The Scumbag Alpha is Courting Death Again - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Lava Chocolate: Helping a Little Dog in Distress (Yes, That’s Me, …

Ming Xi admitted that regarding Xia Jinzhao, her unauthorized concealment was indeed wrong.

But what malicious intentions could she have? Wasn’t it also to reassure the other person so she could work out of town?

The evening breeze was cool, carrying the unique scent of lush green belts. The glue dried on the cotton fabric, bringing a grainy roughness when it touched her skin. Ming Xi was aware of it and awkwardly rubbed her nose.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Contradicting offered no benefits, so she obediently lowered her head and admitted her mistake.

The shadow in front of her retreated, and Xia Jinzhao turned sideways.

“If you don’t want to deal with it, I don’t mind you sleeping under a bridge tonight.” Leaving that sentence, the woman turned her back on her.

Ming Xi was always someone who brightened up at the slightest bit of kindness. After sliding down the provided ramp, she ran to the bedroom to find a change of clothes.

Passing the sink, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of her disheveled self in the mirror.

The super glue was drying quickly, with white chunks sticking to strands of hair of varying thicknesses. Ming Xi felt like she was submerged in a bucket of chemical liquid, and all she could breathe was a pungent smell.

She draped a bath towel over her forearm and headed for the bathroom.

The house had two floors, with the top floor being a well-lit attic. The original owner used to sleep in the guest room on the second floor, but ever since that incident, Ming Xi had been relegated downstairs.

She understood Xia Jinzhao’s concerns and never set foot in the stair or elevator area.

The bathroom door was ajar, and she could faintly hear the sound of water as she approached. Ming Xi pushed the door open and found Xia Jinzhao standing in front of the mirror, calmly washing her hands.

The woman’s knuckles were long but not overly bony. Foaming hand soap smoothed between the gaps.

Hearing the door open, the other party looked up and met Ming Xi’s gaze in the mirror.

Her clear eyes dimmed slightly in the light, filled with the tranquility of the deep sea. She shifted her gaze, finally resting it on the bath towel.

“Do you need help?”

Ming Xi: ?

For a moment, she thought she had misheard.

“No, no, no, how could I trouble you with something like bathing…” Fearing that someone might harbor ill intentions toward her, she even added a polite address.

Xia Jinzhao looked utterly speechless: “I was referring to your hair.”

“Ah? Oh,” Ming Xi patted the top of her head. “I should be able to manage on my own.”

Seemingly rarely refused, and to save face, Xia Jinzhao was unusually insistent: “This is hard to clean. If you take too long, it will affect my sleep.”

Tsk, tsk, tsk. If you want to help, just help. Why find such a high-sounding reason to be stubborn? They live on different floors. How would I disturb her sleep?

After several rounds of refusal and acceptance, Ming Xi “reluctantly” agreed. There was indeed an easier way; no need to tire herself out.

For this kind of thing, hiring a maid would at most involve passing a towel. Some things still had to be done personally.

The warm yellow light reflected on the glossy tiles like twinkling fishing lights. The half-full bathtub held warm water. Ming Xi extended her head, like a criminal about to be beheaded at the execution ground.

? That analogy is not beautiful at all.

Her long hair narrowed her vision. She heard Xia Jinzhao moving in and out of the bathroom, which made her feel anxious.

The warmth from the bath made her emotions feel toasty. She gripped the edge, her mind a tangled mess.

Xia Jinzhao was a pampered young lady; she probably had never waited on anyone, right?

Just as she thought this, cool fingertips suddenly pressed against her neck. The coldness made Ming Xi jump, instinctively wanting to break free.

“Don’t move.”

The voice was like a momentary gust of wind, quickly passing.

“Um, maybe I should do it…”

Ming Xi wanted to turn her head, but her hair ends were wet, forcing her to keep her neck rigid.

The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Tonight was certainly a dark and windy night suitable for murder and arson. In the past, when she caused trouble for Xia Jinzhao, the other party was indifferent. Was she perhaps planning to find a suitable moment… to get rid of her?

“It’s already soaked.”

Xia Jinzhao’s words carried an undeniable force. Her technique was clumsy, like soaking a basin of dry seaweed.

The glue encountered warm water, showing signs of softening, but after nearly five minutes, the effect was minimal.

Ming Xi didn’t dare to move, maintaining the same position until she felt numb. She remained vigilant, yet also felt the atmosphere was awkward, so she proactively broke the silence.

“Why did you suddenly come back?”

Xia Jinzhao was holding the showerhead, rinsing her hair. She lowered her eyes when she heard the question: “Lin Cheng’an told me about your injury.”

As she spoke, the awkwardness of the lie was suppressed.

Ming Xi nodded. That made sense. Lin Cheng’an must have known the injury wasn’t an accident.

“Then when are you leaving?”

“Do you want me to leave so badly?”

When she was speechless, Ming Xi’s palm was suddenly placed with a towel, and the previous topic abruptly ended.

“Cover your eyes.”

As the words fell, the pungent smell of alcohol wafted out. Xia Jinzhao dipped a cotton swab in it and dabbed it on the stubborn stains, meticulously rubbing them.

She did everything seriously, like engaging in scientific research, to the point of obsessive perfectionism.

Ming Xi had never felt so tormented, like a dead fish in a hot oil wok being flipped back and forth.

Especially because, besides the alcohol, there was a disharmonious scent mixed in, a cold and bitter fragrance exclusive to the woman.

She wasn’t sure if it was intense concentration or her brain being muddled from lying half-asleep, but Ming Xi was constantly observing Xia Jinzhao’s movements.

