Reborn as the Heartless Alpha - Chapter 49

Zhou Zhou regretted asking almost the moment the words left her mouth. She had already resolved not to pry into Ms. Song’s private life and to maintain proper boundaries, but just now, she hadn’t been able to control herself.

The impulse to know the answer overrode her reason.

Seeing the troubled expression on Ms. Song’s face, she pursed her lips tightly, forbidding herself from speaking again.

Song Yi’s brain essentially ceased all thought for two minutes. She stared blankly at the review materials scattered at her feet, gathering them up in a jumble without looking at the page numbers.

“No,” Song Yi finally replied, her voice devoid of any dissatisfaction.

Zhou Zhou let out a slow sigh of relief.

“I didn’t write that,” Song Yi added, forcing an explanation. She didn’t even know why she felt the need to explain herself.

Zhou Zhou had already seen that it was Ms. Song’s handwriting, but she nodded nonetheless. I really shouldn’t have asked, she thought. Ms. Song clearly didn’t want to share something so private with her.

Likely, no one in this world would talk about their crush to their butler for no reason. Her curiosity had not only crossed the line but had voiced itself at an inappropriate time.

Song Yi bowed her head and began organizing the review materials in her hands. Zhou Zhou handed over the ones she had picked up. Song Yi felt as though she were still enveloped in a suffocatingly awkward atmosphere.

It was mostly because she had lied to Zhou Zhou. The words “Dream Omega” on the materials were indeed written by her. While she was distracted during her review, she had remembered what You Xuechu said to her: “Zhou Zhou is not only skilled with her hands but also beautiful and gentle; she truly is a dream Omega.”

She agreed so much with You Xuechu’s assessment that she had unconsciously written those four characters in the margin of her notes.

“By the way, aren’t the college entrance exam results coming out soon?” she asked, attempting to shift the topic and lighten the mood.

“Yes, the results come out the day after tomorrow.” Zhou Zhou did indeed relax a bit and proactively asked, “Ms. Song, can I take the day off the day after tomorrow? I need to go to school to collect my transcript and attend a seminar on filling out university preferences.”

Although results could be checked online now, schools still maintained the tradition of distributing physical transcripts. High achievers would be honored with celebratory banners. More importantly, it was a chance to hear teachers explain the nuances of selecting majors and schools. For a student with a modest background—especially one like Zhou Zhou, who had no family background to speak of—doing the exams was everything; she didn’t quite understand the strategy behind applications.

“Of course,” Song Yi agreed with a smile. “I’ll drive you there.”

“There’s no need to trouble you, Ms. Song.” Zhou Zhou was overwhelmed by the offer and waved her hands in refusal, assuming it was just a polite formality.

“It’s very hard to catch a taxi around here, Zhou Zhou.” Song Yi shrugged, certain that Zhou Zhou would eventually agree.

But Zhou Zhou still seemed afraid of inconveniencing her. She looked at her earnestly and asked, “Don’t you still have to study, Ms. Song?”

Song Yi lifted the review materials as if gauging the weight of the knowledge. “Studying is fine. I have confidence. Your matters are more important.”

Zhou Zhou couldn’t say much else after that. She simply nodded and said apologetically, “I’m troubling you again.”

“It’s no trouble.” Song Yi couldn’t help but reach out and pat Zhou Zhou’s head. She leaned down slightly and asked, “Regardless of the results, have you thought about which university you’d like to attend?”

This time, Zhou Zhou didn’t pull away. She let Ms. Song’s hand rest on her crown. She wanted to go to C University, but without the results in hand, she wasn’t entirely certain. She didn’t want to say it out loud, so she just shook her head gently.

Song Yi felt a bit disappointed, but she only smiled at Zhou Zhou. “That’s okay. We’ll wait until the results come out the day after tomorrow.” She had thought that after visiting C University, Zhou Zhou would have developed an interest in it, but that was just her own assumption.

“Ms. Song,” Zhou Zhou called out suddenly.

“Mhm?” Song Yi tilted her head curiously.

Zhou Zhou thought for a moment. Ms. You’s affairs shouldn’t count as Ms. Song’s private secrets; it should be okay to ask. “Ms. Song, did you ask Dr. Ding to treat Ms. You’s anorexia?” she asked with concern.

Song Yi was taken aback. Zhou Zhou seemed to care quite a bit about You Xuechu. She thought carefully and answered, “No.”

