Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 57

“Why did you change your clothes?”

The tone was still as calm as water, as if it were just an offhand remark. Lin Qi met Jiang Ming’s somewhat complicated gaze, and for a moment, every cell in her body tensed up. This wasn’t right only she knew about the lipstick stain on her clothes.

Why did Jiang Ming’s eyes seem to hold something dangerous?

“I, I took a shower at the hotel and changed.”

“Is this the hotel’s clothes? They look nice.”

“No, it’s the performance outfit prepared by the stylist. Yeah, I think it looks good too.”

At first, it was just a simple back-and-forth, and Lin Qi thought she could handle the conversation with Jiang Ming. But then the topic shifted abruptly, and Jiang Ming’s tone turned icy. “If it’s for the concert, why did you change at the hotel? You just changed into it, didn’t you? Why did you throw away the previous outfit?”

The questions came one after another, sharp and relentless. Though framed as casual chatter, they made Lin Qi sweat in her freshly changed clothes. She tugged uncomfortably at her tie, then, realizing the gesture might seem too casual, quickly withdrew her hand. “That outfit got stained, so I threw it away.”

Threw it away?

What could have stained it? Nothing more than the mark she had left, like a claim of ownership.

Jiang Ming’s eyes darkened further. She lowered her head, her dry eyes slowly welling up with mist. She didn’t want to cry. Before her voice could crack, she spoke quickly, “I need to go to the restroom.”

How could Lin Qi not notice her distress? But with everyone else chatting in small groups, drawing attention to someone on the verge of tears would only make Jiang Ming more uncomfortable.

Now, only Wei Xuanyue and Tan Yi, who was completely clueless and just watching the drama remained. Lin Qi frowned deeply. “Xuanyue, does Jiang Ming know?”

“I don’t know if she knows.”

“No, I mean, I’m panicking right now.”

“What’s the point of panicking now? You should’ve stopped Xia Lian from entering your room last night.”

Lin Qi sighed, rubbing her throbbing temples. “Xia Lian’s manager forced her to stir up rumors with me. Whether I let her in or not, the paparazzi had already taken photos at the door.”

“Why? With Xia Lian’s status, three of you wouldn’t be enough to make up for the solo fans she’d lose from this kind of scandal.”

Lin Qi shrugged helplessly. “How should I know?”

Tan Yi, finally catching on a little, raised her hand like an obedient student. “So… what’s this about knowing or not knowing? Do I know?”

It sounded like a tongue twister. Lin Qi shook her head. “I don’t even know if Jiang Ming knows. I feel like she might, her mood has been off all day. But she won’t admit it, just keeps forcing herself to hold it together.”

A hand patted her shoulder Wei Xuanyue, unusually serious. “Xiao Qi, you haven’t given Jiang Jiang enough sense of security. As a mutual friend, I see it clearly. You love to flirt, act bold on the outside, but you’re too afraid to take the initiative in expressing your feelings. You don’t need to be scared. Jiang Jiang’s feelings for you are so obvious, why are you still hesitating?”

Lin Qi could see Jiang Ming’s feelings clearly too. She was just afraid that Jiang Ming’s attachment to her was temporary, that she’d eventually return to her destined path and fall for her true match.

“See? You’re silent again. Lin Qi, what are you hesitating for?”

Faced with Wei Xuanyue’s exasperated and impatient glare, Lin Qi lowered her head, momentarily lost in confusion. “I’m afraid Jiang Ming is just dependent on me. She hasn’t met many people maybe what she feels for me is just a misunderstanding.”

“You!”

Too furious to hold back, Wei Xuanyue smacked the still-clueless Tan Yi beside her before storming off, dragging the unlucky guy, who was yelping in pain behind her. “Do whatever you want. It’s not like Jiang Jiang lacks admirers anyway,” she tossed over her shoulder.

Xia Lian then sidled up. “What happened? Why did you chase them off?”

Lin Qi sighed, forcing a bitter smile. “I’m too cowardly.”

“There’s a celebration banquet later. Bring Jiang Ming along. Both of you should drink a little loosen up. Confessing your feelings is just a matter of saying it out loud.”

The stunning woman suddenly turned bold, giving Lin Qi an encouraging pat on the shoulder. But just then, Jiang Ming, who had finally freshened up in the restroom walked out and saw the scene.

She had barely managed to hold back her tears, but now they welled up again. A bitter, mocking laugh escaped her. What explanation did she even need? The two of them looked so intimate…

Lin Qi, who had been keeping an eye on the restroom, immediately noticed Jiang Ming standing frozen in place. Nervous, she quickly stepped out of Xia Lian’s reach and hurried over to the person who mattered most to her.

“Um, there’s a celebration banquet tonight. Do you want to come?”

Celebration banquet?

And do what? Watch you and Senior Xia flirt?

Jiang Ming scoffed. “I didn’t contribute anything. What’s there to celebrate?”

After the sarcastic remark, she waved at Song En, who was still chatting with Yuan Li and headed straight for the program crew’s bus, clearly intending to return to the camp.

Lin Qi couldn’t let her leave like this. She chased after her, blocking the path between Jiang Ming and the bus, nearly frantic. “No, it’s not what you think with Senior Xia! She was just comforting me, telling me to.”

But without the “liquid courage,” the words stuck in her throat. She stood there stiffly, fumbling for an explanation.

“Sure, go to the banquet and let her comfort you some more. Obviously, I just make you unhappy unlike Senior Xia, who knows how to cheer you up.”

“No, that’s not, how did we get so off track? When have you ever made me unhappy?”

