After Being Transmigrated into a Cannon Fodder Scum Alpha - Chapter 46

After confirming the partner beside her had fallen asleep, Lin Chen opened her eyes.

Ever since Yun Qi returned, she had appeared extremely exhausted, yet her eyes had been staring at Lin Chen piteously. Whenever their gazes met, she would quickly look away, only to turn her eyes back the moment Lin Chen looked away. After being stared at for a long time, she would even fiercely ask her, “What are you looking at?”

Lin Chen didn’t know what the Alpha had encountered at the Research Institute yesterday, but since returning, she had turned into a clingy “big dog.” Lin Chen had tried to make small talk, asking what happened and how she got better. Though the Alpha’s tone wasn’t great, she answered everything.

A mysterious package? A package…

Yun Qi hadn’t mentioned the diviner, so Lin Chen’s first thought was that the people from the Organization had found a cure. Naturally, Yun Qi didn’t mention her encounter with Mu Yu at the military headquarters either; she hoped Lin Chen and Mu Yu would remain like two parallel lines, never crossing. She only said she had taken a stroll around the military, saw some people being punished, and left satisfied after offering a few “friendly” words of comfort.

Seeing the Alpha’s schadenfreude practically overflowing, Lin Chen felt like laughing as well. She remembered that when they were children, Yun Qi was on very good terms with the military; some older brothers and sisters there often took her out to play, and they would bring her along too. However, after Yun Qi lost her memory and drove her away when she went to find her, Lin Chen didn’t know much about the current situation, only hearing rumors of disputes between the military and the Grand Duke.

Regardless, she always stood by her partner’s side.

“Do you need to rest for a while?” Seeing Yun Qi yawn, Lin Chen felt she truly needed sleep.

Perhaps because she hadn’t slept well last night, or due to the side effects of the potion, Yun Qi had been low on energy since returning. Yet, she didn’t want Lin Chen to leave her sight. The Omega looked as if she had slept well and was full of energy, seemingly having no desire to nap. Seeing Yun Qi refuse her suggestion while leaning drowsily on the study sofa, Lin Chen felt somewhat helpless.

As a child, Yun Qi was afraid of ghosts but didn’t want anyone to know. Every time they finished a horror movie, she would look at Lin Chen piteously, hoping she wouldn’t leave, yet her mouth would refuse to say it—sometimes even asking why she hadn’t gone home yet. It was as if her mouth and eyes weren’t part of the same person. The current Yun Qi looked exactly like she did back then.

Lin Chen didn’t find anything unusual in Yun Qi’s answers; she figured that since the Alpha had just recovered, her pheromone levels might be imbalanced, making her more clingy to her Omega.

“I’m sleepy. Could you accompany me for a nap?” Lin Chen tried a different approach.

The Alpha gave a reluctant nod, though her mouth complained about how she was like a pig, knowing nothing but sleep all day.

“What a lazy person.” Their conversation ended with the Alpha’s grumbling.

‘I’m doing this on purpose. It’s painful for someone who isn’t sleepy to lie motionless in bed. Since I’m sleepy and she isn’t, this is a perfect chance to torment her. Just like when you were stuck in the “little black room”—awake but unable to do anything. It’s very boring. And since the excuse is that she’s accompanying me to sleep, I have a legitimate reason while I torment her.’

It wasn’t until Yun Qi’s breathing turned steady that Lin Chen slowly moved her body away. The Alpha was sleeping deeply and didn’t wake from her movements, so Lin Chen left with peace of mind.

“Was it your people who sent the package to the Research Institute?” Lin Chen called Nan Yue.

“?” Nan Yue was a bit unhappy that her friend called her several times just to talk about Yun Qi, then she was confused by the question. “The Organization’s people went to that small forest, but they haven’t found anything yet.”

“They searched there, but the conclusion is the same as the previous times: that plant grows in isolation. There’s nothing around it that is compatible or antagonistic.”

Surprised by the answer, Lin Chen told her that Yun Qi was better and mentioned the mysterious package that had been a huge help.

“It definitely wasn’t our people, and it wouldn’t be Yi Fei.”

Hearing that name soured Lin Chen’s mood. She chatted with Nan Yue about the progress of her experiments and hung up, though not before being forced to agree to a get-together in a few days.

When she returned to the bedroom, she saw Yun Qi seemingly trapped in a nightmare, though it was different from the one in the Ross Forest. Yun Qi looked terrified, frowning and muttering to herself. Lin Chen leaned in and could only faintly distinguish the sounds “Mu… Yu,” though she didn’t know if it was a name or something else.

As soon as she got close, Yun Qi reached out and hugged her with great force. Fearing it would affect the child, Lin Chen tried to pry the Alpha’s arms away, but it was in vain. Yun Qi buried her head in Lin Chen’s chest anxiously, like an abandoned child, causing Lin Chen to gradually slow her movements. Perhaps she should try a different approach?

Since she couldn’t pry the arms open, she could try to soothe the Alpha’s emotions to make her loosen her grip. Lin Chen opened her mouth and softly hummed the nursery rhyme they had listened to most as children—the same one Yun Qi had sung to her on the night she was unwell. She ran her fingers through the Alpha’s hair.

Under the familiar melody, the Alpha gradually relaxed, and the “mountains” between her brows turned into “plains.” Xi’er’s hair texture was more like her mother’s, with a bit of natural curl. Now that Yun Qi had her head buried in her lap, she could clearly see those slight curls. At this moment, Yun Qi looked exceptionally gentle, just like the Old Madam.

Yun Qi’s hair was inherited from her mother. In her memory, that lady would often gently make desserts with Lin Chen’s own mother. When she and Yun Qi couldn’t finish them, they would distribute them to the servants. The Old Duke was much more stern and rarely stayed at home; Lin Chen had seen him very few times.

