After the Scumbag Alpha Accidentally Marked the Blackened Villain - Chapter 126

Lin Bie turned to look at her, falling into a brief silence at the question.

Dr. Wen gently offered, “Apologies, I was simply moved by your story and overstepped.”

Lin Bie shook her head and replied softly, “No, not at all.”

Outside the window, dusk had already fallen, and at some point, rain had begun to fall. Droplets struck the glass, blurring the view beyond. Lin Bie recalled her first day back in this world—it had been a rainy day like this, too. She lowered her gaze and smiled faintly.

“My wife and I met in university.”

Too much time had passed, and they had been through so much. Lin Bie’s memories of those days—the days when she and Leng Jinxi truly belonged to this world—had grown hazy.

They had met in the university choir. Leng Jinxi, three years her senior, was the lead vocalist. Lin Bie, then a freshman, had only joined the club competition to earn credits. At the time, Leng

Jinxi was already well-known across campus.

A third-year student—beautiful, with a captivating voice—rumored to have signed with a talent agency and already cast as the lead actress in several upcoming dramas. Someone like her was always the center of attention, and being secretly admired wasn’t uncommon.

Even Lin Bie had briefly been moved by her. But after she got her credits, she and Leng Jinxi had no further interaction. That is, until one night during a club gathering… also on a rainy day.

“Crack—”

A clap of thunder shattered the quiet, pulling Lin Bie from her memories. She glanced at the time and excused herself.

“Sorry, Dr. Wen, I should get back. My wife is probably awake. She gets scared if I’m not there.”

Dr. Wen pushed up her glasses and waved with a smile. “Go ahead. It’s a pity I didn’t get to hear the whole story. I hope you’ll share the ending next time.”

Lin Bie paused mid-step, turned back. Under the brief flash of lightning, her eyes glimmered with certainty.

“The ending is—I married her.”

________________________________________

Turning the doorknob, Lin Bie entered the dim room. Leng Jinxi was fast asleep, undisturbed by the gloomy weather. Lin Bie let out a quiet sigh of relief, gently closed the door, and sat on a small stool beside the bed, quietly watching her.

The doctor had said that during those days of captivity, the curtains in the room had always been drawn. To avoid triggering PTSD in either of them, they’d since kept the curtains open. As a result, Leng Jinxi’s beautiful face flickered between shadow and light as the sky changed.

Lin Bie gazed at her, her mind blank, her eyes full of a desireless, pure affection. She simply looked at the woman she loved, overflowing with wordless love and tenderness.

In her hand was her own diagnosis slip, which slipped silently to the floor in her daze.

Only when Leng Jinxi stirred and opened her eyes did Lin Bie seem to come back to herself. She smiled and leaned in.

“Awake?”

Leng Jinxi’s head was still foggy, unsure where she was. But the first thing in her blurred vision was the face of the person she loved most. Without thinking, she smiled, stretched out her arms, and pulled her close, burying her face in Lin Bie’s hair. Her voice was still laced with sleepy sweetness.

“A-Bie~”

“I’m right here. Did the thunder wake you?” Lin Bie tilted her head and kissed her cheek. Her hair tickled Leng Jinxi, making her giggle.

“I feel so happy,” she murmured, not answering the question. She simply hugged Lin Bie tighter and pulled her onto the bed.

After deciding on hospitalization, they had gone home to pack and moved into a VIP suite at the hospital. The ward was high up and quiet—perfect for recovery. The bed was much larger, easily big enough for two. Lin Bie climbed in, took off her coat, and slipped under the blanket to embrace Leng Jinxi.

“We’ll always be happy,” she replied, adjusting their position to hold her even closer.

Leng Jinxi, still drowsy, murmured, “We already are.”

A comfortable warmth, a stormy world outside, and her beloved in her arms—this was the scene she had dreamed of over those 1,825 days. Now, it was real. She and the one she loved would never be apart again.

She draped a leg over Lin Bie and snuggled into her chest. In her breath, her touch, her tears—everything affirmed this was real. No longer a dream.

As she nestled close, Lin Bie took her hand and laced their fingers. Leng Jinxi thought she simply wanted to hold hands to sleep, but suddenly felt something cold encircle her ring finger.

The haze vanished in an instant. Leng Jinxi’s eyes flew open. She pulled her hand away and stared at her finger, her movements stiff, as if the object she touched had paralyzed her.

Even in the dark, she could tell—it was the ring. The very one she had traced in memory so many times on sleepless nights.

“Crack.”

Another flash of lightning lit the room, illuminating the delicate silver ring on her finger. The engraved markings and faint traces of blood were unmistakable.

While she sat stunned, Lin Bie spoke softly beside her ear.

“I was going to get us new rings, but this one means so much to both of us. I found it while packing.”

“I never got to propose to the 28-year-old you… so now, I want to ask the 33-year-old Leng Jinxi—will you marry me?”

