Reborn as the Heartless Alpha - Chapter 46

Inside the car, Song Yi was still intoxicated by Zhou Zhou’s pheromones. She instinctively leaned closer to the source of that sweet cherry fragrance, her lips nearly brushing against the translucent, jelly-like texture of the fragrant gland.

It was too close.

 

Zhou Zhou instinctively hunched her shoulders and neck, shielding her gland. Song Yi’s kiss landed instead on the silky hair at the back of her head, and the physical sensation caused Song Yi to snap back to reality.

 

She was currently pressed tight against Zhou Zhou, who had been forced back against the car window, huddled pitifully in the corner.

 

Her reason slowly returned. Song Yi propped her hand against the seat, forcing herself back to her own side, and rolled down the window to let the night breeze sweep away the ambiguous atmosphere in the car.

 

“I’m sorry. I lost control for a moment; I went a bit too far.”

 

Fortunately, Zhou Zhou had dodged. She had only kissed her hair rather than her gland. Otherwise, Song Yi thought with lingering fear, what would be the difference between her and the original “Scum Alpha” who couldn’t control her primal desires?

 

Zhou Zhou didn’t say a word, her shoulders trembling slightly. Fearing he would disturb her further, Song Yi remained silent, sitting at a distance and waiting in the wordless void.

 

She didn’t even dare look at Zhou Zhou. She turned her head to look out the window; the car was parked in a corner of the lawn against the wall, perfectly positioned to see the fountain where they had made wishes together earlier.

 

The flowing water shimmered with the moon’s radiance in the quiet night. In a daze, Song Yi saw the image of Zhou Zhou standing there, piously making her wish.

 

She couldn’t help but wonder what Zhou Zhou had wished for back then.

 

“Ms. Song.” A soft call pulled Song Yi back to reality.

 

She didn’t mention what had just happened, only smiling as she said, “Let’s get out. Let’s go home.”

 

Zhou Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. She had been wondering how to explain her own inexplicable behavior just now, and Ms. Song was always so considerate, taking the lead to avoid awkwardness.

 

The two opened their respective doors and stepped out.

 

Song Yi headed straight for the villa, but Zhou Zhou reminded her, “Ms. Song, there are still things in the trunk.”

 

The image of the clothes and heels Zhou Zhou had changed out of, as well as that “lucky” orange doll that cost ninety-nine coins, flashed through her mind. Song Yi turned back, opened the trunk, and carried the items out for her.

 

It wasn’t until they reached the second floor that Song Yi handed the shopping bags and the orange doll to Zhou Zhou. Once Zhou Zhou took them, her hands were too full to press the passcode.

 

“Should I hold them for you again?” Song Yi reached out her hands to help.

 

Zhou Zhou didn’t hand the items over but said, “Could you help me enter the code, Ms. Song? It’s 0609. Thank you.”

 

Song Yi looked up in shock. Why did Zhou Zhou tell her the code so easily?

 

As if catching her thought, Zhou Zhou whispered, “I trust that you won’t do anything to me, Ms. Song. Besides, this is originally your home, isn’t it?”

 

“It is. But…” Song Yi was momentarily incoherent, unable to offer a strong rebuttal. She lowered her head and pressed the four digits on the lock for her.

 

Forget them immediately, Song Yi.

 

After entering the code, Song Yi silently gave herself the command, but it backfired. The four digits became even clearer in her mind.

 

0609, 0609… 0609!

 

Song Yi suddenly realized something and looked at Zhou Zhou in shock.

 

At that moment, the door opened. Zhou Zhou, holding the paper bags with clothes and shoes, the orange doll, and a single rose, walked straight inside without closing the door.

 

Song Yi stood at the entrance, unmoving for a long time. Zhou Zhou set her things down and walked back to the door. “Thank you, Ms. Song.”

 

“Remember to change the code.”

 

After giving the instruction, Song Yi turned and left. She didn’t return to her room but went downstairs, straight to the kitchen, and gulped down a large glass of water.

 

Questions swirled in her head.

 

609. 609. Why those specific numbers? That was the date the original Scum Alpha had brought Zhou Zhou back to the villa.

 

It shouldn’t have any special meaning; it’s just easy to remember, Song Yi convinced herself.

 

Flicking the faucet on, she leaned over to wash her face. Before she could find a tissue in the living room to dry off, the phone she had left by the sink lit up, showing a message from Ding Chen.

