Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 34

The sensation on her shoulder wasn’t painful but rather tingling and electrifying, stirring an itch in her heart. Her throat involuntarily moved as Lin Qi’s voice grew husky, “Feeling better now?”

Only after biting him did Jiang Ming realize it was inappropriate. Her already rosy cheeks flushed even deeper. She reached up to rub the spot and noticed a damp patch on the pink training uniform, making her increasingly embarrassed. Her voice softened like melted spring water, “Does it hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

How could he admit it even felt a little pleasurable? Lin Qi coughed lightly, loosening his embrace slightly as he looked down at the person now gazing up at him. The faint pink at the corners of her eyes carried an indescribable allure her misty confusion, like a little white rabbit, blended with the innate charm of her fox-like eyes, short-circuiting his brain instantly.

D-don’t look at me like that.

Knowing full well he wasn’t someone who could suppress his desires, he averted his gaze and smoothly changed the subject. “You mentioned your group already has a creative theme in mind? What is it?”

At this, Jiang Ming seemed genuinely excited, her eyes sparkling with joy as she replied, “I know there’s a woman in Chinese history who joined the army in place of her father, Hua Mulan. Our theme is The Ballad of Mulan.”

The Ballad of Mulan?

Taking her father’s place in the army?

Not a bad theme. Recalling what he’d said to his mom over the phone, Lin Qi nodded in agreement. “I think it’s great. Will you be writing the lyrics when you get back? I can help.”

“No need. I want to do this myself. After all, it’s meant for my dad to see. I want to”

Her initially bright voice trailed off, and she choked up. “Will he even see me?”

Her lost, helpless sorrow made it impossible for Lin Qi not to look at her. The little white rabbit with red-rimmed eyes sniffled and gazed at him as if seeking confirmation.

His heart ached gradually. There could only be one answer now. Lin Qi gently stroked Jiang Ming’s round, fluffy head, the softness of her hair soothing under his touch. Firmly, he said, “Don’t worry. Our show airs during prime time, it’s super popular. Your dad will definitely see you.”

“Have you thought about what lyrics you’ll write?”

“Yes. I want to tell everyone that my dad isn’t a bad person.”

Nodding, Lin Qi couldn’t hold back any longer. Teasingly, he steered the conversation forward. “Guess what Jing Sha told me today?”

But the big blockhead had completely forgotten the reason Jiang Ming had been upset earlier was because she was jealous of his closeness with Jing Sha.

“You two seemed to have a great chat.”

In an instant, his embrace was empty. Jiang Ming slipped out in a flash, arms crossed, leaving only her beautiful profile for a bewildered Lin Qi.

Why was she upset again?

The 200,000-yuan worth of emotional intelligence he’d invested finally kicked in. Lin Qi pulled her down to sit on the bench. “It’s not that I was chatting happily with her. She told me why you couldn’t break into the top sixty. I solved that problem today, and our entire conversation revolved around you.”

“You talked about me with her? Really?”

“Really.”

Nearly forgiving him, Jiang Ming turned back, curiosity flickering. “So, what was the reason? And how did you fix it?”

“She told me that fans who watch the talent show all have another app. On that app, your… um… scandals are everywhere. They’ve all been boycotting you on their own, wanting you to drop out of the competition, so naturally, they won’t vote for you.”

Lin Qi had expected Jiang Ming to feel down or upset and had even prepared words of comfort. But instead of seeing her eyes lower, the usually soft and tragic female lead of a melodrama was now smiling calmly. “What scandals? That my father killed someone? Actually, it’s not really a scandal it’s the truth.”

“Aren’t you… upset?”

The petite girl shrugged, a slightly roguish gesture that looked adorable on her. Jiang Ming’s eyes curved into crescents. “It’s not like I’m not upset at all, but it’s okay. After all, my father really did kill someone. It’s normal for them to want me to drop out.”

Pausing, she pursed her lips, seeming a little embarrassed, but still spoke with flushed cheeks, “But I have you. I know you’ll always be by my side, comforting me and helping me solve these troubles. Maybe…”

Maybe you’re a gift from heaven to me.

On barren soil, a vibrant flower had bloomed. Jiang Ming, who had weathered countless storms and endured endless suffering, had finally met her sunshine.

Just like the flutter in her heart that day when she had searched word by word under the lamplight: “May someone accompany you through life’s turbulence. If not, I can be your sunshine.”

“Maybe what?”

“Never mind.”

A little puzzled, even with her high emotional intelligence, she couldn’t guess what Jiang Ming had meant to say Lin Qi scratched her head and said earnestly, “Don’t worry, I’ll always stand by you. I’ve already asked my mom to mobilize our family’s eight hundred marketing accounts to clarify your situation. We’ll make sure everyone understands you deserve a debut spot. I’ve thought about it maybe the reason heaven sent me here was to let you taste a little sweetness.”

Strangely in sync, Lin Qi completed the words Jiang Ming hadn’t spoken, but they were sincere. The female lead had already suffered far too much. Just the thought of losing her parents at such a young age was unimaginable to Lin Qi, who had grown up surrounded by love. Though she couldn’t fully empathize, she could at least try to bring Jiang Ming some sweetness.

“L-Let’s go to class.”

Her face burning, Jiang Ming took advantage of the darkening sky to hide her trembling lashes, which fluttered like butterfly wings. Unable to bear the growing warmth in her chest, she quickly stood up and fled, leaving behind a stammered sentence.

