Transmigrated Into a Heartless Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 15

Song Yi responded softly, her attention fixed on the steady stream of students pouring out of the campus. Without looking at Zhou Zhou, she grasped her shoulders with both hands and gently guided her to the side.

“Did it hurt?” Song Yi only lowered her gaze to Zhou Zhou after ensuring they wouldn’t be bumped into again, her voice laced with concern.

“…Huh?”

Zhou Zhou’s cherry lips parted slightly, seemingly slow to react as she stared blankly at her.

“I saw a high school student bump into you earlier.”

“I’m fine.” Zhou Zhou blinked, steering the conversation to the question she was curious about. “Why is Miss Song still here?”

Song Yi didn’t answer immediately. She wiped the sweat from her temple with one hand, took Zhou Zhou’s travel bag with the other, and then grasped her wrist, leading her toward the parking area.

She shouldn’t have worn a suit out—it was too hot.

Zhou Zhou glanced down at Song Yi’s hand wrapped around her wrist but didn’t ask why or where they were going, blindly following her instead.

Finally reaching the car, Song Yi opened the passenger door and let Zhou Zhou get in first. Only after Zhou Zhou was seated did she place the travel bag in the trunk and retrieve two bottles of water before returning to the car.

“Have some water.” Song Yi handed a bottle to Zhou Zhou but didn’t drink hers immediately, opting to take off her suit jacket first.

Zhou Zhou clutched the bottle Miss Song had given her but didn’t drink, wanting to glance sideways but not daring to be too obvious.

Miss Song was wearing a beige suit today, the shirt underneath also beige, giving off a gentle aura.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Miss Song hastily remove her suit jacket, still seeming overheated as she undid the top two buttons of her shirt.

Zhou Zhou hurriedly averted her gaze.

The car’s air conditioning was set high. Zhou Zhou had initially felt chilly when she first got in, but now she was heating up again.

Even her throat felt parched.

Remembering the water in her hand, Zhou Zhou tried several times to twist the cap open but failed, her face flushing red.

She usually had no trouble with strength—why was she struggling now? Baffled, she kept wrestling with the bottle.

Having adjusted her collar, Song Yi turned her head just in time to see this scene. Shaking her head with an amused smile, she reached out toward Zhou Zhou. “Let me.”

With Miss Song’s hand already extended, Zhou Zhou couldn’t refuse. Embarrassed, she handed over the bottle.

Miss Song took it, cradling the bottle in her palm as her fingers traced its surface. With a light twist of her thumb and forefinger, the cap released a faint hiss and came loose.

“Here.” Song Yi passed the water back to Zhou Zhou.

“Thank you.” Zhou Zhou accepted it, her face still red.

Noticing her blush, Song Yi chuckled. “It’s really hot today. Should I lower the temperature more?”

“No need.”

“Alright.” Song Yi glanced at the controls, agreeing it couldn’t go any lower, then leaned back into the driver’s seat and opened her own bottle to drink.

Zhou Zhou raised her bottle and took a sip, catching sight of Miss Song drinking from the corner of her eye. From this angle, she could see the subtle movement of her throat as she swallowed, and she even spotted a tiny mole on the side of Miss Song’s neck.

She swallowed reflexively.

Suddenly, Miss Song turned to look at her again. Zhou Zhou quickly averted her gaze, focusing intently on her water.

Song Yi was surprised to see Zhou Zhou had already drunk half the bottle. She waited quietly for her to finish before screwing the cap back on.

“You didn’t reply to my message.”

“Huh?”

Zhou Zhou took a second to realize that Miss Song was answering the question she’d asked before getting in the car: why was Miss Song still here?

“I thought you might have missed something and was worried you’d run into trouble. Since I didn’t have anything urgent to do, I decided to wait here.”

“…Thank you.”

Zhou Zhou didn’t know what else to say besides expressing gratitude.

