I Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha and Stole the Heroine from Her Tragic Romance - Chapter 68

When the two pushed open the door, it was exactly what they expected, a couple’s room.

The room had a “prison” theme. The decorations were realistic, complete with unopened props like handcuffs and shackles.

Qi Xiyao glanced around the room with a puzzled look. Because of her professional sensitivity, the first thing she did was check for hidden cameras. Only after confirming that everything was secure did she relax and lie down on the bed.

She had drunk some alcohol that night and felt groggy, too tired even to shower. The shower area wasn’t enclosed like in normal hotels, but separated by red gauze curtains. A circular bathtub in the center was filled with colorful plastic balls.

Qi Xiyao didn’t know what the balls were for, but just from the atmosphere of the room, it was clear what this place was meant for. Still, she was exhausted from the past few days and just wanted to rest. She fell asleep the moment she lay down.

Yu Peirong, as an Alpha who had only recently come out of her heat cycle, had much more stamina than her. But seeing her partner already asleep, she only chuckled softly, reached out, and gently pinched her cheek.

“Good night,” Yu Peirong whispered as she leaned against the headboard, watching her quietly for a while.

The next day, the influencer couple arrived, and that afternoon, the production team announced the rules of the show.

This season’s theme was set on a small island. It wasn’t a survival challenge but rather a scenic and resource-rich island. However, they would still need to complete tasks in order to earn supplies.

After the explanation, Yao Lu threw an arm around Yu Peirong’s shoulder and laughed.

“What’s there to worry about? Don’t forget, we’ve got a professional survival expert with us.”

She was referring to the previous survival reality show that Yu Peirong and Qi Xiyao had done together. Their performance had been impressive, even better than many variety show regulars. After that episode, Yu Peirong’s Weibo followers doubled, and she regularly received messages from fans.

Yao Lu already knew of Yu Peirong. She had once worked with an artist from Yishui Entertainment on a drama. That actor had good looks but lacked substance, only becoming popular after a shallow idol drama. Back then, Yishui was still run by Yu Shang, who heavily promoted that actor, leaving Yao Lu with a poor impression of the company.

But things changed after Yu Peirong took over. Resource distribution became fair, and no one was blindly favored. Her impression of Yu Peirong improved a lot, and after hitting it off during dinner the night before, they were already joking like old friends.

Then the director said, “Sorry everyone, this season is a team competition.”

Yao Lu blinked. “What?”

The next day, they arrived at the island.

It was late summer, and the heat was intense. The so-called autumn heat hadn’t faded yet. As soon as they landed, everyone rushed to find shelter from the blazing sun.

But the weather was unpredictable. Just as Yu Peirong stepped inside the wooden cabin, a sudden storm rolled in, replacing the clear sky from earlier.

The rain lasted only half an hour. During that time, Yu Peirong and Qi Xiyao had already unpacked their luggage inside their well-built cabin. The cottage resembled a cozy guesthouse, with sleeping quarters upstairs and a bathroom and kitchen below, even equipped with a small grill.

Qi Xiyao, having just finished filming, no longer had to strictly manage her diet. She loved bold, flavorful food, so Yu Peirong decided to grill something. Being by the sea, they had access to fresh squid, which was much tastier than frozen.

After the rain stopped, the group gathered by the shore.

The skies had cleared, and the ocean shimmered. Yu Peirong set up the grill while the crew handed out the day’s challenge. The winners would get first pick of the limited daily ingredients.

The influencer girl clicked her tongue. “This might be tough, depending on what the task is. If it’s something I’m bad at, we might end up with no food and be forced into survival mode…”

The challenge, however, was surprisingly simple,  eat an apple.

It was a couple’s game similar to a traditional wedding challenge. A red apple was suspended above, and the couples had to sit and work together to eat it without using their hands.

To make it harder, they had to stay within a fixed area. It was tight and left little room to maneuver.

Yu Peirong and Qi Xiyao’s approach was unexpected.

Yu Peirong wasn’t allowed to leave her seat, and the apple was hung a bit high. So, she hooked her foot around the base of Qi Xiyao’s stool and used her leg strength to lift her partner into the air.

Qi Xiyao wasn’t heavy, but she still weighed around 100 pounds. With core and leg strength, Yu Peirong stayed steady, using the stool’s edge for support, and lifted Qi Xiyao close enough to bite the apple.

