Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 6

Lin Qi carefully placed the hairdryer into the drawer and tentatively dragged a chair to sit beside Jiang Ming. During this time, she was especially cautious to slow her breathing; the moment the timid and sensitive cat showed any sign of resistance, she would stop her movements.

However, Jiang Ming seemed to be trapped in her own predicament, spiraling inward, tightening the vortex until she lost all sense of the outside world.

With a sigh, feeling deeply exhausted, Lin Qi dared not easily disturb the dazed person beside her. Instead, she gently began to sing a song she had repeatedly listened to during her graduation from university in Japan, her soft yet firm voice resonating beautifully in that moment.

“Continuously moving forward, stumbling along the way, occasionally looking back at the past, reminiscing about old times, the day of reunion will surely come…”

Though not very knowledgeable about matters of the heart, Lin Qi could see the sadness slowly pouring from Jiang Ming’s phoenix-like eyes, a feeling named longing.

This person was missing someone.

Pulling out the only Japanese song she knew, Lin Qi hoped to awaken Jiang Ming, who was lost in her own emotions, with this gentle melody.

Fortunately, it seemed to have a good effect; Jiang Ming stared blankly at her, a single tear glistening in her eye, as if she finally reacted. She quickly turned her head, unwilling to let Lin Qi see her fragile and vulnerable state.

“Alright, I won’t look at you, here.”

Lin Qi pulled a tissue from her desk and handed it to Jiang Ming, turning her head to give Jiang Ming time to sort out her emotions and appearance.

“How did you… sing this song?”

Without answering, Jiang Ming asked in return, “Can I turn back now?”

“Mm.”

Emotional fluctuations can easily affect a person, just like Jiang Ming at this moment. The previously thick and intense hatred, like solid ice, surprisingly softened, warmed by the gentleness of the person humming beside her, by the respect in her words, and by that precious memory.

It was when she was twelve, just graduated from elementary school, and her once cheerful and lively self didn’t want to part with her friends. She returned home and began to cry, and a gentle woman held little Jiang Ming in her lap, softly humming the graduation song.

Even now, Jiang Ming still remembered the last two lines of the lyrics, “The day of reunion will surely come.”

But could they really reunite?

The answer was clearer to Jiang Ming than anyone else; the lifeless person hanging beneath a foot of white silk had already seen her for the last time.

“I think you’re missing someone. I was afraid that speaking suddenly would scare you, so I sang.”

As her thoughts flew, Jiang Ming heard Lin Qi’s explanation, a voice as warm as spring flowing gently into her ears. She gradually realized that this person before her seemed to have truly changed.

“Thank you.”

“No, no need to thank me; I didn’t do anything.”

The two fell silent for a few minutes. Lin Qi, unable to bear the quiet, glanced at the note on the table that Jiang Ming hadn’t fully absorbed yet and spoke up, “How about I teach you the lyrics to the theme song? We have vocal class first thing tomorrow, and there will be an assessment.”

“Okay.”

Though still sparing with her words, at least she received a positive response from this cold-hearted person.

That was a significant improvement, Lin Qi comforted herself cheerfully.

Instinctively leaning closer to the table, she initially intended to look at the lyrics, but then realized why she was so close to Jiang Ming.

The tearful eyes that had just cried sparkled under the warm yellow light, and the cold, distant face unexpectedly stirred something in her heart, making her want to see the soft, emotional side of her.

Suddenly retreating, even bumping her back against the wooden surface behind her, Lin Qi blushed, her heart churning. Could it be that she… liked women?

Although she had never been moved by any man in her over twenty years of life, and while she indeed felt more compassion for girls, Lin Qi had never imagined that the one who could stir her heart would be a woman…

Especially one who was already the established female lead in this story.

The grand CEO Song En hadn’t even made an appearance yet, and here she was, quietly planning to dig a hole in the wall.

No, no! It was just the allure of beauty, just the allure of beauty, just the allure of beauty…

After silently reciting a calming mantra in her mind several times, Lin Qi feigned calmness as she looked at Jiang Ming, whose stunning features bore just the right amount of confusion, a mix of innocence and cold elegance.

The calming mantra was utterly ineffective!

“What’s wrong with you?”

She looked flustered, having just leaned in and then suddenly pulled away. Was she having a fit?

“I… I remembered that I copied a line of lyrics wrong.”

“Where?”

“I… I suddenly forgot again.”

After saying this, Lin Qi felt she was just rambling, so she quickly added, “Let me teach you first, and we can check where I went wrong as we go.”

No longer daring to lean in, she simply looked at the note from a distance, reading each word aloud for Jiang Ming. After catching a look of confusion in her beautiful eyes, Lin Qi would explain the meaning of each word.

Having been the captain of a girl group for two years in her past life, Lin Qi was quite familiar with teaching others. Her voice remained consistently gentle and natural, yet held a hint of seriousness, as if only because the person beside her was Jiang Ming did she decide to stay up late to help her, despite her usual tendency to avoid unnecessary effort.

