The Cold Alpha's Black Lotus O Strategy Plan (GL) - Chapter 15

Outside the window, traffic flowed like a surging tide. The mottled city lights reflected in Lü Zhongcai’s cool eyes like a slowly moving galaxy as she quietly listened to 052’s explanation.

052 said, “Now you should believe me, shouldn’t you?”

Lü Zhongcai did not respond. She merely took out her phone and made a call.

“Who is this, calling in the middle of the night…”

The man’s voice on the other end was thick with sleepiness.

“It’s me,” Lü Zhongcai said.

“…”

“P-President Lü!”

Zhang Zui instantly woke up, his tone filled with alarm.

“W-What happened?”

“Come to A University,” Lü Zhongcai said.

“Yes, yes, of course!”

Zhang Zui repeatedly agreed as he clumsily climbed out of bed. Only then did he realize the call had already ended.

He wiped his face in embarrassment, immediately changed his clothes, and left.

052 asked in confusion, “Why are you calling Zhang Zui?”

The car stopped. The driver parked, came around to open the door, helped Lü Zhongcai out, and pushed her wheelchair toward A University’s main entrance.

052 sincerely advised, “Forgive me for speaking frankly, President Lü, but if you want to see the black lotus meet a miserable end, it would be best to return in a few days.”

Hearing the commotion, the security guard rubbed his eyes and emerged from the booth.

He shone his flashlight at Lü Zhongcai and called loudly, “Who’s there?”

—

“Do we need to contact your family?” the academy secretary asked.

Jin Sique tightly clasped her fingers together.

“Don’t you already know whether I have any family?”

The office fell silent again.

After a moment, the academic adviser asked, “Your adoptive parents…”

“They died of illness when I was seventeen,” Jin Sique replied.

“Just like what was written in the diary,” the dean of student affairs said.

Jin Sique raised her gaze slightly and stared at him.

“I didn’t write that diary.”

But that did not necessarily mean its contents were false.

At that moment, nearly everyone in the room except Jin Sique seemed to share that thought. Beneath their obscure gazes were concealed disdain and contempt.

The dean removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

“You don’t have any family, yet you frequently stay away from both the university and the dormitory?”

Chen Gang sneered.

—

“I’m here to see Jin Sique.”

Lü Zhongcai narrowed her eyes to avoid the flashlight’s glare. Her naturally pale face appeared even fairer beneath the harsh light.

The guard was around fifty years old and had heard something about the university’s well-known students.

The moment he heard Jin Sique’s name, he immediately examined Lü Zhongcai from head to toe.

“Who are you looking for?” he asked uncertainly.

“Jin Sique.”

The guard switched off the flashlight and walked over.

“Are you an Alpha? Why are you looking for an Omega this late at night? What is your relationship with her?”

—

“I don’t have any family.”

The corner of Jin Sique’s mouth moved slightly.

“The academy may punish me for leaving the campus without permission, but the university shouldn’t force me, the victim, to issue a public clarification regarding these rumors.”

“Chen Gang will also apologize publicly,” the dean said, gesturing toward the tablet in his hands. “But the first person who needs to clarify the matter is you.”

“You want the victim to come forward and prove her innocence?” Jin Sique asked.

“Is there a problem with that?”

“After I prove it, what happens next? How will the people who slandered me be dealt with?”

“This is for your own—” the dean began.

“Because the account’s IP address came from the university, and no matter what happens, it is the school’s reputation that will be damaged?” Jin Sique interrupted.

“So the truth and the actual culprit don’t matter.”

“You simply want to smooth everything over, don’t you?”

“Sique!” the adviser said darkly.

“Don’t be impulsive, Sique!” the academy secretary urged.

Jin Sique remained silent for a moment.

“None of you trust me. Allowing me to speak is merely a formality.”

The dean’s anger began surfacing again.

“Trust you? Are you worthy of our trust? How are you supposed to prove that all of this is false?”

Chen Gang stood and pointed at Jin Sique.

“Your daily movements, your figure, your appearance, and all the details of your life hinted at in the posts—what part doesn’t match you? Why are you still arguing?”

“And you’re asking about the culprit—”

“Chen Gang!”

The adviser was also approaching the limit of her patience.

“Sit down!”

“Forget it.”

The adviser rubbed her brow.

“It’s already very late. Perhaps everyone should return and rest first. Sique, you should think about it too. It isn’t such a serious matter… We only need to give the parents and netizens an explanation.”

Jin Sique pressed her lips together and asked in a light, composed voice, “Then who will give me an explanation?”

“None of you have ever asked whether the person described in that Weibo post was actually me.”

“You may even suspect that I wrote the diary myself, don’t you?”

“Jin Sique!”

The dean flew into a rage.

“If you continue being this obstinate, the university will have no choice but to advise you to withdraw!”

The academy secretary and adviser exchanged glances.

The former said, “Sique, it isn’t that we don’t trust you. The shawl hanging on your balcony truly matches the one in the photograph.”

