Reborn as the Heartless Alpha - Chapter 30.1

After You Xuechu walked away, Zhou Zhou prepared to leave the room.

She turned her back to Miss Song and said, “I’ll go downstairs to prepare lunch first. Miss Song, you should hurry and take a bath too.”

Before Song Yi could even utter a single “Okay,” Zhou Zhou swiftly rushed out the door, leaving her alone.

The faint sweet scent of cherries still lingered in the room.

Song Yi turned and walked into the bathroom, where Zhou Zhou’s pheromones mixed with the fragrance of shower gel also remained.

After leaving the room, Zhou Zhou hurried downstairs in a flurry. Before she even reached the kitchen, she caught the aroma of food. Her steps faltered for a moment as she rested her right hand on the spiral staircase railing.

Miss You had only asked her to cook a bowl of noodles each day. The rest of the time, there were presumably professional chefs handling the meals. Standing on the stairs, she suddenly felt unsure of what she should do.

At that moment, You Xuechu was sitting on the cream-white sofa in the living room. Dressed in a white chiffon blouse and white suit pants, her fair skin nearly blended into the milky-white sofa. In her palm, she held a touch of green, a lifelike grasshopper whose wings she gently flicked with her fingers. No matter how realistic, it was still fake and wouldn’t actually jump.

Leaning back, the soft cream-white sofa cradled her. From this angle, she could just see Zhou Zhou standing motionless on the stairs.

Perhaps she wasn’t the only one feeling bored.

You Xuechu raised a hand and waved lightly. “Zhou Zhou, come here.”

Zhou Zhou snapped out of her daze, flustered as if caught slacking off at work by her boss, and quickly approached.

“Miss You, did you need something from me?” Zhou Zhou asked.

You Xuechu looked up at her, then after a pause, stood. “Zhou Zhou, you’re my guest. There’s no need to be so nervous or do so much. Just cooking me a bowl of noodles each day is enough.”

“But…” Zhou Zhou still felt uneasy, as if she were taking advantage of the situation.

Seeing that persuasion wasn’t working, You Xuechu decided to change tactics. “If you really need to do something to feel at ease, why not play a game of chess with me? I’m bored to death.”

“I’m sorry, Miss You, I don’t know how to play chess,” Zhou Zhou replied sheepishly, lowering her head. She had never learned chess, only the simplest game of Gomoku.

“Ah!” You Xuechu felt deeply disappointed. Was she doomed to only play digital chess on her phone?

Sensing Miss You’s low spirits and genuine desire to play, Zhou Zhou hesitated before mustering the courage to ask, “Miss You, I know how to play Gomoku. Would you like to…?”

“Yes!” You Xuechu’s mood instantly brightened, as if she had been set alight. She immediately fetched the family’s treasured chess set and set up the board.

“Which color do you want?” You Xuechu let Zhou Zhou choose first.

“Either is fine,” Zhou Zhou said.

“Then I’ll take red. You can have green.” You Xuechu eagerly handed the green pieces to Zhou Zhou.

And so, the two used the red and green chess pieces as substitutes for black and white, playing Gomoku.

“Zhou Zhou, you’re amazing!” You Xuechu lost three games in a row, with Zhou Zhou finishing each one swiftly.

Unaccustomed to praise, Zhou Zhou mumbled, “Just lucky.”

You Xuechu continued to gush, “Zhou Zhou, if you learned chess, you’d be unstoppable. Would you be interested in learning?”

Zhou Zhou shook her head; she wasn’t interested in chess. The only reason she knew how to play Gomoku was because the rules were simple. Back in the orphanage, there weren’t many games to play, but Gomoku was one of them. They would take turns playing, with the loser stepping down. That was how Zhou Zhou had honed her skills Gomoku had accompanied her through many leisurely childhood hours.

In today’s technologically advanced society, people are obsessed with various electronic games, and new forms of entertainment emerge endlessly. Few still enjoy chess, but You Xuechu happened to be one of them. She often grew frustrated because she couldn’t find anyone to play against.

Sure, she could play on her phone, but it always felt like she was facing an algorithm rather than a real opponent, it just wasn’t the same.

You Xuechu smiled and didn’t press further, simply saying, “Let’s play two more rounds, then we’ll eat.”

Zhou Zhou nodded in agreement.