So cute.

Lin Qi grinned like a lovestruck fool and turned toward the cafeteria. Jing Sha should be done eating by now.

But when she arrived, she was stunned. Though Jing Sha couldn’t dance, the young miss was tall, long-legged, and slender-waisted, hardly the type who looked like she could eat much.

Yet the first thing Lin Qi saw was Wei Xuanyue’s ashen face. Then her gaze shifted to the refined young lady delicately eating lobster, before finally landing on the table with four large, spotless plates, so clean Lin Qi couldn’t even tell what had been on them.

“Xiao Qi, save me! Miss Jing won’t let me leave. She insists I sit here so people won’t think she ate all this.”

Don’t kid yourself, she definitely ate it all.

Lin Qi nearly burst out laughing. She waved at Wei Xuanyue, signaling her to go back and work on the lyrics, then took her seat. “Miss Jing, is your family starving you or something? No need to be this desperate for food, right?”

With an elegant motion, Jing Sha removed her gloves, wearing an expression that suggested hidden achievements. “Wei Xuanyue said she was too hungry, so she ate a bit more.”

“I don’t buy that for a second.”

“Come on, I was just hungry.”

“Stop grossing me out!”

Lin Qi stood up, seemingly disgusted. “Done eating? Then hurry up. Teacher An is probably waiting for us already.”

Clearing her throat, Jing Sha pulled out a tissue to wipe the grease from her lips. “Wait, help me carry no, help Wei Xuanyue clean up the trash.”

“If Xuanyue heard that, she’d be furious.”

With no choice, Lin Qi picked up the two plates for Jing Sha, grimacing at the unpleasant sensation of grease on her hands. After disposing of the plates, the ever-“kind” Lin Qi rushed to the restroom to wash up. Then, while her hands were still damp, she pressed two handprints onto Jing Sha’s back. “Behold the Five Poison Palms of the Crimson Lotus Fairy, Li Mochou!”

“You’re so childish!”

No sooner had Jing Sha scolded her than she mimicked the act, running to the restroom and flicking water onto Lin Qi’s face. “Take this, Freezing Silver Needles!”

The two childish souls had found each other. They horsed around all the way back to the classroom, unaware that everything had been witnessed by Jiang Ming.

“Jiang Jiang, what are you looking at?”

Both were sitting cross-legged on the steps of the grand plaza when Wei Xuanyue noticed Jiang Ming’s smile fade, her eyes dimming. Following her gaze, Wei Xuanyue spotted two figures chasing and laughing Lin Qi and Jing Sha.

They looked intimate, with plenty of physical contact, both wearing genuine smiles as if they’d returned to their school days, exuding unrestrained youthful energy.

“Lin Qi seems really happy.”

It was a joy Jiang Ming had never seen when Lin Qi was with her.

After speaking, Jiang Ming lowered her eyes, clearly disheartened. She had always been the one causing trouble for Lin Qi, always the one being taken care of…

“Jiang Jiang, do you… like Lin Qi?”

“No!”

The tentative question was cut off before it could even be fully voiced. Seeing the mist forming in Jiang Ming’s eyes, Wei Xuanyue understood perfectly. She patted the flustered and anxious girl comfortingly and sighed. “I believe Lin Qi feels the same way about you.”

“I hope so.”

Jiang Ming bowed her head, oblivious to her own contradiction. Forcing a smile, she said, “Let’s get back to discussing the lyrics.”

By the time Lin Qi and Jing Sha returned to the classroom, they were exhausted from laughter, only to be met with the stern face of Teacher An Zizi. Like misbehaving schoolchildren, they instantly straightened up and bowed. “Sorry, Teacher An, we’re late.”

An Zizi’s expression was severe. She glanced at Lin Qi first, then her slightly softened gaze hardened again as she pointed at the mannequin standing beneath Jing Sha’s nameplate. “Jing Sha, do a backbend.”

With a groan, Jing Sha rubbed her round belly and said earnestly, “Teacher An, I just ate four plates of braised shrimp. There’s no way I can bend right now.”

“So now you admit it was you who ate them all?”

After teasing Jingsha a bit, Lin Qi was initially smiling, but when An Zizi called her out, she instinctively put on an obedient expression.

“Lin Qi, go help Jingsha with her backbend. If Miss Jing dies here or throws up, it’s on you.”

Rubbing her temples in frustration, Lin Qi glanced at Jingsha’s bloated stomach. “Serves you right for eating so much.”

“Careful, or I’ll puke right in your face!”

Jingsha’s waist was truly stiff. By the end of the entire class, Lin Qi felt that supporting her rigid back was even more exhausting than dancing a high-energy routine. At noon, she returned to the dorm with aching arms and found a girl under the desk lamp, gnawing on the end of a pen.

Bathed in the warm yellow light, Jiang Ming furrowed her delicate brows. Her slender fingers flipped through the pages of a book before her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had discovered something. Lips parting slightly, she jotted down a few lines on the blank paper.

“At dawn, she leaves her parents behind, by dusk she camps by the Yellow River’s side. No longer hearing her parents’ calls, only the Yellow River’s waters chime… chime…”

“Chime jianjian**jianjian refers to the sound of rushing water.”

“You’re back? Did you have fun with Jingsha?”

Lin Qi had thought her move of leaning against the door to prompt Jiang Ming was cool, but hearing those words, her body slumped slightly. It seemed she had messed up again.