The Scumbag Alpha is Courting Death Again - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Maple Syrup – Thinking the World is Finally Peaceful

A blinding white light crossed her eyes. Ming Xi slowly opened them, glancing around the hospital room, and realized that Xia Jinzhao was already fully dressed.

She sat up, letters fluttering down from her shoulder. It was no exaggeration to say they were enough to bury her.

She was so tired from reading letters last night that she didn’t know when she fell asleep. She rubbed her head, preparing to get out of bed.

Hearing the movement, Xia Jinzhao glanced over. The woman’s slender fingers threaded through her collar, fastening the last button, giving her a restrained and refined look.

“Are you a pig to sleep so long?” Ignoring the content, her tone was devoid of mockery.

This statement completely chased away Ming Xi’s drowsiness. She quietly clenched her fists.

I’ve been enduring you for a long time, you know!

“Are you leaving the hospital already?” She fumbled for her slippers and reached for the jacket draped over the bed.

“The rental cost for the set is expensive, we can’t afford to wait.”

Xia Jinzhao dominated the full-length mirror, confirming her clothes were flat and wrinkle-free, before turning to look at Ming Xi.

It sounds like she’s plunging back into her busy work schedule.

Thanks to Xia Jinzhao, Ming Xi had also been lazy for the past two days, and they got along surprisingly well. But good times always come to an end. The thought of going back to work made her wish she could knock herself out and return to the day before yesterday.

Don’t wake up! Waking up means work TvT.

She suppressed the urge to crawl back into bed, heavily disgruntled as she put on her knitted jacket, and looked up, meeting Xia Jinzhao’s gaze.

“Why are you looking at me?” Ming Xi, guilty, bundled herself up.

This person doesn’t have mind-reading abilities, does she? She simply wanted a holiday, she didn’t have any malicious thoughts about cursing anyone!

Xia Jinzhao chuckled lightly, a faint warmth flickering in her eyes: “If you weren’t looking at me, how would you know I was looking at you?”

Quibbling.

Knowing she wouldn’t win an argument with her, Ming Xi secretly muttered a couple of retorts.

Why does a perfectly fine person have to open their mouth?

After a few days of getting along, she would definitely not associate the person in front of her with “aloof” or “cold and transcendent.”

Since she came to the hospital in the middle of the night with a fever, she didn’t bring many personal belongings. Ming Xi tidied up quickly.

She was already planning to take a taxi home from the hospital entrance. Xia Jinzhao, who was walking ahead, stopped when she noticed Ming Xi hadn’t followed.

“The car is waiting downstairs. Hurry up.”

Hearing this, Ming Xi was surprised: “Are we taking the same car?”

Xia Jinzhao frowned slightly, her tone puzzled: “Otherwise?”

“People saw us at the hospital. Splitting up would be a hassle.”

Ming Xi had been frantic at the time and didn’t wear all her necessary gear for public appearances. A celebrity like Xia Jinzhao was even more likely to become a topic of conversation.

“Oh, alright then.”

Under Xia Jinzhao’s “generous” invitation, Ming Xi reluctantly followed her. The two took the elevator down to the basement. From a distance, they saw someone waving at them in the parking lot.

“Sister, over here!” A girl called out with a clear, cheerful voice.

Such a high-profile gesture made Xia Jinzhao slow her pace, seemingly realizing something.

Sure enough, a few young girls darted out from behind Zhou Zhenhui. They were brightly and fashionably dressed. The different top notes of their perfumes mixed together, creating a strange scent.

“It really is Sister!”

“She’s even thinner than on TV, and so pale!”

“This breathtaking beauty, it was worth waiting here for two days, boo hoo…”

Like chattering sparrows, the fans excitedly discussed her, clear eyes filled with bright light.

Ming Xi subconsciously pulled up her mask, wishing she could hide her nose bridge too. She shrank behind Xia Jinzhao, trying to minimize her presence.

“Sister, everyone heard you had a fever and rushed over from afar to visit you!”

Compared to the mature and stable manager, Cui Jinyu, Zhou Zhenhui had less experience in the industry, so mistakes were inevitable.

For example, now, without disclosing the whereabouts, this was essentially a form of sasaeng behavior.

Sure enough, Xia Jinzhao’s lips pressed down. She already had strong boundaries and particularly disliked people crossing the line from work into her personal life.

But since they were young fans, she didn’t reprimand them too harshly.

