Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 30

Back in the dorm, following yesterday’s routine to wash off the temporary blue-black hair dye spray from Jiang Ming’s hair, Lin Qi’s movements were even more careless than the day before, likely due to her restless mood. Her pajamas were already half-soaked as she picked up the hairdryer to dry Jiang Ming’s hair.

At that moment, Jiang Ming turned her head. The damp strands of her hair released a faint mist, casting a soft glow over her fair skin as if filtered through a diffused light. Her bright, fox-like eyes cautiously met Lin Qi’s. “You still don’t want to tell me, do you?”

Lin Qi had indeed been struggling with how to bring it up, but Jiang Ming’s tactic of retreating to advance, knowing full well the timidity in her eyes was feigned still softened Lin Qi’s resolve. She paused before pressing the hairdryer’s switch.

Setting the hairdryer aside, Lin Qi sat on the bed to Jiang Ming’s left, unconsciously rubbing the bridge of her nose with her knuckle.

“What I’m about to say might sound unbelievable, but it’s all true.”

After a hesitant pause, as if doubting her ability to express it clearly in Chinese, she added, “Maybe I should say it in Japanese? I’m afraid you won’t understand.”

But Jiang Ming shook her head, replying in flawless Mandarin, “It’s fine. I’ll understand.”

With her last stalling tactic dismantled, Lin Qi lowered her head, avoiding Jiang Ming’s direct gaze as the girl turned fully toward her. “I’m not from this world. And I’m not Lin Qi.”

Once the words were out, the difficulty faded. No longer fidgeting, she lifted her head with newfound clarity. “Have you ever read those transmigration novels? I’m from another world. I crossed over here.”

Lin Qi still hesitated over whether to tell Jiang Ming that she was merely the heroine of a book that this entire world was just a story.

“Transmigration?”

The term fell outside Jiang Ming’s usual vocabulary. Though she had mastered many Chinese words, this was the first time she’d encountered this one. Her earlier claim of understanding had only been to prevent Lin Qi from dodging the topic further.

Before Lin Qi could explain, Jiang Ming pressed urgently, “So, it was you that day, wasn’t it?”

That day?

Lin Qi immediately grasped her meaning the day she had found herself pinning Jiang Ming down, only to scramble off awkwardly with an embarrassed laugh, asking, “How about I teach you Chinese?”

“Yes, it was me. I had just arrived, and the first thing I realized was that I was on top of you. I think I even hit you. Even though it wasn’t really me, I still want to apologize.”

Lin Qi had imagined countless reactions Jiang Ming might have distrust, skepticism, relief, joy but she never expected tears. The girl before her, her hair still dripping water onto her thin white silk pajamas, slowly reddened at the corners of her eyes. Tears spilled over, tracing her cheeks before landing on the already damp fabric, causing it to cling to her skin and reveal glimpses of alluring curves.

Heart aching yet inexplicably restless, Lin Qi swallowed hard and looked up, tearing her gaze away from the increasingly translucent pajamas to meet Jiang Ming’s tearful eyes in confusion.

“W-why are you crying?”

Jiang Ming seemed to realize her own disheveled state and stood to fetch a coat from the wardrobe. When she returned, the frail-looking girl wiped at her ceaseless tears, yet a smile graced her lips.

“I’m happy.”

Happy?

Actually, before Jiang Ming realized that Lin Qi wasn’t the big bully who had tormented her, she had been conflicted. She didn’t want to fall for someone so detestable, yet after every moment spent together, she simply couldn’t control the flutter in her heart.

Caught between reason and emotion, she had tried distancing herself from Lin Qi, thinking that avoiding contact would prevent any stirrings of feeling. But the outcome was undeniably a failure.

She had fallen in love with someone who had once bullied her.

Having learned about Stockholm syndrome during her time in the psychiatric hospital, Jiang Ming had initially scoffed at the idea. Yet now, entangled in these unwarranted emotions, she found herself lost.

Her heart kept reassuring her this wasn’t Stockholm syndrome. She had simply been moved by this kind, bright, and upright person who treated her so well. It was natural. But her mind tugged back, reminding her that this was the same person who had once tried to humiliate her, pinning her down on the bed and hitting her.

The physical pain still lingered in her memory, yet Jiang Ming was like a moth drawn to flame, forgetting the pain once the wounds had healed, her heart swayed by Lin Qi.

Fortunately, Lin Qi was exactly as she had imagined a truly wonderful person.

This was the reason Jiang Ming was crying tears of joy. She could finally face her feelings with honesty.

Such a complicated reason was surely beyond Lin Qi’s understanding. She could only fret helplessly, wanting to comfort her but unsure what to say. Just as she raised her hand to ruffle Jiang Ming’s hair, she realized it was still wet.

Maybe I should dry it for her?

Picking up the forgotten hairdryer, she had just stood up when she was suddenly embraced.

Startled, Lin Qi looked down, her double chin slightly protruding as she gazed at the damp head nestled against her. The oversized black jacket enveloped Jiang Ming’s slender frame, making her seem almost fragile compared to Lin Qi’s broader shoulders.

Once again, she let the hairdryer hover midair before setting it aside. Raising her hand, she gently stroked the leather jacket, one soothing motion after another. “What’s wrong?”

