Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 12

Ye Shuyi skimmed through the script in seconds, then lifted her gaze to Yi Qian, who was preparing on set. The corners of her lips curled faintly.

Yi Qian remembered and naturally, so did she that the script’s content mirrored almost exactly the circumstances of their first encounter.

Watching Jiang Shiluo, dressed in a school uniform, serving tea and water in the noodle shop, Ye Shuyi felt as if she were seeing her high school self, working part-time jobs to make ends meet.

Snowflakes drifted through the air, painting the dark night white. By eleven p.m., the noodle shop was nearly empty, save for a single table of customers huddled in the corner of the outdoor tent. They drank and chatted, occasionally bursting into raucous laughter.

“Waitress, two more beers!” a blond-haired man from the table called out.

“Coming right up,” Ye Shuyi responded, setting down the dishes in her hands before darting inside to fetch the drinks. She placed the bottles on their table. “Here you go. Enjoy.”

As she turned to leave, a slightly overweight, bald man watched her retreating figure with a greasy smirk. Leaning toward the blond man, he said, “Fan-ge, that omega’s a real looker. Totally your type.”

“Oh yeah?” The man called Fan-ge immediately twisted around to look, sweeping his overly long bangs aside and rubbing his bleary, alcohol-glazed eyes. He hiccuped. “Can’t see too well.”

With that, he stood and strode over to where Ye Shuyi was clearing dishes, planting himself directly in front of her to scrutinize her face.

Noticing the unwanted attention, Ye Shuyi set down the dishes but casually picked up an empty beer bottle, meeting Fan-ge’s gaze. “Something you need?”

“Nothing much.” Fan-ge waved a hand, flipping his hair in what he probably thought was a charming gesture before hiccuping again. “Just wanted to ask where the restroom is.”

Her grip on the bottle tightened slightly, fingers trembling, but she forced her expression to remain calm. “Inside the shop, turn left.”

Fan-ge grinned. “Got it. Thanks, sweetheart.”

When Fan-ge returned to the table after his trip inside, the bald man immediately sidled up to him, still wearing that slimy grin. “So? What’d you think, Fan-ge? Like her? Wanna invite her over for a drink?”

“Sounds good to me.” Fan-ge smirked. “That little omega’s got a face prettier than most. Let’s get her drunk and take her home later.”

With that, he signaled for more bottles.

Ye Shuyi delivered the drinks, but the moment she released the bottles, Fan-ge seized her wrist with startling speed. Her eyes flickered, and her free hand instinctively reached for the bottle only for the bald man to intercept her, grabbing her other wrist before she could act.

“What are you doing? Let go!” Ye Shuyi yanked at her arms, but they didn’t budge.

A high school girl’s strength was no match for two grown men.

“Don’t be so prickly, little girl.” Fan-ge’s intoxicated gaze roamed over her as his fingers stroked the back of her hand with unsettling familiarity. “Come have a few drinks with us. If you make us happy, we’ll even throw in a nice tip for you.”

“I said, let me go.” Ye Shuyi struggled again, but it was futile. She forced her voice steady, injecting a warning. “If you don’t release me right now, I’ll scream.”

Brother Fan glanced at the deserted street, where only fluttering white snow drifted down. The freshly fallen snow on the road bore no trace of footprints.

He let out a disdainful snort and said, “Go ahead and call for help. Let’s see who you can summon.”

As she turned to shout for someone inside, the bald man swiftly stood up and clamped a hand over her mouth, his tone oily and slick. “Little beauty, we just wanted you to have a couple of drinks with us. Was it really necessary to make such a fuss and call for backup?”

Ye Shuyi stiffened, as if a venomous snake had coiled around her, rendering her immobile. She glared at the bald man and mumbled through his grip, “Let me go!”

The bald man burst into laughter, tilting his head as he brought his ear closer to her, his tone deliberately provoking. “Huh? What was that?”

No sooner had he spoken than a chilling sensation grazed his neck, followed by something hooking around it.

The bald man turned stiffly and saw a high school girl in a uniform, her expression indifferent and her gaze icy. The hand gripping the umbrella’s end was as pale as the snow outside, like a cold-faced demon come to claim a life on this snowy night.

“She said, let go,” Yi Qian’s voice was even colder. She tightened her grip, yanking the bald man’s head to the side. “Didn’t you hear her?”

With that, she pulled harder, forcing the bald man to stagger back a few steps with a pained grimace, his grip on Ye Shuyi finally loosening.

Under normal circumstances, a high school girl wouldn’t have the strength to overpower a grown man. But Yi Qian had already presented as a top-tier alpha back in her first year of high school. In an ABO world, top-tier alphas surpassed ordinary alphas in every aspect, let alone when facing a mediocre beta like him.

“Brother Fan, what are you standing around for? Help me out!”

As soon as the bald man spat those words, he wrenched free from the umbrella’s hook and swung a fist at Yi Qian.

What he didn’t know was that Yi Qian wasn’t just physically superior, she had also trained in taekwondo since childhood. Though she was only seventeen and slender in build, even her former coach was no match for her anymore.

Unsurprisingly, the bald man’s first punch was effortlessly intercepted. Yi Qian seized his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder in one smooth motion, slamming him hard onto the ground where he curled up, howling in pain.

