After Becoming a Scumbag Alpha, I Protect the Female Lead’s Love - Chapter 7

“It might be hard to believe, but given the current situation, I am indeed a transmigrator. I come from another world where there are only two genders—male and female. There is no such thing as an ABO classification.”

Xi Zhou recounted the details of her original world in depth. Nan Zhiyi watched her, sensing that she wasn’t lying; it was highly unlikely for someone to fabricate a world with such internal logical consistency in such a short amount of time. However, the concept of transmigration was still difficult to grasp.

Nan Zhiyi frowned, her right index finger tapping rhythmically on the desk.

Xi Zhou sat in her chair, picking at a hangnail on her finger, waiting anxiously for Nan Zhiyi to accept this reality.

After a long moment, Nan Zhiyi spoke: “Are you Xi Zhou?”

Xi Zhou let out a breath of relief. Nan Zhiyi’s level of acceptance toward her being a transmigrator was relatively high; it seemed she had made the right gamble. Nan Zhiyi was highly vigilant and defensive, especially toward a “stranger” like Xi Zhou living under the same roof. If Xi Zhou had persisted in hiding the truth or lying, it would have been nearly impossible to gain her trust. Xi Zhou chose to reveal her identity first—partly to reduce Nan Zhiyi’s hostility, and partly because she detested the original owner. Now that she had told Nan Zhiyi, she could at least live authentically in front of her without faking a persona.

Xi Zhou stared sincerely into Nan Zhiyi’s eyes. “In that world, my name was also Xi Zhou. But I am different from that Xi Zhou. I won’t hurt you.”

The sincerity in Xi Zhou’s amber eyes gave Nan Zhiyi an unbidden sense of trust. “I want to ask you a few questions. If you feel offended, you can choose not to answer.”

“Go ahead.”

“Alright. How did you cross over?” Seeing Xi Zhou’s expression flicker, Nan Zhiyi added, “It’s okay if you don’t want to say.”

Xi Zhou lowered her head, her voice quiet and devoid of emotion. “It’s nothing. I… I attempted suicide in that world but failed, and then I ended up here. When I arrived, it happened to be right when you were forced into heat.”

Nan Zhiyi felt a lingering fear at the mention of the previous night. “About last night… thank you.”

“It was the right thing to do.”

No decent person could stand by and do nothing. To Xi Zhou, taking advantage of someone in that state, as the original owner had planned, was simply a crime.

Nan Zhiyi continued her questioning. “Will you ever go back to your original time? Or rather… will that Xi Zhou ever come back?”

Ever since arriving in this world, Xi Zhou had been helping Nan Zhiyi and showing kindness. To Nan Zhiyi, the possibility of the original Xi Zhou suddenly returning was the most terrifying prospect.

“No,” Xi Zhou said firmly. “I can’t explain the specific reasons, but I can answer you with certainty: that Xi Zhou will never come back.”

“That’s good.” Nan Zhiyi nodded thoughtfully. “Xi Zhou… why didn’t you just divorce me? Why are you being so good to me?”

If Xi Zhou was a transmigrator who wanted to live a good life in a new world, she should have divorced Nan Zhiyi immediately rather than continuing this contract marriage. Nan Zhiyi couldn’t understand why Xi Zhou would help her for no apparent reason.

Xi Zhou uncharacteristically hesitated before speaking.

“I’m sorry, I still can’t give you an answer to that. I can’t divorce you right now, but I can guarantee that I will never harm you. In fact, I am probably the person who least wants anything bad to happen to you.”

“Is it that you can’t tell me the reason, or you just can’t find a scientific explanation? If it’s the latter, I hope you’ll try your best to explain. I’ve already accepted transmigration; what else could I not understand?”

Xi Zhou had to admire Nan Zhiyi’s sharp intuition for picking up on the nuance in her vague answer.

Xi Zhou organized her thoughts and spoke slowly. “Our fates are currently linked. So, rest assured, I won’t hurt you.”

Although the System had said that a mission failure wouldn’t impact her own life, Xi Zhou couldn’t bear the weight of failing. Nan Zhiyi was supposed to enjoy the sweetness of life after enduring so much hardship. Since her arrival had already shifted the course of fate, Xi Zhou couldn’t stand by and watch Nan Zhiyi lose her life due to her own inaction.

Nan Zhiyi didn’t quite understand what “linked fates” meant, but she didn’t care to dig deeper as long as she was certain Xi Zhou harbored no ill will.

“Alright. One last question—the most important one. Do you like An-an? Can you be good to her?”

Living under the same roof, Nan Zhiyi’s biggest concern was still Nan Jing. The previous Xi Zhou disliked children and always wore a scowl around Nan Jing, making the child too afraid to approach her. This Xi Zhou’s attitude was friendly, but Nan Zhiyi didn’t know if that tenderness was genuine or just a courtesy extended to her as the child’s guardian.

Xi Zhou understood her concern. After marrying the original owner, the house had been filled with cold violence; while the original didn’t physically abuse the child, she had treated Nan Jing like a complete ghost.

But Nan Jing was sweet and obedient. Xi Zhou didn’t dislike children to begin with, and after hearing the “human cub” call her “Auntie Xi” in that milky voice, she was completely won over.

