Reborn as the Heartless Alpha - Chapter 32

When Song Yi asked this question, she didn’t look at Zhou Zhou. She knew very well that the request she was making was unreasonable for both of them, especially for Zhou Zhou.

Whether Zhou Zhou agreed or not was entirely justifiable. Song Yi avoided her gaze because she didn’t want Zhou Zhou to be influenced by her own irrationality. She even hoped that Zhou Zhou would refuse her quickly to nip this mistake in the bud and stop them from heading over the cliff.

 

However, Zhou Zhou did not do as she wished.

 

Zhou Zhou took a soft breath. Regardless of why Ms. Song wanted her to stay, it was a fatal temptation for her.

 

She simply could not refuse any request from Ms. Song. Nor could she bear to see Ms. Song sitting in the corner of the sofa, her sharp yet soft profile appearing inexplicably lonely under the glow of the warm lights.

 

“Okay,” she whispered, staring at her own hand wrapped in snowy-white gauze.

 

Since she couldn’t refuse, she would agree. As for Ms. You’s side, she would just go back a little earlier tomorrow morning to make breakfast for her; it wasn’t an insurmountable problem after all. In truth, she knew perfectly well that she agreed simply because she didn’t want to leave Ms. Song.

 

Upon hearing this, Song Yi’s long, fair, and well-defined fingers resting on the table stiffened for a moment. Then, she pinched the wings of the straw-woven butterfly, silently tightening her grip. Zhou Zhou’s agreement was unexpected, yet it made sense.

 

“It’s getting late. Go upstairs and rest,” Song Yi said, standing up. She leaned over to pinch the wings of the other green butterfly, intending to take them both upstairs.

 

Zhou Zhou stood up as well and reminded her, “Ms. Song, be careful. Please don’t get cut again.”

 

Song Yi turned and smiled at Zhou Zhou, raising her right hand. Both tiny butterfly wings were held firmly in her grasp, leaving the sharp edges no chance to touch her soft skin. “You’re the one who needs to be careful.”

 

It was a very ordinary sentence, yet Zhou Zhou’s ears turned warm for some reason, and she forgot to move her feet forward.

 

“Come here.”

 

Seeing that Zhou Zhou wasn’t moving, Song Yi waved her over and waited in place. Only when Zhou Zhou walked up did they head upstairs side by side.

 

This feeling of walking together was undoubtedly a wonderful experience for Zhou Zhou. Even if it was just a physical accompaniment, it was enough to fill her heart with joy. She knew the gap between her and Ms. Song was too vast; she might never be able to bridge that distance on any other level in this lifetime. Thus, experiencing this brief, illusory dream was a form of beauty in itself.

 

Upon reaching the second floor, Song Yi walked straight past her own room and stopped in front of Zhou Zhou’s door. Behind her, Zhou Zhou’s footsteps faltered, falling a step behind.

 

Is Ms. Song?

 

“Zhou Zhou, the digital lock has been replaced. Come over and set a password, or you can register your fingerprint,” Song Yi said, staring at the newly installed lock.

 

Zhou Zhou’s stray thoughts were immediately dispelled. She hurried over, her face slightly flushed. Under Ms. Song’s guidance, she first recorded her fingerprint and then entered a password.

 

“Go ahead and enter it. Make sure you remember it yourself,” Song Yi instructed while turning her back to give her privacy.

 

“Now that the lock is changed, you don’t have to worry about me suddenly going mad and acting inappropriately toward you anymore.” Because Zhou Zhou’s safety was now more secure, Song Yi’s tone was very lighthearted.

 

Zhou Zhou’s hand paused slightly while entering the code, realizing that she seemed to be a burden to Ms. Song.

 

After a minute’s delay, Zhou Zhou finally successfully entered the password and confirmed it with the system.

 

“Ms. Song, I’m finished.” Zhou Zhou stared at Ms. Song’s back, averting her eyes the moment Ms. Song turned around.

 

Song Yi turned back. “Did you memorize it firmly?”

 

“Yes.” Zhou Zhou’s long lashes trembled slightly. She thought to herself, “I will never forget it.”

 

The password she entered consisted of only four digits, 0609. It was the date Ms. Song had rescued her from those Alphas and brought her home.

 

Song Yi breathed a sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted. She smiled and said, “Goodnight.”

