Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 27.1

As if possessed, the moment Lin Qi saw Jiang Ming, the scene from the changing room earlier began replaying in her mind. She let out an awkward laugh and quickly turned off the Great Compassion Mantra.

“Ahem, let’s listen to something calming.”

The moment she said this, the entire backstage fell silent. Watching Jiang Ming’s facade of calm crumble, revealing an extreme shyness beneath, Lin Qi deeply regretted her clumsy words, how could she kill the mood with just one sentence?

Why listen to calming music? Wasn’t it because of that earlier incident,

She couldn’t let herself dwell on it any longer!

Clearing her throat heavily, she said, “Ahem, since we’ve changed, let’s head back to the dorm.”

With that, like a fleeing fugitive, Lin Qi took a step that covered the distance of three normal strides. But before she could take the second step, her hand was grabbed again.

“You haven’t changed yet.”

The soft tone carried a watery shyness, but the action was far bolder than the voice. Seeing Lin Qi frozen, Jiang Ming actually reached out to undo the buttons of her shirt.

Lin Qi’s neck stiffened instantly, her whole body rigid, unsure how to react. Earlier, she had taken off her blazer because she felt hot, leaving only the light gray silk shirt on her body.

Jiang Ming worked quickly, reaching the third button in no time enough to reveal the black sports bra beneath. If she went any further.

Help!

“N-no, I don’t need your help! I’ll do it myself!”

Lin Qi hastily retreated two steps, clutching her chest like a virtuous maiden being harassed. Grabbing the pink shirt and skirt, she dashed into the changing room.

Only after shutting the door did she regain a sense of security. Now uncaring, she swiftly stripped off the half-unbuttoned shirt and changed back into the pink uniform blouse.

Outside, Jiang Ming watched Lin Qi’s entire escape with a sly smile. Who said she could only be the one being teased?

Though, come to think of it, the earlier incident in the changing room didn’t exactly count as “teasing,” did it?

Before, everything Lin Qi did would make her feel fear and dread. But now, no matter how bold the other’s actions, she would only hold her breath, trembling slightly to mask her shyness.

Seeing the changing room door open, Jiang Ming quickly schooled her expression back to innocence, merely raising an eyebrow. “Ready to go?”

Too bad her acting was terrible.

Lin Qi could easily tell Jiang Ming was deliberately trying to turn the tables. With a resigned smile, she picked up her blazer from the couch and hung it along with the shirt under her name tag. Then, draping the pink uniform jacket over her arm, she said, “All set.”

“You wasted so much time. I’m punishing you.”

The smaller girl looped her arm through Lin Qi’s free one, tilting her head up with a sweet smile that instantly made the other blurt out, “Yeah, I deserve it.”

“You’re not even resisting. How boring.”

Having never seen Jiang Ming act so playfully spoiled before, Lin Qi raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised, and could only indulge her.

“You’re so picky. I quit.”

“No! I am punishing you!”

“Well, I refuse to be punished. What now?”

“Then I’ll pile on the charges!”

Lin Qi was about to keep bantering, but when she met those sparkling fox-like eyes, she faltered. “W-what’s the punishment?”

This time, Jiang Ming’s little scheme was satisfied. She smiled as her hand slowly slid down, groping until it found Lin Qi’s and clasped it tightly. “I’m going to punish you by making you wash my hair and blow-dry it. I can’t see if the hair dye spray has been rinsed out properly.”

That’s it?

Truth be told, even if Jiang Ming hadn’t said anything, Lin Qi had already planned to do just that.

But since she brought it up, Lin Qi decided to tease the female lead a little. After all, the Jiang Ming before her now was so vibrant and lively, so adorably childish, that no one would believe she had such a tragic past. Even though she was being unreasonable, Lin Qi only wanted to indulge her every whim.

Not forgetting her own mischievous intentions, Lin Qi pulled her hand away. “No, I won’t.”

“You don’t have to resist now.”

Her hand was grasped again, and Lin Qi struggled to keep her expression stern, not wanting her smile to ruin her feigned indifference. But Jiang Ming was just too cute, what did she mean by “you don’t have to resist now”?

Was Director Jiang filming some kind of push-and-pull drama here?

So childish and coquettish utterly adorable.

Unable to hold back, Lin Qi let out a soft exhale through her nose. Meeting Jiang Ming’s expectant gaze, she finally relented. “Fine, I accept the punishment. I’ll wash and blow-dry your hair when we get back, okay?”

“You don’t sound happy about it?”

