After Becoming a Scumbag Alpha, I Protect the Female Lead’s Love - Chapter 3

Nan Zhiyi’s willow-leaf eyebrows knit together slightly. “If you’re worried about money, I can pay you 400,000 yuan in a lump sum. After all, I’m the one breaking the contract first.”

The original Xi Zhou didn’t like Nan Zhiyi and hated Nan Jing even more. The two had been married for less than a month; divorcing now and walking away with 400,000 yuan would be a profitable deal by any standard. Nan Zhiyi had only agreed to marry Xi Zhou to exploit her status as the third young miss of the Xi family.

Xi Zhou wrapped her coat tighter around herself and lapsed into silence again. After a long while, she spoke, changing the subject: “Go do your physical therapy first.”

Nan Zhiyi stared into her eyes, trying to pry something from them.

“Fine,” Nan Zhiyi agreed. “I hope to have your answer by the time I come out of the treatment room.”

“Okay.” Xi Zhou felt a wave of relief. “I’ll walk you there.”

Xi Zhou dropped Nan Zhiyi off and waited quietly outside. Her head throbbed, and her body felt drained of strength. Leaning against the wall, the chill from the tiles sent a cold sweat down her back. She huddled further into her coat.

“Hey, are you alright?” The woman from the neighboring bed had just finished her phone call. Seeing Xi Zhou’s distressed state on her way back to the ward, she walked over.

“I’m okay,” Xi Zhou replied, bracing herself.

The woman noticed the cold sweat on Xi Zhou’s forehead and the sickly flush on her face. Seeing no pheromones leaking out, she asked, “Do you have a fever?”

Only then did Xi Zhou realize she might be sick. She reached up to touch her forehead; it was burning. “Maybe.”

“Is it serious?”

“It’s fine. I have to wait for her to come out.” Xi Zhou pointed toward the treatment room.

Seeing how sickly she looked, the woman didn’t say more but went back to the room to pour her a cup of hot water.

“Thank you.” Surprised, Xi Zhou took the cup.

“No problem.” The woman turned and went back into the room.

Thirty minutes later, Nan Zhiyi emerged, and Xi Zhou immediately went to meet her.

“Going to handle the discharge papers?” Xi Zhou asked.

“Mhm.” Nan Zhiyi nodded. She hated the smell of disinfectant in the hospital; it made her restless. She didn’t want to stay a second longer than necessary.

The two walked downstairs together. Xi Zhou walked unsteadily. When she accidentally drifted close, Nan Zhiyi could still faintly smell that domineering whiskey scent. Instead of feeling offended, it actually soothed her agitation.

Nan Zhiyi silently increased the distance between them. Their pheromone compatibility was too high; living together was too dangerous, and she didn’t want to invite trouble. “Xi Zhou, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I think we should still divorce as soon as possible.”

Thud—

Nan Zhiyi looked to her side. Xi Zhou had suddenly collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

What trick is she playing now? Nan Zhiyi knelt down and saw the sweat on Xi Zhou’s brow. She touched her forehead; it was scorching. She immediately realized Xi Zhou was running a high fever.

“39.7°C. This high fever was triggered by pheromone disorder in the gland. The medicine prescribed is to promote pheromone metabolism; there are no specific fever reducers here. If the fever persists, we’ll prescribe something else.”

“Understood.”

“By the way, did she just manifest?”

“Yes.”

“Sigh, then her gland might suffer some permanent damage.”

“What kind of damage?”

“The inability to mark an Omega. A newly manifested Alpha’s gland is fragile and cannot properly distinguish pheromones, leading to insufficient concentration. She won’t reach the standard required for marking,” the doctor said regretfully. “Let’s do this: once the fever breaks, she can be discharged. Come back in a month for a follow-up.”

“Alright. Thank you, doctor.”

Xi Zhou opened her eyes groggily to see the doctor standing by the bed talking to Nan Zhiyi.

“You’re awake?” Nan Zhiyi saw the doctor out.

“Mhm.” Xi Zhou nodded. Since the Gland Department was short on beds, she was back in the same bed Nan Zhiyi had occupied yesterday. “What happened to me?”

