Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 74

The final day of training quickly came to an end, and by the time everyone returned to their dorm rooms, the sky outside was already mostly bright.

The result was that now, backstage before the mentor collaboration performance, just one hour before the show Lin Qi was so exhausted she couldn’t stop yawning.

“You’re really tired, huh? Well, we did practice pretty late last night.”

Meeting Qin Wei’s concerned gaze and hearing her gentle voice, Lin Qi smiled politely. She had intended to say she was fine, but another yawn escaped her, and her beautiful peach-blossom eyes brimmed with involuntary tears.

“Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll wake you up when it’s almost time for the performance.”

Her eyelids were indeed too heavy to keep open. Assuming Qin Wei was just being a typical captain looking out for her teammate, Lin Qi nodded and leaned back quietly on the sofa, closing her eyes.

Once those captivating eyes were hidden, her long, curled lashes became all the more alluring. The slight tilt of her head accentuated her high, straight nose bridge, giving her a striking, almost aggressive aura. With her eyes closed, Lin Qi seemed far less approachable than usual, her usual softness replaced by an untouchable sharpness.

Her heartbeat quickening, Qin Wei tore her gaze away from Lin Qi’s features, lingering from her brows down to her lips and sat stiffly on the sofa, restless. She fanned her slightly flushed cheeks with her hand before standing up, feigning nonchalance. “I’ll go check why the costumes haven’t arrived yet. Keep your voices down, everyone Lin Qi’s still sleeping.”

After the other members acknowledged her, she stepped out. Meanwhile, Xia Lian, who had been idly scrolling through her phone in the corner, curled her lips into an amused smirk. Her slender fingers tapped away on the screen, clearly typing: Who do you think will realize Qin Wei’s feelings first Lin Qi or Jiang Ming?

The reply came without hesitation, as if discussing a stranger: Lin Qi’s pretty dense. I bet Jiang Ming will figure it out first. Poor kid.

“An-jie, I just realized, you’ve never called me ‘kid’ before, have you?”

“Don’t change the subject. Be serious.”

Xia Lian’s grin widened, though she covered her mouth to muffle her laughter, mindful of Lin Qi’s nap. Her usually mesmerizing eyes crinkled into crescents. She couldn’t help it she could practically picture An Zizi’s flustered expression, trying so hard to maintain a stern tone. So cute.

“Lin Qi, where’s your homework?”

It was as if she were back in a high school classroom. Resting her folded hands on the cool surface of the desk, she blinked drowsily and looked up at the person standing before her. The face was familiar, but Jiang Ming’s expression was cold and businesslike, her features slightly more youthful than they were now.

“What homework?”

Genuinely confused, Lin Qi asked the question.

Jiang Ming’s delicate brows furrowed, as if she took it as a challenge. Her gaze turned even frostier. “Yesterday’s math homework. If you don’t have it, go stand in the back.”

Almost as if compelled by instinct, Lin Qi immediately stood up. But before she could take a step toward the back of the room, she finally realized something was off wasn’t she supposed to be preparing for the mentor collaboration performance?

Why was she suddenly here?

She glanced down again at Jiang Ming, who remained expressionless. For such a petite girl, she was surprisingly intimidating.

She found herself walking to the back door, already quite tall at this point standing silently like a slender pillar, lost in thought. Could it be that she had transmigrated a second time?

Or was this just an incredibly vivid dream?

But the fact that she hadn’t done her homework back in high school, even as an arts student, she had always ranked at the top of her class in academics!

When had she ever skipped homework? And judging by Jiang Ming’s nonchalant reaction, it seemed like she really was a slacker here.

Well, never mind. That wasn’t the point. The real question was, why had she suddenly appeared in a high school classroom?

It couldn’t be…

And all those equations written on the smart blackboard, why were so many of them unfamiliar?

They felt even more abstract than advanced mathematics. Had the science and technology of this world leaped an entire dimension beyond her own?

The class passed by in a daze, and soon the familiar, pleasant chime of the school bell rang. Lin Qi snapped out of her thoughts and saw everyone standing up, forming a line outside the classroom. With no other choice, she followed along, even though she had no idea what was happening.