 

Song Yi suddenly remembered there was still a Ding Chen. Ding Chen had arrived in the morning to wait for her check-up, and now it was past eight in the evening.

 

She dialed Ding Chen directly. As soon as the call connected, she heard a loud sneeze.

 

It sounded like the onset of a cold.

 

“Ms. Song, is it convenient for me to perform the check-up now?” The nasal tone was obvious.

 

Song Yi had taken Ding Chen’s call in the morning when her voice was normal. Although she didn’t know why it had changed, she felt it was likely her fault, and she felt quite guilty.

 

“Is it too late today? Why don’t you rest first?”

 

Song Yi felt that as a boss and employer, she should show some humanity. She didn’t want to repeat past mistakes; she didn’t want the people in this world to fear her as her former subordinates did.

 

“No, no, no,” Ding Chen refused decisively. If she went back to rest today, she’d just have to come back tomorrow. The journey was long and troublesome, and it would disrupt the established check-up cycle. She was a person who valued order immensely and didn’t want it broken.

 

Besides, she was currently standing right outside Song Yi’s villa, shivering in the chilly night breeze. Feeling the cold, she could only wrap her arms around herself, but she had unfortunately caught a chill anyway. If she was going to rest, it would only be after finishing the check-up.

 

“I will come over immediately to check on you, if it’s convenient, Ms. Song.”

 

Song Yi heard the persistence in Ding Chen’s voice and had to agree. “Fine. I’ll wait for you in the living room on the first floor.”

 

Song Yi didn’t know Ding Chen was just outside the gates and expected to wait a while. Realizing she and Zhou Zhou hadn’t had dinner, she prepared to order takeout. To her surprise, she had just opened the app when Ding Chen arrived, carrying her white medical kit, looking listless and a bit sickly.

 

“I’m sorry. I forgot today was the scheduled check-up day. I went out and didn’t tell you in advance,” Song Yi apologized sincerely.

 

Ding Chen opened her kit, rummaging for instruments to measure pheromone levels and bodily functions. Her movements paused slightly at the words.

 

“It’s fine.” This was her job, and she was used to it. The former Song Yi was even less cooperative; she often had to wait downstairs, listening to Song Yi “having fun” with different women on the second floor. Today, Song Yi had given her a choice and hadn’t forced her to hear things she didn’t want to hear. That was already an improvement.

 

“The pheromone concentration is a bit high, but given… the situation just now, it’s within the normal range.” Ding Chen automatically muted the “indescribable” part, her tone flat as she gave a clinical description.

 

“I’m still researching and upgrading the serum you tried last time. Please be patient, Ms. Song. In the meantime, the important thing is to neither suppress nor indulge your desires.”

 

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Song Yi asked, frowning.

 

She had to suppress them. She didn’t have a regular partner, and she had never even been in a relationship; she couldn’t just find someone random to satisfy her physiological needs.

 

“I think you and Ms. Zhou are very compatible.” Ding Chen kept sniffing; she felt her nose would start running soon, and her voice was muffled. “With Ms. Zhou’s help, you’re controlling things well. Although the rut came early, it has stabilized. Once for three days.”

 

“I hope…” Ding Chen closed her eyes, boldly making a suggestion to her employer: “I hope you treat Ms. Zhou seriously this time. While a stable partner might lack novelty, still…”

 

“Wait.” Song Yi pushed the tissues toward Ding Chen, signaling her to wipe her nose. “Dr. Ding, you seem to have misunderstood something. Zhou Zhou and I aren’t in that kind of relationship.”

 

Ding Chen nodded, calmly pulling out a few tissues to wipe her nose. Her suggestion had been delivered. Even if she didn’t believe the employer’s explanation, it wasn’t her place to question it further. She remained silent.

 

“It’s just like that. Zhou Zhou is simply working here. We both encountered difficulties and happened to be by each other’s side, so we helped each other out. It’s platonic,” Song Yi stated as a concluding summary.

 

Ding Chen nodded cooperatively. “It’s late. I should go. Ms. Song, please remember not to overindulge.”

 

Song Yi: “…”

 

The advice to “not suppress” was gone, replaced only by a warning against overindulgence. In Ding Chen’s eyes, the image of the original Scum Alpha was clearly deep-rooted. Song Yi gave up on explaining and saw her out.

 

As Ding Chen reached the door, she suddenly stopped and turned back.

