Chapter 41

Secret photos?! Su Louzhi couldn't help but widen her eyes.

When it came to Qin Ya's misdeeds, Helian Cheng's tone grew somber. "After it came to light, the other members of Lucky Girl were ready to make a huge scene, determined to ruin Qin Ya and see her thrown in jail. But at the time, Qin Ya was like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. She directly showed them the photos she'd taken, saying she'd uploaded them to a cloud server and that no one else knew where those private photos had been sent."

"She said that if they dared to make a fuss, those members' private photos would be sent out to the entire internet on a timer. And given how famous they were now, it wouldn't take a minute for them to spread everywhere."

Just hearing this made Su Louzhi tremble. Ji Kailan immediately noticed her distress, reached out, and gently stroked her back, trying to calm her down.

Qin Qingyan, upon hearing this, slapped the table. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her face dark and frightening. Just thinking about having been associated with someone like that seemed to fill her with disgust.

Helian Cheng continued, "Because Qin Ya held those private photos of the other female members, those Omega members had no choice but to compromise, drop their intentions to sue, and peacefully terminate their contracts. That was around the time Qin Ya had just learned she was Qin family blood. So she desperately tried to suppress those scandals, hoping to be smoothly accepted into the Qin Family."

He looked at the group and sighed. "As far as I know, besides the members of Lucky Girl, my friend, and the agents who handled them, no one else knows about these scandals. The Qin Family probably doesn't know what a beastly scum Qin Ya is either."

Qin Qingyan's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she hesitated, "You mean...?"

Helian Cheng smirked slightly. "After all, there are plenty of people in the Qin Family, aren't there? Even if your adoptive parents want to protect their biological daughter, as long as the rest of the Qin Family learns about this, they'll definitely push her out." He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "I can help you steer things, rally more of the Qin family members, and get Qin Ya out."

Shen Boyang, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. "No need. I can handle her myself, no need for such roundabout methods. She dared to do this, so she must be ready to pay the price."

Helian Cheng let out a frustrated sigh. "Yang, we've known each other for years. I have to advise you now. You're acting on impulse, only thinking about revenge against Qin Ya, but do you have any idea how much pressure the Qin Family has been putting on me these past two days?"

Helian Cheng's words were true. That incident was too shocking—besides Shen Boyang, Shen's father, the manager of Heavenly Land, the security team, and him as the owner, no one else knew about it. After learning what happened, he acted decisively, having the manager give every security member a hefty hush money to ensure not a single word leaked out, thus protecting the Qin Family's reputation.

But at the same time, because the Qin Family was completely unaware of the inside story, they mistakenly believed that he, as the master of Heavenly Land, had detained Qin Ya and Qin Qingyan. Over the past two days, he had endured several rounds of pressure from the Qin Family. If it weren't to protect Qin Qingyan's reputation, and if he weren't consumed by guilt, he might have already snapped back at them: Your precious daughter is scum!

Qin Qingyan clearly didn't know about this. Her brows twitched slightly, and she turned to look at Shen Boyang. "Boyang, what have you done?"

Shen Boyang instantly transformed from the fierce wolf he'd been a moment ago into a pitiful puppy drenched in rain. He lowered his head dejectedly and said, "I detained her."

Qin Qingyan had been with Shen Boyang for the past two days and hadn't returned to the Qin Family at all, so she naturally didn't know that Qin Ya hadn't gone back either. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at him. "Boyang, that's illegal detention!"

Shen Boyang couldn't help but feel aggrieved, his voice rising slightly. "But she did something like that to you! If I don't avenge you, I won't be able to let go of this hatred!"

Su Louzhi was already dizzy from all the gossip. She shifted her stunned gaze to Shen Boyang. What? Was the male lead of this book a lawless outlaw?

Hmm, not good!

She remembered reading novels where quite a few male leads were outlaws. What should she do? She was a law-abiding citizen. How could she save this male lead who was teetering on the edge of the law?

