The Scummy Alpha Transmigrated into a Tragedy Novel and Went Viral! - Chapter 31

A circle of low tables had been set up, enclosing two large iron grills at the center. Two whole lambs and a massive slab of beef sizzled over the flames, their aroma wafting through the air and stirring everyone’s hunger.

“Come, my friends from afar, please take a seat!” the ranch owner called out enthusiastically. “These are our own cattle and sheep, freshly butchered this morning—guaranteed fresh and delicious!”

Everyone eagerly sat down. Each small table came with a low stool, and two tables placed side by side were just right for a couple.

Zhong Junhong and Cai Keke didn’t sit down immediately. As the hosts of the show, their work began the moment they stepped off the car. Standing beside the grills with the ranch owner, they introduced him to the crowd.

“Our second stop brings us to the beautiful Jinping Grasslands! We’ll be spending a week here to experience the most authentic life on the steppe. Standing next to me are the owners of this ranch—Mr. Jige Bartu and his wife!”

Jige Bartu raised both hands with a hearty smile.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Jige Bartu, but you can call me Aji. This is my wife, Zhuo Ma. Welcome to our Jinping Grasslands! I hope you have a wonderful time here and leave with beautiful memories!”

His voice was deep and warm. Dressed in traditional ethnic clothing and a felt hat, his cheeks were flushed from years on the high plains. He wasn’t particularly tall and carried a slight belly, but his whole demeanor radiated kindness and sincerity. His Mandarin was fluent, with hardly a trace of accent. Zhuo Ma stood beside him the whole time, smiling quietly—on such formal occasions, it was customary for the husband to speak.

“Mr. Jige Bartu, could you tell us more about your ranch?”

“Of course! This ranch was contracted by my father. Our family has been herding for generations. Right now, we have around a thousand head of cattle, three thousand sheep, and a few dozen horses. The ranch covers about fifteen thousand mu (approximately 1000 hectares) of land—it’s quite vast. You’re all welcome to explore, herd the cattle and sheep, ride horses, or even try milking!” He ended with a bashful smile.

Everyone gasped in surprise, not expecting Mr. Aji to be so prosperous.

“Alright, enough talking—if we keep chatting, the meat’s going to get overcooked! Let’s eat!” he said nervously, glancing at the row of cameras trained on him. His candidness made everyone laugh.

“Thank you, Mr. Aji, for your hospitality!”

Aji picked up a carving knife, and with Zhuo Ma’s help, began slicing the roast lamb and beef. Zhong Junhong and Cai Keke assisted in serving, passing plates down the tables. Zhuo Ma personally brought a platter of meat to Cheng Jingling and Ji Yufu’s table. Both women thanked her repeatedly.

Cheng Jingling swallowed hard at the sight of the food. The roast lamb glistened golden brown, juices still sizzling on the surface. They’d lucked out—there was an entire lamb leg on their plate, at least two or three pounds. The beef steak was charred on the outside but clearly tender and juicy within.

Once all the dishes were served, Zhuo Ma brought out small condiment trays—essentials for grilled meat. To accommodate everyone’s tastes, each had garlic, cilantro, scallions, chili powder, and fresh lettuce leaves for wrapping. Every table also had a pot of milk tea. The spread was generous and inviting.

When everyone had taken their seats, Aji raised his cup to propose a toast, and the atmosphere immediately turned lively.

Cheng Jingling took a cautious sip of the milk tea—it was salty, rich with the flavor of real milk, completely unlike the milk tea she was used to. She shot Ji Yufu a surprised glance. Ji maintained her usual poise, sipping elegantly, but the moment she had to pick up her utensils, trouble began.

Staring at the massive chunk of meat before her, Ji looked genuinely lost. She tried to cut into it with knife and fork but found it quite the battle.

Watching her, Cheng Jingling sighed inwardly—elegance can’t fill an empty stomach. She rolled up her sleeves, put on gloves, and started tearing into the meat with her hands. Within moments, all composure was gone—her face twisted as she bit and tore. The beef was still piping hot, and she winced from the heat. Meanwhile, Ji Yufu had managed to cut her first bite; judging from her expression, it tasted good.

All around them, the other celebrities were feeding each other affectionately, embodying the very essence of a romance reality show. Cheng Jingling pursed her lips. These couples, seriously, they act like the rest of us don’t exist.

She went back to her own meal with gusto—stripping the bone clean from the steak, shredding the meat into bite-sized strips, and placing them neatly into Ji Yufu’s plate. Ji looked at the small mountain of meat before her, fell silent for a beat, then murmured a soft “thank you.” Cheng Jingling leaned closer and said cheerfully, “Then eat up.”

The two of them whispered to each other, unaware of the camera zooming in. Director Wang Yumin grinned from behind the monitor—Perfect. That’s exactly the kind of chemistry I want. Keep it coming.

Cheng Jingling wrapped some meat in lettuce and took a big bite, her face glowing with bliss. Then she tore into the lamb leg, her hands working nonstop.

“Are you that hungry?” Ji Yufu asked, watching her eat with such enthusiasm that even her own food started looking more appetizing.

“Yep,” Cheng Jingling replied, stuffing another bite into her mouth. Seeing that Ji’s plate was still mostly untouched, she frowned. “You’ll never get anywhere eating like that!” She grabbed Ji’s fork, handed her a glove, and said, “Knives and forks are useless for this!”

“Mind your image,” Ji protested.

