After The Mission Failed, The Scumbag Alpha Ran Away - Chapter 42

42: The First Signs of Love

Jiang Youbai didn’t know what Lou Huaiche was thinking at this moment, nor did she have any idea of the emotional turmoil Lou Huaichehad undergone in these brief moments.

She simply acted on instinct, embracing Lou Huaiche—holding tight to her entirety, her beauty, her ruthlessness, and all the turbulent emotions within her.

Accepting all of her, the good and the bad, along with Lou Huaiche’s fragile life, she held her close.

An embrace could evoke the sensation of being loved and cherished, filling the chest with a warm, tender emotion that gradually melted into tears, drop by drop.

Lou Huaichedidn’t know whether this feeling of being loved was an illusion or reality—whether it was Jiang Youbai’s pretense or her genuine heart. But the person holding her was Jiang Youbai.

Jiang Youbai was the flickering candlelight Lou Huaichehad finally glimpsed after trudging alone through the suffocating darkness of a seemingly endless night.

She was the one who had once handed Lou Huaichea rose with a smile and told her that inside Pandora’s box lay many calamities, but the very last thing remaining in the box was hope.

Jiang Youbai was no longer the moonlight in Lou Huaiche’s room that she could never grasp, nor the heavy shadow lingering in her heart.

Now, she was a living, breathing person—no longer a phantom Lou Huaichehad to chase around the corners of her room. Jiang Youbai was someone she could see, touch, and feel.

Lou Huaichewrapped her arms around Jiang Youbai, her fingers digging into Jiang Youbai’s shoulders with such force that it no longer felt like an embrace, but rather as if she were gripping Jiang Youbai with deep-seated resentment.

In her heart, she repeated over and over: I must hold onto this person, never let go.

Make this person love her. Make this person bear the surging waves of love in her heart, to prop up her shattered life and fill the hollow void within her.

Jiang Youbai gently patted Lou Huaiche’s back and whispered to her, “Miss Lou, though it’s difficult, we’ve already crossed countless barriers before. We must keep going.”

“Whether it’s the system or anything else, we have to keep moving forward. Right now, either of us is allowed to suffer—but neither of us can drown in it.”

Her words seemed directed at Lou Huaiche, yet also like a reminder to herself.

Lou Huaicheburied her head in the crook of Jiang Youbai’s neck, realizing she had gripped her too tightly. She loosened her hold, instead clutching Jiang Youbai’s clothes, biting down hard to suppress her silent tears, only the occasional choked sob escaping.

Jiang Youbai still remembered the last time Lou Huaichehad cried-it had been like a wildfire raging inside her, as if she wanted to burn the whole world down, screaming hysterically.

Not like now, where even her sobs were restrained.

Back then, Jiang Youai had hesitated over whether to comfortingly pat Lou Huaiche’s back, unsure if they were close enough for such gestures.

Lou Huaiche’s dark hair cascaded loose, and as Jiang Youbai ran her fingers through its silken strands, she felt as though Lou Huaichewas leaning on her. If this had happened last year, Jiang Youbai would have thought she’d lost her mind.

Time had passed in the blink of an eye, and their relationship was no longer what it once was.

It seemed that, for both of them, the other had become someone irreplaceable.

In the long and reckless tug-of-war between them, an unspoken understanding had gradually formed without either of them realizing it.

Things she couldn’t confide in her best friend, she could confide in her. Emotions she couldn’t show in front of others, she could show in front of her.

It didn’t matter if she was childish. It didn’t matter if she was petty. They both knew — in front of this person, they could fully be themselves.

Perhaps, from the very first time they sat together at the end of the attic stairs, whispering their pain to each other and leaning close, they were already destined to be like two vines, tightly entwined.

The aircraft arrived at Chi Ruo’s front gate.

Jiang Youbai helped Lou Huaiche, who was crying so hard she could barely breathe, off the aircraft. Chi Ruo was an orphan — with no elders at home and no social obligations, she didn’t host banquets. As a member of the Lower House, she also disliked networking with Alpha elites. So in the vast Chi estate, she lived alone.

