After Being Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Scum Alpha, She Relies on Acting Cute to Survive - Chapter 15

The matter was simple: Lin Shu had run into a high school classmate. This person seemed to be doing quite well for themselves and had been shocked for a long time upon learning that Lin Shu had ended up at some “technical training academy.”

That Beta was currently in the rising stage of their career and had met a benefactor, so they introduced Lin Shu to their boss.

Xu Yayi explained: “It’s Xue Qingning of the Xue family. You probably wouldn’t recognize the name even if I told you. This Beta has no small ambition; the company here is just a hobby to her, but she’s run into the Ge family.”

Xu Yayi’s information was still more extensive and faster than Ruan Ci’s, who hadn’t yet reached the core of Ruan Corp.

Initially, Ruan Ci was just listening along, her only thought being how to help Lin Shu later.

But those three words that Xu Yayi glossed over made Ruan Ci freeze for a long while before she asked in surprise: “Xue… Xue Qingning!???”

Ruan Ci actually lost her composure a bit.

Xu Yayi looked at her strangely: “What, you know her?”

“…No, no, no, I… I don’t.” Realizing her reaction, Ruan Ci shook her head like a rattle.

Xue Qingning—the “Official Shou” (protagonist love interest) from the original plot. She was gentle and kind, and despite her excellent family background, she didn’t have a trace of arrogance. Humble and elegant, she was a rare top-tier Beta and a match made in heaven for Lin Shu.

Does Xue Qingning appear this early in the plot? Ruan Ci thought with a scrunched face, realizing she had been here so long that she was… almost starting to forget.

An inexplicable wave of panic surged in Ruan Ci’s heart—could she really go back? Or was that voice just a hallucination?

Indeed, Ruan Ci thought dizzily, how could I believe so implicitly in a random voice from a dream? Who knows if it was just my own subconscious desire manifesting as that voice?!

Noticing the person beside her was acting off, Xu Yayi continued: “I happen to know the one from the Ge family. It won’t be hard if you want to help Lin Shu.”

“…R-really?”

Her voice was much weaker than before, and her smile was forced: “Xue Qingning, can’t… can’t she handle it?”

If she remembered correctly, the Xue family was similar to the Ruan family, just located in a different place with some minor differences.

The night breeze blew a waft of sweet fragrance over. Xu Yayi’s body relaxed significantly: “It’s not that she can’t, it’s just that it’s awkward for her to handle.”

Ruan Ci’s mind was a mess. She thought for a moment and asked directly: “What can I do?”

Xu Yayi, having already guessed this, said: “If you can convince President Ruan, this will be easy to settle.”

To deal with Ge Dong, it was impossible without letting her gain some tangible benefits. Unfortunately, the Ruan family’s Young Lady held no real power; she was currently just one of the many minor “cannon fodder” employees in the company.

At noon that day, Ruan Ci’s assistant informed her that she had managed to book a lunch with the Eldest Miss of the Ge family.

The other party was also incredibly busy with many affairs, having only flown back from abroad in the last two days.

Sitting inside, Ruan Ci watched through the window as Miss Ge stepped out of the car simultaneously with a bodyguard-like figure. However, only Ge Dong came in; the other person stopped at the door and remained motionless.

Ruan Ci understood then that this meal wouldn’t last long, and it was highly likely she’d be eating the second half by herself.

—Even so, she had already confirmed the menu.

The Ruan and Ge families had very little prior cooperation. This time, Ruan Ci had used Xu Yayi’s connections.

“You seem a bit different from the rumors.”

When Ge Dong laughed, she had a “fox-like” quality of calculation, but it wasn’t uncomfortable because she made it obvious.

“…I guess I’m okay. Everyone sees me differently, after all.”

Also being a “rich second generation,” the aura around Ge Dong was relatively less sharp, giving Ruan Ci a sense of comfort as if she were interacting with an “ordinary person.”

—This was so rare! There were hardly any people like this around the original host!

After some small talk, Ge Dong pointedly mentioned several recent projects by Ruan Corp, then continued:

“Aren’t you uninterested in that Omega anymore? What’s all this—treating me to lunch and this and that? People who don’t know better would think you’ve fallen in love with me.”

