The Villainous Scum Alpha Was Reborn (GL) - Chapter 2
The more Wei Ke thought about it, the colder she felt inside. The colder she felt, the more her mind spiraled. Lying there alone, staring at the ceiling and holding her breath, she nearly passed out from suffocation.
Jiang Ying, lying in the bed next to her, looked like she had truly stayed up all night. She was out cold, not moving an inch, like a lifeless body.
Wei Ke called her name twice, but there was no response. Sitting there with nothing to do, her mouth growing dry from the IV drip, she sighed and groaned for a while. Eventually, she dozed off again.
When she opened her eyes, it was already three in the afternoon. Jiang Ying had regained some color in her face. Hearing the creaking sound from Wei Ke’s hospital bed, she rubbed her eyes groggily and sat up from the temporary bed she had borrowed.
Her movement was loud, and her voice came out hoarse. “Are you okay?”
“Still breathing,” Wei Ke replied. She had just woken up herself, her voice just as scratchy as Jiang Ying’s.
Jiang Ying rubbed her face hard and said, “Still breathing is good enough.”
Wei Ke gave a quiet response and pulled herself up using the bed rail. At some point, the IV needle in the back of her left hand had already been removed. Only two pieces of white tape were left behind to show she had been given fluids.
“Should we go?” Jiang Ying yawned again as she spoke. Her thick lashes curled upward, now damp from the yawn. It was obvious she had not gotten enough rest.
“Let’s go. What, you planning to spend Mid-Autumn Festival here?” Wei Ke raised her sore and numb arm, glanced at the tiny needle mark between the tapes, let out a snort, tossed off the thin blanket, and got out of bed to wash her face.
Seeing her get up, Jiang Ying rushed over, thinking to help, but as stubborn as always, Wei Ke casually pushed her aside.
So ungrateful. But at least it showed she was doing well physically.
The hospital Jiang Ying had rushed them to last night in desperation was rather basic. The shared room’s bathroom was small and only moderately clean. The water stains on the sink looked like they had not been scrubbed properly in at least three months.
Surprisingly, Wei Ke did not complain.
Jiang Ying stood at the door, already grimacing at the sight, but since she had picked the place herself, she said nothing.
Neither of them wanted to touch the dusty comb on the shelf.
Wei Ke stood in front of the grimy mirror and used her fingers as a comb, pulling her long, wavy hair back and tying it up with the hairband from her wrist.
Jiang Ying’s shoulder-length hair had never been tied up before, but after that nap, it was a bit messy. Once Wei Ke finished and left, she sighed and used her fingers to neaten her own hair in front of the barely functional mirror, then turned on the tap to wash her face.
The autumn afternoon was not hot, but the sun still burned brightly.
Wei Ke had not dried her forehead completely. Standing in the hospital parking lot, the westward sunlight shone on her face, giving her a golden glow like a photo filter. She looked like she had stepped right out of a painting.
Jiang Ying followed behind her. She was beautiful in her own way, but their styles were so different that her sweet look seemed insignificant next to Wei Ke’s elegance.
“You carried me to the hospital last night?” Wei Ke asked, turning to Jiang Ying as she stood in the sun. The light made her squint slightly.
Jiang Ying, also an alpha, was about 175 centimeters tall. That was already tall among female alphas, but she still stood a little shorter than Wei Ke.
Talking to Wei Ke up close, she instinctively looked up slightly and said, “No, I didn’t.”
“Then where’s the car?” Wei Ke scanned the parking lot again. She could not understand why her usually sharp eyes had not spotted Jiang Ying’s ginger-colored Porsche.
Jiang Ying rolled her eyes out of sight and turned back with a helpless look. “Sis, I was drunk too last night. I’m only twenty-four. I don’t want to go to jail for drunk driving. We took a taxi.”
Wei Ke made a sound of acknowledgment and reached into her pocket. “You could have told me earlier. Now we…”
Before she finished, her phone rang. Jiang Ying leaned over and saw the screen clearly showing the words “Big Sister.”
In Wei Ke’s heart, her sister Wei Huan held a place even higher than their parents. Knowing this, Jiang Ying stepped back a little and made a gesture to let her take the call.
Before that omega, Bai Ruoya, appeared in her life, Wei Ke had never once hung up on her sister. Although time had now returned to before that woman showed up, the memories were still vivid and real. Seeing a call from Wei Huan out of the blue, she froze for a moment.
Jiang Ying, who had already backed away, noticed Wei Ke staring blankly at her phone and gave her a nudge. “It’s your sister. Are you in a daze from the IV? Answer it.”
Wei Ke came to her senses, licked her dry lips, and answered just before the call went to voicemail.
“Hello? Sis?”
On the other end, Wei Huan sounded gentle and cheerful. “Ke Ke, are you free tonight? Come home for dinner. We haven’t seen you in a few days. Mom and Dad were asking about you last night.”
“Tonight? I can’t, I already made plans with some friends.” Wei Ke looked down at a freshly fallen sycamore leaf by her feet. Her voice sounded light and casual, but her face was gloomy and did not match her tone at all.
Wei Huan asked, “What friends? Can’t you reschedule?”
“It’s hard to. They’re my university friends. They’re here on a business trip. We were really close back in school but haven’t seen each other since graduation. They’re leaving tomorrow morning, so I wanted to catch up tonight.”
