Reborn as the Heartless Alpha - Chapter 28

Zhou Zhou never imagined she’d get to see Miss Song before her heat period ended it felt like a dream. She quickly blinked her eyes, afraid that if she kept them closed for even a second longer, Miss Song might vanish into thin air.

But Miss Song didn’t disappear. She stood perfectly fine by the kitchen door, her eyes curved into a smile as she looked at her.

Zhou Zhou didn’t know how long Miss Song had been there, but she was just happy she had come.

So, so happy.

“Ahem!”

You Xuechu, who had been standing there like a background prop, couldn’t take it anymore. This was her house, wasn’t it? Why was everyone acting like she didn’t exist?

“Good morning, Miss You,” Zhou Zhou finally noticed her and greeted her with a smile. “Please have a seat in the living room. I’ll just finish serving the noodles.”

You Xuechu gave a slight nod. Zhou Zhou had given her a reason to leave, and in doing so, had also created a chance for herself and Song Yi to be alone.

“What are you cooking?” Song Yi was the first to speak.

“Vegetable and shredded chicken noodles,” Zhou Zhou answered softly, not daring to meet Miss Song’s eyes for fear of revealing the longing in her heart.

Since Miss You was still waiting in the living room, Zhou Zhou didn’t linger in small talk with Miss Song. Just seeing her once was already enough to make her happy. She turned back to finish serving the noodles, but Song Yi took a few steps closer, watching as Zhou Zhou ladled out three bowls.

A flicker of confusion crossed her mind. She had a rough idea of Zhou Zhou’s appetite, and she knew You Xuechu’s too, in the novel, You Xuechu was not only known as the “Ice Beauty” but also infamous for her picky eating. Even the most skilled chefs could hardly get her to take more than a few bites, so her portions were always small.

But why had Zhou Zhou made so much? Had she unconsciously prepared a portion for her too?

The thought made Song Yi feel a little presumptuous. Maybe she had just accidentally made too much.

This time, Zhou Zhou remembered to wear heat-resistant gloves as she carefully carried a bowl of noodles out. Her hands weren’t burning, but her heart certainly was.

She set the bowl in front of You Xuechu and said, “This is my first time making vegetable and shredded chicken noodles. If it’s not good, please bear with me, Miss You.”

For a moment, You Xuechu felt like she was being addressed by some top-tier banquet chef. She couldn’t help but laugh.

She took a bite immediately. “It’s delicious.”

How strange. Did she have some kind of weird stomach that only liked Zhou Zhou’s cooking?

She had always heard that taste was subjective different flowers for different eyes but she never expected food to be the same. Different dishes for different stomachs.

She really wanted to hire Zhou Zhou as her personal chef. Unfortunately, Song Yi would never agree, and Zhou Zhou probably wouldn’t either.

Zhou Zhou froze. Miss You had said it so frankly, without a trace of politeness. Her usually unconfident cooking had not only earned Miss Song’s approval but now Miss You’s as well. Her heart swelled with excitement and joy.

“You should come eat too,” You Xuechu said.

“Mm.” Zhou Zhou turned to go back to the kitchen for the remaining noodles, only to see Miss Song already walking out with two bowls in her hands. Just watching made Zhou Zhou’s own hands feel like they were burning.

Tsk!

You Xuechu set down her chopsticks in amazement, watching as Song Yi placed the two bowls down, her hands already red from the heat. Zhou Zhou’s eyes were filled with poorly concealed worry.

And yet, they still insisted they didn’t like each other.

Were these two just bullying her for not being a bright enough third wheel?

How annoying!

You Xuechu felt inexplicably irritated but helpless. She watched as Zhou Zhou followed Song Yi back into the kitchen, where the sound of running water soon followed Song Yi rinsing her scalded hands under the tap, Zhou Zhou removing her gloves and waiting behind her.

“Miss Song, your hand.”

“It’s fine.”

“But…”

“Zhou Zhou, did you make an extra portion of noodles?”

“Y-yes, I guess.”

Zhou Zhou didn’t dare tell the truth. Last night, Miss You mentioned she’d finished two bowls of noodles. Since Zhou Zhou had promised to cook her a bowl every day, she’d asked about Miss You’s usual appetite just to confirm.

Miss You had smiled and said, “One bowl is enough. Two is my absolute limit, it’s hard to reach that.”

So, including her own portion, Zhou Zhou only needed to make two bowls in the morning. But why had she still prepared enough for three when cooking?

Was it an accident?

Blushing at her own thoughts, Zhou Zhou was pulled from her reverie when Rong Yi mused, “Well, we can’t let it go to waste.”

