After Becoming an Alpha, I Became a Charmer (GL) - Chapter 4

After an awkward silence, someone finally offered a fake smile and answered Xia Zhiyu’s question. “Yeah, haha.”

Xia Zhiyu didn’t mind their coldness or reluctance at all. She just kept smiling and chatting. “They have the signature pineapple pork roast today. I’m really looking forward to it. I wonder if there’s any left at this hour.”

The female Beta who had just spoken looked at her in surprise.

The original “Xia Zhiyu” was thick-skinned and didn’t mind being rebuffed, but her conversation would always have a vulgar undertone. The smile in her eyes was lecherous, completely ruining her good looks and making people stay far away.

Today’s Xia Zhiyu seemed different. So far, the two things she had said were completely normal.

“A few departments are really busy today, and a lot of people haven’t had lunch yet, so there should be plenty left. Don’t worry,” the female colleague said, trying to test her theory by continuing the conversation.

The person standing next to her didn’t know what she was doing and secretly tugged on her sleeve, stopping her irrational behavior.

Was “Xia Zhiyu” someone you could just talk to? If you told her to “scram,” she would think you were trying to get her attention in a special way.

She was, without a doubt, the most confidently repulsive Beta they had ever met.

Hearing this, Xia Zhiyu’s dark eyes crinkled with her smile. “That’s great! I feel a little bad for the colleagues who are still working, but when I’m hungry, the signature pineapple pork roast is more important.”

Huh? Xia Zhiyu was actually having a normal conversation with someone?

The others finally caught on, their gazes shooting towards Xia Zhiyu like searchlights.

But before they could get a good look at her face—the one they had previously disdained—the elevator chimed “ding” and slowly opened on the top floor.

Xia Zhiyu was the closest to the door, with the others forming a circle behind her.

She had been standing sideways to talk to them. When the elevator doors opened, she immediately stepped out so as not to block the way and headed straight for the pineapple pork roast counter, leaving the group behind her stunned.

The crowd got off the elevator before the doors closed and stood in silent shock for a moment. Finally, someone spoke up. “That was really Xia Zhiyu, right? Did she just… walk away?”

The voice was filled with disbelief.

“She was so normal, it was abnormal.”

“Shouldn’t she have clung to one of us and asked to have lunch together? All the rejection lines I practiced went to waste??”

“And she didn’t say a single vulgar word. Was she struck by lightning? Did her brain mutate and change her personality?”

“Ding.” The second group of people came up for lunch. They quickly set aside their confusion and found a table with enough empty seats.

It was easier to gossip when they were close.

After everyone had bought their food and returned, the one who had scoped out Xia Zhiyu’s location immediately pointed in a certain direction. “Xia Zhiyu is over there, by the window. I saw with my own eyes that after she sat down, that rich, handsome Omega from the tech department, whom she used to hit on, took his tray and fled. He was faster than a rocket. The even more shocking part is that Xia Zhiyu didn’t even notice the Omega; her eyes were completely glued to the pineapple pork roast, haha.”

“Pfft, since when was Xia Zhiyu such a foodie? Could it be that she realized her old methods weren’t working and is forcing herself not to look? That little Omega is pretty; she’s the one Xia Zhiyu has chased for the longest. I refuse to believe a dish could win out over her.”

The group ate and chatted, discussing various possibilities but still unable to figure out what was behind Xia Zhiyu’s change.

“Aside from her being late with Ms. Ruan today, I can’t think of anything else strange that’s happened recently.”

“Hiss—” The others sucked in a cold breath. “Are you saying Xia Zhiyu and Ms. Ruan…”

“No way, absolutely not! Stop that crazy talk. The possibility of Xia Zhiyu and Ms. Ruan being together is as likely as a fantasy. Ms. Ruan is the most powerful Omega CEO. She has extremely high standards. The people she interacts with are all elite Alphas. How could she ever be interested in a Beta like Xia Zhiyu?”

After finishing her lunch, Xia Zhiyu immediately went to pack some food for Ruan Wu.

When she had bought her own meal earlier, she had been so focused on the food she had been craving since reading the novel that she hadn’t paid attention to the cafeteria lady’s expression. Now, with no rush, Xia Zhiyu noticed that the cafeteria lady was giving her a stony stare and a sharp tongue. “Which one? Don’t waste time,” she said impatiently, tapping her large stainless steel ladle on the edge of the serving tray with a clanging sound that startled the people in line at the next window.

Xia Zhiyu didn’t mind the rush. After all, the original “Xia Zhiyu” had a bad reputation and had once tried to hit on the cafeteria lady’s daughter when she came to pick her up from work. Getting two dirty looks in return was what she deserved.

Xia Zhiyu’s eyes scanned the various dishes.

She had to be careful when choosing food for Ruan Wu. It would be best if she could pick out something Ruan Wu liked.

Ruan Wu was secretive and good at using others to achieve her goals. She rarely revealed her personal preferences. Xia Zhiyu only knew that she disliked Alphas from the novel; no one at the company had ever figured it out.

“Half portions of the stir-fried greens, tofu, and the garlic chive pork. For the main dish, I’ll have rice, and I’ll also take a pear and white fungus dessert soup,” Xia Zhiyu said after careful consideration.

The cafeteria lady didn’t immediately serve her. Instead, she pressed a series of numbers on the card reader in front of her and motioned with her chin. “Twenty in total. Pay first.”

Xia Zhiyu was reminded by the cafeteria lady’s attitude that she must have overlooked something. While taking out her meal card to pay, she searched her memories of “Xia Zhiyu” for the reason.

“Beep! Insufficient balance. Please recharge your card as soon as possible.”

The card reader’s voice sounded just as Xia Zhiyu finally found the memory that was so insignificant to “Xia Zhiyu” that she had barely remembered it.

The Ruan Group’s cafeteria was a company benefit. Employees had a daily allowance of thirty yuan for meals. If a meal cost more, they had to pay the rest themselves.

Most employees would put some money on their meal cards so they could eat something a little nicer, except for “Xia Zhiyu.”

Since she started working there, she would meticulously plan her meals to use up the exact thirty yuan, never adding a single cent. Sometimes, if she ate more at lunch, she would eat a simple steamed bun for dinner if her balance was only one yuan.

She was the epitome of cheapness.

As the CEO’s secretary, “Xia Zhiyu” had an annual salary of at least 300,000 yuan, not to mention a 100,000 yuan year-end bonus. And yet, she was too stingy to put any money on her meal card.

This was one of the reasons why the Betas and Omegas she hit on looked down on her.

Xia Zhiyu remembered that her lunch had cost fifteen yuan, so she should have fifteen yuan left on her card.

“Ma’am, I’ll take off the stir-fried greens.”

As soon as Xia Zhiyu left with her tray of food, someone came over to ask the cafeteria lady what happened.

The cafeteria lady scoffed and recounted the incident. She finished with, “A Beta like her will never find a partner in this lifetime! She wants to hit on my daughter? In her dreams!”

The person who got the gossip immediately shared it in the group chat.

[Pond Without Fish]

ThreeBowlsOneMeal: Breaking news—that fish hasn’t changed at all. She’s still the cheapskate who’s too stingy to add money to her meal card!

To avoid leaving any evidence, they used “[that fish]” to refer to Xia Zhiyu in the chat.