Teaching like this continued until dawn. Lin Qi had already consumed most of a cup of coffee, managing to stave off some drowsiness, but Jiang Ming was gradually unable to hold on. Her bright eyes began to close for a moment, and before she could finish her question, her head drooped onto the desk.

She looked quite obedient while sleeping, like a little student, neatly arranged.

Seeing this usually cold and aloof child reveal such a cute and peaceful expression, Lin Qi couldn’t help but smile. This was how a twenty-year-old should be, not moping around in deep thought every day.

Just as she was about to pick her up and carry her to bed, unexpectedly, Jiang Ming woke up in an instant, her expression turning cold, instinctively breaking free from Lin Qi’s embrace.

“What do you want to do?”

“I… I just wanted to carry you to bed…”

Lowering her head,Lin Qi’s gaze fell, her eyes tinged with hurt.

“I’m not sleeping; I still have a few lines to memorize. I can’t sleep.”

A slight pain welled up in her heart. Someone who had never experienced emotions wouldn’t understand what this heartache was. Lin Qi clenched her fist behind her back and helplessly asked, “Aren’t you tired?”

“Today’s tasks must be completed today.”

Rarely, Jiang Ming actually spoke in Chinese. Thanks to her four years of university and interactions with foreign friends, Lin Qi could still decipher the meaning behind her winding accent. While lamenting her own misfortune, she picked up the still-warm cup, “Do you want some coffee?”

She regretted saying it as soon as the words left her mouth; there were still four lines left to memorize. If Jiang Ming drank coffee, would she even be able to sleep?

Once again, Lin Qi felt hurt. She saw Jiang Ming glance at the cup’s rim where her lips had touched, shake her head, and respond coldly, “It’s inappropriate for two people to share one cup.”

Hey! Does she dare to look down on her?

“Hmph! It’s also inappropriate for two people to look at the same note. You can study those last four lines by yourself.”

In a fit of pique, Lin Qi downed the rest of her coffee and flopped onto the bed, expecting to hear Jiang Ming soften her stance.

However, having gone through those dark pasts, the female lead of a tragic story was hardly the type to be a useless person who only thought of relying on others.

Even though she had already tried to be gentle, the sound of the dictionary being flipped still pounded against Lin Qi’s already restless heart. The more she listened, the more anxious she became. At this rate, would Jiang Ming even get to sleep tonight?

Once again, she scolded her own soft-heartedness and sat beside Jiang Ming, starting to teach her word by word, explaining the meanings as she went. While feeling embarrassed about her own behavior, she didn’t notice the rare…

Smile in Jiang Ming’s eyes.

Finally, after ensuring that the female lead had completely grasped the material, it was already six o’clock, and the sun was shining outside. Lin Qi having drunk an entire cup of coffee, could no longer hold on. This time, she truly fell onto the bed and fell asleep, the only thing she remembered before drifting off was forcing out the words, “Jiang Ming, you remember to sleep too.”

When she woke up again, the warm sunlight streaming in felt familiar. Had it already turned afternoon?!

In an instant, all drowsiness vanished. Lin Qi sprang up from the bed like a fish leaping out of water, glancing at the clock hanging by the door, her face filled with despair. It was already two o’clock, and the morning vocal class had ended.

She rushed to Class A at a speed akin to fleeing for her life. As she looked at the concerned expressions of her classmates, even Wei Xuanyue ran up to her, grabbing her hand and asking, “Xiao Qi, how are you feeling?” her mind was already in a whirl.

What was going on?

Why wasn’t anyone asking why she hadn’t come to class all morning?

“I’m fine, but you…” Why aren’t you asking why I wasn’t in class?

Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed Wei Xuanyue seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The sweet girl happily pulled her into the classroom, saying, “That’s good! This morning, when Jiang Ming came to ask for leave, she said you were sick. I was planning to go see you after this class.”

“Jiang Ming asked for leave for me?”

Not noticing Lin Qi’s surprised expression, Wei Xuanyue nodded, “Yes, for the eight o’clock class, Jiang Ming came to our classroom at seven fifty, waiting for the teacher. I saw her gesturing anxiously, wanting to say something. Luckily, the teacher had a phone and translated her words. She said you were sick and couldn’t come to class today.”

After hearing this, Lin Qi’s wounded heart seemed to warm a little. Efforts would always yield rewards, and now, it felt like she could see a glimmer of hope.

“Xiao Qi, why are you smiling like that?”

Raising her hand to cover her lips, she coughed to disguise her joy, but her crescent-shaped eyes revealed her happiness. Lin Qi smiled and said, “I feel like something that seemed hopeless suddenly has a breakthrough. I’m happy.”

Though she didn’t understand, Wei Xuanyue joined Lin Qi in her silly laughter, “As long as Xiao Qi is happy, you will definitely succeed in this matter.”

Will she succeed?

She probably will.