You Xuechu’s voice suddenly rang out: “The noodles are getting soggy. When are you coming out to eat?”

Staring at the three bowls of noodles on the table with only herself eating, You Xuechu felt oddly lonely and decided to call the others out from the kitchen.

Zhou Zhou, flustered at the thought of Miss You misunderstanding her relationship with Miss Song again, hurried to leave the kitchen.

“Wait.” Rong Yi grabbed Zhou Zhou’s arm. “Take off your apron first.”

Zhou Zhou froze. Without waiting for her to move, Rong Yi untied the bow from behind. Coming to her senses, Zhou Zhou quickly removed the apron from the front, hung it back in place, and darted out of the kitchen, her cheeks and ears burning.

“Did Rong Yi bully you?” You Xuechu asked warily, remembering how unreasonable Rong Yi could be during her rut cycles.

Zhou Zhou shook her head. “No.”

Rong Yi emerged from the kitchen at a leisurely pace. At the rectangular dining table, Zhou Zhou and You Xuechu sat directly across from each other, the farthest possible distance while Rong Yi took a seat between them. Tilting her head slightly toward You Xuechu, she said, “Thanks for having me.”

You Xuechu lifted her chin and huffed pridefully.

When Rong Yi arrived that morning, she’d expected to be treated coldly. But You Xuechu was far friendlier than she’d imagined not only inviting her in to see Zhou Zhou but also offering breakfast. It was unexpectedly touching.

Zhou Zhou sat quietly in her seat, eating her noodles while occasionally stealing glances at Miss Song from the corner of her eye.

You Xuechu started eating first and finished first, followed by Rong Yi.

Soon, it was just the two of them watching Zhou Zhou eat.

You Xuechu realized this was what it felt like to share a meal with others. Since childhood, she’d always eaten alone. Her parents were too busy, constantly flying around the world for business, never having time for even a single meal together.

Given her status, finding someone to dine with should have been easy. She’d once made all her subordinates eat with her, but they’d fidgeted nervously at the table, unable to enjoy the food. If she so much as frowned at a dish she disliked, they’d panic and ask, “Miss, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Rong Yi had been the first to play games with her, the first to invite her to eat together. That was why she’d lost her head back then, briefly happy before the long aftermath of nausea and loss of appetite. Getting to the point where she could eat even a little now had been a struggle.

Rong Yi had no idea what You Xuechu was thinking. All she saw was You Xuechu staring intently at Zhou Zhou proof that she definitely had feelings for her!

But Zhou Zhou would have a wonderful fiancée in the future, so You Xuechu decided not to meddle, lest she end up heartbroken again.

“Zhou Zhou, is there still any soup in the kitchen?” After hesitating for a moment, You Xuechu finally asked.

Zhou Zhou replied that there was still a bit left, along with some greens and shredded chicken.

So You Xuechu took a bowl and headed into the kitchen. Song Yi was momentarily stunned before quickly following her, somewhat puzzled by You Xuechu’s behavior.

You Xuechu stood in front of the stove, clumsily scooping food with a spatula. The shredded chicken was manageable, but the greens were less cooperative.

Song Yi, who was equally inexperienced in the kitchen, somehow found the confidence to say, “Let me do it.”

You Xuechu’s arms were already tired from holding the bowl, so she stepped aside and let Song Yi take over.

However, Song Yi was only slightly better than her.

Suppressing a laugh, You Xuechu watched as Song Yi muttered, “What kind of greens are these? So thin and long, all tangled together, completely inseparable.” It never occurred to her to use chopsticks.

In the end, Song Yi piled all the food into You Xuechu’s bowl.

“You don’t want any?” You Xuechu asked in surprise.

Song Yi shook her head, letting You Xuechu have it. It was rare for her to eat a proper meal anyway.

After a brief hesitation, You Xuechu asked, “Why don’t you stay a little longer?”

It was an invitation.

Song Yi raised an eyebrow. “Alright.”

Zhou Zhou sat alone in the living room, eating noodles and wondering what Miss Song and Miss You were doing in the kitchen.

She recalled that Miss You and Miss Song had once been together and gently poked the noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks.

Their relationship seemed to have thawed a bit were they getting back together?

If they could reconcile, that would be wonderful. Miss Song and Miss You were truly a perfect match.

When Song Yi and You Xuechu emerged, the contrast between their bowls was striking. You Xuechu’s was piled high with greens and shredded chicken, while Song Yi’s contained nothing but clear broth, a rather bleak comparison at first glance.

Yet both wore calm expressions. Zhou Zhou quietly noted that Miss Song preferred broth, while Miss You liked more vegetables.

