A Scumbag Alpha Gets the Simp’s Script - Chapter 26

The remaining words were left unsaid, because their fulfillment depended on an “if”—or rather, on them being people who existed in the same world.

Pei Daowan’s expression shifted. Her hand holding the chopsticks tightened instinctively. Her lips moved as if to speak, but they ultimately pressed into a straight line. Without a word, she stood up to clear the dishes.

Yu Jinzhao realized she had overstepped. Her mood dipped as she followed behind to help tidy up.

An awkward silence settled between them. Yu Jinzhao tried to approach Pei Daowan several times, but the woman subtly evaded her, leaving the girl feeling even more dejected. She looked like a puppy abandoned by its owner—brows drooping, eyes darting toward Pei Daowan with a look of piteous grievance.

“Sigh…”

Someone let out a soft sigh. In the next second, Pei Daowan reached out and cupped Yu Jinzhao’s cheek. Like that previous night, she gave it a pinch—the difference being that tonight’s pinch was quite firm. Caught off guard, Yu Jinzhao let out a sharp hiss of pain.

The perpetrator showed no remorse for bullying the girl. She asked, “Am I not allowed to pinch you?”

Yu Jinzhao shook her head frantically like a rattle, terrified that Pei Daowan would regret the gesture and never do it again.

“You’re so young, yet you spend so much time on ‘what-ifs.’ Stop thinking about nonsense. You’d do better to use that energy thinking about how to convince Li Jin to direct your show the day after tomorrow.”

Yu Jinzhao muttered softly, “Always acting so old-fashioned. You aren’t much older than me anyway.”

Pei Daowan glanced at her sideways, a cold smile playing on her lips. “How do you know I’m not much older? I’m old enough to be your mother and then some.”

This time, Yu Jinzhao’s voice rose significantly: “Liar.”

Pei Daowan snorted, unwilling to get entangled in the age issue further. After all, she couldn’t exactly say she was a regressor.

Yu Jinzhao suddenly leaned in, her voice dropping. “Pei Daowan, I’m suddenly curious—have you ever liked anyone?”

Although the System claimed Pei Daowan had been solely focused on revenge in her past life and never established an emotional connection, that didn’t mean she hadn’t had a crush. Besides, she felt the System was unreliable; it was better to ask the person herself.

“Why are you asking that?”

“I’m curious! Just satisfy my curiosity.”

“What’s there to be curious about? Haven’t you heard the saying? Curiosity killed the cat.”

“Hmph. You just don’t want to say.”

“If you know that, why ask? Where are your observation skills and emotional intelligence?”

Usually, Pei Daowan was reticent or somewhat cold. Being teased like this by her didn’t make Yu Jinzhao angry; instead, she felt a surge of excitement. She wanted to see more sides of Pei Daowan that differed from her daily facade.

“Good Sister~”

Yu Jinzhao boldly grabbed Pei Daowan’s sleeve, swaying it back and forth like a child acting spoiled. Pei Daowan, rarely having been approached so intimately, was at a loss. Unsure how to handle it, she raised her voice to threaten her: “Yu Jinzhao!”

Through their days together, Yu Jinzhao had realized that Pei Daowan was actually “cold on the outside, warm on the inside.” She looked icy and difficult, but her heart was soft. Banking on this, Yu Jinzhao doubled down on her “rascal” behavior.

“Good Sister~ Good Sister~ I know you’re the best. Just tell me.”

Pestered beyond help and unable to bring herself to say anything harsh to Yu Jinzhao’s face, Pei Daowan finally humored her with a sigh. “No, I haven’t. Now, can you stop shaking my arm?”

She lifted her arm, the sleeve still gripped tightly by Yu Jinzhao. Her gaze was full of wordless exasperation. When did she become so thick-skinned?

“Really?”

Yu Jinzhao stood up straight instantly, her excitement uncontrollable. If not for the deterrent of Pei Daowan’s gaze, she truly would have given her a bear hug.

Pei Daowan used a bit of force to pull her mangled sleeve free. Feeling the need for some retribution, she gave Yu Jinzhao’s forehead a firm flick.

Thump!

Yu Jinzhao took the flick head-on. She immediately clutched her forehead, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Pei Daowan with a gaze of absolute betrayal—as if the woman had committed a heinous crime.

If Pei Daowan didn’t know the exact amount of force she’d used, she might have actually believed the girl was in immense pain. Tonight, besides “thick-skinned,” she added a new impression: “exceptionally good at playing the victim.” She almost softened her heart.

“Why are you looking at me like that? One wasn’t enough? Do you want another one?”

