After The Mission Failed, The Scumbag Alpha Ran Away - Chapter 45

45: Madmen Crossing Blades

After Jiang Youbai finished speaking, she noticed that the two people in front of her were acting a bit strange.

Lou Huaiche stared at her with an intense gaze, her face shrouded in an inexplicable emotion, her eyes unfathomable.

Those beautifully shaped peach-blossom eyes looked at Jiang Youbai, faintly revealing a trace of anger.

When those eyes, filled with killing intent, turned toward her, Jiang Youbai reflexively covered her gland—it was already starting to ache.

Chi Ruo, on the other hand, impatiently kicked the table: “I don’t want to go. It’s such a hassle. Who wants to have a meal with you?”

Jiang Youbai shot her a look, signaling that she had something to discuss.

Chi Ruo smiled and pretended not to see it.

Of course, she knew what Jiang Youbai meant, but she just didn’t want to go—

Good and evil will eventually be repaid; those who commit too many misdeeds will inevitably face retribution.

Chi Ruo played dead, Lou Huaiche stared at her, and Jiang Youbai, after a moment’s thought, asked Lou Huaiche: “Then, Miss Lou, would you like to come along?”

Only then did Chi Ruo realize that despite knowing each other for so long—some fast-moving couples would already have a ten-month-old child by this point—Jiang Youbai was still addressing Lou Huaiche as “Miss Lou.”

Chi Ruo: “…” She began to feel that not enlightening either Jiang Youbai or Lou Huaiche would make her somewhat immoral.

She couldn’t bear to watch any longer and urged Jiang Youbai to leave: “Go, go, get out. Just seeing your face annoys me.”

So Jiang Youbai took Lou Huaiche to the commercial street next to the Chi residence.

It was early summer, and the weather was pleasant. The central commercial streets of the imperial capital were bustling with people.

Those from the lower districts would do anything to get into the upper districts, while people from other provinces in the empire treated the upper districts of the imperial capital as a must-visit tourist destination.

It was late spring and early summer, the season when the flowers of Pandora Star bloomed in full splendor. Petals fluttered along the roadside, swept up by the wind like trailing clouds.

Most of the people on the commercial street were tourists, and their clothing styles differed noticeably from the prevailing fashion in the imperial capital.

People from the imperial capital, especially the nobility, preferred fabrics made using Earth’s traditional craftsmanship, wearing intricate attire and accessories from various eras to flaunt their heritage.

Those from other provinces, however, favored lightweight and comfortable new fabrics, simplifying the designs and focusing on color combinations rather than excessive embellishments.

The current trend seemed to be clashing colors—the streets were filled with people wearing highly saturated, visually striking outfits.

The warm sunlight spilled down as the two walked side by side through the lively crowd.

Jiang Youbai asked Lou Huaiche: “What would you like to eat?”

Lou Huaiche shook her head, merely taking in the sights and people around her with fresh curiosity.

It had been a long time since she strolled aimlessly like this. Accustomed to rushing through tasks and endless chaotic affairs, Lou Huaiche’s walking pace was much faster than that of the tourists.

She said to Jiang Youbai: “I don’t know. Is there anything good to eat around here?”

Jiang Youbai thought for a moment, then shrugged: “I don’t know either. I hardly ever go shopping. When Jiang Qingxian first returned to the imperial capital, I couldn’t even think of a place to take her—I almost ended up tearing bread apart to feed fish in some lake.”

The two exchanged glances, seeing helplessness in each other’s eyes.

Jiang Youbai said to Lou Huaiche: “You think of something.”

Lou Huaiche also said: “You think of something.”

In the end, they decided to follow the tourists and go wherever the crowd led them, buying whatever food they came across to sample, treating it as a way to relax.

As they wandered aimlessly, Jiang Youbai and Lou Huaiche fell into silence, neither knowing what to say.

Both of them felt somewhat awkward, occasionally recalling that afternoon from a few days ago.

Neither could bring themselves to start a casual conversation. After a while, Jiang Youbai smiled and broke the silence: “Miss Lou, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Lou Huaiche paused, then retorted: “You’re not talking either.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Jiang Youbai said calmly. “It seems like we’ve never had much to talk about—either we’re fighting or competing over something.”

Lou Huaiche added: “And you often lose to me.”

Hearing this, Jiang Youbai immediately turned to look at her. The delicate and beautiful Omega gazed back with a stubborn and unyielding glint in her amber eyes.

Jiang Youbai weighed the options between “arguing is childish” and “admitting defeat is humiliating” and ultimately lost to her competitive nature.

She curled her lips into a cold smile: “Oh? I don’t remember it that way.”

Lou Huaiche gave her a bland look, then walked straight to a crowded snack stand by the roadside, ignoring Jiang Youbai, who was ready for battle.

Jiang Youbai: “…” Dropping a casual remark and then walking away so nonchalantly made her look like a fool.

She had to reclaim her dignity.

Jiang Youbai secretly vowed that if she didn’t regain her pride today, even after death, when someone shoveled dirt over her coffin, she’d claw her way out and refuse to reincarnate over this matter.

Jiang Youbai followed Lou Huaiche and joined the line. The snack stand sold skewers, with no seating available. Business was booming, and the queue stretched almost to the other side of the street.

The two stood one behind the other. Lou Huaiche bought a portion first. When the vendor handed her the packed skewers, she immediately took one, turned around, stuffed it into Jiang Youbai’s mouth, and walked off.

