After The Shared Beta Was Abandoned By The Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 6

“We can’t leave?”

Once Lin Xiaogu understood what Xi Bingye meant, a deep wave of anxiety suddenly surged through her heart.

Yu Baiyi had a weak stomach and often suffered from stomach pain. Whenever it hurt, she liked drinking the almond porridge Lin Xiaogu made. Fortunately, before leaving, Lin Xiaogu had stored some in an insulated container…

But it was only enough for one meal.

Without her there, could Baiyi take proper care of herself?

Would she forget to eat again?

“Secretary Lin,” Xi Bingye called softly, her gaze calm. “Did you hear what I just said?”

“I’m sorry.” Lin Xiaogu hurriedly lifted her eyes, a trace of embarrassment flashing across her face. “I was distracted just now. Could you please say it again?”

Xi Bingye did not become angry. She simply repeated herself.

“I said that if conditions improve, we can begin our work tomorrow afternoon. However, if we are unlucky…”

Xi Bingye paused.

“We may need to remain here for three full days. You should prepare yourself mentally.”

“Also, based on my experience, a blizzard of this scale in Country S may cause communications to be disrupted. You should contact your family tonight and let them know you’re safe.”

“O-Okay.”

Lin Xiaogu took out her phone. After thinking for a moment, she felt it would be inappropriate to call Yu Baiyi in front of the prosecutor, so she asked somewhat awkwardly, “Prosecutor Xi, may I go outside to call my family?”

Xi Bingye studied her for a moment, then smiled gently. The smile was faint.

“Of course. Go ahead. The signal may be slightly better at the end of the corridor, but don’t go too far. Be careful.”

“Okay.”

Lin Xiaogu nodded, tightened her grip around her phone, gently pushed open the door, and stepped into the dimly lit corridor.

Cold wind slipped through the cracks in the windows, carrying a crisp trace of snow. She walked toward the blurred window at the end of the corridor. Outside was nothing but an all-consuming world of black and white.

She took a deep breath and pressed the familiar number while watching the signal bars flicker in and out.

A long ringing tone sounded through the receiver. Every ring seemed to strike directly against her heart.

Finally, one second before the call would have ended automatically, it connected.

“Hello?”

Yu Baiyi’s voice traveled through the signal, slightly distorted.

The heart Lin Xiaogu had been holding in suspense finally dropped back into place.

“Xiaogu, what is it?”

Lin Xiaogu considered what she wanted to say. In the end, she decided to express her concern.

“Baiyi, I arrived safely in Country S. Have you been eating properly?”

Noisy conversation could be heard on the other end. There even seemed to be a woman calling Yu Baiyi’s name.

Lin Xiaogu’s heart sank.

“Baiyi? Baiyi?”

“I came back to the family residence for dinner today. Baby, I couldn’t hear you clearly. What did you just say?”

“I said that I arrived safely…”

“Oh, good. It’s good that you arrived safely. By the way, Baby, it’s a little too noisy here, and I can’t hear you properly. I’m going to hang up first,” Yu Baiyi said hurriedly. “My mother is calling me to eat. If I’m late, she’ll become angry again. Call me anytime if something happens. Don’t get too close to Xi Bingye. Protect yourself and be good.”

“Okay…”

Before Lin Xiaogu could finish the word, Yu Baiyi ended the call.

Holding her phone, Lin Xiaogu returned to the room dejectedly.

Xi Bingye was working on her computer. When she heard the door close, she looked up and asked, “What happened? Did the call not connect?”

Her tone was light, as though it were merely the most ordinary expression of concern.

But for some reason, Lin Xiaogu felt an intense urge to cry.

She wanted to cry because she was separated from Yu Baiyi.

She wanted to cry because she was trapped in a foreign country.

She wanted to cry because the call had been abruptly ended.

And she also wanted to cry…

Because of each casual word of concern Xi Bingye offered her.

Xi Bingye cared about her in the same way she would care about an ordinary colleague.

But Lin Xiaogu was merely an ordinary person who knew nothing. She was even a Beta.

Was she truly qualified to receive this concern?

Xi Bingye’s gentle voice sounded again.

“If you’re tired, go and rest. You can use the room on the left. It’s more spacious.”

Lin Xiaogu lowered her head and said nothing.

Please, don’t continue caring about her…

She truly did not know what to do.

When someone felt deeply inferior, they could become extremely impolite.

Lin Xiaogu did not know how to respond, so she simply lowered her head, hurried into the bedroom, and shut the door with a bang.

In the middle of the night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She kept wondering how her fate could have changed so drastically.

If Yu Baiyi had not discovered her by the roadside that year, or if Yu Baiyi had not been so kind and taken her home, would her fate have been no different from that of the stray dogs on the street?

Yet now, she lived in Yu Baiyi’s villa, possessed a highly respectable job, and had met people whom most others would never encounter even if they spent their entire lives trying.

Someone like Xi Bingye.

The first time Lin Xiaogu saw her, she had felt that Xi Bingye’s presence was overwhelmingly powerful. She seemed like someone born to wield authority, and she possessed a breathtakingly beautiful face.

Silver hair that symbolized nobility, fair skin, blue eyes…

Yet someone as aristocratic as Xi Bingye was now showing concern for her in a tone of complete equality.

