After Transmigrating Into the Scummy Alpha’s Rebirth Story - Chapter 20

“Quick, pick it!” Yuan Xiao whispered urgently from below.

Chaoxi was trembling with nerves, but a massive coconut was right before her eyes. She reached out and hugged the fruit, but she had no idea how to twist it off. Just as she was about to give it a forceful heave, a thunderous shout erupted from behind them.

“Hey!! What do you think you’re doing? No picking the coconuts!”

Chaoxi froze like a deer in headlights. She only heard Yuan Xiao yell “Urban Management!” before she was scooped up and carried away. Yuan Xiao sprinted to the roadside, stuffed her into the passenger seat, floored the accelerator, and peeled out.

In the rearview mirror, they could see the officer chasing them with a baton, cursing up a storm. Whatever he was yelling, it was lost to the wind.

Once they had put some serious distance between them and the scene, Chaoxi and Yuan Xiao burst into a simultaneous fit of laughter.

Chaoxi laughed until tears pricked her eyes. “That was fun! What a rush!”

Yuan Xiao reached over to ruffle Chaoxi’s hair. “A pity, though. I didn’t manage to get you that coconut.”

Chaoxi was still giggling internally. Dummy, who actually wanted the coconut? It’s a pain to carry back and I don’t even know if it’s ripe. I was just acting on a whim. But she couldn’t say that out loud. With crescent-shaped eyes, she beamed at Yuan Xiao. “Wife, you’re amazing! You lifted me up just like that! Even if I didn’t get the coconut, at least I got to touch it!”

Beaming at the praise, Yuan Xiao looked like she could float away on a cloud of happiness. She laughed as she fished out a bottle of lemon soda to quench Chaoxi’s thirst. Just as Chaoxi took it, Yuan Xiao remembered her wife’s “fragile strength.”

“Wait, let me pull over so I can.” twist the cap for you.

Pshhh! The sound of the seal breaking filled the car. Chaoxi had already twisted it open. She offered an awkward but polite smile. “It’s fine. I’ll let you help next time.”

Yuan Xiao felt even more embarrassed than Chaoxi; she shut her mouth and focused sheepishly on the road.

Soon after, they arrived at the amusement park. Yuan Xiao parked, circled to the passenger side, and waited. Chaoxi took her sweet time unbuckling her seatbelt, making sure to give the “kid” a chance to perform. Opening bottle caps might be beneath her status as a pampered heiress, so she wasn’t going to let that slip-up happen again.

Thus, for the next two hours.

Yuan Xiao opened every door.

Yuan Xiao held Chaoxi’s hand to lead her out of the car.

Yuan Xiao bought the tickets.

Yuan Xiao handled the ticket checks for both.

Yuan Xiao held the umbrella.

Yuan Xiao bought all the snacks.

Isn’t she being a bit too good? Chaoxi wondered.

Yuan Xiao settled Chaoxi under a giant mushroom-shaped parasol in front of an attraction. “Wife, wait here. I’m going to get water. It’s too hot—don’t move, just stay in the shade.”

Chaoxi’s internal monologue: No! Don’t go! [Longing Hand Gesture.jpg]

But Yuan Xiao had already jogged away.

Chaoxi stood in the shadows, feeling lost. Looking out, the park was a sea of people, all with “NPC” labels floating over their heads, making her dizzy. Before long, a wave of genuine nausea hit her. She pulled out her phone to check the weather and froze.

Ground Temperature: 42°C (107.6°F)!

No wonder she was drenched in sweat after only two rides. She felt like she was being slow-roasted. The parasol was useless. My god, Yan Xuyuan, what were you thinking? Sending the leads to this island to experience the “passion” of summer in this heat? Couldn’t you have picked somewhere cool?

Chaoxi gave up. She squatted down, gasping for air. Her mask felt suffocating and airtight. With nothing else on hand, she used her phone to fan herself, which achieved absolutely nothing. She regretted this. If she had known it would be this hot, she would have stayed in that bookstore on the Cultural Street. It was so big they probably wouldn’t have even run into the bestie, Qingqing.