“You look great already—one meal won’t ruin that,” Cheng Jingling said, adding more meat to her plate. She grabbed a lettuce leaf, filled it to the brim, wrapped it carefully, and handed it to her.

“How am I supposed to eat this?” Ji stared at the egg-sized wrap, momentarily intimidated.

Cheng Jingling glanced at her lips and conceded—it was indeed a bit too big. She set it down, picked another leaf, and placed smaller pieces of beef and lamb inside. Then she gestured at the condiments. “Garlic?”

Ji shook her head.

“Scallions?”

“No.”

“Cilantro? Chili?”

“All no.”

“Got it.”

Cheng Jingling rolled the wrap neatly and handed it over again. This time, Ji didn’t refuse.

“How is it?” she asked with a grin.

“Mm!”

Cheng Jingling smiled in satisfaction and quickly stuffed the fist-sized meat wrap into her mouth in two bites. Oil dripped down her hands, and Ji Yufu, ever attentive, handed her a napkin.

After wiping her hands, Cheng Jingling slipped on a new pair of gloves. Watching Ji Yufu eat with her cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk, she felt inexplicably pleased. She started wrapping more meat in lettuce leaves—one after another—placing one on the plate, feeding one to Ji Yufu. Their rhythm was perfectly in sync, so much so that even the director was nodding along in delight.

“Enough, eat your own!” Ji Yufu protested.

“Oh.” Cheng Jingling obediently bit into another piece—but her hands didn’t stop. She suddenly brought the next wrap right up to Ji Yufu’s lips. Just as Ji Yufu hesitated and was about to open her mouth, Cheng Jingling snatched it back at lightning speed and popped it into her own mouth instead, grinning mischievously as she chewed.

Ji Yufu: “?”

“You did tell me to eat by myself,” Cheng Jingling said, feigning innocence, though the sly smile tugging at her lips gave her away. Ji Yufu, too tired to argue, simply took a sip of tea. But the moment she set her cup down, she noticed a tiny, delicate meat wrap had reappeared on her plate.

Cheng Jingling smiled ingratiatingly. “Don’t be mad. My deepest apologies—please, you must eat this one.”

“I’m not mad. And you don’t have to keep wrapping them for me, I’m full.” Ji Yufu picked up the tiny wrap, silently swearing that this would be her last bite—she had to control her figure.

Without thinking, she bit down. A burst of fiery spice exploded in her mouth, and she nearly spat it out. She grabbed her milk tea and swallowed hard to wash it down. Once the crisis passed, Ji Yufu turned to glare at the culprit beside her, speechless at how childishly pleased Cheng Jingling looked—eating happily, completely guilt-free.

“You have nothing to say for yourself?” Ji Yufu’s tone was cool, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere around them.

“Hmph, no explanation!” Cheng Jingling puffed herself up arrogantly. “That’s for laughing at me yesterday!”

“Oh, so our baby holds grudges now? How adorable.”

Not again! Cheng Jingling instantly lost her appetite. “Didn’t we agree—no hurting each other?”

“Of course.” Ji Yufu raised a brow and handed her another wrap. Cheng Jingling hesitated, wary that Ji Yufu might use the same trick against her.

“I—I don’t eat raw garlic..”

“There isn’t any.” Ji Yufu smiled softly, her expression indulgent in a way that sent a chill down Cheng Jingling’s spine.

“I can’t eat spicy food either!”

“No chili.” Ji Yufu’s voice was calm, almost gentle.

“And I don’t eat cilantro or green onions!” Cheng Jingling had no idea what Ji Yufu was planning. The more Ji Yufu smiled, the more nervous she became. If she’d known it would turn out like this, she never would’ve teased her in the first place.

“Ah, open up.” Ji Yufu raised the wrap to her lips, and by now several people were watching them.

Caught between pride and fear, Cheng Jingling had no choice but to open her mouth. Ji Yufu’s cool fingertips brushed against her lips—soft and slick. Once the feeding was done, Ji Yufu calmly went back to wrapping meat. Cheng Jingling chewed cautiously, every bite filled with tension, terrified that the next might explode with garlic. She closed her eyes to brace herself, and everyone else assumed she was simply savoring the tenderness of being fed by a beauty.

Only she knew how much courage it took to swallow that one mouthful.

But—Ji Yufu really hadn’t tricked her this time.

Cheng Jingling’s eyes flew open. Another wrap had already appeared on her plate, and Ji Yufu was still busy wrapping more. Overcome with emotion, Cheng Jingling thought, Uuuh, as expected of the heroine—repaying pranks with kindness! So, forgiving! And so beautiful when she wraps food—those hands are stunning!

“Hehe.”

“Go on, eat.” Ji Yufu didn’t know what she was giggling about, but she kept wrapping more, planning to feed them all to Cheng Jingling. Watching the pile of meat grow, Cheng Jingling began to panic. “No more! I’m full!”

“What, our mighty Alpha’s full already?” Ji Yufu glanced around; most of the other tables were already empty, while theirs was still piled high.

Cheng Jingling followed her gaze and quickly defended herself. “I’m a mighty Alpha, not a bottomless-pit Alpha! My strength doesn’t depend on how much I eat!” To prove her point, she stuffed another piece of meat into her mouth.

Wang Yumin, listening through the mic, looked utterly bewildered. Weren’t these two supposed to be the pure love couple? How did it suddenly turn into this? Did I misunderstand the assignment?