 

“Is there something else, Dr. Ding?” Song Yi asked with a smile.

 

“I took your advice and went to see Ms. You today. Her stomach is still not doing well.” With that, she stepped over the threshold and left with her kit.

 

Hearing the word “stomach,” Song Yi felt a phantom pain in her own. In her original world, she had ruined her health by being careless at the start.

 

But You Xuechu has a bad stomach too? Song Yi thought back. The original novel did mention that You Xuechu disliked eating to the point of anorexia, but when they ate together the other day, she had a good appetite.

 

Could it be… because of Zhou Zhou?

 

That suspicion sprouted again in Song Yi’s mind. No way. Does You Xuechu really like Zhou Zhou?

 

So when You Xuechu joked about us having fun on a date this morning, was she actually jealous?

 

Song Yi couldn’t figure it out and decided not to think about it. She turned her attention back to her phone, swiping quickly to order takeout for two.

 

She suddenly felt like having barbecue tonight. She ordered two portions of fried instant noodles as the main dish, along with grilled corn, green peppers, eggplant, enoki mushrooms, beef skewers, lamb skewers, and more.

 

It was from the barbecue shop closest to the villa district. It wasn’t cheap, but the delivery was fast. After setting the food on the living room table, Song Yi went to the second floor to call Zhou Zhou.

 

Zhou Zhou had just finished a shower. She stepped out of the bathroom with her wet hair draped over her shoulders, still dripping. A cream-colored towel was draped over her shoulder. For tonight’s nightgown, she had chosen a beige lace slip. The waist was well-tailored, making her already slender waist look even thinner.

 

This was the first time she truly realized that money could indeed push beauty to its extreme.

 

She was standing in front of the steamy bathroom mirror, using the towel to soak up water from her hair, when she heard a knock.

 

She smoothed her hair, gathered the towel to cover the skin on her chest, and held the edges tightly with one hand to ensure nothing was exposed before going to open the door.

 

“Zhou Zhou, come down and eat something,” Song Yi said with a smile the moment the door opened. But when her gaze landed on the damp-haired Zhou Zhou, her breath hitched.

 

The legend of a “lotus emerging from the water” was the perfect description for Zhou Zhou at this moment.

 

Realizing her gaze was a bit offensive, Song Yi held the door and shifted her eyes toward her right hand. “I bought barbecue. Let’s eat together.”

 

“Okay.” Zhou Zhou stared at Ms. Song’s slightly red earlobes for a moment before nodding in agreement.

 

As she reached the corner of the stairs, Zhou Zhou could already smell the rich aroma of grilled food. In the living room, she found the table half-covered with barbecue wrapped in foil.

 

Song Yi opened a container of fried instant noodles for Zhou Zhou and began opening the other boxes, spreading the foil to reveal the tempting food.

The fried instant noodles were rich with ingredients—shrimp, squid, eggs, and greens. Zhou Zhou broke apart the disposable chopsticks, took a bite, and found the taste exceptional.

“How is it?” Song Yi asked with an expectant look.

“Very delicious.” Zhou Zhou smiled, her apricot eyes curving into full, crescent moons.

Only after confirming the flavor suited Zhou Zhou’s palate did Song Yi relax and begin to eat. The taste was indeed good, quite worthy of the high price.

Zhou Zhou’s eating manner was refined and elegant; she didn’t really reach for the meat on the skewers. Song Yi took note of this, opened another pair of disposable chopsticks, stripped the meat from the skewers into the foil box containing the grilled eggplant, and silently pushed it toward Zhou Zhou.

She herself continued to bite directly from the skewers, though she unconsciously began to mind her own image as well.

Looking at the grilled eggplant and meat morsels before her, the corners of Zhou Zhou’s mouth curled up.

After finishing the barbecue, they briefly tidied the trash and went upstairs together. After exchanging goodnights, they returned to their respective rooms.

After washing up, Zhou Zhou fell into a sweet dreamland, clutching the orange doll Ms. Song had caught for her earlier that day.

In the next room, however, Song Yi was heavy-hearted and unable to sleep.

She thought of Ding Chen’s instructions—about not being too restrained yet not overindulging, about why her relationship with Zhou Zhou was so easily misunderstood, about You Xuechu’s stomach, and about whether You Xuechu truly liked Zhou Zhou.

All were questions without answers.