“You’ve been frowning ever since you saw me.”

Lin Qi paused, realizing it was true. She quickly forced a grin. “See? I’m smiling now. I’m so happy.”

“I’m feeling awful, and you’re happy?”

“No, I ”

Knowing she’d only dig herself deeper, she shut her mouth and stepped forward, intending to pull Jiang Ming into a hug after all, it had worked before when they were upset. But before she could make contact, the bus door behind her swung open, slamming into her back and sending a sharp pain through her waist.

Tan Yi poked his head out, blinking at Lin Qi, who was now hunched over, clutching her side. “Captain, you okay? I just saw you two arguing and thought maybe you could talk inside the busy know, with air conditioning. Didn’t mean to hit you, Captain!”

“I’m fine…”

But before Lin Qi could straighten up, Jiang Ming boarded the bus. Apparently, she and Wei Xuanyue had already coordinated the engine roared to life, and the bus sped off, leaving nothing but exhaust fumes in its wake.

Tan Yi coughed, stunned. “Hey! I wasn’t even on yet!”

Patting the unlucky soul who had it worse than herself, Lin Qi resisted the urge to smirk with schadenfreude. “What did you do to piss off Xuan Yue?”

“I just said a few words in your defense, Captain, and then Wei Xuan Yue went off about how alphas and future alphas are all terrible. I’m so wronged!”

So it was because of her. Feeling too guilty to laugh now, Lin Qi was moved and hugged Tan Yi. “You’re the only one still on my side.”

Pushed out of the embrace, Tan Yi chuckled awkwardly. “Actually, if I could go back, I wouldn’t speak up for you again. I’d rather go back to sleep. We’ve got the performance tomorrow, and this celebration banquet eating now will just make me gain weight.”

“Get lost. Friendship over.”

“Come on, Captain, I was joking.”

The final celebration banquet included nine former girl group members who had already gone solo, Lin Qi who had come as a guest performer, her unlucky-in-love alpha sister Tan Yi, and Song En and Yuan Li sitting nearby.

According to the gossip-loving Xia Lian, Yuan Li had wanted to leave early, but Song En had convinced the soft-hearted little white flower to stay, using the excuse that she needed someone to take care of her.

Lin Qi was increasingly convinced that Song En was just after Yuan Li’s beauty no, wait, she couldn’t even see, so she must be after the little white flower’s body. Lin Qi felt a secret delight. So it wasn’t just Jiang Ming who had fallen for someone else?

Glasses clinked as everyone chatted and laughed, their expressions perfectly natural, but the underlying implications in their words were clear these nine were negotiating the terms of their contract renewals with CEO Song.

For example, Xia Lian, the radiant beauty, flushed and complained tipsily, “CEO Song, I’m leaving for now. My manager keeps pushing me into fake scandals with others, and it’s really uncomfortable for me and the other person.”

“I’ve heard about that. Today, your scandal with contestant Lin Qi topped the trending list. I promise that by tomorrow morning, you won’t see any related hashtags.”

When others mentioned leaving, Song En merely sipped her red wine elegantly, indifferent. But when it came to Xia Lian, the group’s top popularity, she spoke up for the first time to persuade her to stay.

“Sorry, I’ve already contacted the Lin Corporation. Given the previous shady dealings, I’m really not a fan.”

This “shady dealings” referred both to the awards she had rightfully earned being stolen and the unfair treatment Lin Qi had suffered. Xia Lian had always been bold. She raised her glass and clinked it with Song En’s. “CEO Song, till we meet again.”

“Of course, till we meet again. What I promised will be done.”

Since they couldn’t reach an agreement, Song En maintained her grace and wished Xia Lian a bright future in her career.

It wasn’t until 1 a.m. that this so-called “celebration banquet” which was really a negotiation, finally ended. Knowing her alcohol tolerance was poor, Lin Qi had stuck to juice and was still sober. She helped the wobbly Tan Yi into a car and spent the whole ride listening to her drunken ramblings.

Things like, “Wei Xuan Yue, just you wait,” “Xuan Yue, I think I might actually like you a little,” “Xuan Yue… Xuan Yue…” filled Lin Qi’s head with the name “Xuan Yue.” She wasn’t surprised by Tan Yi’s feelings after all, the two were a bickering pair, laughing and fighting every day, with a sweetness between them that no one else could penetrate.

At least she hadn’t forgotten the phone she’d bought with the money borrowed from Xia Lian. Lin Qi carried a plain plastic bag back to the dorm. This time, she had her key, so she didn’t have to worry about disturbing Jiang Ming’s sleep.

After all, it was already 2 a.m. by the time they returned to the camp.

To his surprise, when the door opened, the lights inside were still on. Lin Qi’s first sight was Jiang Ming sitting cross-legged on the bed, scrolling through her phone, her pink hair cascading down and obscuring her delicate face.

However, upon hearing his return, Jiang Ming instinctively looked up. Her reddened eyes were even darker than the hue of her hair, and the faint glow from her phone illuminated her face from her chin to the tip of her nose. Tiny teardrops clung to her dainty nose, her beautiful face streaked with tears, evoking a deep sense of pity.

“Jiang Ming, what… what’s wrong?”

“Why did Xia Lian go to your room at night? Why were the two of you at the mall together?”

Her voice was even more somber than her gaze, the tremor of tears impossible to conceal. Jiang Ming wiped away the ceaseless flow of tears, the dried trails leaving marks on her cheeks. Summoning the last of her courage, she asked with a sinking heart, “What’s your relationship with her?