The Scumbag Alpha is Courting Death Again - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: French Toast: You Can Lie to Yourself, But Don’t Drag Your Wife into It…

Faced with Xia Jinzhao’s low, questioning voice, Ming Xi didn’t know how to respond. She opened her mouth in vain, but couldn’t utter a single syllable.

The culprit is your sasaeng fan. How could she say such a thing?

It sounded like an accusation or a complaint, and Xia Jinzhao was still out of town. Rushing back deliberately would inevitably cause a commotion.

The bright overhead light cast a shadow on the table, reflecting her difficult and speechless expression on the glass.

Ming Xi ultimately chose to conceal the truth.

She broke open the iodophor cotton swab and carefully wiped the wound using the reflection. The cool, damp liquid penetrated her skin, quickly overriding the stinging pain.

“A small vendor was caught by city management, and his tricycle rushed out from behind me. The iron sheet of his stall scratched me.”

Ming Xi forced a bitter smile, acting as if it were truly the case.

“Who can I complain to? I can only accept my bad luck.”

She had long mastered the art of talking to people like a person and to ghosts like a ghost. Lying didn’t cause her the slightest bit of anxiety.

Given the dim lighting, it was genuinely hard to see what kind of sharp object had caused the injury, so Xia Jinzhao was half-believing.

“You were walking on the sidewalk. How could you be hit by a tricycle?”

“That’s a victim-blaming statement, isn’t it? Bad luck happens even when drinking cold water. What’s impossible?”

Ming Xi, whose lie was exposed, became anxious and couldn’t help but raise her voice. The wound was pulled by her expressive face, causing it to bleed again.

“Hiss—” She gasped sharply, her features scrunching up.

“Don’t move!”

Xia Jinzhao frowned, her upper body instinctively leaning forward. When she realized she couldn’t reach through the screen, she awkwardly withdrew.

“It’s nothing, nothing…” Ming Xi twitched half of her face, looking like someone with facial paralysis. “If you don’t have anything urgent, I’ll hang up first. I still need to go home and treat the wound.”

She was afraid that saying one more word would expose her. Xia Jinzhao was shrewd and not easy to fool.

The intention to rush her off was too obvious, creating a clear boundary with invisible rejection.

The woman on the other end lowered her eyes. The backlit warm lamp shrouded her in a faint, cool mist. After a brief pause, she let out a slightly strained “Mhm.”

Granted permission, Ming Xi quickly hung up, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Phew, that was close. I almost got caught.

Taking advantage of the few people around, she quickly finished treating her wound, heated the bun and milk she had bought in the microwave, and simply dealt with dinner.

It was almost ten o’clock when she got home. Ming Xi came out after a shower and heard the doorbell ring downstairs.

Walking to the door, the screen showed Zhou Zhenhui, followed by a vaguely familiar face.

“Sorry to bother you so late!” The young assistant greeted her with a smile after entering.

Despite the late hour, her energy hadn’t been fully spent during the day; she was like a little sun.

“Is something the matter?” Ming Xi’s voice was weak. Although technically half the owner, she always felt like an intruder.

Zhou Zhenhui changed her shoes and looked at the person behind her: “Sister Xia asked me to come here to pick up a very important document. Oh, right, I heard you were injured, so I brought Dr. Lin to take a look.”

Ming Xi: … I see. She came to check on me and used picking up a document as an excuse.

That being said, she still felt Xia Jinzhao’s thoughtful care, and her heart softened like a runny egg yolk, oozing warmth.

She is so forgiving even though I keep causing her trouble… What a good person!

This thought only highlighted the despicable nature of the original owner, who returned kindness with enmity.

However, after Zhou Zhenhui’s introduction, Ming Xi also remembered Lin Cheng’an. The latter had visited to diagnose her on the first night after she transmigrated.

Hmm, I’m a little afraid she’s abusing her power and secretly trying to poison me into silence.

Lin Cheng’an maintained a cold expression throughout. She walked straight to the living room and placed the medical kit on the coffee table.