Fortunately, Yuan Xiao wasn’t gone long. She returned and immediately pressed a bottle of ice water against Chaoxi’s forehead to cool her down. She opened the other bottle and knelt to help her drink.

Hooking her finger under Chaoxi’s mask to pull it down, Yuan Xiao said worriedly, “It’s too hot. Let’s go back to the car and rest.”

Chaoxi didn’t have the strength to take another step. She shook her head like a rattle, gulped down the soda, and gasped, “No strength, just a moment here.”

“I’m afraid you’ll get heatstroke,” Yuan Xiao said, scanning the area. “Look around—there are almost no Omegas out in this weather. Let’s go back to the hotel. It’s almost noon; we’ll eat, and once the sun goes down and it’s cooler, we’ll come back out.”

Chaoxi’s chest felt tight. A sense of impending doom washed over her. The next second, the world went black, and she nearly toppled forward.

Yuan Xiao caught her firmly by the shoulders, her expression darkening. “You’re lacking oxygen.”

It’s not oxygen, Chaoxi thought faintly. It’s myocardial ischemia—an old condition of mine. It happens whenever I overexert myself. My “unforgettable first love” really was too good to me; she wrote every single one of my real-life flaws into this book.

With that final thought, she lost consciousness completely.

Chao Xi had a dream. A very, very long dream.

In it, she was twenty again, back in the mountainside villa during that unvoiced romance with Yan Xuyuan. The teenage girl, yearning for endless romance, would prepare a fresh rose every day and place it in a vase on the desk, waiting for Chaoxi’s arrival.

They talked about life, dreams, and bared their hearts, sharing secrets hidden deep within.

Chaoxi once asked her, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

The girl leaned against her shoulder and whispered, “I want to be like you, Sister—independent, tenacious, and brilliant.”

Chaoxi laughed, her eyes curving like crescent moons as she ruffled the girl’s hair. “But I envy your life. I envy everything you have.”

Later, they went their separate ways. Chaoxi left the villa and never appeared before the wall of roses again. The roses on the desk withered, their blackened petals stained by the tears the girl shed during the long nights.

Eventually, the girl grew up and went to her dream university. Chaoxi entered the workforce, struggling to make her way. They lost all contact, their details buried deep in their hearts, never to be touched again.

Years passed. The girl took the pen name “Tangyuan,” became a rising star in literature, and wrote countless moving stories. Her books sold out the moment they hit the shelves. Chaoxi became a successful young CEO, navigating the ocean of corporate interests and high society. She never read a single one of those stories. She only passed by bookstores during rare moments of leisure, catching glimpses of novel covers that bore the traces of youth.

Time sank the story to the bottom of the lake, burying it in the sand, leaving no room for delusional hope.

“Wife, you’re awake?”

Yuan Xiao’s voice drifted in. Chaoxi opened her tired eyes to see the girl walking toward her with a cup of warm water. She was lying on the large hotel bed. She was still in the book.

The dream faded. The face before her looked like her, but wasn’t her.

Chaoxi remembered: she had once said she envied the girl’s life. So, in this book, she had it all—the villa, a mother who doted on her, and a protective, fiercely loyal best friend. She didn’t need to work or struggle; she could live a life of leisure that most could only dream of.

Chaoxi gave a pale, weak smile.

Yuan Xiao helped her sit up and offered the water, her face etched with concern. “Did you have a nightmare? Why were you crying?”

Crying? Chaoxi reached up and felt the dampness at the corner of her eyes. She leaned back and drank the water, it was the perfect temperature.

“Just didn’t fully wake up. Did I faint?”

Yuan Xiao felt Chaoxi’s forehead and sighed in relief. “Better. Your fever is down. The doctor said it was mild heatstroke. I can’t take you out in this heat again. Your heat cycle isn’t over yet; your body can’t take the strain.”