She clearly knew nothing.

What right did she have to obtain this job so effortlessly?

And what right did she have to receive such equal concern?

Lin Xiaogu thought endlessly. The dense tangle of thoughts seemed ready to crush her completely, while her body still ached from the previous night’s frenzy.

Now it was even more impossible to sleep…

Lin Xiaogu simply turned on the bedroom light and quietly crept out of the room.

“You’re still awake?”

Xi Bingye’s gentle voice echoed through the empty room.

Lin Xiaogu froze, then immediately lowered her eyes.

“I… can’t sleep.”

“If you can’t sleep, you could heat up some milk from the refrigerator in the kitchen. It may help.”

The stove in Country S used a complicated, specialized system and required the correct procedure before it could be ignited.

Xi Bingye thought Lin Xiaogu might not know how to operate it, so she asked gently, “Would you like me to heat it for you?”

“N-No, thank you. I’m only thirsty and wanted to come out for some water.”

“Oh. All right.”

Xi Bingye withdrew her gaze and closed her computer.

“I’m going to rest now. I usually wake up rather early, and I’m afraid the noise might disturb you. Remember to close your bedroom door properly.”

Xi Bingye walked over to Lin Xiaogu and paused briefly.

“Good night.”

Lin Xiaogu whispered, “Good night.”

At six in the morning, Country S time, Xi Bingye woke precisely according to her internal clock.

She completed her basic washing and grooming in the room, then performed several simple stretches.

After exercising, she walked to the window, drew open the curtains, and looked at the endless expanse of white snow outside.

She sighed softly.

At seven o’clock, Xi Bingye opened her bedroom door.

She had intended to take advantage of Lin Xiaogu’s sleep and go outside to examine the situation. However, the moment she left the room, she saw Lin Xiaogu sweeping the living room floor.

Heated milk and biscuits had already been placed on the dining table, and the living room windows had been polished until they gleamed.

Xi Bingye froze when she saw everything.

After a long moment, she frowned slightly and looked at Lin Xiaogu.

“Who told you to do all of this?”

Lin Xiaogu immediately replied, “No one told me. I simply felt that I should do something…”

“So you stayed awake all night doing housework?” Xi Bingye asked in disbelief.

Xi Bingye was a light sleeper. Throughout the night, she had heard quiet rustling sounds coming from the living room. It had clearly been Lin Xiaogu carefully doing something outside.

Xi Bingye had originally assumed that Lin Xiaogu was finally revealing her true intentions and was taking advantage of her sleep to copy confidential documents from her computer.

Therefore, Xi Bingye had deliberately transferred all important documents in advance and installed an alarm system on the computer. If Lin Xiaogu attempted to transfer any files, Xi Bingye would be notified immediately.

But…

What was Lin Xiaogu doing now?

“I-I’m sorry… I only thought that I should do these things. If I did something wrong, I apologize. Please don’t be angry.”

Lin Xiaogu’s voice became quieter and quieter until it was almost a mumble.

Xi Bingye stared at her for a long time. There was incomprehension in her eyes, but even more confusion.

Eventually, she asked, “When you were at home before, did someone make you do these things?”

“No, no one did.”

Lin Xiaogu instinctively began to apologize.

“I’m sor—”

“—ry.”

Xi Bingye said, “There are more qualified colleagues responsible for handling these tasks. You only need to focus on completing the work I assign you, recording information at all times, and organizing the relevant documents. You do not need to take on work beyond your responsibilities.”

“And another thing.”

Xi Bingye’s tone suddenly became serious.

“You haven’t done anything wrong. Stop apologizing all the time.”

“Maintaining an equal and natural relationship is extremely important to me. I hope the people beside me are colleagues who can fight alongside me, not subordinates who only know how to nod and agree.”

Lin Xiaogu lowered her head, twisting her hands together.

After saying this, Xi Bingye softened her tone.

“All right. Raise your head.”

Lin Xiaogu slowly looked up.

Xi Bingye clearly saw the moisture gathering in Lin Xiaogu’s eyes.

Lin Xiaogu had a small face and very large eyes. At that moment, her palm-sized face seemed to contain nothing but a pair of red-rimmed eyes.

She looked exceptionally pitiful.

She resembled a lop-eared rabbit Xi Bingye had once raised.

Why was she crying?

Had Xi Bingye spoken too harshly?

It was also Xi Bingye’s first time working with such a young secretary. Using the gentlest tone she could manage, she changed the subject.

“Have you learned how to use the software?”

Lin Xiaogu immediately nodded.

“Mhm, I learned it.”

Xi Bingye breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good. Show me now.”

The two of them sat in front of the computer, and Lin Xiaogu eagerly turned it on.

She was confident about this part.

She would definitely demonstrate highly professional computer skills in front of Xi Bingye without making a single mistake.

Filled with confidence, Lin Xiaogu turned on the computer and opened the document.

Then she suddenly remembered the words she had typed that night…

Ah!

No!

She abruptly reached out, intending to close the laptop, but Xi Bingye moved faster.

Xi Bingye placed a hand in front of the screen, narrowed her eyes, and read the contents of the document.

Then she looked at Lin Xiaogu and asked softly,

“What… did you write here?”