Although Yun Qi’s appearance favored the Old Duke, her personality was more like her mother’s—at least, so Lin Chen felt.

“What is Mu Yu?” After the person in her arms calmed down, she whispered softly into Yun Qi’s ear.

Hearing those sounds, the Alpha began to frown again, and her grip on Lin Chen’s arms tightened. Lin Chen had to stroke her head; she didn’t resist when Yun Qi tried to burrow deeper, indulging all her behavior. But no matter how she asked, Yun Qi never said what those sounds represented, and her reaction was intense every time she asked.

Reluctant to see Yun Qi so distressed, Lin Chen stopped asking. There would be plenty of chances to find out the meaning later. It used to be the Alpha holding her; now, she was the one holding the Alpha—a very interesting experience.

If Yun Qi were truly an Omega, she would probably be like a “puffed-up” little cat. Then they would have grown up together like sisters, and she felt she would still fall in love with her. After all, as a child when she still thought Yun Qi was an Omega, she had planned to live with this friend when they grew up; back then she didn’t understand love, she just felt it would be strange to have two random Alphas come between them.

When she tried to slip away again, she found Yun Qi’s arms were firmly locking her in place—not forcefully, but she couldn’t break free. Moving a bit made the Alpha start to frown, so she had to give up her plan and sleep peacefully beside the “large clingy spirit.”

Having slept a long time yesterday, Lin Chen was wide awake. She gently pinched Yun Qi’s face to vent her frustration. Originally she only meant to do it once, but the skin felt so good she couldn’t resist doing it again. She knew one specific place would feel even better, but she didn’t quite dare to pinch it, fearing the Alpha would wake up. Given Yun Qi’s personality, she’d definitely shy away and hide for days.

Lin Chen hated that she was so awake now when she’d been lethargic just days ago. Seeing Yun Qi look so cute while having to restrain her hand from teasing her was quite painful. Looking away was also boring. Later, she tried to move a few more times but found Yun Qi’s arms were always in a restrictive posture, as if she lacked security. This made her quite dissatisfied with whatever that name represented—whether a person or an object, she disliked anything that made Yun Qi unhappy.

When Yun Qi woke up, she reverted to her usual demeanor, no longer so clingy. Lin Chen was happy the Alpha was back to her arrogant self, yet felt a tiny bit of loss at not seeing the clingy version anymore.

“Do you have some business with me?” Mu Yu looked directly at the person before her.

She had a premonition that Yun Qi would seek her out again. When they met before, not only did Yun Qi have a strange feeling, but she did too. So she felt that as soon as the other person was free, she would come looking.

When the Grand Duke came to the military again, the people there thought she was there to pick a fight, only to find she was looking for a specific person. Although Mu Yu repeatedly explained to her friends that she didn’t think the Duke meant her harm and just wanted to talk, they were still worried. In the end, she had to take Yun Qi back to her dorm because the group wouldn’t let Yun Qi take her out. Mu Yu smiled helplessly at her reckless but deeply caring comrades.

“I can get you promoted,” the Grand Duke said casually, her chin tilted high.

“I’m satisfied with where I am now,” Mu Yu smiled, showing no emotion at Yun Qi’s words.

“I can make you rise quickly, to a position you couldn’t reach on your own in a lifetime.” The arrogant Alpha felt the woman before her refused because she was a “country bumpkin” who had never seen the view from the top.

She had had her people investigate Mu Yu’s background. The woman came from a remote small town; having good physical capabilities, she was scouted by a retired officer living there and recommended to the local troops. Through various assessments, she was recommended to the Imperial Capital.

‘And that’s all, isn’t it?’ The Grand Duke felt contempt for the person before her; after all, there were very few people in the Empire who could rival her in terms of birth. Only that steady attitude was barely acceptable—it had the air of an Alpha.

“Things are good now; I prefer to keep my feet on the ground.” Mu Yu politely declined the offer, unbothered by the other’s attitude.

The two inside the room fell into silence, while the hallway outside was buzzing with discussion. The military Alphas were chirping their opinions.

“Did you hear what they said?”

“No, the voice is too low.”

“Then why are you squatting closest to the door? Move over, let me try.” The one asking pushed the person in front.

“Don’t move! We’ll be discovered!”

“Let me do it, I have the best hearing, I’ll definitely know.” A third person joined the fray. Then a fourth, a fifth…

Inside the room—

“I hope you can leave this place. I think it’s better for both of us,” the Grand Duke said, breaking the silence. “As for the requirements, ask for whatever you want.”

And once again, the woman refused. Mu Yu repeated her satisfaction with her current life. Since bribery didn’t work, she tried threats, yet Mu Yu remained as composed as ever, giving Yun Qi a headache.

Though she didn’t want Mu Yu to meet her Omega because of the uncomfortable entanglement in their fate-lines, she couldn’t bring herself to truly harm such a person. The woman’s “impenetrable” act left her at a loss for what to do.

Yun Qi, having grown up in a peaceful country, didn’t have the mental fortitude to kill someone who hadn’t committed a crime. She also feared that her intervention would backfire; she was afraid her later actions would push the plot back onto the normal track and make the two protagonists fall in love. But doing nothing made her uneasy; that voice she heard before emphasized not letting them meet, which she felt was a warning for her.

“I hope that when the time comes, your body is as hard as your mouth,” the Grand Duke left these words and walked away. Mu Yu saw her out, seemingly unthreatened by the obvious remark.

‘What a failed day,’ Yun Qi thought gloomily. Perhaps she could use her recent injury as leverage to threaten the military into sending Mu Yu elsewhere.

However, before she could act, Lin Chen and Mu Yu crossed paths.