The Scumbag Alpha is Courting Death Again - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Lemon Custard – What’s Wrong with Calling Her Wife?

The grip on her arm gradually tightened, and Xia Jinzhao’s features were close. Noticing the dazed look in Ming Xi’s eyes, she gently asked, “Xi Xi, what are you spacing out about?”

This sentence instantly pulled Ming Xi’s wandering thoughts back. She jolted and laughed awkwardly, “Yes, I’ll listen to whatever Jinzhao says.”

With the words spoken like this, Xia Xuefeng certainly had no intention of spoiling the young couple’s mood. Especially since she had forced the marriage between them and had implicitly tried to bring them closer over the past three years, she was delighted by the current situation.

“Well, in that case, I didn’t completely mess up the match,” she waved her hand, signaling the servant to lead them to the dining room. “The food will get cold if we keep standing here. Let’s eat.”

The square dining table was large enough to seat twelve, and as the most authoritative person in the family, Xia Xuefeng naturally sat at the head, with the other two seated right next to her.

Exquisite tableware held dishes as refined as works of art. Although Ming Xi hadn’t attended many formal occasions, she knew she should wait for the head of the household to pick up their chopsticks before starting to eat, so she sat obediently beside Xia Jinzhao.

Listening to them chat about domestic matters, she secretly picked up an empty bowl and stared at the intricate patterns on it. The yellow and blue glazed surface was inlaid with a layer of dazzling gold, which looked expensive.

Casually glancing at the bottom of the bowl, the words “Made in the Dagan Qingzheng Era” came into view.

Holy cow, this was an antique bowl! No wonder the original owner went to such lengths to squeeze into the Xia family; anyone with bad intentions would likely harbor the same thoughts.

Thinking of this, Ming Xi sheepishly put the bowl down, terrified of chipping or damaging it.

Her stomach was rumbling, but the two of them were still chatting, so she could only stare longingly at the dishes.

Just then, uneven footsteps echoed in the hall. Before the person appeared, a cheerful female voice spoke up: “Grandma, I’ve missed you so much!”

With that, a petite figure darted into Xia Xuefeng’s embrace. The girl was plump but not heavy. Her round eyes were innocent and naive like a young deer, and she kept nuzzling the elder.

Xia Xuefeng was amused, unable to stop smiling. She patted the girl’s shoulder, signaling her to stand up: “Still think you’re a child, being so clingy?”

Hearing this, the girl reluctantly stood straight. She scanned the dining table, noticed Xia Jinzhao, and then flashed a sweet smile: “Cousin.”

Then, her gaze stopped on Ming Xi, and the smile faded slightly: “Sister Ming Xi.”

Ming Xi: … Well, you don’t need to treat us that differently.

However, her address for Xia Jinzhao jogged her memory. The book mentioned many collateral relatives in the Xia family, and the person in front of her was indeed the female lead’s cousin, Xia Shurui. They weren’t inseparable, but they got along quite well compared to others.

The most important thing was that this person had a close relationship with Song Yu, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her the head of the fan club for the Xia Jinzhao and Song Yu pairing.

Thus, the atmosphere between the original owner and Xia Shurui had become delicate. The latter was already dissatisfied with the marriage, especially seeing the original owner’s extravagance and lack of substance, making Song Yu her comparative benchmark.

Okay, your heart is in the right place, but you’re giving the side-eye to the wrong person.

“Don’t just stand there, everyone sit down.” Grandma Xia spoke, interrupting their greetings.

At this point, Ming Xi noticed the other person who came with Xia Shurui. The person was thin, not particularly attractive, and so quiet that it was easy to overlook them.

Presumably, this was Xia Jinzhao’s aunt (father’s sister).

Most of the Xia family were business people and usually too busy to spare time, so not many people came tonight. Seeing that everyone had arrived, the meal could finally begin.

Ming Xi had been eyeing the meat in front of her eagerly and immediately picked some up the moment the chopsticks moved. As fate would have it, Xia Shurui sat across from her and, upon seeing this rather unrefined action, gave a sneering smile.

“Sister Ming Xi, really, it’s not like you’ve never eaten before; you’re rushing like a starving person.”

The comment was like a fly flying into her mouth. Ming Xi’s chewing slowed down. Even though her mouth was filled with the smooth and delicious sauce, it tasted like cardboard.

She cleared her throat and glanced subtly at Xia Jinzhao beside her. The woman ate gracefully, her long eyelashes lowered, obscuring the light, seemingly unaffected by everything happening at the table.

No matter what, Ming Xi represented her face when they were outside. Snapping back at the person would harm harmony, but not doing so made her feel uncomfortable all over.

Ming Xi: Why don’t you say something?

Seeing that Xia Jinzhao had no intention of covering for her, she forced a smile.

“I can’t help it. I have to accompany Jinzhao tonight, and we have to go back after dinner.” Ming Xi spoke in a strained voice, deliberately blinking innocently at the person opposite her, as if hinting at something.

Xia Shurui: … Disgusting.

Oh ho, that felt good.

Xia Jinzhao’s expression darkened, however. She picked up a spoon and slowly stirred the soup in her bowl. Her expression only lasted a few seconds before returning to her usual composure. Looking closely, the corners of her mouth were even curled up into a slight, amused arc.

A chill ran up Ming Xi’s spine, prickling her skin. Ming Xi wouldn’t be narcissistic enough to think Xia Jinzhao was pleased; on the contrary, the other party seemed to be watching the show.

She probably already had a million ways to torture her planned out.

While she was mentally rambling, the conversation at the table had gone through several rounds. The aunt and Grandma Xia talked about something, and the topic suddenly shifted to her.

“Oh, right, I heard Xi Xi quit her job. Where is she working now?”

Judging by the tone, the questioner meant no good.