Fortunately, she didn't have to think of a solution. Qin Qingyan had already defused a potential prison crisis.

She let out a soft sigh, her voice softening. She reached out a hand and gently touched Shen Boyang's tense shoulder, speaking tenderly. "I know that everything Boyang does is for me. To be honest, when I first heard that Boyang had imprisoned Qin Ya, my initial reaction was a hidden delight. I wish I could personally end that scum to vent my hatred."

Qin Qingyan paused for a moment, her tone even gentler. "But then I thought, if I were to imprison that scum myself and teach her a lesson, I would have been more than willing. But whenever I think of Boyang doing these things for me, if one day it all comes to light, not only would Boyang's reputation be damaged, but he might even face a lot of trouble..." Her voice trembled slightly. "My heart quickly shifted from hatred to worry for you. Now, all I can think of is not my hatred for Qin Ya, but my concern for you."

Sure enough, these words were both reassuring and thoughtful, and Shen Boyang's face immediately brightened, his whole demeanor turning shy and bashful. After a long pause, he whispered, "Then... I'll let her go." But he quickly added, "However, I won't let this go that easily!"

Qin Qingyan smiled and nodded. "Of course. I also need to seek justice for myself—not just for me, but for those innocent Omega members too." She said seriously, "But now that we know about this, we need to plan carefully. Otherwise, if we fight among ourselves, we might hurt those innocent Omega members, and they'd be the ones suffering the most."

This reasoning was sound and persuasive, and Shen Boyang finally calmed down completely. He nodded. "Alright. We'll discuss this thoroughly."

Su Louzhi watched how Qin Qingyan had wrapped Shen Boyang around her finger with just a few words and shot her an admiring glance. She really knew how to handle things—she'd managed to turn an outlaw into a law-abiding citizen in an instant.

Helian Cheng looked at the two and finally spoke. "I can offer the necessary help. If you're not satisfied with my suggestion, you can come up with your own plan. As long as I'm able to help, I will." He added with a hint of disdain in his tone, "After all, I don't want to have someone like that scum in our circle. Just thinking about it disgusts me."

At that moment, Ji Kailan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. "Don't you guys do background checks before taking action? My people did happen to find something very interesting."

The others looked at him curiously.

Ji Kailan said unhurriedly, "I have a hacker friend. After Louzhi was drugged, I asked him to investigate Qin Ya's background."

He looked at Helian Cheng. "I know about the secret photos you mentioned of the group members that Qin Ya took. I even know where she uploaded them. If you're worried those photos will affect the Omega members, I'll have him hack into that cloud server and delete them. No need to worry about that."

Shen Boyang asked eagerly, "Then tell us what the most important thing is!"

Ji Kailan chuckled softly and continued, "I asked my friend to do a thorough background check on her, extending the timeline as far back as possible, and we found something quite interesting."

His gaze swept over the group, his tone brimming with curiosity. "Before she became a member of the girl group, she was a notorious school bully. Skipping class and fighting were routine, but because of the juvenile protection laws, the school never held her accountable."

Su Louzhi's eyes widened.

"Later, she got into gambling and racked up a huge debt," Ji Kailan said at a measured pace. "Coincidentally, that's when she became a member of the Lucky Girl group. The explosive popularity of the group brought her a substantial income, and she managed to pay off her gambling debts."

"The income from the girl group gave her tremendous confidence and also bred her desires. She never kicked the gambling habit; instead, she gambled bigger and bigger. In the end..." He paused meaningfully. "She lost a mountain of money."

He didn't continue, but Qin Qingyan's eyes widened as she hesitated. "You mean...?"

Ji Kailan gave a faint smile. "Don't you think it's all too coincidental? She owes a huge gambling debt, and then suddenly she's claimed by a wealthy family."

Qin Qingyan instantly clenched her fists, her voice barely containing her anger. "If this person is so malicious and wants to deceive my parents, I will not let her off lightly."

Helian Cheng also frowned, deep in thought as he looked at Ji Kailan. "Old Ji, do you mean... that someone helped her get into Lucky Girl?"

