I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 30

Xiaoman reminded Qi Yunwei: 【Master, Yan Zui is currently in heat.】

Qi Yunwei froze mid-step, her hand hovering on the doorknob, unsure whether to release it or quietly shut the door.

[What should I do now?] she asked nervously.

【Just mark her, the same way you did when you first arrived here.】

Mark her, again?

The source of the intoxicating scent was in the bathroom. Qi Yunwei’s throat felt dry, her cheeks began to flush, and her heartbeat pounded louder and louder.

Taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip on the doorknob, closed the door, then walked into the bedroom and sat down at the bedside.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before the sound of running water stopped.

The glass door of the bathroom slid open, and Yan Zui stepped out with steam curling around her.

Qi Yunwei noticed her damp lashes, her beautiful eyes misted over, cheeks tinged with a rosy flush. Against her snow-pale skin, her lips—red as blood—were lightly bitten by her teeth as she walked toward her.

The closer Yan Zui came, the heavier the fragrance grew. Qi Yunwei lowered her dark eyes, her fingertips curling unconsciously on the bed as though trying to hold onto something.

Her tongue pressed against her restless fangs as Yan Zui slowly approached.

Suddenly, Yan Zui’s knees buckled as if she was about to fall. Qi Yunwei rushed forward to catch her, forgetting her own frail body. The moment she touched Yan Zui, her shin bumped against the side of the bed. With her strength too weak to support Yan Zui, they both tumbled onto the mattress.

At the last second, Qi Yunwei rolled to the side. If Yan Zui had fallen directly on top of her, half her life might have been gone.

The unexpected fall seemed to clear Yan Zui’s head a little. She turned her face toward Qi Yunwei, who was still slightly dazed, and leaned closer. Her blue-black eyes shimmered with moisture, her gaze tinged red at the corners.

“Why are you avoiding me? Mark me.” Yan Sui said.

Qi Yunwei propped herself up slightly. Their hot breaths mingled as Yan Zui lowered her head, waves of curled hair spilling forward to reveal the pale curve of her neck and the raised gland.

Qi Yunwei’s fangs slid out. Instinct guided her closer until they pierced.

In an instant, it was as if a volcano erupted in her chest, molten fire flooding her veins.

She didn’t know how long it lasted before the marking finally ended. Dizzy, her mind adrift as though floating on clouds, Qi Yunwei had barely pulled her fangs from Yan Zui’s gland when Yan Zui pushed her away.

Qi Yunwei collapsed onto the bed, her body drained of every ounce of strength, unable to even lift a finger.

Yan Zui, on the other hand, looked relatively composed—aside from her wet eyes and the faint blush on her cheeks.

Bracing herself against the mattress, Yan Zui slowly sat up and looked down. Qi Yunwei’s eyes were closed, her breathing soft and even—she had already fallen asleep.

Yan Zui: “…”

An improvement from last time. At least she hadn’t fainted outright.

After resting for a moment, Yan Zui adjusted Qi Yunwei’s posture, then moved to the other side of the bed, turned off the light, and lay down.

She stared at the darkness above. Being marked felt like her soul had been invaded, her whole body shivering from the inside out.

Yan Zui was exhausted, yet her mind was strangely alert. The moment she closed her eyes, memories from childhood to now surfaced vividly, keeping her awake.

She tried shifting half a meter closer. The faint scent of Qi Yunwei’s pheromones seemed to soothe her frayed nerves. She moved closer still, until at last she nestled fully into Qi Yunwei’s arms.

Guiding Qi Yunwei’s hand to rest on her waist, she let herself sink into the cocoon of pheromones that filled her with safety. Sleep soon overcame her.

The next morning, Qi Yunwei didn’t wake until past ten. Sitting up in Yan Zui’s large bed, her cheeks flushed at the memory of what had happened the night before.

Ever since Xiaoman had explained to her that marking wasn’t just “a bite” but could even result in pregnancy, Qi Yunwei could no longer face the matter calmly.

Last night she seemed to have bitten quite deep. Could Yan Zui, really get pregnant?

Qi Yunwei frowned slightly, deeply troubled by the thought.