When Xia Jinzhao initially called, saying she was going to Huayang Qingyuan to visit Ming Xi, she thought there was something wrong with her ears.

The discord in their marriage had long been rumored within their small circle.

Now seeing the other person brazenly moving in, Lin Cheng’an couldn’t help but inwardly praise her cunning tactics.

“Tear off the bandage and let me see.”

The woman’s tone was sharp. Compared to Xia Jinzhao’s cold indifference, her words were more aggressive.

Ming Xi obediently pulled it off: “I’ve disinfected it. It feels okay.”

“Did you get a tetanus shot?” Lin Cheng’an leaned in, examining the gruesome cut.

“…No, I didn’t. It shouldn’t be necessary,” Ming Xi replied.

Hearing this, Lin Cheng’an sneered: “Many people die every year because they hold the same wishful thinking as you.”

The woman took out medical tools and quickly treated the wound for her. She naturally saw that the wound was definitely not caused by a metal sheet, but she wasn’t interested in asking why the latter was lying.

At that moment, Zhou Zhenhui came out of the elevator, holding a stack of A4 papers as if she had just fetched them.

Seeing Ming Xi’s face, she gasped: “That looks so scary!”

Ming Xi awkwardly flinched, but Lin Cheng’an spoke first.

“Just change the dressing on time, and there shouldn’t be any big problems,” she curled her lips and said sarcastically, “Be grateful for the timely treatment that will prevent scarring. This face is the only thing that can keep Jinzhao around.”

Ming Xi: …

Although she desperately wished for such a good thing to happen, if it required sacrificing herself, she’d rather not.

Seeing the atmosphere turn sour, Zhou Zhenhui quickly changed the subject.

“We’ve got the item and checked the injury. Let’s hurry up and leave so we don’t disturb the patient’s rest.”

She eagerly tidied the medical kit, urged Lin Cheng’an to the door, and didn’t forget to instruct Ming Xi.

“Call me if you need anything else. I’m on standby anytime.”

As the door closed, the empty living room fell silent again. The excessive stillness made complex thoughts tangle in her heart like a mess of thread.

Ming Xi sat on the sofa, the medication on her face starting to take effect, making it tingle and itch, tempting her to scratch it.

It constantly reminded her that the cut on her face was just an initial warning.

She opened her phone, her gaze lingering on Xia Jinzhao’s profile picture for a moment before quickly moving away.

Who else could help me?

This person must have minimal contact with Xia Jinzhao and have enough experience dealing with sasaeng fans.

She scrolled through her contacts until she saw Zhen Wenjing’s contact information.

Light clouds emerged from the mountains, and the bright golden glow of the rising sun awakened the deeply sleeping city.

Ming Xi, however, had lost sleep. She had messaged Zhen Wenjing for help last night and talked to her on the phone for nearly two hours.

In a sense, paparazzi and sasaeng fans were equally annoying, but the former was easier to deal with, as money was their only motivation.

At least, Zhen Wenjing was one of the more principled people in that group.

The subway ran quickly on the tracks, occasionally screeching to a halt at a station. Unfamiliar faces crowded in and out, like sardines in a can.

A secretive gaze scrutinized Ming Xi’s left side of her face, filled with an unpleasant inquisitiveness.

Ming Xi looked down at the message Zhen Wenjing had sent her this morning.

Paparazzi Sis: “I guess someone with a motive noticed you at the film studio last time [Shrug]”

Ming Xi: “Who am I to thank for this? Eight hundred yuan won’t make up for it.”

Paparazzi Sis: “I don’t have money for you to extort. Alas, it’s all because of that hot post. What I did was indeed unethical. Consider it a favor I owe you. Avoid lonely places recently. Let’s arrange a time for you to come find me, and I’ll help you figure out a solution.”

Ming Xi’s focus was still peculiar.

Ming Xi: “Why do I have to go to you?”

In response, Zhen Wenjing sent the specific address of her studio, then went silent, playing dead.

