Acting as the Powerful Background Character in a Scummy Alpha Novel - Chapter 20

The news of Xiao He taking Jing Shen to the company spread faster than expected. At school, Xiao Shuyuan received a call from her mother at noon. Although she was surprised, she was also quite excited.

“Mom, are you guys already back?” Since they had mentioned spending Mid-Autumn Festival together, the timing seemed about right.

“Shuyuan, do you know that your aunt took a girl to the office today? Name’s… Jing Shen, right? And she introduced her to Peng En and the others. Peng En personally accompanied her to meet the executives.”

The voice on the other end was urgent; they had clearly just received the news abroad.

“Jing Shen?!” Xiao Shuyuan’s brow furrowed. The shock of the news eclipsed her initial disappointment. “She… she’s an Omega who just moved into the estate. She should be in school right now. Why would Aunt take her to the company?”

Speaking in disbelief, Xiao Shuyuan glanced at her phone and finally saw the message Xie Qingyu had sent her. Ignoring his rage, she immediately zoomed in on the picture. Was that not Jing Shen, clutching her books?

So Jing Shen came to school today only to leave again, and she was even taken to the office?

“She’s already moved into the Xiao estate? Why didn’t you tell us sooner? Investigate this Jing Shen’s details immediately. Your father and I are coming back tomorrow.”

Ever since the incident two years ago, anyone close to Xiao He had been thoroughly vetted. No one could easily interfere with the Xiao family anymore. Events within the household rarely leaked out, making Xiao Shuyuan her parents’ only window into Xiao He’s latest movements.

Regarding Jing Shen, Xiao Shuyuan hadn’t mentioned her to her parents for several reasons. First, Xiao He hadn’t publicly or explicitly named Jing Shen as an heir candidate. Second, as an Omega, Jing Shen wasn’t the optimal choice by innate standards. Third, with Chu Yuelan as a precedent, an unrelated person—even as an heir—was usually a marginal figure and not a threat. But Xiao He’s actions now were the complete opposite of what she had predicted.

To date, Xiao He hadn’t taken any of the potential heirs capable of succeeding her to the company, because doing so was virtually a public declaration of the final winner.

Yet Jing Shen had gone.

This single thought dominated Xiao Shuyuan’s mind: Had this contest between heirs ended so abruptly?

As Xiao Shuyuan stood in a daze, Chu Yuelan happened to walk past her. The two had been growing closer since the last incident; regardless of their private thoughts, they were currently on the same team on the surface.

“Why do you look like you’ve lost your soul?”

Chu Yuelan’s voice snapped Xiao Shuyuan back to reality. She steadied herself and showed Chu Yuelan the photo Xie Qingyu had sent.

“Did you know that neither Jing Shen nor Xiao Linchu came to school today? Guess what happened?”

Chu Yuelan looked at the two people in the photo standing close together, seemingly whispering. Her fingers whitened as she gripped her books.

Xiao Shuyuan had completely calmed down from her initial panic. She smiled and pulled her phone back. “What, did your Jing Shen not tell you? You seem to be drifting further and further away from her lately.”

“So? Are you getting any closer to what you want? I don’t think so. Does Xiao Linchu not rely entirely on Xiao He’s indulgence to act so recklessly?”

Chu Yuelan was jealous, but she hadn’t lost her mind. She was allied with Xiao Shuyuan, but she had no intention of being her cannon fodder.

“Attacking each other like this won’t change the situation,” Xiao Shuyuan said, clearly aware of the stakes and not losing her temper as easily as before. “Since we each have our own goals and the same objective, we should think about how to get what we want. I can share the latest news I’ve received.”

“What is it?” Chu Yuelan hadn’t expected their alliance to be put to use so quickly.

“You should know that only Jing Shen can soothe Xiao Linchu’s pheromone collapses. Linchu, the adopted daughter, is Aunt’s favorite heir, and Jing Shen is exceptionally talented among us. Aunt also looks after her strangely. So, don’t you think it’s possible Aunt wants them to form a ‘power couple’? If Jing Shen and Xiao Linchu end up together, wouldn’t that be the perfect scenario?”

Xiao Shuyuan knew about Chu Yuelan’s long-standing secret crush on Jing Shen and her deepest insecurities. She combined the two into a half-truth, watching for Chu Yuelan’s reaction.

The suggestion made Chu Yuelan’s breath hitch, but she wouldn’t believe it so easily. “Where did you get this information?”

“You really know nothing. Today, Jing Shen didn’t just go home; after talking to Xiao Linchu, she was taken to the office by Aunt. Tell me, which is more likely: that Aunt wants to name an unrelated orphan Omega as her heir, or that she’s bringing her along as the prospective spouse of the future heir?”

Xiao Shuyuan knew perfectly well that it was more likely Xiao He wanted Jing Shen as an heir, but everyone’s perspective is different. Given Chu Yuelan’s bias against Xiao He, she would definitely lean toward the latter, because she refused to believe Xiao He would choose an outsider as her successor.