She had only learned from Ding Chen yesterday that You Xuechu had a bad stomach. She hadn’t realized there was actually anorexia involved. The original “Scum Alpha” hadn’t specifically instructed Ding Chen to treat You Xuechu either; she had only had Ding Chen check on her while they were together, with zero follow-up. This meant Ding Chen was doing this entirely of her own accord.

A realization hit Song Yi: Ding Chen might have feelings for You Xuechu.

“Zhou Zhou, tell me quickly, what did Ding Chen do?” Song Yi asked for confirmation.

After a brief internal struggle, Zhou Zhou told Ms. Song about the two phone calls and the nutritional supplements she had witnessed at Ms. You’s villa that afternoon.

Listening to this, Song Yi became even more convinced of her theory. The original novel hadn’t mentioned any extra romantic lines for You Xuechu besides the Scum Alpha, and it certainly hadn’t touched upon Ding Chen’s love life. But now…

The plot had changed!

Song Yi’s eyes widened in shock. Not only had Zhou Zhou’s fate shifted due to her own changes in behavior, but the fates of others were also being affected. Who could say what would happen in the future? Nothing was impossible.

“Zhou Zhou, go upstairs and rest first.” Song Yi was irrepressibly excited. She made an excuse: “I’m going to study a bit more.” She used studying as a shield again, but in truth, she needed time to figure out if there was a predictable pattern behind these changes.

“Then don’t stay up too late, Ms. Song. I’m going up now.” Zhou Zhou turned to go. She was thinking about letting Ms. Song sleep in tomorrow and making a nutrient-rich breakfast to fuel her brainpower. She also needed to buy some cherries; Ms. Song liked them.

Song Yi watched Zhou Zhou silently until her figure vanished around the corner. Only then did she withdraw her gaze and begin to analyze.

Ever since she had lost control in Ding Chen’s lab and the original Scum Alpha had appeared—only to be driven away—the persona hadn’t resurfaced. How could she be sure the original “Song Yi” was truly gone, rather than just lurking in the shadows, waiting for a chance to return and evict her?

The thought that the original persona might still be there—perhaps right beside her—sent a chill down her spine. She felt a wave of nausea. The idea of falling in love that she’d had yesterday would have to be shelved for now. She looked exactly like the original. When the persona returned last time, she was reduced to a mere consciousness fighting for control. She suspected she was currently using the Scum Alpha’s body.

Repulsion was inevitable.

Sharing a body and not knowing when the original would pop out was terrifying. If she had a partner and the Scum Alpha suddenly appeared during an intimate moment… it was too horrific to contemplate.

Song Yi shivered but comforted herself. She had been single for so many years; a few more wouldn’t hurt. Her primary mission now was to keep Zhou Zhou on the right track: getting her into the top university she missed in the original plot, ensuring she didn’t experience the deception, betrayal, or imprisonment, so she could succeed in her career and find her family and her fiancée.

That is much more meaningful than me dating, Song Yi thought.

But what did those other connections mean, aside from Zhou Zhou’s yet-to-appear fiancée?

She thought of You Xuechu. Reflecting on it, You Xuechu’s words didn’t necessarily mean she liked Zhou Zhou; they felt more like she was testing Song Yi’s feelings. However, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that You Xuechu, having been hurt by an Alpha, was now leaning toward Omegas.

And if she could like Omegas, why not Betas? A flash of inspiration hit Song Yi. If her guess was right and Ding Chen liked You Xuechu, could there be a development between them?

Thinking of this, Song Yi sat on the sofa and began typing a message to Ding Chen, seeing if she could help her seize the opportunity.

[You Xuechu’s bedroom light is broken.]

She reviewed the message after editing it and felt it was far too weird. She looked like a pervert leaking secrets about someone’s bedroom. It also implied she had access to You Xuechu’s room. If Ding Chen really liked You Xuechu, she’d probably want to skin her alive after reading that.

She decided not to send it.

While trying to think of better wording, she realized she hadn’t considered Zhou Zhou’s wishes. If Zhou Zhou liked You Xuechu, wouldn’t she be obstructing her? But then, Zhou Zhou was destined for a perfect fiancée. Would dating someone else now interfere with that future encounter?

Problems were everywhere. Song Yi deleted the message, not daring to act rashly. She sat in deep thought until late into the night. When her head began to ache, she used the review materials to soothe her mind, lamenting that learning subjects with standard answers was so much easier than navigating these messy questions.

That night, Song Yi fell asleep on the sofa.

