Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 37

Shaking her head to dispel the wandering thoughts in her mind, Lin Qi cleared her throat and reached out to touch Jiang Ming’s slightly thin shoulder. The sensation was somewhat bony, with only a thin layer of skin covering the bone.

Her random musings turned into heartache. Recalling the massage techniques she had learned in her past life, she applied pressure with her fingers, searching for the knots beneath.

The sides of the neck were clearly stiff. Lin Qi pressed down firmly with her middle and index fingers.

“Hiss ”

Like a startled kitten whose tail had been stepped on, Jiang Ming instinctively tried to escape, but Lin Qi swiftly pinned her to the bed. For a moment, Jiang Ming felt like a fish on a chopping board no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t break free.

Turning her head with effort, her misty eyes brimmed with grievance. “It hurts.”

Now was not the time to soften. Lin Qi curled her index finger and rubbed the tip of her nose, avoiding Jiang Ming’s pitiful gaze. “That means it needs more work. Clearly, you haven’t relaxed your shoulders at all.”

“But it really hurts!”

“Bear with it.”

Her small face scrunched up like a steamed bun, Jiang Ming was already regretting letting Lin Qi massage her. She struggled a couple of times, but with her naturally weak strength and the bed offering no leverage, even her hardest efforts barely shifted her position.

The familiar pillow in front of her made her give up. She flopped onto it dejectedly, her voice muffled. “Do whatever you want. Just let me live.”

This resigned attitude was almost comical. Lin Qi continued working on her shoulders, casually diverting Jiang Ming’s attention. “I heard from my mom that tomorrow’s episode is a couples special.”

“Ah? Couples?”

“Yeah, seems like they invited four pairs from our show. Did you know? Our CP is ranked pretty high.”

“CP, as in ‘couple’?”

“Pretty much.”

“But we’re not Ah!”

Seizing the moment of distraction, Lin Qi applied the pressure her massage teacher had taught her, pressing firmly into the stiff sides of Jiang Ming’s neck, even kneading vigorously as if afraid the tension wouldn’t dissolve.

“No! It hurts! It hurts!”

In the end, Lin Qi’s heart softened. Easing up, she noticed through Jiang Ming’s loose collar that her delicate skin had already turned slightly red. Sighing, she rubbed the area gently, this time with a soothing touch.

“Feel better?”

Tears had welled up instantly. Jiang Ming had been shyly planning to probe Lin Qi’s thoughts, but the sudden pain wiped all coherent thinking from her mind. “What do you think?”

Accompanied by tears, what she intended as a firm retort came out in a teary whimper, softened and devoid of any intimidation, more like a pouty complaint.

“Sorry, I just wanted you to feel better tomorrow.”

Hearing Lin Qi’s apology, Jiang Ming, who had been sulking, suddenly felt embarrassed. Though it had hurt terribly during the massage, now her shoulders felt noticeably lighter, as if she’d been carrying a small animal on them all along.

“I-It’s fine. You can keep going.”

The apology had slipped out without thought. Unaware of Jiang Ming’s actual feelings, Lin Qi assumed she was enduring the pain to let her continue. Now, her movements became even more cautious.

Next was the spine, which required more pressure. But with one knee on the edge of the bed, her point of leverage wasn’t centered, making it difficult to apply force. After hesitating for a moment, Lin Qi, though she felt the position was improper, still took off her shoes and knelt with both knees beside Jiang Ming’s thighs.

She could only say it was fortunate she had long legs this way, she could avoid touching Jiang Ming’s body. Otherwise, how awkward would that be?

Clearing her throat lightly, Lin Qi first pressed her right hand along Jiang Ming’s spine, tracing from the nape of her neck down to the small of her back. Suddenly, she realized the female lead’s body seemed rather sensitive.

Just a light stroke near the small of her back, and Jiang Ming actually shivered, her exposed earlobes turning suspiciously red.

Could her pressure really be painful?

“Why are you trembling? Does it hurt?”

