Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 62

He Tong tightened her coat around herself and muttered sarcastically, “Ugh, I must be cursed to end up with such a useless artist. Not only are they incompetent in real life, but they can’t even pull their weight in a variety show.”

Though she called it muttering, she deliberately raised her voice just enough for the other guests nearby to hear her “complaint.”

Cai Yunyoo shot her a cold glare but had no grounds to confront her. She had watched the first aired episode, but the haunted house segment hadn’t been shown yet. Since they had just exited the game together, she had no idea that He Tong was actually the one dragging the team down.

Yi Qian raised an eyebrow at the remark, her tone leisurely. “If your highness has a short memory and can’t recall what just happened, should I ask Director Lu to replay the footage for you? That way, we can all see who the real deadweight was?”

He Tong opened her mouth but, perhaps realizing she was in the wrong, said nothing further.

Yi Qian turned to Director Lu, about to speak, when Ye Shuyi, standing beside her, subtly tugged at her sleeve, signaling her not to stir up unnecessary trouble.

Yi Qian tilted her head toward Ye Shuyi and blinked, reassuring her it was fine, then continued, “Director Lu, as temporary hosts of this villa, do we have the right to allocate its spaces?”

Director Lu, unsure of her intentions, simply nodded.

“There’s more than one room here, right?”

Director Lu: “If you’re referring to bedrooms, there are two that have been prepared for sleeping.”

“Then I assume it’s fine if I offer one of them to someone else?” She paused, then glanced at the person beside her, adding lazily, “Does Manager Ye agree?”

Ye Shuyi met her gaze, suddenly recalling Yi Qian’s earlier words in the escape room, “We’ll continue the rest tonight” and immediately understood what she was scheming. But she silently nodded in approval.

A faint smirk curled Yi Qian’s lips. “Then it’s settled. Tonight, Manager Ye and I will make do sharing a room. As for the other one, it’ll go to either Manager He or Long Xiaoqin.”

“To decide who gets it, if both of you want it, how about a round of rock-paper-scissors?”

“Of course I want it! Who would choose to sleep in this shabby tent? It’s going to be freezing tonight.” He Tong stared pointedly at Long Xiaoqin, already clenching her fist and holding it up between them, as if strongly hinting at something. “Come on, Xiaoqin, let’s play.”

Long Xiaoqin frowned slightly, seemingly deep in thought, but in the end, she said nothing and obediently played along.

As their hands came down, He Tong jumped with joy, triumphantly displaying her “rock” to Yi Qian. “I won!”

Yi Qian crossed her arms, her gaze lazily fixed on He Tong as she drawled, “Congratulations, Manager He, on winning rock-paper-scissors. But,  congratulations to Long Xiaoqin for winning the temporary room rights.”

He Tong froze, her expression stiffening for a moment before she forced a smile, clinging to hope. “Miss Yi, you’re joking, right?”

Yi Qian slowly shook her head, her expression sincere from the start. “I never said the winner gets the accommodation rights. That the winner gets the reward is just people’s usual assumption. Today, I wanted the loser to win for once. Is there a problem with that?”

He Tong’s smiling face froze, her expression shifting unpredictably in an instant. Her hands clenched into fists behind her coat, but as if suddenly remembering something, she forced another smile and linked arms with Long Xiaoqin intimately. “Such a big house must have spacious rooms too. Qin Qin, you wouldn’t mind sharing a room with me, would you?”

Long Xiaoqin’s eyes flickered as she was about to nod in agreement when a voice interrupted:

“Miss Long is so kind-hearted, she naturally wouldn’t mind sharing with you, Manager He. But I clearly stated earlier only one person between you two gets it. Just. One. Person,” Yi Qian emphasized. “Someone as smart as Manager He surely understands?”

With that, Yi Qian walked toward the villa, casually tossing over her shoulder, “Come in, Miss Long. It’s getting late time to wash up and sleep.”

Hearing this, Long Xiaoqin gently removed He Tong’s hand and whispered, “I’m sorry, Sister He.”

After touring the villa, they confirmed the rooms were indeed spacious. Though each only had one bed, each bed was large enough to sleep all three of them comfortably making crowding a non-issue. Yet Long Xiaoqin still seemed deeply apologetic as she hesitantly offered, “Maybe I should return the room to you two. I can sleep on the living room sofa tonight.”

The living room sofa, half the size of a bed, could easily accommodate an adult.

But if that happened, wouldn’t all her carefully laid plans be ruined?

Yi Qian immediately refused, “Absolutely not. I said you’re sleeping in the room, and that’s final. Don’t feel burdened you saw how big the bed is. Manager Ye and I have more than enough space. Rest easy.”

Long Xiaoqin glanced at Ye Shuyi, who had remained silent, and received a nod in response.

“Then,  thank you both,” Long Xiaoqin said before taking her luggage into the room.

“Shall we retire to our room too?” Yi Qian asked the woman beside her, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Ye Shuyi nodded, collecting her luggage as she headed toward another room.