She wasn’t sure where she belonged in the line, but since they were arranging themselves by height, Lin Qi naturally moved to the back.

Yet Jiang Ming, who was leading the group at the front, suddenly walked over, looking visibly annoyed. She only tugged at Lin Qi’s sleeve, pulling her all the way to the front of the line.

“Uh, shouldn’t I be at the back, given my height?”

“With your personality, you’d only behave if the whole class is watching you.”

The familiar cold voice made it clear how much Jiang Ming disliked her. Lin Qi glanced down at her seemingly ordinary uniform, where a small hand now rested on her sleeve so pale it was almost translucent under the sunlight, like crystal.

Soon, that hand withdrew, and they arrived at the playground vast and crowded, packed with what seemed like thousands of students.

It must have been autumn. The sunlight was warm but not harsh, casting a gentle glow over everything.

Lin Qi stood at the front of the line, right beside Jiang Ming, who held her posture straight. Having gone through three years of high school herself, Lin Qi guessed they were about to do morning exercises.

Sure enough, a voice soon echoed in her ears: “The 12th National Middle School Broadcast Gymnastics Leaping Youth begins now.”

Familiar, yet grating.

She had long forgotten the routine, but not wanting to stand out, Lin Qi looked up, intending to follow the instructor on the stage. But their class was positioned too far to the left, near what looked like Class 1-1, making it impossible to see the instructor clearly.

Sighing, she simply kept her eyes on Jiang Ming instead. Fortunately, the girl seemed to be taking it seriously, executing each movement with precision. Under the sunlight, the youthful girl’s ponytail swayed, a few loose strands framing her face. Her skin was so fair it seemed almost transparent, and her long limbs moved gracefully, though her expression remained indifferent.

During a turn, Lin Qi, still unsure of the motions, kept staring at Jiang Ming, only to meet a pair of suddenly flustered fox-like eyes. For a fleeting moment, there seemed to be a faint trace of affection in that gaze.

“Why are you looking at me?”

The warmth vanished instantly, replaced by a cold glare. The girl before her suddenly turned fierce, as if trying to hide something.

This person is really strange. Just because I didn’t know how to do the radio calisthenics and glanced at her, why did she have to be so fierce?

“I don’t know how, so I was watching you.”

“You don’t know the radio calisthenics?”

Jiang Ming’s expression was full of suspicion. Lin Qi didn’t understand, she figured that since the previous person didn’t even do their homework, they definitely wouldn’t know the exercises so she nodded. “Yeah, I don’t know. What’s the big deal? Do I have to know?”

The radio calisthenics continued, and the two of them fell into an obvious silence. Lin Qi didn’t know why, but she felt a little uneasy. Could it be that this slacker actually knew how?

Later, there was another set of martial arts-inspired radio calisthenics. After finishing, the principal gave a speech about how “you are the hope of society” and such, and then everyone dispersed. Watching Jiang Ming walk away without hesitation, Lin Qi instinctively chased after her.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you upset?”

No response. Since she didn’t know where to go anyway, she simply followed Jiang Ming. Soon, she realized the girl had a destination in mind, they arrived at a very secluded spot.

Crossing her arms, Jiang Ming turned around, her small face still cold and her tone firm. “You’re not Lin Qi.”

“Huh?”

Though Lin Qi was a head taller, her presence was far weaker, as if the thing on her neck was just for decoration. Her expression froze, unsure how to respond.

“Or rather, you’re not the Lin Qi I know. Right?”

“Yeah.”

Nodding, Lin Qi struggled with her words. “Well, I should be Lin Qi from another world. I ended up here somehow.”

Hearing this, the previously expressionless little face suddenly broke into a faint smile. Jiang Ming lowered her head, as if talking to herself. “So, the future me succeeded?”

“Succeeded at what?”

Only the last three words were slightly louder, so Lin Qi only caught those. But seeing that delicate, youthful face light up with a smile, she couldn’t help but smile too. They must only be fifteen now, right?

She wasn’t sure if this counted as a dream come true, but she was actually seeing a younger Jiang Ming.

