Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 71

This was truly baffling. Lin Qi got scolded out of the blue and even began to doubt whether she had misheard. Clutching her phone in shock, she interrupted her mother’s furious tirade, “What did you say? I was watching porn? And something about my phone getting hacked? What on earth are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me! Early this morning, I got a call saying you were in the hospital and needed money. I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. So I looked it up online and actually found photos of you in the hospital! I was about to transfer money when I discovered your payment account was frozen. I spent the whole morning running around trying to get it unfrozen!”

That did sound somewhat plausible.

Unsure how to explain that she genuinely hadn’t been watching porn, Lin Qi replied with complete sincerity, “Mom, I really haven’t been looking at that stuff. But I don’t know how my information got leaked.”

“Stop yapping! I spent the whole day running between the bank and the police station to track down the infected website you visited. You have no idea how humiliating it was for me!”

Her mother definitely wouldn’t lie, her breathless tone suggested she had just stopped running around. Hearing footsteps, Lin Qi instinctively looked up and saw Yuan Li rushing toward the Veil Group.

She turned and slipped into the restroom, not wanting anyone to see her on the phone.

As a trainee just like everyone else, it was better not to stand out too much.

Once inside, she leaned against the wall, frowning in confusion. “Mom, believe it or not, I really haven’t been watching porn. I’m at the training camp, I’m exhausted from practice every day. Why would I even have the energy for that? I’ve barely touched my phone these past few days.”

Hearing her child’s earnest tone, her mother on the other end also found it strange. If her daughter hadn’t been looking at that stuff, how had her information been leaked?

“But if you didn’t watch it, how did your phone get hacked? Did someone else use it?”

The only explanation was that her phone had accidentally accessed a virus-infected site, allowing the malware to infiltrate and steal her contacts and payment account details. Fortunately, Lin Qi had enabled auto-protection mode, so the account locked itself upon detecting suspicious activity.

Her mind flashed to Yuan Li, whom she had just seen, probably exhausted after teaching Song En dance. She was now heading to the Veil Group to dance again. Oh right, the Veil Group… their leader was Jiang Ming.

Her phone, which had her payment account logged in, had been with Jiang Ming these past few days. Could it be…?

No way, right?

Both fell silent. Lin Qi couldn’t possibly throw Jiang Ming under the bus. After hesitating for a while, she finally scrunched up her face and spoke in a resigned tone, “Mom, I admit it. It was me. I was watching porn, I was just too embarrassed to say it.”

“You little brat! Now you’re lying to me? You sounded so convincing earlier, looks like you’ve learned a lot at that camp, huh?”

Her mother’s voice was laced with anger and sarcasm. Lin Qi had no choice but to nod helplessly and take the blame. What else could she do?

Was she supposed to tell her mom that Jiang Ming had used her phone to watch porn, causing it to get hacked?

Actually, it wasn’t that she couldn’t say anything. For one, it might affect her girlfriend’s image in her mom’s eyes right now, her mom still thought Jiang Jiang was an aloof little fairy. Secondly, it might come off as her shirking responsibility and pinning it on someone who looked like an ethereal, otherworldly being.

She’d probably get chewed out again.

Like a punching bag, Lin Qi listened to the endless stream of creative insults over the phone and raised her head to look at herself in the mirror. The gray sleeveless tank top revealed her toned, wild arm muscles, the hem tucked into her jeans, making her appear slender and tall.

Though her expression was utterly resigned.

“Mom, I know I messed up. It’s just, I’m finally in a relationship, and I wanted to learn more about this stuff.”

“Oh, so being in a relationship makes you special now? Does that mean you can just watch porn? Not that I’m stopping you, but couldn’t you at least find some safe websites? Hell, if you’re that desperate, you could’ve just asked me! I’ve got plenty of that stuff, why’d you have to sneak around?”

Definitely not a proper role model.

Lin Qi exchanged a look with her mirror image, who seemed just as speechless, then nodded. “Alright, Mom, I’ll ask you next time. Gotta go train now it’s getting late, and the performance is the day after tomorrow.”

“Fine, fine, get lost already. I’m tired of yelling at you.”

After hanging up, Lin Qi leaned forward slightly and turned on the faucet. Cold water rushed out, and she cupped some in her hands to cool her face. After all, Jiang Ming had probably watched that stuff just last night right after they’d gone through, certain things.

In her past life, she’d been in her mid-twenties. Though she had no practical experience, she at least had plenty of theoretical knowledge. Lin Qi knew exactly what had happened with Jiang Ming last night and had a rough idea why she’d ended up on those shady sites.

Most likely, it was because Jiang Ming didn’t understand her own physical reactions, found them strange and embarrassing, and while searching for answers, accidentally clicked on one of those flashing pop-up ads at the bottom of the page, then just kept watching.

But that was just a guess. Lin Qi still found it hard to believe. The shy little bunny she remembered, how could she have gone looking for that kind of thing on her own?

And on Lin Qi’s bed, no less.

By the time she returned to the baseball cap group, the others had already been practicing for a while. Lin Qi put on an act, pretending to still be weak from her supposed stomachache, and picked up the cap she’d left on the table. Seeing that the song was only halfway through, she didn’t interrupt, just adjusted her bangs and prepared to put the cap on.

