The Scummy Alpha Transmigrated into a Tragedy Novel and Went Viral! - Chapter 38

After bidding farewell to the vast Jinping Grasslands, the group pressed on to their third filming location—Shuanglong Village, a designated poverty-alleviation demonstration site.

The village committee had learned in advance that celebrities would be arriving to film, so they arranged a welcoming ceremony early. As soon as the cast got off the bus at the village entrance, they saw rows of villagers dressed in traditional ethnic attire waiting to greet them. A long table stood before them, topped with several clay jars of local liquor.

The moment the village chief saw them step off the bus, he hurried over to shake their hands. After a few polite exchanges between Zhong Junhong, Cai Keke, and the chief, the introductions began.

“This is our third stop—Shuanglong Village. Standing before you is the famous model village chief, Chief Qi Kaiming!”

“In the hands of Chief Qi, Shuanglong Village transformed from a once notoriously impoverished village into the nationally recognized poverty-alleviation demonstration village it is today.”

After the host finished sharing the village’s background, the members expressed genuine admiration, offering enthusiastic applause. Chief Qi looked to be in his forties, but his features were far more weathered than those of his peers, and his temples were already turning gray—a testament to how much effort he had poured into the village’s development.

Once the brief introduction ended, the welcome ceremony officially began. Uncles and aunties in traditional dress started singing local folk songs and dancing to greet them. After the performance, Chief Qi lifted the red cloth covering the liquor jars and filled porcelain bowls with fragrant wine. This was the highest form of local hospitality—the blocking wine. Guests had to exchange folk verses with their hosts, drink the wine, and then step over the threshold.

Chief Qi handed the first bowl to Zhong Junhong. The auntie at the front cleared her throat and sang, “Hey, our guests from afar have arrived. I welcome you with my finest wine.”

Zhong Junhong froze, unsure what to do. Though he understood she was welcoming him, she was singing in the local dialect, and he didn’t understand a word—let alone respond with a verse. Left with no choice, he mimicked her tune and forced out, “Hey, thank you, kind lady.”

His awkward, mismatched reply drew a wave of laughter from everyone. Then he downed the bowl in one shot and became the first to step over the threshold.

Next was Cai Keke. Born and raised in the capital, she couldn’t understand the dialect either. She simply kept a sweet smile on her face, thanked the auntie warmly after the song, downed the wine, and stepped over the threshold in one go.

Bai Weilan was third. She didn’t understand the dialect either, but she swayed along to the auntie’s rhythm, looking warm and approachable. She drank and crossed, followed by Xiao Chengyi, who finished his bowl heroically before stepping over to join her.

When it was Jiang Yiyu’s turn, he took the initiative to make a request. “Chief, can I drink with him? We don’t understand a word of the song anyway, and neither of us can sing!” He pointed at Wang Zicheng beside him.

“Hahaha, of course you can!” Chief Qi handed them each a bowl. After the auntie finished singing, Jiang Yiyu linked arms with Wang Zicheng and the two drank like a pair doing a wedding toast. The crowd erupted with screams and applause. Cheng Jingling was speechless—trust this guy to seize any chance to show off.

Next up were Huang Yili and Liu Ke. They also wanted to drink together, though they weren’t as flamboyant as Jiang Yiyu. They simply clinked their bowls, drank, then stepped over the threshold hand in hand.

The situation finally improved when it came to Zhao Yimai and Jiao Yanting. When the auntie sang, “Welcome, honored guests, come enjoy your stay.” Jiao Yanting actually managed to reply, “I’ll have a wonderful time today.”

Her line didn’t necessarily rhyme, but at least it matched the structure. The members applauded wildly—finally, someone redeemed them a little.

Zhao Yimai, however, was nothing like his partner. Holding his bowl like a warrior, he waited until the auntie finished singing, then cupped his fists and declared boldly, “I’ll finish it in one go—please drink as you like!” He tipped his head back and emptied the bowl, drawing cheers from the cast—he really knew how to put on a cool act.