Yu Jinzhao complained to her “oppressor” with a watery voice: “You’re so mean!”

Pei Daowan was almost laughed to anger. Who was the one chasing me with endless questions and mangling my sleeve? Truly, the villain sues the victim.

“Yes! I am mean. Is this your first day knowing me? I’m telling you, I’m both mean and vicious. You’d better stay away from me, or you won’t even have a place to go and cry.”

I’d still like you even if you were mean! Yu Jinzhao answered silently in her heart, her eyes unblinking as she watched the woman.

“Is that so? Actually, I’m pretty mean too. You just haven’t found out yet.”

Pei Daowan was dismissive. She’s just a kid; I won’t lower myself to her level.

“Alright, enough. If you keep acting up, you’re doing the dishes alone.”

That finally made Yu Jinzhao behave. She made a long face. She loved cooking but hated washing dishes with a passion; she only did it out of patience. She wondered how Pei Daowan had seen through her.

After a good night’s sleep, Yu Jinzhao woke up thirty minutes early the next day. As predicted, Pei Daowan hadn’t left yet.

“Morning, Pei Daowan.”

Pei Daowan looked up to see the girl leaning leisurely against the banister, looking dashing and relaxed as she greeted her with a beaming smile. The sunlight filtered through the window and bathed her in gold, making her dazzlingly hard to ignore. An unknown breeze brushed back the stray hairs on her forehead, revealing a smile so bright and pure it seemed her eyes were full of golden light.

Involuntarily, Pei Daowan’s breath hitched. She looked away, but her hand beneath the table tightened. Yu Jinzhao’s open, sunny nature formed a sharp contrast to her own, making her reluctant to face the difference between their worlds.

“Morning.”

Her voice was low, carrying a faint, unnoticeable trace of dejection. It was so subtle it was almost indistinguishable from her usual tone.

But Yu Jinzhao had been entirely focused on Pei Daowan lately, and her perception of emotions was keen. She didn’t ask what was wrong immediately; instead, she grabbed her breakfast and sat down beside the woman.

Seeing that Pei Daowan didn’t object to her sitting there, Yu Jinzhao started talking to herself.

“Pei Daowan, do you know? I had a dream last night. A beautiful one.”

Pei Daowan’s brow moved slightly. She didn’t look at her directly, instead listlessly poking at the bun on her plate.

“I dreamed that we knew each other in middle school. You were a transfer student, and you were beautiful—just as beautiful as you are now. You caused quite a stir on your first day.”

Pei Daowan finally reacted, coldly spitting out two words: “Boring.”

“You haven’t heard my part yet! My heart was racing too. Then the teacher told you to pick an empty seat, and there happened to be one right next to me…”

Pei Daowan assumed the dream version of herself would sit there. But Yu Jinzhao didn’t say that.

“I was so hoping you’d be my seatmate. I kept trying to give you ‘hints’ with my eyes. But you chose a seat in the corner, all by yourself with no seatmate at all.”

A trace of a smile finally appeared at the corners of Pei Daowan’s mouth. Choosing to be alone—that really did sound like her style.

“Then several of us tried to get on your good side, but you didn’t care about anyone. You only cared about studying. To get your attention, I studied hard too. But I was always second in every exam; I could never beat you. I was so mad.”

“I don’t know how long that went on. We had zero interaction, and you were always better than me at school. I was so anxious and angry I almost woke up.”

Pei Daowan teased her: “Getting that angry over a dream? Are you a dummy?”

“Hmph, not at all. Then I don’t know what happened—dreams are messy—but I remember that after school one day, you suddenly asked to walk home with me. You said you wanted to thank me.”

Pei Daowan scoffed. “Arrogant nonsense.”

Yu Jinzhao scratched her head. “Oh, it’s just a dream! I don’t know what happened in between. Anyway, you were willing to be close to me, and I was so happy.”

Yu Jinzhao paused. Pei Daowan decided to give her a response, since someone had spent the whole morning talking instead of eating.

“And then?”

Yu Jinzhao gave an embarrassed smile. “Then I was so happy I laughed myself awake.”

Pei Daowan: “…”

How could there be such a nonsensical person in this world? I must be crazy to have sat here and listened to all that rubbish. What a waste of time.

“Pathetic.”

Mm-hmm. Yu Jinzhao didn’t argue. She was pathetic. She hadn’t known what love was before, but meeting Pei Daowan had made her realize that sometimes, liking someone really doesn’t need a reason. It just comes, unexpectedly.

“Yu Jinzhao!”

“Present!”

Pei Daowan’s expression didn’t change much. “Don’t say things like that to others in the future.”

