After Becoming an Alpha, I Became a Charmer (GL) - Chapter 22

Ten minutes later, Xia Zhiyu and Ruan Wu returned to the banquet hall, finding the atmosphere inside to be extraordinarily lively.

The employees, who had previously only dared to admire Ruan Wu from afar, suddenly became bold and enthusiastic, rushing over to toast her.

Ruan Wu always made herself appear gentle and approachable in front of outsiders, so she accepted almost every toast.

Xia Zhiyu couldn’t stand by and watch her get drunk, so she immediately intercepted more than half of the drinks and drank them herself.

Fortunately, her current body had a high tolerance for alcohol. After blocking over ten glasses of wine for Ruan Wu, she was only slightly dizzy.

Eventually, the department heads realized their employees were all toasting Ruan Wu. Startled, they quickly came over and ushered everyone away to other areas.

“Ms. Ruan, they are only acting this way because they’re drunk. They don’t usually do things like this.”

Ruan Wu nodded. “It’s fine. As long as everyone is happy, I’m happy.”

Several department heads left, but Minister Li and Yu Qingyi remained.

Both were relatively sober. Feeling embarrassed to toast Ruan Wu again, they raised their glasses to Xia Zhiyu next to her.

“Secretary Xia, I must toast you today. You eliminated two major problems for all the employees in the company. All the unpleasant things that happened before, I’m forgetting them with this drink. It’s as if I’m only meeting you today.” Minister Li finished speaking and bravely downed the wine.

Xia Zhiyu was happy to hear Minister Li’s words and boldly drank the wine as well.

Before this drink, Xia Zhiyu’s face only had a subtle flush, more like a heavy application of blush than a sign of alcohol. After drinking this glass, the alcohol concentration in her body seemed to break through a critical threshold. The flush instantly spread from her cheeks to her neck and collarbones. At this moment, she looked like a plump, juicy peach, ready to ooze sweet juice with a light touch.

Ruan Wu looked at her, and a sudden urge to hide her away surged in her heart.

After Minister Li finished his toast, Yu Qingyi stepped forward with his glass of wine.

The Xia Zhiyu in front of him was so beautiful that he felt awkward looking directly at her. Yu Qingyi stammered, holding up his glass. “Se-Secretary Xia, I feel the same as Minister Li. I won’t dislike you anymore. Also, thank you for saving me today. Let’s get along well in the future.”

Yu Qingyi’s face was slightly flushed. He forced himself to look into Xia Zhiyu’s eyes despite his shyness, intending to give her the glass of wine.

But halfway through, a hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere and snatched the glass of wine intended for Xia Zhiyu. Yu Qingyi was slightly taken aback. He followed the beautiful hand to its owner.

“Ms. Ruan?”

The confusion turned to astonishment.

Ruan Wu looked normal, but the mist in her eyes seemed thicker. She smiled at Yu Qingyi and said, “Secretary Xia is my capable assistant. The matter with those two men isn’t fully resolved yet, so she can’t get drunk. I’ll drink this glass for her.”

Yu Qingyi felt remorseful after hearing Ruan Wu’s explanation. “I’m sorry, Ms. Ruan. I wasn’t thoughtful enough. How about you don’t drink this glass…”

Before Yu Qingyi could finish his sentence, Ruan Wu had already finished the wine, showing him the clean bottom of the glass. She said gently, “I drank it. Please, feel free.”

Yu Qingyi quickly endured the sting of the alcohol and drank a glass. After finishing, he felt quite dizzy. Minister Li quickly held onto him.

Ruan Wu said to Minister Li, “He seems drunk. Could you please help me take him back to rest?”

Minister Li said, “I’m his direct supervisor. It’s my duty to take him back. Don’t worry, Ms. Ruan, I’ll find two other Omegas to go with us so no one talks behind our backs.”

“Secretary Xia, we’re leaving now,” Minister Li said to Xia Zhiyu.

Xia Zhiyu smiled and nodded, watching them leave. She didn’t withdraw her gaze until the two figures disappeared.

“You’re so reluctant to see even Yu Qingyi’s back go. It seems Secretary Xia still has feelings for him. You haven’t forgotten the contract, have you? If you violate it, you owe me ten times the penalty. What, is he so important that you don’t care about the debt anymore?”

The alcohol seemed to have caused Ruan Wu to abandon her usual reserve. She would never have said those words—which sounded like jealous bickering—when sober. Yet, she had suddenly been overwhelmed and blurted out all her dissatisfaction.

After speaking, Ruan Wu’s face was stiff. She was now afraid that Xia Zhiyu would overthink things and also afraid that she wouldn’t think enough.

