Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 15

After tidying up the room, Shen Xian switched to a new phone and walked out holding another box.

As soon as Lin Qinghan saw her in the cow-print pajamas, she couldn’t help but want to laugh. But not wanting to laugh in front of Shen Xian, she held it in.

Seeing her trying not to laugh made Shen Xian feel even more wronged. She had clearly bought the pajamas to make her little one happy — why did she end up being the one socially ruined?

She walked over and glanced at Lin Qinghan before speaking. “Qinghan, I’ve made a bit of money recently. I noticed your phone wasn’t in great shape, so I bought you a new one while I was at it.” As she spoke, she handed over the phone box.

Lin Qinghan just glanced at her and didn’t take it. “My phone still works. You keep it for yourself.”

Shen Xian’s hand hung awkwardly in the air, and she could only put the phone back. With a favorability score of [-90], thinking about Lin Qinghan’s personality, it made sense that she wouldn’t accept it. Shen Xian had no choice but to take the phone box back.

That night, after Lin Qinghan coaxed Shen Tian to sleep, Shen Xian took out her laptop and made a plan for Jiang Xi’s {ten million yuan}. She first bought one million worth of Moon Coins and allocated the remaining nine million to stocks. Moon Coins would probably take some time to appreciate, but the stock market was different — within a month, it should bring Jiang Xi considerable profit.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xi happily returned home with the contract. That evening, Mu Siyu, the heir to the Mu Corporation and someone who had grown up with her — came to visit. Unlike Jiang Xi, Mu Siyu had differentiated into an alpha after reaching adulthood.

Jiang Xi’s parents were always busy, either in the country or abroad, only home for a few days each month. Unfortunately, Jiang Xi didn’t have much talent for business, which gave them quite a headache. Luckily, her older brother Jiang Qiao was reliable when it came to managing the company. Still, Jiang Chengye gave his daughter ten million yuan, hoping she’d make something of herself. What he didn’t know was that she had handed the whole sum to someone she’d just met that day.

As soon as Mu Siyu arrived at the gate of the Jiang family villa, Jiang Xi ran out and threw herself into her arms. She showed no awareness of the usual boundaries between an omega and an alpha. “Sister Mu, you’re here! I missed you so much. Why haven’t you come to see me lately?” she said while rubbing her head against Mu Siyu’s neck affectionately.

Jiang Xi didn’t like wearing pheromone blocking patches. She thought they felt awkward, and since she wasn’t in heat, her scent wasn’t that strong anyway.

But alphas are very sensitive to omegas’ pheromones. The moment Jiang Xi approached, Mu Siyu’s senses were overwhelmed by her lychee-scented pheromones. She thought the girl in her arms was as sweet as her scent. Mu Siyu subtly pushed her back a bit and said seriously, “Xi Xi, how many times do I have to remind you? I’m an alpha. You can’t just hug me like when we were kids.”

Jiang Xi didn’t seem to care and beamed at her. “That’s not my fault. Sister Mu’s pear blossom scent smells so good — Xi Xi likes it! Hmph, Sister Mu is so stingy. You won’t even let me get a good whiff.”

If Mu Siyu didn’t know the girl in front of her wasn’t thinking anything improper, this would practically count as harassment. She smiled and shook her head — still such a child.

“You only get away with saying that kind of thing to me because I won’t misunderstand you. Come on, let’s talk inside.” Mu Siyu smiled helplessly and took Jiang Xi’s hand, leading her to the living room. She was wearing a dark red dress with a silver chain belt that emphasized her slim waist. Her cool, elegant features paired with her orange-tinted lip gloss gave her a soft and gentle look.

In the time it took to go from the gate to the living room, Jiang Xi had already stolen several glances at her. The more she looked, the more she felt Sister Mu was beautiful.

Of course, Mu Siyu didn’t miss her little glances. With a small smile, she asked on purpose, “Do I look good?”

Jiang Xi replied instinctively, “Yes.” Then she realized she’d been caught sneaking peeks at Sister Mu! Her cheeks flushed red, and she tried to cover it up, saying, “Sister Mu looks good no matter what. And your pear blossom scent smells really nice — Xi Xi likes it.”

Though she meant it innocently, the words made Mu Siyu’s heart tremble. But then she remembered Jiang Xi probably wasn’t thinking that way, and she felt a bit disappointed. This silly girl had always seen her as just a big sister.

Mu Siyu didn’t get upset, just let out a soft chuckle. “You’re such a sweet talker — been good at flattering me since you were little. Alright, I heard Uncle Jiang gave you ten million to start a business. Want me to help you?”

She knew Jiang Xi too well. If she tried to manage ten million herself, she’d probably lose it in a few days. But if she helped her, she’d get to see this silly girl more often.

“Ah, thanks Sister Mu, but my dad said I can’t let acquaintances help. Besides, I already found someone to help me!” Jiang Xi said with a harmless smile.

Mu Siyu suddenly felt a sense of alarm — not because the ten million was a lot, but because she couldn’t believe someone had tricked this silly girl so quickly. “And you’re smiling? You might end up helping them count your own money after they scam you.”