Ji Kailan raised an eyebrow, his tone nonchalant. "Who knows? But it's quite coincidental."

Helian Cheng's gaze instantly turned cold. In that moment, he transformed from the playboy heir into a truly powerful scion. He said coldly, "Then I'll have to dig deeper."

Shen Boyang leaned forward eagerly. "So, Old Ji, what's your plan?"

Ji Kailan let out a soft laugh, his tone laced with a hint of chill. "She's obsessed with lust and gambling, isn't she? Since she's a former member of the girl group, let's expose her. Dump all her dirty deeds out in the open, let the world know her true face, ensure she can never rise again, and have her sent to prison amid the public's curses. Isn't that the best ending for her? As for the Qin Family, even if they truly wanted to protect her, they couldn't survive against the irrefutable evidence."

Shen Boyang's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but admire, "You're still so ruthless, Old Ji."

Ji Kailan scoffed and said only three words, "In or out?"

Shen Boyang and Qin Qingyan exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously. "In."

And that was settled.

Su Louzhi, hearing the discussion finally come to an end, began to eat quietly, but she didn't forget to ask the System in her mind: "System, what does 'subpar alpha' mean?"

The System's voice soon rang out, [In this world, besides defining gender by Alpha, Omega, and Beta, there's also a grading system. Typically, whether Alpha, Omega, or Beta, they can range from F-level to S+ level, though the distribution is an inverted U-curve—F-level and S+ level are both extremely rare. Unlike S+ levels being highly sought after, F-levels are usually referred to as subpar. If an Omega or Beta is judged as F-level, it's not too bad; but if an Alpha is F-level, it has a greater impact on the individual.]

Su Louzhi asked curiously, "Why is that?"

[Because Alphas usually occupy the dominant position in a partnership. But since F-levels are so rare, it's hard to find a partner of the same F-level, leading to an inability to satisfy one's partner. However, the criteria for F-level Alphas are quite strict. The most crucial requirement is—possessing pheromones that are not typically those of an Alpha.]

Su Louzhi realized that even her crash course in ABO knowledge wasn't enough; she didn't understand what the System meant at all. She spun around with dizzy eyes and asked, "What are pheromones that don't belong to an Alpha? Do Alphas and Omegas have designated pheromones?"

[Exactly.] The System affirmed Su Louzhi's question. [Alpha pheromones are of the aggressive type, while Omega pheromones are gentle. If an Alpha has gentle pheromones, it means an error occurred in the mother's womb during gestation.]

Su Louzhi seemed to have a vague understanding, but for some reason, she thought of hermaphrodites from her past world, thinking to herself: Talk about bad luck.

After the meal, Su Louzhi kept wanting to check on Qin Qingyan, but she didn't know how to bring it up. She frowned with concern, but couldn't find the right moment.

Ji Kailan noticed her internal conflict. Although he wished he could keep Su Louzhi all to himself all the time, he didn't like seeing her so worried. He sighed and, before Shen Boyang and Qin Qingyan could leave, called out to them, "Yang, want to go to Sky Mall?"

Su Louzhi immediately turned to him with a delighted look, then looked back at Qin Qingyan with hopeful eyes.

Qin Qingyan, seeing this, glanced at Shen Boyang, silently asking for his agreement.

Shen Boyang understood immediately—it was clear that Su Louzhi wanted to have some private talk with Qin Qingyan. He nodded readily.

After bidding farewell to Helian Cheng, the four of them drove to Sky Mall.

Su Louzhi was determined to have some time alone with Qin Qingyan. Some questions, if Shen Boyang were present, Qingyan surely wouldn't be comfortable asking. Ji Kailan, who understood her best, used some excuse to pull Shen Boyang away.

Finally alone with Qin Qingyan, Su Louzhi looked at her with sparkling eyes and held up her phone: "Qingyan, let's find a quiet place to have a good chat, okay?"

