I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 75

[What’s going on with Qi Yunwei? The moment she mentioned the person she likes, the whole vibe changed—how did the Queen of Clapping Back suddenly turn into a love poet?]

[Hahaha, she’s actually hilarious.]

[Even Yan Zui laughed—that’s impressive. Tsk, I’ve decided from now on I’m only shipping friendship.]

[Heh, what’s so likable about a love-struck Alpha?]

[Blah blah, we like her—what are you going to do about it? Jealous much? Doesn’t matter, nobody likes you anyway!]

Qi Yunwei was still caught up in the faint sorrow of unrequited love as she slid the cooked pancake onto a plate and handed it to Yan Zui.

“Try it—see how it tastes.”

Yan Zui accepted it, watching Qi Yunwei focus intently on making the second one. Under Qiao Haiyue’s conflicted gaze and Peng Xueyu’s curious one, she pinched off a small piece and placed it into her mouth.

“How is it? Good?” Peng Xueyu asked.

Yan Zui’s deep, ocean-tinted black eyes narrowed with pleasure.

“Delicious.”

After a pause, she added,

“No wonder—it’s flavored with love.”

Peng Xueyu thought Yan Zui was teasing Qi Yunwei and laughed.

“Then I have to try this taste of love too.”

Before eating, he thought: How good can a pancake really be?

But once he took a bite, he felt he could live the rest of his life eating nothing else.

“This is way too good!” Peng Xueyu exclaimed.

“Try some, Haiyue.” He tore off a piece and offered it to Qiao Haiyue.

Qiao Haiyue was knotted up inside, both conflicted and upset. Her fingers kept twisting at the hem of Peng Xueyu’s shirt until the crisp fabric was covered in little wrinkles.

When Peng Xueyu held a piece out to her, she instinctively opened her mouth—then froze.

She chewed in disbelief.

“How can it taste this good?”

Her jealousy of Qi Yunwei vanished in an instant. Seeing the pancake nearly finished off by the other two, she hurriedly said,

“Xueyu-ge, save me one piece.”

Chuckling, Peng Xueyu placed the pancake directly into her mouth.

“Isn’t Yunwei making more? Why the rush?”

[And people still say Haiyue Xueyue is fake? Look how natural it is—one feeding, the other eating. No way they haven’t done this before. Wuwuwu, shipping them is my greatest blessing.]

[I don’t even care if the CP is real or not—I just want to know what those pancakes taste like! Their expressions are so blissful—don’t tell me she really did put love into them?]

[My dream: just one bite of Qi Yunwei’s love-infused pancake.]

Qiao Haiyue said, “I’m just afraid Qi Yunwei will run out of love. Then the later pancakes won’t taste as good.” The words carried a hidden jab—that her love wouldn’t last long.

Yan Zui replied calmly, “No need to worry. I think Qi Yunwei has plenty of love to go around. It won’t run out so quickly.”

Qiao Haiyue bit her lip at Yan Zui defending her, but outwardly smiled.

“I was only joking. Qi Yunwei looks like the type of Alpha who’s very devoted.”

By the time Qi Yunwei had cooked ten pancakes and used up all the batter, the other three were already full. The last three were left for her.

The heat from the stove had left a sheen of sweat on her forehead, but with it her inner conflict seemed to have flowed away as well, leaving her heart clearer and more resolute.

No matter what, she would fight for her love. Whether or not Yan Zui returned her feelings, she would show her through her actions how deeply she cared.

Once she steadied her emotions, she suddenly remembered—she was still on a variety show, with a persona to maintain.

And she’d just said something like putting love into pancakes.

“Yunwei.”

Hearing Yan Zui call her, Qi Yunwei turned her head. A scented tissue landed softly on her forehead.

Yan Zui gently wiped away her sweat.

“You’ve worked hard. Eat now.”

Qi Yunwei’s cheeks flushed. Seeing that only the two of them were in the courtyard, she asked,

“Where are Xueyu and Haiyue?”

“They went to search for their love,” Yan Zui answered.

Qi Yunwei: “…”

Yan Zui’s lips curved.

“Kidding. The production team assigned them another task. They’ve gone to carry it out.”

[Hahaha, Qi Yunwei’s speechless face!]

[Ever since Qi Yunwei admitted she likes someone, Yan Zui’s been way nicer to her. Is it because she feels safe now—like Yunwei won’t fall for her, so they can just be friends?]

[Or maybe Yan Zui’s stealing the girl out from under someone else?]

[There you go again with nonsense. Can’t you accept pure AO friendship?]

[I just barely convinced myself not to ship them, don’t drag me back in!]

Qi Yunwei muttered, “I haven’t even stir-fried the dishes yet, and they send people off hungry to do tasks?”

Yan Zui gestured at the empty plate.

“The love-infused pancakes were plenty satisfying. We were all full. Before leaving, Xueyu and Haiyue told me to thank you, and asked that you infuse love into dinner too.”

Hearing Yan Zui casually toss out “love” over and over made Qi Yunwei’s face burn.

“I just said that without thinking. How could food really have love in it?”

“No?” Yan Zui tilted her head, genuinely surprised.

“Then why could I taste it?”

Qi Yunwei: “…”

[Yan Zui really is so much brighter now—and it’s all thanks to Qi Yunwei.]

[Ahhh, why does Qi Yunwei have to like someone else? I’m upset. They’re perfect together!]

After lunch, the production team announced that since Qi Yunwei and Yan Zui had worked so hard in the morning, they could rest until 3 p.m., when they’d start preparing dinner.

Qi Yunwei dragged two lounge chairs from the house, and the two of them lay beneath the shade of the eaves.

