After the Bigshot Turned into a Gold-Digging Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 15

“Milk’s ready. Go grab it from the kitchen yourselves.”

Jiang Shuiyun carried one cup in her hand—it was impossible to bring all of them at once—so she let the others go get theirs.

“Thanks, Captain!”

The group got up to fetch their milk. At the same time, the hourly housekeeper arrived and began preparing breakfast.

Jiang Shuiyun handed Yi Jinbai a cup. “Does your foot still hurt?”

“It doesn’t,” Yi Jinbai replied, warming her hands around the cup and glancing at the others, who had already taken their milk and headed straight to the computers in the training hall downstairs to begin practice. “You don’t have to worry about me. Go train.”

Jiang Shuiyun agreed and carried her milk over. By the time the group finished two rounds, breakfast was already on the table.

“As for what I mentioned yesterday—you all performed well, but today it feels like you’re playing too individually. Being flexible isn’t a bad thing, but you still need to follow the overall rhythm. Can you do that?”

She flexed her fingers. Their coordination in the past two games wasn’t ideal, but that was normal during a period of adjustment.

Everyone nodded. Jiang Shuiyun rose first. “Alright, let’s eat.”

The Shenji team had never been short on food; even breakfast came with several dishes—nutritious and tasty.

As they were eating, the door opened and Xi Rong hurried in. “Well, what a coincidence.”

“Join us for a bite?” Jiang Shuiyun greeted him, setting down her chopsticks.

“No, no, I’ve already eaten.” Xi Rong wore a broad smile as he looked at the harmonious atmosphere. “Ms. Jiang, you’re something else. When I saw the messages Jiao Yang sent me, I didn’t quite believe them. Now that I’m seeing it in person, it’s real.”

Knowing Xi Rong was here to “observe the situation,” Yao Yao Ling stood up and immediately began showering him with praise. “Xi-ge, trust me—inviting Jiang Shuiyun here was definitely your smartest decision ever. Yesterday, when Captain Jiang soloed against our whole team, we were completely convinced. Where did you even find a boss-level expert like her? She’s incredible!”

Hearing their total attitude reversal in less than twenty-four hours surprised Xi Rong even more. His smile widened. After all, this was the team he had built from scratch; if they could turn things around, he’d be happy too.

“As long as you all get along, that’s what matters. You’re lucky—Ms. Jiang clicked well with our company, and she also happens to be a friend of our boss. See? Fate works in mysterious ways. Make sure you take this opportunity seriously.”

Hearing this made Jiang Shuiyun a bit confused. Which friend of the original host was this referring to? The novel never even mentioned the Shengguang Group.

“Xi-ge,” Jiang Shuiyun decided to clarify before any future awkwardness, “sorry to ask, but who is your boss?”

“You don’t know? Impossible.” Xi Rong scratched his head, puzzled, but answered honestly, “Our President Shen—Shen Yunyi. Aren’t you two friends?”

“Oh—Shen Yunyi.” Jiang Shuiyun felt a bit relieved. The original host only had that one friend, and she had met her recently. She had no idea she was the CEO of Shengguang Group, but that was much better than some stranger she’d never heard of. “It really is a coincidence.”

“Right? At first our boss even wanted to personally come invite you. I don’t know what happened afterward—still confused about the details.”

Originally, Shen Yunyi had said she would contact Jiang Shuiyun herself, but in the end it was Jiang Shuiyun who sent in her résumé—while not even knowing Shengguang Group belonged to Shen Yunyi. Xi Rong wasn’t the type to overthink things; if something didn’t make sense, he simply let it go.

With that reminder, Jiang Shuiyun finally understood why Shen Yunyi had acted so strangely when she visited her home that day. She must’ve seen how down on her luck she was and didn’t know how to face her. Understandable.

By the time they finished talking, breakfast was nearly done. What the others cared about most was still the competition, and they immediately wanted to show Xi Rong their current training results.

They went to power on the computers. Jiang Shuiyun poured Yi Jinbai a cup of warm water and handed her the medicine. “Do you want to head upstairs to rest or take a walk outside? Staying here is probably boring.”

Seeing Yi Jinbai hesitate but still want to walk around, Jiang Shuiyun helped her. Walking would help her foot heal faster anyway.

She fetched Yi Jinbai’s jacket and accompanied her into the yard. When she returned, the team was already waiting.

During the match, everyone focused with absolute seriousness, not daring to slack off. Only Jiang Shuiyun remained unaffected, reminding her teammates not to get too nervous.

They’d already practiced two rounds that morning and had been scolded by Jiang Shuiyun, so from the moment the game started, everyone followed her instructions to the letter. They played a bit stiffly, but steady—enough to put Xi Rong at ease and count as passing.

“Excellent. With this pace, I’m sure you’ll make it into this year’s SWC!”