“Pheromone disorder,” Nan Zhiyi said. “You should prepare yourself—you might not be able to mark anyone in the future.”

In an ABO world, an Alpha being unable to mark an Omega was considered a great humiliation. An Alpha’s mark signified submission and power. However, Xi Zhou had grown up in a standard male-female society; she didn’t care much about that.

She only cared about completing her mission.

“I wasn’t trying to fake it to avoid the conversation,” Xi Zhou explained awkwardly.

Looking at her flushed cheeks, Nan Zhiyi inexplicably found her somewhat cute. She didn’t press her. “I know.”

“Can we please not divorce?” Xi Zhou looked up at her.

Those fierce eyes were now filled with a sense of pleading, looking very much like a wounded wolf. But Nan Zhiyi doubted how much of it was genuine.

The post-manifestation Xi Zhou was too different. Not only was her attitude toward Nan Jing the polar opposite of before, but her entire aura had changed. Though the face was the same, her upright posture and indifferent expression carried a touch of world-weariness. The old Xi Zhou was often sullen, but in a way that was perverse and aggressive—a typical spoiled brat.

If the old Xi Zhou was an uncontrollable wildfire that might burn others at any moment, the current Xi Zhou was a deep, placid lake. Both were dangerous in their own ways.

Moreover, Nan Zhiyi had felt a pack of cigarettes in Xi Zhou’s coat pocket.

Xi Zhou never used to smoke.

“Why?” Nan Zhiyi asked.

Xi Zhou couldn’t give a reason, so she met the question with silence.

Nan Zhiyi looked at the pitiful-looking Xi Zhou but remained calm. “Miss Xi, you are an Alpha now. Living under the same roof as an Omega, you are a danger to me. I have been honest with you, but you don’t seem sincere. Am I right, Third Miss Xi?”

Nan Zhiyi emphasized those last three words. Xi Zhou immediately understood where the dissatisfaction came from. Nan Zhiyi had known her identity from the start—the third daughter of the Guanghua Group. Nan Zhiyi had married the original owner to use that status for certain goals.

As for the specific reason, Xi Zhou wasn’t sure. The author had drifted away from the details in the later parts of the book.

When Nan Zhiyi first found the original owner, she was working as a bartender. Fearing a marriage would ruin her chances with other girls in her circle, the original owner hid her identity and the marriage. It wasn’t until she was sent to prison that the Xi family found out.

Xi Zhou looked at Nan Zhiyi with utter seriousness. “I’m sorry.”

“First, I apologize for my offense last night. However, you can rest easy now, as I no longer have the ability to mark anyone. Second, I apologize for hiding my identity. I am indeed the third miss of Guanghua.”

Recalling the book’s contents and organizing the facts, Xi Zhou finally knew how to negotiate.

“I can disclose our relationship to my parents and hold a formal engagement ceremony. Guanghua Group will provide support for Minsen Jewelry.”

Xi Zhou wasn’t great at social nuances, but she was an expert at negotiation. Since this was a transaction of chips, she had to put enough weight on the scale to maintain the balance.

The Xi family’s Guanghua Group started in real estate and was one of the top companies in the country with a wide business scope—but it didn’t include the jewelry industry that Nan Zhiyi’s family managed.

Business is never a zero-sum game; every entrepreneur knows this, and Nan Zhiyi believed it firmly. A local enterprise like Minsen and a giant like Guanghua… the nationwide sales channels of Guanghua alone were something Minsen lacked.

And being the “wife of the Third Miss of Guanghua”—that title alone would solve many of the small troubles Nan Zhiyi faced, like the situation last night.

Nan Zhiyi asked coldly, “And what do you want? I can’t be the only one taking all the benefits.”

Xi Zhou thought for a moment. “I want money. 30,000 yuan a month.”

“I can give you 400,000 all at once. You’ll still have money.”

“I’m incompetent and I love to squander. If you give me 400,000 at once, I’ll spend it all in a day.”

Xi Zhou felt her logic was sound; the original owner was exactly like that. But she didn’t realize she was already acting wildly “Out of Character.” Someone like the original owner would never admitted so bluntly to being incompetent.

