Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 17

After coaxing the little one to sleep, Shen Xian finally took a shower and returned to her room. She checked her phone and saw that Jiang Xi had already sent over the time and location via FeiXin.

Young Miss Jiang:
– Sis, 6 PM tomorrow evening. Let’s meet at the restaurant in the Guojiang Hotel!

Shen Xian:
– Okay, see you then.

After taking care of that, Shen Xian checked on the stocks she had invested in. Seeing that everything was normal, she finally went to sleep.

The next day, Shen Xian went to pick up her little one as usual and played with her for a while outside the kindergarten. When Lin Qinghan arrived, she handed the child over to her.

“Qinghan, I’ve got something to do tonight. When you get home, you and Tian Tian go ahead and eat without me,” Shen Xian said, gently patting the little one’s head.

Shen Tian pouted her little lips. She didn’t understand what “something to do” meant. Did it mean Mommy didn’t want her again?

Shen Xian coaxed her, “I’ll just be out for a bit. I’ll be back soon to be with Tian Tian, okay? Mommy’s just going to have a meal with a friend. And the friend’s not a bad person, so don’t worry — Mommy doesn’t play with bad people.”

Shen Tian stretched out her little arms toward Shen Xian again, and Shen Xian picked her up. Shen Tian rubbed her little face against Shen Xian’s shoulder and earnestly said, “Mommy has to come back early. Tian Tian will miss you. And don’t go play with bad people.”

Shen Xian felt both touched and sad. The original owner must have left the child with a deep sense of insecurity. “Okay, Mommy’s the most well-behaved and will definitely come back early to be with Tian Tian.”

Only then did Shen Tian reluctantly allow Lin Qinghan to take her into her arms. Seeing Lin Qinghan’s indifferent expression, Shen Xian still felt the need to explain, “Qinghan, I really am doing something proper. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“What you do has nothing to do with me. Just don’t bring in any shady people,” Lin Qinghan said before leaving with Shen Tian. Little Shen Tian, standing on the footboard of the scooter, kept looking back at her. The little one was probably afraid she’d go back to how she was before.

After watching the mother and daughter leave, Shen Xian took a cab to the Guojiang Hotel at the agreed time. She arrived just before 6 PM. It was a high-end Western restaurant, and with her outfit, white T-shirt and skinny jeans, she stood out a bit, but the staff still approached her politely.

When they found out she was looking for a lady with the surname Jiang, the staff respectfully led her to the private room where Jiang Xi was waiting.

As soon as Shen Xian entered, she saw Jiang Xi and the woman sitting next to her. Shen Xian gave the woman a quick once-over. The woman wore an off-white fitted dress, had fair skin, and her features carried a subtle charm — suggestive yet restrained, not at all overt. She leaned lazily against the chair back but it was like a scene out of a painting.

The woman was also sizing up Shen Xian. It was Jiang Xi who broke the silence in the private room. “Sister Shen, you’re here! This is my best friend since childhood, Sister Mu.”

Shen Xian smiled at Mu Siyu and said, “Hello, Miss Mu.”

“Hello,” Mu Siyu nodded at Shen Xian. She had been observing Shen Xian closely. She looked pretty decent, and for some reason, Mu Siyu strongly suspected that the person sitting across from her was an alpha, which immediately set off warning bells in her mind.

“Aiya, you two are acting like company execs talking business. We’re all friends here — no need to be so formal!” Jiang Xi chuckled at the way they interacted.

Shen Xian smiled along. It’s true — why did she feel like she was at a negotiation table just by meeting this “Sister Mu” of Jiang Xi’s? She couldn’t help but laugh too. “You’re right, Xiao Xi. We’re being way too stiff.”

Mu Siyu gave a polite, composed smile, but hearing Shen Xian call Jiang Xi “Xiao Xi” made her feel a little uncomfortable. “Let’s eat, shall we?”

“Sure.” Shen Xian picked up her knife and fork and skillfully began cutting into the steak in front of her. Mu Siyu continued quietly observing her, thinking Shen Xian didn’t seem like an ordinary person at all.

“Miss Shen,” Mu Siyu said with a smile, “I heard from Xi Xi that she gave you her {ten million} to invest. Could you tell me how you’re using that money? Of course, just casual talk — if it’s inconvenient, no worries.”

Shen Xian understood right away. Jiang Xi’s friend was worried she might be scammed. “I invested nine million of that into the stock market. I looked at the recent market trends, and within the next three months it’s expected to keep rising without major fluctuations. The remaining one million, I put into cryptocurrency.”

Mu Siyu nodded. It seemed this Shen Xian did know a bit about finance. Her analysis aligned with Mu Siyu’s own. As for cryptocurrency — she’d heard of it, but it was so niche it was practically underground. It could even be a tool for people to scam others. Mu Siyu didn’t think it could actually make money.

“The stock market trend has been pretty good lately, I agree. But crypto is still too niche. I don’t think it has that much potential for appreciation.”

“The future will gradually move toward a blockchain-based economy. The rise of cryptocurrency is inevitable. Putting a million into it won’t hurt — it’s not like I put all my eggs in one basket,” Shen Xian explained with a smile.

“That’s true. It’s quite a bold investment move. May I ask where Miss Shen worked before?”

“Oh, nothing impressive,” Shen Xian waved it off. “I just like fiddling around on my own. And to be honest, if you want to make it in the finance world, you need a few years of polish from a top international school. You need both education and experience just to get your foot in the door.”

She was trying to steer the conversation away quickly.

