Scumbag Alpha’s Pheromones Are Toxic - Chapter 19

“Alright, enough with the little tantrums,” Ji Yao said, catching up to her with a helpless smile. “Your acting skills are actually quite impressive even when the cameras aren’t rolling.”

“But she’s just so annoying,” Qin Zishu replied, her sour expression instantly vanishing as she returned to her normal self. “I didn’t even want to say a single word to her.”

“Oh, you.”

Ji Yao laughed as she walked alongside her.

After all, she had raised this child herself; she knew every frown and smile like the back of her hand. From the moment Jiang Jiaran stumbled upon them during that system task, Qin Zishu must have already been plotting a swift exit. The longer they stayed, the more complications and awkward questions would arise.

So, when Jiang Jiaran started prying, Qin Zishu seized the opportunity. She feigned emotional trauma, picked a deliberate fight with Ji Yao to muddy the waters, and created a natural opening to leave.

In the end, Ji Yao stepped in to play the “mediator,” shutting down the bickering and following Qin Zishu out while leaving Jiang Jiaran with a stern warning for good measure.

If all went according to plan, that girl wouldn’t be bothering them again anytime soon.

“Sister, when did you realize I was faking it?” Qin Zishu asked curiously. She hadn’t coordinated with Ji Yao beforehand, yet Ji Yao had picked up the cue perfectly.

“Did I even need to ‘realize’ it?” Ji Yao felt it wasn’t just about their chemistry, but a matter of basic IQ. “We already had an agreement. I agreed to try things with you because I wanted to, not because you ‘pestered’ me into it. You didn’t need to get upset just because Jiang Jiaran pointed it out. It was completely unnecessary. I thought you were more sensible than that.”

“I am,” Qin Zishu said. “I know that bringing up ‘love’ right now is asking too much. The fact that you’re willing to give us a try is already more than I hoped for. How could I dare to wish for anything else?”

The logic was sound. The reasoning was clear.

Yet, Ji Yao still noticed the girl’s tone growing increasingly dejected.

Ji Yao: “…”

It was like reluctantly bringing a puppy home and telling it beforehand: “I don’t really like pets. I’m only keeping you out of responsibility, so don’t mention feelings.” Then, after the puppy gets home, the neighbor tells it: “Your owner doesn’t love pets. You’re pathetic for acting cute just to make her keep you.”

The “Little Wolfdog” whimpers a “Woof” to show it understands, and then proceeds to be perfectly, heartbreakingly well-behaved.

Now, this well-behaved “Little Wolfdog” had retreated into a shell of self-pity. Even if the logic was true, the puppy was still sad.

What am I supposed to do with her?

Ji Yao felt a headache coming on and decided to stroke the fur the right way. “So, do you want a treat?”

Qin Zishu’s eyes instantly lit up. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she leaned in close.

Ji Yao promptly smacked her forehead. “In your dreams.”

Qin Zishu: “…”

“Do you remember that bowl of egg-fried rice I made for you when you were little?” Ji Yao began, slowly digging up old accounts. “One time you had a cold and insisted on eating egg-fried rice. Even though it was the middle of the night, I made an exception and cooked it for you.”

Qin Zishu remembered. The past was too cringeworthy to recall; she wasn’t particularly eager to hear the rest.

“You,” Ji Yao continued, “after tasting it once and deciding it was delicious, started faking illnesses all the time just to get me to make it. And you’d miraculously ‘recover’ the moment you finished. Egg-fried rice isn’t cold medicine—is it really that magical? I realized later you just wanted the food.”

Qin Zishu stayed silent, pretending she couldn’t hear.

“You’ve been a handful since you were a kid,” Ji Yao lectured. “If you wanted to eat it, couldn’t you just ask? Why did you have to pretend to be sick? Do you have any idea how much I worried? Every time you ‘fell ill,’ I couldn’t sleep a wink. Faking headaches, stomachaches, and colds just for a bowl of rice. You’re really something.”

Qin Zishu grumbled with slight dissatisfaction, “You’ve told that story a hundred times. Sister, can you just let it go?”