Even when the crew tried swinging the apple, Yu Peirong’s legs kept her steady. In such a small space, there wasn’t much room to avoid the fruit, and Qi Xiyao easily bit into it.

Yao Lu and Jin Mei were stunned.

The influencer couple tried to copy the move, but the male Alpha couldn’t even lift his much smaller Omega partner.

The stool itself had some weight. Lifting someone off the ground by hand was one thing, but doing it with just your legs while seated was much harder.

Only Yu Peirong pulled it off perfectly. With a playful smirk, she winked at Qi Xiyao.

Their team won the fresh squid prize, and the crew sent someone to catch it right away.

The next challenge was drawing a picture based on a card.

The influencer couple rushed to find twigs to sketch in the sand. Yao Lu and Jin Mei were about to break apart a chair to use the legs as drawing sticks.

Yu Peirong, however, ran straight back to the cabin and grabbed their lipsticks.

The production crew tried to stop Yao Lu and Jin Mei from destroying the furniture. “Wait… what are they even doing now?”

Because it was still hot, everyone wore light clothes.

Yu Peirong wore a white camisole underneath a sun jacket. She pushed the jacket down to her elbows, exposing her elegant collarbones.

The livestream chat exploded.

“Her body is perfect. That balance of strength and elegance is unreal.”

“Her skin is flawless. I envy Qi Xiyao so much.”

“Wait… is that a mark?”

“Hold on, I think I see something… You two are too much.”

“Hint: collarbone and back.”

During Yu Peirong’s last heat cycle, things got a bit intense. Qi Xiyao had left a noticeable bite mark on her collarbone. Although it had mostly faded, it was still faintly visible.

Usually, it wouldn’t be noticed, but netizens had sharp eyes.

Yu Peirong was aware there were probably still marks on her back too, so she avoided the main camera angles on purpose.

Still, viewers jumped to other livestream rooms, switching perspectives just to confirm.

Sure enough, faint scratch marks were visible across her fair back, evidence of just how passionate things had been.

“Top-tier Alpha energy. Respect.”

Qi Xiyao took the lipstick from her hand and began to draw on her collarbone.

Every stroke of Qi Xiyao’s lipstick was drawn with careful precision. The soft color glided across Yu Peirong’s fair collarbone and down to the skin just below her neck, blending into a beautiful, subtle shade.

The final touch landed on Yu Peirong’s cheek, like a blooming red flower about to unfurl.

Qi Xiyao was the first to finish and raised her hand to request the reward from the production crew.

With two consecutive wins, their couple team dominated the games. The other two teams tried hard to catch up, but only managed to win one out of five rounds.

Jin Mei raised her hands in mock defeat. “I give up. I’m never joining another game if they’re in it!” she groaned, pulling a face. “Before I met them, I thought I still had a fighting chance. But now? It’s hopeless!”

The production team burst into laughter.

Since the “Rong-Yao” couple had won so much, they’d also earned an abundance of supplies. It was more than they could eat alone, so they invited the others to join them for dinner.

That evening, all three couples gathered by the beach, fanning flames and grilling skewers.

On screen, Jin Mei was often cast as the cheerful, bubbly type. With her youthful and pretty face, she gave off an energetic vibe. But in real life, she was calm and grounded. Meanwhile, Yao Lu — who most assumed would be aloof because of her status as an award-winning actress — was anything but cold. Her laughter came easily, and often before the punchline of a joke had even landed, she was already doubled over in Jin Mei’s arms.

At one point, Yao Lu marched up to the production crew asking for soda. They told her they didn’t have any. Not believing a word of it, the young actress — who had won two major acting awards — rolled up her sleeves and headed for the RV, determined to find the stash herself.

The staff tried to stop her, but she managed to uncover an entire crate of soda in a hidden fridge, and even called Yu Peirong over to help carry it out.

The salty sea breeze wasn’t harsh on the skin; instead, it felt refreshing and soft, laced with the warm comfort of summer. Yu Peirong held Qi Xiyao close in her arms and stole a kiss on her cheek when no one was looking. CP fans caught the moment instantly and were just about to flood the chat with excited comments—until they saw Yu Peirong slip a mint leaf into Qi Xiyao’s pocket.

