A Scumbag Alpha Gets the Simp’s Script - Chapter 11

Pei Daowan was a serious driver. Her shoulders were squared, her gaze fixed straight ahead, and her speed was steady—no sudden braking or aggressive acceleration. She was just like her personality: seemingly forever composed.

Yu Jinzhao, however, wasn’t as poised as she appeared on the surface. On the contrary, she was someone prone to restlessness; her stable and mature facade was merely a result of life experiences that had taught her to suppress her more impulsive side.

But Pei Daowan was different. Yu Jinzhao could feel a genuine, grounded sense of calm and leisure radiating from her, seasoned with an elegance that was incredibly captivating.

There was one more thing Yu Jinzhao found difficult to admit: she had always been attracted to women, and Pei Daowan was exactly her type.

On the outside, she looked cold and gentle, possessing the aura of a high-knowledge elite; on the inside, she was resilient and strong, someone who wouldn’t easily compromise for others.

Involuntarily, Yu Jinzhao relaxed her body and let out a light sigh. “This is so nice!”

She was relieved her mission target was her type, rather than a man or someone else. Otherwise, she really couldn’t guarantee she’d be able to accept the situation.

“What’s so nice?”

Perhaps wanting to break the subtle atmosphere between them, Pei Daowan spoke up.

Yu Jinzhao rubbed her nose guiltily. “Thank you for taking me out for barbecue.”

Pei Daowan originally wanted to say, “Even if I didn’t take you, you could have gone yourself.”

But the words stayed behind her teeth. Instead, she accepted the gratitude: “You’re welcome. It’s only right; you blocked for me several times tonight.”

This wasn’t an exaggeration. Anyone with eyes could see what tonight’s “Feast at Hongmen” was about, especially since Yu Jinzhao had brought Pei Daowan along. Since the relatives couldn’t gain any ground against Yu Jinzhao, targeting an Omega like Pei Daowan with verbal barbs would have been easy work.

But none of that happened. Yu Jinzhao didn’t allow a single insulting or biased word to land on her. She had defended her territory like a lioness; Pei Daowan hadn’t suffered a single attack tonight.

In truth, she was used to it. Throughout her journey, there had been too many voices of doubt—especially since she was an Omega. In the eyes of many Alphas, she had reached a height that didn’t “belong” to her. How could those arrogant people stand it?

So, those attacks were truly inconsequential to her. She could even find the flaws in their logic and strike back with sharper rhetoric.

Yet, Yu Jinzhao had truly exceeded her expectations. She was a bit kinder than imagined, or perhaps she had adapted to her role very quickly.

Reason dictated she should lend her a hand in return. Especially for a small thing like a barbecue dinner—why not?

The car soon cleared the Yu ancestral grounds. Pei Daowan specifically drove onto a small road by the river. The night breeze blew through the window, dispersing much of the heat in Yu Jinzhao’s heart.

Perhaps the riverside breeze felt familiar; gradually, this road merged with memories of the riverbank near her old university town.

Yu Jinzhao began to relax involuntarily, her fingers tapping an unconscious beat. A melody from her memory floated into her mind, and she couldn’t help but hum it out loud.

“Even if the future holds a thousand songs, drifting far along my path… even if the future holds a thousand evening stars, brighter than tonight’s moon… none can compare to the beauty of this night, nor could I ever cherish more, because tonight you sing with me…”

Her humming wasn’t loud, barely rising above the wind. To Pei Daowan’s ears, it was just a string of unknown melody; she couldn’t quite catch the lyrics.

But it sounded quite lovely…

Influenced by Yu Jinzhao, Pei Daowan’s lips subconsciously pursed into a soft line, her gaze softening.

After a turn, the car entered a small alley and stopped in front of an inconspicuous little eatery. Yu Jinzhao instinctively looked the place over. It was clean enough, but it clearly had some years on it.

Inexplicably, a flicker of disappointment crossed Yu Jinzhao’s mind—not because of the restaurant, but because she lamented not being able to eat by the river. To her, feeling the night breeze and facing the river while eating barbecue was one of life’s greatest enjoyments. Moving the activity indoors felt like the fun was significantly discounted.

Though slightly let down, she didn’t show it. She was still happy; Pei Daowan had actually taken her out. Did this count as a major breakthrough in their relationship?

Pei Daowan acted with the ease of a regular; this clearly wasn’t her first time. After greeting the owner, she headed upstairs, with Yu Jinzhao following closely behind.

Once they reached the top floor, the view exceeded Yu Jinzhao’s expectations. The second floor wasn’t an enclosed space but a massive open-air terrace. The scent of grilled meat mingled with the night breeze, instantly sweeping away her disappointment. The view up here was much wider than she’d imagined.

She couldn’t help but walk around the terrace twice. Because they were so close to the river, she could clearly see the ripples hitting the shore. Up close, she could even smell the earthy scent that always belonged to the riverbanks.

Yu Jinzhao was truly happy now. Her smile was completely undisguised as she walked straight into Pei Daowan’s line of sight.

She couldn’t help but step closer to Pei Daowan. In the woman’s pupils, she could see her own reflection growing clearer until there was barely a foot of distance between them.