Naturally, the Chi estate had a room for Jiang Youbai — not just a room, but a whole standalone villa. Jiang Youbai knew Chi Ruo’s passcode, and from her personal terminal to the door of her own little house, the code was exactly the same — unchanged for ten years.

Jiang Youbai had reminded her more than once to at least mix up the order a bit, or else, if someone ever found out, her whole estate could be cleaned out.

But Chi Ruo had instead complained about how complicated Jiang Youbai’s passwords were: “If your passwords weren’t so long and hard to remember, would I even need to stick to just one? My whole brain is used to memorizing your damn passwords.”

Standing at the door, Jiang Youbai entered the code, wiped the fingerprint scanner as usual, and when she reached the gate of her own little courtyard within the Chi estate, she keyed in the code again — but this time, the system didn’t show an error message.

She thought she might have pressed the wrong key and tried again.

“Password Incorrect.”

She stared at the four red characters on the screen for a moment. Beside her, Lou Huaice asked in a choked voice, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Youbai pondered briefly, then typed in the full pinyin for the phrase “Jiang Youbai 250.” With a beep, the gate to the courtyard swung open.

Jiang Youbai: “…” Just how much resentment does Chi Ruo hold against me that she went out of her way to change a password she hadn’t altered in ten years?

Inside the courtyard was a well-maintained small garden surrounding a modest two-story villa. Holding Lou Huaice’s wrist, Jiang Youbai led her along the pebble path but paused halfway, pointing to a tree in the corner of the garden.

“See that tree over there?”

Lou Huaice sniffled. “Yeah, what about it?”

“I was kicked out of the palace by my uncle before I even turned ten. At the time, the Prince’s residence wasn’t ready yet, so I stayed with the Chi family. The head of the Chi family had already passed away, leaving only the old matriarch. Once, Chi Ruo and I were playing and got stuck up in that tree—too scared to climb down, too scared to call for help. We ended up stuck there for an entire day.”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but laugh. “In the end, we played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would go down first. The loser had to let the winner step on their head to climb down.”

Lou Huaice asked, “Who won?”

Jiang Youbai flashed a sly grin. “I lost. But I wasn’t about to accept that, so I used my personal terminal’s speaker function to loop a recording of ‘Help, we’re stuck in the tree!’ The old matriarch thought Chi Ruo, being two years older than me, must have put me up to it.”

Lou Huaichethought about it and felt that this was exactly the kind of mischievous thing Jiang Youbai would do. She followed up by asking Jiang Youbai, “And then the old madam punished Chi Ruo?”

“Not exactly. She was worried it would create a rift between us, so she punished us both. We were sitting together in the tree, crying our hearts out in fear, and after we came down, we still had to stand in punishment.” Jiang Youbai narrowed her eyes and smiled as she spoke. “But honestly, we didn’t really listen. The old madam was already quite elderly by then and didn’t have the energy to keep an eye on us, and the servants couldn’t really control Chi Ruo and me either. After all the fuss, we thought we’d give it another try and climbed the tree again.”

Lou Huaicheasked, “Did you manage to get down in the end?”

Jiang Youbai clapped her hands and laughed heartily. “Of course not! The old madam was so mad she hit the tree with her cane through the wall to scold us.”

Lou Huaichetried to imagine the famously wise and strategic Princess and the now bold and formidable Beta leader as mischievous, unruly children in their youth. She couldn’t help but laugh along.

Jiang Youbai watched Lou Huaichelaugh with a bright smile, then tugged her hand and continued, “Over there—those flowers—when I was little, I heard a fairy tale that said if a child planted a seven-colored flower, they could see their mother. I immediately found some seeds and planted them.”

