Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 49

Shen Xian woke up early in the morning, glanced at the peacefully sleeping Lin Qinghan and Shen Tian, and the corners of her lips lifted in a faint smile. She quietly got out of bed, careful not to disturb them, and went out for a morning run. By the time she returned, both Shen Tian and Lin Qinghan were still asleep, so Shen Xian headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for them.

Because of her recent susceptible period, Lin Qinghan had taken two days off work. Shen Xian planned to take the child to school herself later, so Lin Qinghan could continue resting properly.

While the three of them were having breakfast, Shen Xian received a call from Zhao Qiang. It took her a moment to remember who he was — one of those so-called friends who had always taken advantage of the original Shen Xian. She recalled that she had refused their advances once before, and after that, Zhao Qiang hadn’t called her for quite a while.

Puzzled, Shen Xian answered, “Hello, what’s the matter?”

Zhao Qiang’s voice came over the line, “Sister Shen, it’s been a long time since we’ve been in touch. When are you going to come out with the guys for a get-together?”

“I’ve been busy lately, not much free time — and I don’t have spare money lying around either,” Shen Xian replied flatly.

“Come on, Sister Shen, don’t joke with me. Liu Jian saw you driving a Land Rover the other day. Now that you’re doing well, don’t forget about your brothers.”

Shen Xian sneered. “Whether I have money or not is my own business — it has nothing to do with you. What, you expecting something else? If that’s all, I’m hanging up.” She had no interest in maintaining ties with a pack of freeloaders.

Seeing she was about to hang up, Zhao Qiang hurriedly said, “Wait, Sister Shen, don’t hang up. I really do have something urgent to tell you — it’s huge, good news!”

Shen Xian gave another cold laugh but didn’t hang up. She wanted to hear what so-called “great news” he thought he had.

“Then say it quickly. I’m busy and don’t have time for small talk.”

“Hey, Sister Shen, do you remember Yu Qingwan? She’s back in Linhai City. A few days ago, the guys ran into her on the street. No mistake — it was her, just as beautiful as before.” Zhao Qiang’s voice was tinged with excitement, noticeably louder than before.

Listening to his noisy rambling, Shen Xian grew impatient. “That’s it? So she’s back, big deal. I’m not her mother — what’s it got to do with me?” She said, and hung up.

On the other end, Zhao Qiang was fuming. If they hadn’t been short on someone gullible to foot the bill lately, he wouldn’t have lowered himself to call her. Besides, they really had seen Yu Qingwan the other day, even greeted her, and she had casually inquired about Shen Xian’s situation.

Back when the original Shen Xian had a vague, ambiguous relationship with Yu Qingwan, she often took her along to dinners with these friends. To save face in front of Yu Qingwan, she would spend lavishly each time. Now that Yu Qingwan had returned, Zhao Qiang and the others were eager to freeload again.

“Damn it, I went on and on about Yu Qingwan, and Shen Xian wouldn’t even bite,” Zhao Qiang cursed, gripping his phone tightly.

“Bro, do you think maybe she’s not into her anymore? Otherwise, how could she talk like that?” asked Fatty Two.

“No way. Don’t you remember how much of a lapdog Shen Xian used to be? Yu Qingwan had already moved on to someone else, and Shen Xian was still stupidly spending money on her. No, I think now that Shen Xian has money, she just wants to dump us too. We can’t let her get away with that.”

Fatty Two chimed in, “Exactly. When she can’t find Yu Qingwan, she’ll have to come begging us again.”

As for Yu Qingwan, Shen Xian knew who she was. To the original body, she had been the so-called “white moonlight,” but in reality, she was nothing more than a green tea girl. Even before Shen Xian’s divorce, Yu Qingwan had been leading her on, bleeding her for money. Later, when she hooked up with a rich second-generation alpha, she dumped the original Shen Xian without hesitation and left for the capital. In the end, the original Shen Xian wasted a pile of money and got nothing in return.