 

She looked at Zhou Zhou, waiting for her to return the farewell so she could go back to her room satisfied. But Zhou Zhou didn’t; she just stared straight at her.

 

Zhou Zhou rarely looked at her so brazenly; it seemed to be the first time. It looked as though she had something more to say. Song Yi immediately turned serious and asked gently, “Is there something else?”

 

Zhou Zhou suddenly closed her eyes, appearing to summon every ounce of strength in her body to utter the sentence, “Ms. Song, do you need my pheromones right now?”

 

Straightforward words always hit the heart hardest. Without the need for elaborate phrasing, she simply bared her sincere heart.

 

Looking at Zhou Zhou with her eyes tightly shut, her small face scrunched up, and her body even trembling slightly, Song Yi’s lips curled into a silent smile.

 

To anyone else, this would look exactly like an uncertain confession in a budding school romance.

 

But Song Yi knew Zhou Zhou only asked because she was worried about her health.

 

She felt a surge of warmth. Even with an injured hand, Zhou Zhou didn’t forget to care about her situation, fearing that without the soothing effect of pheromones, she would be unable to sleep. If Zhou Zhou hadn’t come tonight, Song Yi might indeed have suffered from insomnia all night. But Zhou Zhou was here.

 

Beyond her restless heart finding peace, Song Yi also felt very happy.

 

At a time like this, did she still need the comfort of pheromones?

 

Song Yi knew very well that she could control herself even without them. But she looked at Zhou Zhou’s face, and with just one glance, she felt an irresistible magic.

 

Zhou Zhou kept her eyes closed, feeling as though a century had passed. Waiting was always agonizing.

 

She knew that asking such a question right after Ms. Song had said “goodnight” could easily cause a misunderstanding or unnecessary ambiguity. But thinking that Ms. Song might fall back into the kind of agony she suffered that day in the laboratory, she gathered the courage to ask anyway.

 

The worst that could happen was being rejected; Ms. Song’s health was more important.

 

In the midst of the struggle, both hearts were moving closer to each other.

 

Song Yi lifted her foot and stepped toward Zhou Zhou. A single step’s distance meant the journey ended as soon as it began.

 

The distance suddenly vanished. Song Yi’s nose caught the scent of the same body wash they both used. Zhou Zhou still had her hair in a bun, with many stray hairs falling at the back of her head, struggling to cover the gland where the scent-blocking patch was applied, though they were too short to be effective.

 

Instead, it created a hazy beauty. Half-hidden behind many fine strands of dark hair, it was somehow more alluring.

 

A flash of Zhou Zhou walking around You Xuechu’s villa in the same way crossed Song Yi’s mind. Something changed silently; a strange feeling welled up in her heart. Before her hand reached for the scent-blocking patch, it first moved toward that round, full bun of black hair.

 

Zhou Zhou was also breathing in Ms. Song’s scent. Suddenly, a pair of hands brushed over her hair. The round bun was undone, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Zhou Zhou felt no pain at all; Ms. Song’s touch was gentle, as if she had much experience tying and untying hair.

 

Was it for Ms. You, or other girlfriends? Zhou Zhou remembered Ms. You saying that Ms. Song used to be quite the playboy and that Ms. You wasn’t the only girlfriend she had ever dated.

 

But then again, Ms. Song was so wonderful; it was only natural for many girls to like her. As for why she changed girlfriends one after another, Zhou Zhou didn’t know the inside story and didn’t feel it was her place to make excuses for her.

 

She only knew that the Ms. Song she encountered didn’t seem as contemptible as Ms. You described. She was willing to believe in Ms. Song, but also willing to believe her own eyes, ears, and feelings.

 

Under the weight of these conflicting sensations, she was confused.

 

Once Zhou Zhou’s thoughts began to wander, she couldn’t stop herself from overthinking.

 

It wasn’t until the scent-blocking patch on her nape was gently peeled away and a warm fingertip brushed against her that a slight tremor ran through her body. Zhou Zhou snapped back to reality.

 

At this moment, Song Yi had both hands propped against the door. She wasn’t touching her, but her hot breath fell against Zhou Zhou’s neck, causing Zhou Zhou’s own breathing to become hurried.

 

Ms. Song was so close. From this angle, it was as if she were being held in Ms. Song’s arms.

