I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 76

Qiao Haiyue came in to fetch something. The moment she stepped through the door, she froze at the sight of Qi Yunwei holding Yan Zui in her arms. Shocked, she blurted out:

“Qi Yunwei, what are you doing?!”

Yan Zui quickly turned, explaining on Qi Yunwei’s behalf:

“Haiyue, don’t misunderstand. My legs went weak just now and I almost fell. Yunwei only caught me.”

Qiao Haiyue’s face darkened as she strode over. “So that’s what happened. Are you feeling better now?”

“Much better,” Yan Zui reassured her. “Did you come in for something?”

Seeing that Yan Zui had no intention of moving away from Qi Yunwei’s support, Qiao Haiyue forced herself to act indifferent. Grinding her teeth, she said, “I came to get some water. Without enough water, the soybeans won’t grind properly.”

Yan Zui added softly, “Go on then. I’ll have Yunwei help me outside—we’ll watch you grind the soybeans together.”

With Yan Zui’s words, Qiao Haiyue could only leave reluctantly, clutching a plastic bucket as she went to fetch water.

[Live comments]

• Good grief, what a mini love-triangle battlefield. I swear Qiao Haiyue’s glare just stabbed Qi Yunwei in the heart. She probably thinks Qi Yunwei is taking advantage of Yan Zui.

• Lol, even after Yan Zui explained, Qiao Haiyue clearly wasn’t convinced. She’s terrified her best friend might actually be involved with Qi Yunwei.

• But Qiao Haiyue already has Peng Xueyu! Why’s she acting like she can forbid Yan Zui from dating? Isn’t that messed up?

• Messed up? You’re messed up! Qiao Haiyue and Peng Xueyu are just colleagues—COLLEAGUES! She’s just worried about her friend. Don’t be so cynical!

Qi Yunwei guided Yan Zui out into the courtyard and helped her sit on a low stool. Together, they watched Peng Xueyu grind the soybeans.

Seeing them, Peng Xueyu laughed. “This morning I thought I’d hit the jackpot, but apparently the production team decided to smack me with a critical hit this afternoon.”

Qi Yunwei replied calmly, “That just means the show is fair. The two of us guest participants shouldn’t be the only ones suffering.”

Qiao Haiyue soon returned with water. Peng Xueyu turned the stone mill while Qiao Haiyue added soybeans and water.

With Yan Zui watching nearby, Qiao Haiyue didn’t dare slack off. She and Peng Xueyu took turns pushing the heavy millstone. After more than an hour of hard labor, they finally produced a full basin of ground soy milk.

Filtering done, it was time for the crucial step—curdling the soy milk into tofu.

Peng Xueyu asked, “What do we use for coagulating? Does the kitchen have any?”

A staff member replied, “You’ll need brine. You’ll have to borrow some from the villagers who make tofu.”

Yan Zui frowned. “And after borrowing, how do we repay them?”

The staffer quickly corrected, “Ah—you can buy it.”

Qiao Haiyue wiped the sweat from her brow. “That’s easy. I’ve got money in my WeChat wallet, I’ll go buy some.”

“Not possible,” the staff explained. “The villagers use old phones. No QR codes, no mobile payment. You’ll need cash.”

Qiao Haiyue: “…”

Qiao Haiyue nearly swore. This production crew is insane—where am I supposed to get cash right now?

Qi Yunwei suddenly remembered. She pulled a crumpled bill from her pocket. “I’ve got one yuan from this morning’s task. Yan Zui has another. Tofu isn’t expensive—the brine shouldn’t be either. Two yuan should be enough.”

Awkwardly, Qiao Haiyue accepted the money. “Thanks.”

But Yan Zui didn’t hand over her coin.

“One yuan is enough,” she said firmly. “No need for more.” Truthfully, she didn’t want to part with it right now.

Qiao Haiyue froze, stung. She had once thought she was among Yan Zui’s closest friends, someone irreplaceable. Yet here Yan Zui was, unwilling to give even one yuan for her sake. The realization hurt.

So in the end, Qiao Haiyue took only the yuan from Qi Yunwei and headed off with Peng Xueyu to purchase the brine.

Fortunately, the single yuan was enough. They hurried back and poured the brine into the soy milk. Before long, pale curds formed. They carefully ladled the tender tofu into a mold, covered it with cloth and a lid, then pressed it down with a twenty-kilogram stone. Clear whey began seeping out through the cloth.

