The Villainous Scum Alpha Was Reborn (GL) - Chapter 23

Liang Qingqing had been running her flower shop for quite some time. She had developed a good sense of how customer traffic changed around different holidays. Today was the last day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Business was not particularly busy, so she managed to head home a bit earlier than usual.

As she changed out of her work apron and put on her coat, she suddenly remembered the earrings that Nan Ke had brought her that afternoon. Just before switching off the lights, she could not help but take them out for another look.

The light by the counter, though not as bright as the overhead fixture, was close enough to provide a gentle glow. Under it, the rose gold maple leaf-shaped earrings sparkled, and the rubies embedded at the top gleamed brightly with a vivid red hue.

Upon closer inspection, both the material and craftsmanship did not quite match Nan Ke’s casual remark that they were inexpensive. However, since the box had no logo, Liang Qingqing could not tell for sure. Setting aside the question of price, the more she looked at them, the more she liked them. Smiling to herself, she tucked the earrings into the inner pocket of her pants, turned off the counter lamp and the ceiling spotlight, locked the shop, and headed home.

Chen Ning had returned to G City after receiving a job offer from a bank not far from her home. Her arrival happened to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival, and since the bank was closed for the holiday, she had not completed her onboarding paperwork. She decided to take the chance to spend two full days at home with her parents.

Now that the holiday was ending and her official work was about to begin, she arranged to meet Liang Qingqing for a meal before things got busy.

They had agreed on the time in advance. When Liang Qingqing reached her residential community, she happened to see Chen Ning getting out of a taxi, carrying several bags of food and drinks. She quickly parked and went over to help.

“Why did you buy so much?” Liang Qingqing asked as she took a large box of spicy crayfish from her. She opened the trunk of the car, put the box inside, and let Chen Ning take the passenger seat.

The white SUV drove straight through the gate and into the underground garage. After parking, the two of them carried the beer and takeout containers into the elevator.

Chen Ning, like Liang Qingqing, was also an omega. However, she was not nearly as strong. As soon as they entered the apartment, she put down the bag of beer and shook out her sore arms.

Liang Qingqing teased her without mercy. “That is what falling in love does to you. Look at me, single and strong, building muscle on my own.”

Chen Ning rolled her eyes. “Is that something to be proud of?”

“Maybe just a little,” Liang Qingqing replied with a smile. She set her things down and went to wash her hands before heading into the kitchen to get chopsticks and cups.

Chen Ning let out a soft sigh, then went to the balcony to check on Liang Qingqing’s plants. Everything looked fine. She stepped through the glass door on the other side of the balcony and called out, “Didn’t you message me this afternoon saying that Nan Ke came to your shop? Why did she come? Was she buying flowers, or did she come just to see you?”

Liang Qingqing finished washing the dishes. Her voice carried a mix of shyness and quiet satisfaction. “Well, I guess it was a bit of both.”

“What do you mean by that? She went to your shop to buy flowers and then gave them to you?” Chen Ning pulled out a pair of disposable gloves and looked at her with a confused expression.

“That would be weird. Buying flowers from me just to give them back to me? She might as well have just sent me a red envelope,” Liang Qingqing said with a laugh. She could not see the point of Chen Ning’s question, and without hesitation, gave a brief summary of what had happened during Nan Ke’s visit.

Chen Ning sat at the table peeling crayfish. After listening to Liang Qingqing’s story, she took a sip of her white peach flavored beer and stretched out her fingers. “Where are the earrings? Let me take a look.”

Liang Qingqing looked at her hands, which were covered in oil from the gloves, hesitated for a second, and declined. “Not now. Let’s wait until after we eat.”

Chen Ning nodded. “Honestly, people like her who come from wealthy families think about money very differently from us. She might wear clothes without logos and look low key, but did you see the car she drives? It costs over two million yuan. That is almost the price of half an apartment.”

“I thought so too. I will try to look it up later. If it turns out to be too expensive, I will return it to her the next time I see her,” Liang Qingqing said with a serious nod.

Chen Ning stared at her in disbelief. “Why would you give it back?”

Liang Qingqing explained calmly, “We are not officially in a relationship. I do not think I should accept something that expensive.”

Chen Ning gave her a look of exasperation. “So you are not planning to move forward with her? If someone gives you a gift, you cannot just reject it. Returning a gift might come off as cold. It is better to respond with a thoughtful gift of your own. If it really makes you uncomfortable, give her something in return.”

