patted Xie Qingyu’s shoulder. “If she didn’t say anything, she’s turning a blind eye for now. As long as we don’t go overboard, we’ll be fine. Stop looking like someone died.”
“I hope so,” Xie Qingyu muttered.
“Actually, I’m more curious about what she said to Xiao Lincu in private,” Xiao Shuyuan mused, looking toward the stairs. Xiao He was seeing doctors more often; the shifting health of the family head always carried heavy implications.
“Psh, who cares about her? I want to know where Chu Yuelan is. I bet she’s the one who snitched!” Xie Qingyu huffed and stomped off.
Xiao He hoped her warning would keep them quiet for a few days so she could clean up the “nails” in the company and appoint a proxy.
But two days later, while she was in a meeting, her secretary received a call from the school.
Normally, the secretary would handle it, but Xiao He decided to go personally.
When her car pulled into the school, the principal and staff were already waiting at the office building. On the way up, Xiao He got the full story.
Xie Qingyu had driven to school again. Usually not a big deal, but he had parked in the principal’s reserved spot. The principal, having nowhere to go, parked on the curb. When Xie Qingyu left, he decided the principal’s car was “in the way” and simply rammed it.
Xiao He closed her eyes, her patience at its limit.
“Auntie is the best to me!” Xie Qingyu chirped with a bright smile as they left the office.
“The compensation for the car will be deducted from your allowance,” Xiao He said flatly. “Meaning, starting now, you will not receive a single cent for the next eight months. Your cards are frozen. I heard the school has a work-study program; you can work there to earn your meals.”
Xie Qingyu’s face fell. “Auntie, you can’t do this to me!”
“Or I can call your mother to pick you up and report you to the police for a week of detention. Your choice,” Xiao He replied.
That worked. He knew his mother would beat him into a pulp. He figured he could survive on the secret money his grandparents sent him.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Xiao He added. “Secretary Li, arrange for two people to follow Xie Qingyu constantly. If he uses anything other than money he earned himself for food, send him back to his mother immediately.”
“Auntie! I’ll starve to death!”
“Then starve.”
Xiao He’s voice was airy as two bodyguards picked him up by the arms. “Take him to class. For every class he skips, another month is deducted.”
As she drove away, Secretary Li looked at her. “President Xiao, isn’t that a bit too harsh?”
“I think it’s too light.”
The only reason they were so fearless was because they had never paid the price for their mistakes.
Xiao He was heading back to the office when the phone rang again.
“President Xiao, Miss Lincu has been caught illegally releasing pheromones toward an Omega classmate. The nature of the incident is very serious. The teacher requires us to return.”
“Turn the car around.”
Xiao He frowned. This triggered a plot point from the novel: as Xiao Lincu aged, her pheromone instability became uncontrollable. Only Jing Shen’s pheromones could soothe her. In the original story, she eventually lost control and nearly forcibly marked Jing Shen.
Xiao He thought her presence would butterfly this away, but it seemed fate was catching up.
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