“Actually, those seeds couldn’t sprout. When the old madam found out, she told Chi Ruo to secretly transplant one while I was in class. Overnight, a flower bloomed, and I thought some kind of miracle had happened. Chi Ruo has been planting a few of these flowers every year since then.”

Holding Lou Huaiche’s hand, Jiang Youbai stood by the gravel path and eagerly shared her childhood memories with her.

Her childhood was rather uneventful, and the few happy moments she had almost all took place in this small courtyard—sometimes with Chi Ruo, sometimes with Chi Ruo and the old madam of the Chi family.

After just a few sentences, she had run out of stories.

Standing in the small garden, Jiang Youbai realized that the happy memories she could share with Lou Huaichehad taken less than a few minutes to recount. She could only smile and say, “Let’s go inside and rest for a bit.”

Lou Huaiche’s gaze fell on her wrist. From the moment they entered the courtyard, Jiang Youbai had been holding her hand, trying her best to dredge up a few amusing memories to entertain her.

Like a young couple in love.

Jiang Youbai had already grown completely accustomed to this intimacy with Lou Huaiche. Realizing this, her eyes darkened slightly.

The door didn’t have a passcode lock—it opened with a simple twist.

The interior of the small villa was warm and simply decorated. Aside from a few electronic devices, it seemed none of the furnishings had been replaced over the years.

There were several horizontal scratches in different colors on the wall by the door. Jiang Youbai saw them and gestured to Lou Huaiche: “These are from when Chi Ruo and I measured our heights. Chi Ruo is two years older than me. When I was little, I often got upset because I wasn’t as tall as her. Luckily, I’m taller than her now.”

Lou Huaichesuddenly asked, “Have you always been this competitive?”

Jiang Youbai blinked and said, “I’ve always been this competitive!”

The two looked at each other and laughed.

Seeing that Lou Huaichehad finally stopped crying, Jiang Youbai reached out and gently touched the teardrop mole under Lou Huaiche’s eye, her tone tender: “Finally done crying? You had me so worried earlier—I didn’t know what to do.”

Lou Huaichetilted her head and nuzzled against Jiang Youbai’s palm. “Now that you mention it, I feel like crying again. I’d just managed to forget about it.”

The beauty, with her dark hair and fair skin, lowered her lashes slightly, her gaze innocent and docile as she leaned into Jiang Youbai’s hand, looking utterly pitiable.

Jiang Youbai’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment’s thought about what Lou Huaichehad just said, she mysteriously replied, “Wait here for me. I’ll be right back.”

Lou Huaichedidn’t know what she was planning but nodded. “Okay.”

Jiang Youbai went to Chi Ruo’s courtyard, entered the password to get in, and headed straight for Chi Ruo’s backyard, where she snapped off a branch from each of Chi Ruo’s prized flowers.

Pandora was known for its abundance of blue flowers—nearly every variety bloomed in shades of blue, ranging from deep to light. Held together in a bundle, they were a dazzlingly beautiful sight.

Jiang Youbai plucked the flowers without hesitation, her heart untroubled, focused solely on how to cheer up Lou Huaiche.

When she came across Chi Ruo’s treasured Earth tulips, Jiang Youbai paused briefly—then reached out and picked one anyway.

She placed the tulip in the very center of the bouquet, hid the blue rose in her sleeve, left behind a garden of trampled flowers, and returned to her own yard.

Jiang Youbai pushed open the door and stepped inside, immediately spotting Lou Huaiche sitting on the corner sofa.

With her hands behind her back, she paced over to Lou Huaiche and, under the latter’s puzzled gaze, presented her with a large bouquet of flowers.

Most of the blooms were blue, emitting an unusual fragrance, and among them, Lou Huaiche spotted a single pink tulip.

Such a large bunch of flowers, seemingly picked at random—no refined packaging, trimming, or arrangement.

Because this gesture was utterly unlike something Jiang Youbai would do, Lou Huaiche was genuinely taken aback.

Jiang Youbai smiled, her eyes narrowing, bright and radiant with joy: “For you.”

