The Scumbag Alpha is Courting Death Again - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Orange C Americano: Slapstick is Just a Daily Occurrence

Xia Jinzhao had a long dream. When her consciousness returned, her entire body was sore and swollen. Even the slightest movement pulled at her wounds, and she winced, inhaling sharply.

Her unfocused vision converged on a spot on the ceiling. She slowly blinked, catching a glimpse of a figure in her peripheral vision. “You…” She tried to call out but could only produce broken syllables with difficulty.

The person pressed the call button. As they leaned in, an unfamiliar, mature fragrance enveloped her. Then, the person poured her warm water.

“Are you feeling alright?”

Following the voice, the blurry face dissolved, then reformed into Song Yu’s face. Xia Jinzhao opened her mouth in vain, eventually saying nothing. She took the cup of water to moisten her throat.

Seeing Song Yu the moment she woke up. She couldn’t describe her emotions. Her chest felt heavy, like a sudden torrential rain in summer, hot and humid with nowhere to vent.

“It’s alright.” She put the cup down. Song Yu refilled it, her words full of concern.

“I heard you were injured and immediately dropped my work to rush over,” she apologized. “This time, I had good intentions but messed up, Jinzhao. I’m so sorry for causing you to be like this.”

Faced with the long, useless confession, Xia Jinzhao perfunctorily nodded, her gaze searching every corner of the room, attempting to grasp any detail that could bring her comfort.

“The doctor will be here soon. You should stay in the hospital to recuperate for now. If you still want to continue filming, I’ll ask the director to postpone your scenes. If you feel tired, we can discuss it then, okay?”

Song Yu considerately tucked the blanket corners in. Sunlight streamed in, enveloping her in a warm and gentle glow.

Seeing Xia Jinzhao’s mind in disarray, searching for something, Song Yu’s smile gradually faded: “What are you looking for?”

“Nothing,” Xia Jinzhao lowered her eyes, clutching the sheet beneath her.

“Cheng’an just came to see you and scolded me to no end,” Song Yu self-mocked. “She questioned why I didn’t take better care of you…”

“Xiao Zhou was planning to come, but your manager called her away temporarily. You probably won’t see her until lunchtime.” The woman’s voice was gentle and soft, every tone warm and soothing. Her continuous chatter recounted the events during Xia Jinzhao’s coma, calming her like a bedtime story.

“Shurui called and cried to me—”

Before she could finish, Xia Jinzhao interrupted directly: “My phone.”

Song Yu paused, picked up the phone, but didn’t immediately hand it over: “The screen is cracked. If you don’t mind, should I help you?”

Her thoughtfulness was evident in every aspect, just like now, where she offered to help, fearing Xia Jinzhao might cut her fingers. Perhaps because Ming Xi was in the middle, Xia Jinzhao didn’t like Song Yu’s pretense. A trivial matter was presented with an air of self-sacrifice, as if binding someone’s conscience from a position of superiority.

Oh, but some people fall for this, like those innocent young girls. Isn’t Ming Xi a prime example?

“No need.” She flatly refused. After unlocking the phone, she tapped into WeChat. The message with the pinned contact stopped a few days ago, ending with a playful emoji from the other side.

A dull, throbbing pain at her temples prevented Xia Jinzhao from recalling everything. She remembered that before she fell unconscious, she seemed to have…

“So Jinzhao wanted to know Miss Ming’s whereabouts,” Song Yu’s eyes scanned the screen, and she smiled knowingly: “Makes sense, since your relationship is so good.”

“Where is she?” Triggered by the key name, Xia Jinzhao’s tone held a hint of urgency.

“Miss Ming should be at work. Besides you, there are other actors in the hospital. Reporters have been surrounding the outside for the past few days, and the hospital won’t let people in casually.”

“Do you need me to call her to come over?” Song Yu asked.

Xia Jinzhao lowered her head, looking through their chat again. So many days, and not even a single greeting. Even though she knew Ming Xi usually saw her like a mouse sees a cat, the clear realization of this stung her heart like a needle, constantly reminding her of the dense discomfort and pain.

Truly heartless.

“No need.” Xia Jinzhao threw the phone onto the bedside table and lay back down.

Her pride would not allow her to lower her head first, chasing after a relationship that might not be clear. When interacting with Ming Xi, she always stood at the end, observing the tilt of the balance, self-deceptively preventing herself from falling into a passive position. She was even more afraid that any slight burgeoning affection would be discovered and become leverage in the other person’s hands.

She didn’t need to prove anything by reaching out for concern. After all, many people loved her, and she would definitely not be the one to initiate contact. Xia Jinzhao curled up, closed her eyes, her mind in chaos.

A shadow was cast in front of her. Song Yu sat throughout on the chair, the unchanging curve of her lips. A long silence ensued.

“Xi Xi?” “Xi Xi—”

Wen Can drew out the final syllable, calling Ming Xi twice. Seeing no reaction from the latter, she tapped her lunch box with a chopstick. When Ming Xi finally came to, Wen Can glared at her, dissatisfied.

“What are you thinking about? Your food is getting cold.”

The tablet was playing a recent popular variety show. The sound effects were lively, and the bullet screen scrolled quickly. Wen Can burst into laughter from time to time. Seeing the person next to her like a block of wood, she finally spoke up.

“Ah, I was thinking about a customer’s order,” Ming Xi swallowed her food and casually pulled out a lie.

Wen Can didn’t suspect anything: “Speaking of which, Miss Lin hasn’t been around for a while, right?”