No matter how you looked at it, Miss Song had already gone above and beyond—appearing just in time when those Alphas were about to assault her, rescuing her, giving her a temporary mark, letting her stay the night, and now personally driving her back to school. She never expected that someone she’d met by chance would worry about her just because she hadn’t replied to a message promptly, even fearing she might be in trouble.

Zhou Zhou couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling, only that warmth was rising from the depths of her heart.

“Are you okay?” Song Yi noticed Zhou Zhou’s eyes suddenly glistening and thought she really had encountered trouble, instantly growing tense. “Did you run into those Alphas again?”

“No…” Zhou Zhou tilted her head back, blinking away the moisture in her eyes. “I was packing and didn’t notice the message.”

Song Yi thought of Zhou Zhou’s worn brown travel bag and asked, “Zhou Zhou, where are you moving to?”

“I don’t know yet.” Zhou Zhou sniffled lightly.

Song Yi felt awkward. Though she wasn’t particularly sensitive to emotions, it was clear Zhou Zhou was on the verge of tears. She found a pack of tissues and handed it to Zhou Zhou. “I’m going to buy something.”

Zhou Zhou took the tissues and nodded blankly, watching her step out of the car.

Outside, the scorching sun baked the earth. Song Yi quickly walked to the shade of a tree, deliberately not looking back, afraid that if she did, Zhou Zhou might feel too self-conscious to wipe her tears.

She had claimed she was going to buy something, but it was just an excuse. However, once outside, the street stalls caught her interest.

Most of the vendors were elderly, though there was also a middle-aged couple selling sushi and takoyaki.

Song Yi wasn’t in a hurry to buy. Standing under the tree, she closed her eyes, trying to recall Zhou Zhou’s food preferences from This Scumbag Alpha Always Love “Em and Leave “Em. The book mentioned that Zhou Zhou had a sweet tooth and wasn’t particularly picky.

It was lunchtime, and near the school, many students were lining up at the stalls. Song Yi browsed several before stopping at an elderly man selling candied hawthorns. Five high school students—boys and girls—were ahead of her in line.

When it was her turn, Song Yi didn’t immediately pick one from the bundles of candied hawthorns skewered on a straw stand. Instead, she studied them carefully, like someone seeing them for the first time.

Truthfully, Song Yi had never eaten candied hawthorns before. She examined the traditional hawthorn skewers and the ones combining apples, kiwis, oranges, and hawthorns. Eventually, she chose the latter—five yuan per skewer. Though electronic payments existed in this world, the elderly man clearly wasn’t accustomed to them, lacking a payment QR code. Song Yi pulled out a leather wallet from her pocket, took out a hundred-yuan bill, and received ninety-five yuan in change—all in tens and fives. Clutching the handful of cash with curiosity, she continued wandering among the stalls.

Estimating that enough time had passed, Song Yi bought a portion of sushi and takoyaki before heading back.

Through the car window, she saw Zhou Zhou sitting upright, like a model student in class, her face now free of any trace of sadness.

Song Yi curved her lips into a smile, quickened her pace, and returned to the car. After removing the transparent plastic wrap from the candied hawthorn skewer, she handed it to Zhou Zhou. “Have something sweet—it’ll make you feel better.”

Zhou Zhou’s eyes widened suddenly, hesitant to take it. Song Yi brought it directly to her lips. The small hawthorn berry at the top of the skewer, coated in crystallized sugar, touched the corner of Zhou Zhou’s mouth. Lowering her gaze, her long lashes fluttering like delicate little fans, Zhou Zhou parted her lips and took a bite of the hawthorn.

Just as Song Yi’s lips curled into a smile, she noticed Zhou Zhou’s face scrunch slightly—apparently, it was too sour.

Song Yi’s mouth watered in sympathy as she looked down at the skewer. The next fruit was a slice of kiwi, which also risked being sour. She took a bite herself and indeed found it slightly tart.

The next was a piece of orange. Certain it wouldn’t be sour, Song Yi brought it back to Zhou Zhou’s lips.

Zhou Zhou parted her lips and bit into the sugar-coated orange. Sweet juice burst in her mouth, spreading warmth all the way to her heart.