“Sister Mu, why do you sound just like Sister Shen? She also told me not to flaunt my wealth to just anyone, worried I’d get scammed.” Jiang Xi pouted a little. Why did all her sisters think she was that gullible? She was already 21! Why did they still treat her like a kid? She was very sharp, okay?

Mu Siyu felt something was off. Since when did Xi Xi have a “Sister Shen”?

“Xi Xi, who’s this Sister Shen you’re talking about?” she asked, probing carefully. She couldn’t let the cabbage she’d raised get taken by someone else.

“She’s the one helping me manage that ten million. She’s super nice! I left comments on Feibo for all those famous bloggers, and no one replied — only Sister Shen did! And she even agreed to help me. Plus, she’s really pretty…” Jiang Xi chattered on, but Mu Siyu didn’t catch a word after that. A strong sense of crisis surged within her. Just who was this Sister Shen?

Trying to stay calm, Mu Siyu asked, “So, is this Sister Shen an omega?”

At least if she was an omega or beta, she wouldn’t have pheromones that could attract Xi Xi. That would be less of a threat.

Jiang Xi thought for a long time and couldn’t recall what Shen Xian’s designation was. Her brows furrowed, and she tapped her fingers on her knee before saying, “I forgot to ask. But I didn’t smell any pheromones from her. She’s really nice though! I’ll introduce you two someday.”

“Alright.” Mu Siyu replied calmly. As long as she wasn’t an alpha. Then she said, “Let me take a look at your contract.”

“It’s not that much trouble. Sister Shen is really a good person. She’s pretty too.”

Just great. Mu Siyu’s heart, which had just settled down, immediately tensed again. Her precious little cabbage was full of praise for another woman, setting off every alarm in Mu Siyu’s mind.

Maybe it was time to step up her own game.

However, Jiang Xi still showed the contract to Mu Siyu. After reading it, Mu Siyu frowned even more deeply. The contract was drafted very properly — it looked legitimate. Could it be that the person Jiang Xi mentioned really wasn’t a scammer?

Jiang Xi leaned in closer, and the pear blossom scent she liked became even stronger. “Sister Mu, what’s wrong?”

Only then did Mu Siyu come back to her senses. “It’s nothing. There’s nothing wrong with the contract.”

The corners of Jiang Xi’s lips lifted slightly. Sister Mu hadn’t noticed how close she was — now she could openly and justifiably take in Sister Mu’s pheromones!

“In a few days, I’d like to meet the person you mentioned,” Mu Siyu said. Without meeting them, she still couldn’t fully relax.

“Sure, I’ll set up a time then. Let’s sit down together,” Jiang Xi said with a smile, leaning against Mu Siyu’s shoulder. Mu Siyu looked helplessly at the clueless little cabbage in front of her and let out a soft sigh.

The next morning, Shen Xian had already finished making breakfast early before waking up the mother and daughter still sleeping soundly in the master bedroom.

Lin Qinghan was still a bit groggy, but this was already nearly an hour more sleep than when she had to take care of Tian Tian by herself. Plus, staying with Shen Xian lately had actually been pretty relaxing — so much so that she’d forgotten to use pheromone blocking patches several times. Fortunately, Shen Xian had been surprisingly well-behaved lately, not stirring up any trouble. Their “you stay in your lane, I’ll stay in mine” dynamic wasn’t too bad.

It was just that when she saw Shen Xian wearing cow-print pajamas, Lin Qinghan’s stern face almost cracked.

Breakfast was century egg and lean pork congee, along with steamed mini buns made by Shen Xian. Shen Tian’s little cheeks puffed up from eating so much. Lin Qinghan’s lips curved slightly. This seemed to be the happiest period in Shen Tian’s life so far. She just didn’t know how long Shen Xian could keep it up — or if she had some other intentions.

Lin Qinghan forced herself not to be fooled by Shen Xian’s recent good behavior. It wasn’t like she hadn’t behaved before — only to deceive her more effectively in the end. Let’s just say she’s having a sudden bout of conscience. Lin Qinghan didn’t want to think too much beyond that.

Meanwhile, the tall one and the small one had no idea what Lin Qinghan was thinking. The two of them, both dressed in matching cow-print pajamas, were happily enjoying their meal.

“Is Mommy’s cooking yummy?” Shen Xian asked her little one with a smile.

Shen Tian nodded vigorously and said, “Mm-hmm! Mommy’s cooking is delicious. Tian Tian likes it. Mom likes it too! Right, Mom?” As she spoke, she tugged on Lin Qinghan’s wrist. Lin Qinghan could only nod helplessly, going along with her.

Shen Xian wasn’t upset. She just smiled at Lin Qinghan. Thinking back to her past life, she had always been the one others tried to please. Now, she was the one doing the pleasing — especially when it came to her ex-wife. Even though she noticed the number above Lin Qinghan’s head had gone from [‘-70′] to [“-60″] this morning, it didn’t ease her sense of crisis.

She might just be the most pitiful CEO ever.