This was a very close social distance—closer even than most friends. Yu Jinzhao stopped and gazed into Pei Daowan’s eyes.

Pei Daowan’s expression remained indifferent; she didn’t even twitch an eyebrow. She seemed completely unbothered that Yu Jinzhao had broken normal social distance, despite the other being an Alpha.

Yu Jinzhao gazed at her and smiled sincerely. “Thank you.”

Pei Daowan was the first to look away, casually handing the menu to Yu Jinzhao. “See what you want to eat.”

Since she hadn’t eaten much at the banquet, Yu Jinzhao was genuinely hungry. After ordering several skewers in a row, she gave a bashful smile. “Is there anything else you’d like?”

Pei Daowan shook her head gently. She had already eaten slightly more than usual tonight, and at the Yu ancestral home no less—truly unexpected.

Seeing her answer, Yu Jinzhao didn’t push and ordered all her own favorites.

“When I was in school, I really loved a barbecue shop near the campus. Every summer, my friends and I would go there for skewers.”

Yu Jinzhao looked cheerful, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. She didn’t seem worried about slipping up; after all, the “original” Yu Jinzhao wasn’t the type to eat roadside barbecue.

Pei Daowan played along: “Did you go back to eat there after graduation?”

“I went quite often right after graduating. Later, I got busy, so I went less and less, and saw my friends less too…”

Until one time, when several of them finally carved out time to gather and reminisce about their student days, only to find the place gone. It had been a mom-and-pop shop; the couple had grown old and lacked the energy to keep going, so they moved back to their hometown and transferred the shop to someone else.

Yu Jinzhao no longer remembered the taste of that original shop, only that the new owner’s skills were terrible—the grilling was bad. She never went back after that.

Along with that shop, her student days had faded too, as she slowly transitioned from a student to a professional. In her first year of working, out of pride and a refusal to work under others, she and a few like-minded friends started their own business. It went smoothly at first, but later, cash flow issues appeared, leaving her in a constant state of distress.

Thinking about it, having been here for half a month, her stress had actually decreased quite a bit. It was a strange kind of escape. At that thought, she couldn’t help but laugh; life is truly unpredictable.

Despite it being the early hours of the morning, the barbecue shop was still packed. While waiting for the food, Yu Jinzhao simply walked down the side stairs of the terrace to the riverbank.

The river flowed endlessly, pulsing against her heart. Gazing at the deep water, she exhaled a long breath.

The ones who left me, yesterday’s days cannot be kept. The ones who disturb my heart, today’s days bring only worry.

She had to look forward. Her current priority was to help the Female Lead fulfill her wish. Only then would she have the chance to go back.

Escapism was useless; she had to shoulder what she was meant to shoulder. Turning back to look at Pei Daowan, Yu Jinzhao’s gaze grew much firmer.

When she returned, the food had just arrived. Pei Daowan hadn’t moved; she was in the same position as when Yu Jinzhao left.

Suddenly, a thought surged into Yu Jinzhao’s mind: Pei Daowan was waiting for her to come back. Though she knew it might be an overreach, the thought was hard to suppress, causing the corners of her mouth to lift slightly.

“Did you wait long?”

“Not long. It just all finished coming out.”

Pei Daowan’s expression was flat, showing no unusual signs. Her outfit tonight was very gentle, and with her mellow aura, Yu Jinzhao felt a desire to close the distance. It wasn’t that Pei Daowan hadn’t been good before, but she had been somewhat sharp, making Yu Jinzhao afraid to speak or get close.

Now, they were on the same side. At that thought, Yu Jinzhao’s steps grew light, and her eyes sparkled with youthful energy.

“I’m so happy tonight.”

Pei Daowan arched an eyebrow, slightly surprised. She’s this happy just because of a barbecue dinner?

She had only noticed Yu Jinzhao looked a bit wilted when leaving the Yu house. Even if she hadn’t lost the verbal battle, such things were still draining. Besides, thanks to Yu Jinzhao, she hadn’t felt any pressure tonight; she felt she should show some appreciation.

It seemed this Yu Jinzhao was easier to break through than she’d imagined. In that case, she could truly make good use of her status as the Yu family Alpha.

Thinking of this, Pei Daowan smiled slightly. “You’re the hero of the day. Eat more.”

…

Yu Jinzhao was now slumped lazily in the passenger seat. She had eaten a bit too much—rather pathetic and lacking in dignity. She spent the drive looking out the window and stealing occasional glances at Pei Daowan.

Tsk!

As expected of the book’s Female Lead. The Creator had truly been generous to her. Her skin was as white as jade, glowing with a soft luster in the night. Her eyebrows were slender and upturned, like crescent moons hanging in the sky—gentle, yet with a hint of distance and coldness.

Yu Jinzhao couldn’t see her full face and only dared to peek at her profile. Below the bridge of her nose were Pei Daowan’s lightly pursed lips. The shape was beautiful; even without a smile, it made Yu Jinzhao’s face heat up for no reason.

Her mind began to wander: What would it feel like to kiss those lips?

SLAP!

A crisp sound of a slap rang out next to Pei Daowan’s ear. Although the sound wasn’t loud, they were the only two in the car. She didn’t even have to think to know who had made it.