After Transmigrating into a Scummy Alpha, I Became a Tool Person - Chapter 29

Xie Yinian was stunned by Xia Qiqi’s sudden action, completely forgetting that she had just been angry at her for not taking care of her own body.

Xia Qiqi couldn’t help herself—she threw her arms around Xie Yinian and pressed her lips against hers. The kiss was clumsy, tentative, but earnest, her tongue shyly brushing and softly tasting.

Xie Yinian blinked slowly. It wasn’t their first kiss, and she’d learned a little since then. She raised a hand, cupping the back of Xia Qiqi’s head, deepening the kiss.

“Mm.”

Xia Qiqi’s knees went weak under the heat of the kiss. She clung tightly to Xie Yinian’s neck, refusing to let herself slip down.

On the rain-soaked street, the heavy downpour had driven almost everyone away. Beneath their umbrella, no one could see the two figures kissing in the rain.

After a long moment, Xie Yinian was the first to pull away. A faint silver thread lingered between their lips. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing uneven, and when she lowered her gaze, she found Xia Qiqi looking right back at her.

Xia Qiqi’s face was crimson, but she didn’t regret it. When her breathing finally steadied, she tugged lightly at Xie Yinian’s sleeve and murmured a single word:

“Cold.”

Only then did Xie Yinian realize they had been standing in the rain for quite some time. Seeing that Xia Qiqi’s shoulders were damp, she quickly tilted the umbrella toward her.

“Let’s go,” Xie Yinian said softly.

Xia Qiqi gave a faint hum of acknowledgment.

They walked side by side down the quiet street. Neither spoke of what had just happened under the umbrella.

“By the way,” Xie Yinian asked after a while, turning to glance at her, “how did you end up there?”

Xia Qiqi pursed her lips, her voice calm. “Just happened to be nearby. I was eating at that restaurant.”

“Oh.” Xie Yinian nodded, then hesitated before asking again, “Then why were you crying earlier? And why were you so angry at me?” She couldn’t shake the feeling that Xia Qiqi was hiding something.

“I got dumped, okay?” Xia Qiqi said bitterly. The image of Xie Yinian holding another woman still ached in her chest.

“You got dumped?” Xie Yinian frowned. “Who is it you like?”

Xia Qiqi looked away. “Does it have anything to do with you? Who are you to me, anyway?”

Xie Yinian was struck speechless. After a long silence, she murmured, “I, I’m your wife, of course.”

Xia Qiqi gave a small, hollow laugh. “But it’s fake, isn’t it?”

If she had known she’d fall for this woman, she never would have suggested a fake marriage to begin with.

“Even if it’s fake,” Xie Yinian said quietly, “as your friend, can’t I care about you?”

Xia Qiqi shook her head.

Seeing she didn’t want to talk, Xie Yinian didn’t press her further. But knowing that Xia Qiqi liked someone—someone who wasn’t her—made her heart twist painfully.

If you already love someone else, then why did you kiss me?

When they reached the restaurant entrance, Xie Yinian closed the umbrella. The rain had stopped. She went to unlock her bicycle and said, “Get on.”

Just then, Jiang Tong came out of the restaurant. “Yinian, I’m heading back first. Let’s meet up again next time.”

“Bye-bye!” Xie Yinian waved with a bright smile.

Jiang Tong nodded and, before leaving, gave Xia Qiqi a curious look.

Xia Qiqi noticed Xie Yinian watching Jiang Tong’s back as she walked away. Her tone turned cold. “What are you looking at?”

Snapped out of her thoughts, Xie Yinian opened her mouth to explain, but hearing the chill in Xia Qiqi’s voice made her chest tighten with inexplicable grievance.

“Nothing,” she said softly, shaking her head as she mounted the bicycle. “Get on.”

Xia Qiqi climbed onto the back seat in silence, her fingers gently tugging at the hem of Xie Yinian’s shirt.

Once she was settled, Xie Yinian pedaled off, the silence between them heavier than the lingering mist in the air.

When they arrived home, Doudou bounded toward them, tail wagging furiously. Xie Yinian laughed, trying to fend off the enthusiastic dog.

“Alright, alright, enough. Let’s go inside.”

Mother Xie sat in her rocking chair, listening to music on her old phone. When she saw the two return, she greeted them with a smile. “Back already?”

“Hello, Auntie,” Xia Qiqi greeted softly.

“Ah, hello.” Mother Xie smiled warmly, her eyes scanning the two of them. “Oh dear, your clothes are soaked! Hurry and change before you catch a cold.”

Xie Yinian nodded, setting the umbrella aside and heading to her room to change.

Xia Qiqi ran a hand through her damp hair. “I’ll go take a shower first.”

Mother Xie nodded approvingly. “Go ahead, go warm up. You’ll catch a chill otherwise.”

By the time Xie Yinian came back out in dry clothes, Xia Qiqi was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Xia Xia?” she asked.

“She’s in the shower,” Mother Xie answered, closing her eyes to rest.

“Oh.” Xie Yinian sat down on the sofa, idly scrolling through her phone.

Lu Anran: You there? Wanna go to the bar? Met this super gorgeous girl here tonight—just got back from overseas.

Xie Yinian: Nah, I’m at my hometown. Can’t make it.

Lu Anran: Oh, really? What are you doing back there?

Xie Yinian: My dad was sick. Came back to see him.

Lu Anran: Uncle’s okay now?

Xie Yinian: Yeah, he’s fine now.

Lu Anran: Good to hear. Anyway, she’s calling me to drink. Catch you later!

Xie Yinian: Bye.

Just then, Xia Qiqi came out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair.

Xie Yinian heard her but didn’t look up, still absorbed in her phone.

“Auntie, do you have a hair dryer?” Xia Qiqi asked, still rubbing at her damp hair.

Mother Xie opened her eyes and turned to look at them. “A hair dryer? It’s in Yinian’s room. She used it last night. Yinian, go find it for her.”

Without a word, Xie Yinian stood up and walked to her room to get it.

Xia Qiqi’s brows furrowed slightly as she watched her leave.

Mother Xie blinked, puzzled by the tense air between the two. What on earth happened to them?