Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 67

After happily finishing dinner with Jiang Ming, Lin Qi once again returned to the Snapback Team. The classroom was empty except for one person, a woman dressed in black, sitting cross-legged in the corner. She leaned against the mirror, her cap shading her petite face, her entire figure shrouded in shadow.

“Senior Xia, what’s wrong?”

Lin Qi had found it strange since the song selection yesterday. In her memory, Xia Lian was always smiling, always charming and flirtatious. When had her style changed?

As if only now noticing someone had entered the room, the silent figure lifted her head, revealing slightly reddened eyes. Her voice was low and indifferent. “I’m fine. More importantly, how are things with Jiang Ming?”

Lin Qi frowned. The person who had always been so composed and in control had never looked so disheartened before. She sighed. “Jiang and I are fine. Senior Xia, I don’t mean to pry into your privacy, but I’m concerned about what’s happened to you. You’ve helped me so many times, I consider you a friend. And don’t you think the atmosphere in our group is really off? Stiff and silent it’s the most uncomfortable team I’ve been in across all four stages.”

Her eyes welled up again. How could she not feel the strange tension in the air? But Xia Lian was already overwhelmed, with no energy left to force a smile and keep up appearances. As the one who had caused this awkward situation, she felt guilty, but that was all. She was beginning to regret agreeing to be a guest performer.

No one would have guessed that the usually confident and bold Xia Lian was, in fact, a hopeless romantic. Her only goal had ever been An Zizi.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she noted it was still early the other team members wouldn’t be back so soon. Xia Lian took off her cap, running her fingers through her slightly flattened flaxen curls. She forced a smile. “Our scandal just blew over, and you’re still daring to care about me?”

Scandal?

Come to think of it, Senior Xia’s odd behavior had started right after the scandal broke.

Lin Qi furrowed her brows, recalling the sight of An Zizi last night. But Teacher An had always been reserved, her expression unreadable. Still, one thing stood out despite the rumors of their pure alpha-omega friendship, why hadn’t they eaten dinner together today?

They must have had a fight.

Feeling rather clever, Lin Qi looked earnestly into Xia Lian’s seemingly indifferent eyes. “Is it because of Teacher An? Did she see our scandal, and then you two had a fight?”

Xia Lian stiffened. She thought she had hidden it well, but now her secret was being laid bare. Flustered, she feigned composure. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

It was then that Lin Qi remembered, mXia Lian had always harbored a cautious, unspoken love for An Zizi, wrapped in the guise of friendship. A love so fervent it had never seen the light of day, even by the time Jiang Ming and Song En got together.

But as an outsider, Lin Qi had always seen through it. Watching the slight tremble in Xia Lian’s gaze, she pressed her lips together. “I’m saying you like Teacher An, don’t you?”

Although the person across from her remained silent, the disbelief in her eyes clearly conveyed the shock of “How did you know?” Lin Qi lowered her lashes and lied, “I used to have feelings for Teacher An too, so I can see it clearly in your behavior. You definitely like Teacher An.”

With a bitter laugh, Xia Lian glanced up at the somewhat uncomfortable figure before her. “I almost forgot, you were my love rival once.”

Her words tacitly confirmed that she did indeed have feelings for An Zizi.

“No, I just liked her in the past. It’s over now. I’ve decided to wholeheartedly support you and Teacher An being together.”

Her voice softened slightly as she wiped away the tears that had formed a steady stream. For once, Xia Lian looked vulnerable and lost. “Together? How? An-jiejie still thinks about you, you know.”

“Huh?”

“That day, when the rumors about us came out, I ”

“Why didn’t you explain to Teacher An? Couldn’t you have told her it was the manager’s request?”

“Why should I explain? If she got angry, it means she doesn’t trust me. After all these years of liking her, not to mention our close friendship, how could she suspect me of trying to seduce someone she likes?”

Yikes.

What kind of mess is this?

There’s no way Teacher An still likes me.

Even someone with the lowest emotional intelligence could see that An Zizi’s gaze held nothing more than admiration for a talented junior. Lin Qi wanted to comfort Xia Lian, who was crying uncontrollably in front of her for the first time, but she didn’t know what to say. With a long sigh, she murmured, “Senior Xia, is it possible that Teacher An cares about you? That she doesn’t want you to be associated with me?”

At these words, Xia Lian’s damp, dull eyes suddenly lit up. “Really?!”

“Do you remember Teacher An’s exact words? How did she ask you about it?”

“Of course I remember. An-jiejie was video-calling me when she suddenly saw the scandal headline. Her expression turned icy cold, and she asked me, ‘Why were you in Lin Qi’s room so late at night?’ Before I could even speak, she seemed furious and raised her voice, saying, ‘Don’t you know about Lin Qi’s past? Do you like her now?’ I was so angry she didn’t trust me that I hung up. We’ve been in a cold war ever since.”