Leng Jinxi froze. She never imagined Lin Bie would propose at a moment like this—using that very ring she had dreamed of countless times. In doing so, Lin Bie was telling her that every regret from before would be made whole. Lin Bie was filling in all the missing pieces.

She was too stunned to speak.

Lin Bie waited anxiously, and when no answer came, she feared Leng Jinxi had fallen asleep. But when she looked down, she saw tears flowing like beads from Leng Jinxi’s eyes.

Startled, she quickly grabbed tissues to wipe them away, panicking.

“What’s wrong? Was I too rushed? I’m sorry, I—”

Before she could finish, Leng Jinxi lifted her head and kissed her. Tears mixed with love brushed across Lin Bie’s cheeks. Lin Bie fell silent, pulled her closer, and deepened the kiss.

Tongues intertwined, neither willing to let go, pouring all their love into that kiss. Only when they were breathless did they part, foreheads pressed together, breathing in sync.

From this angle, Lin Bie could see the reflection of herself in Leng Jinxi’s misty eyes. Leng Jinxi’s lips were glistening, flushed from the kiss, trembling as she caught her breath.

“Silly A-Bie,” she said, scolding gently. “Haven’t I already married you?”

In that other world, in that system-controlled space—I already married you once.

Silly girl.

Lin Bie didn’t mind being called that. She rubbed her nose against Leng Jinxi’s hair and kissed away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

“Silly A-Bie loves you.”

________________________________________

Hospital life wasn’t easy—the pungent smell of disinfectant, whispers of patients hurting family members, bitter pills impossible to swallow. Everything was unpleasant.

But Leng Jinxi took her medication and attended therapy daily. Even when her episodes hit, she fought hard against the chaos in her mind—like two forces battling for control of her body. Lin

Bie couldn’t help but cry every time, but Leng Jinxi always smiled afterward and said she was one step closer to getting better.

She said she wanted to recover well, eat more, gain weight—so she could look beautiful on the day she and A-Bie registered their marriage. Every dream she had for the future included Lin Bie.

After two months of treatment, her condition had improved significantly. Dr. Wen noted her extraordinary will to recover, all thanks to Lin Bie’s constant presence.

Finally, she no longer needed inpatient care. As long as she continued outpatient treatment and regular checkups, she could go home. On a day in early autumn, she and Lin Bie walked out of the hospital together.

The doctor advised against returning to their old home for now—it might hold painful memories. Instead, they chose to live in a new neighborhood for a while to continue healing.

It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. Lin Bie drove, and Leng Jinxi sat in the passenger seat. They had decided: today, they would register their marriage.

The civil affairs office wasn’t far. During the short drive, Leng Jinxi checked the mirror three times, rubbed her ring ten times, and asked five times if her makeup looked okay. Her nervousness even eclipsed the joy of leaving the hospital.

When they arrived, Lin Bie parked the car and looked at her. Leng Jinxi bit her lip, visibly anxious.

“A-Bie,” she said, again rubbing her ring, “maybe… maybe we should come back another day?”

She didn’t want to appear in their wedding photo like this—freshly discharged, not at her best. She didn’t want to take the picture anymore.

But Lin Bie only smiled, eyes filled with love. She took her flustered hand and held it firmly.

“Baby, today is our first day in our new home. How about putting our marriage certificate inside it?”

“Of course,” Leng Jinxi replied. That would make it their wedding home.

Lin Bie grinned. “Then let’s go take the photo. If we sit here any longer, I might not be able to stop myself from kissing my beautiful wife, and we’ll never make it in.”

Leng Jinxi’s ears turned red. Lin Bie always knew just what to say.

She let herself be pulled from the car. Lin Bie knew—Leng Jinxi had long dreamed of this day. If she had agreed to delay it, Leng Jinxi would’ve been heartbroken that night.

They both knew the process, but the emotions were just as intense as the first time. After receiving their gold-stamped certificate, they shared a deep kiss in the car, only stopping when Leng Jinxi was breathless.

They drove home.

Sitting in the passenger seat, still holding the warm certificate, Leng Jinxi felt as though she were dreaming. This time, she and Lin Bie were truly married—never to be separated again.

They would have a wedding, a honeymoon, a lifetime together. This was no longer a dream.

Tears welled up again. Strangely, even a fleeting thought made her cry with joy.

Worried her tears might stain the certificate, she wiped her eyes. Just then, Lin Bie abruptly pulled the car over. Leng Jinxi assumed it was because she’d noticed her crying and turned her head away, embarrassed.

Even though she loved Lin Bie’s sweet words, she pretended to avoid her gaze, hiding her red ears behind her hair. She waited for Lin Bie to say something, but the silence lingered.

Frowning, she turned her head, only to see Lin Bie staring intently out the window.

“What are you looking at?” she asked, slightly annoyed.

Lin Bie pursed her lips. “I think… I saw a kitten in the bushes ahead.”