After the Scumbag Alpha Tries to Save the Love-Struck and Flips Over (Quick Transmigration GL) - Chapter 40

Shen Su, of course, would not refuse such a fortuitous turn of events.

She nodded with a beaming smile. “Of course you can.”

They didn’t set off with the kitten until they received word that the apartment had been fully cleaned. As Lu Yan stepped through the door, Shen Su leaned over to take a pair of new slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them at her feet.

“Thank you.” Lu Yan set the kitten down and slipped off her sneakers.

The kitten was exceptionally well-behaved; even in a new environment, she didn’t run around wildly, but instead stayed near Shen Su’s feet, rubbing against her ankles. Lu Yan closed the door behind her. Looking up, she caught sight of the bathroom not far away.

The entire rental room she currently lived in was barely larger than this bathroom.

Shen Su dragged the packages piled at the entrance to the side and picked up a pair of scissors. “If you have time to visit the cat but find it inconvenient to head back, you can stay here,” she said as she unboxed the items. “The south-facing bedroom with the balcony has already been tidied up. You’re welcome to stay whenever you like.”

Lu Yan squatted down to help open the packages, asking cautiously, “Would that… be alright?”

“Isn’t it normal for friends to stay over?” Shen Su said with a smile.

“I’m afraid of troubling you…” Lu Yan whispered.

“How could you be a trouble?” Shen Su’s eyes flickered with a sudden inspiration. “Why don’t you stay tonight? That way we can look after the kitten together. I checked—this place is quite close to your office, so it won’t add to your commute.”

“Okay.” Unable to decline such warm hospitality, Lu Yan agreed.

The two quickly settled the kitten into her new home and even gave her a bath. Bathtime-Mao Mao wasn’t quite as cooperative; luckily, they had put on disposable raincoats beforehand, or they would have been soaked. After blow-drying the kitten’s fur, they went to the supermarket together to buy groceries.

As they pushed the shopping cart side-by-side, Shen Su couldn’t help but think of the previous world. Back then, Lu Yan would stuff the cart with snacks. She looked down at their nearly empty cart, which contained only the seasonings and ingredients needed for dinner.

“Sugar, what are you thinking about?” Lu Yan asked tentatively.

Shen Su shook her head. “Nothing. Are you not going to buy any snacks?”

“No need.” Lu Yan gave a shy smile.

However, after they finished gathering the groceries, Shen Su walked over to the snack aisle and picked up a tin of white chocolates. “These taste good.”

Lu Yan’s heart stirred. She had tasted these once; a roommate had shared some back in university. Because they weren’t cheap, Lu Yan had never bought them for herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t have the money; she just preferred the sense of security that came from saving. But if it was Shen Su standing beside her, she was willing to spend for her.

In the end, Shen Su beat her to the payment.

Feeling guilty, Lu Yan said, “I’ve troubled you again. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

“Sure.” Shen Su certainly wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to spend time with her.

Back at the apartment, Lu Yan took the ingredients into the kitchen with practiced ease, her knife skills proving to be quite expert. Shen Su stared at Lu Yan’s back, momentarily dazed. When Lu Yan looked back, Shen Su stepped forward. “Let me help you.”

“Does Sugar know how to cook too?” Lu Yan asked in surprise.

“I do, and I’m not half bad,” Shen Su said with a smile.

And so, the two of them stayed in the kitchen together, busy with the meal. Dinner consisted of Pineapple Sweet and Sour Pork and Baby Cabbage in Broth. However, they made sure the kitten was fed before sitting down to eat themselves.

“Sugar, you’re so amazing. You must have had many pursuers while you were abroad, right?” Lu Yan asked, seemingly casual.

Shen Su felt a mischievous urge and started counting on her fingers with mock seriousness. “One, two, three…”

Lu Yan’s beautiful eyes widened instantly.

Shen Su laughed and pulled her hand back. “Okay, I’m joking. I didn’t date while I was a student.”

“Why? I’ve seen people online say that one must experience a campus romance.” Lu Yan rested her chin in her hands, looking at Shen Su earnestly. “Was it because no one caught your eye?”

“Maybe the timing just wasn’t right?” Shen Su winked. “Love is something you can’t force…”

Lu Yan shook her head in disagreement, her eyes shining brilliantly. “But for someone as outstanding as Sugar, as long as you meet them, there’s no one you couldn’t get, right?”

“Maybe I just hadn’t met ‘the one’ yet.” Shen Su smiled.

“Then… if I had studied abroad too, and we became alumni, would we have met? Would Sugar have become good friends with me, just like now?” Lu Yan gazed intensely into Shen Su’s beautiful eyes, seeing her own reflection in them, momentarily losing herself.

She knew the hypothesis was moot, but she asked anyway.

“I suppose so. People destined for each other will meet regardless of where they are.” As Lu Yan hoped, Shen Su gave the answer she wanted.

Yet, Lu Yan still felt a twinge of sadness. She lowered her head, taking small bites of her food like a kitten.

That night, Shen Su had a bizarre dream.