 

Song Yi felt things were getting a bit intense. Just before she lost her composure, she pressed the corner of the patch she had lifted back into place for Zhou Zhou and took three steps back. “Goodnight.”

 

This time she didn’t wait for Zhou Zhou’s reply. She walked quickly to her own door, pressed the handle, and pushed her way inside.

 

Zhou Zhou noticed that Ms. Song’s room didn’t seem to have a new lock; she had only changed the one for her.

 

“Goodnight,” she replied softly before using her fingerprint to unlock the door and enter, even though Ms. Song could no longer hear her.

 

Back in her room, Song Yi first placed the two green straw-woven butterflies on the vanity. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror; she wasn’t sleepy at all. In fact, she looked radiant. She guessed this was entirely thanks to Zhou Zhou’s pheromones.

 

In the ABO world, an Alpha nourished by Omega pheromones always becomes a bit different.

 

She couldn’t help but touch the butterfly wings again with her index finger, thinking about what to do tomorrow morning.

 

With Zhou Zhou’s hand injured, it would certainly be inconvenient for her to make breakfast. How should she handle You Xuechu? Furthermore, whether Zhou Zhou would still be there when she woke up tomorrow was a concern.

 

Then there were the two little culprit grasshoppers that caused Zhou Zhou’s injury. Since Zhou Zhou had promised not to weave things with grass anymore, she would lose a handicraft hobby.

 

Thinking of handicrafts, Song Yi’s memory drifted back a few years to when she was in high school. She had been confessed to by many female students and had received handmade tokens like paper cranes and stars folded from colored tubes or paper. Although she hadn’t accepted any of them, she at least knew how everyone did romance.

 

She figured that these things used for romance and expressing one’s heart would be good for passing the time daily.

 

Song Yi opened a shopping app and found various handicraft tools, including but not limited to luminous star paper and wishing star glitter origami. Anything she thought Zhou Zhou might like, she added to the cart and placed the order immediately, asking the shop for rush delivery.

 

Having done this, Song Yi felt she had resolved another major issue. Forbidding Zhou Zhou from weaving grass grasshoppers was a bit overbearing, even if it was for her own good. Now that she had provided safer alternatives as compensation, she felt more at ease.

 

She lay back on her soft, large bed and closed her eyes. The faint, sweet scent of cherries still lingered at the tip of her nose. Realizing there was one more thing to do, she sat back up, set an alarm for six o’clock, and lay back down. Thinking that wasn’t early enough, she changed it to 5:30. Only then did she finally fall asleep peacefully, forgetting even to turn off the lights.

 

The next morning, Song Yi sat up the moment the alarm rang. She got out of bed, put on her slippers, and walked into the bathroom. After a quick wash, she hurried downstairs to the kitchen as if her life depended on it, while keeping an ear out for movement outside so she could intercept Zhou Zhou when she came down.

 

She had woken up so early today that even Zhou Zhou wasn’t up yet. Before coming downstairs, she looked through the floor-to-ceiling window and saw that the sky was light, but it was a hazy, grey light; the sun hadn’t come out yet.

 

It would be inconvenient for Zhou Zhou to cook with her hand injured, so Song Yi wanted to get up early to replace her. As for You Xuechu, Song Yi planned to invite her over here to eat.

 

But it was still too early to call. She estimated that You Xuechu wasn’t up yet.

 

Better cook first, Song Yi thought, shaking her head. She hadn’t even decided what to make. She, a person who knew absolutely nothing about cooking, had no idea where she got the confidence to make breakfast for three people.

 

Perhaps it was because she had made wontons with Zhou Zhou that other day.

 

Song Yi pulled out her all-powerful phone and asked via voice command, “What is suitable for an injured person to eat for breakfast?”

 

Unsurprisingly, the answer was a light diet: porridge, noodles, or vermicelli. Song Yi remembered the takeout they ordered last time; Zhou Zhou had said the seafood porridge from that place was good.

 

But ultimately, Song Yi suppressed the urge to order takeout. During her rut, Zhou Zhou had promised to cook a bowl of noodles for You Xuechu every day. Since she had decided to take over for Zhou Zhou, she couldn’t be lazy. Besides, when she was at Ding Chen’s place, she had helped Zhou Zhou as an assistant; cooking a bowl of noodles should be manageable.

