Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 41

Lin Qi’s movements suddenly softened as the girl before her furrowed her brows slightly, pressing her lips together while looking up at her with a gaze brimming with pitiful waves. Like a helpless little white rabbit pinned against the wall, her eyes were utterly harmless.

Deep down, Lin Qi knew Jiang Ming was no innocent rabbit, she was a cunning little fox. Those upturned, alluring fox eyes of hers suited the role perfectly.

“Y-you’re really going to tear my name tag?”

Lin Qi’s throat bobbed, and she instinctively loosened her grip even more. That soft, coquettish tone made her ears burn.

The distance between them was so close. Despite Jiang Ming’s delicate, coldly beautiful features, she raised her brows just slightly, revealing a pair of glistening, pleading eyes. Even a deity would have melted at the sight. The girl looked so pure and sweet that Lin Qi silently took two steps to block the cameraman behind her.

She really didn’t want anyone else to see Jiang Ming like this…

The restraint on her wrist grew lighter. Biting her lower lip, Jiang Ming seized the moment Lin Qi was distracted to twist free with a deft motion, then quickly put distance between them. The difference in strength was too great, if she got caught again, her cute-and-helpless act would be useless.

With her hands suddenly empty, Lin Qi let out an exasperated laugh. Was she really this easy for Jiang Ming to manipulate? A little pout and some puppy-dog eyes, and she just let her go?

“If I don’t tear yours, the game won’t end.”

At the first half of the sentence, the little rabbit’s eyes brightened. But once the full sentence registered, Jiang Ming puffed out her cheeks. “What do you mean? You think I can’t tear yours?”

Lin Qi shrugged indifferently. “You’re welcome to try.”

Jiang Ming let out a soft hum, stretching slightly and rubbing her reddened wrist. Then, with a faint arch of her brow, she pressed her rosy lips together, her clear eyes now burning with fierce determination.

Cheng Wu had been right, she was indeed agile. Petite and lithe, Jiang Ming darted close to Lin Qi several times, narrowly escaping each time she was almost caught.

Lin Qi simply waited like a hunter stalking prey. She wasn’t worried, Jiang Ming couldn’t tear her tag anyway. Might as well play along for a bit, like a mischievous cat toying with its catch. She watched with amusement as the little rabbit scurried around.

Before long, Jiang Ming stood a short distance away, hands on her knees as she panted. She was never the most athletic trainee to begin with in fact, she was somewhat frail. After a full day of exertion, she had little strength left to challenge Lin Qi head-on.

Now was the time. Like a wolf seizing its moment, Lin Qi closed the distance in two or three strides, her long arm reaching out to brush against Jiang Ming’s back.

Finally realizing what was happening, Jiang Ming still refused to give up. She instinctively tried to turn, only for Lin Qi to pull her into a tight embrace.

The scent of crisp, gentle sandalwood enveloped her. The arms around her held firm, leaving her unable to even lift her own hands. Her heartbeat quickened, and for a moment, Jiang Ming froze until she heard the unmistakable rip.

“Jiang Ming, out.”

Relaxing her hold, Lin Qi patted her back and stepped away. “Sorry about that.”

Jiang Ming lowered her head to hide her flushed face. Truthfully, she wasn’t surprised. Going up against Lin Qi in a name-tag battle? Unless Lin Qi went easy on her, there was no way she could win.

Just feeling so embarrassed about losing the ability to think after being hugged, Jiang Ming muttered a sullen “I’m fine” and then stomped ahead, sulking at herself.

Unaware that it was Jiang Ming’s dazed state that had made the task so easy, Lin Qi thought she had tied the restraints too tightly and thus couldn’t comprehend the little white rabbit’s complicated emotions at the moment.

Was it because she lost?

Quickening her pace to catch up, Lin Qi rubbed her hands together, unsure how to comfort her. “Jiang Ming, are you upset?”

“Not upset”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“I”

Jiang Ming parted her lips several times but, seeing Lin Qi’s clueless expression, couldn’t bring herself to say it. She just lowered her now less-flushed face with a troubled frown. “I’m fine.”

Completely unable to guess, Lin Qi simply gave up. She followed Jiang Ming back to the mall entrance, where everyone had already gathered.

Tan Yi was grimacing, being scolded and hit by Wei Xuanyue, looking utterly miserable.

Seeing the chaotic scene, the PD silently turned the megaphone volume to maximum. “Everyone, quiet down.”

“This time, the resident MC team won. Aside from Gu Nian’er, the other five MCs will receive gifts. Lin Qi and Tan Yi also have gifts, there are seven boxes on the table in front of you.”

Walking over to the table to pick up a small box, Lin Qi opened it. The summer night air was suddenly filled with a warm, rich floral fragrance. Inside the delicate little box lay a ring, a vibrant sunset-orange hue with a lifelike rose carved into the band, both fresh and passionate.

While the winning team marveled and the losing team lamented, the director raised the megaphone again. “Actually, a week ago, we secretly measured all your finger sizes and customized a ring for each of you. However, some members lost and thus missed out. Try to win next time you’re on our show.”

“Oh, right. There’s also a member who completed a secret mission Jiang Ming, please come collect your gift.”

A little surprised, Jiang Ming walked over to the director and received her own box. Whether by coincidence or not, her ring was the most similar to Lin Qi’s. A couple’s ring?