Though Lin Qi’s words were affectionate, Jiang Ming didn’t seem to pick up on it. Instead, a flicker of unease flashed in her eyes, as if she feared her playful antics might have upset Lin Qi.

Gently ruffling Jiang Ming’s blue-black hair, Lin Qi softened her gaze, looking at her earnestly. “I love it when you act like this with me. This is how you should be feel free to be as willful and spoiled as you want around me. With me, you can just be yourself.”

“W-why are you suddenly being so serious?”

Like a timid and insecure kitten, Jiang Ming kept glancing up to confirm the sincerity in Lin Qi’s eyes, only to quickly look away each time, unwilling to show her vulnerability. Her small, soft voice carried a hint of flustered defiance, as if trying to mask her fragile state.

Jiang Ming walked ahead but didn’t hear footsteps following. The emotional turmoil made her heart waver, stirring up fresh fears had Lin Qi’s touching words just been empty comfort?

Turning around and seeing no sign of Lin Qi, Jiang Ming panicked completely.

Fortunately, less than half a minute later, Lin Qi appeared before her with her hands behind her back, wearing a bright smile. “Guess what I found?”

Instead of answering, Jiang Ming, driven by unease raised her voice slightly. “Where did you go?”

Caught off guard by the question and noticing the tremble in Jiang Ming’s pupils, Lin Qi swallowed hard, tightening her grip on whatever she held behind her back. “I found some baby’s breath over there, so I picked a few.”

She weakly pointed toward the flowerbed beside a bench. “See? Right there.”

“You could’ve said something.”

“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise, would it?”

Pulling out three small flowers she had been hiding, Lin Qi handed them over. “There were white, blue, and purple ones, but I specifically picked the pink ones.”

“Why pink? Is it because of the flower’s meaning?”

She forced an unnatural smile. “What flower language? I just thought the pink baby’s breath would match our trainee outfits better, that’s all.”

“True, you probably wouldn’t know the language of flowers.”

In reality, she did know. But Lin Qi simply smiled and accepted the “crime” of not understanding flower meanings. After all, the pink baby’s breath symbolized “watching over love, willingly playing a supporting role.”

She had picked that flower on purpose a small, secret tribute to her own unspoken feelings.

Back in the dorm, she first changed out of her pink blouse and skirt in the bathroom, swapping them for loose shorts and a T-shirt. Only then did Lin Qi feel a little more comfortable.

Once she was ready, she met Jiang Ming’s eager gaze. The girl seemed worried she had forgotten her earlier promise.

Amused, Lin Qi lifted the chair from her desk and tilted her head toward the bathroom. “I didn’t forget. Let’s go.”

Jiang Ming obediently stood up and sat on the chair as instructed, though she seemed unsure how Lin Qi planned to wash her hair.

Having owned a cat in her past life, Lin Qi knew how to bathe a feline, but washing someone’s hair, especially while both were fully clothed was a different challenge.

After a moment of hesitation, she decided to avoid soaking their clothes and had Jiang Ming change into shorts and a T-shirt as well. That made things much easier.

She had Jiang Ming bend forward, head lowered, then used the showerhead to rinse away the blue-black dye covering her hair. Squeezing out two pumps of shampoo, Lin Qi worked with unexpected gentleness, her movements light. To soothe the nerves, she even massaged Jiang Ming’s scalp with careful pressure.

Though some clothes still ended up damp, the mission was a success. Satisfied with the restored jet-black strands, Lin Qi grabbed a towel to dry them.

Once out of the bathroom, she carried the chair back and, just like last time, pulled over the extension cord to plug in the hairdryer.

Time had changed things. The difference in their moods between these two hair-drying sessions was stark.

The last time she had dried Jiang Ming’s hair, they were in the middle of a cold war. Back then, Lin Qi had pinned her against the chair, threatening her harshly to accept the lyrics she had written, only to shamelessly offer to dry her hair afterward.

This time, it was Jiang Ming who had asked. They were friends now.

It really was a matter of effort. She had once thought she’d never earn Jiang Ming’s forgiveness or closeness in this lifetime, yet here they were.

Lost in thought, her hands slowed. Jiang Ming flinched slightly, her voice barely audible over the hairdryer’s noise. “It’s too hot.”

“Sorry, I was distracted.”

“Were you thinking about how much I hated you last time you dried my hair?”

Since when had the female lead become so perceptive?

There was no point denying it. Lin Qi nodded, then realized Jiang Ming couldn’t see her and chuckled. “Yeah. Back then, you didn’t even want my help. Your eyes were practically screaming how much you wanted to kill me.”

She expected Jiang Ming to say something in response, but instead, the girl fell into an inexplicable silence.