Xia Zhiyu slowly turned her head, her expression a mix of sluggishness and slight bewilderment due to the alcohol. “Huh?” Xia Zhiyu seemed not to have understood Ruan Wu’s meaning. “What did you just say, Ms. Ruan?”

Ruan Wu: “…” What is there to argue with a drunk person about?

“Let’s go. We need to go to the clinic to deal with Zhou Chong and Xie Li first.”

Ruan Wu took two steps outward, then suddenly stopped, remembering something. She turned around. Sure enough, Xia Zhiyu hadn’t reacted yet.

“Since you took my place drinking.” Ruan Wu took Xia Zhiyu’s hand and led her outside. Fearing that Xia Zhiyu would have trouble walking in high heels, Ruan Wu walked at an unusually slow pace.

They finally reached the clinic. After the cool breeze along the way, Xia Zhiyu had sobered up a little. She pressed her forehead. Before Ruan Wu went in, she stopped her. “Ms. Ruan, let me handle this.”

Ruan Wu looked at her slightly messy hair and hazy eyes and insisted, “No. This must be handled by me. You wait here. Don’t come in.”

Ruan Wu gently pushed Xia Zhiyu onto a nearby long bench and walked into the clinic alone.

Shortly after Ruan Wu went in, one of the bodyguards came out and stood beside Xia Zhiyu.

Xia Zhiyu was surprised to see him. “Why did you come out?”

“Ms. Ruan said she was afraid you might be accosted alone outside, so she asked me to come out and protect you.”

Xia Zhiyu: “…”

What is Ruan Wu thinking? How could I, an Alpha, be accosted? Doesn’t she know I’m the dangerous one?

“Go back in. There are two Alphas inside. Zhao Ze can’t protect Ms. Ruan by himself.”

The bodyguard was silent for a moment, then hesitantly stated the facts. “But Ms. Ruan said she pays our salaries. We must obey her instructions to get paid.”

Xia Zhiyu: “…”

Xia Zhiyu looked at her watch and decided that if Ruan Wu didn’t come out in ten minutes, she would go in and find her.

Five minutes later, Ruan Wu emerged with the other bodyguard. Xia Zhiyu stood up and asked, “Ms. Ruan, did you take care of everything?”

“Mhm.” Ruan Wu nodded coldly. She instructed the bodyguards, “I’m doubling your pay tonight. I need you two to take turns guarding them in there. I’ll call the police tomorrow morning.”

“Let’s go.” After instructing the bodyguards, Ruan Wu gave Xia Zhiyu a curt order and left.

This time, she didn’t wait for Xia Zhiyu, nor did she take her hand.

“Ms. Ruan.” Xia Zhiyu quickly followed her.

The temperature on a spring night was less than half of the daytime temperature. Even though the wind was gentle, a shiver ran up the exposed skin of Xia Zhiyu’s arms.

She instinctively moved closer to Ruan Wu. When their arms touched, Ruan Wu’s body stiffened and she took a step to the side, away from Xia Zhiyu.

Xia Zhiyu hadn’t felt the warmth for a second before her arm became cold again. She couldn’t help but move closer once more.

Her mind was hazy with alcohol. When she felt cold, all she thought about was finding a heat source to cling to. She hadn’t even realized the person she was clinging to was Ruan Wu.

When sober, she would never have been so daring as to tempt the lion.

But she was drunk.

Ruan Wu dodged twice. Seeing Xia Zhiyu’s persistent approach, she endured it and didn’t move away again, letting her cling to her.

Perhaps it was because Xia Zhiyu was glued to her, but Ruan Wu suddenly felt very hot when they returned to the courtyard and entered the house, with the cold wind blocked out by the walls.

Her heart raced, her cheeks flushed, and especially the scent gland on her nape throbbed with pain.

Ruan Wu quickly realized that her heat cycle had arrived.

Ruan Wu immediately went to her bedroom upon entering. Xia Zhiyu thought she wouldn’t come out again. Just as she was about to change into her pajamas and wash up, she realized she couldn’t reach the zipper on her back to pull it down.

Xia Zhiyu’s face was flushed with intoxication. She walked to Ruan Wu’s bedroom door and knocked. “Ms. Ruan, could you help me…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the door suddenly opened from the inside, and a wave of sweet, fruity pheromones hit Xia Zhiyu directly in the face.

“Secretary Xia, it’s time for you to fulfill your contract.” Ruan Wu, breathing heavily, grabbed Xia Zhiyu’s hand and pulled the still-recovering Alpha into the bedroom.