The Scumbag Alpha is Courting Death Again - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Matcha Cornet: Jealous of Oneself

Throughout the morning, Ming Xi worked with a tingling, itching wound on her face. As noon approached, familiar user IDs poured into the live stream room all at once, making it lively.

Wen Can had edited a promotional video for the new products, planning to post it before the afternoon stream started.

She glanced at the busy Ming Xi and quietly went downstairs to pick up the ordered takeout.

In the live stream room, Ming Xi raised her hand to wave at the screen, saying goodbye to familiar loyal customers one by one.

“Wives, that’s all for the morning. See you at the usual time this afternoon. Don’t forget to eat, okay?”

Turning off the camera, she slumped into her ergonomic chair. The rolling of the casters brought a slight dizziness.

The big customer with the surname Lin didn’t come, but there was a private message in the backend. The small red dot lay lonely in the message inbox. It had been two hours since it was sent.

“I heard from the assistant that you encountered some trouble?”

Rather than uncomfortable prying, the tone was more like concern that stops at acquaintance level.

Judging from her past conversations, this Miss Lin should be elegant, proper, and have a good sense of propriety. Ming Xi recalled having met similar people.

“Sorry, I was busy just now and didn’t see the message.”

“Mhm, I was followed by a pervert. Blame myself for letting my guard down.”

She followed up with a shrug emoji.

Wen Can had briefly explained the situation, so further concealment was meaningless.

At the same time, the sound of the lock turning rang out. Wen Can came in, carrying the takeout. In late autumn, the temperature had dropped, and the airflow accompanying her entry carried a frosty chill.

“Let’s eat,” she held up the plastic bag and said seriously, “I specifically checked. The seals are intact, and there are no needle marks.”

The little girl tilted her chin, like a puppy eager for praise. Seeing this, Ming Xi pressed her hand to her forehead.

“I’m not made of glass. I won’t shatter with a touch, will I?”

“Better safe than sorry,” Wen Can extended her index finger and wiggled it in front of her.

The aroma tickled her dull taste buds. Ming Xi lost the desire to chat and replied to the person on the other end.

“Little Lin Wife, I’m going to eat now. You should also eat on time [Star Eyes]”

Connected by cold financial transactions, their relationship was deeper than ordinary customer relationships, barely qualifying as semi-friends. They occasionally talked about things in their real lives.

This delicate balance prevented Ming Xi from feeling overly humble or burdened. She turned off her phone and was about to enjoy her lunch when the phone in her pocket rang.

It was her own phone.

“Who is it? They sure know how to pick a time to call you.”

Wen Can propped up her tablet on the table and craned her neck to look. Seeing Ming Xi quickly glance at the caller ID, she slammed the phone face down onto the desk with a bang.

“Stomach ache, I need to go to the restroom.”

Like a wound-up robot, Ming Xi stiffly pulled out her chair, moved into the restroom, and quickly closed the door.

Why did the ancestor call her now!

If she had been a moment slower, Wen Can would have seen the bright, bold letters spelling “Xia Jinzhao.”

Ming Xi took a deep breath, covered the receiver, and pressed “answer.”

The woman’s voice was lazy, like a banana leaf in the afternoon sunlight swaying gently with the wind.

“Are you eating?”

The bizarre and long-unheard concern felt out of place in their conversation.

“I ordered takeout, but I haven’t eaten yet,” Ming Xi replied obediently while sitting on the toilet.

The other end mhm-ed, and there was no further comment.

Xia Jinzhao didn’t seem afraid of the awkwardness. She crossed her legs on the chair. The complicated costume was cutting into her skin, but she seemed unaware.

She showed a lack of interest in everything, so this phone call was probably made on a whim.

“How is the injury?” After a long silence, she asked flatly.

Ming Xi was flattered, holding her phone awkwardly.

Is Xia Jinzhao actually concerned about me?

“It’s fine. Dr. Lin took care of it for me,” she lightly stroked her cheek. “Thank you. I’m sorry for troubling you.”

“No need to force your thanks. It would be difficult to explain to Grandma if your face was disfigured.”

Xia Jinzhao spoke in a businesslike tone, actually accepting the excuse of being “troublesome.”

Ming Xi: … I knew it.

So it was still for the sake of the Xia family’s reputation. Otherwise, this inexplicable call from Xia Jinzhao couldn’t be explained.

Seriously. It’s not like I shamelessly complained. She just happened to see it on the video call yesterday. It’s not my fault, okay? 030.

While she was lost in thought, Xia Jinzhao on the other end seemed hesitant to speak.

“By the way, Lin Cheng’an told me that your injury…”

“It’s fine. Nobody could have predicted this accident. Applying the medicine on time means there won’t be any scars.”

Thinking the other party was displeased, Ming Xi repeated the assurance to set her mind at ease.

Hearing this, the lingering echo of the woman’s voice completely dissipated.

The restroom window wasn’t fully closed. Cold wind seeped in, accompanied by the sound of piling from a construction site in the distance.

Xia Jinzhao’s response was drier than the tear ducts irritated by the wind, conveying an inexpressible emotion.

“Got it.”

Before Ming Xi could react, she hung up the phone and leaned backward.

Her skin, like white glaze, was half-hidden in the shadows. She lifted her long eyelashes, staring at the spiderweb on the ceiling of the corridor. Xia Jinzhao’s lips were slightly parted, as if simulating the heavy exhale of smoke when smoking.

She sat up, irritably sweeping her long hair back from her shoulders, and scanned the recent chat history in the app’s backend.

Being targeted and an unexpected accident were two completely different narratives.

She knew she was being deceived, but she didn’t expose the lie. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to make the other person uncomfortable, but because the thought of Ming Xi racking her brain to cover up a lie in front of her made her deeply unhappy.

Like a flag agitated by the wind, one corner lifted to vent her annoyance, then dropped to conceal a hint of hidden jealousy.

Xia Jinzhao’s finger traced the user ID at the top of the page, repeatedly pondering Wen Can’s words.

A colleague, or even a stranger online, anyone can be her focus, but not me.

Why?

Zhou Zhenhui rushed between A City and S City overnight. She came straight to the set after getting off the plane. From afar, she saw Xia Jinzhao curled up in a folding chair, looking preoccupied.

“Sister, I’m back!”

She pulled down her hat, leaned in next to the woman, and seeing the latter’s indifferent expression, she awkwardly rubbed her nose.

“Um, I stopped by Huayang Qingyuan to check on Ming Xi. The wound is pretty long,” Zhou Zhenhui measured with her thumb and index finger. “It looks like it won’t heal anytime soon…”

She had thought Xia Jinzhao specifically asked her to go back because she was concerned about Ming Xi, but seeing her indifferent reaction, she felt uncertain.

“Should I call and check up on her?” Zhou Zhenhui squatted down, aligning her gaze with Xia Jinzhao’s.

Naturally, she noticed the page displayed on the phone, which was the account she had lent out.

Before she could process what was happening, Xia Jinzhao covered the corner of her eye with the back of her hand and said sullenly.

“Don’t care about her life or death.”

Zhou Zhenhui kept her eyes down and dared not speak. The surrounding noise was cut off by a deadly silence.

After an unknown amount of time, she seemed to hear a helpless sigh.

“Book me a flight back.”