“I’ll ask Jing Shen for the truth myself.” Chu Yuelan said it, but she knew in her heart that Xiao Shuyuan wouldn’t use such a clumsy lie.

“You can ask, but are you sure the Jing Shen of today is still the Jing Shen of the past? What does a friend like you matter to her now? Will she even spare you a glance?”

Asking was fine, but Xiao Shuyuan wanted to plant the seed of doubt. With Chu Yuelan’s suspicious nature, even if Jing Shen denied the relationship with Linchu, she wouldn’t fully believe it.

Chu Yuelan glanced at Xiao Shuyuan, unwilling to speak further, and prepared to leave.

“Wait,” Xiao Shuyuan called out. “I hope once you get your answer, we can be sincere allies. After all, neither of us wants to see Jing Shen and Xiao Linchu together, right?”

Chu Yuelan gave her a deep look. “Right.”

Jing Shen and Xiao He didn’t return from the company until late afternoon. The day’s events had been a revelation for Jing Shen, and she had seen the true side of Xiao He.

Even after returning home, her heart was still thumping. She looked at Xiao He nervously. “Sister Xiao, I didn’t make any mistakes today, did I?”

Xiao He rested her hand on Jing Shen’s shoulder and patted it. “You performed very well. But don’t be so nervous. You don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks; just be yourself.”

Xiao He was slightly taller than Jing Shen, and the casual hand on her shoulder made it feel like she was being drawn into an embrace. Looking at Xiao He so close, Jing Shen’s mind went blank, her words becoming stilted. She barely knew what she was saying.

“Jing Shen!”

Just as the two were about to enter the main building, Chu Yuelan’s voice came from behind, making Jing Shen jump.

She turned quickly to see Chu Yuelan standing not far away. “What’s wrong?”

Chu Yuelan looked at Xiao He, who had also stopped to look back. She felt an inexplicable fear, her initial emotions suppressed in an instant. Her panicked gaze shifted to Jing Shen. “I have something to talk to you about.”

Jing Shen turned to Xiao He, but before she could speak, Xiao He lifted her hand from Jing Shen’s shoulder and patted her back gently. “Go on.”

Watching Jing Shen and Chu Yuelan walk away, Xiao He was thoughtful. To think the first one to come would be Chu Yuelan. It seemed the first reaction of these little ones when sensing a threat was to band together. That meant the first thing Jing Shen would face was the betrayal of a friend.

Withdrawing her gaze calmly, Xiao He knew she was pushing Jing Shen into a pit of fire. She hoped the girl would be clever enough to navigate it.

Jing Shen was pulled into Chu Yuelan’s room. Watching her friend lock the door, she found it strange. “What is this about? Why all the secrecy?”

“Jing Shen, where did you and President Xiao go? Why are you just getting back?”

Chu Yuelan got straight to the point after making Jing Shen sit.

“We went to the office. Why?” Jing Shen answered truthfully; Butler Lin knew this as well.

“Why would President Xiao suddenly take you to the office?”

Chu Yuelan thought of the scene she just saw—Xiao He with her arm around Jing Shen. Her tone became accusatory. Between Xiao He and Xiao Linchu, what exactly was Jing Shen trying to do?

Feeling even more confused, Jing Shen truly didn’t know what Xiao He was thinking. And naturally, she had no idea what was going on with Chu Yuelan.

“I don’t know, Yuelan. What’s wrong? Does it matter?”

“What’s wrong with me?” Chu Yuelan took a deep breath. She didn’t believe Jing Shen’s “I don’t know,” thinking her friend was hiding things. “Jing Shen, let me ask you one thing, and tell me honestly. If I asked you to leave the Xiao estate right now, would you?”

Looking at a Chu Yuelan who was so different from her usual self, Jing Shen’s brow furrowed. She felt like she had heard this question before. Were they all lining up to ask her this?

“Why would I leave? What has gotten into you?”

As expected, she was refused. Chu Yuelan looked at Jing Shen with disappointment. “It’s not about me, it’s about you. Jing Shen, don’t you feel like you’ve become a completely different person since you came to the Xiao estate?”

“I don’t feel that way. If anything, I think you have become a stranger.” Jing Shen didn’t understand where Chu Yuelan’s disappointment came from. Was it because she wouldn’t leave? But why should she?

Since they had known each other, there had never been such a stiff atmosphere between them—not even an argument. Jing Shen didn’t know how it had suddenly come to this.

“Are we still friends?” Chu Yuelan seemed to lose her energy, giving up the silent standoff and looking at her dejectedly.

Jing Shen was helpless. she didn’t know how to answer because Chu Yuelan wouldn’t tell her what was actually wrong. She could only stand up. “If you don’t want to be, I won’t force you. Maybe I really have disappointed you, but I truly don’t know what I did wrong.”

From the initial interrogation to this incoherent end, Jing Shen felt they weren’t communicating at all. She didn’t know how to talk to Chu Yuelan anymore. She could only leave it at that.

With that, she walked out of Chu Yuelan’s room.