Qin Qingyan gave a gentle smile. "Sure. Let's go to that Mystery Orient place on the third floor. They make great milk tea."

Su Louzhi never had any objections to such things, so she followed along.

The two arrived at Mystery Orient. Su Louzhi effortlessly ordered a jasmine milk green tea and a refreshing guava drink, then took their drinks and sat down at the corner booth.

Su Louzhi had barely settled in, before she'd even taken a sip of her milk tea, when she eagerly pulled out her phone and typed: "Qingyan, I heard from Senior Ji yesterday that you were also drugged. I was so worried. I'm glad to finally see you today, but you look a bit worn out... Are you still upset? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Qin Qingyan watched her rapid-fire questions and smiled slightly. "I'm not particularly upset." Her tone was calm. "Actually, I've been engaged to Boyang since childhood; I've always seen him as my fiancé. Even though we haven't gotten married and... it was a bit sudden, but since it's him, I'm not really against it."

She paused, a hint of helplessness in her smile. "It's just that I've never encountered something so disgusting before, and I'm a bit annoyed. I can hardly eat."

She then looked at Su Louzhi with concern. "But what about you? After I realized I was feeling off, I went into the restroom. I had no idea you'd been drugged too and Junior Ji took you away. Zhi, are you okay?"

Su Louzhi answered her question first, typing: "I'm doing fine."

After typing that, she remembered that Qin Qingyan hadn't eaten much at the meal, and she felt a bit anxious. She pointed at the milk tea in her hand, signaling Qingyan to take a sip.

Qin Qingyan smiled and followed her lead, taking a sip of her guava drink. "Zhi, you drink too," she said, setting the cup down. "This place is pricey for a reason—it's really good."

Then she hesitated and finally asked, "Zhi, I'm sorry for getting you involved and drugging you that day..." She paused, her voice growing softer. "Can you... handle Senior Ji?"

Su Louzhi had just opened her mouth to take a sip of her milk tea when she froze. So that's what Qingyan meant by 'are you okay'—she was worried that she couldn't handle Ji Kailan?

Although it was usually a bit hard to handle... but on the night she was drugged, the experience was actually wonderful!

She flushed slightly and typed to Qin Qingyan: "I can handle it. Senior Ji was very gentle that night. I felt great."

Only then did Qin Qingyan let out a sigh of relief, her whole body seeming to relax.

Su Louzhi was a bit puzzled by her reaction, but she just took a sip of the jasmine milk green tea and was instantly delighted, forgetting her confusion.

The milk tea here, whatever base they use, was completely different from other places—it seemed fresher and sweeter.

Qin Qingyan watched her like this and smiled faintly. "Tasty, right?" she said softly. "They use fresh milk and West Lake Longjing tea as the base. The other ingredients are also fresh and healthy. That's why it's so popular."

Su Louzhi nodded eagerly like a pecking chick, thinking to herself: Of course, and the price is also very beautiful.

Thinking back to how Qin Qingyan seemed completely unaware that Qin Ya had been detained by Shen Boyang, Su Louzhi quickly changed the subject. She typed worriedly, "Qingyan, have you not been back to the Qin Family at all these past two days?"

Qin Qingyan was silent for a moment at that question. "Right," she whispered. "I've been with Boyang these two days."

Su Louzhi, seeing her admit it so openly, didn't type another word. Instead, she opened her banking app and held the balance screen up to Qin Qingyan.

Qin Qingyan glanced at it, then looked at her oddly. "Zhi, what's this?"

Su Louzhi felt a bit proud and typed: "Qingyan, if you feel that the Qin Family isn't your home anymore, you can also leave. You don't have to rely on Senior Shen to support you; I can support you too. I actually have a lot of money."

This wasn't Su Louzhi's bragging; she really was very rich.

The System had promised from the beginning that she'd never worry about money in this life. In this world's setting, her parents passed away only after their business had achieved some success, leaving behind a very considerable sum of inheritance and compensation.