Lou Huaiche took the flowers, and then, with a flick of her wrist, Jiang Youbai produced a single blue rose: “Here, Pandora’s Hope—also for you.”

Jiang Youbai stared into Lou Huaiche’s amber eyes and gave a playful blink: “Miss Lou, don’t cry.”

Lou Huaiche looked at her for two seconds and pressed a hand to her chest.

Her heart was pounding wildly.

Lou Huaiche casually tossed the bouquet onto the sofa, stood up, grabbed Jiang Youbai by the collar, and yanked her close, kissing her with a roughness that bordered on violence.

Jiang Youbai, still holding the blue rose, hesitated—should she drop it or keep holding it?

Her gaze flicked to the discarded bouquet on the sofa, and without hesitation, she tossed the rose onto it as well, returning Lou Huaiche’s embrace with a gentle one of her own.

The two kissed, for once not locked in their usual fierce battle for dominance mid-embrace.

Winning, losing, pride—all those lingering resentments and probing tensions were cast aside as they met each other with the softest gestures, embracing the affection between them.

A hug can make one feel deeply loved.

A kiss can convey the emotions one wishes to express.

The scent of pheromones slowly filled every corner of the room, blending together tenderly.

The kiss was unusually long, leaving both slightly breathless by the end.

Jiang Youbai lowered her head slightly, resting her forehead against Lou Huaiche’s. Her voice was husky as she murmured, “Miss Lou, I think I’ve gone into heat.”

Lou Huaiche closed her eyes and leaned her head against Jiang Youbai’s shoulder. “Mm. Me too.”

…

The branches snapped, scattering petals across the ground.

The movements of both women slowed, a tender warmth flowing between them, filling their chests with overwhelming contentment.

They exchanged kisses, exchanged affection.

Lost in the haze of passion, Lou Huaiche lifted her gaze to Jiang Youbai.

Her starlit eyes shimmered with a tenderness that made Lou Huaiche’s heart tremble. She let out a soft laugh, dazedly feeling as though that tenderness was a blade—peeling open her heart to reveal its most fervent depths.

There was no more feigned affection, no more veiled probing, no icy indifference pressing against her chest.

Once, they had carelessly staked themselves in this game of wits. Now, it was as though they had both fallen into a whirlpool of love, unable to break free.

They craved the warmth the other offered, sought the illusion of love. The flippant confessions and sweet nothings they had once traded in their battles of wit and rivalry now melted into silence.

Now that they truly cared about each other’s feelings, these two reckless madwomen had suddenly become rational and restrained.

Neither was willing to reveal their hand, preferring instead to search for answers in every glance and gesture between kisses, rather than carelessly tossing emotions onto the table like bargaining chips.

Once their clothes were straightened, they nestled together on the sofa, arms wrapped around each other.

Jiang Youbai brushed aside a stray lock of hair from Lou Huaiche’s cheek, playing with it for a moment before asking in a clear, soft voice, “Still feel like crying?”

The beauty’s eyes gleamed like silk as she lazily lifted her gaze, flecks of sunlight like shattered gold pooling in their depths.

Lou Huaiche chuckled lowly. “Your Highness, this is no way to comfort someone.”

Jiang Youbai narrowed her eyes, her face adorned with a warm, jade-like smile. She gazed at Lou Huaiche’s rosy lips and reached out to trace the outline of her mouth with her fingers. “It’s not just my mouth that’s stubborn,” she said. “Miss Lou’s lips are quite unyielding too.”

Lou Huaicheyawned, dodging her touch. “Is that so? I’ve never seen Your Highness back down either.”

“Oh? Why don’t you teach me how to yield, then?”

The two locked eyes, a silent battle of wills unfolding between them.

After a brief moment of mutual warmth, they quickly reverted to their old, competitive ways.

Without absolute certainty, neither was willing to be the first to back down—as though the one who spoke first would lose the game.

