The Scumbag Alpha is Courting Death Again - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Fermented Rice Ball Soup: Taking Advantage of Someone While Drunk—Whose Fault is it When They Sober Up?

When Ming Xi returned home, the wall clock pointed to two o’clock. Jumbled memories were crowding her brain. She stood at the door, continuously entering the wrong password. When the alarm sounded, she finally stumbled and slumped onto the floor along the wall.

The cold was biting. After getting out of the heated taxi, the flush on her cheeks was either from drunkenness or a lack of oxygen, and her breathing became heavy. Alcohol made her bones feel numb and lazy. She yawned widely, wrapping her arms around her bent knees like a bird seeking warmth, tucking her head into her wings.

With a “click,” a dim light fanned out at her feet. A tall, slender figure stood in the doorway, quietly looking down at her disheveled state.

Ming Xi squinted and waved hello: “Good morning.”

“Morning.” Xia Jinzhao nodded, stepping up to her and crouching down to meet her gaze.

As soon as she got close, she smelled a strong scent of alcohol. She frowned: “How much did you drink?”

“Just a little bit.” Ming Xi pinched her thumb and index finger together, gesturing vaguely.

“Can you get up?”

“I can!” Ming Xi, feeling underestimated, struggled to prop up her upper body and even fastidiously brushed the dust off her pants.

Xia Jinzhao’s sleep was never sound. Any rustle could wake her. Tonight, her phone vibrated with a notification. She hadn’t intended to pay attention until she saw a curled-up ball in the surveillance video. Curiosity overcame her, and then her soft-heartedness won out, so she got out of bed. The damp cold of S City’s winter would chill one to the bone. Staying outside all night would surely lead to a cold.

She had never waited on anyone before, but vaguely remembered that Aunt Wu always brought milk afterward. Xia Jinzhao awkwardly heated up the pure milk in a double boiler, with a human-shaped attendant following her.

“Wife, what are you doing~” Ming Xi stretched out the end of her words, like a hungry infant.

The kitchen was brightly lit, and the refrigerator door reflected two long, slanted shadows. Xia Jinzhao had her back to Ming Xi. Hearing the long-unheard address, her movements paused.

She must be quite drunk. Under normal circumstances, giving this person ten times the courage, she wouldn’t dare to call her “Wife” in such a coquettish tone.

She lowered her gaze, watching the water about to boil, and instead of correcting her, she played along: “To sober you up.”

“Oh,” Ming Xi propped her head and replied obediently.

Xia Jinzhao suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. She turned her face and saw a fluffy head rubbing against her neck, causing a slight itch. The area where their skin touched was radiating a scorching heat.

She rarely looked closely at Ming Xi’s features. Most of the time, a distant glance was enough to feel pleasing, so she naturally forgot that the other person’s appearance was far from ordinary. Lively and delicate, like a drop of ink falling into water, the layers of gentle diffusion were utterly different from her quick, aggressive nature.

Unable to restrain the stirrings in her heart, she stroked Ming Xi’s burning cheek. Only when the latter mumbled did she withdraw her hand in alarm, casually turning off the stove.

A wisp of an unfamiliar osmanthus scent wafted into her nostrils. Xia Jinzhao snapped back to attention, following the scent to Ming Xi’s collar.

Not giving up, she brushed aside the other person’s hair, leaned in to sniff, and frowned.

The posture of their necks touching was slightly intimate, but at the moment, she was completely preoccupied, only remembering that she never wore osmanthus perfume. Associating this with Ming Xi returning drunk, various evocative scenarios played out in her mind.

Her heart suddenly clenched. Xia Jinzhao pushed away Ming Xi, who was boneless on her, staring intently at the other person’s neck, looking for some kind of evidence.

“Who… who did you see today?” Her voice was suspended, carrying a hint of imperceptible tremor and anger.

Before Ming Xi could speak, she roughly gripped her neck, forcefully pressing the scent gland hidden beneath the hair, like a beast patrolling its territory.

That innocent face looked even more hateful in Xia Jinzhao’s eyes. She knew the other person was adept at playing tricks to win favor, but she never expected her to run off and cause trouble.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch!” Ming Xi, choked and unable to breathe, said pitifully: “I just went out to celebrate with colleagues, and then, then I ran into an acquaintance and Song Yu.”

Her words were slurred, but Xia Jinzhao still heard them clearly.

Song Yu.

This answer brought up several overlooked past events. That’s right, on rare occasions, I did smell osmanthus on Song Yu. Unlike a custom-made high-end perfume, the other person’s scent seemed to be something she inadvertently picked up from lingering somewhere.

“What did you meet her for?” Xia Jinzhao questioned. A crack appeared in her rationality and composure, revealing a highly aggressive posture.

“It was an accidental meeting. I didn’t look for her,” realizing the atmosphere was wrong, Ming Xi tugged at her sleeve, pleading for forgiveness. “I was just drinking. I didn’t look for anyone shady.”

Alcohol gave her courage. Perhaps completely unaware, she held the woman’s fingers. The slightly cool joints met her damp palm, and Xia Jinzhao heard her own heart drumming loudly.

“Really—I didn’t—” Ming Xi shook her head and stretched out her words, then fell into the other person’s arms, utterly exhausted.

She bent her knees, clinging to the other person like a koala. Her hair, messy from the wind, was bathed in a clear halo under the light. This unguarded appearance made it seem as if she regarded Xia Jinzhao as the most trustworthy person.