Liang Qingqing had no experience with romantic relationships, but after hearing that, she thought it made sense. “You are right. I will think about it later.”

After dinner, the two of them washed their hands and sat close together on the sofa. They opened the soft, velvety box and each picked up an earring to take a closer look.

Liang Qingqing stared at it for a long time but could not figure it out. She even used an image search app on her phone, but nothing matched exactly.

Chen Ning noticed something familiar in the design. She gently put the earring back into the box and spoke softly. “To be honest, I think it looks like it might be from that brand. Maybe you can pick something similar as a return gift.”

Liang Qingqing looked at the page on Chen Ning’s phone and her mouth fell open in shock. “That is so expensive.”

Chen Ning laughed and nudged her lightly. “That just means she really values you.”

Although she did not want to admit it, Liang Qingqing felt her heart warm at those words.

Alright then. Now she had a clearer idea. But she was unsure what to give back since Nan Ke did not seem to like wearing accessories.

Chen Ning noticed the flush rising on Liang Qingqing’s cheeks and knew she must be quietly overjoyed. She glanced at the time and remembered she had to go to the bank the next morning, so she stood up to leave.

Liang Qingqing had been on her feet all day and was already feeling sleepy. She did not insist on making her stay. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the clock on the wall showed it was already past eleven thirty. She became worried that it was unsafe for Chen Ning to head home alone at this hour. She stood up to walk her out, but Chen Ning gently pushed her back down.

Chen Ning said, “You had something to drink too. Stop trying to send me off. What are we going to do, follow each other home all night? Do not worry. My dad came to pick me up. He is waiting downstairs in the car. I will be just fine.”

Liang Qingqing walked to the window and looked down. Sure enough, a white Subaru was parked below. She no longer insisted. Leaning back into the soft cushions, she smiled and waved. “Say hi to your dad for me. I will come visit him and your mom sometime soon.”

“Sounds good,” Chen Ning replied cheerfully as she changed her shoes by the front door.

After the door closed, Liang Qingqing moved her fingers slightly around the small box. Then she went to her bedroom and placed it in the drawer of her vanity. She grabbed a towel and went to take a shower.

By the time she returned to bed, it was already past midnight. Ever since she had opened her flower shop, she had grown used to going to bed early. She needed to be up early in the morning to go to the flower market and sometimes had orders to decorate wedding cars. Usually, she would wash up and fall asleep right away.

Staying awake after midnight felt unusual. Leaning against her pillow, she found the payment notification showing the fifty two yuan Nan Ke had transferred. Her heart felt soft and warm again.

Without realizing it, she had already opened Nan Ke’s chat window in WeChat.

After a long moment of hesitation, she finally typed and sent two messages before setting her phone aside.

Thank you for the gift. I really like it.

Good night. I hope you have sweet dreams.

At that moment, Nan Ke suddenly sat up in bed, drenched in sweat.

Under the soft yellow glow of the nightlight, she gasped for breath, brushing away strands of hair stuck to her cheeks, then ran her hands repeatedly through her hair, trying to calm herself.

She and Jiang Ying had shared a few drinks earlier before going to sleep, but after falling asleep, Nan Ke began to have nightmares.

They were not strange or surreal. Instead, they were vivid scenes from her past life, replaying one after another. In her dream, the memories felt like a giant book hanging over her, forcing her to look up at the pages as they turned one by one.

Each scene felt like a towering mountain. If she was not careful, everything would collapse and crush her, leaving her trapped forever.

Especially the last scene. In the darkness of night, when she opened her eyes and climbed up from the ground, the headlights of her own matcha green C20 lit her body perfectly.

She staggered to her feet, but before she could even straighten her back, a sudden sharp pain in her chest forced her to crouch down again. She could not move.

The sensation felt like thousands of ants gnawing at her heart. Cold sweat poured from her body, soaking through her clothes in an instant. The strands of hair on her forehead looked as if they had been drenched in water.

“You…” Nan Ke gritted her teeth, wanting to ask, Who are you? Why do you want to kill me? But only that one word left her mouth, and even that was too soft, swallowed by the mountain wind in the night.

The man standing against the light wore all black. His baseball cap was pulled so low over his face that, with the car’s headlights blinding her, she had no way of making out his features.

At that moment, Nan Ke only felt a bitter, metallic taste in her mouth. Her vision was so blurry it was like being blinded by a bright light that left everything pitch black. A high-pitched ringing echoed in her ears without pause. The intensity of the scent around her overwhelmed her, leaving her completely powerless.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her by the collar and lift her up. Through the howling mountain wind and the cry of some unknown creature, she heard a man speak.