“Not over?” Chaoxi was surprised. “Haven’t we marked twice?”

Yuan Xiao set the cup down. “It lasts a week. We probably need one more marking to get through it.”

A marking is a marking, Chaoxi thought. The system had said Yuan Xiao needed to mark her frequently to progress the plot. The only downside was being stuck in the room.

“I’m sorry,” Chaoxi said sincerely. “I ruined your fun.”

Yuan Xiao shook her head immediately. “No! I’m very happy.”

You’re happy now, Chaoxi thought. But once the plot kicks in, you won’t be.

Honestly, anyone in Yuan Xiao’s shoes—being blacklisted, facing astronomical damages and medical bills, being forced into a contract marriage, and then being asked for a divorce just days later—would explode. After these two days, Chaoxi actually felt bad for the kid. But the story was written by her first love, and she had just “transmigrated” into it; neither could change the script.

This sense of powerlessness made Chaoxi feel discouraged. Yuan Xiao was still in the dark, and now she couldn’t even enjoy the island; she had to stay cooped up in the hotel. It was tragic. So far, the plot hadn’t really hurt Chaoxi, but it was putting Yuan Xiao through the wringer.

Chaoxi instinctively reached out to touch Yuan Xiao’s face. “What should we do? Why don’t you go out and play wherever you like on your own?”

Yuan Xiao grabbed Chaoxi’s hand and leaned in, pecking her on the lips. Her eyes were intense as she bit her own lip. “I like it right here.”

Chaoxi gave in and nodded. “Alright, alright. Stay here then.”

Yuan Xiao’s eyes lit up instantly. She leaned in to kiss Chaoxi again. “Wife, let’s watch a movie?”

“Sure, whatever you want.”

Yuan Xiao mysteriously brought over an iPad, climbed onto the other side of the bed, and pulled up a romantic indie film. Chaoxi had never seen it, but she didn’t mind; it was just a way to kill time.

Halfway through, Yuan Xiao paused the movie and set up a bed tray to share some food. Since they’d missed lunch, Yuan Xiao was intent on feeding her. Chaoxi, worried the kid would go hungry, started feeding her back.

A piece of rib for Chaoxi, a chicken wing for Yuan Xiao. It turned into a strange, competitive feeding loop.

“Wife, open wide. This potato is delicious.”

“Mhm. You try this braised pork.”

“Wife, have some goose egg.”

“Eat this carrot; you need the vitamins.”

“Have some greens too, to boost your immunity.”

After back-and-forth rounds of feeding, both Chaoxi and Yuan Xiao were stuffed. They lay there side-by-side on the bed, unable to move.

Yuan Xiao couldn’t help but chuckle, and Chaoxi followed suit.

“Why are we doing something so childish, Yuan Xiao?”

“Wife, you started it, remember?”

Chaoxi shot her a playful glare. “Who started it?”

Yuan Xiao surrendered immediately. “Me, it was me. I was wrong, and I won’t dare do it again.”

Chaoxi teased, “Oh, you’ll definitely dare to do it again next time.”

Yuan Xiao didn’t deny it. She efficiently cleared away the bed tray and resumed the movie with Chaoxi.

Domestic romance films were, quite frankly, a bit dull. Chaoxi gradually grew drowsy as she watched. Yuan Xiao quietly slid an arm over, and Chaoxi used it as a pillow, drifting off into a deep sleep.

This time, she didn’t dream. She slept straight through until nightfall.

She was eventually jolted awake by the distant clamor of a crowd. Yuan Xiao hadn’t closed the windows all the way, and a party had started down on the beach.

“What time is it?” Chaoxi asked, turning to Yuan Xiao.

Yuan Xiao’s arm was stiff and sore; she carefully withdrew it as Chaoxi moved. “Eight-thirty in the evening.”

Realizing she had been crushing Yuan Xiao’s arm all afternoon, Chaoxi said sheepishly, “Oh, sorry. I tend to hug things when I sleep.”