After the three of them finished eating, Zhou Zhou began cleaning up. The initial agreement of making just one bowl of noodles a day didn’t sit right with her, so she wanted to do more and You Xuechu agreed to all of it.

Feeling rather full, You Xuechu suddenly caught a reproachful glance from Song Yi, as if accusing her: Don’t you have a housekeeper at home?

Zhou Zhou insisted on doing it herself. You Xuechu mouthed the words silently.

Song Yi could probably guess as much, but she still felt an inexplicable discomfort.

Zhou Zhou would be staying with You Xuechu for the next few days, which meant she’d inevitably end up doing a lot for her, even if You Xuechu didn’t ask, Zhou Zhou would take the initiative.

Under Song Yi’s intense gaze, You Xuechu grew uneasy, assuming Song Yi was upset about overworking Zhou Zhou, and quickly stood up.

Fine, I’ll go help Zhou Zhou.

But before she could move, Song Yi reached out and stopped her. “I’ll do it.”

You Xuechu: “???”

Weren’t they just supposed to have an employer-employee relationship? Wasn’t Song Yi supposed to have no feelings for Zhou Zhou?

Since when did employers get so possessive?

Zhou Zhou was washing the dishes, three bowls were quickly done, leaving only a heavy pot. Struggling a bit, Zhou Zhou lifted it, but Song Yi took it from her hands and began scrubbing awkwardly.

Zhou Zhou stood by, pouring dish soap for her.

“Is this okay?” Song Yi asked, tilting her head.

“Mm.”

After placing the cleaned pot back, Song Yi casually asked, “Are you settling in okay here?”

Of course, Zhou Zhou couldn’t admit she’d had trouble sleeping the night before. “It’s fine,” she replied.

“Miss Song, how are you feeling now?” Zhou Zhou asked nervously.

“Not bad,” Song Yi replied with the same answer.

After a pause, Song Yi asked again, “If something happens to me again, will you come to see me?”

“Yes,” Zhou Zhou blurted out without hesitation. If Miss Song had asked her to stay yesterday, she wouldn’t have left.

Song Yi’s mood improved considerably. “In a few days, once everything is completely stable, I’ll take you back with me.”

“Okay,” Zhou Zhou said, already looking forward to it.

“Here’s your phone, I brought it for you.” Song Yi handed the phone to Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou carefully took it, making sure not to touch Song Yi’s hand. Song Yi noticed but didn’t say anything.

After leaving the kitchen, Zhou Zhou found herself another task to do. After asking Miss You, she took the initiative to trim the weeds growing on the lawn outside. You Xuechu had already set up a chessboard, intending to ask Song Yi for a game, but Song Yi simply followed Zhou Zhou outside instead.

Left with nothing to do, You Xuechu soon grew bored and stepped outside as well. She saw Song Yi and Zhou Zhou both dressed in work clothes, wearing straw hats and wielding lawn-trimming tools. Feeling eager to join, she was about to approach when Song Yi stopped her.

“Don’t come over. There are bugs, and the tools are loud when they’re running.” The lawn wasn’t big, and the two of them wouldn’t take long to finish. There was really no need for You Xuechu to join.

You Xuechu gave an OK sign and stood watching them, a hint of envy in her eyes.

Song Yi continued working diligently. Zhou Zhou noticed the loneliness in Miss You’s gaze she probably wanted to reconcile with Song Yi but couldn’t find the right moment.

When they finished, Song Yi and Zhou Zhou crouched in the freshly trimmed grass to rest. Zhou Zhou picked a long blade of grass and quickly folded it into a vivid green grasshopper.

Song Yi found it fascinating and asked Zhou Zhou to teach her. Zhou Zhou helped her pick a suitable blade of grass and guided her step by step through the process. Song Yi, who had never done any crafts before, managed to fold a somewhat irregular grasshopperat the cost of a small cut on her index finger.

It stung a little.

Zhou Zhou looked even more distressed than Song Yi, urging her to go tend to the wound. But Song Yi didn’t move. Instead, she smiled and asked, “Is it ugly?”

Was the grasshopper she made ugly?

It took Zhou Zhou a second to realize she was talking about the grasshopper. She shook her head but kept staring at the small wound, her brows deeply furrowed. Still, she comforted her, “Miss You would definitely like it.”

Song Yi paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

“Open your hand.”

“What for?” Zhou Zhou asked but complied anyway.

Song Yi placed the grasshopper she had made into Zhou Zhou’s palm and closed her fingers around it. “For you.”

Zhou Zhou’s heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened to an unprecedented degree, and her lips parted slightly, but she was too stunned to speak.

The grasshopper Song Yi had made even injuring herself in the process was meant for her?

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