A breeze brushed across their faces, tickling their skin with strands of hair. Qi Yunwei suddenly asked,

“Yan Zui, were you always like this as a child?”

Yan Zui turned her head slightly.

“Like what?”

“Cold, quiet, not talkative.” Qi Yunwei said.

Yan Zui opened her eyes and glanced at her. To her surprise, Qi Yunwei was already looking back. Their gazes met, and both felt a sudden tremor in their hearts.

Yan Zui’s fingers curled slightly. She turned her eyes to the eaves above.

“When I was little, I loved to laugh.”

From those words, Qi Yunwei caught a trace of melancholy, even bitterness. Something must have happened to make her become the person she was now.

[Xiaoman, does the novel ever mention Yan Zui’s childhood?]

【Master, the story has no scenes from before her university days.】

Qi Yunwei asked softly,

“Have you ever thought about finding an Alpha who could make you happy again?”

Yan Zui’s voice was cool.

“Never used to.”

Never used to? Did that mean she was thinking about it now?

Qi Yunwei’s heart thudded faster, but she held her tongue. With cameras still rolling, some questions weren’t meant for this moment.

They chatted idly, one line here and there, until they both drifted off to sleep on their chairs.

[So peaceful. I want to spend a lazy countryside holiday too.]

[Same here.]

About an hour later, Qi Yunwei was roused by noise outside the courtyard.

She sat up, saw Yan Zui still asleep, and slipped out quietly.

Outside, Qiao Haiyue was flushed and sweating, bickering with Peng Xueyu.

“I can’t move it. Nobody can—it’s way too heavy!”

Qi Yunwei spotted the massive stone mill perched on their cart.

“This is your task?”

Hauling back a stone mill?

Peng Xueyu gave a weary smile.

“That’s just part of it. We have to bring it inside the yard, use it to make tofu, and cook tofu soup for dinner. If we fail, the production team won’t give us ingredients tomorrow.”

Leaning against the cart, Qiao Haiyue wiped at her sweat.

“Look—the doorway has a frame. The cart won’t fit through. Just now Xueyu-ge even suggested we try carrying it in. If I did that, my arms would break.”

[Poor Haihai—she’s about to cry. Xueyu, coax her already!]

[An Alpha this delicate? So soft and frail.]

[Don’t body-shame. Haiyue’s constitution has always been weak—she was sick a lot as a kid, couldn’t eat well, so she never grew tall.]

[She already did amazing helping push that stone mill back. Some things are too much—forcing it could hurt her.]

Qi Yunwei inspected the ten-centimeter-high threshold. She tapped it with her foot—it was solid, impossible to remove. No way the cart was going inside.

Peng Xueyu was drenched in sweat, his shirt clinging to his body, faint outlines of abs visible.

The viewers immediately clamored for the cameras to zoom in closer so they could count his abs.

Qi Yunwei asked,

“Did the production team specifically say the mill had to be inside the yard?”

Peng Xueyu thought for a moment.

“Not exactly. They just said we have to grind the beans and make tofu.”

Qiao Haiyue’s eyes lit up as she caught on.

“Xueyu-ge, hurry—go find a table inside. We can unload the mill onto that. Even outside, no one’s stealing something this heavy.”

When they’d first loaded the mill onto the cart, it had taken five people—two of them staff—to manage it.

Seeing Peng Xueyu exhausted, Qi Yunwei said,

“I’ll move the table out. Rest for a while.”

She quietly fetched a sturdy wooden table from the kitchen—just slightly larger than the stone mill—and set it in the shade by the wall.

Peng Xueyu rolled the cart over, while Qiao Haiyue called over three tall, muscular staff members to help.

Together, straining and sweating, they finally heaved the mill onto the table.

Qiao Haiyue, the weakest of the bunch, collapsed, gasping for breath.

“I need a break. Xueyu-ge, you soak the beans. I heard soybeans need at least three hours.”

The staff had come prepared—they brought over a basin of already-soaked beans.

“All of these need to be ground.”

Qiao Haiyue: “You guys are ruthless.”

It was Qi Yunwei’s first time seeing a stone mill. After asking the staff how to use it, she even tried grinding a few turns herself.

Qiao Haiyue immediately called out,

“Director, can Yunwei do the grinding for me?”

The director answered firmly,

“No.”

A staffer collected the little bit of soy milk Qi Yunwei had produced and said,

“You can rest half an hour before continuing. Whether you get food supplies tomorrow depends on whether you manage to make tofu.”

Qiao Haiyue wanted to quit—she really didn’t want to grind anymore.

Peng Xueyu whispered something in her ear. Her face shifted several times before she reluctantly went to the mill.

“It’s just soybeans, right? The two of us can grind them in no time.”

[Haihai really is such a good girl.]

[Her Xueyu-ge sure knows how to coax her—every time he can talk her around.]

Qi Yunwei watched the two grind for a while, then returned to the courtyard.

Yan Zui was washing her hands at the outdoor tap. She looked back at the sound of footsteps.

“You’re awake?” Qi Yunwei asked.

Yan Zui shut off the tap, straightened, and gave a small yawn. Her deep black eyes were misty with lingering drowsiness.

“I set an alarm. Didn’t want to oversleep and be unable to sleep tonight.”

“Xueyu and Haiyue are grinding soybeans. Want to go take a look?”

Still sluggish from her nap, Yan Zui nodded. But as she turned to go, she slipped on a patch of water.

Qi Yunwei rushed forward and caught her.

“You okay?”

Her face pale, Yan Zui leaned against her, trembling slightly.

“I’m fine.”

“You have to watch your step here—you could trip easily.”

Qi Yunwei started to let go, but Yan Zui pressed her hand back in place.

“Don’t move yet. My legs feel weak. Let me steady myself first.”