So, when Song Yi came downstairs after her shower, this was the scene she encountered: You Xuechu and Zhou Zhou sitting together on the sofa with a chessboard between them, the atmosphere harmonious as both were deeply engrossed in the game.

She walked over and stood behind Zhou Zhou for a long while. Across from them, You Xuechu was so focused on the game that she didn’t even notice Song Yi’s presence.

They were playing Gomoku. Zhou Zhou was calm and decisive with her moves, while You Xuechu hesitated and agonized over each play. The outcome was quickly decided.

After watching one round, Song Yi genuinely felt that Zhou Zhou was quite skilled at Gomoku. As for You Xuechu, she was more adept at the complexities of chess, though she rarely found anyone to play with her.

There was one scene in the novel about chess that left a deep impression on Song Yi. It was when You Xuechu had just agreed to be with the original scumbag Alpha. Touched by how the scumbag had included her in games and meals, You Xuechu had invited her into her world, sharing her love for chess. But the scumbag, consumed by lust, had pushed You Xuechu onto the chessboard instead.

Even now, thinking about that scene made Song Yi furious. She wished someone who truly cared for You Xuechu could play chess with her, but the original novel never fulfilled that regret.

As Song Yi watched Zhou Zhou playing Gomoku with You Xuechu, she thought that even though it wasn’t chess, at least You Xuechu was happy in this moment and Zhou Zhou seemed happy too.

Only Song Yi felt a faint, inexplicable unease.

In truth, Zhou Zhou had noticed Song Yi’s presence long ago. Song Yi carried the same shower gel fragrance as her and stood so close behind her, how could she possibly overlook it?

“Lunch is ready, Miss You. You may eat now,” said a middle-aged woman in a full white chef’s uniform as she emerged from the kitchen, addressing You Xuechu kindly. She was the private chef hired by You Xuechu’s parents to take care of her meals. She was warm and enthusiastic, especially today, as the house had two rare guests. She had gone all out with her cooking, hoping Miss You and her friends would enjoy the meal.

Though You Xuechu had many grievances with her parents, she didn’t take them out on the staff. She turned her head slightly and said, “Thank you. We’ll eat after finishing this round. You can rest now.”

The chef withdrew. Just as You Xuechu was about to resume the game, she suddenly noticed Song Yi standing behind Zhou Zhou, wearing matching loungewear though in different colors. Zhou Zhou’s was orange, while Song Yi’s was light blue. The size was clearly off for Song Yi, with the pants noticeably too short.

Something’s fishy.

Song Yi felt a bit uneasy under You Xuechu’s intense gaze and offered an awkward yet polite smile in return.

She hoped You Xuechu would focus on the game instead of scrutinizing her with that detective-like stare.

You Xuechu seemed to suddenly think of something, giving a slight shudder before shifting her gaze away with a hint of disdain.

Song Yi was momentarily taken aback but quickly understood You Xuechu must have mistaken her for some pervert who had sneaked into Zhou Zhou’s room and even worn her clothes.

Song Yi: “…”

Finally, the match ended with You Xuechu’s victory. Surprised that she had won despite being distracted, You Xuechu assumed Zhou Zhou had gone easy on her to make her happy, completely unaware that she wasn’t the only one whose mind had wandered during the game.

“Let’s eat,” You Xuechu said, casually scattering the chess pieces before leading the way to the dining table.

Song Yi followed behind Zhou Zhou, who didn’t glance back once. You Xuechu had already taken her seat at the head of the table and, observing Song Yi trailing silently behind Zhou Zhou, couldn’t help but associate her with those creepy stalkers who followed young women around. Though, this one was admittedly much better-looking and hadn’t done anything particularly outrageous to Zhou Zhou, yet. So, for now, she decided to temporarily remove Song Yi from the “pervert” category.

Little did Song Yi know about the mental gymnastics You Xuechu had just put her through. She simply wanted to stay close to Zhou Zhou a little longer.

Only after sitting down at the table did Zhou Zhou finally glance at Song Yi. Seeing her in matching loungewear, Zhou Zhou froze for a second before dismissing the thought, of course Song Yi would borrow clothes from her wardrobe since she had nothing else to wear here.

“Dig in!” You Xuechu started eating enthusiastically. Perhaps the mental exertion of playing Gomoku with chess pieces had worked up her appetite.

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