Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 42

The sound of the hair dryer stopped as Lin Qi stood up from the chair, lifting her hand to brush through her now soft and smooth hair. “Thanks,” she said.

Moving the chair back to the desk, she went to the sink, filled a cup with water, and prepared to wash her face and brush her teeth. Just as she took a sip, she heard a timid voice behind her, “So, will you forgive me for lying to you today?”

Suddenly reminded of that incident, Lin Qi accidentally swallowed half a mouthful of tap water with a loud “gulp.”

Wow, if Jiang Ming hadn’t brought it up, she would have almost forgotten.

Quickly spitting out the remaining half, Lin Qi turned around, wiping the water from the corner of her mouth with a mischievous smile. “Oh, so you remember lying to me today?”

“I was wrong.”

Sticking out her tongue, Jiang Ming flashed an obedient smile. “But it was all to get clues about Sister Nian’er, right?”

The taste of tap water lingering in her mouth was unpleasant. Lin Qi slowly squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush. “Wait till I finish brushing my teeth first.”

“Okay.”

Her tone light, Jiang Ming softened her usually cool voice, trying to coax Lin Qi into relenting.

Pursing her lips, the faint rose fragrance of the toothpaste lifted Lin Qi’s mood. She cleared her throat. “We’re really good friends, right?”

Testing the waters with this question, Lin Qi feigned composure, even taking the time to open her facial cleanser. But by the time her face was covered in white foam, only then did the timid reply come, “Yes.”

So why had Jiang Ming hesitated?

Was she pondering over “really good” or “friends”?

Her throat tightened slightly as she turned on the faucet. The sound of running water gradually muffled Lin Qi’s voice. “Really? That much hesitation, are we not good friends?”

Playing the reverse card, she deliberately said this to gauge Jiang Ming’s feelings.

“No, it’s just that I”

“Just what? If you think we’re good friends, why hesitate so long?”

Pressing further, Jiang Ming panicked. Even though Lin Qi had her back turned, she still lowered her head, the tips of her ears slowly turning crimson. ” I was hesitating…”

Say it.

Expectantly pausing her actions, Lin Qi pressed her lips together. The foam on her face had already been rinsed off, yet she still leaned against the sink, waiting for the shy person behind her to voice her thoughts.

Time seemed to slow. Both the one waiting and the little “white rabbit” behind her were nervous. So much so that Lin Qi even began to wonder if she was imagining things, like why her stomach suddenly hurt so much.

“I, Lin Qi! What’s wrong?!”

It wasn’t her imagination. A sharp pain suddenly twisted in her stomach, and Lin Qi’s slightly flushed face instantly paled. Acting on instinct, she rushed into the bathroom and began vomiting into the toilet.

Jiang Ming hurried in after her, clearly frantic, patting her back helplessly before rushing out to fetch a cup of water from the dispenser for Lin Qi to rinse her mouth.

Having eaten little that day, all she threw up was partially digested, bitter, and nauseating stomach acid. Once there was nothing left to vomit, Lin Qi was left dry heaving in agony.

Finally managing to straighten up, she took the warm water Jiang Ming handed her and felt slightly better, only for her stomach to cramp again.

“Go out first.”

“No, I’m not leaving. What’s happening to you?”

With a resigned smile, Lin Qi pushed Jiang Ming out. “I need to use the toilet.”

Soon, the bathroom door closed, and Jiang Ming was very worried. What exactly was wrong with Lin Qi? Why did she suddenly start vomiting and having diarrhea?

Unable to just wait idly, Jiang Ming ran to the entrance and found the dorm supervisor on duty. “Lin Qi is sick. Can we send her to the hospital?”

By the time Lin Qi emerged from the bathroom, she saw a crowd of people from the production team blocking the doorway. Already weak, she barely had the strength to wash her hands before asking faintly, “What’s going on?”

The show had an on-site doctor who quickly assessed Lin Qi’s condition and diagnosed her with acute gastroenteritis. They arranged for a car to take her to the hospital.

Lin Qi could have gone alone, but Jiang Ming stubbornly stood by the car, clearly unable to relax. She looked pitifully at Lin Qi and asked, “Can I go with you?”

The doctor, being pragmatic and oblivious to romantic undertones, said rationally, “She can go alone.”

Weakly leaning against the car seat, Lin Qi clutched her aching stomach with both hands. She took a deep breath before mustering the strength to speak. “Let Jiang Ming come along. I don’t have any energy right now, she can help with some things.”

As she finished speaking, sweat beaded on her forehead. She was utterly drained and curled up in pain.

Afraid the doctor might try to dissuade her again, Jiang Ming quickly ducked into the car and sat beside Lin Qi. Clearly more attentive to the patient than the doctor, she gently wiped the sweat from Lin Qi’s forehead with a tissue, treating her with the utmost care.

Severely dehydrated, Lin Qi was barely conscious and had to be supported on either side by the doctor and Jiang Ming as they entered the hospital. Late at night, there weren’t many patients. After registering at the emergency department, she received the same diagnosis: acute gastroenteritis.

Too weak to move her tall frame, she was placed directly in the hospital lobby. The emergency doctor quickly inserted an IV to rehydrate her, hanging three large bottles of medicine on the mobile stand.

Feeling a tug on her clothes, Lin Qi forced her eyes open. Through the haze, she saw Jiang Ming taking her temperature under the arm. Letting her guard down, Lin Qi drifted into a heavy sleep.

