After Transmigrating into a Scummy Alpha, I Became a Tool Person - Chapter 5

When Xia Qiqi came out, she found Xie Yinian sitting on the couch watching TV.

Xie Yinian turned her head and asked, “Done with work?”

“Mm.” Xia Qiqi replied evenly and sat down beside her, watching the show together.

Xie Yinian picked up a cherry from the plate on the coffee table and popped it into her mouth. “Want some? I just washed them. They’re really sweet.”

Xia Qiqi picked one up and tasted it—it was sweet.

Xie Yinian glanced at her face; the swelling seemed to have gone down a little.

As Xia Qiqi ate her cherry, she hesitated before speaking. “About what happened today.”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Xie Yinian said softly. “I’ll just pretend I didn’t see anything.”

Xia Qiqi shook her head. “That was my mother.”

Just as she’d guessed, Xie Yinian thought.

“My parents have been pushing me to get married. They arrange blind dates for me every day. I just wanted them to stop for a while, so I came up with this idea of a fake marriage with you.”

“Oh, I see,” Xie Yinian said. “So you want me to play the role of your wife and fool them.”

Xia Qiqi nodded.

Xie Yinian frowned slightly. “Even if you didn’t want their blind dates, that’s no excuse for your mother to hit you.”

“I’m used to it,” Xia Qiqi said lightly, picking up another cherry.

“Used to it?” Xie Yinian’s brows drew together. “Do you mean they’ve always hit you?”

Xia Qiqi gave a small, bitter smile. “Yeah. Every time I disobey.”

“They’re still your parents. How can they be so cruel?” Xie Yinian recalled the slap she’d witnessed earlier—it had been merciless, full force, without hesitation.

“They don’t love me,” Xia Qiqi said quietly. “I was an accident. The only people they’ve ever loved are themselves.”

Hearing that, Xie Yinian’s heart ached. She cleared her throat, trying to lighten the mood. “Even if they don’t like you, someone else does.”

Xia Qiqi turned to her. “Who?”

Xie Yinian arched a brow. “Me, for example. I quite like you.”

Xia Qiqi: “…”

The Omega sitting beside her flushed red and murmured awkwardly, “Oh.”

Xie Yinian continued eating cherries, eyes on the TV.

On-screen, a domineering CEO tilted a woman’s chin and growled, “Woman, you’re playing with fire.”

Xia Qiqi: “…”

What on earth was this melodrama?

“So domineering,” Xie Yinian marveled.

She turned her head to study Xia Qiqi. According to the book’s description, Xia Qiqi was a strong, decisive career woman—the kind of sharp, capable female lead that had drawn Xie Yinian to this story in the first place.

She blinked, curious what Xia Qiqi would look like if she acted domineering. She’d probably look really cool.

Seeing the admiration in Xie Yinian’s eyes, Xia Qiqi wondered if she’d somehow mistaken her for that overbearing type from the TV drama.

Impossible. TV and real life were worlds apart. There was no way she could say such cringe-worthy lines with a straight face.

“President Xia,” Xie Yinian teased, “can you act like that for me? I think you’d be really good at it.”

Of course.

“No,” Xia Qiqi replied seriously. “I can’t.”

Xie Yinian laughed. “Just kidding.”

In the kitchen, Aunt Jiang was cooking. Xie Yinian stood up. “I’ll go see if dinner’s ready.”

Xia Qiqi nodded, expressionless, and kept watching the ridiculous romance drama.

When Xie Yinian walked into the kitchen, a delicious aroma hit her. She watched Aunt Jiang stir-fry the food, inhaling deeply. “Smells amazing.”

Aunt Jiang chuckled. “Almost done, just a few more minutes.”

Xie Yinian smiled and went to wash her hands at the sink. “What are you making?”

“Spicy crayfish and stir-fried fish balls,” Aunt Jiang said as she cooked.

“Ohh, no wonder it smells so good. I love spicy crayfish!”

Aunt Jiang laughed. “Miss also loves it.”

As she cooked, Aunt Jiang chatted with her. “Madam, when did you and Miss meet? I’ve never heard her mention having a partner before. I was really surprised when I heard you two were married.”

Xie Yinian grinned. “We’ve known each other for a while. Once we decided, we just went ahead and got the certificate.”

Aunt Jiang nodded knowingly and turned back to the stove.

Just then, Xia Qiqi came in to wash her hands.

Her hands were pale and slender, the joints clearly defined. As the water flowed over her skin, she lowered her head, focused on washing carefully.

When she finished, she used the dryer to dry her hands, then turned and walked out.

Xie Yinian dried her hands too, then returned to the dining room and sat down.

Xia Qiqi was looking down at her phone, replying to messages.

Xie Yinian rested her chin on her hand, quietly watching her.

Her long black hair was sleek and glossy, her skin smooth and fair. Her fox-like eyes were lowered, lips pressed into a thin line, brows slightly furrowed in concentration.

A faint scent of mint drifted in the air. Xie Yinian sniffed—cool, refreshing.

But the longer she inhaled, the dizzier she felt. That didn’t make sense; mint should’ve been invigorating, not dizzying.

Her cheeks began to flush faintly. Of course—Omega pheromones.

Didn’t she use a suppressant patch? Xie Yinian thought uneasily.

“President Xia,” she said, “I think your pheromones are leaking a bit.”

Xia Qiqi froze. She reached behind her neck to check—yes, the patch was still there.

Then why was her scent leaking?

Was the patch defective? Or maybe her condition had worsened, causing her pheromones to fluctuate out of control?

She frowned slightly. She’d better go to the hospital tomorrow to check.

“Uncle Wang,” Xia Qiqi called calmly, “turn on the air purifier.”

Uncle Wang, the butler, immediately obeyed.

Xie Yinian looked at her curiously. “So your pheromone is mint? It smells really nice.”

Xia Qiqi: “…”

Aunt Jiang emerged from the kitchen with dishes in hand, smiling. “Dinner’s ready.”

Xia Qiqi nodded and picked up her chopsticks.

Once the purifier cleared the air, the refreshing mint scent disappeared too. Xie Yinian couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed—she had actually liked that scent.

Wearing disposable gloves, she began peeling the crayfish, neatly piling the peeled ones into a bowl.

Glancing at Xia Qiqi’s bowl—empty—she realized she hadn’t peeled a single one. Didn’t Aunt Jiang say she liked crayfish?

“You’re not eating?” she asked.

Xia Qiqi was about to say she didn’t have much of an appetite.

Before she could, Xie Yinian assumed she just didn’t want to get her hands dirty. She quickly peeled one, dropped it into Xia Qiqi’s bowl, and smiled. “Here, eat.”

Xia Qiqi pursed her lips and quietly ate it.

Aunt Jiang watched them with a pleased smile. To her, the young madam and her “wife” seemed to get along perfectly.