Afraid that her wet hair might be too cold, Jiang Ming didn’t dare bury her face in the crook of Lin Qi’s neck, which carried the woody scent she adored. Instead, she rested her chin on Lin Qi’s shoulder. She didn’t know why, but the moment Lin Qi stood up, an inexplicable unease had gripped her, as if this person was drifting further and further away.

So, in a moment of urgency, she had hugged her.

How could a shy kitten like her admit that? Lowering her head, she mumbled, “I just wanted to hug you.”

The excuse wasn’t much better, but Jiang Ming had no choice. Feeling the suppressed laughter vibrating through the chest pressed against hers, her entire body burned with embarrassment. Still, she buried her face into the crook of Lin Qi’s neck the very spot she had been longing for.

Sure enough, the familiar woody scent enveloped her. Like a contented cat, Jiang Ming rubbed lightly against her, thinking she wouldn’t be noticed.

Lin Qi could hardly hold back her smile. Even as the cold strands of hair brushed against her warm neck, she only felt her body growing hotter. She began to miss the Ragdoll cat she had raised in her past life, aloof and elegant on the outside, yet clingy at heart. Every time she returned from a performance, the cat would nuzzle against her for ages.

And just like that cat, Jiang Ming was stubbornly proud, only allowing herself small, subtle gestures of affection, refusing to show dependence.

Exactly the same temperament. So adorable.

“Then hug me as much as you want, for as long as you like.”

Preferably for a lifetime.

After witnessing Jiang Ming’s beauty, Lin Qi realized that the warmth in her chest at this moment was filled with an emotion called infatuation. Her gaze deepened she seemed, a little selfish now.

Her arms tightened even more. Jiang Ming let out a sob as tears welled up, a sour ache rising in her nose. Through blurred vision, she kissed the warm, indistinct neck before her, her voice muffled and unclear, “Why didn’t you come sooner?”

What?

Why what?

Lin Qi didn’t quite understand, feeling dazed, but she could sense the soft touch against her neck, Jiang Ming’s lips.

Her thoughts froze, yet she didn’t dare pull away. Though she didn’t know why Jiang Ming was crying, she at least knew the person in her arms was showing complete vulnerability.

Wasn’t it just confessing her origins?

Why was she crying?

Her usually sharp ears felt clogged, as if stuffed with paste. The soft words Jiang Ming had sobbed out just now remained incomprehensible. Lin Qi sighed in frustration, finally settling for patting her trembling back.

As if remembering something, Jiang Ming reluctantly left the comforting embrace and sat back in her chair. Looking down, she noticed her tear-dampened clothes, now nearly transparent, and her slightly open coat. She wrapped it tighter around herself before lifting her head nervously. “Then, how did you get here? Will you leave again?”

“I”

Lin Qi had been about to say she was stabbed by an anti-fan before arriving here. But seeing the clear unease in Jiang Ming’s eyes, she raised a hand to her left chest, where a familiar ache seemed to linger, and forced a smile. “I died in my past life, and then I ended up here. I probably won’t go back after all, in that world, I’m already a dead person.”

Feeling the mood turning somber, she chuckled lightly. “You’ve never seen a corpse come back to life, right?”

“How did you die?”

“Huh?”

The question caught her off guard. She hadn’t expected Jiang Ming to focus on how she died rather than how she got here.

Her throat tightened. Touched but hesitant, Lin Qi didn’t want to lie to the girl before her, red eyed, full of concern.

“I”

“Don’t lie to me.”

With no way out, Lin Qi lowered her head, her voice growing quieter. “In my past life, I was an idol. Once, while filming, an anti-fan stabbed me. I died from it, and then I came here. And met you.”

Suddenly, someone sat on her lap, bringing their mismatched heights level. Lin Qi met Jiang Ming’s gaze as it swept over her body urgent, pained, worried, fearful a mix of emotions swirling until tears spilled over. Her voice trembled. “Did it hurt?”

Lin Qi wasn’t sure whether to be glad she hadn’t mentioned the stab wound was in her left chest. Otherwise, Jiang Ming would surely be touching it now, asking if it still hurt.

She actually laughed, shaking her head. “The anti-fan was quick. I lost consciousness almost instantly it didn’t hurt.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie, was it? Ten minutes was “quick” enough, and she really had stopped feeling anything after that.

“I haven’t asked you yet, when I first arrived, I saw a red handprint on your face. Did that person hit you? Did it hurt?”

Gently brushing Jiang Ming’s soft cheek, Lin Qi felt a pang of heartache.

“I’m fine.”

Wrapping her arms around Lin Qi’s neck, Jiang Ming smiled and, as if to confirm something, asked once more, “From the day the theme song mission was announced until now, it’s always been you, right?”

Not sure why she was asking, but Lin Qi nodded anyway. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed Jiang Ming lowering her head and resting it on her shoulder. Jiang Ming’s ear brushed against hers, warm and tantalizing.

The words “I really like you” lingered on the tip of her tongue, circling three times, but Jiang Ming’s face flushed crimson, and she couldn’t bring herself to say it. In the end, she slid her hands down and wrapped them around Lin Qi’s waist. She had caught glimpses of those enticingly toned abs several times when Lin Qi accidentally lifted the hem of her shirt, and she had longed for this moment. Now, she finally had the chance to hold onto them openly.

Her gaze unfocused, Jiang Ming nuzzled against the shoulder that was slightly broader than her own and whispered, “Thank you.”

Thank you for appearing in my life, and thank you for giving me this love, both nerve-wracking and exhilarating.