Reborn as the Heartless Alpha - Chapter 15

Song Yi responded softly, her attention fixed on the steady stream of students pouring out of the campus. Without looking at Zhou Zhou, she gently grasped her shoulders and guided her to the side.

“Did it hurt?” Song Yi asked with concern, only lowering her gaze to Zhou Zhou after ensuring they were out of the way of passing crowds.

“Huh?”

Zhou Zhou’s lips parted slightly, as if she hadn’t quite processed the question, and she stared at Song Yi with a slow, puzzled expression.

“I saw a high school student bump into you earlier.”

“I’m fine.” Zhou Zhou blinked, deftly shifting the topic to something she was curious about. “Miss Song, why are you still here?”

Song Yi didn’t answer immediately. She wiped the sweat from her temple with one hand, took Zhou Zhou’s travel bag with the other, and then grasped her wrist, leading her toward the parking area.

She really shouldn’t have worn a suit out today, it was far too hot.

Zhou Zhou glanced down at Song Yi’s hand wrapped around her wrist but didn’t ask why or where they were going, simply following along without question.

When they finally reached the car, Song Yi opened the passenger door for Zhou Zhou, waiting until she was settled before placing the travel bag in the trunk. She then grabbed two bottles of water and returned to the car.

“Have some water.” Song Yi handed one to Zhou Zhou but didn’t drink hers right away, instead shrugging off her suit jacket first.

Zhou Zhou clutched the bottle with both hands but didn’t open it. She wanted to sneak a glance at Song Yi but didn’t dare be too obvious.

Miss Song was wearing a beige suit today, with a matching beige shirt underneath, it gave her a soft, gentle look.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zhou Zhou saw Song Yi hastily remove her jacket, still seeming overheated as she undid the top two buttons of her shirt.

Zhou Zhou quickly averted her gaze.

The car’s air conditioning was set high. At first, Zhou Zhou had felt chilly, but now she was inexplicably warm again.

Her throat even felt a little dry.

Remembering the water in her hands, Zhou Zhou tried several times to twist the cap open but failed, her face flushing red with effort.

She usually had no trouble with things like this, why was she struggling now? Baffled, she kept wrestling with the bottle.

Song Yi, having adjusted her collar, turned her head just in time to see this and shook her head with an amused smile. She reached out toward Zhou Zhou. “Let me.”

With Song Yi’s hand already extended, Zhou Zhou had no choice but to sheepishly hand over the bottle.

Song Yi took it, cradling it in her palm as her fingers curled around the cap. With a slight twist of her thumb and forefinger, the seal broke with a faint hiss.

“Here.” She passed the open bottle back to Zhou Zhou.

“Thank you.” Zhou Zhou accepted it, her face still warm.

Noticing her blush, Song Yi chuckled. “It really is hot today. Should I lower the temperature a bit more?”

“No need.”

“Alright.” Song Yi glanced at the controls, agreeing that it couldn’t go any lower, then leaned back in her seat and opened her own bottle to drink.

Zhou Zhou raised her water and took a sip, stealing a sidelong glance at Song Yi. From this angle, she could see the subtle movement of Song Yi’s throat as she swallowed, and she even spotted a tiny mole on the side of her neck.

Zhou Zhou swallowed reflexively.

Suddenly, Song Yi turned her head again, and Zhou Zhou hurriedly looked away, focusing intently on her water.

Song Yi watched in surprise as Zhou Zhou downed nearly half the bottle in one go. She waited quietly until Zhou Zhou finished, then screwed the cap back on.

“You didn’t reply to my message.”

“Huh?”

Zhou Zhou took a second to realize that Miss Song was answering the question she had asked before getting in the car: why was Miss Song still here?

“I thought you might have missed something and was worried you might be in trouble. Since I didn’t have anything urgent to do, I decided to wait here just in case.”

“Thank you.”

Zhou Zhou didn’t know what else to say besides expressing her gratitude.