Sure enough, Xia Shurui found an opening and immediately pressed on: “Yes, didn’t Sister Ming Xi used to be an internet celebrity? I remember she had several ‘big brothers’ (sugar daddies/rich fans)!”

After speaking, she looked at Grandma Xia, who was seated at the head of the table, with thinly veiled smugness in her eyes.

This kind of prominent family disliked public exposure the most. Professions like internet celebrity and celebrity were, in the eyes of the head of the household, mere entertainers, not respectable. However, considering Xia Xuefeng’s tolerance for Xia Jinzhao, perhaps live streaming wasn’t so bad… right?

Ming Xi couldn’t guess what others were thinking and answered honestly: “Um, I’m currently working for a shell company.”

As soon as she finished speaking, laughter erupted from across the table. Xia Shurui was laughing so hard tears came to her eyes, catching her breath: “A shell company? I never thought Sister Ming Xi would end up like this—”

Before she finished, Xia Xuefeng lightly slapped the tabletop. It wasn’t hard, but the silent pressure immediately silenced the insolent person.

“What’s all the noise about? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?” She spoke slowly. “Ming Xi is older than you. Is this how you treat your elder?”

“If you dare to talk back to her today, will you be riding over my head tomorrow?”

“Grandma, that’s not what I meant.” Xia Shurui wanted to explain, but Grandma Xia looked impatient, clearly not wanting to hear any more from her.

“Enough. A meal can’t even be peaceful. You may leave.” The elder waved her hand and rose to return to her room.

Thus, the meal ended with an unpleasant interlude. Before leaving, Xia Shurui glared fiercely at Ming Xi.

As they were leaving, Xia Jinzhao needed to go upstairs to retrieve something. So, Ming Xi waited for her in the small garden downstairs.

The autumn moon transitioned from a hazy yellow to a cold, clear white. The wind rustled through the golden ginkgo trees. She stood by the pond, feeling the chill of the night wind, and rubbed her arms.

A distracting voice came from behind her.

“Isn’t this Sister Ming Xi? Freeloading at the old house and still reluctant to leave?” Xia Shurui walked down the steps from the side door, her eyes obscured by the backlight.

Recalling the undercurrents at the dining table just now, Ming Xi instinctively stepped farther away from the pond. According to the tropes of novels, the malicious female antagonist would constantly provoke the kind, naive female lead, and the water’s edge was a high-risk location for incidents.

Seeing that she was ignoring her, Xia Shurui gritted her teeth in anger, and her words became impolite.

“If it weren’t for you, Grandma wouldn’t have scolded me!”

Ming Xi found it strange: “That’s weird. You were the one looking for trouble, so how is it someone else’s fault?”

Against her better judgment, she didn’t want to provoke this cousin. Previously, as a reader, she had a good impression of all the supporting characters in the book who helped bring Song Yu and Xia Jinzhao together.

The pampered young lady, indulged since childhood, naturally wouldn’t back down. Her eyes looked maliciously as if she wanted to eat the person in front of her alive. She raised her foot, intending to approach, but suddenly remembered something and smiled contemptuously.

“Ming Xi, keep being so stubborn. Someone like you…” Xia Shurui drew out the end of her sentence, sizing the person up and down insultingly. “…is utterly useless. You can’t even compare to a single strand of Sister Song Yu’s hair.”

Here it comes, the classic line for causing trouble.

Ming Xi: What are you looking at? This shirt costs six figures! D:

She was about to retort when her peripheral vision caught the figure on the steps. She immediately pouted and feigned distress.

“Jinzhao, look at her!” With that, Ming Xi ran over to Xia Jinzhao.

The tall figure was bathed in the silvery moonlight. The woman’s complexion was warm, her deep features cut into two parts, light and dark, by the shadows. She had been standing there since just now, quietly listening to their conversation.

To be honest, she didn’t want to interfere in the argument between the two of them and was just letting Ming Xi be mocked and ridiculed.

Suddenly, a fresh, alluring scent of jasmine enveloped her. Immediately after, an arm tightened around her; Ming Xi was actually hugging her and complaining!

“Wife, she’s scolding me.” Ming Xi didn’t feel there was anything wrong with the address, staring fiercely at Xia Shurui not far away.

“You! When did I scold you!” Xia Shurui was infuriated by the baseless accusation. She raised her hand as if to strike, but her wrist was seized.

She saw Xia Jinzhao sigh helplessly: “Shurui, give me some face.”

Grandma Xia hadn’t gone to sleep yet. If the commotion brought her out, all three of them would be in trouble.

“Cousin, she’s like this, and you’re still protecting her!” Xia Shurui was anxious. Usually, the person in front of her would turn a blind eye; why was she acting like this today?

“No matter what, Ming Xi is still my person.”

Seeing that she was being unreasonable, Xia Jinzhao’s tone turned cold. She wasn’t one to meddle in others’ affairs, especially not to defend Ming Xi.

Ming Xi had only intended to find a backer to calm things down, but she hadn’t expected the female lead to utter such words. Ming Xi was shocked, but at the same time, she proudly puffed out her chest, her face full of provocation.

Did you hear that? Xia Jinzhao said I am her person!

Seeing that the situation was turning against her, Xia Shurui pouted but wasn’t so foolish as to be completely unreasonable. She shot Ming Xi a deep look and left without looking back.

After the person left, Ming Xi looked gratefully at the person beside her: “Thank you.”

“Thank you?” Xia Jinzhao scoffed, raising her hand to touch her face.

The warm fingertip brushed aside Ming Xi’s temple hair. Her heart pounded with excitement, but then she suddenly felt pain.

The other party was actually tugging her hair, fingers woven into her locks, causing a sharp, burning pain at the roots.

“Isn’t it a bit too early to say thank you now?”