At the breakfast table, Shen Xian’s phone call had been audible to both Lin Qinghan and Shen Tian. When Lin Qinghan heard Yu Qingwan’s name, her fingers instinctively tightened around her chopsticks. She stared fixedly into her bowl of soup, zoning out.

“Qinghan, what’s wrong? What are you thinking about?” Shen Xian asked when she noticed her silence.

Lin Qinghan shook her head slightly, pressed her lips together, and glanced at Shen Xian. “Nothing.”

“Alright then, eat a bit more. There’s still plenty of porridge in the pot. If you don’t feel like cooking lunch, just reheat the porridge and these two dishes.” Shen Xian reminded her gently.

Lin Qinghan’s heart was in turmoil. She gave a half-hearted reply, “Okay.”

After breakfast, Shen Xian washed the dishes and cookware before leaving with Shen Tian.

Left alone, Lin Qinghan leaned weakly against the bed, her energy drained. She knew the name mentioned in that phone call. She remembered that even when she and Shen Xian were still married, Shen Xian occasionally had contact with this omega. More than once, when she called Shen Xian, that woman had been right there beside her.

But by then, her relationship with Shen Xian had already fallen apart. She had been hurt too deeply and had long since given up on her, so Yu Qingwan hadn’t actually dealt her much additional pain.

It had been over two years since their divorce, and Yu Qingwan’s name had long faded from her mind. Hearing it again today during Shen Xian’s phone call stirred up an uncomfortable feeling. If Shen Xian were still the same as before, it wouldn’t matter what her relationship with Yu Qingwan was as none of it would concern her. But now, Shen Xian has changed. She treated both her and Shen Tian with such kindness that Lin Qinghan found herself reluctant to let Shen Xian go.

She buried herself irritably under the quilt. Shen Xian was indeed very good to her, but given the way they currently lived together, Lin Qinghan found Shen Xian’s attitude toward her a complete puzzle. If Shen Xian liked her, she showed no sign of pursuing her. If she didn’t like her, then why did she risk her life again and again to save her?

By all logic, since they were living under the same roof, Shen Xian should have had plenty of chances to take their relationship further. But as things stood, Shen Xian’s kindness felt more like the affection of a family member. Lin Qinghan racked her brain until it nearly burst, but she still couldn’t figure out what Shen Xian truly felt.

Still, Shen Xian was the one who cared for her and Shen Tian, the one who protected her. So this time, Lin Qinghan decided she couldn’t afford to lose so easily.

Lin Qinghan didn’t know if Shen Xian would meet that Yu Qingwan again, and just thinking about it made her heart ache a little. But then she reminded herself — she still had Tian Tian. Shen Xian loved Tian Tian so much; compared to Yu Qingwan, at least she had more certainty.

After dropping off the little one, Shen Xian went straight to the company. She checked the performance from the past few days and oversaw the workers doing renovations. As for anything about Yu Qingwan, she had already completely forgotten it.

Recently, more and more rich second-generation heirs had been entrusting Shen Xian’s company with financial management. Among them, the closest to Shen Xian was Fu Binbin, a male Alpha. The Fu family was a leading enterprise in Linhai City, with influence in both the legal and the shady sides of business. Behind the scenes, they had enormous clout. Fu Binbin was the youngest in the family, much like Jiang Xi. He usually just liked to hang out and mess around with his friends, rarely doing anything serious, which often made his father angry. Still, his nature wasn’t bad — he was especially loyal to his friends.

Since Shen Xian had helped him make profits, the number of times his father scolded him had lessened, and Fu Binbin now treated Shen Xian like a brother.

Sitting in her office chair after finishing paperwork, Shen Xian thought about Lu Jianbai. It was about time to settle accounts with him. He could destroy evidence — well, so could she. Who said she couldn’t be a law-abiding, model citizen?

Shen Xian dialed Fu Binbin’s number and explained what Lu Jianbai had done. Over the phone, Fu Binbin became agitated,
“This Lu Jianbai really is scum. Hearing this makes me want to deal with him immediately.”