No matter how you looked at it, Miss Song had already gone above and beyond rescuing her when she was nearly assaulted by those alphas, bringing her home, giving her a temporary mark, letting her stay the night, and even personally driving her back to school. She never expected that someone she’d only met by chance would worry about her just because she hadn’t replied to a message promptly, fearing she might be in trouble.

Zhou Zhou couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling, but a warmth welled up in her chest.

“Are you okay?” Seeing Zhou Zhou’s eyes suddenly glisten, Song Yi thought she really had run into trouble and tensed up immediately. “Did you encounter those alphas again?”

“No!” Zhou Zhou tilted her head back, blinking away the moisture in her eyes. “I was packing and didn’t notice the message.”

Song Yi thought of Zhou Zhou’s worn brown travel bag and asked, “Zhou Zhou, where are you moving to?”

“I don’t know yet.” Zhou Zhou sniffled softly.

Song Yi felt awkward. Though she wasn’t particularly sensitive to emotions, it was clear Zhou Zhou was on the verge of tears. She found a pack of tissues and handed them to Zhou Zhou. “I’ll go buy something.”

Zhou Zhou took the tissues and nodded blankly, watching as Song Yi stepped out of the car.

Outside, the scorching sun baked the earth. Song Yi quickly walked to the shade of a tree, deliberately not looking back, afraid that if she did, Zhou Zhou might feel too self-conscious to wipe her tears.

She had claimed she was going to buy something, but it was just an excuse. However, once outside, the street vendors caught her interest.

Most of the stalls were run by elderly folks, though there was also a middle-aged couple selling sushi and takoyaki.

Song Yi wasn’t in a hurry to buy anything. Standing under the tree, she closed her eyes and tried to recall Zhou Zhou’s food preferences. In the novel This Scumbag Alpha Always Leaves After Playing Around, it was mentioned that Zhou Zhou had a sweet tooth and wasn’t particularly picky.

It was lunchtime, and being near the school, many students were queuing up. Song Yi browsed several stalls before stopping at an elderly man selling candied hawthorns. Five high school students boys and girls were ahead of her in line.

When it was her turn, Song Yi didn’t immediately pick one from the bundles of candied hawthorns skewered on a straw stand. Instead, she studied them carefully, like someone seeing them for the first time.

Truthfully, Song Yi had never eaten candied hawthorns before. She examined the traditional hawthorn skewers and the ones that combined apples, kiwis, oranges, and hawthorns. Eventually, she chose the latter. At five yuan a skewer, the world had already adopted digital payments, but the elderly vendor clearly wasn’t accustomed to it, there was no QR code for scanning. Song Yi pulled out a leather wallet from her pocket, took out a hundred-yuan bill, and received ninety-five in change, all in tens and fives. Clutching the handful of cash with curiosity, she continued wandering among the stalls.

When she figured enough time had passed, Song Yi bought a portion of sushi and takoyaki before heading back.

Through the car window, she saw Zhou Zhou sitting upright, like a model student in class, her face now free of any trace of sadness.

Song Yi curved her lips into a smile, quickened her pace, and returned to the car. She peeled off the transparent plastic covering the candied hawthorn skewer and handed it to Zhou Zhou. “Have something sweet, it’ll make you feel better.”

Zhou Zhou’s eyes widened in surprise, hesitating to take it. Song Yi simply brought it to her lips. The top of the skewer was adorned with a small hawthorn berry, its sugary glaze brushing against Zhou Zhou’s mouth. Lowering her gaze, her long lashes fluttering like delicate fans, Zhou Zhou parted her lips and took a bite of the berry.

Just as Song Yi’s smile deepened, she noticed Zhou Zhou’s expression twist slightly, as if the tartness had caught her off guard.

Song Yi’s own mouth watered in sympathy. She glanced down at the skewer, the next fruit was a slice of kiwi, which also risked being sour. She took a bite herself and confirmed it was indeed a bit tart.

Next was a segment of mandarin orange. Certain it wouldn’t be sour, Song Yi brought it back to Zhou Zhou’s lips.

Zhou Zhou parted her lips again, biting into the sugar-coated orange. A burst of sweet juice flooded her mouth, spreading warmth straight to her heart.

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