Su Louzhi had never had to worry about money since she arrived. The reason she sometimes found Ji Kailan's belongings expensive was purely because she used to be an ordinary, even slightly frugal, citizen in her previous life. Her ordinary mindset lingered, so she didn't splash out on luxuries.

Actually, her balance was truly impressive—though not as much as Ji Kailan's, it was more than enough to support Qin Qingyan.

Qin Qingyan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly let out a small laugh. "Zhi, thank you for the kind thought." She smiled, her eyes curving with gentle amusement. "My situation isn't as dire as you think. My parents raised me for so many years; they do have feelings for me. Plus, I've been saving my allowance all these years without spending recklessly, so I don't have to depend on anyone to live well."

Su Louzhi was relieved to hear that, but she noticed that Qin Qingyan still seemed to have a lingering worry in her brow. She thought maybe it was because Qin Ya's appearance had been so unsettling that she felt this way.

Qin Qingyan, seeing her worried expression, hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to speak her mind. She smiled slightly, a hint of bitterness in her tone. "What's actually bothering me now is that I don't know where my biological parents are."

Su Louzhi was taken aback. How could that be? Weren't they swapped at birth? Shouldn't Qin Ya's biological parents be Qin Qingyan's biological parents?

She hadn't brought this up because she thought that since Qin Ya had been raised by her biological parents to be like that, they probably weren't good parents. Since they weren't good, she didn't want to suggest Qingyan go find them. She was most afraid of those leech-like parents who'd cling on once they saw their child had money. She'd seen way too many such parents in her past life.

Qin Qingyan saw her confusion and sighed softly, explaining, "After Qin Ya showed up, we all did paternity tests. The results showed that Qin Ya is indeed my parents' biological child. But I am not my parents' biological child. So my biggest worry now is: where could my real parents be?"

Su Louzhi's eyes widened in disbelief. How could this situation get even more dramatic? Even a novel couldn't come up with a plot like this!

Qin Qingyan, seeing her shocked expression, smiled bitterly. "Zhi, it's hard to believe, right? When I first found out, I felt like my whole world had collapsed." She lowered her eyes. "Both I and my parents have been trying to find my biological parents. But it's been so many years since the swap, and it wasn't even discovered in time... After twenty years, it's nearly impossible to trace anything."

She lifted her head to meet Su Louzhi's gaze. "So up to now, there's been no progress."

Su Louzhi fell silent. She quickly tried to recall the plots of novels she'd read in her past life—those stories of swapped identities always had some twist... She hesitated but decided to share her thoughts with Qin Qingyan via text: "Qingyan, what if this whole thing was orchestrated by Qin Ya herself? Maybe you and your parents actually have a biological connection? I mean, didn't Senior Ji just say that Qin Ya is mired in gambling debt? All the stuff she did could have been premeditated from the start out of ill intent."

Qin Qingyan shook her head bitterly. "No matter whether Qin Ya deceived my parents or not, I truly have no blood relation to them." She said quietly, "When I found out I wasn't their biological child, the shock was too great, so I privately went to another testing facility to re-test my relation to my parents. That facility's results were the same—we had no blood relation."

She paused, her tone growing weary. "As for the relation between Qin Ya and my parents... Since I'd confirmed I wasn't their biological child, I didn't bother testing them further."

Su Louzhi was at a loss for words, but then another thought struck her, and she typed: "But if that's the case... then how exactly did Qin Ya's adoptive parents become her adoptive parents?"

The phrasing was a bit awkward, but Qin Qingyan understood what she meant.

If Qin Ya's adoptive parents weren't her biological parents, then there was a problem from the very moment of the swap. If there was no problem, then Qin Ya's adoptive parents should be Qin Qingyan's biological parents.

But now, Qin Ya's adoptive parents were neither Qin Ya's biological parents nor Qin Qingyan's biological parents.

So who were they, really?

——

Author's note: A quick fact—hermaphrodites do exist in our world. I used to think it was just a literary invention, until I watched a certain documentary.