With zero guilt, she stole a jasmine mint candy from her wife’s stash.

These mints were secretly brought by Qi Xiyao, despite the clear rule that contestants couldn’t bring personal items. But after going through enough chaotic variety shows, veterans knew how to bend the rules.

She had brought the candy in case she got seasick on the boat, but since no one ended up feeling sick, it hadn’t been needed.

Out of curiosity, Yu Peirong dumped the mints into a small tin she had swiped from the production team, wondering what they’d taste like boiled in water.

Before she could follow through with the experiment, she met Qi Xiyao’s murderous glare.

They ended up playfully bickering for a long while. As the moon rose above the treetops, they chatted with the others until everyone eventually drifted back to their rooms.

These days felt slow and sweet.

In her old world, Yu Peirong had been to seaside cities for business trips, walked along beachfronts, and watched the sunrise by the ocean. She’d never been particularly fond of seafood or the sea itself. But all of that changed when she came here with Qi Xiyao.

That night, back in their room, the two sat down with sticky notes to list “100 Little Things.” They worked on it late into the night, checking off each item as they went.

Yu Peirong checked off number three, “Kiss by the sea,” and marked a star next to number fifty-seven, “Drink coconut milk coffee on the beach.”

They weren’t far from the shoreline just about twenty minutes on foot. A quick trip on a speedboat would cut the round trip in half. By the time she’d gathered the milk and coconut juice and brought the coffee concentrate, she carefully mixed it all together and placed the cup on a warming pad.

When Qi Xiyao came out, Yu Peirong handed it to her like it was a rare treasure.

Qi Xiyao had a habit: even in the summer, she preferred starting her mornings with a warm drink—water or milk. At first, Yu Peirong hadn’t understood why, until she learned it was something her aunt had taught her for better health.

Yu Peirong, on the other hand, liked cold water in the morning. Especially after becoming an Alpha in this world and no longer dealing with monthly discomforts, she didn’t see any reason to change.

But the sea breeze in the early morning was cool, and a warm cup of coffee actually felt perfect.

Qi Xiyao looked at her, smiling softly with laughter twinkling in her eyes.

The following days were just as joyful.

The production team didn’t go out of their way to make things hard for them. The occasional silly challenge kept things entertaining, but otherwise, the pace of life on the island felt like something out of an art film.

Yu Peirong hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time. Each morning, she’d wake up without a single worry—no business meetings, no deadlines, nothing to stress about.

She’d always been used to a fast-paced life, so she never thought she’d enjoy such quiet simplicity. But every morning, seeing Qi Xiyao asleep beside her, serene and unguarded, made her heart stir in ways she never expected.

…

The five-day trip ended quickly. On the way back, Yu Peirong finally regained cell service. The signal on the island had been terrible, so she had to wait until they reached the mainland.

She caught up on some company affairs. An upcoming intellectual property bidding war was set to begin in a few days, with multiple companies eyeing the prize.

The script in question was written by a popular online author and came with a hefty price tag. But the writer had a huge fan base and a reputation for high ratings, so the interest was understandable.

Although the asking price was high, Zheng Xiuxue was still considering whether it was worth pursuing. Once the show wrapped, she planned to discuss it with Yu Peirong.

After briefly reviewing the script and the writer’s resume, Yu Peirong quickly decided to pass on the collaboration.

Shortly after, Zheng Xiuxue called. Her voice was tinged with frustration and urgency.

“The price is a bit steep, yes, but this theme is exactly what younger viewers are into. It’s a little controversial, sure, but if we secure it and cast one of our actors, it could really boost their career. This writer has a solid track record…”

“Not bad, really not bad,” Yu Peirong said as she glanced at her assistant, who was booking tickets and tidying up. Then she suddenly laughed softly. “But precisely because all his past work was good, he’s getting too ambitious. That price doesn’t match his actual market value.”

It wasn’t that she looked down on the writer. The issue was that his asking price had far exceeded what his past performance could justify. In simpler terms, if his previous scripts scored around 7.8 out of 10, then this time he was betting the new one would reach at least 8.5.

Yu Peirong was not the kind of person who would pay for a gamble. That would mean taking on the risk created by the writer’s own ambition. Yishui Entertainment was no longer in a place where it needed to chase uncertain outcomes just to seek returns.

