After Being Transmigrated into a Cannon Fodder Scum Alpha - Chapter 7

The clock in the bedroom ticked away. Yun Qi felt her heart, her breath, and her brain all synchronized with that frequency, playing a symphony. Tossing and turning, she could still clearly hear that rhythmic sound; even the sleepiness she had just managed to muster was driven away.

Unable to sleep, she helplessly opened her eyes and focused her gaze on the wall clock, hoping to clear her mind and summon the Duke of Zhou (the god of dreams) once more.

As the hands turned regularly on the clock, a few emotions buried deep in her heart broke through the soil. Yun Qi thought of the scene when she first arrived: a tiny “milk ball” huddling outside the door, terrified because she woke up and couldn’t find her mother. She had come to seek help from “herself”—this incompetent parent—clutching a bear plushie almost as big as her own body, asking about her mother’s whereabouts in a waxy voice.

In her past life, Yun Qi had known her sexual orientation, but because of the environment, she had to hide it; she had always been single and had no children. Since coming here, she had lacked a sense of belonging. These days felt like a dream—when she woke up, she would still be that office worker pulling all-nighters. Consequently, she hadn’t been able to step into the role of a “mother,” and because of the Scum Value, she had focused entirely on Lin Chen while neglecting Lin Xi.

“Little Scum, I bet Lin Chen is definitely badmouthing me to Xi’er.”

[…You’re overthinking it.]

“No, she’s definitely scolding me. We had the child together, yet I never care or show concern. She asked me to see Xi’er today and I refused—she’s definitely angry.” Yun Qi sounded very certain.

[So?] The system felt a sense of foreboding, and this foreboding felt slightly familiar.

“I should go eavesdrop, shouldn’t I? Then I can use that as an excuse to punish her properly. They’d never guess I’m still awake at this hour.” Yun Qi smiled like a cunning little fox.

The Ducal Mansion was empty in the dead of night. Yun Qi tiptoed to Lin Chen’s bedroom door. A faint sound came from behind the door; she cautiously leaned closer.

“I heard Snow White is running away,

Little Red Riding Hood is worried about the Big Bad Wolf.

I heard the Mad Hatter loves Alice,

The Ugly Duckling will turn into a white swan…”

It seemed Lin Chen was humming a song to coax Xi’er. Her voice was soft and the melody light, weaving a fairy tale belonging to Xi’er—a place with an ancient castle built brick-by-brick with love, a warm and moist spring, and the most beautiful cornflowers…

Standing outside the door, Yun Qi could almost imagine the scene inside: in the glow of the orange nightlight, Lin Chen would be looking down tenderly at the girl in her arms, humming a soft song. The girl being held must have rosy cheeks and a curled smile, because being held by her favorite mother made her the happiest little princess in the world.

Outside the door, Yun Qi didn’t notice that the corners of her own mouth were also curled upward…

For the next ten days, Yun Qi was busy handling the family’s corporate business. Fortunately, this world wasn’t too different from Earth. “Yun Qi” had done a lot of prep work beforehand, so she only needed to go through the remaining manuscripts to understand the general direction, otherwise, she would have had a massive headache.

It had to be said that while “Yun Qi” was a super “Scum A,” her professional ability was excellent. Beside every book she read, there were notes and thoughts, along with several large notebooks recording her insights.

[Don’t you feel like you’ve forgotten something?] The system spoke eerily in Yun Qi’s ear, its resentment almost condensing into a physical form.

Yun Qi, busy studying in the study, raised her head and looked forward with confusion.

[The Scum Value! Your Scum Value hasn’t changed in ten days!]

“!” Come to think of it, Yun Qi had rarely seen Lin Chen these past few days, though she often spotted Xi’er peeking at her.

That little Omega seemed very busy lately; Yun Qi hadn’t run into her much at home. Reviewing the original plot, she didn’t find that Lin Chen had any special hobbies or close friends before meeting Mu Yu; the little Omega’s most frequent activity was staying in her room reading.

Perhaps she should take the initiative to find Lin Chen?

Knock, knock.

Knock, knock.

“Enter.” Yun Qi shifted from her unceremonious, relaxed state into a rigorous professional posture.

The little Omega, who hadn’t been seen much for ten days, walked in. She kept her eyes lowered and moved slowly, but didn’t speak.

The arrogant Duke glanced at the wife who had walked in, then lowered her head to continue looking at the books on the desk, having no intention of speaking first. Silence spread through the study; only the sound of a pen scratching across paper and the little Omega’s somewhat hurried breathing could be heard.

“I… I found a… job,” the Omega finally spoke after a long deliberation.

The Duke stopped her pen, as if she had heard something incredible, staring at the person before her with eyes slightly wide.

“I found a job,” the little Omega repeated, much more fluently than the first time. After speaking, she raised her head, using those eyes—like dewy black gemstones—to stare intently at the Duke, meeting her gaze.

