After Becoming a Scumbag Alpha, I Protect the Female Lead’s Love - Chapter 18

“No,” Nan Zhiyi said, sounding a bit panicked. “I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark on purpose. I didn’t tell you these things because I didn’t want you to get dragged into them.”

“You have no obligation to do this for me. Telling you would only add to your troubles.”

Xi Zhou’s expression remained calm as she nodded. “I’m sorry. I overstepped my bounds.”

Their relationship wasn’t exactly close; they were still just strangers living under the same roof. Xi Zhou felt she should have remembered that.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Nan Zhiyi felt a headache coming on. Through their time together, she had noticed that Xi Zhou had a bit of an inferiority complex. Nan Zhiyi couldn’t stand Xi Zhou’s self-deprecating thoughts, but she could only take a deep breath and patiently explain.

“I just didn’t want my private matters to tie down your life in this world. I don’t know how you define our relationship, but in my eyes, we are already friends.”

“We are friends, and because of that, I don’t want you to lose your own life because of me.”

Xi Zhou was still brooding, but Nan Zhiyi’s words did a lot to soothe her mood. “Then… what about the photos?”

“I’ve seen the video of you splashing the water. How could I not know what really happened?” Nan Zhiyi’s voice grew smaller as her confidence wavered. “Actually… that day, I just wanted to tease you a bit.”

Xi Zhou was completely speechless. “Nan Zhiyi, you are seriously bored!”

“Alright, alright, I admit the photo thing was my fault for not explaining it to you sooner. I let a simple matter turn into a whole drama in your head.” Nan Zhiyi relaxed as she saw the little dimple reappear on Xi Zhou’s cheek.

“Nan Zhiyi, since you said we’re friends, there’s no need to hide everything from me. As a friend, I want to help you,” Xi Zhou said. “Let’s just be honest with each other.”

“Okay.” Nan Zhiyi couldn’t win against Xi Zhou’s persistence and finally agreed.

Fine, she thought. I’ve said what needed to be said, but she won’t listen. I give up.

Still, honesty was for the best; it was the foundation of a real friendship.

When they got home, Nan Zhiyi went to check on Nan Jing first. The little one was fast asleep, with half her body hanging off the edge of the bed. It was a talent in itself that she hadn’t fallen off. Fearing she might tumble, Nan Zhiyi gently picked her up, moved her to the center of the bed, tucked her in, and returned to the living room.

Liao Dong was irritably lecturing Xi Zhou, with Xu Zhilan fanning the flames beside her. They were digging up all the ridiculous things the original owner had done. Xi Zhou listened to their “criticism session” sitting on the sofa, looking timid and not daring to speak. When she saw Nan Zhiyi come down, she shot her a piteous look.

Xi Zhou looked like a frightened quail. Nan Zhiyi suppressed a smile and stepped in to help. “Alright, now is not the time for that. Our priority is helping Li Qingyu escape Liu Jinyan’s control.”

“I have a way,” Xi Zhou immediately jumped in. She had discussed it with Nan Zhiyi on the way back. “I can hack into Liu Jinyan’s computer and delete all the videos. I have the videos he sent me—he didn’t even use a proxy; they were sent directly from his home IP.”

Nan Zhiyi said, “Once we have this evidence, while it might not be enough to convict him, it’ll be enough to cause him a lot of trouble for a while. If Li Qingyu is willing to sue him, I’ll help her gather more evidence. If she isn’t, I won’t force her.”

Liao Dong cast a skeptical look at Xi Zhou. “Her? Can she do it?”

Xu Zhilan shared the sentiment. “I was going to ask the same thing.”

Being doubted by the two of them, Xi Zhou’s confidence wilted. She looked at Nan Zhiyi like a pathetic puppy. “Maybe you should find someone else?”

“Can you find anyone else?” Nan Zhiyi asked them. “Trust Xi Zhou. No one is more suitable than her.”

Liao Dong and Xu Zhilan wanted to say more, but Nan Zhiyi gave them a look, so they swallowed their words.

Nan Zhiyi pushed Xi Zhou toward her room. “Go on. We won’t disturb you.”

“Can I tell them about you being a transmigrator?” Nan Zhiyi whispered before closing the door. “They are my friends. I can guarantee they won’t hurt you.”

“Okay… but can they actually accept it?”

“Eighty percent sure?” Nan Zhiyi smiled and closed the door.

Liao Dong and Xu Zhilan watched Nan Zhiyi beam at Xi Zhou and felt it was increasingly bizarre. Why had Nan Zhiyi’s attitude toward Xi Zhou changed so suddenly? She was even speaking up for her repeatedly.

“What’s the situation, Zhiyi?” Liao Dong asked. “Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Xi Zhou.”

“Where is your head?” Nan Zhiyi rubbed her temples. “This ‘Xi Zhou’ is not that ‘Xi Zhou.’ This one transmigrated here from another world. That’s why I’m treating her so well.”

“Transmigrated?” Liao Dong asked. “You actually believe such a clumsy excuse?”

Nan Zhiyi remained calm. “A person who was right-handed is suddenly left-handed. Her personality has changed completely—she’s kind and polite now. She’s an expert at computers, her cooking is on par with a five-star chef, and she’s a PhD student in Astrophysics. I can’t think of any other explanation besides transmigration.”