“That’s how it is with big customers. They’re not doing wholesale, so they have to wait for the goods to be digested before coming back,” Ming Xi answered absent-mindedly.

Her mind was completely occupied with Xia Jinzhao’s injuries. She wondered if the person had woken up. She wanted to call and ask, but was afraid of interrupting the other person’s private time with Song Yu. It’s not easy being a matchmaker.

“Is there a possibility that she went to another seller?” Wen Can’s expression didn’t look too good. She shoved Ming Xi’s shoulder.

“No way. Other places don’t know our sourcing.” She had wandered around the wholesale market before. The styles and categories were mostly the same. To quickly launch a new account and stand out, Ming Xi found an artisan who specialized in custom orders. Because the person was an apprentice lacking experience, not many people were willing to buy from her, allowing them to seize the opportunity.

This sentence was like a reassurance. Wen Can nodded: “That’s true. Our shop has very loyal followers.”

Lu Litong was a hands-off boss, usually only responsible for reimbursements and salaries, so most of the burden fell on Ming Xi’s shoulders. At this moment, with the sun high in the sky, she was still sleeping in the bedroom.

“When do you think we’ll move the studio? It feels like we’ve made quite a bit of money!” While Wen Can chattered away, Ming Xi had already stood up to clean up the takeout boxes.

Seeing her back, Wen Can turned off the tablet, pouting and muttering to herself: “What’s wrong with her lately? She’s completely distracted…”

Lunch was hastily finished at the studio, leaving behind a pile of food waste. Ming Xi carried the trash, along with the other garbage in the room, downstairs to dispose of it. She was usually lazy, and her current diligence was purely to get some fresh air.

Her phone rang. She quickly took it out to check. Seeing that the sender was Zhou Zhenhui, she couldn’t describe the feeling. However, after reading the message, the cloud of gloom completely disappeared.

Zhou Zhenhui: “Congratulations, Sister Xia is awake! Sister Song Yu just called. The doctor said she’s fine and just needs a few days of rest.”

The worry that had been lingering for days was resolved. Ming Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

Ming Xi: “Can I still go see her?”

Over the past two days, Cui Jinyu had discussed with the management company, first issuing a statement to appease the fans, and then negotiating with the crew to withdraw the role. After a busy time, while the person was in the hospital, she had already arranged the announcements in an orderly manner.

Zhou Zhenhui: “I don’t know yet. Why don’t you come with me this afternoon?”

Remembering that she had an appointment with a customer in the afternoon to showcase new goods, Ming Xi was conflicted: “I have something in the afternoon. I’ll wait for Xia Jinzhao to come home.” With Song Yu taking care of her, she probably doesn’t need me, right?

Zhou Zhenhui: “Can’t be helped then [Shrug]. I’ll pass on your concern!”

Exiting the chat with her, Ming Xi tapped into Xia Jinzhao’s profile. There were no new updates, only a few mutual greetings that could be stretched to last three years. No matter what, she should at least send a message to the people around her to say she was safe after waking up.

However, after waiting anxiously for the entire afternoon, there was still no activity from the other end. Ming Xi finally realized. In Xia Jinzhao’s eyes, she was nothing more than an insignificant, transparent person. Especially with Song Yu by her side, it was even less likely that she would abandon her girlfriend to worry about a cannon fodder.

Wen Can was adjusting the lighting angle, filming a video for a new bag. She looked up and saw Ming Xi’s gloomy face, mechanically reciting the pre-written introduction.

“Xi Xi, are you alright?” she tentatively asked.

Ming Xi turned her face, her expression distorted: “Huh? What could be wrong with me?”

Wen Can: …

Compared to a month ago, the number of viewers in the live-streaming room had increased, already exceeding single digits. Sometimes, a dozen people made requests, leaving the streamer overwhelmed.

“This style is a unique piece because of a manufacturing issue. The designer has stopped production. The price will be a bit higher, so wives who want it should grab it quickly!” Ming Xi forced a cheerful demeanor. Even though many people were lurking, she still had to maintain enthusiasm.

Just then, a level twenty-five user entered the live stream. The gorgeous entrance effect filled the screen, blinding everyone’s eyes. This is a big shot! The administrator was the first to react, quickly sending a private message to Ming Xi, telling her to seize the opportunity.

If someone is always feeling down, it must be because the money hasn’t arrived. Sure enough, Ming Xi, who was listless a second ago, now had a bright smile and enthusiastically welcomed the person.

“Welcome, Wife Mia, to the live stream~”

The person politely commented “Hello,” and then disappeared. If it weren’t for the profile picture in the upper right corner, Ming Xi wouldn’t have felt the person’s presence at all. As a result, her hard-won good mood once again subsided.

For the next few days, Ming Xi lived her life as usual, curling up in the hotel to watch dramas after work. She and Xia Jinzhao still had no contact. At first, she could find excuses to comfort herself, but as time passed, the atmosphere between the two gradually became subtle. It was like a rope pulled taut in the middle, both sides holding an end, neither willing to compromise, secretly competing.

Adults don’t need to formally confess their feelings when drifting apart. Stopping contact is enough for both sides to know, just like Xia Jinzhao and Ming Xi now. Ming Xi ate and drank as usual, not feeling like she was missing anything. She just occasionally stared at the pinned contact on WeChat, imagining Xia Jinzhao and Song Yu getting intimate, showing a wistful sense of relief.

However, Mia, who had appeared recently, frequently showed up in the live stream, becoming more and more familiar with Ming Xi, and even exchanged contact information with Wen Can privately. When her phone rang, Ming Xi thought it was a message from her and tapped to check.

Miss Lin: “How have you been lately?”