Reborn as the Heartless Alpha - Chapter 44

Her own rose.

The air conditioner in the corner hummed with a low noise, blowing a cool breeze from the side that seemed to travel straight into the heart.

Song Yi felt a strange, scratching itch deep inside. It was a blessing from Zhou Zhou.

Song Yi took a step back and turned her head, standing with her back to the draft. She saw the rose again, its thorns and leaves gone, leaving only the fiery red petals and a slender green stem. It lay on the table next to a glass of Mango Pomelo Yogurt. The condensation on the outside of the glass, formed by the clash of cold and heat, gathered into droplets that slid down the cup, blurring into a wet ring that touched the rose’s stem.

A chill spread through her heart. Song Yi withdrew her gaze and walked toward the counter, asking the clerk for a sheet of old newspaper before returning to wrap the rose.

She sat back in her seat and saw that Zhou Zhou was still standing in front of the wall covered in sticky notes. Zhou Zhou had her head tilted up, looking as if she were trying to read the content of the note Song Yi had placed at the very top—or perhaps she wasn’t, as there were many other notes up there requiring that same upward gaze.

Song Yi had intentionally written the words very small, and in Spanish.

The Chinese equivalent was: “I want to fall in love in the height of summer.”

Placing it at the highest point and obscuring it in a different language was because Song Yi didn’t want to expose this sudden, fervent thought. At that height, combined with the language barrier, Song Yi was certain Zhou Zhou couldn’t understand it, yet she still couldn’t quite put her mind at ease.

Song Yi didn’t know what was happening to her. Usually accustomed to being a “lonely king,” she suddenly had the urge to be in love, writing something as sappy as “wanting to fall in love in the height of summer.”

She knew very well it wasn’t a whim. She hadn’t stopped writing even when the ink faltered, and even now, her heart continued to leap about erratically.

Zhou Zhou finally turned and came back. Song Yi bit her straw and looked up at her; Zhou Zhou seemed a little defeated.

As she sat down, the light in Zhou Zhou’s eyes suddenly brightened. She saw the old newspaper wrapped around the rose. The beautiful, fragile flower, which had no protective cover, now had a layer of safety—even if it was just a sheet of old newsprint.

The corners of Song Yi’s mouth curved slightly. “This rose is very much like you.”

Zhou Zhou’s eyes widened in surprise, unsure why Ms. Song would say such a thing. She didn’t ask, only looking down at the rose carefully bundled in the paper.

“Do you not like this drink?” Song Yi asked, truly curious about Zhou Zhou’s preferences.

“No, I do.” Zhou Zhou began to sip the drink through the straw.

While waiting for Zhou Zhou to finish, Song Yi opened an app and found that on the second floor of the adjacent building, there was a private cinema where one could freely choose a film to watch.

It was still early, and Song Yi didn’t want to return to the villa so soon. She looked up and asked, “Do you want to watch a movie?”

Zhou Zhou looked up, her eyes blank for a moment. “A movie?”

“Yes. By the time the movie ends, it’ll be evening, and we can head back to the villa.”

Zhou Zhou let go of her straw, her face turning slightly pink. “…I’m fine with whatever you’d like.”

Zhou Zhou had never been to a real cinema. She had only seen two outdoor screenings of old war films on the school playground—the images were grainy and felt like they belonged to another era.

Why does Ms. Song want to watch a movie with me? she wondered. She remembered back at school, classmates only invited people they liked or their best friends to the cinema. She and Ms. Song didn’t seem to have that kind of intimate relationship.

She held the damp glass with both hands, hesitating over whether to keep drinking or stop.

Song Yi saw her hesitation and smiled. “I’ll wait until you finish.” Once Zhou Zhou relaxed and went back to her drink, Song Yi looked through the cinema’s library. She found many drama films she had already seen in her spare time, and many romance films she had never touched.

What is a romance movie like? Song Yi bit her lip, trying to think, only to find her mind a complete blank.

It seems there was a very good reason I stayed single for so long, Song Yi couldn’t help but laugh at herself.

Since she wanted to feel what love was like, Song Yi felt it was necessary to watch a movie to learn. She clicked on a movie’s description.

“An epic romance, the Titanic of same-sex love.”

Though she hadn’t seen it, Song Yi had heard of the original Titanic. However, her previous world didn’t seem to have a same-sex version. This ABO world really did have everything.

Song Yi felt a sudden moment of enlightenment. Her lack of romantic thoughts in the past might have been because her mind wasn’t “open.” She didn’t like men, but she hadn’t considered women either. Now that she was in an ABO world and suddenly had these feelings, did it mean she wasn’t a “lonely king” by nature, but had simply never discovered her correct orientation?

The realization left Song Yi a bit stunned.

Just then, Zhou Zhou finished her drink. “Ms. Song,” she called.

Song Yi withdrew her gaze from her phone and looked up.

“Are we going to see the movie now?” Zhou Zhou asked, her expression awkward and seemingly very embarrassed.

Song Yi nodded and rose from her seat. Before walking out, she took one last look from a distance at the sticky note she had hung at the very top of the wall, hesitating whether or not to take it with her.

Zhou Zhou followed her gaze and bit her lip in confusion.

She had actually seen it clearly, but she couldn’t understand a word of what Ms. Song had written. She had only studied English as a foreign language; what Ms. Song wrote was clearly not English. She didn’t even know what language it was. We really aren’t from the same world, she thought.

In the end, Song Yi didn’t go back to tear the note down. She felt that doing so would be too revealing, as if she were hiding something shameful. Thus, she stopped lingering and walked out of the shop. Zhou Zhou cradled the newspaper-wrapped rose in her arm and followed her out.

“This way, it’s on the second floor,” Song Yi explained as they walked.