“With so much evidence…”

The adviser looked troubled.

“How are we supposed to trust you?”

Jin Sique froze.

At that moment, the gazes of everyone in the room seemed to overlap with Xie Ying’s gaze three years earlier.

—

“Have you decided to compromise?”

Xie Ying stood beside the veranda. The scattered lights behind her outlined the alluring curves of her graceful figure.

Her body exuded a strong scent of desire.

It was the fragrance of an Omega in heat.

Behind Xie Ying were a chaotic crowd and the sounds of cheering.

Standing below the steps, Jin Sique retreated twice.

Xie Ying raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm?”

Jin Sique pressed her lips together.

The corners of her mouth were bruised and dark, and her forehead was split and streaked with blood. Her clothes were filthy and torn, but determination shone in her eyes.

“Please introduce me to someone.”

Xie Ying carefully examined her.

She stood, gracefully descended the steps, and studied Jin Sique’s face.

“Little Sparrow, have you truly thought this through?”

Jin Sique smiled.

That smile was so alluring that even Xie Ying could not compare.

Xie Ying glanced behind herself.

“I still have a gathering here. Go home first. I’ll contact you after I wake up.”

With that, Xie Ying hurried back to the party.

Jin Sique remained where she was, watching Xie Ying disappear through the gap in the door.

For an instant, the illusory, dreamlike lights seemed to pass through Xie Ying’s body and fall upon Jin Sique.

She admitted that, for one brief moment, she regretted it.

The door closed tightly, shutting everything away.

Jin Sique stood there for a while before limping away from the villa.

That day, she walked for a very long time. More than ten kilometers separated the villa from where she lived.

She had no money for a taxi, so she could only walk home.

Every step she took that day wore away at her self-respect and pride, while simultaneously strengthening the choice she had made to compromise.

—

The phone in the academic affairs office began ringing, its shrill sound interrupting the silent confrontation.

Everyone turned to look at Jin Sique.

The call had arrived…

The contents of the diary appeared simultaneously in everyone’s minds.

Jin Sique took out her phone and hesitated over whether to answer.

“One of your clients?” Chen Gang mocked.

This time, even the adviser remained silent.

It was two in the morning.

A call at such an hour was far too suggestive.

Jin Sique did not answer. She waited until the call ended automatically.

But the caller immediately tried a second time.

The gazes around her became even more judgmental.

Jin Sique lowered her head and stared at the call, no one knowing what she was thinking.

The phone stopped ringing again.

Silence returned.

Several minutes later, the adviser awkwardly coughed and broke the stalemate.

“Why don’t we end things here for today?” the academy secretary suggested.

The dean also looked exhausted.

He said to Jin Sique, “I hope you will seriously consider this. Don’t allow temporary anger or pride to cloud your judgment.”

“Student Jin, you still have your education. You can also have a bright future.”

Jin Sique slowly exhaled.

She tightened her grip on the phone and looked at the dean.

“I…”

Knock, knock.

Two knocks sounded from the door.

Everyone turned toward it in surprise.

“Could it be Student Zhu?” the academy secretary asked before standing to open it.

Jin Sique frowned and instinctively looked at the two missed calls displayed on her phone.

“You…”

The voice at the door abruptly stopped.

“Who are you?”

“Hello. I’m here to see Sique,” a cool and polite voice replied.

Jin Sique suddenly raised her head and stared at the office entrance in astonishment.

Lü Zhongcai guided her wheelchair into the room. Her gaze settled on Jin Sique.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

Still overwhelmed by surprise, Jin Sique stared blankly at Lü Zhongcai, unable to utter a single word.

Outside the door, the driver and security guard leaned over with their hands on their knees, panting heavily.

Zhu Wanqing, who had only just been awakened by the commotion, sat in a chair and stared dumbly at the two women.

“Who are you?” the dean asked as he stood.

Chen Gang took a step backward, his expression becoming guarded.

It was an instinctive avoidance between Alphas.

However, the moment he noticed Lü Zhongcai’s wheelchair, he relaxed again. He took out his phone and secretly replied to a message.

Start another round without me. Some cripple just showed up, so I’ll probably be here a while longer.

His roommate immediately began gossiping:

Did that slut’s lover come looking for her?

“I am Sique’s family,” Lü Zhongcai told the others in the room.

Jin Sique finally regained her senses.

She wanted to call out to Lü Zhongcai but pressed her lips together without making a sound.

She lowered her head and loosely clasped her hands like a child who had done something wrong.

The dean examined Lü Zhongcai.

She looked far too young, appearing no older than twenty-five, and did not resemble a proper elder.

“What kind of family member are you?”

Jin Sique’s eyes flickered.

052 said, “Admit that you’re the black lotus’s wealthy patron Sister! That will confirm the rumors and destroy the black lotus! Tear apart her hypocritical mask!”

The adviser and academy secretary regained their senses. Judging by Lü Zhongcai’s presence, they assumed she was a female Alpha.

“Her Sister,” Lü Zhongcai replied.

052: “?”