Then it was Cheng Jingling’s turn. Standing there with the bowl, she was visibly nervous. Though she actually understood the auntie’s lyrics, she also wanted to play along. So, she mimicked the melody and simplified her “lyrics” into: “Hey, hey, hey, hey.”

Her dead-serious nonsense sent everyone into fits of laughter. After finishing her bowl, she didn’t step forward immediately. Instead, she signaled she wanted to cross with Ji Yufu. When Chief Qi passed over the next bowl, Cheng Jingling even asked whether she should drink in Ji Yufu’s place, since Ji Yufu hadn’t been doing too well lately. But Ji Yufu refused.

The last couple also crossed the threshold hand in hand. Once all the guests entered the village, Chief Qi guided them on a walking tour. The buildings weren’t tall—three or four stories at most. The ground floors were all shops, and many owners were out front calling to customers. The village buzzed with activity.

“This area is mainly the commercial zone. Tourists eat, stay, and shop here. We’ve also preserved a large portion of the original houses, which have become a sightseeing spot. You can visit them later.”

The group followed the chief as he led them down the busy streets. Since Shuanglong Village was already highly commercialized, and the original houses weren’t allowed to host outside guests, the available homestays and hotels didn’t differ much. Because of that, the room-selection game was cancelled here, and everyone checked into the same nearby hotel. After they settled in that morning, Chief Qi hosted a welcome banquet.

Although the rural restaurant wasn’t as luxurious or polished as a capital hotel, it offered a wealth of local flavor. Many of the dishes were ones the cast had never even seen before. The table was packed with specialty ingredients—anything that counted as a regional product had been arranged by the chief to showcase to the world. He clearly wanted to make the most of the show’s platform for free publicity.

Cheng Jingling couldn’t help feeling moved. Chief Qi truly carried out his duties with heart. With a village chief like this, the villagers really were blessed.

The village committee members also arrived, and Village Chief Qi personally poured drinks for the cast, warmly inviting everyone to stay in Shuanglong Village for a couple more days. After his speech, everyone raised their glasses together, the atmosphere lively and festive. Cheng Jingling took a sip of the village’s specialty rice wine. It tasted sweet, with barely any sharp alcoholic bite—light and refreshing, almost like a fruit wine. She was surprised by how much she liked it. But as good as the wine was, Ji Yufu couldn’t drink much. Cheng Jingling only allowed her a small taste before forbidding her from having more. Her overbearing protectiveness made Bai Weilan laugh, teasing Ji Yufu for being “a wife ruled by her wife.”

After the welcome feast, it was already two in the afternoon. Knowing everyone was exhausted from traveling all morning, Director Wang Yumin didn’t schedule any work for the afternoon. They only planned to record some soft, sweet couple-walking-around-town footage—essentially giving everyone half a day off. The moment freedom was announced, everyone’s fatigue evaporated, and they eagerly looked forward to deciding how to spend their free time.

Jiang Yiyu and Wang Zicheng dashed off to explore the streets. The others opted to head back to the hotel first, planning to rest and then go out in the evening when the sun wasn’t so harsh. Cheng Jingling followed Ji Yufu back to the hotel. During the meal, she hadn’t been able to resist treating the rice wine like juice, and now her head felt fuzzy. She leaned against Ji Yufu’s shoulder with her eyes closed, trying to rest.

When they reached the hotel entrance, Ji Yufu gently woke her. Watching Cheng Jingling stumble out of the car, swaying with every step, she instantly realized Cheng Jingling was drunk. She wouldn’t let Ji Yufu drink—but ended up getting herself wasted instead. Supporting her, Ji Yufu guided her toward the lobby. Suddenly, Cheng Jingling lurched away and ran toward the front desk. Afraid she would fall, Ji Yufu hurried after her.

“Mimi, Mimi.”

Cheng Jingling scooped up the cat sleeping on the counter and cuddled it tightly, rubbing its head with reckless enthusiasm. The poor kitten was forcibly booted out of sleep mode.

“I picked up a cat, everyone! It wants to go home with me!”

Cat: “…”

Ji Yufu stared silently at the struggling kitten. Are you sure it wants that?