Yi Qian adjusted her grip on the umbrella, its tip tapping lightly against the ground as she tilted her head to glance at the stunned Brother Fan.

Meeting her ruthless gaze, Brother Fan snapped out of his daze and immediately released Ye Shuyi’s hand, raising both arms in surrender.

As an ordinary alpha, Brother Fan had sensed something unusual about Yi Qian the moment he saw her. He had wanted to warn the bald man when he called for help, but the latter had acted too fast and Yi Qian’s subsequent moves only confirmed his suspicions. This high school girl was extraordinary in every sense of the word.

Yi Qian lowered her eyes slightly, her tone indifferent. “Apologize.”

Brother Fan immediately clasped his hands together and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, frantically apologizing to Ye Shuyi while backing away. He then helped the bald man up, and the two fled in disarray.

Yi Qian glanced at Ye Shuyi, her voice calm. “Are you alright?”

Ye Shuyi rubbed her sore wrist and nodded. “Thank you. I’m fine.”

Yi Qian gave a slight nod and turned to leave.

“Yi Qian, wait!”

Ye Shuyi quickly grabbed her wrist.

Yi Qian halted her steps, tilting her head slightly to glance at the hand gripping hers.

Noticing her gaze, Ye Shuyi quickly released her and said, “As thanks, let me treat you to some noodles.”

“No need,” Yi Qian replied, opening her umbrella to leave. Unexpectedly, Ye Shuyi ducked under it, abruptly closing the distance between them. Yi Qian’s breath hitched, her pupils dilating slightly in disbelief.

Ye Shuyi grasped her wrist with one hand while sliding the other up the umbrella handle. With a click, she folded the umbrella shut and unceremoniously pulled Yi Qian toward the noodle shop.

Once inside, she guided Yi Qian to a seat and warned, “No sneaking off. I’ll make you noodles.”

She headed toward the kitchen but paused after a few steps, turning back to ask, “Do you like tomato sauce?”

Yi Qian stared at her blankly for a moment before answering slowly, “Yes.”

“Got it. Stay put and wait for me.” With that, Ye Shuyi hurried into the kitchen.

About ten minutes later, she emerged with a steaming bowl of soup noodles and set it before Yi Qian.

Yi Qian looked down at the generous portion scattered with chopped scallions, no cilantro, and four neat words written in tomato sauce: Happy Birthday.

As Ye Shuyi turned to leave, Yi Qian instinctively caught her wrist and hesitated, “How did you…?”

“Wait… you don’t remember today’s your birthday?” Ye Shuyi turned back, equally puzzled. Her gaze flickered to the hand holding hers but made no move to pull away.

Yi Qian shook her head in denial. Of course she remembered, it was why she had wandered here in the first place.

After school, the driver sent to pick her up had explained, as usual, that her parents were too busy to celebrate with her, though they’d sent expensive gifts they assumed she’d want.

Unwilling to return to an empty mansion, Yi Qian had asked to be dropped off on this street. She’d been aimlessly drifting when the aroma of food drew her in, leading her here for a bowl of noodles before heading back.

At school, she kept to herself. Despite sharing a class for nearly two years, she barely registered her classmates except Ye Shuyi. As both class monitor and math representative, Ye Shuyi frequently collected homework and relayed announcements, making her the only face Yi Qian could reliably match to a name.

Beyond today’s brief exchange, their interactions had been limited to Ye Shuyi handing out assignments while Yi Qian silently submitted hers, or occasionally glancing up when announcements were made never once locking eyes.

So how had Ye Shuyi remembered her birthday? Even her own parents needed reminders.

“You’re wondering how I knew?” Ye Shuyi met her gaze, lips pressing briefly as light danced in her eyes.

Yi Qian nodded silently. The fluorescent ceiling light reflected in her pupils, making them gleam.

“You don’t recognize me?” Ye Shu feigned surprise. “I’m your class monitor, you know.”

Yi Qian belatedly realized she was still holding the other’s hand and quickly let go, nodding. “I know you’re my class monitor. So?”

“So I’m familiar with the basic details of every classmate,” Ye Shuyi said with a smile. “Naturally… that includes you.”

Yi Qian nodded thoughtfully, eyeing the noodles without cilantro. “So you even know something as personal as… the fact that I don’t like cilantro?”

“You don’t like cilantro?” Ye Shuyi pretended to be surprised. “I didn’t know. The reason I didn’t add any is because it’s late, and the cilantro’s already run out.”

Just then, the shop owner happened to come out from the kitchen. Hearing the word “cilantro,” she assumed the customer wanted some and called out, “Miss, do you need cilantro? There’s plenty in the kitchen, I’ll get some for you.”

Yi Qian quickly stopped her. “No need. I don’t like cilantro.”

Then she turned to Ye Shuyi with an unreadable look.

Ye Shuyi laughed awkwardly and admitted frankly, “Well, I once saw you picking out cilantro for ages in the cafeteria, so I didn’t add any this time. Didn’t want you to waste time picking it out again.”

Yi Qian nodded in understanding, but then suddenly remembered something and stared at Ye Shuyi in disbelief.

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