Noticing that she was still sitting blankly on the bed with no sign of getting up, Xiaoman reminded her: 【Master, didn’t you say you were going to cook for Yan Zui today using Xiao Jiu?】

Qi Yunwei snapped out of it. “Right, I almost forgot.”

After washing up and changing clothes, she went to the nearby supermarket and carefully chose Yan Zui’s favorites. Remembering the nourishing chicken soup the butler had made last time, she thought this time she should really make up for it properly.

She had heard that Omegas lost a lot of strength when marked. Yan Zui had gone to work so early this morning—was her body holding up?

Qi Yunwei picked out a black-bone chicken, bought fresh shrimp, some greens, and a few missing seasonings. That should be enough.

Back home, she retrieved Xiao Jiu from the study desk and set it on the floor. “Xiaoman, take Xiao Jiu to the kitchen.”

With the apartment’s 3D mapping, Xiao Jiu analyzed the route and trundled out of the study.

Qi Yunwei followed, watching as it efficiently rolled along the optimal path. She placed it on the kitchen counter and praised, “Good job, Xiao Jiu.”

Xiao Jiu’s digital eyes curved into crescent moons. “Thank you for the compliment, Master.”

Qi Yunwei gave another command. “Xiao Jiu, make black-bone chicken soup, sweet-and-sour shrimp, and stir-fried lettuce with oyster sauce. For the main dish, steam some rice.”

“Yes, Master. Arranging it now.”

All Qi Yunwei needed to do was wash and prepare the ingredients, placing them where Xiao Jiu could handle the rest.

From washing to chopping, Xiao Jiu worked methodically. Feeling reassured, Qi Yunwei left for the living room to rest.

She turned on a classic movie and pulled out her phone to message Yan Zui.

Qi Yunwei: Bringing you something delicious for lunch.

After a while, Yan Zui replied: You cooked it?

Even through the screen, Qi Yunwei could imagine her skeptical expression.

Qi Yunwei: I only bought the ingredients. Xiao Jiu’s doing the cooking.

Yan Zui: Mm. I don’t like food that’s too greasy.

Qi Yunwei frowned slightly. Why did Yan Zui sound like she didn’t believe her at all?

She even emphasized not liking greasy food—did Yan Zui think she’d gone to a restaurant to buy takeout and pretended it was home-cooked?

Qi Yunwei pressed her lips together and began pacing the living room. Last time, Yan Zui had taken the wall clock out. Qi Yunwei hadn’t seen her throw it away—she must have put it somewhere.

[Xiaoman, can you still sense the energy fluctuations from the clock?]

【Let me try.】

After waiting two minutes, Xiaoman spoke up:

“Master, there’s an energy fluctuation over in that drawer, similar to the one from the wall clock.”

Qi Yunwei walked over, pulled open the drawer, and sure enough, saw the ornate, brilliantly patterned clock inside.

Taking it out, she confirmed that the surveillance camera was still recording, then carried the clock into the kitchen, adjusting the camera so it framed the entire space.

She pulled out her phone and messaged Yan Zui.

Qi Yunwei: Are you busy right now? I want to show you something interesting.

Yan Zui: What kind of interesting thing?

Her reply came quickly—apparently, she wasn’t busy.

Qi Yunwei: I found that wall clock you bought last time.

Yan Zui: ?

Qi Yunwei: If you open the monitoring app, you can watch what’s happening in the kitchen anytime.

Qi Yunwei: Let me know once you’ve opened it.

Two or three minutes passed. Just as Qi Yunwei thought Yan Zui was ignoring her, a new message popped up:

Yan Zui: It’s open. Everything in that kitchen is something you modified?

Qi Yunwei: Yep. Let me have Xiao Jiu explain it to you.

Yan Zui: ?

Qi Yunwei lifted Xiao Jiu up to the camera and said to it, “Come on, greet the pretty sister.”

Xiao Jiu’s mechanical mouth immediately curved into a sweet smile. In a childlike voice, it chirped, “Hello, pretty sister. I’m Xiao Jiu.”

Qi Yunwei added, “All the kitchen tools are under Xiao Jiu’s control now. I’ll leave the clock here so you can check the progress whenever you like.”

At the top floor of Yan Corporation’s headquarters, inside the CEO’s office.