Song Yi’s thoughts were in a mess. Finally, she took out her phone to find some quiet music to help her sleep. She suddenly remembered that instrumental track she had listened to with Zhou Zhou on the same pair of headphones when she was motion-sick. Zhou Zhou hadn’t told her the name of it.

In the music app, the “Daily Recommendations” happened to be all instrumental music. With a hopeful heart, Song Yi auditioned them one by one, but none were the one Zhou Zhou had played for her.

Refusing to give up, Song Yi searched through many more instrumental playlists. She didn’t believe she couldn’t find it tonight.

But the truth was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Song Yi eventually fell into a deep sleep out of exhaustion.

The next morning, Zhou Zhou woke up at seven but spent an extra half hour lying in her soft, comfortable bed. She lay on her stomach browsing her phone and purchased a few e-books on the Jinjiang Literature City app. She used to hear her classmates discussing novels and mentioning this app often; she had downloaded it on her second night with the phone, but hadn’t had the chance to find books until now.

She found the “GL” (Girls’ Love) category in the bookstore and flipped through various rankings. Any that caught her interest based on the blurb, she added to her collection, and she directly purchased a few she particularly liked.

Not in a hurry to read them, she washed up and headed downstairs to prepare breakfast as usual.

By 8:30 AM, a simple breakfast was ready.

The healthy whole-wheat toast had been delivered yesterday. Zhou Zhou wanted to try making sandwiches, so she followed an online tutorial. She first fried eggs, then searched for chicken breast. Since there was no chicken breast in the house, she used steak instead. While cooking, she hesitated over the degree of doneness; realizing she couldn’t judge it perfectly, she seared it until it was visibly well-done. She sliced fresh tomatoes, added lettuce, and finally warmed two glasses of milk in the microwave.

With everything ready, Zhou Zhou went upstairs to call Ms. Song. She stood by the door, raised her hand, and knocked gently with curved fingers.

Hearing the knock, Song Yi opened her drowsy eyes and got out of bed to open the door. When the door opened, her left eye was shut while her right was open—a picture of sleepiness. A tuft of hair stood up on the top of her head, making her look quite adorable.

Feeling as though she had disturbed Ms. Song’s good dream, Zhou Zhou lowered her voice and asked, “Would you like to sleep a bit longer, Ms. Song? I can keep the breakfast warm in the microwave.”

“No need, I’ll be down in a moment. You go ahead and eat first, Zhou Zhou.” Song Yi raised her hand to rub her eyes and headed to the bathroom without closing the door.

A small spark of joy rose in Zhou Zhou’s heart. Ms. Song had such a good temper; she wasn’t angry about being woken up and even told her to eat first. She also recalled last night, when Ms. Song had carefully stripped the meat from the skewers for her, and her cheeks felt slightly warm.

Ms. Song was so good, but why was she so good to her? She was, after all, just one of Ms. Song’s many villa butlers.

Song Yi didn’t have “morning grumpiness.” In her previous life, almost every morning was filled with alarms. Since transmigrating, except for the time Zhou Zhou’s hand was injured and she got up to cook, she hadn’t set an alarm once. She had to admit, waking up naturally felt wonderful.

Being woken by Zhou Zhou’s knock didn’t bother her at all. After all, Zhou Zhou had gotten up early, prepared breakfast alone, and come to call her. She felt more happy than anything else.

After washing up, Song Yi stepped out of the bathroom to head downstairs. Seeing Zhou Zhou still standing at the door, she paused and asked with a smile, “Zhou Zhou, are you waiting for me?”

Zhou Zhou bit her lip and said nothing. Song Yi just smiled and didn’t press for an answer.

The two sat quietly at the dining table. Song Yi took a bite of the sandwich; she found the texture rich, and using steak as the meat was very unique, though the large piece of well-done steak was a bit tough.

At nine in the morning, the housekeeper and the cook arrived. Seeing Song Yi eating breakfast, they both wore expressions of immense surprise. After greeting Song Yi and Zhou Zhou briefly, they went about their work.

“Did you not used to eat breakfast, Ms. Song?” Zhou Zhou asked curiously. Although she had heard rumors, she wanted to confirm it with Ms. Song herself.

“Mhm.” Song Yi nodded. “Before, when I was alone, I felt it was too much trouble. I didn’t usually feel hungry in the morning, so I couldn’t be bothered.”

“Then… will me preparing breakfast and calling you disturb your rest?” Zhou Zhou asked nervously, worried she was causing an inconvenience.