Ge Dong was a Beta. It was impressive that she could stand firm in the Ge family—where Alphas and Omegas were numerous—with that gender.

Ruan Ci wasn’t very good at corporate pleasantries and was quite direct, stating that Lin Shu was “her person” and hoping Ge Dong wouldn’t make things difficult for her. Hearing this, she blinked: “Miss Ge already has someone to love her.”

As she spoke, she gestured with her chin toward the Alpha who had been waiting at the door for a long time.

That female Alpha was dressed simply, stood at least half a head taller than Ge Dong, and had a constant look of impatience—but the moment her gaze met Ge Dong’s, she would give her a somewhat childish glare, telling her to hurry up.

“Pfft.” Ge Dong’s tone was dismissive, but the doting smile on her face didn’t lie. “Fine. Since the Ruan family’s Young Lady has spoken, there’s no point in making things hard for them. I understand the intent behind today’s meal. Don’t worry.”

“You don’t need to be too hasty in agreeing to the cooperation I mentioned just now. Think it over—or let that little treasure of yours consult for you; her brain turns pretty fast.”

After saying that, Ge Dong gave face by draining her glass in one go, sat for a while to eat half a bowl of rice, and then took her leave.

Betas often seem quite ordinary among Alphas and Omegas. Generally, Betas seek out Betas; almost no Omega would actively be with a Beta. Alphas were even less likely; most preferred soft, white, obedient Omegas who could satisfy their specific cravings.

Ruan Ci watched their retreating backs and inexplicably felt a bit of sweetness in her mouth.

During Sunday dinner at home, President Ruan’s attitude toward Ruan Ci was better than ever. Mother Ruan was so happy she served an extra bowl of rice—to President Ruan.

“My hard-studying baby Ci-ci, try the braised chicken feet Mama made herself. Auntie Chen said you like them.”

Auntie Chen was the housekeeper at Ruan Ci’s home and also Mother Ruan’s “informant,” reporting Ruan Ci’s recent activities every few days.

Recently, baby Ci-ci had been obedient and well-behaved beyond measure! Not only had she stopped going out with that bunch of hoodlums, but she even knew how to use her connections to bring business to the company!

President Ruan mentioned that cooperation with the Ge family wasn’t frequent, and this time they had conceded a point of profit purely as a gesture of friendship—it would make future reciprocation easier. Mother Ruan suggested doubling Ruan Ci’s allowance, and President Ruan didn’t object.

“…Um, there’s no need to increase my allowance. I… I have enough.”

Before long, Ruan Ci’s bowl was piled high by Mother Ruan, who called her “darling baby” with every breath. This wasn’t the first time Ruan Ci felt this “unblockable hospitality,” but it was the first time she was willing to actively accept it.

She felt that the original host’s parents were a bit like her own biological parents—the type who wanted to celebrate with flowers and tell the whole world the moment she achieved even a tiny success. Sometimes it was embarrassing, but she understood that most of her confidence came from this.

She didn’t have to worry about letting her parents down.

Mother Ruan laughed until tears nearly came out: “Oh my, oh my, my Ci-ci has grown up! She’s even starting to think her allowance is too much~ This is nothing! I’ll have your mother buy you a car later! The one you mentioned last time…”

Seeing her getting carried away and drifting further from the original topic, President Ruan gave a light cough and rubbed Mother Ruan’s arm for a moment.

Mother Ruan, who was in the middle of a roll, looked over: “What is it? Being stingy? I researched this for Ci-ci for so long, you can’t let me waste my time! If it really won’t work, I’ll use the money from my—”

“That’s not what I meant.” A trace of helplessness flashed in President Ruan’s eyes. “Sit down and eat first.”

Mother Ruan: “Don’t be stingy! This is your own daughter! And I’m your own wife!”

“…I wasn’t being stingy.”

“Then why are you touching me? Isn’t it just to keep me from talking?”

“…No,” President Ruan not only didn’t find it annoying but even curled her lips slightly into a faint smile, her eyes focused intently on her Omega. “Touching you had no other meaning.”

I just wanted to touch you.

Instantly understanding the meaning behind those words, Mother Ruan’s face flushed. She rolled her eyes with a shimmering gaze and sat back down, humming petulantly.

