Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 70

Not one to be overly meticulous, Lin Qi didn’t notice at all that the shape of her blanket had changed when she returned to her room. She was still mulling over whether Jiang Ming’s earlier words were true or false.

After washing up at the sink and drying the lingering water droplets on her eyebrows with a towel, Lin Qi glanced at Jiang Ming, who was already lying in bed with the blanket covering the lower half of her face. A vague sense of something being off nagged at her subconscious, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“Well, goodnight?”

Tentatively voicing the words, she heard Jiang Ming’s muffled “Mm” in response. Nodding, Lin Qi lifted the blanket and climbed into bed.

Suddenly, a scent both familiar and unfamiliar filled her nostrils. The familiar part was the woody fragrance that always lingered around her, but the unfamiliar note well, it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar either.

Suspicious, she leaned closer to the blanket and sniffed, frowning as an inexplicable feeling washed over her, as if she were holding Jiang Ming in her arms.

Ah!

It was Jiang Ming’s unique scent!

But why did her blanket carry Jiang Ming’s fragrance?

A light floral aroma, fresh and warm. Even when she got close to that soft, pink little bunny usually, she could only catch faint traces of it. But now, her nose was immersed in a rich sea of blossoms. Lin Qi inhaled deeply, confirming the scent beyond doubt, and unconsciously curled her lips into a smile.

So it wasn’t just her, after their first night sharing a bed, she had struggled to sleep alone. Jiang Ming was the same. In fact, it seemed like she’d developed a nesting instinct, sneaking into Lin Qi’s blanket to lie down while she was away.

The woody fragrance intertwined with the floral notes, creating a scent that was crisp yet sweet. For some reason, Lin Qi’s face flushed, and she buried her nose deeper into the soft blanket.

Miraculously, she slept soundly that night. Ever since that shared night, her sleep quality had plummeted. But today, despite her usual habit of leaving her entire face uncovered due to her sinus issues, Lin Qi buried half her face in the blanket and drifted into a deep slumber.

The next day, they were back in the practice room. Both the baseball cap group and the thermos group had lost their guest mentors. Pushing open the door with renewed energy, Lin Qi saw everyone looking somewhat lost. She picked up the dark gray cap on the table, tucked away a few stray strands of hair, and then pulled the cap snugly over her head.

“Last night, Teacher An fainted in the hallway late at night. Senior Xia is probably still taking care of her right now.”

After her explanation, the room remained silent, like a ship without a captain. Lin Qi glanced at Qin Wei, their bowed-headed team leader, and pressed her lips together. “Uh… Captain, how about leading us through practice?”

As a beta, Qin Wei had never held much status in her family, which included an alpha sister and an omega brother. Even in this survival show, she had remained under the radar, not particularly outstanding, only garnering a following of laid-back fans thanks to her gentle personality. Qin Wei knew she was soft-spoken, like a steamed bun hardly leadership material.

After three performances, she had never once secured the center position. Choosing a song with a different style this time was her attempt to finally stand in the spotlight. Qin Wei had trained for years, and her skills were by no means lacking. She wanted to prove to her fans that supporting her wasn’t a mistake.

But leadership wasn’t just about innate personality, it also depended on the environment and atmosphere one grew up in.

Lin Qi was clearly much more dazzling than herself. Apart from her striking looks and figure, her professional skills were unmatched, not just on stage, but also in interpersonal relationships and leadership, areas where Qin Wei couldn’t compare at all. Qin Wei nodded, her voice a little soft, “Alright, let’s continue practicing then.”

Under Qin Wei’s guidance, the baseball cap group trained the entire morning. Finally, after twelve o’clock, Lin Qi took off her cap. Strands of hair clung to her forehead from sweat, feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

She lifted her hand to adjust her hair, her face flushed from the heat. This dance suited her style the most wild and cool. With the baseball cap on, tilting her head down would cover her brows and eyes, revealing only her tightly pressed lips and sharp jawline. When she looked up, her brows, shadowed by the cap’s brim, appeared darker, her gray-black eyes cold and sharp.

Glancing at Qin Wei, who seemed a little nervous, Lin Qi swallowed. Though she didn’t know this team leader well, after two days together, she had started to understand her a bit.

She coughed lightly to catch Qin Wei’s attention, then nodded encouragingly.

Biting her lip, already somewhat shy and introverted, Qin Wei seemed to draw courage from Lin Qi’s gaze. She smiled. “Morning training is over. Everyone worked hard. Let’s go get lunch.”

Though her voice was still a little quiet, it was much better than before. Lin Qi’s eyes curved into a smile as she secretly gave a thumbs-up. Then, she placed her baseball cap on the table next to her name again and turned to head to the veil group’s practice room.

Her tall, slender figure broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and a small head looked effortlessly striking.

Qin Wei watched, silently lowering her lashes.