“Huh? A hundred times?” Ji Yao countered. “Liar. I’ve definitely said it less than three times. This must be an excuse you made up because you don’t want to hear it.”

“I can practically recite it by heart,” Qin Zishu said, exasperated. “It’s not my fault. You don’t have many culinary masterpieces in your repertoire. That egg-fried rice represents the peak of your skills.”

Ji Yao: “…”

Is it impossible to have a civil conversation today?

“Withdraw that last sentence,” Qin Zishu said playfully a moment later. “Let me rephrase: ‘Sister’s egg-fried rice is the best in the world. I was so in love with the flavor that I had no choice but to resort to such desperate measures. My sincerity is absolute; I humbly request your forgiveness.'”

Ji Yao remained cold. “Withdrawal denied. Forgiveness withheld.”

Thank you, but that flattery was not comforting at all.

“It’s been less than five minutes; I should be allowed to withdraw it,” Qin Zishu argued. “Think about it, Sister, if I could eat your cooking every day, I wouldn’t have to use such strange methods to get it. So, ultimately, the problem lies with you.”

“It’s not about the rice; I almost got sidetracked,” Ji Yao said, pulling the topic back to the point. “I brought up the rice to say stop faking illnesses in the future. It makes my heart ache.”

Qin Zishu froze.

“Even if I suspected you were faking earlier, I couldn’t help but feel pained. To me, ‘Great Star Qin’ is as fragile as a porcelain doll; one bump and you’ll shatter into a million pieces.” Ji Yao broke down the logic for her. “Originally, you were only three parts unhappy, but you insisted on acting ‘well-behaved’ to show you ‘already knew’ and ‘didn’t care.’ Then, when you realized acting pitiful earned you treats, you exaggerated that unhappiness to seven parts. Don’t you ever consider my feelings as your guardian? When you’re unhappy, how am I supposed to feel good?”

Qin Zishu hadn’t thought that far ahead. Ji Yao’s lecture went in one ear and out the other; she didn’t remember a single word of the moral lesson. However, her brain processed a rough summary and came to a new realization: Ji Yao cares about me deeply.

She shares my unhappiness. She cares about me. She loves me.

Satisfaction achieved.

Ji Yao spent a long time lecturing until her throat was dry. She turned to check Qin Zishu’s expression, only to find a look of inexplicable bliss. Why is she smiling wider after being scolded?

Ji Yao: ??? Is there something wrong with her?

The grand lecture had vanished into the puppy’s stomach. Qin Zishu’s expression made it clear she would definitely do it again.

She acted out with a bright smile. “Sister, do you know what this proves on a fundamental level?”

“What?”

“Rarity increases value,” Qin Zishu whispered into her ear, her breath teasingly intimate. “Just like that rice had to be obtained through ‘illicit’ means, those ‘treats’ are a rare luxury I can’t easily reach. That’s why I have to scheme to get them from you. If you gave me a treat every day, I wouldn’t be like this, would I? So Sister, you just haven’t given me enough treats.”

Ji Yao reached out and grabbed a shovel left by a gardener on the side of the road, her killing intent surging.

Qin Zishu vanished like the wind.

The gardener turned around to find his shovel gone. As he looked around, he saw a kind, gentle-looking woman approaching, carrying the iron shovel in one hand.

The shovel was poor quality—heavy and awkward to use. The gardener had regretted bringing it out the second he picked it up. But seeing Ji Yao carry it effortlessly with one hand, he fell into a deep state of self-doubt. Is it not actually heavy?

Ji Yao apologized gracefully, “I’m sorry for taking your tool without permission.”

“No worries, no worries. It’s just a crappy shovel, hard to use anyway.” The gardener praised her sincerely. “Young lady, you look so slender, yet you can carry that with one hand without even a tremor. You’re quite impressive. What do you do for a living?”

Ji Yao gave a modest smile. “I’ve played a few small roles on film sets.”

The gardener’s eyes lit up. “Which movies or shows? I’ll go search for them!”

Ji Yao: “Lin Daiyu Reborn: The Uprooting of the Weeping Willow.”