Clutching the cat in her arms, Cheng Jingling rubbed her cheek against it insistently. The kitten was kissed so aggressively that it was baring its teeth and grimacing. The front desk staff tried to stifle their laughter, while Ji Yufu felt her soul leave her body from embarrassment. She whispered for Cheng Jingling to put the cat down, but Cheng Jingling refused to let go—and insisted on taking the cat up to their room. This sent the two receptionists into a panic, and they rushed forward to “rescue” their coworker.

“Excuse me, miss—this cat is one of our hotel employees. Please don’t harass our staff. It’s just our front desk mascot and isn’t responsible for tucking guests into bed. Could you please release it?”

As the staff reached out, Cheng Jingling spun around dramatically, clutching the cat to her chest like treasure and refusing to let them touch it. Ji Yufu tried everything—pleading, coaxing, reasoning—but nothing worked. The standoff stalled until one of the receptionists suddenly recognized Ji Yufu. The scene instantly turned into a fangirl moment, and the staff agreed to temporarily lend Mimi to Cheng Jingling.

“What happened to her?” one staff member whispered, confused. With Cheng Jingling’s beautiful face, how could she be acting like such a lovable idiot?

“She drank too much rice wine,” Ji Yufu explained.

“Ohhh.” The staff nodded knowingly. Their rice wine was delicious, and it wasn’t rare for tourists to mistake it for juice and only realize the alcohol strength after it hit them.

“Actually, the rice wine is pretty strong. If you don’t have a high tolerance, it’s better to take it slow!”

“Got it, thank you.”

“Mimi has had all her vaccinations and gets regular deworming, baths, and claw trimming. So don’t worry about scratches. However, please remember that Employee Mimi gets off work at 6 p.m. sharp. Make sure to return her by then—she doesn’t work overtime!”

“Okay, thank you!” Ji Yufu nodded repeatedly and dragged Cheng Jingling back toward their room.

It took nearly all her strength to get Cheng Jingling into the elevator and then through the door. The moment they entered the room, Cheng Jingling collapsed onto the bed with the cat still in her arms. As a person who did not keep pets, Ji Yufu felt her brain short-circuit at the sight.

“Mimi, we’ll never be apart again! No one can separate us! I’ll make sure you live a wonderful life!”

Ji Yufu mentally cursed the destructive power of alcohol. Hearing this melodramatic declaration, she looked up speechlessly. What is this—some kind of tragic forbidden love story between a human and a cat?

“Let me kiss your tiny mouth! Mwah, mwah, mwah!”

Cheng Jingling, fully unhinged, showered the kitten with loud kisses. Ji Yufu’s scalp tingled in horror as the relentless “mwah, mwah, mwah” sounds echoed like a ticking timer.

So, she’s like this in private—full-on forced kisses and harassment? A complete maniac!

After she was done assaulting the cat with love, Cheng Jingling began whispering conspiratorially to it.

“Mimi, let me tell you a secret. I actually have a cat at home too. She’s really pretty—super pretty—the prettiest in the whole world!”

Standing at the mirror fixing her hair, Ji Yufu couldn’t help glancing back, curious about this mythical cat of hers.

“But her temper is terrible. She never pays attention to me. And she’s not very healthy. And she’s a total workaholic—just working and working every single day!”

Listening to Cheng Jingling’s tragic rant, Ji Yufu’s curiosity only grew. A cat with workaholic tendencies? That was almost admirable. Definitely better than the owner.

Cheng Jingling kept rambling, and the kitten answered with a meow every time, the two communicating flawlessly—an absurdly funny sight. Ji Yufu couldn’t resist taking out her phone and recording this oddly heartwarming moment.

When Cheng Jingling finally tired herself out, she lay back, placed the cat on her belly, and said, “Good night, time to sleep. One last kiss before bed—mwah!”

After kissing the kitten, she suddenly darted over and planted a kiss on Ji Yufu’s cheek—then immediately snuggled back to the cat and fell asleep.

Ji Yufu: “?”

I think I just made a discovery.