After the Scumbag Alpha Accidentally Marked the Blackened Villain - Chapter 19

“Open it and take a look,” Leng Jinxi said, lifting her eyes to Lin Bie.

Lin Bie picked up the folder in front of her, untied the string binding it shut, and sat down to read it carefully. Leng Jinxi also put on her glasses and took out her own copy.

The temperature in the study was just right. The comfort of the chair and the peaceful environment instantly relieved Lin Bie of the tension she’d been carrying all night. She was feeling a little tired, and the alcohol made reading even harder. The words, which should have been easy to follow, now swam before her eyes like ants crawling in every direction.

Her head ached with dull pressure, and she furrowed her brows, forcing herself to focus.

Suddenly, a glass of water was passed to her. She looked up and saw pale, delicate fingers gently tapping the rim of the glass. The light refracted through the rippling water, casting fluttering shadows across the back of her hand like butterfly wings.

“Have some water.” A soft voice, like spring water flowing over rocks, came from behind her.

She froze for a moment before regaining her senses and looking up—but the person standing beside her, with that scent of camellia, had already walked away.

“…Thanks.”

Leng Jinxi returned to her seat across from her, lifting the document again. The reflection in her glasses caught Lin Bie’s movements as she raised the glass to drink. She raised the document just a bit higher to subtly hide the smile playing at the corners of her lips.

The honey water cleared Lin Bie’s foggy mind slightly. She looked down at the document again, finally able to make sense of the text.

Taking another sip, she lifted her eyes and looked at Leng Jinxi with a trace of hesitation.

Leng Jinxi frowned slightly. “Do you have any objections?”

The contract had been drafted by a lawyer. There were no hidden clauses. If Lin Bie had trouble with something, it had to be the additional terms Leng Jinxi had personally added.

Lin Bie’s gaze fell to one specific clause:

“If either Party A or B commits an act that damages the family’s reputation, the other party may take matters into their own hands to rectify the issue, up to and including punitive action, until the family’s image is restored.”

Her temples throbbed. So in the end, the villainess still doesn’t trust me, huh?

“‘Take matters into their own hands’—what exactly does that mean?” she asked, pointing to the clause.

Leng Jinxi didn’t even glance at where she pointed. Her deep, dark eyes narrowed slightly. “Why? Do you think you’ll need that clause someday?”

Lin Bie was caught off guard, her heart pounding.

Why is she so sharp? I was just asking. Why does she make it sound like I’m planning to cheat tomorrow or something?!

Faced with Leng Jinxi’s intense gaze, Lin Bie took a deep breath and gave up. “It’s nothing, really. I’m not curious anymore.” She picked up the pen beside her and signed her name quickly.

Aside from that suspicious clause, the rest of the contract was everything they had previously discussed in the hospital, including the agreement that Lin Bie would help Leng Jinxi through her heat cycles.

To Lin Bie, this was all part of a mission in a fictional world. She didn’t believe someone like her—someone who didn’t even believe in love in the real world—would suddenly fall for anyone here.

So she signed decisively and added her fingerprint to seal it. Just as she stood up, ready to say she was heading home, something made her pause, and she sat back down again.

Leng Jinxi was putting the documents back into the folder. Seeing her sit again, she gave her a curious glance, noting Lin Bie’s hesitant expression. Her brows knit together.

“What is it now?”

Lin Bie recalled what had happened earlier that evening and asked tentatively, “Do you have any idea who added mango juice to your drink tonight?”

Whoever it was had to know about Leng Jinxi’s allergy history and had enough influence to bribe the banquet staff and manipulate her drink from a distance. Clearly, it was someone deeply familiar with the layout and flow of the event.

To her surprise, Leng Jinxi didn’t hesitate. Her voice was calm and firm: “Gu Ban.”

Lin Bie stiffened, her expression shifting to seriousness.

She had almost forgotten—Gu Ban had once been considered for an engagement with Leng Jinxi. Of course she would know about her allergy history.

And the Gu family had been one of the most powerful families in Liucheng. It would’ve been easy for them to access details about the banquet venue.

Lin Bie’s hand clenched into a fist on the table. She exhaled sharply. “Only she could come up with something this vile and this stupid.”

Leng Jinxi removed her glasses and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. In the dim light, her movements were elegant and gentle. Lin Bie, already drowsy from the alcohol, felt her fatigue creeping back.

“She’s just trying to get back at me for last time. But don’t worry—I won’t let her pull anything like this again.” She couldn’t take down the Lin family, so she turned her sights on the weaker Leng family—two birds with one stone.

Gu Ban isn’t just cruel—she’s disgusting. Lin Bie bit her lip, thinking bitterly.

A serious allergic reaction could cause anaphylactic shock. Lin Bie didn’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened if she hadn’t overheard Wang You’s phone call—if Leng Jinxi had actually drunk that cocktail…

Leng Jinxi had wanted to reassure her that she wouldn’t have finished the drink even if she had tasted it, that she would’ve noticed the mango. But the words stuck in her throat when she saw Lin Bie’s furious expression.

Was she… worried about me?

She had never seen such raw, unfiltered concern in someone else’s eyes before.

A strange warmth bloomed in her chest, like waves rolling through her limbs. Her fingers trembled as they pressed against the document. Her emotions were a mess—as if some key part of her plan had been thrown into chaos, shaking her to the core.

While she was lost in thought, Lin Bie stood up and said goodbye. Leng Jinxi snapped out of it and asked instinctively, “You’re leaving already?”

Lin Bie yawned and stretched. The moment she acknowledged her fatigue, it swept through her like a flood. Her limbs felt heavy; even her movements slowed.

“Yeah, it’s really late. If I don’t leave now, the driver’s going to fall asleep in the car.”

Leng Jinxi checked the time. 1:00 AM.

Her fingers curled slightly at her side. Her long lashes fluttered under the soft light. Lin Bie couldn’t quite make out the emotion in her eyes.

“It really is late. There’s a guest room here—why don’t you stay the night?” Her gaze flicked to the empty honey water glass on the table. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe something deeper, but her voice was softer now. “I won’t do anything.”

Even if I wanted to… I’ve given up on that now.

Lin Bie didn’t really believe Leng Jinxi would try anything just because she stayed the night. But she had promised Lin Qingsi she would return home, and if she broke that promise, it might reduce the tiny bit of favorability she had just gained.

She couldn’t risk that.

“No need. I’d only be troubling you. You’ve had a long day too—get some rest.” She yawned again, grabbed the folder, and headed for the door. She was so tired she nearly had to brace herself against the walls as she left.

Leng Jinxi silently followed her out, watching as she collapsed into the car. Moments later, the headlights flicked on, and the vehicle pulled away.

She stood quietly for a moment, then turned back into the study.

A soft Alpha pheromone lingered faintly in the air, blended with the gentle sweetness of sake. It wrapped around her like a delicate embrace.

She walked to the table and picked up the empty glass with her slender fingers. Under the lamplight, she studied it closely, her gaze dark and unreadable.

Do she really care that much… about her sister?