Transmigrated Into a Heartless Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 16

Zhou Zhou drowsily finished a stick of sugar-coated haws from Song Yi’s hand before she could even fully wake up. Then, Song Yi divided the takoyaki and sushi into two portions, handing one to her.

“Just something to tide you over,” Song Yi said with a faint smile, completely unaware that her care for Zhou Zhou was, in a way, crossing certain boundaries.

Zhou Zhou took it and ate on her own this time, not as embarrassed as before.

These were just ordinary snacks sold outside the high school gates, but Zhou Zhou had never bought them before. The school subsidies and social aid she received were strictly limited, barely covering basic living expenses. Aside from purchasing essential daily necessities, she only ever recharged her meal card. The school cafeteria food might not have been as tasty as outside options, but it was cheap.

She picked up a piece of sushi with her chopsticks and took a bite. Suddenly, she understood why everyone disliked the cafeteria food and why boarding students would borrow day students’ IDs to sneak out and buy snacks.

But what she didn’t quite understand was why someone as wealthy as Miss Song could also eat with such relish. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the faint smile on Miss Song’s face, her eyes occasionally widening, eyebrows lifting slightly—an expression of being pleasantly surprised by these humble street snacks.

In her original world, when Song Yi’s parents were still alive, they had been extremely strict about her diet. She mostly ate meals prepared by the family housekeeper, nutritionally balanced in every aspect. She also dined out often, but only at branded restaurants—never at street stalls.

Later, after her parents passed away one after another, no one controlled her anymore. Most of the time, she was too busy working and dealing with the scheming old foxes in the company to eat properly. She survived on irregular meals, barely enough to keep her going. When she craved something tasty, she would buy a pile of cherries from the fruit store, popping them one by one—stress-relieving and delicious. The consequence was developing stomach problems at a young age.

Now, sitting in the car with Zhou Zhou, eating random street food, Song Yi felt an unusual sense of fulfillment.

So, eating wasn’t just a meaningless waste of time solely for survival.

This simple meal—if it could even be called a meal—left Song Yi strangely moved. She finished her portion contentedly.

She decided she would eat properly from now on. She didn’t want to suffer from stomach pains again like before.

After finishing, she touched her stomach lightly. She didn’t feel full, but the hunger was gone.

Zhou Zhou ate more slowly, as if lost in thought while chewing. Song Yi recalled Zhou Zhou mentioning earlier that she still didn’t know where to stay and considered inviting her back to the villa.

But how could she phrase it in a way that Zhou Zhou would accept her kindness?

Song Yi had no idea. After all, Zhou Zhou had been in such a hurry to leave after just one night together.

She waited quietly until Zhou Zhou finished eating before speaking. “Zhou Zhou, do you know any good restaurants around here?”

Zhou Zhou blinked in surprise, then nodded. “There’s a stir-fry place diagonally across from the school with a decent reputation.”

Though she had never eaten there herself, she’d overheard classmates talking about it. The shop served homestyle stir-fries, with the menu changing daily depending on what the owner bought at the market in the morning. Usually, there were six dishes to choose from, each priced at six yuan, with free rice.

Why was Miss Song asking about this? Zhou Zhou was puzzled. She had assumed they’d already had their meal.

“Take me out to eat. I’m still hungry, and I’m curious about what the food near your school tastes like,” Song Yi said with a smirk, her narrow, usually cool eyes softening with warmth.

The moment their gazes met, Zhou Zhou looked away first.

Her right hand slipped silently into her pocket, fingers brushing against a few rough, worn-out bills. She still had a few dozen yuan left, which gave her a bit of confidence. Lifting her eyes again to meet Song Yi’s amused gaze, she said, “Alright, I’ll treat you, Miss Song.”

Song Yi was slightly taken aback by the latter half of Zhou Zhou’s sentence but soon relaxed, chuckling, “I have a big appetite.”

“Then you should eat more later, Miss Song,” Zhou Zhou replied with a relieved smile before turning to open the car door.

Song Yi followed her, a gentle smile lingering on her lips.

The shop was the second one to the right, directly across from the school gate. By now, the crowd had thinned—most of the remaining customers were students from No. 2 High School. Given the intense pressure of senior year and the approaching finals, meals were practically a race against time.

Stepping inside, Song Yi took in the cramped space—smaller than one of her rooms—packed with eight square tables, each accompanied by four long benches.

Some customers had already left, their bowls and chopsticks still uncleared on the tables. Song Yi glanced at them and noticed the plates were scraped clean—a good sign that the food must be decent.

“Miss Song, let’s sit here,” Zhou Zhou said, finding a clean table.

Song Yi walked over and sat down on the old wooden chair, which let out a faint creak under her weight.

Zhou Zhou looked embarrassed, but Song Yi only found it amusing. Adjusting her seat, she said, “I don’t know what’s good here, so you order. And don’t get too much.”

Zhou Zhou hurried to the kitchen to place their order. The owner, a middle-aged woman, was deftly flipping a wok over the flames. “What would you like, little miss?”

Zhou Zhou glanced at the baskets of ingredients nearby and said, “One plate of each of the six dishes, for two people.”

“Got it,” the owner replied warmly. “Go take a seat—it’ll be ready soon.”

Before returning, Zhou Zhou double-checked that she had enough money to cover the meal, then went back to Song Yi’s side.

At that moment, Song Yi was fiddling with a waist-high electric fan, struggling to stop its rotation.

Zhou Zhou noticed a bead of sweat trailing down Song Yi’s cheek and stepped forward to help. Song Yi moved aside, watching as Zhou Zhou pressed a small protrusion at the back of the fan with her thumb, bringing it to a halt.

After adjusting the fan, Zhou Zhou sat down across from Song Yi, who realized the breeze was now hitting her back, shielding Zhou Zhou from the wind. She turned to readjust it, making sure Zhou Zhou could feel the cool air too, before settling back in her seat.

Soon, the owner brought out their dishes. Zhou Zhou stood up, and Song Yi followed suit. Zhou Zhou walked over to a large rice cooker, scooping rice into a bowl. Halfway through, she turned and asked, “Miss Song, is this enough?”

Song Yi, unused to such small portions, replied without much thought, “Add one more scoop.”

Zhou Zhou turned back, pressing her lips together as she added another spoonful.

By the end of the meal, Song Yi was completely stuffed—so full that she felt heavier, an entirely new sensation for her.

Zhou Zhou went to pay while Song Yi waited, deliberately not asking about the cost. She figured acting natural would make Zhou Zhou feel more at ease.

As they stepped out of the shop, Song Yi turned to Zhou Zhou with a smile. “Thanks for the treat. That was the most satisfying meal I’ve ever had.”

Zhou Zhou’s mind went blank, completely shutting down for a good while before she finally snapped out of it.

She stared at Miss Song’s face, trying to confirm whether this was just polite conversation from the young lady.

Song Yi continued, “I don’t know if it’s truly because the food here is exceptionally delicious, or because I have you accompanying me.”

A sudden gust of wind rose during the sweltering noon, swirling up dust and leaves from the roadside.

The leaves playfully tumbled over Zhou Zhou’s white canvas shoes.

Zhou Zhou’s breathing slowed.

Miss Song gazed at her with a smile, “Zhou Zhou, if you haven’t found a place to stay yet, how about coming home with me?”