Shen Xian replied calmly,
“No need for that. We’re all good citizens, after all. If you, Young Master Fu, could just find someone to teach him a lesson, that would be enough — just don’t give him a chance to grab hold of any evidence.”

“Ha! That’s easy. Shen Xian, if you asked me to trade stocks or make money, I couldn’t help you much. But if it’s about teaching someone a lesson, that’s my specialty — especially when it comes to trash like him. Don’t worry, it’ll be handled in a few days.” Fu Binbin laughed as he agreed.

“Oh, and don’t touch Lu Jianbai’s company. I want to handle that myself,” Shen Xian added after thinking for a moment.

“Got it. Just wait for my good news. With model citizens like us around, that kind of scum will be beaten until he’s crawling on the ground looking for his teeth.”

After arranging everything with Fu Binbin, Shen Xian finally hung up. Lu Jianbai’s company was already on the verge of collapse without anyone needing to sabotage it. Ever since the Lu family offended Mu Siyu, their construction materials couldn’t be sold in Linhai City. Even when sold at a loss, no one would buy them. The company had been losing money ever since. Shen Xian figured it wouldn’t be long before the Lu family went bankrupt and into liquidation.

At home, Lin Qinghan agonized the whole morning, staring at her phone, debating whether to call Shen Xian. In the end, she bit her lip and dialed. The call was picked up quickly.

Lin Qinghan thought for a moment, then spoke stiffly,
“Shen Xian, are you coming home for lunch?”

Shen Xian assumed Lin Qinghan still wasn’t feeling well and quickly asked,
“Qinghan, are you still not feeling okay? Wait for me, I’ll be home soon.”

Hearing that, Lin Qinghan suddenly felt reluctant to make Shen Xian run back and forth.
“No, it’s nothing. You don’t need to come back.”

“It’s fine, Qinghan. Don’t cook lunch yourself. Wait for me to come home and make it. Just close your eyes and rest a bit longer. When you open them again, I’ll already be back. Alright, I’m on my way now. Be good and sleep a little more.” Shen Xian’s voice was soft and gentle, the corners of her lips lifting as she spoke. For some reason, she actually enjoyed how dependent Lin Qinghan was on her.

When Shen Xian returned home, Lin Qinghan was lying on the sofa waiting for her. Shen Xian changed shoes and walked over, sitting beside her with an amused look.
“Why are you sitting here? Didn’t I tell you to rest properly?”

As Shen Xian drew closer, the scent of sweet oranges became even stronger, making Lin Qinghan’s heart feel sweet as well. She thought to herself that she needed to stay closer to Shen Xian, not let some outsider swoop in and take her away.

Only a fist’s distance separated them. If she just leaned slightly, she could rest against Shen Xian’s arms. The thought alone made her ears turn red. She bit her lip, glanced at Shen Xian, then finally leaned onto her shoulder.
“I couldn’t sleep. I felt a bit dizzy just now.”

Resting her head against Shen Xian’s shoulder and neck, Lin Qinghan lightly wrapped an arm around Shen Xian’s waist.

Hearing that she felt dizzy, Shen Xian immediately asked,
“Do you feel better now? Is anywhere else uncomfortable?”

Lin Qinghan shook her head, still leaning on Shen Xian’s shoulder. So close to her gland, the thick sweet orange scent was almost intoxicating, making her voice soften as she murmured,
“I’m fine. Just let me lean on you for a while.”

Worried she wasn’t comfortable enough, Shen Xian pulled her closer into her arms, speaking softly,
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier if you weren’t feeling well? If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone to the office today.”

Snuggling against Shen Xian’s shoulder, Lin Qinghan rubbed her cheek lightly. The truth was she wasn’t physically unwell at all. She had only overheard a name she didn’t want to hear, yet couldn’t bring herself to tell Shen Xian about it. Breathing in the sweet orange pheromone scent, she felt much more at ease. Maybe this was fine — it gave her a sense of crisis, and at the same time let her test how Shen Xian truly felt about her, and just where Shen Xian’s bottom line lay.