Nan Zhiyi was now certain that Xi Zhou had changed. The person before and after manifestation seemed like two different people. While some personality shifts occur during manifestation, someone picking up smoking so suddenly was rare. Since there was someone else in the ward, she didn’t push further. “I’ll think about it. You should rest.”

“Okay.”

Although the fever-reducing injection was working, Xi Zhou’s head was still spinning. Having had no sleep the night before, she quickly closed her eyes and drifted off.

Nan Zhiyi looked at the sleeping Xi Zhou, her mind full of questions. The woman in the next bed glanced at her; Nan Zhiyi met her gaze, the woman smiled friendly, and Nan Zhiyi smiled back before leaving the ward.

Nan Zhiyi went home, changed, and picked up her car. She called Liao Dong and, learning they were at the amusement park, drove there.

When she arrived, Nan Jing was on the carousel while Liao Dong watched and took photos.

“How is it?” Liao Dong asked with concern.

Nan Zhiyi told Liao Dong about the morning, including her suspicions regarding Xi Zhou.

Liao Dong said disdainfully, “What crooked scheme is Xi Zhou cooking up now? Maybe it’s some rotten idea from Li Qingyu.”

Nan Zhiyi shook her head. “I don’t know, but Li Qingyu hasn’t seemed to be in contact with Xi Zhou lately.”

Li Qingyu was Xi Zhou’s Alpha lover—or rather, the person the original owner thought was her lover. Anyone in their social circle knew Xi Zhou was just Li Qingyu’s “simp,” but Xi Zhou herself didn’t see it that way.

“When things are this strange, there’s bound to be a catch,” Liao Dong concluded succinctly. “What are you going to do? Divorce, or play along?”

“I haven’t decided.” Nan Zhiyi looked at Nan Jing, her face full of tenderness.

Liao Dong snapped a photo. “If you don’t divorce, the Li family will still have some fear of the Xi family. If Xi Zhou is telling the truth and is willing to make the marriage public, regardless of whether her family accepts it, the title of ‘Wife of Guanghua’s Third Miss’ will help Minsen.”

“I’ll think about it more.”

Nan Jing spotted Nan Zhiyi from the carousel. As soon as it stopped, she ran out. Nan Zhiyi was waiting at the exit and took her small hand.

Nan Jing was even more excited now, holding her mom’s hand on one side and Auntie Liao’s on the other, skipping along. “Mommy, you came! Are you feeling better?”

“Much better,” Nan Zhiyi pinched Nan Jing’s cheek. “I promised An-an I’d come to the amusement park with her.”

Nan Jing was thrilled that her mom remembered the promise. “Mommy is the best.”

Liao Dong chimed in, pretending to be hurt to tease her. “I’ve been playing with An-an all morning. Am I not the best?”

“Auntie Liao is the best too,” Nan Jing said in her sweet, milky voice. Her clear eyes were full of sincerity, and Liao Dong was once again defeated by her cuteness.

Liao Dong patted her head. “I can’t let that praise go to waste. I’ll treat you to lunch, okay?”

Nan Jing looked at her mom with blinking eyes. Only after Nan Zhiyi nodded did she smile sweetly at Liao Dong.

“Thank you, Auntie Liao.”

Nan Jing had been craving burgers for days. They went to a burger shop near the hospital. Liao Dong didn’t like junk food, but Nan Zhiyi and Nan Jing were enthusiasts. After they ordered, Nan Zhiyi proactively paid the bill.

“I said I was treating,” Liao Dong said helplessly, putting her phone away.

“You’ve been troubled all morning. Isn’t it only right I treat you to a meal?” Nan Zhiyi smiled, following Nan Jing with Liao Dong.

The doctor said Xi Zhou could go home once the fever was gone. Although the pheromone disorder wasn’t cured, the damage to the gland was irreversible and would require long-term care. Nan Zhiyi just wanted to stay away from Xi Zhou for now, lest her pheromones influence her to make an irrational decision.

She needed to think seriously about whether there was any necessity to continue this marriage.