Yu Jinzhao instinctively replied, “Who else would I say things like that to?”

Pei Daowan seemed satisfied with the answer. She reached out and tucked a stray hair behind Yu Jinzhao’s ear. “Good. Now eat up.”

After breakfast, they went their separate ways to work. On the way, Yu Jinzhao began pondering how to move Li Jin. Though she was confident, she couldn’t guarantee that the director’s dislike for the Yu family wouldn’t block her entirely.

On the other side, Pei Daowan was feeling restless. She had dazed off several times throughout the morning, and Liu Qingyi had to remind her more than once. Her phone screen was still on the messaging page with Yu Jinzhao; the girl had sent a message asking what she wanted for dinner around the time she arrived at the office.

She was caught in a rare moment of indecision. She had a dinner gathering tonight that she could choose to attend or skip. Normally, she wouldn’t go, but… Yu Jinzhao’s invitation made her want to escape. Am I getting too close to her? Outside of necessary cooperation, we shouldn’t have too much entanglement.

“Sister, what’s wrong today? You’ve dazed off several times.”

Liu Qingyi had just come in to report. Seeing Pei Daowan distracted again, she was amazed. Sister has truly changed.

A look of struggle appeared on Pei Daowan’s face. It felt embarrassing; such “maidenly” thoughts didn’t fit her at all. “It’s nothing. I might just be a bit tired these past few days. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

Liu Qingyi didn’t doubt her. She would never guess what Pei Daowan was actually wrestling with.

Pei Daowan appeared to be listening to the report, but her mind drifted again. She wondered: What is Yu Jinzhao doing right now? Is she worried about tomorrow’s meeting?

“Sister! Is there anything else to arrange?”

Liu Qingyi’s voice pulled her back. She kept a serious expression, her brow slightly furrowed as if thinking about the work. No one would suspect she was daydreaming.

“It’s good. Continue according to plan.”

“You got it.” Liu Qingyi prepared to leave, but just before she reached the door, Pei Daowan called her back.

“Qingyi, I want to ask you a question. If… if something is very attractive to you, but you know you can’t have it forever, would you choose to stay away or keep getting closer?”

Liu Qingyi laughed. “Sister, you make it sound like something unattainable. What could my Sister not have if she wanted it?”

Pei Daowan sighed softly. “There are many things I cannot have.”

Liu Qingyi put away her joking manner and answered seriously: “It’s normal to want the unattainable. Most things in life are like that. But there’s a saying: ‘Though tens of thousands stand against me, I shall go.’ Life is short; I don’t want to live with so many regrets.”

“Alright. I understand.”

The door closed, leaving Pei Daowan alone in the office. She looked lost, letting out a faint sigh.

Near lunchtime, Yu Jinzhao finally heard the special notification sound on her phone. Without hesitation, she checked the message.

The chat window showed just four words: [You decide.]

Those four words instantly sent Yu Jinzhao’s spirits soaring. She had waited all morning for this. She had been thinking about dinner since she arrived at the office, unsure if Pei Daowan would be home; unable to contain herself, she had finally asked.

She’d spent the morning wondering if her phone was broken because there had been no reply. Now that it was here, she couldn’t stop herself from grinning. She paced around the office several times before she finally got her heart rate back to normal.

“Pei Daowan~”

The name rolled over her tongue repeatedly. Even without the person there, she felt a sweetness, and even imagined she could smell that cold fragrance, like when the woman had hugged her that night.

She thought back to the painting. Over a week had passed, and she still hadn’t decided where to start. Today, she suddenly had inspiration. She knew how to make the first stroke.

Yu Jinzhao was eager to get home. She finished her work early and headed straight for the market before the workday even officially ended. To an onlooker, it would look like she’d taken a second job.

Tonight, Pei Daowan seemed to be in a much better mood. Not only did she talk to her, but she even told her about Li Jin’s preferences, which was an unexpected bonus.

After dinner, Yu Jinzhao unveiled her canvas with a sense of high excitement. The balcony was already painted, and the ink was dry. She ran her fingers over the textured lines of the dried paint, measuring the distances in her mind.

A memory of her art teacher surfaced: “Paint is silent, yet it has texture. The interweaving of light, shadow, and color is the cycle of seasons; it is both silence and decay.”

Yu Jinzhao couldn’t find the exact words. To her, Pei Daowan wasn’t just a vivid person, she was the protagonist of her art. She only wanted to use her best skills to depict her beauty.

Holding the brush in her right hand, Yu Jinzhao made her first stroke without hesitation. She knew exactly how to paint now. An outline slowly began to emerge on the canvas…