“Jinzhao, can I have your autograph?” A young girl stepped forward, her bright, almond-shaped eyes curved as she handed over a sketchpad.

“What’s your name?” Xia Jinzhao took the paper and pen.

After the girl said her name, the woman quickly wrote on the paper. Her sharp, clean handwriting was like the person herself—even hidden in thick, flowing clouds, her brilliance was hard to conceal.

Seeing that Xia Jinzhao was not openly angry, the initially shy girls quickly gathered around.

“Sister, can we take a photo?”

Ming Xi was naturally ignored, treated like air. That was understandable. With her simple, plain attire, she couldn’t possibly be associated with an “ambiguous partner.”

She pulled her hat lower, maintaining a distance that was neither too far nor too close from the crowd.

Someone lightly nudged her elbow. Ming Xi looked up, seeing Zhou Zhenhui eagerly striking up a conversation with her.

“Hi, do you still remember me?” She lifted her face, trying to jog Ming Xi’s memory.

They were about the same age and should have had a lot to talk about. Zhou Zhenhui was outgoing and could chat with anyone.

I remember, the one who tried to give me a green hat.

“I remember, we met at the film city before.” Ming Xi replied.

They hadn’t had much direct contact. She had only seen her from afar a few times, thanks to Xia Jinzhao, and remembered her.

“Hehe, thank you for saving Sister Jinzhao,” Zhou Zhenhui laughed, showing two shallow dimples, looking harmlessly simple. “I never thought that Shi Dezhao had such a bad character. Good thing the director kicked him out.”

Regarding her own dark history, Ming Xi felt a pang in her heart. As for the aftermath of that incident, she hadn’t paid much attention, only remembering that Shi Dezhao was lambasted by netizens for a while.

A true woman never looks back at an explosion.

“Don’t let Sister Jinzhao’s usual coldness fool you. She’s actually very nice to us in private.” Like opening a floodgate, Zhou Zhenhui rattled on.

“She’s alright.” This was the only point Ming Xi couldn’t agree with.

She vaguely mumbled a response, her attention drifting outward, soon noticing a girl at the back of the crowd.

Despite the surrounding atmosphere of excitement and joy, the girl wasn’t blending in. Under her heavy bangs, her eyes were sullen. She stood silently, looking less like an obsessed fan and more like someone who had been dragged along by friends.

The reason Ming Xi noticed her was entirely because, from the very beginning, the girl kept glancing at her, her gaze sticky and damp, like a lump of white pulp.

Their eyes met in the air. A few seconds later, the person still didn’t back down. This clearly exceeded the social rules between strangers.

She said a few words to Zhou Zhenhui, who was talking beside her, and quickly jogged over, asking kindly.

“Why aren’t you with them?”

This skillful, professional talk made it seem as if she were truly Xia Jinzhao’s assistant.

The girl didn’t speak. Under her monolids, her eyes were quiet and dark. Her slightly fleshy cheeks hadn’t fully lost their childishness, like a well-behaved student in middle or high school.

Inexplicably, Ming Xi felt uneasy under her gaze. Seeing that the girl didn’t respond, she awkwardly looked at Zhou Zhenhui for help.

At the same time, the crowd at the other end dispersed, mixed with the girls’ drawn-out, reluctant voices.

Xia Jinzhao raised her hand helplessly, clearly annoyed by the situation. Seeing this, Zhou Zhenhui ignored everything else and quickly went to manage the crowd.

“Jinzhao just got discharged from the hospital and has to rush to the set without enough rest. Everyone, please understand.”

The young fans mostly had no ill intentions. Despite their reluctance, they let her pass, and a clear path soon formed in front of the car.

Seeing Xia Jinzhao about to leave, Ming Xi was afraid of being abandoned, so she quickly trailed behind her.

Whispers drifted into her ears.

“Who is that? I don’t recognize her.”

“The driver? But isn’t Assistant Zhou driving?”

The unfounded speculation reached Ming Xi’s ears, and her heart tightened. She even felt a camera pointing at her back, making her feel like a specimen in a petri dish, awaiting analysis.

Zhou Zhenhui’s mind worked quickly, and she unceremoniously directed her.

“Xiao Ming, go to the passenger seat and get Sister Jinzhao’s medicine!”

This statement was effective, and the curious fans immediately lost interest.

“I knew it. She must be a staff member.”

