The Villainous Scum Alpha Was Reborn (GL) - Chapter 4

“What do you mean? A guess?” Wei Ke frowned at the system’s prompt.

“Things are already different from last time. I’m not even at the Wei house, and I’m not sitting at the dinner table either.”

[System Notice: Character and date are the only criteria used for determining key events. Location and physical space are considered irrelevant and not taken into account.]

Wei Ke went quiet for a moment. This was, without question, the most heartless system she had ever encountered.

[Reminder: The female lead Bai Ruoya is approaching.]

Wei Ke froze, completely alarmed. All she wanted in that moment was to curse out loud.

Jiang Ying, still unaware of what was going on, was tugging on the back of Wei Ke’s shirt and whispering in a low voice, “Wei Ke, your sister is coming.”

“I know,” Wei Ke replied quickly under her breath. She spotted a sealed face mask stuffed behind the front seat, grabbed it, tore it open, and put it on.

Wei Huan had never seen her younger sister act so strangely before. She was just starting to feel confused when Wei Ke turned around with the mask already on.

The mask was a little too big and covered most of Wei Ke’s face. Only her smooth forehead and crescent-shaped eyes were visible.

“Big sister, we’re in a rush, so we’ll get going. If anything comes up, just message me.” Wei Ke even faked a couple of coughs as she spoke. Then she grabbed Jiang Ying, who was still trying to exchange polite greetings, and shoved her into the car. Her left hand pressed against Jiang Ying’s shoulder as she pushed her in and followed right after.

Wei Huan stood there, silent.

The driver, a professional who understood his role well, realized that the two young women really did not want to linger. Without asking questions, he stepped on the gas and drove off immediately.

By the time Bai Ruoya walked over in her high heels, all she saw were the fading taillights.

“That girl,” Wei Huan sighed and placed a hand on Bai Ruoya’s shoulder. She tried to explain her sister’s behavior. “She’s always in a hurry, like a child. I even heard her coughing. She might be coming down with something. Since you’re pregnant now, it’s probably better you didn’t get too close. What if she passed it on to you?”

Bai Ruoya smiled gently. She looked completely understanding and said softly, “I’m not worried. If she’s busy, let her be. We’ll see each other eventually. There’s no rush.”

Wei Huan felt even more reassured after hearing this. She had clearly chosen the right person. She handed the gift she had prepared for Wei Ke to the building’s security desk, and when she returned, the wind was blowing through Bai Ruoya’s hair. Her eyes, however, were focused only on Wei Huan, and that gaze filled her heart with warmth.

“Tomorrow, if you’re free, I’ll take you to buy a few more comfortable pairs of shoes. Things are different now. Try not to wear high heels unless you really have to,” Wei Huan said as she opened the passenger door and gently placed her hand above Bai Ruoya’s head to protect it. Her face remained calm, but her tone was full of care.

Bai Ruoya glanced at her shoes, pretending to be surprised as she softly covered her mouth. “I didn’t even realize I was wearing heels today. I’m just used to it from work. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Silly girl. You have to take better care of yourself,” Wei Huan said. Once she got in the car, her expression became more serious, but her voice remained tender.

Bai Ruoya fastened her seatbelt and looked over with concern. “You’re the one who needs to take care of yourself. Look at your dark circles. It makes me worry about you.”

The car had already driven about five hundred meters and reached a traffic light, but the driver still had not received a destination. Worried that his decision to drive off without asking had upset the girls, he finally asked, voice slightly uncertain.

Jiang Ying had been staring at Wei Ke in disbelief since they got into the car. She looked completely stunned. Only when she heard the driver’s question did she snap out of it.

After giving the address, she let out a dry laugh, like she had just watched something ridiculous. Her expression was both confused and helpless.

“Ke, be honest. Did you get into a fight with your sister?”

Wei Ke had spent the entire ride checking with the system to confirm whether Bai Ruoya had seen her face and whether that moment counted as a face-to-face meeting. Once the system confirmed that it did not, she finally relaxed.

Hearing Jiang Ying’s question, she turned her head a little too fast. The oversized mask was slow to react and ended up sliding awkwardly, covering her entire face.

Wei Ke had not seen that coming at all.

Jiang Ying immediately burst out laughing. She could not help herself. As she laughed, she reached out, hooked a finger behind Wei Ke’s ear, and pulled the mask off for her.

“Why do you sound so happy about me fighting with my sister?” Wei Ke glared at her, then tossed the mask into the small trash bin by her feet.

But Jiang Ying had already switched gears. Her expression turned serious as she began her analysis.

“Think about it. You lied to her on the phone this afternoon, and now you’re avoiding her in person. If that’s not a fight, what is?”

“You want the story? What are you offering in exchange?” Wei Ke leaned back in her seat, completely composed. Her tone changed, and suddenly it felt like they were sitting in an office rather than a car. The armrest between them might as well have been a desk. She was not chatting with a friend anymore. She was negotiating a business deal.

Jiang Ying looked at her with annoyance and clicked her tongue. “You’re so irritating.”

Wei Ke just kept looking at her, completely silent.

After about two minutes, Jiang Ying gave in to her curiosity. She held up one finger and said, “Your favorite brand just released a limited edition blind box. I’ll get you the whole set.”

Wei Ke did not even think before shaking her head. “Not enough.”

Jiang Ying rolled her eyes. She remembered an ad she had seen a few days ago and sighed. “That bag you love just came out in a new color. I’ll buy it for you.”

“Deal.” Wei Ke’s expression immediately softened. She sat up, ready to talk.

Jiang Ying ground her teeth. “This better be worth the price I’m paying.”

Wei Ke cleared her throat and adjusted her tone, slipping into a half-serious, half-theatrical voice like she was a radio announcer.