Afraid she might have been too rough, Lin Qi tentatively asked.

After a brief silence, Jiang Ming, whose hands had been resting on either side of the pillow, covered her already buried face, her neck gradually flushing pink. Shyly, she murmured, “It’s… a little ticklish.”

As she spoke, she pressed her face even deeper into the pillow, clearly embarrassed flustered and bashful.

Lin Qi pursed her lips, inexplicably feeling parched. Glancing down at her right hand resting on Jiang Ming’s back and her left hanging idly at her side, she felt no moral restraint about massaging someone. With purpose, her right hand slowly slid downward, stopping at the middle. “Does it tickle here?”

“Not, not too much.”

The touch on her back was slightly ticklish, but still within bearable limits. What Jiang Ming found more distracting was the suddenly husky voice near her ear. She didn’t know why Lin Qi’s tone had deepened, but the heat inside her only continued to rise.

It wasn’t even that ticklish anymore.

Just as she thought this, Lin Qi’s fingers brushed against the small of her back again not forcefully, clearly mindful after Jiang Ming’s earlier reaction. The slender fingers merely grazed the base of her spine like a feather, yet Jiang Ming couldn’t suppress the maddening itch that surged from deep within.

Her entire body trembled violently. Lin Qi could even see the sudden tension in her buttocks and thigh muscles, as though she was desperately trying to hold herself back to no avail.

Beneath her, Jiang Ming’s body stiffened completely, still quivering faintly.

So her guess was right the small of her back was a sensitive spot.

“Your lower back is really ticklish, huh?”

It wasn’t a question but a statement, one that made Jiang Ming feel like she was about to combust. Like the proverbial ostrich burying its head in the sand, she refused even more stubbornly to reveal her burning red face.

It wasn’t just the ticklishness, though. The sensations spreading through her body were too strange, and the hand lingering on her lower back left her too weak to struggle. Hiding in the pillow, she answered in a muffled voice, “Y-yes, it’s a bit ticklish. Maybe… maybe skip this part?”

Lin Qi had initially considered letting her off, but the moment she recalled Jiang Ming’s earlier mention of “repayment,” a mischievous urge bubbled up. Might as well tease her a little it was just tickling, after all.

Besides, the spine really did need some attention.

“No can do. There might be a catapult chair activity tomorrow you know, where you’re launched into the air and then land in the water. If your back isn’t in good shape, what if you get hurt?”

After all that earnest persuasion, Jiang Ming, being the naive one, had no idea about Lin Qi’s mischievous intentions. Instead, she thought Lin Qi was genuinely concerned about her. With a resolute nod, she said, “O-okay, go ahead. But press harder lighter touches tickle too much.”

Lin Qi raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn’t expected the girl who was usually so afraid of pain to ask for a firmer touch.

Before her hands even made contact, Jiang Ming’s body had already tensed up, her curves rigid. Lin Qi couldn’t help but laugh as she touched Jiang Ming’s shoulder blades. With all her muscles clenched, it was impossible to tell where needed loosening.

She patted Jiang Ming’s side lightly. “Relax a bit. I can’t tell where you’re stiff.”

Unexpectedly, this elicited a muffled moan from Jiang Ming. Wait, was her side a sensitive spot too?!

This wasn’t just surprising anymore, it was downright shocking. Lin Qi’s peach-blossom eyes widened as she tentatively touched Jiang Ming’s side again. Sure enough, just the slightest contact made the muscles in Jiang Ming’s lower body tense up instantly.

“Jiang Ming, does this tickle you too?”

“D-don’t ask me.”

Never had Jiang Ming felt so utterly helpless. Tears of embarrassment welled up in her eyes. The sensation was bizarre, something she’d never experienced in her eighteen years. Lin Qi’s hands seemed to carry a faint electric current. The moment they brushed against the skin of her waist, a tingling numbness spread through her, sapping all her strength. Uncontrollable, strained moans escaped her throat.