Song Yi picked up her glass. She tilted her head slightly as the warm milk flowed into her mouth, warming her palate and then her stomach.

“It won’t.” Song Yi set down the glass, her deep eyes sparkling with a warm smile. “I really like eating breakfast with you.”

Not just breakfast, but all three meals, Song Yi thought to herself.

At that moment, the housekeeper and the cook were whispering in the kitchen.

“I feel like the relationship between Zhou Zhou and Ms. Song is quite something.” “How can you tell?” “There’s this thing called ‘vibes,’ you know? My granddaughter says it at home all the time.” “Never heard of it.” “What about ‘CP’ (Couple) energy?” “I think I’ve heard that one…”

Song Yi and Zhou Zhou finished breakfast with light conversation. Just as Song Yi was thinking about what to do next, Zhou Zhou’s phone rang. It was an unknown number, but Zhou Zhou stepped aside to take it.

Song Yi stood by the table, drawing circles on the orange tablecloth with her index finger.

“It’s for you, Ms. Song.” Zhou Zhou suddenly approached and handed her the phone.

Confused, Song Yi took it and soon learned the caller was a staff member from “Sweet Peach” clothing. They informed her that they would deliver all the clothes she bought yesterday around ten o’clock and kindly asked if she required walk-in closet installation services.

“Yes, I do.” Song Yi accepted the service decisively. Things had been too rushed for her to plan it out herself; having “Sweet Peach” provide the service was perfect.

After the pleasant communication, Song Yi returned the phone to Zhou Zhou, not forgetting to explain: “Since I bought them in your name, I left your phone number. My phone ran out of battery last night and I forgot to charge it—it’s still off. They couldn’t reach me, so they called you.”

Zhou Zhou nodded understandingly. “How much did you spend in the store yesterday, Ms. Song?”

“I don’t remember.” Song Yi shrugged with a smile. She had swiped her card directly and hadn’t made a point of noting the amount.

Zhou Zhou had seen the price tags of a few items while browsing, and they weren’t cheap. The store was so large; a common person like her probably couldn’t afford a whole store’s worth of clothes in a lifetime. Although Ms. Song seemed to have no intention of asking her for money, Zhou Zhou still had a “scale” in her heart regarding what she owed.

Indebtedness always feels heavy. Thus, when the people from “Sweet Peach” arrived with the clothes and materials for the closet, Zhou Zhou still couldn’t quite lift her spirits. This was something Ms. Song did for her, yet it seemed to have nothing to do with her—it was in her name, but she lacked the confidence to actually touch it.

There was already a walk-in closet on the first floor, which was Song Yi’s personal one—or rather, the one left by the original Scum Alpha.

Song Yi’s plan was to build one for Zhou Zhou in the same position on the second floor. The staff stated that if it were to be done immediately, it would be a modular setup with only three themes to choose from: Trendy, Retro, and Ink-wash.

The staff provided sample images. Song Yi showed them to Zhou Zhou and asked her to pick the one she liked best. Zhou Zhou chose the Ink-wash theme.

The two then stood aside, watching the staff move in and out, filling the large empty room piece by piece with foldable and on-site assembled fixtures, like a magic trick performed from scratch.

They worked until 12:30 PM. The staff finished the task, tidied the site, and left.

Song Yi pulled Zhou Zhou inside to look. All the dresses and outfits were clearly categorized—sorted neatly by color and length. Anyone with a bit of OCD would have praised the organization.

“Do you like it?” Song Yi turned to look at Zhou Zhou, her eyes shining with expectation.

“I like it.” There was a hint of joy in her voice.

Though she felt she didn’t deserve it, Zhou Zhou truly liked it. She had never imagined she would have such a large walk-in closet; her biggest fantasy had been to have an independent wardrobe in the corner of a room, so she wouldn’t have to keep her clothes in plastic bags or use a travel bag as a makeshift dresser.

Now, she had a large wardrobe, a large room, and even a separate walk-in closet. Ms. Song had even bought all the clothes for her, an amount she wouldn’t have dared dream of in a lifetime.

“We’re still missing hats and shoes, and currently, there are only summer dresses. We’ll find time to buy things for the other seasons.” Song Yi began making future plans for Zhou Zhou.

Listening to her, Zhou Zhou’s heart felt warm. Driven by a sudden curiosity, she tilted her head up.

“Ms. Song, why are you being so good to me?”