“This isn’t good, she’s running a fever.”

“What should we do? Is it serious?”

“She needs antipyretics, but the patient is already unconscious. This is tricky.”

“I can help.”

Blushing, Jiang Ming took the pink oral solution handed to her by the emergency doctor and clutched it tightly. “Should we move Lin Qi to a ward first?”

Guessing Jiang Ming’s plan, the emergency doctor smiled and glanced at the girl whose face and ears were flushed red. “I’ll find a wheelchair, and we’ll take her to the ward.”

Likely considering Lin Qi’s special status, they were led to a high-end VIP single room. Together, they lifted Lin Qi onto the bed before exchanging a breathless, relieved smile.

“I’ll head out now. When the IV is done, just press the button by the bed, and I’ll come remove the needle.”

“Got it, thank you!”

The production team’s doctor had gone out to buy plain noodle soup and wouldn’t be back for a while. Alone in the quiet room, Jiang Ming gradually tightened her grip on the pink oral solution in her hand.

She went to the door and locked it. Jiang Ming helped Lin Qi sit up, feeling troubled about what she had to do next. She muttered under her breath, “You’re really sound asleep, huh? Even all this fuss didn’t wake you up.”

The metal seal on the oral solution was hard to open. After poking at it several times, she ended up bending the straw instead. Jiang Ming took the bottle to find a nurse, hoping to borrow a pair of scissors. Unbeknownst to her, Lin Qi in the ward had quietly opened her eyes, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

She wasn’t dead, how could she not feel being moved around? Lin Qi had actually woken up in the elevator, but before opening her eyes, she heard the doctor say, “This fever-reducing medicine needs to be taken before the first bottle of glucose infusion is finished.”

Then came a moment of silence before Jiang Ming’s timid voice replied, “I, I’ll feed it to her.”

“Mm, don’t be shy. The patient’s health comes first.”

Shy about what?

Could it be that Jiang Ming was planning to feed her the medicine… that way?!

Secretly thrilled, Lin Qi decided to keep her eyes shut and pretend to be asleep. After all, she’d played a corpse in a drama before, she was a professional at this!

The door opened. Lin Qi quickly closed her eyes again, feigning complete unconsciousness.

The oral solution was finally opened. Jiang Ming sighed, her hands trembling nervously. She scolded herself inwardly for being so weak and slapped the hand holding the medicine bottle to stop it from shaking. “Stop shaking! It’s not like we haven’t kissed before!”

Taking a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the bed, her free hand gently cupping Lin Qi’s cheek.

“Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous. We’ve already kissed twice.”

Muttering reassurances to herself, Jiang Ming failed to notice the slight raise of an eyebrow from the person lying so close. Right now, all she could see were Lin Qi’s slightly pale lips.

Her upper lip had a pronounced cupid’s bow, while the lower lip was thinner. Though not particularly red, they were undeniably alluring.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Jiang Ming poured the pink fever-reducing medicine into her own mouth before leaning in to press her lips against Lin Qi’s.

Heat surged through her, flooding her mind. Completely inexperienced, Jiang Ming tried to coax Lin Qi’s lips apart with her tongue—only to accidentally swallow the medicine with a loud gulp.

Damn it!

Frustrated, she pulled back. Whether it was the medicine or not, Jiang Ming’s entire face had turned pink. But the fever reducer clearly wasn’t working otherwise, why did she still feel so unbearably hot?

The bottle was now empty. With a resigned sigh, Jiang Ming had no choice but to hurry back to the nurses’ station to ask for another dose, claiming she’d accidentally spilled the first one.

The nurses exchanged knowing smiles. They understood perfectly.

Burning with embarrassment, Jiang Ming borrowed scissors again to open the new bottle.

Back in the room…

Lin Qi instinctively licked her lips. The medicine tasted, sweet?

Her lower lip, where Jiang Ming’s tongue had brushed against it, now carried a honey-like sweetness. A wicked grin spread across Lin Qi’s face. Since Jiang Ming tricked me, it’s only fair I return the favor.

She could’ve easily opened her mouth to let the medicine pass through earlier. But Lin Qi, with her mischievous streak, had wanted to see how Jiang Ming would react if she kept her lips sealed. Plus, this way, they’d get to kiss twice.

Though, what did Jiang Ming mean by “kissed twice”? As far as Lin Qi remembered, it had only happened once before.

The sound of unsteady footsteps came from the doorway. Lin Qi smiled and closed her eyes. She could ask about it later, there would definitely be a second time today, after all.

With trembling hands, Jiang Ming silently locked the door and dimmed the bright lights to a soft, warm glow. This way, she wouldn’t be able to see Lin Qi’s face clearly. Deceiving herself, she sat by the bed and pinched the other’s chin with one hand.

Sure enough, the lips relaxed slightly. The sweet aftertaste of the oral medicine still lingered in Jiang Ming’s mouth. She had never been fond of taking medicine after all, she had been forced to swallow so many unnecessary drugs during her four years in the psychiatric hospital. But this one was actually… sweet?

She tightened her grip slightly, her palm now slick with sweat. Nervousness, worry, and shyness tangled together as Jiang Ming abruptly tilted her head back and swallowed the fever reducer. Then, slowly, she leaned closer to Lin Qi.

Their lips met, and a tingling warmth spread from the small of her back. Trembling, Jiang Ming tentatively slipped her tongue into unfamiliar territory.