The next morning, Zhou Zhou came down to prepare breakfast. Considering that Ms. Song had stayed up late studying, she delayed the meal until eight o’clock. As she passed the living room, she froze.

Ms. Song was actually asleep on the sofa. Since the sofa wasn’t long enough, she was curled up, hugging a throw pillow as a blanket over her stomach. The thick stack of review materials was perched precariously on the armrest.

Zhou Zhou leaned over, picked up the materials, and placed them on the clean coffee table. After a moment of hesitation, she decided not to wake her. Instead, she went upstairs to her room, grabbed a thin blanket she had never used, and gently draped it over Ms. Song before entering the kitchen with a peaceful heart.

Song Yi woke up to the smell of food. She opened her eyes blearily, her vision clouded as if by a mist. After blinking several times, she saw Zhou Zhou’s slender back. Zhou Zhou was wearing the pink apron with a bow tied at the small of her back.

Waking up to see Zhou Zhou was undoubtedly pleasant. Song Yi sat up, only to find a khaki blanket over her, featuring a little white rabbit clutching an orange carrot. She couldn’t help but curl her lips.

Having slept on the cramped sofa for so long, her legs were stiff, so she began doing some leg stretches. In the process, she saw her review materials on the coffee table, looking neatly organized.

Zhou Zhou didn’t realize she was awake yet and was fully concentrated on breakfast. Song Yi tried to distinguish the smell but couldn’t tell what it was, so she decided to see for herself. She moved quietly behind Zhou Zhou and saw her stirring a pot with long chopsticks. She saw egg ribbons and other indistinguishable ingredients.

Suddenly, Zhou Zhou turned around. Seeing Ms. Song standing there out of nowhere, she jumped back in fright, dropping the long chopsticks in the process.

Song Yi saw that Zhou Zhou’s smooth, fair arm was about to hit the pot on the gas stove. She acted quickly, pulling Zhou Zhou toward her. Zhou Zhou crashed straight into her arms.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

The heartbeats were powerful. For a moment, Song Yi couldn’t tell whose heart she was hearing.

“I’m sorry,” Song Yi apologized for appearing behind her silently, her arms still wrapped tightly around Zhou Zhou’s slender waist.

She heard Zhou Zhou panting heavily against her shoulder; she had clearly been badly startled. She raised a hand to pat Zhou Zhou’s back in comfort, but felt Zhou Zhou shiver in her arms. She immediately released her, holding her by the shoulders to ensure she was stable before letting go completely.

Feeling it was inappropriate, she took three steps back, almost raising her hands to show she meant no harm. But Song Yi was just thinking that she hadn’t washed up yet, so she needed to keep her distance while facing Zhou Zhou.

Due to her past experiences with bullying, Zhou Zhou was very sensitive to external noise and easily startled. But since this was Ms. Song, she felt she had overreacted. “You’re awake, Ms. Song,” she said with a slight tremble in her voice.

Song Yi nodded, looking at Zhou Zhou’s face, which was flushed with panic. “I’m going upstairs to wash up. You… be careful.”

Song Yi turned and left, taking the review materials and the thin blanket with her. Back in her room, standing before the bathroom mirror to brush her teeth, her heart was still beating at a bizarrely fast pace.

In the kitchen, Zhou Zhou patted her burning cheeks. She felt as if the residual warmth from Ms. Song was still on her body. She closed her eyes in embarrassment.

The soup in the pot began to boil over. Zhou Zhou turned to shut off the heat. Her foot hit the fallen chopsticks; she leaned over to pick them up, intending to wash them in the sink later. The microwave let out a ding—the timed egg custard was ready.

The kitchen was a mess of activity. Zhou Zhou didn’t know what to do first. Her mind was full of Ms. Song’s warm embrace. She walked to the sink, cupped some water, and splashed her face, using the physical chill to force herself to calm down.

Song Yi, having finished washing up, stayed in her room, plagued by the same trouble. her heart rate had not settled. Unable to figure it out herself, she turned to an internet search engine.

She typed in the question: Why does a person’s heart race? The kind that won’t settle down for a long time.

The mainstream answers were: Intense exercise, excessive mental tension, drinking alcohol, strong tea, or coffee; or suffering from systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular issues.

Song Yi: “…”

She didn’t think she belonged to any of those categories. But she didn’t give up and continued sliding down, searching for an answer.

She skimmed past the answer: “You’re in love.”

Her gaze finally landed on a striking piece of red text: “Or there is a risk of sudden death.”

Song Yi: “?”

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