Once inside, Yi Qian didn’t rush to unpack or wash up. Instead, she casually paced the room while secretly checking for hidden cameras.

Ye Shuyi sat on the bedside sofa organizing her toiletries. Looking up, her gaze followed Yi Qian’s restless movements. “Do you want to shower first?”

Yi Qian stood before the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the pool, watching ripples stirred by the breeze. Without turning, she replied, “No hurry. You go ahead.”

Ye Shuyi nodded silently, finished packing her suitcase, then entered the bathroom with her toiletries and pajamas.

When Ye Shuyi emerged, she found Yi Qian arranging a quilt on the floor. “I’m not used to sharing beds,” Yi Qian declared matter-of-factly. “You take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.”

Ye Shuyi raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing, simply climbing onto the bed and picking up the tablet she always carried with her.

Yi Qian glanced at her and didn’t press further, grabbing her toiletries before heading into the bathroom.

Time slipped by quietly in the hushed room. After what felt like an eternity, Yi Qian finally pushed open the bathroom door. The first thing she did was pull a stack of towels from the wardrobe and drape them over every single camera in the room.

Before covering the last one, she smiled at the lens and said, “It’s getting late. Sleep well, good night.”

Once that was done, she double-checked that the audio recorder nearby was powered off. Satisfied, she picked up the remote and pressed the button to close the floor-to-ceiling curtains.

With everything taken care of, she flopped onto the bed with exaggerated force, deliberately making a scene to catch the other’s attention but it had no effect. The person on the bed remained entirely absorbed in her work.

Undeterred, Yi Qian rolled around a few more times, yet the figure beside her didn’t so much as twitch, treating her as if she were air.

Lying there, Yi Qian stared at her for a long moment. When it became clear she wouldn’t get a reaction, a mischievous glint flickered in her eyes. Slowly, inch by inch, she wriggled closer like a silkworm burrowing into a cocoon, until she was right beside Ye Shuyi. She poked her thigh with a finger still nothing.

Her gaze darkened. She took Ye Shuyi’s wrist, ducked her head into the crook of her arm, and then tilted back to rest against her lap, staring up at her with burning intensity.

Ye Shuyi remained unmoved, her eyes fixed on the tablet screen as she remarked dryly, “Weren’t you going to sleep on the floor?”

“I just said that offhand. Did it upset you?” Yi Qian teased, her fingers already busy slender, delicate digits tracing up to the sensitive nape of Ye Shuyi’s neck, circling there with deliberate pressure. Her voice dropped to a coaxing murmur, “Did it?”

A shiver ran through Ye Shuyi. She caught Yi Qian’s wandering hand and placed it back on the bed, her dark eyes softening as she spoke gently, “Be good. Just a little more work, then I’ll be done.”

Yi Qian neither agreed nor refused. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Ye Shuyi’s waist and buried her face against her stomach, nuzzling insistently like a large, attention-starved dog.

With a helpless smile, Ye Shuyi freed one hand to press against Yi Qian’s head. “Stop it. Or do you not want me to finish quickly so I can spend time with you?”

Yi Qian took her hand and pressed a light kiss to her palm, her voice silken. “Then answer one question first.”

Ye Shuyi looked down at her, indulgent. “Go on.”

“Earlier, when I said I’d sleep on the floor, did you think I wasn’t going to stay with you? Did it make you unhappy?” Yi Qian clung stubbornly to the question.

Ye Shuyi cupped her face with one hand, amused. “Does it matter?”

“It matters to me.” Yi Qian’s fingers found their way back to that sensitive spot at the base of her neck, her touch persuasive. “Well? Did it?”

Ye Shuyi inhaled sharply. This time, she didn’t push her away instead, she tilted her head slightly, brushing against Yi Qian’s hand, her breath warm against her skin. With forced composure, she answered, “No.”

Yi Qian watched her face filled with enjoyment yet still putting up a tough front, the corners of his lips curling involuntarily. His fingertips traced the smooth lines of her collarbone, descending slowly to the delicate bud barely concealed beneath her thin silk nightgown.

With a light flick of his fingers, his breath brushed against her skin, teasingly unsteady: “Isn’t it?”

“No.”

Yi Qian chuckled softly, using his free hand to take away her tablet and casually tossing it onto the nearby sofa. He sat up, his warm breath lingering against the curve of her neck as he murmured, “Whether it is or isn’t doesn’t matter, baby. As long as you’re happy.”

With that, his soft lips pressed against her neck, the night stretching endlessly before them.

The next day, as the first light of dawn barely touched the horizon, the usually tranquil villa district erupted with blaring music.

Ye Shuyi frowned, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose before finally rising from the bed.

Glancing at the still-sleeping figure on the floor, she chose not to wake her and headed straight to the bathroom. But no sooner had she put her toothbrush in her mouth than the bathroom door swung open.

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