Yun Qi was a bit surprised. Lin Chen seemed to have become a bit bolder? The previously dull and introverted little Omega had never met her gaze; every time their eyes met, she would look away immediately, treating Yun Qi like a predatory beast.

“Does the mistress of this mansion have some misunderstanding about her partner?” The Duke looked at the little Omega with a half-smile. “Does my dear wife think I can’t afford to support her, or does she want to take revenge on her incompetent partner?”

“N-no…” the little Omega explained flusteredly. “A friend of mine also founded a research institute; she wants me to help out.” Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she lowered her head.

Yun Qi didn’t see that Lin Chen’s expression returned to calm once her head was down.

Lin Chen had an intuition—she believed and was certain for no clear reason—that the current Yun Qi would not stop her from working out of concern for “Alpha pride.” Actually, she hadn’t wanted to bring it up so early, but the organization was pushing hard. The research had entered a stagnant phase and needed a supervisor to be on-site 24/7. Disappearing for long periods would raise Yun Qi’s suspicions; it was better to bring it up herself.

“A friend?” The Duke slowly chewed on the word. “I recall this isn’t the first time I’ve heard you mention your ‘friend,’ is it?”

“When was the last time?” The wicked Alpha pretended to be distressed as she asked. “I think it was the time with Yi Fei?” she asked with some uncertainty.

The little Omega’s thin body swayed slightly. “This friend is different, she—”

“Enough!” The Duke interrupted her wife. “I have no interest in your social life, do I?”

“As long as you don’t tarnish the reputation of the Ducal Mansion, I don’t care,” the Alpha added with a smile. “The Duke driving her loathed wife out to work—perhaps that will be an interesting news story?”

“Thank you,” the Omega whispered before leaving.

Yun Qi slumped back in her seat.

“Little Scum, look. In this world, an Alpha who loves his wife wouldn’t let her work; the discrimination against Omegas is too high. Only a Scum A wouldn’t care if his wife goes out.”

[But an Omega going out will make her Alpha lose face.]

“No, ‘Yun Qi’s’ status and power are well-known and unchanging. They will only mock Lin Chen for being ‘driven out’ to work; they’ll mock her lack of favor. Perhaps kind-hearted people will even stand up for her and sigh at how ‘scummy’ I am.”

[…] The system reported somewhat reluctantly, [Treating wife with malicious humor, Scum Value +10.]

Yun Qi closed her eyes and rubbed her throbbing temples. She had been reading all day. The pleasant thing was that she had already sketched out a general outline of her family company.

As for Lin Chen, she felt the previous Lin Chen was too stifled, always staying home and being picked on and mocked by “her”; she would have gotten depressed. It’s good for her to go out to work, clear her head, meet different people, and see interesting things—it’s good for her physical and mental health. If a person stays home all the time, their body and mind will be corroded; they slowly lose themselves, fear contact with others, and become entirely dependent on the “pillar” of the home.

Yun Qi hoped that even after she was gone, even if Lin Chen married Mu Yu, she would still have her own space and be an independent entity.

Fairy tales always end with the princess marrying the prince, and the plot ends with Lin Chen marrying Mu Yu, but human hearts are fickle. Who can guarantee they will only love one person forever? If you bet right, everyone is happy; if you bet wrong, it’s a mess.

Moreover, compared to an unconventional wealthy Omega wanting to work for herself (which is harder for people to accept), knowing Lin Chen was forced out to work would likely garner pity rather than rejection. Maybe Lin Chen would even find some good Omega friends.

Straightening out her thoughts, Yun Qi raised her communicator. “Ji Lin, spread the word. Say the Duchess was driven out to work by me specifically to humiliate her.”

“Understood.”

“How is the investigation into Yi Fei going?” The conversation with Lin Chen reminded her of this almost-forgotten existence.

“I’m very sorry,” Xu Ji Lin said over the line, sounding extremely guilty. She had failed the Duke’s expectations. “The investigation shows that when Yi Fei worked with the Duchess, their relationship was very good. There were no conflicts; she always protected the Duchess. Even after the Duchess resigned, they kept in touch. I asked others if Yi Fei had encountered any trouble, but there were no leads. I couldn’t find a reason for her to frame the Duchess.”

“Furthermore,” Xu Ji Lin said with confusion, “I sent people to find her, but she seems to have vanished into thin air. There’s no trace of her existence left.”

“Is that so?” Yun Qi wasn’t too surprised. How could a pivotal character in the original plot be caught so easily? Perhaps she had already met Mu Yu.

“It’s fine, Ji Lin. Keep an eye out for her. Report any clues to me.”

“Yes!”

Yun Qi hung up the communicator and resumed her studies.

Author’s Note:

“I assume, I guess” were catchphrases of a Gong (Top) in a short story I read before. I thought they were cute so I used them here. If they feel a bit weird, I’ll use them less in the future! ⊙ω⊙

The lyrics mentioned are from the song “Fairy Tale Town” (Tong Hua Zhen).