He said, “Blame your fate. You saw something and someone you shouldn’t have. I’ll do you a favor and end it for you.”

Then came the feeling of falling, like being dropped from a great height, followed by a pain so deep and endless it could not be described.

The pain was so real and unbearable that even in her sleep, she could not take it anymore. That was when she woke up, drenched in sweat.

The pillow beneath her head was soaked. Nan Ke propped herself up, breathing heavily. It took a while before her nerves calmed enough for her to move. She reached for the phone she had left on the nightstand before bed. On the glowing lock screen, two WeChat message notifications were waiting, although the content was not shown.

She pressed her thumb against the sensor, unlocked the screen, and opened her chat window. There were two new messages from Liang Qingqing.

Thank you for the gift. I really like it.

Good night. Sweet dreams.

Nan Ke stared at the screen, lightly brushing her fingers across those two simple messages. Her heart, which had been racing wildly, gradually calmed. Even the sweat on her forehead began to stop.

It was strange. Every time something involved Liang Qingqing, whether it was a thought or an object, she felt herself relax almost instantly.

That omega seemed to soothe her more than iced water on a hot summer day. She was calm, natural, and comfortingly cool.

Nan Ke opened the input box and began typing. She tapped a few words, deleted them, started again, and hesitated. She wanted to reply, but was afraid it was too late and might disturb Liang Qingqing’s rest. But not replying felt wrong too. What if Qingqing was waiting and got upset?

She wrestled with herself for three whole minutes before remembering how slowly Liang Qingqing had replied to her last time. That memory gave her some peace of mind. She put her phone on the charger, got out of bed, and went to wash up properly.

The next morning, she got up at seven. Unable to hold back anymore, she sent Liang Qingqing a cheerful “Good morning” sticker.

Jiang Ying, who had gone to bed early and also woke up early for once, looked completely worn out. She was biting into a slice of bread while watching Nan Ke check her phone every few seconds. Finally, she could not stand it anymore.

“Can you calm down a little? You never acted this eager even when our bonus checks came in.”

Nan Ke smiled as she looked at the reply she had just received.

“I can’t help it, Yingzi. I think I might be falling in love.”

Jiang Ying leaned back in her chair and downed the rest of her milk in one go. “Well then, congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Nan Ke beamed, her whole face lighting up.

She stood up from the dining table and grabbed a few wrappers from the table, tossing them into the trash with a grimace. Just before leaving the dining area, she could not resist making a complaint.

“Next time, try to buy a real breakfast like a normal person. There’s a breakfast spot just downstairs. Take a few extra steps, or drive if you must. But stop buying milk and bread from the supermarket. It’s dry as sandpaper.”

Nan Ke stopped talking.

After breakfast, the two of them lay on the couch for a while. It was hard to say whether it was the lingering effects of the alcohol or poor sleep, or maybe both. Eventually, they fell asleep again, head to head, for another two hours.

When Nan Ke woke up, Jiang Ying was already gone. At the same time, her long-silent Slacker System 880 finally sent her a new reward notice.

You’ve touched upon the truth of your death. You’re amazing. This system knew you were the one.

Rubbing her eyes, Nan Ke sat up, grabbed a pillow, and curled up in the corner of the sofa with her eyes closed, listening carefully to the voice in her head.

Because of your active performance, a reward has been triggered. The mission is to show your face at Bai Ruoya’s engagement party. Completing this mission will earn you one luck point and five thousand yuan in cash.

Nan Ke scowled.

You’re stingy to death.

There are no additional tasks or special requirements. The difficulty level is one star. All you have to do is walk in. System 880 is the most generous of all.

Nan Ke stayed silent for a moment.

As much as she hated to admit it, this mission was indeed easier than the first one.

In her past life, due to the scandal on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the false accusations, the Yu family publicly declared before the engagement party that she no longer had any ties to them. She was not even invited. The wording of the announcement was so harsh that she felt utterly humiliated.

On the day of the engagement party, she sat alone near a greenbelt area just a few hundred meters from the Yu family’s villa, drinking until she passed out. Jiang Ying found her on the way home from the banquet and took her to the hospital for an IV drip.

Thinking about it now, something did not quite add up. In her past life, the Yu family had not held the engagement party at Yingtian Hotel but hosted it at home instead.

Why was that?

Could it be that they originally planned to hold it at the hotel but changed it later?

Then why was it not changed this time?