After Becoming an Alpha, I Became a Charmer (GL) - Chapter 38

The waiter approached to take their orders. Zhao Sheng was preoccupied and waved his hand, saying any coffee would be fine.

The waiter could only look at Xia Zhiyu for help.

Xia Zhiyu said, “We’ll take two mochas, please. Thank you.”

After the waiter left, Xia Zhiyu said, “Brother Zhao, do you have work to do? Perhaps we should keep this brief?”

“No!” Zhao Sheng instinctively replied. “I’m not busy. No rush.” He just desperately wanted to spend more time with Xia Zhiyu.

“How have you been lately, Brother Zhao?” Since Zhao Sheng said he wasn’t in a hurry, Xia Zhiyu began chatting with him as planned, hoping to find some clues.

Zhao Sheng was thrilled, thinking, She’s asking about me. His face felt hot, and sweat beaded on his forehead. “I haven’t been doing anything special, just typical work stuff. It’s varied. I don’t trust giving many tasks to others, so I have to do them myself.” Zhao Sheng inadvertently revealed this to Xia Zhiyu.

Although he didn’t specify what he was busy with, this statement suggested that Zhao Sheng was a very suspicious person.

Otherwise, why would he be the only one of the three to realize Ruan Wu was investigating him?

Soon, the waiter brought their coffees. Xia Zhiyu took a sip and looked up, seeing Zhao Sheng staring intently at her lips. She confusingly licked her lips, wondering if she had some coffee residue.

But then, Zhao Sheng’s face suddenly turned bright red.

Xia Zhiyu: “Brother Zhao? Are you feeling unwell?”

Zhao Sheng immediately said, “No, I’m perfectly fine.”

“By the way, have Ke Miao and Yu Chou contacted you during this time? Have you met with them?” Zhao Sheng asked.

Xia Zhiyu said, “I chat with Sister Ke sometimes. President Yu hasn’t contacted me yet.”

Zhao Sheng inwardly sighed at how pragmatic Xia Zhiyu was. She and Ke Miao exchange gifts, so it’s ‘Sister Ke.’ Yu Chou hasn’t sent a gift, so it’s ‘President Yu.’ But at the same time, he was secretly delighted. If the plan succeeds, money is the least valuable thing to him. If I use money to lure Xia Zhiyu, maybe…

“Brother Zhao.” Xia Zhiyu interrupted Zhao Sheng’s thoughts.

Zhao Sheng snapped out of his thoughts and realized what he was thinking. He wanted to slap himself. “Little Xia, what did you need to tell me?”

Xia Zhiyu smiled. “Didn’t you ask me to find out what was bothering Ms. Ruan, Brother Zhao?”

“Ah, oh, yes, that’s what I wanted to ask. Have you made any discoveries, Little Xia?” Zhao Sheng, who kept getting distracted by Xia Zhiyu, finally remembered the purpose of their meeting after Xia Zhiyu’s reminder.

Xia Zhiyu was somewhat surprised by how distracted Zhao Sheng seemed to be today.

“Ms. Ruan discovered that someone in the company is stealing company secrets and selling core technology. Because she hasn’t found concrete evidence yet, Ms. Ruan’s mood has become somewhat restless lately. I wonder who is so bold as to dare do such a thing behind Ms. Ruan’s back.”

Zhao Sheng was shocked that Ruan Wu really had made a discovery. He immediately asked, “Are you sure Ms. Ruan doesn’t have any evidence yet?”

“I heard Ms. Ruan say it with my own ears over the phone.”

When the conversation turned to business, Zhao Sheng’s wandering mind finally returned.

He pondered for a moment and then said to Xia Zhiyu, “Little Xia, can you help Brother Zhao with one more thing?”

“Tell me, Brother Zhao.” Xia Zhiyu didn’t want to agree easily, not knowing what Zhao Sheng would ask her to do.