Lou Huaichecounted on her fingers, leaning lazily against Jiang Youbai as she tallied up: “A huge bouquet, tulips, and a single blue rose… Your Highness seems quite adept at yielding, doesn’t she?”

Jiang Youbai smiled softly, her voice as gentle as ever. “Wasn’t it you who grabbed my clothes and started crying first?”

At the mention of how she had clutched Jiang Youbai’s sleeve and sobbed, Lou Huaiche, who hadn’t initially felt embarrassed, suddenly found it a bit humiliating. “Tch. Wasn’t it you who reached for my hand first?”

Jiang Youbai immediately dredged up ancient history: “At our first meeting, you were the one who approached me and told me your scent was woody.”

Lou Huaiche: “…”

This back-and-forth could go on forever. Lou Huaichesimply pushed Jiang Youbai away and sat up, demanding, “Where’s my rose?”

Jiang Youbai pointed at the petals on the floor. “There.”

Lou Huaicheturned her head away, sulking. “I hadn’t even accepted it yet, and you already threw it away.”

Jiang Youbai’s retort was even more indignant: “You were the one who tossed the whole bouquet first!”

Just then, Jiang Youbai received a holographic call from Chi Ruo.

She answered it, and because it was an old-fashioned personal terminal, the holographic projection appeared directly in the room.

On the other end of the call, Chi Ruo wore a faint smile, her tone gentle as she asked Jiang Youbai, “Where are you two?”

Jiang Youbai shifted aside to show the scene behind her. “In my room.”

Chi Ruo nodded, her expression unchanging as she continued, “Where are my flowers? My tulips? My roses, my peonies?”

“Uh… I have no idea.”

Chi Ruo had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the corner of a garment peeking out beside her—it was Lou Huaiche’s clothes. And that petal in the corner of the sofa? It was from her tulip.

After quickly piecing together the general sequence of events, Chi Ruo took a deep breath and repeatedly hypnotized herself in her mind: Jiang Youbai is her most important friend, and from a friend’s perspective, she truly loves Jiang Youbai.

Chi Ruo closed her eyes and hung up the phone.

A moment later, Jiang Youbai received a frantic text from Chi Ruo: “Jiang Youbai! Can you raise your moral standards just a little? You and Lou Huaicheare busy with your romance—what did my flowers ever do to you? What did my tulips, my roses, my peonies ever do to deserve this?!”

Jiang Youbai rubbed her nose, feeling slightly guilty: “Sorry, but Lou Huaichewas crying, you know?”

Chi Ruo was furious: “Those were tulips! Tulips!”

“And we’re not even romantically involved yet. She was in a bad mood, so I picked some flowers to cheer her up.”

Chi Ruo: “…”

After a pause, Chi Ruo’s messages came out word by word: “So, you plucked all the flowers I worked so hard to grow, even picked my priceless tulips, and you’re not even dating Lou Huaicheyet? What kind of tears are so precious that one drop costs a fortune?”

Jiang Youbai replied, “Well, we did make some progress.”

“What progress? So you’re not denying the rest of it, huh?”

“We officially marked each other.”

Chi Ruo: “…” Impressive.

She angrily closed the chat window, grinding her teeth as she thought, No wonder you’ve spent half your lives together and still act like you just met! With morals like this, you’ll have to wait till the next life for any real commitment.

After struggling to calm down for a long time, Chi Ruo still sent Jiang Youbai a message: “Get ready, we’re going to the Lower House this afternoon. I was originally coming home to tell you two things, but I was so mad when I got to my garden that I couldn’t even speak clearly.”

“Seriously, if you don’t take care of me when I’m old, it’ll be unforgivable, Jiang Youbai. You really should raise your moral standards a bit. I feel like even a heroic mother wouldn’t put up with this much.”

Just as Jiang Youbai was about to banter back, she saw another message from Chi Ruo.

“Oh, and the second thing I wanted to tell you is that the nursing home just called. Your mother has passed away.”

Jiang Youbai froze.