Jiang Youbai finished the skewer and caught up to Lou Huaiche, blocking her path. She raised an eyebrow and asked: “What was that for?”

Lou Huaiche sneered: “Can’t even food shut you up?”

Jiang Youbai grabbed her collar and asked in a low voice: “If you want to scold me, you don’t have to do it like this. Why are you acting like a child even now?”

The two began tugging at each other—pulling, yanking, and in the midst of it, Jiang Youbai started snatching the skewers from Lou Huaiche’s hands while swatting at her.

Lou Huaiche’s beautiful face darkened with anger: “What are you doing? You didn’t buy anything, so you’re stealing mine?”

The two continued to tussle, fighting over the skewers. Jiang Youbai managed to grab the last one and triumphantly bit into half of a meatball, then leaned toward Lou Huaiche as if to say, “The last one’s mine.”

Lou Huaiche asked expressionlessly: “Are you some kind of elementary school bully? Is this really something to be proud of?”

Seeing Jiang Youbai’s smug expression, Lou Huaiche thought of all the despicable things this person had done. In a fit of anger, she grabbed Jiang Youbai’s collar, stood on her tiptoes, and tried to snatch the meatball from Jiang Youbai’s mouth with her own.

Jiang Youbai froze, unwilling to back down. She cupped Lou Huaiche’s neck to prevent her from succeeding.

Lou Huaiche had already eaten half of the meatball. When their lips touched, neither gained the upper hand, and in their frustration, they began biting each other’s lips.

Tourists passing by clicked their tongues in admiration, and someone even clapped: “Such an affectionate couple!”

Hearing this, Jiang Youbai and Lou Huaiche grew even angrier, biting each other more fiercely, determined to win.

Lou Huaiche gripped Jiang Youbai’s collar, her face flushed. She glared at Jiang Youbai and said through gritted teeth: “Let’s find a corner. Don’t embarrass yourself in public.”

Jiang Youbai seized the opportunity to bite her finger: “You’re the one embarrassing yourself!”

Lou Huaiche pinched her: “As if you’re not.”

What should have been a pleasant outing to eat together turned into a public scuffle between Jiang Youbai and Lou Huaiche.

Not daring to make the fight too obvious, they resorted to petty actions—pinching, tugging, and eventually found a nearby hotel. Under the bewildered gaze of the front desk clerk, they stormed upstairs to a standard room.

As soon as they entered, Jiang Youbai closed the door, and the two immediately started fighting.

Jiang Youbai had originally intended to check if the door was locked, but the moment she turned around, Lou Huaiche suddenly pinned her against the wall.

Lou Huaiche looked down at her, narrowing her eyes with a sharp gaze. She leaned close to Jiang Youbai’s ear and whispered with a laugh: “Your Highness, how did you lose right from the start?”

Jiang Youbai looked up, her clear, phoenix-like eyes devoid of any extraneous emotion.

She stared at Lou Huaiche, then gripped her neck in return, her voice soft and tender: “That’s hard to say.”

The two began exchanging blows.

Having fought so many times before, they both knew each other’s limits. Familiar with each other’s moves and tactics, whether out of awkwardness or sheer stubbornness, neither initiated a kiss mid-fight this time.

Without the distraction of kissing, the fight dragged on without a clear winner. After half an hour, Jiang Youbai wiped her mouth and realized she’d scraped her lip somewhere during the scuffle.

She clicked her tongue and pressed down on Lou Huaiche’s arm to stop her from twisting it: “Miss Lou, since we can’t decide a winner after so long, how about we stop?”

Lou Huaiche glanced up, her peach-blossom eyes half-annoyed, half-amused: “Fine.”

The two let go in unison—only to immediately lunge at each other again.

“I said stop fighting. Why are you still going?” Jiang Youbai asked with a cold laugh.

Lou Huaiche’s lips curled into a slightly deranged smile: “Did you stop?”

“If I stop, I lose.”

“Then let’s count to three and let go together. No more fighting after that.”

Jiang Youbai said: “No. How do I know you won’t cheat? You’d just lose credibility, but I’d lose face.”

Lou Huaiche looked at her stunningly beautiful face and almost wanted to bite this Alpha to death.

Earlier, on the street, men and women—whether Alphas or Omegas—couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Youbai.

A wild beast raged in Lou Huaiche’s chest, ramming against her heart, urging her to snap this Alpha’s neck or hide her away where no one else could find her.

But when she met those upturned, clear eyes, Lou Huaiche suddenly suppressed those thoughts.

Jiang Youbai watched Lou Huaiche coldly.

She had always been sensitive to others’ emotions. Her innate ability to read people allowed her to easily detect shifts in attitude from those around her.

This was the second time today Lou Huaiche had felt killing intent toward her.

She understood but chose not to address it.

However, not addressing it didn’t mean Jiang Youbai’s pride would allow Lou Huaiche to provoke her so blatantly.

Jiang Youbai’s lips curled into a smile as a violent impulse surged within her. She decided to act recklessly, releasing her pheromones to entwine around Lou Huaiche while leaning in for a fierce kiss.

Since Jiang Youbai’s lip was already slightly split, Lou Huaiche only needed to bite lightly to taste bl00d.

Whether it was the bloodlust in her heart or the metallic taste in her mouth that fueled her anger, she bit back even more savagely.