Ruan Ci blinked, her own smile staying wide.

—Then she remembered that in the original plot, President Ruan and Mother Ruan seemed to be written out of the story very quickly.

The busy President Ruan finally found a few days to go on a wedding anniversary trip with her wife, only for the plane to crash.

Looking at the two vivid, well-matched people before her, Ruan Ci’s breathing slowed.

She… she couldn’t bear it, and she didn’t want them to leave so soon.

Ruan Ci didn’t know how Lin Shu found out she had helped.

Having not seen her for a few days, Lin Shu looked exactly like the cold beauty in her memories. If she had to point out a difference—

It was that the sense of Omega-like fragility on her had been significantly diluted by a high-intensity career drive. Her walk already held the prototype of the decisive “Reborn Lin Shu” from the plot, though the gaze she directed over wasn’t quite as terrifying.

Seeing the clothes on Ruan Ci, Lin Shu’s eyes darkened slightly. She sat down unhurriedly and ordered a meal with an elegant posture.

Lin Shu had taken the initiative to invite Ruan Ci to dinner, and the location was a fairly high-end restaurant. This gave Ruan Ci a sense of surprise, but also a touch of loneliness, like watching a bird she’d raised spread its wings and fly away.

—Look at that unintentional noble poise in every gesture, and that simple yet dignified outfit. No one would believe she wasn’t raised in a prestigious family!

At least Ruan Ci wouldn’t.

The Omega’s presence added a faint scent of tea to the air.

Lin Shu was beautiful and fair-skinned; anything she wore would only add to her charm. Furthermore, Ruan Ci had given a heads-up to the agency she was signed with, so her resources were top-tier. With several stylists and makeup artists at her disposal, the disciplined and beautiful Lin Shu was very popular.

She casually rolled up one sleeve, revealing a snowy-white wrist that looked like it could never be tanned: “Regarding Ge Dong… thank you.”

“…Mhm?”

Ruan Ci belatedly retracted her gaze from the other woman’s wrist and gave a shy smile.

“It’s no problem! Keep working hard; you can come to me if anything like that happens again,” Ruan Ci said from the bottom of her heart. “I know them; it’s just a meal and a few words.”

“…” Lin Shu knew Ruan Ci had agreed to a series of collaborations with Ge Dong, and since she wasn’t the sole decision-maker at Ruan Corp, the obstacles wouldn’t have been small.

Gazing at the person before her, despite having the familiar silhouette and features from her memory, she could always detect that something had changed.

Lin Shu already had a suspicion in her heart, so she didn’t feel disgusted when she saw Ruan Ci’s eyes lingering on her body.

—This person was a completely different existence from the Ruan Ci of her previous life. The world she was in might not necessarily be the world of her previous life.

Too many things had changed, and too many people were different. Her life seemed to have expanded countless times, easily seeing scenery she hadn’t been able to see even in death.

The foundation of all this was actually given to her by “Ruan Ci”—the name of the person who should have been her lifelong nightmare.

“Haven’t you been sleeping well lately?”

Ruan Ci noticed the faint dark circles under Lin Shu’s eyes and asked with concern.

“…I’m fine.” Lin Shu’s response to others’ concern was always lukewarm. In the eyes of outsiders, she was seen as cold-hearted and ungrateful.

Ruan Ci didn’t think so at all; she had a very thick filter for Lin Shu: “You should rest well—by the way, have you ever been to Happy Valley?”

Lin Shu’s brow furrowed slightly as she shook her head.

“Then do you have time this month? I want to go play, but I can’t find anyone to go with me.”

She felt Lin Shu was too tired. Building a career was fine, but she should also take a break. Everything is difficult at the start; you can’t rush it.

Of course, she also wanted to improve her relationship with Lin Shu a bit, so that Lin Shu wouldn’t keep things from her if she encountered problems.

“…” Lin Shu’s eyes were filled with confusion, not understanding why she was so set on going there.

Ruan Ci smiled nonchalantly: “If you don’t want to, it’s fine. I—”

“I’ll go.” Lin Shu lowered her eyes, not letting anyone see the expression within them.