Reborn as the Heartless Alpha - Chapter 38

The sofa in the shop was made of materials far inferior to those at home, but Song Yi found it unexpectedly comfortable. She had never felt a purchase was as satisfying as today’s.

The freshly brewed coffee was a bit hot. Song Yi’s fingertips lightly tapped the rim of the cup as her gaze drifted toward Zhou Zhou. She noticed Zhou Zhou’s straight, slender legs; her sitting posture was somewhat restricted by the pencil skirt. On her feet were a pair of moderate high heels, about five centimeters.

Song Yi’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. Setting her coffee on the small round table, she stood up to call a sales assistant over. From the corner of her eye, she saw Zhou Zhou take a small sip of her coffee; presumably finding it bitter, her entire face scrunched up slightly.

Song Yi lowered her hand halfway through the gesture and walked to Zhou Zhou’s side. Leaning down, she whispered with a smile, “Add some sugar.”

As she leaned over, her medium-length hair, tucked behind her ear, fell forward with the movement, obscuring half of her face. She happened to miss the sight of Zhou Zhou’s face turning slightly red as she bit her lower lip.

Mindful of Zhou Zhou’s dislike for bitterness, Song Yi opened both small packets of sugar provided with the coffee and gave them to her.

“Thank you, Ms. Song,” Zhou Zhou said softly.

Song Yi straightened up. “Stir it yourself and sit here to rest for a bit. I’m going to talk to the assistant.”

“…Okay.” Zhou Zhou nodded blankly. She quickly realized that after buying so many clothes, Ms. Song needed to coordinate the delivery details.

Zhou Zhou lowered her head, holding the silver spoon and stirring gently. The latte art was completely ruined, much like her chaotic heart at this moment. Taking another sip of the sweetened coffee, she found it indeed much less bitter.

Reaching the bottom of the cup, she finally saw the full design of the silver spoon; the handle was shaped like an arrow piercing a heart. Zhou Zhou’s face flushed uncontrollably again.

The sales assistant, standing not far away, approached and asked warmly, “Ms. Zhou, would you like a refill?”

Normally, Zhou Zhou hated bothering others, but right now, she replied almost urgently, “Yes, please. Thank you!”

The assistant took the used cup and soon returned with a new one. Zhou Zhou watched the coffee cover the tiny heart and breathed a sigh of relief—a blatant attempt to hide her embarrassment. This time, she only took tiny sips, determined not to let the bottom of the cup show again.

After communicating the home delivery arrangements for the next day, Song Yi picked out a relatively loose and comfortable orange-pink gauze dress from the collection. The assistant introduced it with a smile, noting that on Ms. Zhou, the length would just cover her knees.

Song Yi turned her head and coughed lightly, glancing at Zhou Zhou who was still sitting quietly.

“Do you have any suitable shoes to match? They should be comfortable and easy to walk in,” Song Yi asked without much hope, as she hadn’t seen any shoes in the display.

“We do.” The assistant pulled several opaque black shoe boxes from the bottom of a rack. They actually had shoes; Song Yi had assumed they were just decorations.

As the boxes were opened, Song Yi’s gaze locked onto a pair of soft-looking white sneakers. She bent them with her hand—they were indeed very flexible. White sneakers were versatile and would perfectly complement the orange-pink dress.

Seeing her thoughtful expression, the assistant praised, “Ms. Song has excellent taste. These white shoes incorporate a sneaker design, making them much more comfortable.”

Song Yi asked, “Do you have a size 36?” This pair looked a bit large for Zhou Zhou’s feet.

“I’ll check the stockroom. One moment, Ms. Song.”

Song Yi nodded. Instead of waiting, she walked over to Zhou Zhou with the orange-pink dress draped over her arm. Zhou Zhou would look beautiful in this.

“Ms. Song, are we leaving?” Zhou Zhou stood up immediately upon seeing her return.

“No rush.” Song Yi handed her the dress. “Change into this; it will be more comfortable.”

Zhou Zhou was stunned. So Ms. Song had noticed her discomfort.

“Thank you.” Zhou Zhou took the dress and headed for the fitting room. Song Yi waited a few meters away.

The assistant returned from the stockroom with a shoe box, looking pleased. “Ms. Song, we happened to have one pair in size 36. Since you’ve spent so much today, and our store is just beginning to branch into footwear, my manager said we can give these to you as a gift. I’ve checked, and we have about ten styles in size 36 that Ms. Zhou can wear.”

Song Yi opened the box and thanked her with a smile. The assistant couldn’t help but remark, “With you, Ms. Song, Ms. Zhou is truly very lucky.”

Just then, the fitting room door opened. Zhou Zhou remained behind the door as Song Yi handed the shoes inside. “Swap out the high heels as well.”

Zhou Zhou looked at the hand reaching in from the light. Ms. Song’s well-defined fingers were hooked into the back of the shoes. Zhou Zhou took them, her heart racing behind the door. While changing, she had worried the dress wouldn’t match her heels; Ms. Song had considered everything.