“Here’s the thing. I’m starting to suspect I’m not actually her biological sister.”

“What do you mean?” Jiang Ying blinked in confusion. “Are you saying your sister isn’t your parents’ real daughter?”

Wei Ke said, “No, what I mean is, I might not be their biological daughter.”

Jiang Ying stared at her in silence for a good thirty seconds before forcing an awkward laugh. She reached out and patted Wei Ke’s shoulder.

“Come on. That can’t be. I mean, just look at the way you negotiate and argue. You’re exactly like your parents when they were younger. Well… never mind. Forget I said that. Don’t overthink it, okay? I’ll help you contact someone later, and you can do a paternity test or… actually, never mind. Pretend I’m just sleep-talking. I’m rambling. Talking nonsense. Just ignore me.”

Wei Ke kept her eyes on Jiang Ying as her voice grew softer and softer, until it was barely audible.

Then the car went silent. Even the driver up front instinctively quieted his breathing. The silence inside felt so heavy that even a pin drop would have been loud.

What should have been a thirty-minute ride stretched into a full hour because of traffic.

When they finally got out, Wei Ke looked at Jiang Ying still holding the tulips. After a short pause, she said, “Maybe I should just let you go in on your own. I won’t bother you. I can sit farther away and still help you keep an eye on things.”

Jiang Ying was still emotional over what Wei Ke had just told her. She grabbed her arm tightly.

“What, you think I won’t give you a bite of dinner? You don’t think I see you as my sister anymore? You think I’d ditch you over some date?”

Wei Ke lowered her eyes and caught the flicker in Jiang Ying’s gaze. She could tell that Jiang Ying was just trying to comfort her, so she did not argue. Still, she gently removed her friend’s hand from her arm and took a step back, making sure their behavior seemed like normal, polite friendship. Nothing more.

The restaurant had been booked two days ago. Even though Jiang Ying had never met the person from the other end of the chat, finding the correct room meant finding the right date. As she walked in with the bouquet, her mood seemed decent enough, at least in Wei Ke’s opinion.

But the moment the server brought them to Room 21—a number believed to be lucky—and they stepped inside, they saw a male omega standing up. He was wearing a full face of makeup and was the same height as Jiang Ying.

“You’re… ‘Little White Rabbit on the Moon’?” Jiang Ying asked, her hands shaking slightly around the bouquet.

Wei Ke had known Jiang Ying for years. It was obvious to her that her friend was freezing up inside. She quietly turned around and went downstairs.

After playing a few rounds of Candy Crush, Jiang Ying came out of the restaurant. There were makeup stains on the back of her shoulders, probably from when the male omega hugged her.

Knowing Jiang Ying’s temper, she would definitely throw that outfit away tonight. Wei Ke did not say anything. She simply took her by the wrist and walked a little over one hundred meters west into a nearby porridge shop.

Jiang Ying looked miserable. “I want a drink.”

“Porridge is better. It’s good for you.” Wei Ke held her wrist and pulled her inside.

They came out before eight o’clock. Jiang Ying looked exhausted, so Wei Ke walked her to the car and helped her inside.

“Don’t push yourself. Go home, take a bath, and sleep well. If you’re still not over it tomorrow, go after Liang Qingqing.”

“Who’s Liang Qingqing?” Jiang Ying asked blankly. She had just finished her porridge, and her face looked bright and warm again, but her eyes were dull, like she was completely spaced out.

Wei Ke stared at her for a moment, then gently pushed her into the car. She closed the door and signaled to the driver to take her home.

The driver did not say a word. Seeing that his boss had no objections, he started the engine and drove off.

The autumn night breeze had turned cool. Wei Ke had dressed light for the afternoon weather, so now her knitted sweater swayed in the wind. With her tall figure and quiet steps, she looked strikingly lonely.

Jiang Ying stared into the side mirror of the car for a while, then called her.

“Where are you going?”

“To buy flowers,” Wei Ke answered. Her voice was soft but steady, and the way she spoke those four words made them sound oddly comforting.

Jiang Ying shivered slightly and covered one ear. As she stared at the phone screen that had already gone dark, she thought, why didn’t I turn out to be an omega?

Then again, even if she had, someone like Wei Ke with her obsession for collecting things would still have been too much.

In the end, she felt grateful that she was an alpha after all.

Liang Qingqing’s flower shop was about five kilometers away from where Wei Ke was. Walking was out of the question, so she stopped at the roadside and called a car.

Traffic was heavy because two nearby middle schools had just let out, so it took a while to get there. By the time she arrived, Liang Qingqing was already flipping the shop sign to “Closed” and tidying up the display at the front window.

“You’re closing already?” Wei Ke had thought flower shops stayed open until ten or eleven. It was not even nine yet.

Liang Qingqing noticed the extra hand helping her from the side and looked up with a smile.

“Thank you. The flowers sold out early today, so I thought I’d head home and rest.”

“You sold everything?” Wei Ke helped close the glass door and peeked inside. Sure enough, many of the shelves were already empty.

Behind the counter, Liang Qingqing was taking off her apron and hanging it up. Her smile was warm and polite, just like it had been earlier that day.

“Were you planning to buy flowers?”

Wei Ke gave a small smile but didn’t answer.

Liang Qingqing bent down behind the counter and brought out two wrapped bouquets of sunflowers. She held them out to Wei Ke.

“If you want flowers, come back tomorrow. For now, thank you for helping me with the table earlier. You can take one. I’ll share mine with you.”

“Share yours?” Wei Ke looked at the two bouquets in her hands and was a bit confused.

Liang Qingqing pulled off her gloves and tossed them into the basket beside her leg. Her voice was light.

“Yes. One of them is mine.”