Ming Xi pretended to run to the passenger seat, picking up the plastic bag and bringing it to the back seat. When she closed the car door, Xia Jinzhao was leaning against the side, dozing. Her eyes couldn’t hide her exhaustion.

The woman was rubbing her aching fingers. These years of busy work had made her hand-to-paper movements less fluid.

Through the rearview mirror, Zhou Zhenhui started the car: “Sister, why don’t you sleep for a bit? We still have plenty of time before the flight.”

“No need. I still have to go to the company to pick up some things.” She forced herself to sit up.

The car was filled with a slightly cold scent, like the aged smell of light rain on a window frame. Ming Xi turned her face to look at her: “Don’t you need to tell Grandma? They were quite worried about you.”

Xia Jinzhao lowered her eyes, ignoring her, obviously extremely tired.

Interacting with fans inevitably involved putting on a cheerful face. She was not naturally inclined to provide emotional value, so meeting fans had become a source of distress.

Zhou Zhenhui turned on the navigation and said apologetically: “I’m sorry. They kept begging, and I couldn’t handle it…”

“It’s okay.”

Ming Xi listened to them chat, feeling that intense gaze again. She looked up. Through the tinted car window, she saw the girl from earlier hiding behind a pillar, her eyes fixed on her face.

The feeling of being watched intently by a stranger was unsettling. Ming Xi felt something strange was going on, so she rolled up the window, completely blocking the other person’s gaze.

Zhou Zhenhui dropped her off at Huayang Qingyuan first. The car stopped at the entrance. Just as Ming Xi was about to get out, a rustling sound came from behind.

She turned her head, seeing Xia Jinzhao hooking her index finger through a plastic bag and tossing the contents into her arms.

“Take it and eat.”

Three simple words, with the same casual attitude as offering afternoon tea at the film set.

Leaving these words behind, the car sped away.

Ming Xi held the tote bag, peering inside. It was a glutinous rice chicken, commonly sold at convenience stores, its packaging moist with cold condensation.

Presumably, Xia Jinzhao didn’t eat well at the hospital for the past two days, so she asked her assistant to run an errand for her.

But she was waylaid by fans and didn’t have time to eat, so she just tossed it to me to deal with.

Hmph, am I some kind of trash can!

Ming Xi tore open the packaging, thinking angrily.

The temperature dropped sharply in mid-October. There were no figures wearing short skirts or hot shorts on the streets. Ming Xi started adding layers, putting on the pink round-neck knitted sweater she had bought on sale, looking like a playful rabbit from afar.

She stepped out of the subway entrance, crunching the fallen leaves under her feet, and followed the familiar route into the small alley. After several turns, she arrived at the Changguan Studio.

It was still the old residential building, with all sorts of small advertisements plastered next to the blackened stairwell. She inserted the wildly dangling key into the lock, hearing the commotion inside from afar.

“Xi Xi, you’re here so early.”

A girl in black-rimmed glasses peeked out from behind the computer, greeting her enthusiastically.

She was Wen Can, Lu Litong’s newly hired assistant, responsible for video editing. It would be too difficult for Ming Xi to handle both live streaming and operation.

“It’s not early. It’s almost noon.” Ming Xi looked at the wall clock and smiled.

“Anyway, the traffic is best at night. Morning and afternoon don’t make much difference,” Wen Can was true to her name, her smile revealing two small canine teeth, heartwarming.

The two chatted briefly. Ming Xi set up her phone stand, ready to start the live stream.

Usually at this time, Lu Litong was still sleeping in the bedroom, only getting up in the afternoon to have lunch, so only they were in the studio.

The live stream duration had increased in the past few days, and the traffic was improving. Coupled with her friendly and enthusiastic streaming style, she gradually attracted many repeat customers.

Half a minute after starting the stream, several familiar IDs with fan badges flooded the live room.

“Good morning, everyone! You’re all so punctual.” Ming Xi placed the selected items in front of the camera, greeting the people in the live room.

Amidst the scattered greetings, a system welcome message popped up.

User “Don’t Send Messages or Be Immersed in a Pig Cage” entered the live room.

At first, Ming Xi didn’t take it seriously, simply waved at the screen, and prepared to present the products to the customers.

However, the person’s first sentence was truly explosive.

I want everything.

The live room fell into a brief silence.

The second sentence followed immediately.

Not a scammer.