Xi Zhou’s face remained relatively neutral, but her voice softened. “I don’t dislike children. You’ve raised An-an very well; she’s a very lovable child. So you can rest easy—I will definitely be good to her.”

The weight in Nan Zhiyi’s heart finally lifted. Compared to the previous Xi Zhou, she was much more willing to accept this transmigrator. Though she seemed cold and indifferent on the surface, she was a kind person at heart.

“Then… welcome to this world.” Nan Zhiyi’s lips curved upward, her beautiful phoenix eyes shimmering with a captivating smile. She extended her right hand toward Xi Zhou. “Xi Zhou.”

Nan Zhiyi pronounced the name with profound seriousness. Her cool voice vibrated against Xi Zhou’s heartstrings, making Xi Zhou’s ears turn slightly hot. She awkwardly reached out and shook Nan Zhiyi’s hand.

“Now, we are comrades.” Nan Zhiyi winked her right eye—a playful, youthful gesture that successfully broke through Xi Zhou’s tension. For a rare moment, a trace of a smile appeared on Xi Zhou’s face.

Xi Zhou said, “I’ll be in your care for my life here from now on.”

Nan Zhiyi asked, “So, what are your plans next? You’ve helped me so much; I’ll do my best to help you establish yourself in this world.”

At the question, Xi Zhou realized she hadn’t actually thought about what she wanted to do. The System told her to achieve economic independence, but she hadn’t considered how to make money. In her short previous life, she had never left the university campus; as an orphan, she had lived entirely on scholarships and part-time jobs. If she wanted to continue studying astrophysics, her current “identity’s” academic record was a major flaw. As for other jobs, she hadn’t given it any thought; she didn’t seem to have a particular dream career.

Xi Zhou bashfully admitted her thoughts: “I… haven’t decided yet.”

Truth be told, for someone her age, not having a real job was a bit embarrassing. According to the System’s files, the original owner shared her birthday and was also 25. Nan Zhiyi was the same age, only a few months younger, yet she ran a massive company like Minsen. Comparing herself to Nan Zhiyi made Xi Zhou feel a bit ashamed.

“You haven’t decided?” Nan Zhiyi said. “That’s fine. Tell me when you do, and I’ll try my best to arrange something.”

The Nan family might not be as vast as the Xi family, but finding a job for one person was no trouble at all.

“Are you free lately?” Xi Zhou wanted to go public with the marriage as soon as possible. The background of the Xi family would deter any restless troublemakers and provide a layer of protection for Nan Zhiyi.

The prospect of Nan Zhiyi’s mysterious death in four or five months was the Sword of Damocles hanging over both of them. Xi Zhou had to provide as much protection as possible; having the Xi family’s backing would at least make certain people think twice before acting.

“What’s up?” Nan Zhiyi took out her phone and scrolled through her schedule. “I’m quite busy for a while.”

“I want to find a time to introduce you to my parents and announce our marriage as soon as possible.”

Nan Zhiyi understood Xi Zhou’s intentions. “Then let’s do next Saturday evening.”

“Okay.”

Xi Zhou nodded in satisfaction. Nan Zhiyi’s willingness to make time indicated she wasn’t against going public. Xi Zhou had expected persuading her to be a challenge, but she had agreed quite easily.

“By the way,” Xi Zhou remembered the 500,000 yuan from Xi Jiahua and explained, “That 500,000 was from my sister. She said it was for me to buy something for you. I didn’t know what to get, so I just transferred the money to you.”

It seemed Xi Zhou hadn’t told her family that the marriage was just a contract. Hearing this, Nan Zhiyi immediately transferred the money back.

Xi Zhou quickly protested, “Keep it. My sister gave that to you.”

“No. You probably don’t have much money on hand right now. The previous Xi Zhou spent money like water; I doubt you have much left.” Nan Zhiyi insisted. Since they were in a contract marriage, she didn’t want to take undue advantage, especially since Xi Zhou had already helped her so much.

Though she hated to admit it, Nan Zhiyi was right. After Nan Zhiyi was hospitalized yesterday, Xi Zhou’s bank balance had dropped to a two-digit number.

“No. My sister said it belongs to you.” Xi Zhou was stubborn; even in a contract marriage, she believed proper etiquette must be observed.

“Then just consider it living expenses,” Nan Zhiyi suggested, changing her wording when she saw Xi Zhou’s resolve. Sure enough, Xi Zhou was less resistant to that.

“I know you have a contract with that other Xi Zhou for 30,000 yuan a month. I… I’ll pay you back once I earn some money.” Xi Zhou appreciated the kindness, but she couldn’t bring herself to be as thick-skinned as the original owner, taking money for doing nothing. To Xi Zhou, being a “freeloader” was no different from begging.

“Alright.” Nan Zhiyi was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected Xi Zhou to intend to pay her back—it even seemed like she wanted to pay back the money the original Xi Zhou had taken too.

This Xi Zhou was honest to a fault.

Nan Zhiyi covered her mouth and yawned, looking like a drowsy kitten. She hadn’t slept well the night before, had spent the morning playing with Nan Jing, and the afternoon dealing with company business and the investigation. Although it was only 9:15 PM, she was already exhausted.

Xi Zhou saw her fatigue and asked, “Is that everything?”

“Yes,” Nan Zhiyi said.

“Then, get some sleep.”

“Mhm. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”