Zhou Zhou gave a soft “Okay” in response.

The elevator was being used by workers moving goods—likely a shop in the building was undergoing renovations. Song Yi turned toward the other side. “Let’s take the stairs.”

Zhou Zhou followed silently, clutching her rose. The stairwell was dimly lit with rough concrete floors. Song Yi, walking one step ahead, suddenly turned on her phone flashlight to light the path behind her for Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou paused and couldn’t help but ask, “Ms. Song, why did you take me out to play today?”

Song Yi turned her head and asked in return, “Zhou Zhou, do you have someone you like?”

Zhou Zhou immediately tensed up, silently clutching the rose tighter.

Do I have someone I like? Zhou Zhou lowered her head, thinking that the person she liked was standing right in front of her, yet between them was a vast chasm of known and unknown divides.

“Probably not,” Song Yi’s voice rang out calmly, with a hint of regret. “I don’t have anyone either, so I brought you out for company.”

This was an excuse Song Yi came up with on the fly. She obviously wouldn’t tell Zhou Zhou that the original intent was to buy her clothes, and that since there was time left, she wanted to keep hanging out. She certainly didn’t expect that after she refused to carry out the Scum Alpha’s deceptions, Zhou Zhou might actually fall for her.

“You will.” Zhou Zhou repeated, “Ms. Song, you will definitely meet someone you like.”

Song Yi smiled. “I think so too.”

“Let’s go up. There’s a lot of dust in the stairwell.” Song Yi waved a hand in front of her nose. Under the beam of the flashlight, countless dust motes floated in the air.

On the second floor, they entered a transparent glass door. Behind a wooden counter, a middle-aged woman woke up from a nap and asked with a smile, “A movie for two?”

Song Yi nodded. The woman showed them a screen with a list of popular categories. “All the most-watched romantic movies are here. See if anything interests you.”

“We’ll look for ourselves.” Song Yi took the screen from the woman, her finger lightly touching and sliding across it, occasionally turning to ask for Zhou Zhou’s opinion.

Zhou Zhou was dazzled; they were all films she had never seen.

“If you want something more… stimulating, we have those too,” the middle-aged woman suddenly added in a low voice. “It just… costs a bit more.”

Zhou Zhou asked curiously, “Is it a horror movie?”

The woman chuckled. Just as she was about to explain, Song Yi interrupted quickly, “No need, we’ll just pick from this list.”

Song Yi didn’t know how she understood what the woman meant, but it was strange—she had never had contact with such things. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was being influenced by the original host, subconsciously inheriting some “adult” memories.

“Zhou Zhou, you choose. Pick whatever you want to watch.” Song Yi handed the screen to Zhou Zhou and walked over to the snack area to pick something to eat during the film.

She grabbed a tub of caramel popcorn and ordered two iced colas. By the time she brought them to the counter, Zhou Zhou had already chosen a film.

“Is this one okay?” Zhou Zhou asked, her head tilted.

Song Yi leaned over to look. On the screen was a face; the movie was called The Gods Must Be Crazy. It was a comedy. Song Yi had a vague impression of it; a friend had once recommended it passionately, saying it was a “soul-cleansing” film that could temporarily free one from the burden of money.

But she had never actually watched it.

“That’s fine,” Song Yi nodded, completely forgetting that she had come here to learn how people in romantic movies date.

Zhou Zhou’s preference was more important.

After paying, the woman led them to a private room with two massage chairs, two regular chairs, and a small table. The room wasn’t even half the size of a bedroom in Song Yi’s villa, but it was enough.

After setting up the film, the woman left and closed the door.

The room was pitch black. The light from the movie screen flickered, acting as a faint source of illumination.

“Sit down first.” Song Yi led Zhou Zhou to a massage chair. The two chairs were very close together. Song Yi sat down, handed a cola to Zhou Zhou, and placed the popcorn on the armrest between them.

The movie began. Song Yi adjusted herself into a comfortable position and asked, “What made you choose this movie?”

The dim light fell on Zhou Zhou’s face, not diminishing her beauty in the slightest. Song Yi watched from the side, feeling as if she were admiring a character ink painting.

A blush crept onto Zhou Zhou’s face, hidden in the dark. She blinked and said, “My high school homeroom teacher recommended it.”

In truth, she had also wanted to choose a romantic movie to watch with Ms. Song, but she felt uneasy about doing so. Therefore, she chose a “safe” comedy recommended by her teacher.

Song Yi curved her lips, took a sip of cola, and lightly touched Zhou Zhou’s shoulder. “The popcorn is right here.”

After that, both became immersed in the movie and stopped talking.

Halfway through, Zhou Zhou wanted some popcorn. She reached out, her eyes never leaving the screen. Her English wasn’t good enough to follow without subtitles, and fearing she would miss a line, she just groped blindly. Fortunately, the tub was large and the target was clear; she could reach in and grab some.

The movie reached a tense moment where a character was changing clothes in the woods and got caught in some thorny plants. Another character came to help; the scene was ambiguous and awkward. Zhou Zhou watched with surprise, her hand forgotten inside the popcorn tub.

Seeing the scene on screen, the female lead’s dress removed, leaving her in only her undergarments Song Yi instinctively looked away. She planned to wait until the scene passed before looking again. She took a sip of cola with her right hand and reached into the tub with her left to get some popcorn.

She reached down unconsciously and, along with a handful of popcorn, she grabbed a hand.

The grip wasn’t strong.

Zhou Zhou was so absorbed in the movie that her hand only gave a slight, weak struggle. Song Yi quickly released it, her left hand fleeing the tub at high speed.

She took a massive gulp of her cola, not knowing where to look. She shifted her gaze back to the screen as if nothing had happened.

But she happened to see that the female lead, now dressed, was blushing.

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