The adviser turned toward Jin Sique.

“You have a Sister?”

Jin Sique raised her head in astonishment and looked at Lü Zhongcai.

“A distant relative,” Lü Zhongcai explained. “We don’t communicate often. I saw the trending topic today, learned she was at the university, and happened to be passing by, so I came to see her.”

“The calls just now…”

The dean examined Lü Zhongcai. Seeing her expensive clothes, wheelchair, and composed manner, his expression gradually became subtle.

“Oh, you were the one calling Student Jin?”

“How should we address you?”

The adviser poured Lü Zhongcai a glass of water.

“You look somewhat familiar.”

Lü Zhongcai accepted it, then casually passed the glass to Jin Sique, indicating that she should drink.

The movement was so natural and familiar that the adviser became slightly embarrassed.

She turned around and poured another glass for Lü Zhongcai.

The office fell silent once again.

Lü Zhongcai’s appearance instantly changed the situation from one against four to two against four.

Even though she sat in a wheelchair and had to look slightly upward, she did not appear disadvantaged in the slightest.

In fact, her presence vaguely overwhelmed everyone else in the room.

A single Alpha could so easily transform an isolated and helpless Omega’s circumstances.

Jin Sique snorted inwardly and stopped speaking.

The dean cleared his throat.

“Since a family member has arrived, I’ll explain the solution we have discussed one more time…”

He repeated his proposal.

Lü Zhongcai quietly listened before looking toward Jin Sique, silently asking for her opinion.

Jin Sique said hesitantly, “I… want to call the police.”

The moment she finished, the dean and the others visibly became nervous.

Lü Zhongcai inclined her head.

“Then call the police.”

The dean’s expression nearly cracked.

“Miss Lü, what we mean is that it would be best to minimize the situation as much as possible…”

“Sique still has her studies. Her third year is extremely important…”

Lü Zhongcai smiled faintly.

Her tone was polite yet firm, allowing no argument.

“I insist on calling the police. I hope the university will cooperate.”

“I also hope Student Chen can explain his behavior in adding fuel to the fire.”

052 shouted, “President Lü? President Lü! Have you been possessed? This isn’t how the established plot is supposed to proceed!”

Chen Gang froze, then straightened, his expression becoming increasingly panicked.

“I… I…”

The dean attempted to persuade Lü Zhongcai, but she casually raised a hand, indicating that he should remain silent.

Someone knocked on the office door again.

Zhang Zui had arrived.

Before the people inside could react, he had already greeted everyone individually and presented his business card.

“A lawyer?!”

The dean examined the card in astonishment.

Jin Sique tightened her grip on the paper cup.

The water tilted against its side, and several drops spilled onto the floor.

“I’ll have to trouble Lawyer Zhang with everything that follows,” Lü Zhongcai said.

Zhang Zui gave an awkward smile, thinking that she was giving him far too much credit.

However, he straightened his collar and adopted a friendly smile.

“Violating another person’s right to reputation may result in administrative detention. When someone deliberately fabricates rumors, slanders another person, and seriously damages their reputation, they may face a prison sentence of up to three years…”

Zhang Zui handed Lü Zhongcai a document.

After reading it, she politely passed the complaint to Chen Gang.

“I came in a hurry and only printed a simple version,” Zhang Zui said with a smile. “Everyone can look through this for now. When I return to the firm tomorrow, I’ll draft a more detailed one.”

Everyone: “…”

“Why is the university also listed as a defendant?” the dean asked.

Zhang Zui smiled.

“By allowing students to recklessly spread obscene content and acting as a silent accomplice, I believe the university also bears an unavoidable responsibility.”

“Of course, I’ll need to review the relevant laws to determine whether this can proceed legally.”

“But even if we merely publish it online, it may help reverse some of the public’s impressions of Student Jin.”

The adviser said, “T-That’s absurd! We were considering the matter from Sique’s perspective!”

“For example…” Zhang Zui scratched his head.

“For example, forcing the victim to appear publicly while concealing the true perpetrator,” Lü Zhongcai said.

“Attempting to reduce a major issue to a minor one, then make the minor issue disappear altogether.”

“And repeatedly using her studies to threaten her into compromising.”

“That happened too?”

Zhang Zui snapped his fingers and took the pages back.

“Wait for me. I’ll add several more lines when I return.”

Everyone: “…”

Jin Sique: “…”

—

By the time they left the academic affairs office, it was almost three in the morning.

Jin Sique walked at the rear of the group.

She watched Zhang Zui, the driver, and the security guard work together to lift Lü Zhongcai and her wheelchair.

Slowly, step by step, they carried her down the long staircase.

Zhu Wanqing walked several steps before running back.

Her eyes practically overflowed with pink bubbles as she stared at Jin Sique.

“Sique, is she really your Sister? She’s so cool, so beautiful, and so restrained!”

“She’s an Alpha, right? Could you introduce me to her?”

“What?”

Jin Sique blinked and returned to her senses, staring blankly at Zhu Wanqing.