Feeling emotionally drained, Lin Qi chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Senior Xia, does any of that sound like she likes someone like me? She’s clearly worried about you falling for me, okay?”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. If you don’t believe me, I’ll help you test it out today.”

By the time dance practice ended, it was already late at night. Lin Qi had danced her heart out in the practice room, now filled with laughter again. It was her first time wearing a baseball cap while dancing, but as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror, the white shirt with a loosely tied necktie, the top two buttons undone to reveal delicate collarbones, the sleek, well-fitted suit pants elongating her slender legs, and the deep gray hip-hop cap casting shadows over her sharp, handsome features, she looked effortlessly alluring.

Taking off the cap, she shot a meaningful glance at the smiling Xia Lian before heading out to find Jiang Ming.

The Veil Group and the Thermos Cup Group weren’t far apart. Taking a moment to glance into the latter’s classroom, Lin Qi wasn’t surprised to see An Zizi, the dance instructor, still wearing her usual cold expression. Having grown accustomed to An’s sour face, Lin Qi could actually distinguish between when she simply couldn’t be bothered to emote and when she was genuinely in a bad mood.

For instance, right now, An Zizi was clearly irritated. Fortunately, everyone was familiar with her aloof demeanor and didn’t pay it much mind.

Inside, Lin Qi caught Wei Xuanyue’s eye and waved her over. “Hey, Xuanyue, when does your practice end?”

Unaware of Lin Qi’s intentions, Wei Xuanyue thought for a moment. “Probably after four or five more run-throughs. What’s up, Xiao Qi?”

“Nothing, just asking. We’ve already finished our session, so I came to brag.”

“Ugh, get lost.”

After the playful banter, having gotten the information she wanted, Lin Qi strolled over to the Veil Group with her hands clasped behind her back. The dancers were still clad in dark dresses, their veils adorned with shimmering beads that reflected the light, accentuating their delicate and alluring features. Her gaze lingered solely on Jiang Ming, who was diligently practicing. She wondered whether she should tell her something later or just act on it directly.

As the three-and-a-half-minute song ended, the Veil Group’s session also concluded. Jiang Ming removed her veil, her cheeks inexplicably flushed. She pushed open the door and asked softly, “When did you get here?”

Not understanding why she asked, Lin Qi answered truthfully, “I came while you were dancing this last round. Why?”

“N-no reason. Let’s go back to the dorm.”

“Mm.”

Before they could take more than two steps, Pei Zhirong caught up to them, holding a gift box of lipstick that a sponsor had sent Lin Qi. She handed it to Jiang Ming, then teased with a smile, “Speak of the devil. We were just talking about contestant Lin Qi, and here you are.”

“Huh? Talking about me?”

Instinctively sensing they had discussed something that made Jiang Ming shy, Lin Qi grew curious. Smiling, she asked Pei Zhirong, “Sister Pei, what were you talking about?”

“Jiang Jiang didn’t tell you?”

Before Lin Qi could even nod, her hand was grabbed. Still inside the brightly lit training building, Jiang Ming’s flushed face was fully exposed under the soft lighting. She took a couple of steps forward, her voice light and soft, like a proud little kitten. “What? We didn’t talk about anything. Let’s go, I’m sleepy. I want to go back and rest.”

It was rare to see Jiang Ming speak so much in one go, which only deepened Lin Qi’s curiosity. She held onto Jiang Ming’s hand, preventing the shy kitten from escaping, and continued to look at Pei Zhirong with sparkling eyes, clearly hoping she’d spill the beans.

“Jiang Jiang is so embarrassed, so I won’t bully the kid anymore. Figure it out yourself.”

With that, Pei Zhirong completely ignored the unspoken protest in Lin Qi’s eyes Wait, aren’t I a kid too? I’m even a year younger than Jiang Ming! and gracefully descended the stairs.

Grabbing both of Jiang Ming’s hands, Lin Qi pulled her into a tight embrace and asked in a coquettish tone, “What did you talk about? Tell me, okay? Jiang Jiang? Nuonuo? Jiejie? Wifey?”

“Y-you let go of me! And stop calling me weird things, like ‘wifey”

Struggling futilely to break free from Lin Qi’s hold, Jiang Ming listened as the nicknames grew increasingly outrageous. Not just her cheeks, but even her ears burned crimson. She lowered her head. “Figure it out yourself.”

Before they could fully enjoy their playful banter, Jing Sha suddenly ran over, looking surprisingly excited. “Lin Qi, you actually called me a henpecked husband! That’s amazing keep saying it! Sister Pei is my beautiful wife!”

After saying this, completely unaware that she had just solved Lin Qi’s confusion, Jing Sha happily dashed off to chase Pei Zhirong.

As for Lin Qi, she lowered her eyes with a smile, her expression tender. “Did you go ask them what ‘henpecked husband’ means?”