Such as the swaying sleeves, the slightly curled knuckles, and the ends of her hair brushing her collarbone.

Click—

A sharp glint flashed, and Ming Xi instantly sat up, her long hair, covered in foam, flinging water droplets.

She looked at the scissors in Xia Jinzhao’s hand in horror. A whole drama was already unfolding in her mind.

Sensing her doubts, the woman pursed her lips: “It won’t wash out there. We can only cut it off.”

Ming Xi disagreed with this drastic approach and covered her head.

“No need! I can do it myself!”

Anyway, most of the glue has been cleaned off. I don’t need help with the rest of the washing.

“Are you sure you can?” Xia Jinzhao crossed her arms, undisguised suspicion in her eyes.

“Of course!” Ming Xi felt stung by the look. She grabbed the tangled strands, trying to smooth them out.

However, as if to spite her, the glue showed no sign of coming off, even as her scalp was painfully tugged.

It was hard to imagine that the other party could persist for so long with such delicate and tedious work.

Ming Xi felt a strong sense of frustration. She slumped, giving up on brute force, and looked imploringly at the person in front of her.

The moment she approached, the clean scent of foam rushed toward her. Xia Jinzhao held her breath, letting Ming Xi take the scissors, and with a crisp snip, cut the hair off.

“There’s always more than one way to solve a problem,” Ming Xi wiggled the small, tail-like strands, showing off proudly.

But she saw Xia Jinzhao step out of the bathroom with a blank expression. The misty heat floated with the light, dispersed by the cold air rushing in when the door opened.

Ming Xi had envisioned countless endings, such as being drowned in the bathtub or having the scissors aimed at the back of her neck…

But the situation unfolded too smoothly, giving her a strong sense of unreality.

Maybe Xia Jinzhao was possessed?

No matter who you are, just don’t leave Xia Jinzhao’s body for now!

Seeing the person about to leave, Ming Xi felt the need to express her gratitude and called her back.

“Xia Jinzhao, thank you so much tonight. You’re really nice.”

Xia Jinzhao was gripping the doorknob. Suddenly being given a “nice person” card, she turned her face sideways. Her features were shrouded in a mist-like haze, which made hearts flutter.

Ignoring the wetness falling on her shoulders, Ming Xi raised both arms and formed an exaggerated heart shape. Her wet, glistening eyes were like a small, bright-furred, damp sea otter.

Truly…

Tacky.

The dimly lit alley was hidden within the neon lights, winding into the distance.

The girl wore a hoodie, and her thick bangs concealed her eyebrows and eyes. A black bag was slung over her left shoulder, and the loosely closed zipper revealed the edges of an exercise book.

She walked close to the wall, practically blending into her own shadow.

After receiving verbal education from the police and her parents, she had been taken to a juvenile detention center. However, since she was about to enter her final year of high school, she was released after only a few days of reflection.

Walking hastily, the girl heard some movement not far ahead. Using the dim night to her advantage, she vaguely identified a woman.

She initially paid no mind, but their eyes met as they passed each other. Just that brief moment stunned her.

Her chest felt like it was inflated with a balloon, and her emotions surged and intensified.

The girl’s cheeks flushed with excitement. How could she not be happy seeing the person who was always separated from her by a screen standing right in front of her?

“You are, you are…” she stammered, suppressing the urge to scream.

Before she could finish, Xia Jinzhao nodded, acknowledging the greeting, and then placed her index finger on her lips, making a shushing gesture.

“Shall we talk?”

The girl, whose mind was spinning, almost lost all sense of reason. The sudden arrival of happiness caught her off guard.

She frantically searched her pocket, clutching the only remaining, crumpled banknotes.

Almost all her pocket money had been spent on everything related to Xia Jinzhao. The products she endorsed, merchandise with her photos, and even secretly skipping class to fly and see her…

Lost in the beautiful dream woven by her fantasies, she was hopelessly infatuated with the glittering star. The girl even fought battles for her online, crushing all doubts and insults.

Of course, with even more vicious curses.

“Talk. Let’s go to the coffee shop across the street. My treat—”

Xia Jinzhao coldly interrupted: “Right here is fine.”

Sensing her subtle impatience, a hint of fear arose in the girl’s heart. She inexplicably thought of the person she had targeted a few days ago.

She hovered around Xia Jinzhao like a fly. While she struggled and went through all that trouble just to see her idol, that person could calmly stay by her side.

Xia Jinzhao didn’t want to waste time and went straight to the point.

“Have you been following her?”

The girl looked blank. After realizing what was happening, she understood that the other party had come to hold her accountable. Not understanding why there wasn’t a lawyer’s letter or similar documentation, she figured the actress wanted to settle it privately.

The flame of excitement was slightly extinguished. Fearing a bad impression, she argued illogically.

“If she stays close to you all the time, wouldn’t you feel troubled, Sister? It’s just because you’re too kind-hearted that you let those b*tches get close!”

“Is that why you poured glue on her?”

The girl fell silent, her hands clenched tightly by her sides.

“Should I be grateful that you didn’t pour sulfuric acid?”

Suddenly, a sharp, cold presence enveloped her. The woman slightly bent down, and an ominous chill spread in her voice.

This close proximity completely shattered the girl’s cherished fantasies. Xia Jinzhao raised her hand, and her soft fingertips touched the girl’s left cheek, measuring an approximate length.

“On her face,” Xia Jinzhao ignored her trembling shoulder, “there’s a cut this long.”

The girl suddenly looked up, only to see the person in front of her expressionless, her eyes downcast as if appreciating her state of mind.

That gaze was like an uncrossable chasm of coldness.