Her soft gaze suddenly met a pair of fox-like eyes shimmering with tears. Lin Qi locked eyes with Jiang Ming, who was looking up at her. It was strange, why did she feel like Jiang Ming was crying from happiness?

But, why would she cry?

Was it because she hated the previous Lin Qi so much? And now that it was her, Jiang Ming was so happy she cried?

“W-why are you crying?”

She frantically searched all four pockets of her school uniform but couldn’t find a single tissue. Flustered, Lin Qi pinched the slightly long sleeves of her jacket and reached out, intending to wipe Jiang Ming’s tears with them.

At this, Jiang Ming laughed. She obediently tilted her head up, letting the soft fabric brush away her unruly tears.

Her voice, softened by tears, carried a sweet tone as she asked, “Lin Qi, in your world, did you like me?”

“Huh?”

At first, she didn’t quite understand. But once she did, she felt it was a bit inappropriate to talk about this in front of a fifteen-year-old girl. Lin Qi hesitated, only to see the tears well up again in those just-dried eyes.

“Wait, why are you crying again?”

“I just realized… no matter which world it is, Lin Qi would never like Jiang Ming.”

“Who told you that? I just didn’t know how to say it in my world, you and I are in love.”

“Really?”

Her gaze trembled as Jiang Ming looked at her, as if searching for a reason to hold onto.

Still not entirely sure what was happening, Lin Qi could only follow her instincts and nodded. “Of course it’s true. But I don’t know how I ended up here or how to get back. The Jiang Ming in my world is still waiting for me.”

Seeming to finally relax, the icy atmosphere dissipated slightly. Jiang Ming walked toward the classroom, glancing back now and then to make sure Lin Qi was following. Along the way, she said with confidence, “Don’t worry. If the future me had the ability to send you here, she must have a way to send you back.”

“The future you?”

“Mhm.”

More confused than ever, Lin Qi could only treat this as a second transmigration. She followed Jiang Ming into the classroom just as the bell rang.

This lesson was about parallel universes. The teacher swiped across the smart screen, lecturing with great enthusiasm.

“What we previously understood as ‘transmigration’ is actually caused by people from our planet, the highest-level one. If any of you are interested, you can work at the Astral Bureau in the future. But tampering recklessly with other planets is illegal you must remember that.”

“And how does one achieve transmigration? Remember, soul swaps between two planets can only happen between the same person. In other words, you can only swap souls with another version of yourself on a different planet.”

“How do you make legal modifications? First, you must have a valid reason, research topics or graduation observation assignments are acceptable. Second, the person you swap with must be someone you know. That way, the modification remains within controllable limits. Before swapping, you must obtain their consent. Otherwise, the Time-Space Bureau will immediately send the soul back. However, if their original body no longer exists, it could cause a temporal rift. Lastly, the person you swap with should either have a very similar personality or a drastically opposite one. That way, it’s either harder to break character (OOC) or more valuable for research.”

Jiang Ming took diligent notes. Then, as if struck by a thought, she raised her hand. “Teacher, what happens to a soul caught in a temporal rift? How can they return?”

“That depends. Temporal rifts usually occur when the original host of the swapped soul suddenly realizes they’ve been switched without prior knowledge. If, within the first 24 hours, before the soul stabilizes they give consent, the swap continues. If they refuse, the soul and body will reject each other, eventually vanishing at the edges of time and space. There’s also another scenario: if one of the two dies at the moment of the swap, the other’s soul will be completely obliterated.”

Obliterated?

Lowering her head, Jiang Ming glanced at her worn notebook, then frowned. She turned to look at Lin Qi, who was happily napping on the desk, and couldn’t help but smile silently. This person wasn’t worried at all.

She could only hope that the Lin Qi she loved would eventually agree.

The arrival of this person today was unexpected, yet it brought an unforeseen delight, giving her the motivation to persevere. After all, secretly harboring feelings for someone who dislikes you this feeling was truly unbearable.

Every day, she could only face her with a cold expression, not daring to reveal even a hint of inappropriate emotion. Yet, it felt like falling into a vicious cycle. Jiang Ming could only watch helplessly as Lin Qi grew increasingly disgusted with her.

Fortunately, her future self-had sent her a glimmer of hope.