She was in a square room, surrounded by pitch-black darkness. The only window was nailed shut with wooden boards. An overwhelming sense of oppression nearly drowned her. She wanted to flee the room, but watched as the door slowly clicked shut.

Beside the door, a small table appeared, holding a candle that had nearly burned out. Melted wax dripped slowly down.

Shen Su sat down and picked up a cartoon drawing on the table. It showed two small figures eating, but their faces were obscured by hardened candle wax. She held up the candle, using the dim light to inspect the walls of the room. They were covered in sketches—all of them her face.

It was terrifying. A sense of dread hit her like a flood.

Shen Su picked up a small knife from the table, her gaze returning to the cartoon. She crouched down and began carefully scraping the wax off the drawing, her heart racing. Under the wax, the two small figures were eating sugar men.

Shen Su’s hand trembled, accidentally slicing through the drawing.

At that moment, the door opened.

“Sister, you really aren’t just a figment of my imagination.” It was Lu Yan’s voice, but unlike her usual self, it carried an incredibly complex emotion.

Lu Yan walked up to Shen Su, seized her hands, and bound her wrists with a silk ribbon, tying a beautiful bow. Shen Su looked into her dark eyes and found them bottomless and inscrutable. Lu Yan curled her lips into an ambiguous smile. “They all said I was delusional.”

Shen Su’s heart sank. She opened her mouth, but her throat felt paralyzed. However, she clearly heard another, somewhat familiar voice echoing in the room:

“Are you crazy?”

Lu Yan suddenly let out a soft laugh. “I went crazy long ago! Maybe they were right, maybe I was delusional. But the object of my delusion was never that idiot Sheng Suyu. It was…”

Lu Yan leaned close to Shen Su’s ear, her lips moving. But Shen Su couldn’t hear what she was saying.

Then, a phone rang.

Shen Su struggled to wake from the nightmare. She reached for the phone on the nightstand and silenced the alarm. After a moment, she sat up in bed. Frowning, she called for the System.

System: Here, dear!

Shen Su: Are you sure the memories from the last world won’t carry over to this one?

System: Unlikely. If Lu Yan had those memories, you would have been dragged to her bed long ago. Why would she be playing at “pure love” with you now?

Shen Su was about to pull back the covers when her gaze suddenly froze. What was that bulge beside her? She didn’t remember putting any stuffed animals on the bed.

The next second, Lu Yan’s head popped out from under the covers.

Shen Su’s eyes widened. Her mind raced through a thousand scenarios, even considering how to explain the “faked death” and the System.

But Lu Yan just opened her eyes blankly and let out a surprised “Oh!”

“Sugar? Why are you in my bed?”

“Huh?” Shen Su looked around in confusion. This room did look slightly larger than the one she had entered last night, and Lu Yan’s surprised expression didn’t seem faked. Shen Su scratched her head, totally bewildered. “Was I sleepwalking?”

Lu Yan blinked and asked tentatively, “Did Sugar go to the bathroom last night and walk back into the wrong room? I didn’t lock my door…”

Shen Su realized she was right. She had slept in the guest room, and the bathroom was in the hallway. She remembered going to the bathroom before that strange dream. It really must have been a mistake.

“I’m sorry…” Shen Su got out of bed, adjusting her loose nightgown.

“It’s okay.” Lu Yan remained huddled under the covers, smiling at Shen Su.

Shen Su reached the door and suddenly remembered something. “Do you… have to work today?”

“Yes, I start at nine.” Lu Yan reached out to grab her phone from the nightstand.

Seeing Lu Yan’s fair, smooth arm, Shen Su realized Lu Yan wasn’t wearing anything under the covers. She stammered, “T-then… I’ll go wash up first. Come out when you’re ready, I’ll drive you to work…”

If Lu Yan were already married to her, she wouldn’t have reacted so strongly to such a common occurrence. But the problem was that right now, they were only “friends,” and she had entered the wrong room. Furthermore, having had a history with the previous Lu Yan, she felt incredibly guilty.

“Okay.” Lu Yan’s eyebrows curved as she watched Shen Su beat a hasty retreat.

The moment the door closed, Lu Yan lowered her curly eyelashes, casting a shadow over her eyes. Last night, Lu Yan had a wonderful, warm dream. She dreamt that she and Shen Su found a tabby cat in a bush under a strange apartment building. They raised the cat together and lived a happy, shameless life.

In the dream, they did everything couples do. Holding hands, hugging, kissing…

When she woke up, the space beside her was empty. She heard Shen Su moving and quietly opened her bedroom door. Knowing this was Shen Su’s first time staying in this apartment, she decided to take a gamble.

While Shen Su was in the bathroom, she closed the guest room door and left her own door wide open. Then, she stood in the room and watched as Shen Su felt her way along the wall, just as she predicted, and groggily walked into her room and climbed under the covers.

Only then did Lu Yan return to the bed, satisfied. She wrapped her arms around Shen Su’s waist and took a deep breath, just as they had done in the dream. But she didn’t dare hold her for too long. Before sleepiness took over again, she let go and turned her back to Shen Su.

If only that wasn’t a dream.