“Could it be split personality?” Xu Zhilan proposed a new theory.

Nan Zhiyi dismissed it immediately. “Impossible. Xi Zhou’s mental state is very stable. With multiple personalities, different personas alternate, but the original Xi Zhou hasn’t appeared again. Furthermore, split personalities usually result from severe trauma. Xi Zhou’s family is harmonious; she didn’t experience any major shock growing up. The conditions for a sudden personality split just aren’t there.”

“Can you find a better explanation than transmigration?” Nan Zhiyi looked at the silent pair and took a sip of water. “If you still don’t believe it, test her. Except for her name, age, and birthday, she is completely different from the old Xi Zhou.”

“More importantly, she has no ill will toward me or An-an.”

That last sentence convinced them.

Inside the room, Xi Zhou hacked into Liu Jinyan’s computer, deleted all the videos and backups, and planted a virus for good measure, completely cutting off his ability to leak the files. She didn’t rush to the living room; seeing Nan Zhiyi’s plan to talk to her friends, Xi Zhou stayed put to avoid interrupting.

She called the System out. “Tell me about the original owner, Li Qingyu, and those videos.”

The System didn’t dally this time. “Li Qingyu wanted to get away from the original Xi Zhou’s obsession, so she convinced her to accept the marriage contract with Nan Zhiyi. After the marriage, Liu Jinyan began approaching Li Qingyu. He wanted to use her to make Xi Zhou and Nan Zhiyi divorce so he could get custody of Nan Jing. Later, when he found out Li Qingyu didn’t want the divorce to happen, he set a trap to film that video to control her. He sent the video to you because he wanted the original owner to use it as leverage for the divorce.”

Xi Zhou lit a cigarette after hearing the explanation.

The things she had said to Li Qingyu earlier were too much. Li Qingyu was a victim, yet she had used that video to humiliate her over and over. Perhaps Li Qingyu’s suicide attempt was partially due to her verbal abuse.

I need to apologize to her properly next time.

“How can I get Liu Jinyan out of the picture?” Xi Zhou stubbed out her cigarette, her voice slightly raspy. This was the only way she could help.

The System was helpless. “I’m sorry, Host. The plot has collapsed too much. In the original timeline, Li Qingyu’s suicide never happened, and Liu Jinyan didn’t push her this hard. He was eventually caught by Shen Ke for business loopholes, ended up with massive debt, and committed suicide.”

“If I make Liu Jinyan take on that debt now, will it affect Shen Ke’s plot line?” Xi Zhou asked. She could only act if it didn’t disrupt the narrative. By her estimation, Shen Ke wouldn’t appear for another half month, but Li Qingyu and Nan Zhiyi couldn’t wait.

The System paused. “It won’t. Shen Ke’s key plot point is marrying Nan Zhiyi and making her company a leader in the industry.”

“Understood.”

When Xi Zhou emerged, Nan Jing had just woken up, rubbing her eyes and walking down the stairs while holding the railing. Xi Zhou waited at the bottom with a smile.

Nan Jing instinctively reached out to be carried. Xi Zhou patted her head and naturally scooped the little one into her arms.

Seeing Xi Zhou spoiling Nan Jing so much that she wouldn’t even walk across the living room, Nan Zhiyi teased, “You really spoil her too much!”

“An-an,” Liao Dong said, remembering the head-patting incident. “Didn’t you say you were a big girl now? Why are you letting her pat your head?”

Seeing Liao Dong and Xu Zhilan, Nan Jing didn’t answer directly. She politely greeted them: “Hello, Auntie Liao. Hello, Auntie Xu.”

“Don’t change the subject!” Liao Dong cried out, heartbroken that she couldn’t compete with Xi Zhou.

Nan Jing hid behind Nan Zhiyi, made a mischievous face at Xi Zhou, and then said solemnly, “Auntie Xi, I’m an adult now. You can’t pat my head anymore, okay?”

Xi Zhou mimicked Nan Zhiyi’s serious tone. “Understood, little adult.”

The old Xi Zhou would never have been this doting. Finally, Liao Dong and Xu Zhilan began to believe the “soul swap” theory.

Liao Dong pulled out a geography problem about the Earth’s movement. “Take a look at this.”

Xi Zhou looked at it for a moment and gave the correct answer.

“How did you solve it?” Liao Dong asked, making sure she hadn’t just guessed.

Knowing this was a test, Xi Zhou explained her logic thoroughly.

“Believe me now?” Nan Zhiyi asked.

“I believe it.” Even though the problem was high school level, it would have been impossible for the old Xi Zhou. Liao Dong and Xu Zhilan were officially convinced.

Xi Zhou let out a sigh of relief. “I’m a good person.”

“Yeah,” Nan Jing said suddenly, looking up from her puzzle. “Auntie Xi is a good person.”

The four adults burst into laughter, and the atmosphere in the house turned harmonious. That evening, Xi Zhou had Liao Dong and Xu Zhilan stay for dinner, and she successfully won them over with her cooking.

The next day, Nan Zhiyi and Xi Zhou went to the hospital to see Li Qingyu. While in her ward, they received news that Liu Jinyan had been arrested.