Fortunately, Mu Siyu didn’t ask too many questions and followed Shen Xian’s lead, “That’s true. This circle really isn’t easy to break into.”

Shen Xian and Mu Siyu were chatting enthusiastically about stocks and blockchain, but Jiang Xi was about to fall asleep. “Sisters, can we not talk about work? Weren’t we supposed to just hang out and make friends? I’m about to doze off over here. Listening to you two is like being back in college — everything goes over my head like a fog.”

Mu Siyu smiled dotingly at Jiang Xi. “You’re right. We weren’t being thoughtful, Xi Xi. I’ll punish myself with a drink to apologize to you.”

As she spoke, Mu Siyu tilted her head back, revealing her snow-white neck. The red wine in her glass slid into her mouth. Jiang Xi’s eyes were practically glued to her the entire time.

Shen Xian thought to herself, Mu Siyu is indeed attractive, but Jiang Xi doesn’t have to stare at her like that, does she? Something about it felt off, but as a straight woman, Shen Xian couldn’t quite figure out what was strange. She ended up chalking it up to the deep sisterly bond between Jiang Xi and Mu Siyu.

Mu Siyu naturally noticed Jiang Xi’s lingering gaze. She was quite pleased with it and even deliberately glanced at Shen Xian, as if declaring her territory. But Shen Xian didn’t pick up on it at all — she wasn’t thinking along those lines.

“Xi Xi, are you satisfied now?” Mu Siyu asked with a smile, turning to Jiang Xi.

Jiang Xi nodded. “Mhm, satisfied. But Sister Shen has to drink one too.” she suggested.

Shen Xian didn’t mind. In her past life, she could hold her liquor quite well. Once she reached a certain status, unless she wanted to drink, no one dared to pressure her.

“Alright, let’s talk about something else this time — no more work talk.” With that, Shen Xian lifted her glass and slowly drank the wine. Her expression was cool and composed, her gaze slightly raised as she drained the glass. Jiang Xi’s eyes were fixed on her the whole time, which made Mu Siyu uncomfortable. Is Xi Xi really this much of a little perv, staring like that every time she sees a beautiful woman?

After that, the conversation shifted to food, drinks, and fun. In that area, Jiang Xi was far more experienced than the other two. She chatted cheerfully, while Shen Xian and Mu Siyu mostly listened and chimed in occasionally. All in all, the meal ended on a fairly harmonious note.

Since all three had been drinking, Mu Siyu called for her driver to pick them up. By now it was almost 9 p.m. — they had unknowingly chatted for nearly three hours.

“Miss Shen, let us take you home,” Mu Siyu offered politely.

Shen Xian smiled and replied, “No need. I live nearby — I’ll just grab a cab. Don’t trouble yourselves. You two take it slow on the way.”

Mu Siyu nodded. “Alright then. Goodbye, Miss Shen.”

Shen Xian looked at the two and said, “Goodbye, Miss Mu. Bye, Xi Xi.”

“Bye, Sister Shen! Let’s meet again in a few days,” Jiang Xi said, grinning as she made a phone gesture with her hand.

“Okay, bye-bye.” After Shen Xian got into a taxi and left, Jiang Xi and Mu Siyu got into Mu Siyu’s Maybach.

As soon as the car door shut, Mu Siyu told the driver, “Take Xi Xi back to the Jiang family villa first.”

Jiang Xi pouted and leaned pitifully on Mu Siyu’s shoulder. “Sister, can’t I go to your place tonight? It’s already so late. I don’t want to go home. Plus, I haven’t stayed over at your place in ages.” As she spoke, she inhaled the pear-blossom scent of Mu Siyu’s pheromones, getting a little intoxicated by it — like a cat sniffing catnip.

Mu Siyu looked down at Jiang Xi resting on her shoulder and sighed. “No. How many times have I told you? I’m an alpha now, and you’re an omega. We can’t sleep together like we did when we were kids. It’s not just me — you should also be more cautious around other alphas.”

“But Sister Mu isn’t a bad person… Can’t I stay?” Jiang Xi asked hopefully.

“No, you can’t.” Mu Siyu sighed again. This silly girl still only sees me as her sister. When will she understand how I really feel?

After that firm refusal, Jiang Xi lost all her energy. She couldn’t understand — I’m the omega here, and I’m not even afraid. Why is Sister, an alpha, so worried? If anyone’s at risk, it’s me!

In the end, under Mu Siyu’s insistence, Jiang Xi reluctantly went home. She hated the secondary gender differentiation — It had made her and Sister Mu grow distant.

Meanwhile, when Shen Xian opened her door with her key, she found the lights on inside and saw Lin Qinghan sitting on the sofa.

“Qinghan? Is Tian Tian asleep?” Normally, once Shen Tian went to bed, Lin Qinghan would go to sleep too.

“Mm, she’s asleep.” Lin Qinghan only relaxed once she saw that Shen Xian looked normal — she’d been worried Shen Xian had gone out to mess around again.

Shen Xian’s face lit up. So Tian Tian’s asleep, and Qinghan stayed up waiting for me!

“Qinghan, were you waiting for me because you were worried?” Shen Xian asked with a smile.

Lin Qinghan gave her a glance. “You’re overthinking it. I just ate too much and felt bloated. I’m going to bed now.” She turned and walked toward the bedroom. But unbeknownst to her, the favorability rating hovering over her head had quietly risen from [‘-60′] to [“-50″].

Shen Xian chuckled quietly as she looked in the direction of Lin Qinghan and the child’s room. Qinghan’s still as tsundere as ever.