“Besides,” she added, “we have brilliant screenwriters in the industry who price their work fairly and know their worth. Why would we insist on buying a script from him and ignore our own? And then have to watch our actors get bashed by hardcore book fans? Isn’t that a lose-lose situation?”

At that point, if Zheng Xiuxue still didn’t understand Yu Peirong’s stance, it would be surprising.

Though she couldn’t see her face over the phone, the once-confident voice had clearly become hesitant and unsure.

“I, um, I still have something to do. I’ll hang up now. You two better hurry back.”

Yu Peirong couldn’t help but laugh.

She didn’t know exactly what had developed between Gu Jinhua and Zheng Xiuxue while she was away, but back when she was still at the company, Gu Jinhua would show up at Yishui every few days.

Yishui was strict about its management. Outsiders weren’t allowed into the internal departments. Gu Jinhua didn’t belong to any official company, working independently, but Yu Peirong had still given her a keycard.

Sometimes she’d show up with pizza or milk tea and hand it out to everyone in the management team. But what she brought for Zheng Xiuxue was always different.

Zheng Xiuxue often got hungry in the afternoons. She didn’t like to eat too much at lunch to avoid post-meal sluggishness. Over time, she got used to accepting Gu Jinhua’s offerings without saying much. Eventually, she stopped trying to report it to Yu Peirong as a disturbance to her work.

After all, Gu Jinhua wasn’t disruptive. She would sit quietly, sometimes reading, sometimes writing, or just watching videos. She never interfered with Zheng Xiuxue’s schedule or workload.

The only time she didn’t show up was when Zheng Xiuxue left the office to accompany Qi Xiyao on work assignments.

When Yu Peirong returned to the office that day, she noticed everyone had a Portuguese egg tart in their hand. Zheng Xiuxue was sitting in her chair, eating a steaming mango sago egg tart and sipping fruit tea from Qi Xiyao’s favorite shop.

Apparently, Gu Jinhua had overheard something about how Yu Peirong used to bring egg tarts for Qi Xiyao, always letting her pick the flavors first. So she had gone and copied that exactly.

As soon as Yu Peirong walked in, she saw Zheng Xiuxue chewing like a little hamster, cheeks puffed up, already reaching for another tart with black sugar and tapioca pearls. She couldn’t help but smile.

Gu Jinhua sat silently nearby, just watching.

Zheng Xiuxue quickly finished her food and wiped her hands. When she saw that Yu Peirong had arrived, she jumped up. On her way over, she passed a floor-length mirror and suddenly noticed she looked a bit chubbier than before. She quickly reached up to press her cheeks with both hands.

Yu Peirong was half amused and half speechless.

“Alright, that’s enough. Come here. I want to talk to you about Qi Xiyao’s two endorsement offers.”

Seeing that the two were about to have a conversation, Gu Jinhua stood up politely, said goodbye, and left the room without making a sound.

Qi Xiyao’s status had risen. Her endorsements were now far better than before, and she no longer needed help from others. She could carry things on her own.

Recently, two high-end perfume brands had sent offers to collaborate. Their market positions were almost equal. Zheng Xiuxue hadn’t agreed to anything yet and was still comparing potential outcomes.

After discussing with Yu Peirong and analyzing some data, they eventually chose the brand with stronger sales performance and better styling exposure in recent years. These days, brand endorsements usually came with the brand’s own stylists and makeup artists. If those professionals had odd ideas or strange aesthetics, it could turn the whole thing into an unpleasant experience.

While Zheng Xiuxue was still in a meeting about that, Yu Peirong got a call from Qi Xiyao.

She wasn’t in the office that day. Qi Xiyao had a minor schedule outside, accompanied only by her assistant, while Zheng Xiuxue stayed back at headquarters.

On the phone, Qi Xiyao sounded emotional and scattered. She spoke so quickly and out of order that it took her a long time to make sense. It was the first time Yu Peirong had ever heard her like this. She immediately felt concerned.

“What’s wrong, Yaoyao? Don’t rush. Take a breath and explain slowly.”

Qi Xiyao took a deep breath. Without realizing it, her eyes had grown hot. She bit her lip and forced herself to calm down. Finally, word by word, she managed to say what she needed to say.

“My mother. The person who hurt her back then. They caught them. I’m on my way home now. Can you come?”

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