Yuan Xiao knew this. Chaoxi had a small cylindrical pillow, about fifty centimeters long that she usually slept with. Aunt Chen had packed it in the suitcase, and Yuan Xiao had seen it while unpacking. But that afternoon, she simply didn’t want to go grab it.

Opportunities to hold her wife while she slept were rare.

She nursed her little secret, feeling incredibly happy even though her arm had gone completely numb.

“Let me check, are you still feverish?”

Chaoxi lay flat, burying half her face in the duvet. Yuan Xiao pressed the back of her hand against Chaoxi’s forehead to gauge her temperature.

“The fever is gone. Hungry? Should I order room service, or do you want to head out? It’s getting lively outside.”

Yuan Xiao had mentioned the local festivities the night before, and she clearly wanted to go. Not wanting to spoil her fun, Chaoxi threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. “Let’s go. We’re eating out!”

After a quick spruce-up, they left the hotel.

The beach had been cordoned off with streamers to create a festive venue. Locals had set up night stalls selling various specialty snacks and delicacies. Yuan Xiao held Chaoxi’s hand firmly, leading her from one stall to the next. Their first purchase was a coconut; the vendor poked a hole in the top, and Yuan Xiao grabbed two straws so they could share it.

Yuan Xiao figured that since Chaoxi had developed a sudden obsession with coconuts—even trying to steal them from the roadside, this was the best way to let her drink her fill.

Chaoxi, however, was getting close to a coconut-juice-overload. Between the juice and the mountain of snacks she’d already eaten, her stomach felt uncomfortably full. Yet, Yuan Xiao returned with another coconut in her arms.

With an expectant, “look-at-me” expression, Yuan Xiao asked, “Is it good, Wife?”

Chaoxi gave a forced smile. “Delicious. You should drink more too; stay hydrated.”

Since they were eating, both had pulled their masks down.

As they spoke, an Alpha-Omega couple passed by. Even though the two girls had already walked several paces away, the Omega wearing the neck collar suddenly spun around. She stared at Yuan Xiao and shouted to her Alpha:

“Is she a celebrity? She is, right! That’s the actress from Fatal Strike—that’s Yuan Xiao!”

Things took a turn for the worse instantly.

At the mention of Yuan Xiao’s name, the “Passerby NPCs” who had been busy partying all snapped their heads in their direction.

Yuan Xiao was practically a ghost in the entertainment industry these days; she never expected to be recognized on such a remote island. She didn’t know whether to blame the bright lights of the beach party or the high recognizability of her own face.

The crowd began to cluster toward them. Chaoxi, still a bit out of it, saw nothing but a sea of blue “NPC” boxes floating above people’s heads.

Suddenly, Yuan Xiao gripped her hand tight, dropped the half-finished coconut, and shouted, “Run!!!”

“It really is Yuan Xiao!”

“Yuan Xiao! Ahhh! I’m your biggest fan!”

“Don’t run! Give us an autograph!”

“Which Yuan Xiao? Never heard of her.”

“The one who was famous for a bit, then got outed as a wealthy family’s illegitimate child.”

The cacophony of voices was deafening; Chaoxi felt like she might lose her hearing. Years ago, she had joked that Yan Xuyuan could make a living on her face alone—that if she debuted as a star, she’d definitely be a hit. Now, Yuan Xiao had become that star.

Chaoxi’s brain was a jumble as Yuan Xiao pulled her along. They sprinted a significant distance until they reached a point where security personnel began dispersing the crowd, finally ending the chase.

Yuan Xiao pulled her to a stop at the roadside, rubbing her back. She asked with concern, “Was that thrilling?”

Chaoxi’s phone suddenly vibrated. She remembered with a jolt: she had an appointment with Qingqing tonight.

Looking into Yuan Xiao’s dark eyes and seeing her flashing white teeth, Chaoxi replied, “Way more thrilling than picking coconuts!”

Talk about a thrill.jpg