“Wow, Jiang Ming, your ring looks just like mine.”

“Yeah.”

Her gaze lingering on the sunset-orange ring on Lin Qi’s hand, Jiang Ming silently lowered her head and slipped the matching ring onto her own ring finger. The blooming rose coiled around the base of her finger, as if gently erasing all her past pain and scars.

Glancing at Jiang Ming, Lin Qi, who had initially worn the ring on her middle finger, seemed to understand something. Her teeth itched slightly as she bit her lip and moved the rose to her ring finger.

Their eyes met in the deep night. Lin Qi locked onto those ink-black pupils, where a soft, shallow smile shimmered. They said nothing, yet an inexplicably ambiguous atmosphere enveloped them, thick and sweet like unmelting honey.

Clearing her throat twice, Lin Qi wondered why, despite her cool, crisp woody scent and the refreshing summer breeze, did her cheeks feel inexplicably warm?

She hid her hands behind her back and stood in a darker spot, afraid her flushed face might give her away.

The female lead wore the ring on her ring finger did that mean she felt the same way?

She really didn’t want to be presumptuous, but Lin Qi couldn’t suppress her wandering thoughts. What if, just what if, Jiang Ming felt the same way about her? Should she be a little braver?

“Jiang Ming, do you know the meaning of wearing a ring on the ring finger?”

She asked hesitantly, lowering her head slightly to hide the anticipation in her eyes.

Nervously gripping the hem of her clothes, Jiang Ming feigned calm and pretended not to understand. “What’s a ring finger?”

She raised her hand, the metal catching the light and gleaming brilliantly. “Is it this finger?”

Should she be grateful they hadn’t worn them on their middle fingers? Otherwise, it would’ve been an internationally recognized gesture.

At the thought, Lin Qi actually laughed, her disappointment fading. She really thought Jiang Ming didn’t know, so she earnestly explained, “This finger is called the ring finger. In our country, when couples get married, they usually exchange rings on each other’s ring fingers.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Tan Yi suddenly chimed in, slinging an arm around Lin Qi’s shoulder in a buddy-buddy manner. “What kind of rings do you have?”

After glancing at Lin Qi’s and then spotting Jiang Ming’s ring almost identical except for slight differences in size Tan Yi smirked suggestively. “You two really have some fate, huh?”

Lin Qi broke free and instinctively looked at Jiang Ming to gauge her reaction, only to meet her gaze head-on. “Ahem, maybe it’s because we’re a CP.”

“Ah, what a shame. Wei Xuanyue lost. I was curious about what her ring looked like.”

“Once we debut, we’ll come back to get them. Consider them stored with the production team for now.”

“Yeah! All four of us are going to debut!”

After the casual chat, their original clothes had already been packed. The trainees were still dressed in their white-and-pink tracksuits as the production team sent them back to the camp. Knowing Jiang Ming had worked up a sweat though the weather wasn’t particularly hot Lin Qi let her shower first.

Her excuse? “I’m in good health.” Lin Qi grinned, waiting until Jiang Ming was in the bathroom and out of earshot before adding, “Can’t exactly say you’re weak.”

Opening her phone, she pulled up the voice recorder, cleared her throat, and called Jiang Ming’s name loudly a couple of times. Hearing no response, she relaxed and began humming. Earlier, she’d learned that Wei Xuanyue also had a hidden phone, so she decided to help their group finish the song arrangement.

She hadn’t studied music in her past life, but she’d listened to enough songs. With some lyrics already written, composing the melody shouldn’t be too hard, right?

After sending the files in segments to Wei Xuanyue, Jiang Ming emerged, carrying the fresh scent of shower gel. Lin Qi gathered her clothes and headed to the bathroom.

Stepping out with damp hair, the lingering mist from the bathroom still clouding her vision, Lin Qi froze at the sight of Jiang Ming sitting cross-legged on the bed, waiting for her. With a smile, Jiang Ming held up a hairdryer and shyly stuck out her tongue. “Let me dry your hair for you.”

Lin Qi was always the one drying Jiang Ming’s hair, why was it the other way around today?

“What? You don’t want me to?”

That pitiful look again, sparkling eyes blinking up at her. Lin Qi shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t want you to. I’m just surprised.”

Jiang Ming got up from the bed and knelt down, letting Lin Qi sit on the stool in front of her. She turned on the hairdryer and tested the temperature with her palm. As the noisy sound filled the air, she finally spoke softly, “I want to be good to you too.”

“What?”

The sound of the hairdryer on its highest setting was simply too loud, especially right behind her ear, so Lin Qi genuinely didn’t catch what was said.

As it turned out, Jiang Ming didn’t hear Lin Qi’s “What?” either. She turned the hairdryer down to the lowest setting and asked in return, “What did you say?”

Lin Qi chuckled helplessly. “I said, ‘What?'”

“What ‘what’?”

Forget it no need to tease Jiang Ming about her still somewhat unpolished Chinese. Lin Qi smiled brightly. “I said, I didn’t hear what you just said clearly.”

“What did I say?”

Suddenly caught in the loop, Jiang Ming was a little dazed, completely forgetting the line that had made her so shy.

“Never mind, just dry my hair.”

Lin Qi shook her head, listening to the abruptly louder sound behind her ear, the corners of her lips curling up slightly. So sweet.