“It’s four-thirty now,” Peng Xueyu noted, wiping sweat from his brow. “By around five, the tofu should be set.” He turned to Qi Yunwei. “You know how to make tofu soup?”

“I just looked up the recipe,” Qi Yunwei assured him. “It’s simple. Don’t worry.”

She then asked, “You and Haiyue are drenched in sweat. Want to shower?”

Qiao Haiyue was tempted, but Peng Xueyu pulled her back. “Better after dinner. The solar heater only has so much hot water. If you use it now, there won’t be any left tonight. You’ll regret it when you’re sticky and sweaty before bed.”

Since Qiao Haiyue didn’t want to be seen as blindly following Qi Yunwei’s words, she immediately sided with Peng Xueyu. “You’re right. I’ll wait.”

Of course, to fans watching, her obedience looked very different.

[Live comments]

• Ooooh Qiao Haiyue, you really listen to your Xueyu-ge, don’t you? Someone ship this already~

• I can’t stand it anymore. Qiao Haiyue, can you think for yourself for once? Count how many times you’ve called him “Xueyu-ge” today! If you don’t want solo stans anymore, just say so—I’ll unfollow immediately!

• Quit pretending, antis. Respecting someone older and calling them “ge” is normal. She agrees when anyone makes sense. We solo stans may get annoyed at CP-fans, but we’d never take it out on her. Know your place!

By a little after five, the tofu had set.

Excited, Qiao Haiyue pinched off a piece to taste. It was delicious. She immediately urged Yan Zui to try some too.

Yan Zui tasted it carefully. “This is my first time eating fresh tofu like this.”

“How is it?” Qiao Haiyue asked eagerly.

“Not bad at all,” Yan Zui admitted with a small nod.

Triumphant, Qiao Haiyue shot Qi Yunwei a smug look—See? Yan Zui thinks my tofu is better than your pancakes.

Qi Yunwei pretended not to notice.

For dinner, Qi Yunwei steamed rice, then cooked cabbage tofu soup and mapo tofu.

Though it was her first attempt at both dishes, her natural talent for cooking shone through. The results stunned everyone. Even the production crew couldn’t resist sneaking over for a taste.

When Qi Yunwei noticed them eyeing the leftover spicy sauce of the mapo tofu, she seized the chance to bargain.

“Here’s the deal—don’t assign us any tasks tomorrow morning. In return, I’ll cook you all lunch. You pick two dishes, I’ll freestyle the other two.”

The staff exchanged excited glances. They were dying to agree, but the decision wasn’t theirs. “We’ll have to ask the director.”

“That’s fine,” Qi Yunwei said. “Just let me know once it’s settled.”

[Live comments]

• Watching this stream made me so hungry I caved and ordered mapo tofu takeout. I know it won’t taste half as good as Qi Yunwei’s, but since I can’t eat hers, I’m literally eating while crying. Qi Yunwei, why aren’t you running a restaurant?!

The director, meanwhile, had been out drinking with some associates. When he returned, he was startled to find the entire crew staring at him with pleading eyes.

“What’s with you all?” he asked warily.

“Director Liu, you have to help us!” his assistant rushed over, quickly recounting what had happened that afternoon. “Qi Yunwei’s being very insistent—we need you to make the call.”

The director frowned. “Absolutely not. Don’t even think about making things difficult for the guests.” Qi Yunwei is Yan Zui’s friend!

The assistant choked, exasperated. “No, no, Director—you misunderstood! We’re not trying to sabotage anyone. We’re asking if you’ll agree to Qi Yunwei’s request—to let her cook us a meal.”

The entire staff nodded vigorously in unison.

The director stared at them like they’d lost their minds. “What are you, starving? Have some dignity.” He had seen Qi Yunwei make pancakes earlier, but assumed the others had exaggerated their praise because they were famished. He hadn’t taken their gushing seriously.

Back then, he’d even thought their “overacting” would make for great variety-show footage.

But now, even his own crew had fallen under her spell?

“Is it really that good?” he asked, genuine disbelief in his voice.

“Director, it’s not just good—it’s incredible! I’ve never eaten mapo tofu this delicious, never tasted soup this fresh. You don’t know what you missed this afternoon. If you had, you wouldn’t even be asking us this.”

The director was speechless.

Looking at their desperate faces, he realized if he didn’t agree, none of them would get back to work properly.

He finally sighed. “Fine. Tell Qi Yunwei this: if her food satisfies me, then no tasks in the morning. If not, we’ll move the morning tasks to the afternoon and double them.”