 

However, noodles didn’t seem like they could sit for long; they had to be eaten as soon as they were cooked, and it wouldn’t take long to boil them anyway.

 

So, Song Yi immediately decided to call You Xuechu and notify her that she could get up now and prepare to come over for breakfast.

 

When she was woken by the phone, You Xuechu felt like hitting someone.

 

Ridiculous. Song Yi was inexplicably inviting her to breakfast early in the morning and hung up after barely saying a few words. She had no idea what had gotten into her.

 

Despite being somewhat angry, You Xuechu got up quickly, washed up, changed her clothes, and headed to Song Yi’s villa.

 

Shortly after six in the morning, golden light broke through the clouds in the east. You Xuechu was amazed to see a fiery red sun slowly rising, casting pale golden light across the land. The greenery along the road and even the asphalt beneath her feet looked different.

 

You Xuechu took out her phone and snapped a few photos of the sunrise. Suddenly, she wasn’t so angry with Song Yi anymore.

 

It was just a bit of a shame that she was the only one watching such a beautiful sunrise.

 

When You Xuechu walked into the villa, she headed straight for the kitchen. She could already smell the natural aroma of food.

 

Song Yi turned her head when she heard footsteps. She was surprised to see that You Xuechu’s face didn’t hold a trace of anger from having her morning dreams interrupted. She greeted her with a smile, “Go sit out there for a while. Your noodles will be ready soon.”

 

“Being so kind for no reason, you must be up to something. Tell me, why are you suddenly cooking noodles for me?” You Xuechu didn’t leave; she stood behind Song Yi and asked bluntly.

 

Song Yi dodged the question. “Do you want a poached egg?”

 

“Yes. Song Yi, you haven’t answered my question!”

 

“Baby bok choy or water spinach?”

 

“What kind of vegetable?” You Xuechu was led off-track again.

 

Song Yi pointed to the two kinds of green vegetables she had washed. “The wide ones or the long, thin ones?”

 

“The wide ones. I had the long ones yesterday,” You Xuechu replied, finally settling down.

 

Good, Song Yi thought, secretly wiping away some sweat. She hadn’t figured out how to tell You Xuechu that Zhou Zhou was here, let alone how to explain wanting to keep her, so she could only bypass the topic for now. Fortunately, You Xuechu wasn’t a difficult person to handle.

 

They were childhood friends after all; You Xuechu was quite tolerant of her, likely because of the original host’s history. Thinking this, Song Yi silently cracked another egg into the pot.

 

Just as You Xuechu was smelling the aroma and tapping her feet on the floor to a rhythm, another familiar voice sounded behind her.

 

“Ms. Song, why did you get up to make breakfast yourself?” And so early, too.

 

Zhou Zhou had originally intended to leave directly for Ms. You’s villa, but when she smelled the aroma, she knew Ms. Song had gotten up early. Since the villa staff hadn’t started work yet at this hour, it could only be Ms. Song herself in the kitchen.

 

She just wanted to say a quick goodbye, but she never expected to see a completely unanticipated face.

 

Ms. You was actually here too!

 

The level of shock You Xuechu felt at seeing Zhou Zhou was no less than Zhou Zhou’s surprise at seeing her.

 

The two stared at each other and finally turned their gazes toward Song Yi together. Being stared at by two such intense, questioning looks, Song Yi remained calm as she stirred the noodles in the pot, though in her heart she felt like she had truly become a scum woman.

 

The low-level kind of scum woman who lets two ambiguous interests run into each other.

 

Even though neither You Xuechu nor Zhou Zhou were truly her romantic interests, Song Yi was still on the verge of collapsing. Why was she, the ultimate Solitary King, experiencing such a Shura Field scene?

 

In the end, it was You Xuechu whose curiosity got the better of her, and she spoke up. “Song Yi, you’re really a piece of work. Did you take advantage of Zhou Zhou being asleep and kidnap her here?”

 

“No,” Zhou Zhou instinctively defended Ms. Song. It was she herself who had run back to see the fountain; it had nothing to do with Ms. Song.

 

You Xuechu raised her right hand slightly in a gesture, and Zhou Zhou bit her lip, falling silent.

 

Becoming like a guardian for Zhou Zhou, You Xuechu asked Song Yi with a cold, stern expression, “How far have you two progressed?”