There was a pause on the other end before Wei Huan finally said, “Alright then. Have fun tonight.”
Wei Ke responded quickly, “I will, I will. Thanks. Bye.”
After ending the call, she looked up at the white cloud above her and let out a long sigh. When she turned around, she saw Jiang Ying holding two bottles of water, her mouth slightly open in shock. The look on her face startled Wei Ke so much she almost dropped her phone.
“What’s with that face?” Wei Ke took the water and drank a big gulp.
Jiang Ying scratched her ear, blinked a few times, and asked in disbelief, “Did I hear that right? You just lied to your sister?”
“I said I turned her down, I didn’t lie. Don’t twist my words.” Wei Ke capped the bottle and pointed at her like a warning.
Jiang Ying snorted. “Then tell me which university friend you’re meeting tonight. I don’t remember any of our classmates being in town.”
They had gone to the same schools since middle school and even attended the same university. Though they were in different majors, they spent all their free time together. Jiang Ying knew Wei Ke’s social circle well enough to know this was nonsense.
Wei Ke raised an eyebrow, slung her arm around Jiang Ying’s shoulder, then pulled tighter until she had her head locked. “You are my university friend, aren’t you? Classmate Jiang?”
“Hey! I didn’t make plans with you tonight!” Jiang Ying cried. “I made arrangements a week ago. Don’t ruin it for me!”
Wei Ke had lived twenty-five years with only Jiang Ying as a true confidant. Right now, with her emotions still fragile, there was no way she would let Jiang Ying run off and have fun on her own. She was determined to keep her close.
“What arrangements? What are you doing tonight?”
Jiang Ying knew from her tone that she was doomed. There was no escape. She gave in. “I have a date. I’m meeting a girl from online.”
Wei Ke finally loosened her arm and grinned. “Perfect. Take me with you. I’ll help you judge if she’s worth it.”
Jiang Ying went silent. She seriously wanted to slap Wei Ke. After all the cautionary tales out there, how could she say something so reckless?
Wei Ke did not expect Jiang Ying to suddenly snap. She angrily shook off Wei Ke’s arm and glared at her in confusion.
“What’s wrong?” Wei Ke asked, looking puzzled.
Jiang Ying glanced at the people walking around them and held back the urge to yell. She clenched her fists and said through gritted teeth, “Wei Ke, stop pretending to be innocent. I’ve been single since birth, and you’re the biggest reason for that.”
Wei Ke was speechless. She thought to herself, Innocent or not, it’s not my fault I was born good-looking.
Seeing Wei Ke’s aggrieved expression, Jiang Ying sighed and relaxed her fists.
“Okay, I know it’s not really your fault, but Ke Jie, I just… I really want to know what being in love feels like.”
Wei Ke nodded in understanding and gently patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hold you back. I’ll eat, then leave. I promise I won’t get in the way of your night… even if it ends in a hotel room.”
Jiang Ying was completely exasperated. “Wei Ke.”
Wei Ke responded with a kind and slightly sorrowful smile, the kind a mother gives her grown child. “If you need me, I’m your Ke Jie. If not, I’m just Wei Ke. My little Ying is finally growing up… and becoming shallow.”
Jiang Ying couldn’t take it anymore. She completely gave up on saving face and shouted, “That’s it! I’m done with you today!”
Wei Ke ran off laughing before Jiang Ying could catch her. With her long legs, she moved like the wind.
Chasing each other and bickering, they unknowingly crossed two streets and ended up at a busy commercial center.
On both sides of the wide road stood tall business buildings. Cars flowed continuously through the street, and pedestrians hurried along the sidewalks.
As Wei Ke turned a corner, her eyes suddenly landed on a familiar sight: Wei Huan and Bai Ruoya walking hand in hand, chatting and laughing.
Her feet stopped instantly, like someone had slammed the brakes.
Jiang Ying, chasing behind her, didn’t notice the sudden stop and crashed straight into her back.
Wei Ke stumbled forward a few steps and had just regained her balance when she noticed the two people across the street looking in her direction. She quickly stepped aside and slipped through the glass door of a nearby shop.
Jiang Ying, panting heavily and still unaware of Wei Huan’s presence, followed her into the flower shop, resting her hands on her hips.
“What are you doing… suddenly running in like that?”
“Welcome,” the flower shop owner greeted from behind the counter, where he was wrapping a bouquet. Hearing the doorbell chime, he looked up and gave them a warm smile and a nod.
Wei Ke, though she had already hidden inside the shop, kept her eyes on Wei Huan and Bai Ruoya across the street. She replied with a vague, distracted murmur.
Jiang Ying leaned against the counter, catching her breath. When she heard the voice, she turned and caught sight of the florist’s profile. Her face lit up with surprise.
She had ordered flowers from this shop on Mother’s Day before but never expected the owner to be this handsome in person.
Wei Ke was too focused on the scene outside to notice that Jiang Ying had completely entered “crush mode.” Once the two people across the street had walked away, Wei Ke looked down at the champagne roses and sunflowers soaking in water, then at the long row of flowers she could not identify beside her. After a moment’s thought, she asked:
“Boss, if you’re meeting someone from an online relationship for the first time in real life, what kind of flowers would be good to bring?”