Switching into the sneakers, Zhou Zhou felt as though several mountains had been lifted off her shoulders. However, her heels had been rubbed raw by the high heels and were slightly bleeding. Fortunately, the bleeding was minor and the back of the white sneakers covered it. Ms. Song shouldn’t notice.

When Zhou Zhou stepped out, Song Yi’s eyes lit up. Zhou Zhou was perfectly suited for such a gentle, sweet dress. With her high ponytail, she looked remarkably youthful and vibrant.

Song Yi was a bit dazed. “This shop really suits you.” It was as if the brand were tailor-made for her; buying the whole store was not a waste at all. At this moment, Song Yi didn’t yet realize the status this brand, “Sweet Peach,” held in the industry; by her own strength, she had turned it into Zhou Zhou’s private wardrobe.

“Let’s go browse elsewhere,” Song Yi said, snapping out of it with a gentle smile.

Zhou Zhou lowered her head shyly and looked back once. The assistant said, “We will deliver the clothes and shoes you changed out of along with the rest of your order.”

“Thank you.”

Walking out of the shop, Zhou Zhou felt a sense of surrealism. Her life had undergone a massive change without her noticing. Before, she had only longed to own a beautiful dress like other girls—just one. But today, Ms. Song had bought an entire store for her. Or… perhaps it wasn’t all for her.

How could she ever repay Ms. Song?

While Zhou Zhou was lost in thought, Song Yi pulled her toward a row of claw machines outside the mall. It was quiet, with no one else playing. Song Yi liked the feeling of having the place to themselves.

“Zhou Zhou, see which machine has dolls you like. We’ll give it a try.”

Zhou Zhou scanned the machines and pointed to one containing oranges, watermelons, and little white lambs.

The technology in this world was a bit inconsistent; robots were advanced, yet electronic payments didn’t exist—only cards or cash. Naturally, these small games didn’t take cards. Song Yi told Zhou Zhou to wait and ran to a nearby counter, spending 200 yuan for 100 game coins.

She insisted Zhou Zhou try first. Zhou Zhou was hesitant, knowing how difficult it was to actually win. To her, it felt like wasting money. She hadn’t experienced much luck in her life; everything she had was earned through grueling effort. The only thing that felt unrealistically lucky was meeting Ms. Song. That luck had lasted until today, and she felt she would overdraw it if she asked for anything more.

“Ms. Song, you play. My luck isn’t good; it will be a waste of money,” Zhou Zhou said with a smile, acting as if she had no interest.

Hearing Zhou Zhou say her luck was “not good” made Song Yi’s heart ache.

“What counts as being lucky?” she asked.

Zhou Zhou was taken caught off guard. “…Catching a doll counts.”

Song Yi turned to the machine with a look of serious concentration, as if she were handling a billion-dollar deal. She rolled up her sleeves, ready for action.

Somehow, just watching her made Zhou Zhou nervous too. She remembered a news story about a man who spent thousands on a claw machine to no avail and ended up being arrested for trying to break into it. Winning was notoriously difficult; she worried Ms. Song would feel frustrated because of her comment.

Song Yi entered a state of total focus, staring at a bright yellow orange plushie. She dropped a coin and operated the laggy joystick. As expected, the first attempt failed.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth attempts failed too. The only gain was that Song Yi was finding her rhythm. Zhou Zhou stood by, not daring to distract her. Though she knew the odds were low, she prayed in her heart for Ms. Song to succeed.

Song Yi tried many more times until her shoulders and arms felt sore. Half the coins were gone, and she still hadn’t won. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t discouraged; this was the first time she had stumbled so many times on one task. But logic told her these machines were rigged for high difficulty. If it weren’t so, Zhou Zhou wouldn’t consider winning an act of luck.

Failed attempts didn’t matter. Song Yi regrouped.

The 97th and 98th tries… failed.

Only two coins remained. Both were extremely tense. As this battle drew to a close, Zhou Zhou closed her eyes slightly, not daring to watch.

Song Yi gritted her teeth, holding her breath. She pushed the joystick forward, stopped, and lowered the claw. The mechanical claws closed, hooking one of the orange plushie’s short legs. Song Yi’s arm muscles were aching, but she didn’t relax for a second, moving the joystick toward the drop zone.

The moment the claw released, the orange plushie tumbled through the exit. Zhou Zhou opened her eyes just in time to see it.

Ms. Song had actually succeeded!

Song Yi crouched down and pulled the orange doll, the one that had tormented her for 99 tries out of the machine. Holding it made it feel real. Her shoulders finally relaxed, and she let out a long breath.

She looked back at Zhou Zhou and smiled. Zhou Zhou smiled back, her eyes sparkling, appearing even more excited than Song Yi herself.

Song Yi stood up and asked with a grin, “One coin left. Want to try?”

Zhou Zhou hesitated and finally shook her head. “Luck has nothing to do with me. You do it, Ms. Song. Don’t waste it.”

“Nonsense.”

The smile in Song Yi’s eyes softened. She placed the orange doll into Zhou Zhou’s hands and spoke with a serious, earnest tone: “Luck is right here in your hands.”

Beneath the back of her hand was Ms. Song’s warm palm. Zhou Zhou’s heart raced once again. She had the illusion of being lifted up by luck itself.

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