Yan Zui stared at the feed on her monitor, watching the kitchen scene unfold, and fell into deep self-doubt.

The water pipes dispensed a steady stream to rinse and soak the ingredients. Once clean, robotic arms transferred them onto the cutting board, where another arm handled the knife, chopping neatly.

She even saw one arm slit open shrimp backs and devein them with precision.

Yan Zui: “…” This has to be some sci-fi short film Qi Yunwei shot, right? Since when could robotic arms devein shrimp?

Her gaze drifted to Xiao Jiu, standing obediently at the edge of the camera’s view. To test whether what she was seeing was real, she suddenly called its name:

“Xiao Jiu.”

The robot reacted instantly: “I’m here, sister. Do you want to chat with Xiao Jiu?”

Yan Zui’s eyes flickered. “Wouldn’t chatting distract you from cooking?”

Xiao Jiu replied, “Not at all! Xiao Jiu can multitask.”

“What kind of dishes can you make?” she asked.

Xiao Jiu beamed. “Xiao Jiu can make lots and lots of dishes! But the one I know best is Qiuhai cuisine. Master said sister loves Qiuhai food, so that’s what’s for lunch today!”

Yan Zui paused, cheeks warming slightly.

Had Qi Yunwei anticipated this exact question and prepared such a response to throw her off?

“Alright, sister, Xiao Jiu needs to start simmering the soup and steaming the rice.”

Not far away, a robotic arm placed a blanched black-bone chicken into the pot, covered it, and set it to boil. At the same time, another arm poured rinsed rice and the right amount of water into the cooker, starting the rice.

The movements were smooth, without a single hitch—more efficient than most human cooks.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, Yan Zui found herself continuing to watch. Whenever she felt bored, she’d chat with Xiao Jiu, and time slipped by quickly.

She had originally scheduled a morning meeting with Xuanqian Group regarding an intelligent-brain research partnership, but their flight was delayed, pushing the meeting to the afternoon. That left her with little to do that morning.

At 11:20, Qi Yunwei finally appeared in the kitchen feed.

She greeted Yan Zui through the camera, then asked Xiao Jiu, “How’s the cooking coming along?”

“Master, the rice is cooked and packed, the black-bone chicken soup just needs salt, the sweet-and-sour shrimp is in its final step, and after one last stir-fry of greens, everything will be ready. Guaranteed to finish before 11:30!”

Qi Yunwei patted its head. “Good job.”

Sure enough, by 11:30 everything was packed neatly into lunch boxes. Facing the camera, Qi Yunwei said, “I’ll bring this over to you now,” and left.

After the food was taken out, Yan Zui watched in disbelief as the kitchen cleaned itself—utensils washed and returned to place, even the broom and mop tidying the floor on their own.

Ten minutes later, the kitchen was spotless.

“Bye-bye, sister,” Xiao Jiu said sweetly. “I’m low on power and need to rest now.” Its eyes dimmed as it powered down.

Yan Zui waited for Qi Yunwei to deliver the meal. She still suspected something was off, but the surveillance footage revealed no flaws.

When Qi Yunwei finally arrived at the CEO’s office, Yan Zui immediately went to inspect the lunch boxes. The dishes inside were exactly what she had seen on the feed.

The black-bone chicken soup had two drumsticks floating on the surface with goji berries. The sweet-and-sour shrimp—twelve pieces in total—were arranged in a flower shape. The final dish, stir-fried greens, had three whole garlic cloves.

Yan Zui lifted her head, staring at Qi Yunwei in disbelief. “Xiao Jiu can really cook? How did you manage this?”

“And the conversation I had with Xiao Jiu—was that pre-recorded, or did it actually generate those replies?”

“Why do you even know how to create something this advanced? I know very well that Huaguo’s AI research hasn’t reached this level yet.”

Yan Corporation and Xuanqian Group were currently planning to co-invest in an intelligent-brain research company, with Yan Corporation footing most of the bill while Xuanqian contributed mainly technology.

Yan Zui had previously thought the collaboration was a solid idea. Now, however, doubts began to creep in.

If Xuanqian’s AI couldn’t even measure up to Xiao Jiu’s intelligence, then perhaps Yan Corporation had no reason to partner with them at all.