Perhaps due to Xia Jinzhao, she included Ming Xi as one of her potential connections, and her attitude was quite enthusiastic.

Thinking that the studio was quite close to Zhen Wenjing’s place, Ming Xi no longer complained.

When the subway arrived at her station, she put on her hat and quickly ran to the residential building.

When she opened the door, Wen Can was filming the samples. Hearing the movement, she turned her head and was stunned.

“Xixi, what happened to your face?”

“Someone cut it with a knife,” Ming Xi responded vaguely, as if discussing someone else.

Hearing this, Wen Can quickly put down her phone, looked at the wound worriedly, and then seemed to realize something.

“Wait, could it be the note from that day…”

Seeing that Ming Xi didn’t deny it, her eyes widened, and she cursed under her breath.

“Is this person crazy? What do they want?! Did you call the police?”

Ming Xi shook her head and walked to the water dispenser to pour a glass of warm water: “Couldn’t catch them. They ran away.”

She didn’t want to explain anything more. She couldn’t very well say she was Xia Jinzhao’s secret wife, incurred the sasaeng fan’s hatred, and got her face cut, and so on.

Wen Can, having gotten her answer, lamented: “That’s so dangerous. How about you and Sister Lu take a leave of absence for a couple of days and don’t come to work? I’m afraid—”

“No need. I’ve taken enough time off,” Ming Xi set up her phone stand and started the live stream. “I’ll just be careful these next couple of days.”

She routinely greeted the empty live stream room, ensuring the camera and microphone were working.

Today was a weekday, and it was morning, so the traffic was naturally low.

After a while, Ming Xi’s cheek began to itch. Seeing that there was no one in the live stream, she handed the phone to Wen Can.

“You cover for me. I’m going to check the wound.”

She pointed to her face. The other person took the phone: “Go ahead.”

Not long after Ming Xi left, a system notification popped up in the live stream room.

“User “Don’t Send Messages or Get Tossed in the Pig Cage” has entered the live stream room”

Seeing the fan badge with a two-digit intimacy level, Wen Can’s relaxed attitude instantly vanished, and she quickly reached out to greet them.

“Little Lin Wife, long time no see. Have you had breakfast?”

“Why is it you?”

Feeling the subtle dislike, Wen Can explained: “Um, it’s like this. Xixi got a little injury and went to the restroom to treat it. She’ll be back soon!”

Her intention was to create a professional image for Ming Xi, showing her working despite an injury. The person on the other end paused for a long time. If it weren’t for the number ‘one’ in the upper right corner, she would have thought they had left the live stream room.

“Little injury?”

On the other side, the woman sat in the rest area of the set. The sparse light from the corridor fell on the corner of her eye, highlighting her skin like white glaze.

Slowly typing out two words, the image of the person from the video call last night appeared in her mind.

Underneath the beautiful and bright eyebrows, there was a glaring scar.

It shouldn’t be a little injury.

Although Wen Can was similar in age to Ming Xi, she hadn’t learned her slick way of speaking, thus she didn’t realize she was being subtly interrogated.

Seeing no one else in the live stream, and Ming Xi lingering by the sink, she decided to speak up for her.

“Ah, actually, she was targeted by a crazy person. The world isn’t safe. Little Lin Wife, you also need to watch out for yourself…”

She spilled the beans about the takeout note to the other party, completely oblivious that her words had sunk like a stone, creating no ripples.

Just then, Ming Xi walked out of the restroom, wiping the remaining moisture from her face with a face towel, carefully avoiding the location of the wound.

“Someone came to the live stream?” She quickened her steps, taking the phone stand back.

“Oh, it was Miss Lin. She…” Wen Can pointed to the chat history, then looked at the number zero in the upper right corner, asking strangely, “How did she leave?”

“I’m sorry, Xixi. I didn’t manage to keep the customer.”

“It’s okay. You’re not a professional streamer. If she wants to buy, she’ll definitely come back,” Ming Xi patted Wen Can’s shoulder, comforting her.