Zhao Sheng smiled. “Don’t be nervous. Didn’t I tell you I want to help Ms. Ruan relieve her worries? Now that we know there’s a traitor in the company, what I need to do is help Ms. Ruan eliminate the traitor.”

Xia Zhiyu nodded. “Traitors are despicable, but I don’t know who the traitor is or how many there are. I only know what they did. How can we catch them?”

“It’s simple. Anyone who can sell the company’s core secrets must be a high-level executive with access to those secrets. I know a little about the company’s executives. If you can get me the investigation documents Ms. Ruan has, detailing which secrets were sold, I can follow the clues, find the evidence for Ms. Ruan, and send the person to jail.”

Xia Zhiyu looked hesitant after hearing Zhao Sheng’s words. “You want me to steal something from Ms. Ruan? No. If I get caught, Ms. Ruan will definitely send me to the police.”

Zhao Sheng reassured her. “Don’t worry. I’m here, aren’t I? Even if Ms. Ruan finds out, it’s okay. I’ll step forward and prove that you were only trying to help Ms. Ruan. Little Xia, I won’t play games with you. I heard you have some external debt. How about this: after the task is complete, Brother will give you two million.”

If this were the old Xia Zhiyu, hearing “two million” would have made her immediately agree. But things were different now. The gifts she had received from Zhao Sheng and Ke Miao were already worth one million, suggesting her value was more than that.

Xia Zhiyu smiled faintly. “Brother Zhao, you can’t put it that way. I’m not a person who only cares about money. The risk involved in this is simply too great. You said you would step forward if something went wrong, but what if you don’t? What would happen to me? Risk must have a corresponding value, don’t you think?”

Zhao Sheng surprisingly found the current Xia Zhiyu, who was negotiating with him, very charming. He frowned and shook his head, desperately trying to shake off the crazy thought.

“Four million,” Zhao Sheng said. “Final offer. Brother has shown enough sincerity. If that’s not enough, we part ways here.”

Xia Zhiyu’s expression changed several times. She certainly didn’t believe Zhao Sheng would spend four million on her just to help Ruan Wu relieve her worries. If he really wanted to help Ruan Wu, why not just go directly to her and tell her? Ruan Wu might even agree.

Xia Zhiyu’s thoughts were clearly written on her face. Zhao Sheng saw them all.

“Little Xia, have you made up your mind? This opportunity only comes once. If you don’t want to earn four million, there are plenty of people who do, but others might not be as in need of money as you are. This money must be very important to you,” Zhao Sheng’s words were highly suggestive. “It’s just a small task, and you get so much money. Why wouldn’t you do it? I don’t think anyone would refuse.”

The struggle on Xia Zhiyu’s face became more and more evident. Finally, she made up her mind. “Alright, Brother Zhao, I’ve decided to help you.”

The corner of Zhao Sheng’s mouth curled into a smile. “Happy to be working with you, Little Xia. As soon as you get me the documents, the money will be transferred to you immediately.”

Zhao Sheng finished their discussion but didn’t want to leave. He wanted to sit in this quiet corner with Xia Zhiyu for a little longer.

“Little Xia, do you have a favorite Omega or Beta?”

Xia Zhiyu said, “Brother Zhao, didn’t you know I have external debt? What kind of Alpha with these conditions would anyone like?”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re capable, and you’ll definitely do very well in the future.”

“The future is years away, and the money I earn in a few years isn’t as much as you’ve given me, Brother Zhao,” Xia Zhiyu frowned and put down her coffee cup. “Let’s not talk about me. At your age, most Alphas are already married with children. Why are you still single?”

Zhao Sheng said, “I haven’t met the right person.” As he said this, Zhao Sheng was horrified to realize that the face that appeared in his mind was not Ruan Wu’s, but Xia Zhiyu’s face.

Zhao Sheng froze. He felt there must be something seriously wrong with his mind. Why would I disregard the innocent, pure, and capable Ruan Wu and fall for the worldly, greedy Xia Zhiyu? What is there about Xia Zhiyu that’s worth liking besides her looks?