Xi Rong didn’t hold back on praise—because it was true.

Star Wars was currently the most popular game worldwide, with countless players and major tournaments—all with huge followings. The highest tier was the annual SWC (Star Wars Championship). In its prime, the Shenji team had once made it into the top four.

His words instantly fired them up again. SWC—the dream of every esports player.

“Don’t get excited too soon. Considering your previous disastrous performance, if you don’t show real results, you won’t even qualify for the prelims. If you want to compete, then train properly. There’s an invitational in about half a month. Use it to warm up—and restore your reputation. Do you have confidence?”

“Yes!”

It had been so long since they’d seen a real chance at competition. Everyone was fired up, determined not to embarrass themselves again.

After sending them back to continue training, Jiang Shuiyun and Xi Rong stepped aside to discuss a few matters.

“Ms. Jiang, is something the matter?”

Xi Rong looked at Jiang Shuiyun with nothing but fondness in his eyes. Honestly, if Jiang wanted a star, he’d find a way to pluck one from the sky for her.

But Jiang Shuiyun had no interest in stars.

“Brother Xi, do you know where I can find some good sheet music? And maybe some quality instruments?”

“Sheet music? Instruments?” Xi Rong repeated, a little confused. “Ms. Jiang, you know music?”

“I don’t. My partner does—she really likes this stuff. And since I don’t understand any of it, I can only trouble you for help, Brother Xi.”

She told him the name of the book Yi Jinbai had been reading the night before; something similar would be fine too.

“Ms. Jiang and Ms. Yi have such a good relationship.”

Xi Rong nodded in understanding. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. But—what instrument are you planning to buy?”

That question stumped Jiang Shuiyun. She didn’t know what instrument Yi Jinbai used to play—only that her singing was beautiful.

Two complete amateurs trying to figure out music—something simple suddenly became unnecessarily difficult. Jiang could only ask Xi Rong to look into the sheet music first.

“That part’s easy,” Xi Rong said. “But let me remind you—although I don’t know much about music, I’ve heard that any instrument worth buying is not cheap. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands—perfectly normal.”

Jiang Shuiyun thought of the salary and competition bonuses written into her contract. Shengguang Group was already paying generously. But if she had to rely solely on this income to support Yi Jinbai’s music, clearly it wouldn’t be enough. Not to mention the two of them hadn’t even fully solved food and housing yet.

Seeing Jiang lost in thought, Xi Rong worried he had said too much. He quickly tried to smooth it over.

“But it’s fine, Ms. Jiang. With your skills, as long as you make a name for yourself in the league, money definitely won’t be an issue.”

Jiang nodded. “Alright. Then I’ll trouble you with the sheet music.”

“Too polite! It’s nothing big—leave it to me.”

Xi Rong agreed readily. He glanced at the team, now energized instead of their usual slouching.

“Well, I won’t disturb you all. I’ll go handle the invitations for the exhibition match. See you later.”

“I’ll walk you out.”

Jiang Shuiyun escorted him outside—and spotted Yi Jinbai standing in a corner of the courtyard, admiring the flowers. Large clusters of blooming roses filled the air with color.

She walked slowly to Yi Jinbai’s side and followed her gaze, noticing a small wooden sign half-hidden among the flowers. A single sentence was carved into it:

“Some people plant flowers, some admire them, some pick them. Which one are you?”

Jiang read the line aloud. When she turned, she met Yi Jinbai’s bright eyes—eyes clearly waiting for her answer.

“I guess, I’m the one who looks at flowers,” Jiang said hesitantly. She had no idea what the question really meant.

“These flowers are so beautiful. Don’t you want to pick some?”

Yi Jinbai asked again—a rare moment of insistence.

Jiang touched the layered petals of a rose.

“Why pick it? Once you do, it’ll wilt in no time. Better to enjoy it here a little longer.”

Then she looked at Yi Jinbai, somewhat uncertain.

“But if you want to pick some, I can pick a couple for you. We’re allowed to, right?”

She wasn’t sure if she imagined it, but Yi Jinbai seemed to smile—just a little. She shook her head softly and lowered her gaze to brush her fingertips against a vivid red petal.

“Let them grow. You go take care of your things. I’ll look a bit longer.”

“Alright. It’s a little chilly today—don’t catch a cold. Go back soon.”

Once she confirmed Yi Jinbai didn’t want the flowers picked, Jiang nodded and headed back inside.

Only after Jiang turned away did Yi Jinbai lift her head again, watching her retreating figure.

So, memory loss could change someone this much?

From head to toe, she felt like an entirely different person.

“The things I want—whether they’re people or flowers—must be mine.

Even if they die, they must die in my hands.”

The old words echoed in her ears again. Yi Jinbai’s brows pinched for a moment. Even now, those distant, almost unreal memories still made her hands tremble.