Although Xia Jinzhao minded Ming Xi’s close association with Song Yu, at this point, she couldn’t bear to disrupt this moment of warmth. Her hand hovered awkwardly in the air. After a moment of hesitation, she gently stroked the back of Ming Xi’s head.

“I believe you,” she bore the weight, and seeing the person in front of her was completely drunk, she considered, “Then what did you talk about with her?”

Ming Xi mumbled a reply: “Talk about what… just about, just about you.”

“What about me?” Xia Jinzhao gently prompted.

“You, you,” Ming Xi tried to bury her head in her neck, but her face was pulled out, like a chicken lifted by the neck, “What’s the matter? You keep failing to hand in your homework, and I’m the class representative… You tell me! How am I supposed to explain this to the teacher?”

Xia Jinzhao: “…”

She sighed, realizing how foolish and time-wasting it was to try to get information from a person who was dead drunk. She poured the hot milk into a cup: “Your stomach will feel better after drinking this.”

“You didn’t put anything in it, did you?” Ming Xi inspected the cup.

“I added rat poison.” Xia Jinzhao choked up, ready to pour it away.

“Wait!” Ming Xi grabbed her hands. “Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?”

“When was I not nice to you?”

“You were! You’re always losing your temper with me.”

She vaguely recalled a similar conversation long ago, but now the roles were reversed. Xia Jinzhao was the one being questioned. Her anger was never expressed through words. Perhaps she was so accustomed to being sharp that everyone around her had grown used to her cold demeanor, but she didn’t think she treated Ming Xi badly. It was just that her words were sometimes unpleasant. But in the current situation, even a single condemnation was enough to stifle any rebuttal that was about to be uttered.

The woman’s brows relaxed, and the light suffused her face with a warm glow: “When?”

Her tone held a hint of a smile, a posture of gently coaxing someone.

Ming Xi fell into thought, counting on her fingers: “You were fierce to me in the car today, and before that, at the Xia family, you left me alone at the cemetery…”

After rambling on and on, Xia Jinzhao couldn’t help but pinch her cheek: “I can’t tell if you’re really drunk or just pretending.”

“Why didn’t I notice before that you like digging up old grievances?”

Later, Ming Xi muttered something stubborn that she couldn’t hear. She retorted: “Then what did you say to Song Yu? You keep meeting her behind my back. We are the—”

The words abruptly stopped. Xia Jinzhao suddenly felt the rest of the sentence was difficult to say. Especially talking about feelings late at night while the other person was drunk could easily lead them to a dangerous situation.

Ming Xi suddenly stretched out her arms, wrapping them around her neck: “I know. We are the pair.”

This sentence pleased Xia Jinzhao. She noticed that Ming Xi said “a pair,” not a mundane, legally bound marriage, as if she subconsciously recognized the destiny between them.

“But it’s not right,” Ming Xi’s mood suddenly dropped. “You and Song Yu should be together. I can’t…”

She hiccupped, clinging to Xia Jinzhao like a newborn animal, unwilling to let go. Her breath was on the shoulder, light as a feather’s touch. She gave the other person no chance to interrupt. Perhaps in this state, it was easier to open her heart, and her defenses were at their most vulnerable. Ming Xi’s voice carried a hint of a sob.

“Don’t look at me always arguing with you. Actually, you’re the one I care about the most. Song Yu is rich and devoted. She can tolerate your bad temper. She’s the best option for you.”

“I tested her for you. She also has feelings for you.”

“After you get together, she can also help you with your career. Your little fans and the Xia family won’t object.”

These few sentences were repeated back and forth, making Xia Jinzhao’s chest feel heavy. Ming Xi’s previous abnormal behavior finally had a reasonable explanation. She almost subconsciously asked:

“What about you?”

“Me?” Ming Xi was dazed. “I can’t stay by your side forever.”

“Why not?” Xia Jinzhao’s words were urgent. She tightened her grip on the corner of the other person’s clothes.

Realizing her reaction was too intense, Xia Jinzhao slightly loosened her grip. The feeling of panic and palpitation subsided.

“So what if you leave? I will always find you.” She didn’t know if she was warning Ming Xi or comforting herself.

“What if you never find me?” Ming Xi countered. She didn’t know if she was sober at the moment. The rationality she maintained every day was being led by her emotions. She said whatever came to her mind.

“Shut up.” Xia Jinzhao couldn’t understand how someone could talk in such an unpleasant way when drunk. She covered Ming Xi’s lips. The sensitive palm was tickled by the strands of breath, making her heart flutter.

Hearing this, Ming Xi obediently shut up. Her eyes were half-closed, looking like she was about to fall asleep.

This appearance was truly docile. Xia Jinzhao wanted to say something but held back. Unspeakable emotions surged in the depths of her eyes. The words from earlier kept echoing in her mind.

Her gaze slid across Ming Xi’s forehead, brow bone, nose bridge, and finally to her lips. She slowly used her fingertips to cup the other person’s chin. The latter closed her eyes in acceptance, letting out a comfortable hum from her nostrils, even smacking her lips contentedly.

With a slight shift in her mind, Xia Jinzhao pressed her thumb against Ming Xi’s lower lip, tracing along the gaps between her teeth with her fingertip. The distance closed. Two tiny figures were reflected in her eyes.

Night always concealed secret thoughts. Encouraged by the urge to misbehave, she cautiously leaned in, as if using actions to confirm that the person in front of her was always there.

Their lips touched. Xia Jinzhao quickly pulled away. Seeing no sign of Ming Xi waking up, she grew bolder. The delicate kiss deepened. She couldn’t help but wonder how despicable she was.