Unexpectedly, Qin Wei paused the music, her expression concerned. “Lin Qi, how are you feeling?”

Now wearing the cap, Lin Qi blinked in surprise. Remembering she’d lied, she smiled sheepishly. “I’m fine. Let’s keep training.”

The tall, stylish woman looked striking, the dark gray baseball cap complemented her sleeveless tank, the tucked-in hem accentuating her slender waist. But when she smiled like that, she somehow looked a little goofy. Qin Wei met her warm, smiling eyes, pressed her lips together, and lowered her voice. “Alright, let’s continue.”

The music started again. The seven of them left a space in the middle for Xia Lian’s part. As Lin Qi practiced the choreography, she couldn’t figure out why Qin Wei’s gaze had suddenly darkened.

She’d just smiled, what was the big deal?

Shaking her head to dismiss the tangled thoughts, all she could think about now was finishing the training quickly so she could ask Jiang Ming whether she had really watched those things last night.

But just as they were halfway through practice, the door to their group’s room was pushed open. In walked Xia Lian, her face radiant with joy. She wore a black spaghetti-strap dress that only reached mid-thigh, her long, straight legs accentuating her glowing appearance, as if years of gloom had been swept away in an instant.

“Sorry I’m late!”

Her voice was brimming with unmistakable happiness. Lin Qi understood that she must have finally gotten together with An Zizi, otherwise, why would this usually composed and softly smiling woman display such obvious emotion?

Indeed, Xia Lian had always been seen as sharp and perceptive, always smiling as if nothing could ever upset her, hiding all her thoughts behind a mask.

Still, she was a good person at heart.

“Welcome back, Senior Xia!”

Seeing Qin Wei frozen in place, Lin Qi had no choice but to nudge her lightly with an elbow and shoot a meaningful glance toward Xia Lian at the door. Only then did Qin Wei snap out of it and bow politely.

Lin Qi sighed inwardly. In the entertainment industry, she had met many people like Qin Wei, introverted, shy, and timid, forever stuck in that “middle ground,” neither soaring to the top nor fading into obscurity.

Exchanging a glance with the other teammates, Lin Qi followed Qin Wei’s lead and bowed as well. “Welcome back, Senior Xia.”

Xia Lian had something specific to say to Lin Qi, so she didn’t mind if her actions seemed a little out of place. She pulled Lin Qi, who was standing farther away, close and whispered in her ear, “An-jiejie said she likes me.”

Then she leaned back, her fox-like, captivating eyes crinkling into crescents, her joy unmistakable. Lin Qi smiled and nodded. “Congratulations.”

“Why are you so calm about this? Don’t tell me you still, ” have feelings for An-jiejie?

Before Xia Lian could even finish, Lin Qi could guess the nonsense she was about to spout. Shaking her head helplessly, and not wanting the other trainees to overhear, she leaned in to whisper, “You know what they say, the Buddha doesn’t save love-struck fools.”

“Who are you calling a love”

Her ear was pinched sharply, and Lin Qi hissed in pain, immediately surrendering. “I was wrong, I was really wrong. It’s me, I’m the fool with no brains.”

Once the two finally stopped their playful tussling, their familiarity was evident. Seeing this, Qin Wei’s expression dimmed. She remembered the widely circulated rumor in the camp that Lin Qi and Jiang Ming were a pair so how was she also so close with Senior Xia?

In comparison, someone as ordinary as herself seemed insignificant, like an ant.

“Enough messing around. Let’s start training. We’re already halfway through our time.”

Finally released from the ear-pinching, Lin Qi rubbed her ear with a pained expression and returned to her position in the formation. It didn’t actually hurt much, but being manhandled like a rabbit by Xia Lian was a little embarrassing.

Grateful, she glanced at Qin Wei, who had spoken up to intervene, feeling that her efforts hadn’t gone unnoticed. See? The team leader cared about her.

Since Xia Lian had missed the morning training and the group had made some changes to the choreography, all seven members of the baseball cap team, along with their guest mentor, skipped dinner and stayed holed up in the practice room.

Although Lin Qi had been reluctant at first, from anxiously wanting to confront Jiang Ming for answers while teasing her, she had now adopted a more laid-back attitude. After all, she could always ask once they were back in the dorm. For now, she needed to focus on practicing the dance seriously.

An idol’s best work is their performance on stage. She had to make sure the fans who loved her would be pleasantly surprised.

Sweat had once again soaked the brim of her baseball cap. Lin Qi took it off and was about to reach for a tissue when a hand extended beside her, holding a wet wipe. It was Qin Wei, who also looked a bit exhausted. “Here, wipe your face.”

Grateful, Lin Qi smiled without noticing anything unusual, thinking she and Qin Wei had become friends. She took the wet wipe and dabbed her forehead, the atmosphere between them warm and harmonious.

Meanwhile, Xia Lian, sitting cross-legged alone across from them, witnessed the scene. Though her expression remained neutral, inwardly she was rolling her eyes so hard they might’ve flipped backward. Lin Qi might not have picked up on Qin Wei’s intentions, but Xia Lian understood them all too well. That look of admiration, she had seen it too many times during the survival show, directed at An Zi Zi.

Maybe it wasn’t love, just a complicated mix of emotions born from admiration for someone stronger.