Arriving at the veil group’s door, she found their session had already ended. Only Jiang Ming remained, still wearing her veil as she practiced. Lin Qi knocked three times on the open door, leaning against the frame with a smile in her peach-blossom eyes.

“Done with class?”

Jiang Ming stopped mid-move, pulling off her veil to reveal a delicate, upturned nose and lips as soft as peach blossoms. She bounced over to turn off the speakers, then came to the doorway, tilting her head up with bright eyes. “Let’s go. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Her voice was sweet, making Lin Qi’s ears tingle.

The moment Lin Qi saw the lone girl in the classroom, she knew Jiang Ming had stayed behind just for her. Curving her lips, she took two steps closer, wrapping an arm around Jiang Ming’s waist. “Hold on, I have a question for you.”

Meeting the girl’s sweet, puzzled gaze, Lin Qi lowered her voice. “Last night, while I was gone did you sleep in my bed?”

“N-no! What are you talking about?”

She could clearly feel the body in her arms tremble. Did she not know Jiang Ming well enough? This reaction was a dead giveaway. And the familiar scent in her bedsheets last night only confirmed it. Lin Qi grinned mischievously.

“If you missed me, you could’ve just said so. No need to sneak into my bed when I’m not around.”

“W-who missed you?! You’re so full of yourself!”

“Oh? You even know what ‘full of yourself’ means?”

A bit intrigued, Lin Qi leaned in closer once more and saw Jiang Ming’s face flushed crimson. She quickly planted a kiss on that soft, delicate cheek so incredibly tender it felt like biting into the finest cotton candy, sweetening her all the way to the heart.

Deliberately smacking her lips, her voice brimmed with almost smug satisfaction, “Gold on my face, me on yours.”

“Lin Qi! Don’t push your luck!”

“What if I do? I’ll push it a whole meter further.”

With that, she pressed her lips against those stubborn ones, immediately feeling the person in her arms go limp. Lin Qi lingered against the soft lips, her lips curling into an unconscious smile.

This tsundere kitten in her arms, the only thing still hard about her was her mouth.

“Mmm, mmmph…”

After struggling briefly and realizing she couldn’t break free, Jiang Ming decided to give in. She wrapped her arms around Lin Qi’s neck and quietly surrendered to the kiss.

What should have been a quick lunch turned into an hour and a half of the two lovebirds dawdling, pushing and pulling, until it ended with Jiang Ming’s flushed face admitting, “I missed you,” marking Lin Qi’s victory.

With no time left for a nap, Lin Qi rushed back to the dorm. She opened her phone intending to transfer the 100 yuan she’d borrowed from Xia Lian the night before, only to find over a dozen missed calls from her mom.

Assuming it was urgent, she called back using her current phone. Since this one didn’t have the payment app, Lin Qi grabbed Jiang Ming’s phone, the old one she’d been using before.

The moment she opened it, she was met with a password. Seriously? She’d used this phone for so long without ever setting a lock, letting Jiang Ming check it freely. Yet, less than a week after handing it over, she was already locked out?

She keyed in numbers, first trying Jiang Ming’s birthday wrong. Though it felt a little shameless, she then tried her own birthday also wrong.

Now she was genuinely stumped about Jiang Ming’s thought process.

Three more failed attempts would lock the phone, and Lin Qi didn’t want to pry. She decided to just download the payment app instead, only to realize her call to her mom had gone unanswered.

Weird. Usually, if her mom called over a dozen times, it was urgent. Why wasn’t she picking up now?

Giving up on the call, Lin Qi downloaded the app, but when she tried to log in, she found her account was locked??

What the hell?

Checking the time nearly 2 PM, she stuffed the phone into her pocket and sprinted to the practice room.

“Sorry I’m late.”

After running nonstop and climbing stairs, Lin Qi arrived at the baseball cap group’s door with a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead, cheeks flushed from exertion, and strands of hair falling loose against her chest. Leaning against the doorframe to catch her breath, even her low voice carried an unintentional allure.

Practice hadn’t started yet 2 PM was the official time. Two members had wanted to begin early, but Qin Wei had brushed them off with, “Let’s wait till everyone’s here.” In truth, she wasn’t waiting for the other two absent members.

Just Lin Qi.

Now, seeing Lin Qi looking effortlessly stunning even with disheveled hair, Qin Wei shook her head with a smile. “No worries, you’re not late. Let’s start.”

The other missing trainee was promptly forgotten on the way.

At that moment, the phone in his pocket suddenly began to vibrate. Not wanting unfamiliar teammates to know he had a phone, Lin Qi clutched his lower abdomen, pretending to have a stomachache, and hurriedly ran to the restroom. Along the way, he explained in a “pained” voice, “Sorry, I have a bit of diarrhea. You guys go ahead and train.”

Unaware of the disappointed look in Qin Wei’s eyes, Lin Qi reached the restroom and answered his mother’s call. He never could have imagined that the first thing she’d angrily say was, “You actually watched porn? And got your phone infected with a virus? You little brat, are you trying to die or what?”