Zhao Sheng’s face darkened. He must have been spending too much time with Xia Zhiyu and developed a delusion. How can I possibly like an Alpha, especially an Alpha like Xia Zhiyu?

“Little Xia, I suddenly remembered I have something to take care of. You can drive the car away directly later. I won’t stay with you,” he said, and with a grim face, he stood up and left the coffee shop.

Xia Zhiyu watched Zhao Sheng drive away outside the window. She took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Ruan Wu.

XiaZhiyu: Ruan Ruan, Zhao Sheng is gone. Shall we go, too?

RuanWu: Let’s go. Go straight home.

XiaZhiyu: I need to drive the car from the 4S dealership home.

RuanWu: …Drive it out first. I’ll have Zhao Ze wait for you by the side of the road.

XiaZhiyu: No problem~

Zhao Ze pulled over to stop Xia Zhiyu’s car. The first thing he did after getting in was to check the car for listening devices and trackers. He eventually found a miniature listening device hidden in a concealed spot behind Xia Zhiyu’s seat.

Xia Zhiyu frowned, thinking, Zhao Sheng is indeed not simple.

She drove the car home in silence. After getting out and closing the car door, Ruan Wu was already waiting for her nearby.

“Let’s talk inside,” Xia Zhiyu said.

Zhao Ze and Zhang Yu left. Xia Zhiyu took Ruan Wu’s hand and leaned close to her. “Zhao Sheng put a listening device in the car he bought for me. I left it there.”

Ruan Wu said, “That’s the right thing to do. That way, Zhao Sheng will trust you more.”

This was the first time the two of them had driven home in separate cars. Xia Zhiyu didn’t want to let go of Ruan Wu’s hand now.

She worried Ruan Wu would let go of her hand if she noticed, so she kept talking to distract Ruan Wu’s attention. Ruan Wu also seemed genuinely engrossed in the conversation, forgetting that she was still holding hands with Xia Zhiyu.

The two walked into the house like that. Only when they had to take off their coats did Xia Zhiyu reluctantly let go of Ruan Wu’s hand.

“Ruan Ruan, I’m sorry. I forgot just now,” Xia Zhiyu apologized guiltily.

Ruan Wu’s expression was calm. “It’s fine. Think of it as practice for later.”

“Practice for what?” Xia Zhiyu asked in confusion.

Ruan Wu simply said, “Check your phone,” and turned to the bedroom to change clothes.

Xia Zhiyu sat on the sofa and took out her phone. She saw that the [Dating Training Camp] group chat, which had been silent in the coffee shop, was now buzzing with messages from Song Yourui’s six members.

SongYourui: Finally, finally! The couple’s outing can start tomorrow! I’m so excited~

ZhouZhang: Me too. I’m just as excited as my dear wife. You all better be mentally prepared not to be overwhelmed by our sweetness.

JingYan: Someone with a boyfriend has nothing to fear.

XuMi: No one loves Yan Yan more than I do. You two can’t beat our show of affection.

PangJingyi: Hey, hey, hey! You two couples are too arrogant! Jiang Xue and I are about to get married. We’re definitely not inferior to you.

JiangXue: Just wait and see.

After exchanging their “tough talk,” the six finally turned their attention to Ruan Wu and Xia Zhiyu.

Xia Zhiyu saw the string of @-messages and didn’t know how to reply. She went to the bedroom to ask Ruan Wu for advice.

“Ruan Ruan, have you changed your clothes?”

“I’m done. Come in.”

Xia Zhiyu pushed the door open and saw Ruan Wu holding her phone, slightly frowning. “Ruan Ruan, you saw their messages. What should we two do?”

Ruan Wu said, “Since we agreed to pretend to be a couple, we must do our best. I’ll reply to them. You just follow my lead.”

“Okay.” Xia Zhiyu sat next to Ruan Wu, watching how she would reply to achieve “the best.”