Startled by the female lead’s overly sensitive body, Lin Qi didn’t dare tease her further. She withdrew her hand, cleared her throat, and said, “I’ll just massage your legs instead. Your waist”

She had meant to say, “is way too sensitive,” but considering Jiang Ming’s thin skin, Lin Qi sighed and amended, “Your waist is just too ticklish.”

“Yeah.”

Jiang Ming nodded in agreement and stretched out her legs, confident that this area wouldn’t be ticklish.

But when Lin Qi moved back to massage her thighs, she froze at the sight of a darker patch on Jiang Ming’s pajama pants.

What the hell? It couldn’t be…

Her face burned hotter. Even though it was only late April and not particularly warm, Lin Qi felt like she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t bring herself to look any longer and hastily scrambled off the bed. “I suddenly feel sleepy. Goodnight.”

“You go ahead and sleep then.”

Obliging, Jiang Ming sat up to pull the covers over herself, only to realize something was off. Why?

Lin Qi wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, desperate to fall asleep quickly. But then she heard Jiang Ming open the wardrobe, followed by the rustling sound of water running in the bathroom each drop pounding against her heart.

Seems Jiang Ming had noticed too.

Help! Why was it getting even hotter?

Early the next morning.

Lin Qi woke up with flushed cheeks, unsure of what she’d been dreaming about. For once, she had risen earlier than Jiang Ming. She changed into her own clothes today was the day for filming the variety show, and she could finally dress in her usual style.

A bright yellow short-sleeved shirt paired with light gray loose sweatpants, and a plaid shirt tied around her waist for style. Lin Qi checked herself in the full-length mirror by the door and nodded in satisfaction fresh, comfortable, and full of youthful energy.

“Mmm, Lin Qi, you’re awake?”

After Lin Qi finished washing up, Jiang Ming woke up with a soft, drowsy voice, like a lazy and bewildered Persian cat. She stretched and smiled, saying, “Morning.”

“Brush your teeth, wash your face, and then change your clothes. I’ll go buy breakfast. How about some bean skin? You definitely can’t get this in Japan.”

“Okay.”

Though she agreed, Jiang Ming’s gaze lingered on Lin Qi, making the one being stared at hesitate to leave. Then she asked, “Are you wearing this outfit for the recording today too?”

“Yeah, why? Does it not look good?”

“No, it looks great. Go get breakfast.”

Nodding in slight confusion, Lin Qi left the dorm. It seemed Jiang Ming hadn’t remembered last night’s events after waking up, otherwise, why would Lin Qi be the more flustered one?

Lin Qi absolutely refused to admit she was that easily embarrassed.

After buying two servings of bean skin and two cups of soy milk enough for both she carried the bags back to the dorm, one large and one small, since hers was the bigger portion.

As soon as she opened the door, Lin Qi raised an eyebrow in surprise. The girl before her was wearing the bright yellow training uniform of Class B and dark gray sweatpants. She was in the middle of putting on a plaid shirt, one arm already through the sleeve.

Once the shirt was on, the show’s logo on her chest was covered, leaving only the bright yellow that matched Lin Qi’s outfit.

Swallowing hard, Lin Qi asked blankly, “You’re wearing this for the recording?”

Jiang Ming smiled shyly. “What’s wrong? Does it not look good?”

How could Lin Qi not realize this was no coincidence? Lowering her head to hide her joy, she nodded, her gaze clear and sincere. “It looks really good.”

How could it not?

Naturally striking, Jiang Ming usually preferred simple outfits black, white, and gray were her staples. But when she donned vibrant colors, it was like a swift horse meeting its trainer, honey stirred into lemon tea, or a dancing dragon having its eyes painted instantly dazzling.

“As long as it looks good.”

Lin Qi’s throat felt itchy. She could no longer suppress the increasingly heavy emotions inside her. When a bottle of soda is shaken until it fizzes, even if you tighten the cap, the foam will still surge through unseen cracks. In some unnoticed corner, her restraint was already teetering, unable to contain the emotions swelling within.